From Fiction to History

February 12, 2025Leave a comment

As we progress through 2025, it is always worthwhile to reflect on the writing journey so far, and one significant milestone for me in recent months has been the publication of The House on Devil’s Lane. This novel, which guides readers through a suspenseful narrative filled with mysterious and unsettling events on an apparently ordinary street, began as a tentative foray into the world of self-publishing. Certainly, there are things I did wrong, and different decisions I might have taken, but the reception the novel has received has exceeded my expectations in a very good way!

I’m incredibly grateful for all the readers who have taken the time to write a review. Many have praised its intricate plotting, well-developed characters, and the chilling atmosphere that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Indeed, the overwhelming support and enthusiasm from readers have been incredibly humbling and motivating.

This year, I have stepped away from fiction for a while to embark on a new literary venture that delves into the fascinating world of historical non-fiction. I am thrilled to be working with Pen and Sword Books on my upcoming project, The Legend of Lady Godiva. This book aims to shed light on the life and legacy of one of England’s most iconic figures, the legendary Lady Godiva.

Fascinating Facts about Lady Godiva

Lady Godiva was the grandmother of Ealdgyth, queen consort of Welsh King Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and later King Harold of arrow-in-the-eye fame. This connection places her within the intricate web of medieval royalty and politics.
The story of Peeping Tom, who allegedly spied on her legendary naked ride, may have been invented as a joke by Royalist soldiers. This mischievous addition to the tale adds an interesting layer of myth and legend to her story.
Godiva and her husband, Leofric, once occupied a hunting lodge in Kings Bromley. Up until recently, a modest modern bungalow stood in its place, boasting beams made with the timber of that long-lost dwelling!

Of the many artworks that feature Godiva, or Godgifu (Good or God gift), this is one of my favourites. This is a preparatory sketch by illustrator Henry Hugh Armistead.

Why Lady Godiva?

You might wonder, why Lady Godiva? The story of her legendary ride through Coventry is one that has fascinated me since childhood. The blend of historical fact and myth, the themes of bravery, sacrifice, and the fight against oppression, all resonate deeply with me. I am excited to be bringing to life the ‘real’ story of Lady Godiva, a tale that is as compelling and inspiring as any fictional narrative.

Looking Ahead

The journey from fiction to history has been incredibly rewarding, and I am eager to share this new book with you all in due course. Stay tuned for more updates on its progress, and thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for my work.

In the meantime, if you haven’t yet read The House on Devil’s Lane, I encourage you to pick up a copy and join the adventure. Starting on Saturday, Feb 15^th, the ebook will be available FREE for five days only!

Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey. Your feedback and reviews mean the world to me and help fuel my passion for storytelling. Here’s to many more stories to come!

And if you would like to write some of your own, please check out my creative writing courses page to find out what’s happening!

How to live in a haunted house. Part I

August 19, 2024Leave a comment

In my last post, I wrote about the setting for my new novel The House on Devil’s Lane, and how I was inspired to cross the border for the location.

The House on Devil’s Lane is available to pre-order HERE. Ebook and paperback will be released on 24/09/24

The main ‘character’ in the novel is, of course, Kat’s strange new home, and people often ask me if I have ever lived in a haunted house. Well, it all depends on what you believe ! I can confirm that I have experienced occurrences that I find hard to explain.

When I lived in Ireland, for example, we renovated a 300-year-old farmhouse in rural Limerick called Victory Hall. If any property was going to have an uncanny presence, it was going to be this one, right?! It certainly had a fascinating tale to tell. According to local legend, it had once been a parochial house, but the incumbent priest had committed a sin so grievous (I never found out what it was) that he was visited in the night by a furious mob, armed with blazing torches and pikes (hayforks). They evicted him from the house and marched him down to the river, presumably with the intent of drowning him. He survived, but lost his parish and was condemned to live out his days in a hut down by the very water that could have ended his life.

The ghost of a black-garbed man was said to pace the grounds of Victory Hall, pleading to be let back in to the house, but I never saw anything. We had to completely gut the place, and many ‘ghost’ artefacts came to light. The leather cover of a Bible, a part of a saddle, and so on, all helping to fire the imagination. On dark nights the blackness was absolute, with only a sole farmyard light flickering across the valley. Standing outside, you could hear all manner of rustlings and scratchings in the hedgerow, and even inside, the old timber would creak as it came to rest in the cool of the night. On the whole, the place had a rather peaceful air about it.

The great open fire in the kitchen was the perfect place around which to spin a yarn on a winter night, and I often wonder how many tales it had witnessed.

However, two strange things did stand out for me during our time there. Scratched into the lintel of the kitchen door were the letters WW, which I later discovered were not the priest’s initials, as I had assumed, but interlocking Vs, referring to the Virgin of Virgins. They were witchmarks, ancient graffiti calling upon the Virgin Mary for protection against evil. Were they there to keep the priest out?

Check out my fourth novel Sight Unseen to see where that idea led me! Honestly, no detail is ever wasted when a writer is around! You can find it HERE

The second thing? My youngest son, then around 3, called me over to the window one day, claiming to have seen ‘a man in a long black cloak’ crossing the yard. The house was accessible only by a driveway- one way in and one way out. No one had knocked on the door and I wasn’t expecting visitors. My scalp prickled. With two under- fours in the house, I was always on high alert. I ran outside, but there wasn’t a soul to be seen…

What had he seen? You tell me!

More tales from my current home next time! If you would like to subscribe to my mailing list please click HERE. It is quite occasional, but you can catch up on all my workshops and book news, and I also do a writing prompt in each edition. The perfect excuse to sit down with a cuppa and a notebook!

Introducing- The House on Devil’s Lane!

August 12, 20241 Comment

At LAST I have some exciting book news!

My fifth psychological thriller The House on Devil’s Lane (S. L. Ireland) will be released on September 24^th as a Kindle ebook and as a paperback. I do believe the ebook is now available to preorder on Amazon and will appear silently and mysteriously on your kindle on publication day if you buy HERE.

Okay, that’s the hard sell out of the way! I just wanted to write a little bit about the process and ideas behind the book. It has been said (and not by me, it was The Sunday Post, actually!) that I write about difficult things with sensitivity and realism, and while novels are essentially a means of entertainment, and an enjoyable diversion, I do like to include some timely and troubling topics. With The Unmaking of Ellie Rook, for example (novel no.3) the underlying theme was one of coercive control and the emotional damage it does.

So, true to form, The House on Devil’s Lane has some very compelling characters with pressing problems and harrowing secrets. How they act when the chips are down…well, that’s where the fiction comes in! Hopefully, you will be with main character Kat every step of the way as she negotiates her new life in a new home while juggling the demands of new motherhood. It’s hard feeling alone and isolated in a new place, but is Kat ever really alone? I’ll let you decide, dear Reader…

Where did the idea come from? I will tell all in a series of blog posts, but first, the setting. As much as a love Scotland, I wanted to step over the border for a wee change, and the idea for this book came to me while I was visiting my brother in County Durham. He lives in a village which consists essentially of a single road with, as fate would have it, an empty house at the end, and behind it, the most amazingly eerie wood….