Awesome! We wish you lots of success with it. :)
Let's check out the details, shall we?
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| https://books2read.com/u/mglRP0 |
Here is the book blurb for Haunting in Hartley, book two of the Haunting Clarisse Series.
Some
ghost towns are best left alone...
A Heart-thumping, bone-chilling and thought-provoking ghost and
supernatural experience.
Hartley is an Australian ghost town that has made a revival for
all the right reasons—but can it shake off its evil past as the phantom returns
to haunt its new residents?
Will
Clarisse be strong enough to reject the trade-off—the power to foretell future
events of her choosing and the horrors that come with the visions? What if she
could predict a tragedy for a loved one?
This
is a haunting tale of cursed taunts and mindless games of an angry and
sarcastic phantasm that occupies the basement, lonely and desperate for someone
worthy to take over his curse. The contract with the evil entity comes at a
cost for Clarisse—ingrained in her lust to control future events. This becomes
an affliction of the mind that she can no longer separate from her reality.
Enter
her dark world of greed and lust-driven by Clarisse's decision—to inherit the
phantoms curse or confront it? Some ghost towns are best left alone!
★NOTE: This book can be read as a stand-alone.
Genre: Supernatural, Horror
Release Date: May 31, 2020
Sounds like an intriguing read here!
Purchase Links:
Universal Reader link: https://books2read.com/u/mglRP0
Here is an an excerpt...
Before
Father Grimaldi took another step, he heard screeching on the wall directly in
front of him. He gulped while his heart started thumping harder. It had been an
ominous sound, designed to grab his attention.
He took
a deep breath and held it while looking disconcertingly toward the wall. A
misty haze of light captured his attention with speckles of dust forming
patterns of floating particles. The incandescent light came from nowhere, as
there were no windows in this room.
He
lifted his lamp above shoulder height to improve his view in finding where the
uncanny sound had come from when, out of nowhere, an icy hand tapped him on his
right shoulder then patted him on his back. He stood frozen and tense as he
gripped his hands into fists, his heart racing and eyes glued directly in front
of him. He shook his shoulders more than once as a tickle went up his spine. It
had a skeleton-like feel, devoid of any life or tenderness. It was the hand of
a dead man, but with the metaphysical qualities to touch.
He
turned around sharply to confront the phantom, almost losing his grip on the
lamp, to find nothing but darkness in front of him. Was it playing games to
appease itself? To control the emotions of others wary of its presence?
“They
send a man of God to do their dirty work?” said the phantom in an old English
accent. “Well, speak up, man of the robe … Announce yourself!”
Father
Grimaldi turned toward the voice next to the cobalt blue chest. However, the
sound filled the room like an echo chamber in a stereophonic tone.
“Yes,
it is I … Father Grimaldi. And who may you be?”
“I am
whatever you want me to be … Sometimes, I am something, and other times, I’m
nothing … a transient soul, my dear Father, caught up in a sinister game of
trickery by the devil.”
A faint
image of a phantom appeared above the chest—a bearded, middle-aged man with a
vintage baker boy cap and a dark grey, double-breasted coat. The phantom was
not steady, phasing in and out, but one thing was for sure: it was like looking
through a glass window.
“I
don’t understand this game you are talking about?” said Father Grimaldi. The
lamp was trembling in his right hand, and he gripped the brass skeleton key
with so much zeal that it left a red imprint on the palm of his left hand.
“I am
here because I have the power to see everything … before, now, and into the
future. But it’s seeing the future that torments my soul the most.” The phantom
looked toward Father Grimaldi and pointed at him. “You will not find an ornate
cross here, my dear priest.”
“You
know why I am here?” Father Grimaldi was surprised.
“And if
you think that was just good fortune, I also know why Father O’Hara sent you
here … like he did with all the other priests—to cover his filthy tracks.”
There
was an excruciating silence, and then … “You know of Father O’Hara?”
“Oh, do
I know him? More than you think. And if you thought the devil was my only
embodiment, have a look at your flock where he lives behind the robe to cover
up his dubious deeds.”
“So,
why did he send me here if there is no cross?” Father Grimaldi asked.
“I am
not your advisor, my dear priest; I only tell you the way it is. He knows you
are a troubled man of the Church, and he fought against your transfer to this
orphanage.” The phantom stood up, six-foot-tall, and transformed above the
chest effortlessly, looking toward Father Grimaldi with vicious red eyes and
sabre-like teeth.
