Dracula – valerie holmes, author

My picture (1)

Welcome back, Paula.

Thank you for your invitation to join you on your blog, Valerie.

Tell me what it is that appeals to you about Victorian Gothic Ghost Stories?

As your readers may know I am a big fan of the genre. I’ve always enjoyed reading them because the narrators build a chilling atmosphere without resorting to blood, guts, and gore as they tell their tales.

Of course, when the Victorians were writing their tales they were to be read aloud to the family, so the stories had to be suitable for even the children to hear. I don’t write expecting children to read my work as I’m aiming for an adult audience so I may use stronger language when it is needed, but I am aware that bad language does put some people off. I see myself more of a ‘Quiet Horror’ writer. In the horror writer’s world quiet horror is equivalent to cosy crime i.e. more Agatha Christie than Stephen King. I think more mainstream readers are put off by the word Horror and therefore are missing out on some well-crafted books with some amazing plot-lines. I’m hoping if I can establish a name for myself in the quiet horror genre and my books are a cross-over into the main crime/mystery genre then maybe more mainstream readers will look at horror in a different light.

My latest book, Seeking the Dark has been listed under the category on Amazon as Vampire Suspense. The book has three main threads to the storyline. One of these is the fact a journalist Jacob Eldritch is trying to uncover the mystery of the Dead Men Sleeping, a series of unexplained deaths in and around Whitby in North Yorkshire. And, of course the name Whitby, North Yorkshire would automatically tell most readers and film-buffs that vampires and Dracula would play a part within my tale. I hope any new reader to my work would be pleasantly surprised to find a story they weren’t expecting when reading, Seeking the Dark.

Cover with Endosment

How did you cope during the pandemic?

I don’t feel comfortable about saying that 2020 was a brilliant year for me, as the Covid Pandemic brought a lot of sadness into people’s lives. For me, my personal life continued without any disruptions. Obviously, I wasn’t able to see family and friends, but I was able to stay focused on my writing and had connections to the outside world via the internet. My husband was able to continue working throughout the lockdowns and he did the main shopping on his way home from work, so we were untouched by any panic buying, as I make my own bread and already had a supply of bread flour in the house.

My first novel Stone Angels was published during the early part of the pandemic. Unfortunately my excitement was marred by deep disappointment at not having a physical book launch to share with family and friends. During this awful time, I did lose two of my dearest writing friends, but not to Covid, Ivy Lord and Nicola Slade had always encouraged me with my writing and I miss them deeply.

In total, I had three books published during 2020. The Funeral Birds a crime novella published by Demain Publishing, a single collection anthology of dark, gothic tales Days Pass like a Shadow, published by Bridge House Publishing, and Stone Angels published by Darkstroke Books. This year, 2021, I had Seeking the Dark published by Darkstroke Books but again, my dreams of a physical book launch was put on hold as the country went back into lockdown. During this year, three local libraries accepted all four copies of my book which was something I never imagined happening when I first set off on my writing journey.

-the-funeral-birds-paula-r-c-readman

What are you working on now?

I’m excited to say I’m working on two novels. I’m just finishing the edits on my fifth book; The Phoenix Hour. It is a time-travel novel about a scientist, Doctor Louise Brimstone who travels back to the 1900 to escape the pressure she’s under in her own time 2055. In the 1900, she hopes to create a new life for herself, but becomes embroiled in a love affair that leads her to hide her lover’s terrible crimes by taking his victim’s bodies back to her own time.

My next project is to complete another time-slip novel. I’m six chapters into a book that has three timelines. It’s about a wise woman, Granny Wenlock who originally appeared in The Funeral Birds a crime novella. Granny Wenlock will become a more rounded character in the book as she helps her descendant Dave Cavendish to solve ancient crimes in his own time. It may take me awhile to write this book but, I’m hoping to have the first draft completed sometime late next year.

That sounds like a book worth waiting for. What’s next for, Paula?

Oh good question, Valerie!

Well, I guess like all authors we want a bestseller. I hope to continue to write the sorts of books I enjoy writing, without the pressure of having to write to order. I have quite a few unfinished novels waiting to be sorted on my computer, so hopefully I may have a bestseller amongst them, but who knows. All I can do is stay positive and keep on writing.

I love your positive attitude and could not agree more.

Paula, if a film maker chose your book to adapt, would you be happy with a ‘based-on version’ film or series, or would you want them to stick as closely as possible to your original idea? What wouldn’t you be happy with i.e. too much violence, complete change of character etc.?

Hmm, Valerie, this is a difficult question. I understand that the author has plenty of scope to explore different elements within their storyline when writing their novel. Unlike a filmmaker who has only a limited amount of time in which to tell the story so they have to cut away a huge chunk of the novel and stick closely to one thread. I hope at least to find my characters recognisable as the ones in my novels. The thing that would worry me the most was if the screenwriters focused on making the hinted-at sexual and violent parts within my plotlines into stomach-churning blood and gore scenes.

