PAINTING WITH WORDS
My Novels
I write contemporary and historical fantasy where extraordinary or magical events change the everyday lives of my characters forever. Places featured in my novels, such as Venice or Prague, have captivated me for so many reasons that I want to bring the same sense of wonder and intrigue about place and setting to my writing – every bit as much as strong characters and a gripping adventure.
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Writing three different books is a challenge and takes discipline, but it’s always a rewarding experience and, above all, great fun! Each book is currently at a different stage of the creative process and takes me into a different world that’s exciting to explore in conjunction with looking deep into the lives of my characters.
The Bookfinder
‘Art possesses a divine power in that not only does it make the absent present… but it also represents the dead to the living many centuries later.‘
Leon Battista Alberti (1404 – 1472)
Art historian, Julia Bonetta, is forced to confront secrets from the past when she discovers a shocking Renaissance painting by an unknown artist, in a Devon attic.
As she slides deeper into a strange world of dreams and visions, Julia is compelled to discover the secret of the painting and its mysterious creator before her sanity is destroyed.
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Meanwhile, Julia's best friend, Leopold, is recovering from an accident in Prague and obsessed with finding the last philosophical work of his dead grandfather. After months of searching without any leads, he’s contacted by the mysterious Bookfinder who offers to help.
However, his assistance comes with a price that has far wider implications, once Leopold discovers who he really is.
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When Leopold realises the growing danger Julia faces, they join forces with The Bookfinder to solve the mystery of the painting. Their search leads them across Prague and into Venice’s past where the secrets of ancient knowledge and alchemical magic are hiding. However, they are not alone. A tormented master cryptographer has discovered the story of The Bookfinder and vows to track him down, and attain the redemption he yearns for.
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Set in Bath, North Devon, Rome, the Dolomites, Prague and Venice, the novel is a race against time, revealing hidden stories from the past, secret archives and the magic of lost books. Each of the characters’ fates will be affected by the source of the painting’s power, as well as the secret of The Bookfinder, which is beyond everyone’s ‘wildest imagining.’
​(NB: This novel is at the final edit stage to reduce its size following amazing feedback from both beta readers and literary agents.)
The Scrutiny of Thaddeus Grymm
The year is 1776 and deep in a forest outside Bath, a woman is found in an abandoned tower with a pair of scissors stuck in her heart.​
Baffled by who she is and her savage murder, a local doctor turns to Thaddeus Grymm, a man obsessed with his Principle of Absolute Scrutiny, to help solve the mystery. Working with his nephew Barnabus, Thaddeus eagerly puts his principle to the test.
As more bizarre murders take place Thaddeus's estranged sister, Octavia reappears, and leads them on a quest that will challenge everything Thaddeus believes.
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(NB: A sequel to The Bookfinder, this historical fantasy novel is currently being developed from a cast of characters and a story premise I’ve created that interweaves elements of fairy tales with an archaeological mystery...)
Curious
Laurence Beck is a quantum physicist who has lost a year of his life. Found unconscious on an empty road in an isolated part of North Devon, he struggles to remember what happened to him while battling the confusion and pain of a strange sensation he likens to ‘being born without breath.’
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Meanwhile, archaeologist Serena Greenwood has discovered an ancient tomb, which coincides with a series of strange events, like the unusual ‘meteorites’ that suddenly appear over the Devon coast.
To discover the story of what she’s really found, Serena joins with Laurence on an adventure filled with quantum physics, archaeology, time travel and an ancient tribe of magical storytellers.
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(NB: This contemporary fantasy novel is a first rough draft that is being reworked and crafted.)