Discovery at Rosehill - Kathryn Brown - guest post!

Guest post by writer Kathryn Brown 

My fascination with the paranormal has always been at the forefront of my mind, but when my dad suddenly passed in 2001, I wanted to do something that I knew would make him proud. It wasn’t until 2007 that I started writing Discovery at Rosehill, after many paranormal experiences involving contact with my dad. I wanted to write about him, about the many times he would visit, about the other visitors who would grace my house with their presence. It wasn’t hard because my house is filled with activity, day and night. A wonderful atmosphere prevails as one walks through the rooms and lives day to day. My imagination went into overdrive and I created the character of medium Camilla Armstrong, a strong yet lonely woman who needed to discover who she really was. I based Camilla’s character a little on myself, allowing my own paranormal experiences to become hers, ones that she would make sense of much more than I ever could.

Behind the story of Camilla’s paranormal encounters with previous occupants of Rosehill, is a love story where she develops meaningful feelings towards the village priest. Inevitably a controversial relationship due to their differing beliefs, they face many obstacles, not least the one that comes in the form of Camilla’s old flame, Ross.

I loved writing Discovery at Rosehill. Because I used my own experiences to complete Camilla’s journey, it made the content real; brought the characters to life as they graced the pages. It’s a ghost story; but it’s also a love story, a romance between two people who want to help each other and be together, perhaps finding the obstacles too overwhelming.

About the novel 

Finding your dream home is difficult enough, but what if you found it and then discovered it was haunted? Medium Camilla Armstrong is led to the beautiful Rosehill country estate after communication with her deceased grandmother. On first inspection she senses tranquillity within the house; the gentle atmosphere of a Georgian manor that is crying out for new life. But when she moves in, Camilla discovers the house contains a dark secret, one which is to change her life forever.

When The Reverend Marcus Calloway introduces himself to her, a friendship develops and Camilla realises she could at last have found her true love. But all is not what it seems when further spirit contact confirms that Marcus harbours a guilty secret.

Spirit communication, manifestations and an eerie atmosphere all add to Camilla’s new surroundings as she tries hard to decipher mixed messages and a life she never knew existed. An open mind is all she asks for as her relationship with Marcus grows and the secrets of Rosehill are discovered with help from her relatives of a world beyond our own. 

There are some reviews and further information about how to buy a paperback copy, together with an excerpt on the following page (on my blog)

http://crystaljigsaw.blogspot.com/p/discovery-at-rosehill-blurb.html

Discovery at Rosehill is available at Amazon

Links

Blog – Crystal Jigsaw

Paranormal Blog – Marvellous Mable

Email – crystal.jigsaw7@btinternet.com

Twitter - @CrystalJigsaw

Facebook - CrystalJigsaw

Thank you for telling us about your work, Kathryn!

Renovation, Renovation, Renovation by Nell Dixon

'There's an atmosphere here and it's got something to do with the history of this house.'

'Renovation, Renovation, Renovation' tells the story of a couple who run a house renovation business together, buying properties, revamping them and selling them on. Kate and Steve are no longer together other than for the purposes of their business, although Kate is not sure at times that this is what she really wants. After seven years together, she had hoped for more, but Steve doesn't seem to feel the same way anymore; they have 'simply been drifting along' together. Things came to a head when Kate asked Steve to bid at auction on her dream home, a barn, with visions of a happy future for them both together there, and instead he returned to announce he’d bought a different old place entirely, called Myrtle Cottage. They live together in a less than perfect harmony in the cottage as they gradually work through all the many jobs there are to do on the property before they can hope to sell it and go their separate ways. 

When Steve makes an intriguing discovery after opening up the old fireplace, and Kate feels she senses a presence within the old house, Kate's interest is sufficiently aroused for her and her sister Lou to sign up for an evening class about discovering the history of your house, to try and learn more about the architecture and former inhabitants of Myrtle, formerly Walnut, Cottage. A couple of sub-plots add depth to the novel, including a major, unexpected event in Lou’s life, and a shock for the two sisters when their mother returns from her holiday in Las Vegas, and she has brought more than just her suitcases back with her! Several other characters add to the tale, including Kate's jealous colleague Nasreen, course tutor Mike, and Louise's ex, Gary. The renovations of the cottage, a listed building, are continuously hampered by the appearance of disapproving Mr Poole from the council, only adding to Kate and Steve's troubles, and holding up the progress of the works. 

The novel has an interesting structure; Kate recounts the majority of the story, but short elements of the tale are also told from the point of view of Mary-Ann, who lived in the very same cottage back in the 1600’s, during the Civil War, and who is also blighted by problems of a romantic nature; her love for beau Joshua is against her parents’ wishes – they want to see her betrothed to another, Thomas. As Kate progresses with her research into the house's history and previous occupants, looking through the archives and census data, she wonders 'if I was doing the right thing by probing into the past'. She is certain that she has heard and seen someone in the house, despite Steve's refusal to believe her. There are smells and sounds that are unaccountable for, strange apparitions that cannot be explained, is there an element of the paranormal at the cottage? At the same time, she is full of confusion, trying to uncover her true feelings about Steve, and whether they have any future together or not. 

This is a well-written, engaging, romantic read with an involving storyline and added intrigue of a ghostly nature! I really enjoyed it.  

4/5

Published in the UK by Myrmidon on 5th March 2012 in paperback.

Kindle edition available now.

Thank you very much to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.


You can visit the author's blog here.