“I seek
no quarrel with you, evil spirit. I am here because I was sent to fetch an
ornate cross and will leave you be.”
The
phantom rattled in anger with the howl of a wolf, blowing so strongly that it
elevated Father Grimaldi off the ground, a foot into the air, then slammed him
back onto the dusty cobblestone floor.
“Nobody
leaves this den of dark souls unless I say so!” The phantom was angered by
Father Grimaldi’s proclamation.
The
door behind Father Grimaldi slammed shut, the echoes vibrating and filling the
room with a thumping clap. Everything shook, even the floor beneath him.
Father
Grimaldi placed his hands over his ears to limit the noise. Then he got off the
ground, heart racing and thumping, and dusted the grime off his cloak. Father
Grimaldi did not want to show the phantom that he was intimidated by his
outburst.
“So,
what do you want? I assume you are seeking something from me, if you won’t let
me go freely.”
“You
are a clever man, dear priest, but don’t get too ahead of yourself. Better men
have tried and failed, and now they grace the fires of hell, ripped into an
everlasting dance of the inferno.” The dark spirit hesitated for a moment,
gathering his thoughts. “I have a proposition for you, my dear priest.”
“And
what might that be?”
“It is
foretold that on the eighth day of the eight month, you will be stricken by a
mysterious illness. It will be a condition that your doctors cannot diagnose
because they are looking in the wrong place. On the eighth day, you will slip
into a coma.”
Father
Grimaldi swallowed and clenched his hands as he stood up straight, looking
directly at the phantom. “You are predicting my death? That is impossible.”
“My
dear priest, I don’t need to predict because I already know.” The phantom
wavered as his apparition disappeared and reappeared again, faintly, as it struggled
to maintain a consistent presence.
“On
your death bed, you will beg me to save you. I do not need to do anything now.
It will happen, I guarantee you. But I will ensure the good doctors find the
right diagnosis to spare your life.”
“And
for what? What do you seek in return?” Father clutched the skeleton key
stronger than ever before. A trickle of blood dripped from his palm and onto
the pebble stone below.
“You
are a man of faith and believe in the everlasting. You await your God at the
gates of heaven when your body passes from the physical state to the spiritual.
And like all mortal souls, you will fear death as you reach your final breath
and cling to life any way you can.”
“I have
no fear of death. I will embrace it when my time comes, unlike your fanciful
explanation.” Father Grimaldi stood fast and lifted his lantern to get a better
view of the apparition.
“Ha-ha
… Think what you like. When your time comes, you will beg me to save your life.
In return, you will become the keeper of my powers, as contained in this chest
of everything before it. You will agree to release me from my life of misery in
favor of your life.” The spirit of dark souls pointed toward him with his right
arm bending slightly. “You will live on and on, with new wisdom never imagined,
wealth, power—anything you want!”
“So,
you brought me here to negotiate my life with you,” said Father Grimaldi. “Do
you think I will trade my soul with you, a spirit of dark souls?”
“Imagine
the power you will have, to foresee any future events, unlimited and only
contained by your lack of imagination. You can be anyone you want to be in
return. All you need is to become the keeper of the cobalt blue chest.”
“You
make it sound attractive, but I’m aware you spin your words like a salesman.
It’s the devil’s work, and I won’t be convinced by your enthusiasm for the
benefits of this dastardly life you inherited.”
Father
Grimaldi’s rejection angered the petulant phantom. In a split-second, the face
of the spirit appeared directly before him with clown-like eyes, bolded in dark
eyeliner, and a white face, with sabre teeth, and the fury of a wild dog. Red
droplets of blood fell from its mouth, and its tongue dangled in and out like a
ferocious animal sucking its lips. His head was so close to Father Grimaldi
that his pointed nose touched the priest’s forehead and thick, green saliva
dripped onto his cheekbone like icy-cold slime. Purplish, protruding veins
covered the fearsome expression, bulging out with every taunt of anger. The
smell was like rotting corpses, making Father Grimaldi cough profusely. The
handkerchief that covered his face could not stop the caustic odor from
penetrating his lungs.
“Do you
believe me now, my dear priest? Don’t mock me again, or I will unleash the
strength of a hundred demons to devour your purified soul.”
Whoa, so intense!
Let's chat with the author for a bit...
Janice, it's a pleasure to have you here on Writing in the Modern Age again! Glad you could stop by!
Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
Also, when did your first book come out and where can we get it?
The first book in the
series of Haunting Clarisse, The Girl in the Scarlet Chair, was
published in November 2019 and is available in Amazon and Ingram Spark on
paperback. 
This was followed up with the release of the second book in the
series, Haunting in Hartley. I consider myself an indie author and
prefer to control all aspects of my writing, content, and marketing for now.
That may change in the future, but I am happy doing what I am doing for now.
I am a professional that
graduated with a degree in human resources and have worked in corporate roles
for the past twenty years. I live in Melbourne, Australia with my partner and
two children.
I see.
So...a lot of readers love origin stories. What inspired you to start writing?
I have always wanted to write as a child, but like many professional people, I was always too busy working. It may sound like an excuse
but raising a family and working long hours didn’t leave much time to do
anything else. I finally took the plunge and a break from work in 2018 and
completed a writing course. I then commenced writing my first novel. I needed
to dedicate time to the craft of writing to do it justice and it was the only
way. I have a big imagination and lots of ideas that I need to share with
readers and that motivates me. From a point of view, I am trying to share my
thoughts about the conflict between good and evil in our world and how it can
manifest itself in the spiritual world in strange ways.
Wow! Isn't it fascinating where the muse takes us? ;)
Let's try something else.
How did you get into writing supernatural horror?
I think it’s more spiritual and supernatural than anything
else. I have always liked supernatural horrors since I was a child. It is much
more than writing about a good horror story—rather it’s the narrative between
the conflict of good and evil we face every day and the choices we make. The
little things that go unnoticed in our lives as we fail to understand the
environment and energy (forces) around us. Because we are too busy with
everything else, so they pass us by. I believe a good supernatural horror story
should make us think more about the little things that go unnoticed in our
lives and the world around us.
And what do you feel sets Haunting in Hartley apart from other books in the genre?
Haunting in Hartley has a wonderful setting—a real Australian
ghost town in New South Wales and it’s refreshing. The Church and presbytery
are real buildings that stand today and are a part of paranormal tours and
weddings. I did a lot of research on the town and its history before writing
the book. It’s not your normal ghost story where a family buy a house, find
out it's haunted and the story goes from there (very typical). Haunting in
Hartley is more meaningful in terms of our internal conflict between good and
evil and our spiritualization. In my opinion, it’s a more compelling book than
the first in the series (I think our craft gets better with every book). There are
lots of unexpected twists and turns and narrative tension, plots, and sub plots
to engage the reader at every chapter. A lot of my readers commented that they had to
keep on reading to find out where the story line was heading in terms of the
plot. The protagonist is also developing into a strong female character that
readers like to associate with. It’s also scary and some parts need to be read
with the light on!
Nice!
Thanks for visiting and letting us know all about your supernatural horror novel, Janice! What a compelling premise!
So, what are readers saying about
this book?
★★★★★ “
★★★★★ “
” - Scarlett Jensen, Amazon
★★★★★ “- Grady Harp, Amazon
★★★★★ "” - Piaras, Amazon
It sounds like quite a read! :)
Get your copy of this book today, readers!
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| https://books2read.com/u/mglRP0 |
About the Author:
Janice
is an emerging Australian author who lives with her family in Melbourne. Her
recent publication, Haunting in Hartley, reached number one in the Amazon
kindle ranking for Occult Ghost and Haunted Houses category (hot new releases)
and (bestseller).Janice is very well-versed in her cultural superstitions and how they influence daily life and customs. She has developed a passion and style for writing ghost and supernatural novels for new adult readers.
The concept of writing the Haunting Clarisse series was spawned over a cup of coffee many years ago and she has never looked back since. Her books contain heart-thumping, bone-chilling, and thought-provoking ghost and paranormal experiences that deliver a new twist to every tale.
Author
Links:
Website:
https://www.janicetremayne.com/
Newsletter Sign-up: https://www.janicetremayne.com/home/newsletter/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hauntingclarisse
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Janice-Tremayne/e/B07X25Q8Q9/
Writing as Anthony Ranieri: https://www.amazon.com/Anthony-Ranieri/e/B009J07WG2
Newsletter Sign-up: https://www.janicetremayne.com/home/newsletter/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hauntingclarisse
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Janice-Tremayne/e/B07X25Q8Q9/
Janice's Books:
Coming Soon:
Available Now:
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