THE HAUNTING AT BLACKWOOD HALL
Title: The Haunting at Blackwood Hall
Author: Barrymore
Tebbs
Genre: Historical
fiction, Paranormal, Thriller, Romance, Suspense, Mystery
Publisher: self-published
Ebook
Words: approx.
63,000
Book Description
Blackwood Hall is a house shrouded in silence. Nine-year-old
Alice Fenn communicates only through her music. Jonathan Fenn and his sister
Judith guard a terrifying family secret. The servants refuse to discuss the
mysterious disappearance of a former governess. A drawing room séance attempts
to make contact with the spirit of Elizabeth Blackwood. And when a diabolic
madman holds the residents of Blackwood Hall hostage to an insidious reign of
terror, governess Claire Ashby finds herself in a living nightmare of drug
addiction, pagan rituals, and murder.
In the tradition of the great Gothic Romances, The Haunting
at Blackwood Hall is a thrilling ghost story brimming with bold new twists on
the beloved conventions of a bygone era.
Interview Questions:
Please describe The Haunting at
Blackwood Hall in 25 words or less:
It’s about a houseful of
miserable people who don’t know how to live or love, and the consequences of
living a life in the dark.
What inspires you to write your stories?
I’m writing the stories I
want to read and can’t find. At first I wrote only for myself, but once I
started getting reader feedback, I realized there are other people who want to
read dark, disturbing Gothic thrillers.
Do you have a special place you write?
I work in a cramped studio
apartment that gets very little sunlight. I prefer it that way.
Do you have a playlist while writing, anything special you do while you
write?
I listen to soundtracks from
old horror movies, the score to Dark
Shadows, modern classical music like The
Rite of Spring and the works of Witold Lutoslawski.
What do you do when you get writers block?
I’m glad you asked because I
don’t believe in writer’s block. All my books are carefully outlined in
advance. Daily writing is simply putting clothes on the existing framework.
How long does it take you to write a story?
The first draft of my two
novels took about 8 weeks – my novellas, including two unpublished ones, each
took a month to write the first draft.
How many books have you written? Are they part of a series?
I have four published books
and two unpublished books. All are stand alone stories, although I do plan to
write a prequel about a certain character in The Haunting at Blackwood Hall
sometime in the future.
What other projects are you working on?
My next novella is about a
pack of evil little goblins run rampant on an English country estate in 1921.
*wicked laugh*
If your book(s) were made into a TV Series, what actors would you
choose to play your characters?
That’s a tough one because I
don’t think in terms of basing my characters’ physical appearances on actors
and actresses. I do know a woman who reminds me of Elizabeth York in Night of the Pentagram. She is a big fan
of the book and will indulge me by performing the character’s lines for me.
What is your favorite paranormal movie?
I’m a huge fan of Gothic and
Horror in many forms, but I would have to say that The Ring is one that I enjoy watching over and over.
Who are your favorite authors?
My pleasure reading (and to a
large extent my influences) are psychological thrillers: John Connolly, Dennis
LeHane, Jeffrey Deaver, are a few of the writers I read and try to emulate in
terms of character and story construction.
Do you read the genres you write?
I would if there was more of
it I could get my hands on.
What are your next 5 books on your to be read pile?
That’s a huge pile. Off the
top of my head, Blood Secrets, an old
paperback thriller from the late 70s by Craig Thomas; Amanda DeWees’ Sea of Secrets; I started Susan
Howatch’s Penmarric earlier this year
and had to set it aside; The Lovers
by John Connolly; and Jana deLeon’s The
Lost Girls of Johnson’s Bayou.
If you could date one of your characters, who would it be? Why?
Laura Balfour’s twin sister, Lydia, from Black
Valentines. She’s got a great sense of humor and likes to live life on the
edge.
What has one of your fans said that has made your day?
You probably wouldn’t want to
print what she actually said, so I’ll paraphrase: “Dude, you write some messed
up stuff.”
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
If you want to write, write. Keep
writing. Don’t stop, ever.
Anything else you would like to add?
If you’re a fan of Dark Shadows, or old Gothic horror
movies, come hang out on my Facebook author page. I’d love to hear from you and
sometimes we get some fun discussions going.
Quickies:
Beach or Mountains - Mountains
Coffee or Tea - Coffee
Wake early or sleep in - Wake up early – I have a dog to walk
Excerpt:
It was early, but I felt myself
growing sleepier by the moment. I hadn’t been given laudanum since I was a
child, and the effects were completely foreign to me. My vision grew dim, and I
found I could barely hold up my head. Alice ,
bless her heart, came to me and pecked me lightly on the cheek, then made an
effort of drawing a blanket over me.
I fell into a strange and troubled
sleep. I dreamed of a line of monks marching solemnly through the ruined abbey
by moonlight. Their torches cast dancing shadows against the crumbling stone
walls. Then, I saw a rider on horseback, a proud black stallion which I
recognized as Nigel Kent’s mount, only the face of the rider was an ugly,
twisted visage like the face on Alice ’s
doll. Alice was
there as well, and her mother came and took her by the hand and the two of them
disappeared behind a stone arch and Alice
was lost to me forever.
I struggled up from the nightmare
and looked about the room. Alice
was asleep and the fire had died down low. It must have been the dead of night.
But I distinctly heard the sound of the door handle turning, and when the
person on the other side of the door realized it was locked, the handle began
to shake and rattle so loudly and with such force I thought the door would be
torn asunder.
“Stop it! Stop it!” I yelled, and
with great difficulty I hauled myself from the bed. The moment I was on my feet
the shaking of the door ceased abruptly. I went to the door and laid my ear
against it. I listened for a moment, but heard neither dog nor man on the other
side of the door.
Satisfied that what I had heard was
only a figment of my imagination, or the remnants of that horrid nightmare
clinging tenaciously to my mind, I turned to go back to bed…
…And distinctly heard the sound of
footsteps running down the hall.
About the Author:
Barrymore Tebbs is a
photographer and writer living in Cincinati ,
Ohio
Find the Author:
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Thanks for the opportunity to talk about my book MaryLynn!
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