If you want to find more about Paula’s writing check out the social media link below:

Blog: https://paularcreadmanauthor.blog

Twitter: Paula R C Readman@Darkfantasy13

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paula.readman.1

Instagram: Paula R C Readman (grannywenlock)

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/paula-r-c-r-540680b3

Amazon Author’s Page: Paula R C Readman

Goodreads: Paula R C Readman

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The historic maritime port of Whitby conjures up a myriad of images that connect people through time to this beautiful ancient town.

The bridge across the Esk

From the iconic Abbey ruins atop its headland, reminding us of its Christian heritage, to the harbour below where the Esk flows into the sea, a booming whaling industry thrived; now it is a tourist magnet and thriving community.

The existing Whitby Abbey ruins date from the Norman period when Benedictine monks founded a new abbey on the site of the original, which had been destroyed by Viking raiders in 867 AD. The order and abbey was to be destroyed and dissolved by Henry VIII. However, it is the original abbey that holds its lasting place in history, founded by Oswy, King of Northumberland in 657AD and associated with St Hilda. The Synod of Whitby, which was held in 664AD, was noteworthy as Celtic Christians lost the debate with Roman Christians on how the calculation of Easter would be made, the effect of which we still feel today.

Whitby as a settlement can be traced back to the Bronze Age. Brigantes, Romans, Saxons, Vikings all played their part in the town’s development, but it was the abbey that first made the difference between a settlement and the town it would become, between the mid-C18 and C19, a thriving maritime port.

The Alum industry in the C16 century also played an important part in the growth of the importance of the port. Alum was an important fixative used in the dyeing of cloth. The remains of such a works can be explored at Ravenscar further along the coast. In To Love Honour and Obey this is mentioned, as the fires and smells of the process polluted the coastline at the time. Modern methods of production made the century old methods of alum production obsolete, but in the early C19 it thrived.
From the mid C18 to mid C19 the port was an important whaling, fishing, boat-building, rope and sail-making harbour with many associated industries prospering alongside.

One of these ‘trades’ was smuggling and the narrow alleyways and snickets were excellent for moving contraband through the streets unseen to the prying eyes of the customs or revenue men. Another use for them was for young and able men to dodge the pressgang should one dare to come by.

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Today Whitby is a bustling town where freshly caught fish are savoured in the many restaurants and inns. Whitby crab is delicious.

The White Horse and Griffin is a restored C18 coaching inn on the east side where Charles Dickens once stayed. The cobbled yard to its side, and the style of small brick out houses further along hidden in one of these yards, inspired the bath house where Willoughby takes Beth in The Yorkshire Saga series Book 1.

The visitor can take a trip out of the harbour and see for themselves the view many a returning sailor would have seen, as the church on the headland welcomed them home.

St Mary’s Church

Whitby has many historic sites and buildings to explore, a myriad of gift and crafts shops. It also holds a number of popular festivals including the very lively and colourful Whitby Folk Week, the dramatic costumes of the Whitby Goth Weekend and even a Pirate Festival to name but a few.

The famous cartographer and explorer, James Cook, lived at his master’s house in Grape Lane in 1748 at age 18 as he served a merchant seaman’s apprenticeship. The house is now the home of The Captain Cook Memorial Museum and is well worth a visit.

Sir William Scoresby is another famous native who invented the ‘crow’s nest’ to protect sailors, and his family’s legacy to the town and whaling industry is also celebrated within the town’s museum.

After the mid C19 the whaling industry and shipbuilding trade died down but a new invention, the railway, arrived and the town on the west side of the Esk developed to accommodate guests in fine hotels. This railway accesses the beauty of North Yorkshire NYMR such as Goathland, Grosmont and Pickering; some of the locations were used in TV’s Heartbeat series and Harry Potter. It is a really beautiful journey to take.

One of the guests who stayed here was Bram Stoker. This gave the town a connection to his famous work ‘Dracula’.

The 199 steps lead up from Church Street from the C15 cottages to St Mary’s church at the top and the abbey beyond it. The church inspired another scene within To Love Honour and Obey because of the unique box pews and the gallery above. The setting, building and views from outside this church are well worth a visit.
When Queen Victoria went into a long period of mourning, another of Whitby’s industries thrived; that of Whitby Jet. The Jurassic period’s fossilised remains were mined and skilfully crafted into jewellery. Once the fashion changed, and association to death dulled its popularity in the early C19, demand faded, but not completely as it has regained some popularity today.

Whitby also features in For Richer, For Poorer as Jerome and Parthena escape their pursuer in a Yorkshire coble. The harbour would have been busy with many vessels leaving from the steps at all times of day and night to catch the tide.

The Yorkshire Saga series is set against the beautiful setting of North Yorkshire weaving fact and fiction, real and imagined towns along the coat and moors.

Tag: Dracula

Welcome author, Paula R.C. Readman!

Whitby: unique, beautiful and historic