Capturing the Castle
Today I'm welcoming Alan S. Blood to my blog as he tells how his book, Once Upon a Castle, was born. It seems appropriate that his story starts in Bamburgh. Welcome, Alan.
Capturing the Castle (How “Once Upon a Castle” was born)
On a
bitterly cold, November afternoon, I found myself stranded near Bamburgh Castle
on the wild Northumberland coast whilst the local, old fashioned garage, with
tall petrol pumps, repaired my broken-down car.
The
delicate, somewhat bright, late autumn sunlight created an eerie, pastel
coloured scene, albeit tempered by a biting breeze, yet quite magical,
certainly ancient, and almost ethereal.
'Vikings
have landed here,' I told myself scanning the unique white beaches below the hazy
castle ramparts. It was one of those strange experiences that triggered the
imagination and I could see a Scandinavian longship coming ashore, disgorging
horned-helmeted warriors seizing the beach before storming inland to ravage the
sparse Saxon populace. I could feel that there was a tale to be told.
With
the genesis of a story in my mind, I conducted research into Northumbrian
castles and was intrigued to discover there was another ruined castle along the
coast. This gave me a plot basis involving two castles, one of which was real
and the other a phantom! Ideas built as I thought this was an area to where
children were evacuated during World War II.
Things
shaped towards an exciting novel for young adolescents involving
twelve-year-old twins, Tom and Mary (to appeal to both sexes) who dread being
sent from southern England to Aunt Victoria’s Northumberland farm.
Yet she proves to be young, and fun, until lessons are arranged with a terrible
private tutor, Miss Urquart. Their London Uncle Toby had said: “There
will be castles to explore with ghosts and things.”
Teenage
rebelliousness ensues as the twins escape and riotous, scary adventures
involving castles, Vikings and even the Royal Navy begin.
This sounds just my sort of thing Alan! Can you tell us more about the book, where to find it and that sort of thing.
Once
Upon a Castle is republished by USA
publisher GMTA Publishing under their imprint, Mythos Press.
BLURB:
Uncle
Toby had said that there would be castles to explore, with ghosts and things.
This helps to cheer up the glum twelve-year old Lovell twins, Tom and Mary,
leaving their schools and loving parents to be evacuated to wild Northumbria
during World War II. Then the adventure begins.
They
live with their Aunt Victoria and Uncle Leslie, meet the loveable ‘Mrs M’, a
strange dog called ‘Scamp’ and, worst, the terrible private tutor, Miss Urquart, from whom
they run away to find a mysterious castle seen through an old telescope.
Now they are drawn into bizarre supernatural events of a time-warp
between the war itself and ancient warfare. They encounter dark forces, as the
story twists and turns, and are even rescued by the Royal Navy. Yet, this is
only the beginning of more unexpected tragedies before the twins begin to
escape from it all.
ABOUT ALAN:
Alan
S. Blood worked in the British Civil Service, Advertising and journalism
(edited three publications) before qualifying as a Teacher from the University
of Reading, England. He enjoyed a long, distinguished career in the Teaching
Profession, in both Primary and Secondary levels of education, in several parts
of the UK - which eventually led to Senior Management. His main subject area
was English and, at one time, he was Head of English and Drama. Throughout, he
gained considerable knowledge of literature that children and adolescents enjoy.
Alan
now devotes his time to writing novels, plays, screenplays and poetry. He won
top award in the ‘Hastings International Poetry Festival’
(2003) with his controversial ‘litter’ poem ‘CONTRITE CAN CANNOT’. The paranormal genre
features in much of his prose work.
‘ONCE UPON A CASTLE’ is a
ghost story written for young people (but also enjoyed by adults) set in World
War 11. It concerns both a real and a phantom castle based upon Alan’s
experience of strange castles on the wild Northumbrian coast of England on
cold, dark wintry afternoon.
Alan
Blood has widely travelled the world and undertook research in Chile where some
of his supernatural crime thriller ‘CRY OF THE MACHI A
Suffolk Murder Mystery’ is set. He was previously a Cotswold Morris Dancer and the novel
is a conflict between the forces of good and evil linking a Chilean ‘Machi’ and ‘organised
crime’ to murders in a Suffolk Morris Men side.
Alan
enjoys wildlife photography in the Welsh countryside, painting and scraperboard
engraving. He lives in a Victorian (1873) house below the Cambrian Mountains of
Mid-Wales.
Connect
With Alan
Website:
http://www.alansblood.co.uk/
Facebook
Like Page: https://www.facebook.com/OnceUponACastle
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AlanSBlood
Buy
the Book:
Barnes
& Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/once-upon-a-castle-alan-s-blood/1112345687?ean=9781478306757
Createspace:
https://www.createspace.com/3947440
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