I'm pleased to bring my readers an interview with Iain McChesney about his wonderful, new release - The Curse of Malenfer Manor. Be sure to check out Iain's book and also the great contest he's offering at the bottom of this post.
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In your new release, The
Curse of Malenfer Manor, those in line to the estate are succumbing to
terrible ends? What sorts of fates are they meeting?
The sort of fates that keep the surviving members
up at night, worrying about what tomorrow might bring. The Malenfers don’t seem
to hang around to enjoy their retirement years. Insurers politely decline their
patronage. You learn pretty early on in the book that the Malenfers suffer for
the actions of an ancestor who established their wealth and primacy. The story
evolves as an outsider, Dermot, is brought into the web, and is exposed to what
really is happening. The trunk of the book is a mystery, but there are a lot of
branches that hang off that.
Why are these deaths suspected to be the work of a
supernatural legacy? Or from human doing?
I didn’t shy away from the supernatural. The
book talks about different things: war, family, the social and economic
relations between the privileged and those without, the role of fate and free
will in your choices as you grow up … all of which might sound very dull and
dry! I didn’t want that. I’ve always enjoyed books that moved, books that were
exciting and interesting. The supernatural exists in the book, indeed one of
the main characters is a ghost (no spoiler I hope – you learn that very early
on), and the supernatural element, alongside the romantic draw and the mystery,
keeps the book interesting and fresh – or that is the intent. I did not want
boring. What I am pleased at, what I hear from readers, is that it appeals to
fans of different genres; the blending of parts worked for them.
From your
book description:
Young Irish mercenary Dermot Ward
retreats to Paris at the close of World War I where he drinks to forget his
experiences, especially the death of his comrade, Arthur Malenfer. But Arthur
has not forgotten Dermot. Dead but not departed, Arthur has unfinished business
and needs the help of the living.
Upon his arrival at Malenfer Manor, Dermot finds himself embroiled in a mystery of murder, succession, and ambition.
Upon his arrival at Malenfer Manor, Dermot finds himself embroiled in a mystery of murder, succession, and ambition.
What
draws Dermot to Malenfer Manor?
We meet
Dermot – he is our hero – just after his war has finished. He’s had nearly five
years in the trenches after enlisting as a young man. He goes to Malenfer Manor
out of obligation to a friend, a brother-in-arms. The world of the Manor is
alien to him – it is aristocratic, French, rural and ancient, yet there are
stranger and more dangerous things for him to consider than the quirks and secrets
of its occupants.
While there, Dermot falls in love with the youngest
Malenfer, the beautiful fey Simonne, but in his way are Simonne’s mismatched
fiancé, her own connections to the spirit world, Dermot’s guilt over the
circumstances of Arthur’s death… and the curse.
a. How are Simonne and her fiancé mismatched? How
might the man pose a unique threat or problem for Dermot?
In another
time and place, Simonne and her fiancé might get married and have a few
children and lead productive unhappy lives. Lucky for us, the book has none of
this! The war and the curse have turned everything on its head, and Simonne is
not a young woman willing to accept her lot in life. Not without a fight. Her
fiancé represents that ordinary life, but she hopes and dreams for more. Dermot
walks into her life, a man trying to make sense of what the world is made of
after his experiences, and now a competitor for her affections against a
dangerous opponent.
b. How is Simonne connected to the spirit world?
How might this impact Dermot?
I was
deliberately coy about Simonne’s links with the spirit world. The book is not
zombie apocalypse redux, nor Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I tried to be subtle.
Simonne is much more than her ‘gift’ – she is intelligent, passionate, and an
independent thinker. The Malenfers, those past and present, are tied to the
Manor, and entwined with the countryside and its way of life. The people; the
land; the place. The reader learns that Simonne is attuned to this connection,
and that this sensibility affects her. The wall between this world and the
spirit world is thin for her. Dermot arrives at Malenfer Manor at the behest of
his friend, his dead friend, so you can see how Simonne’s talents, as much as
Simonne herself, might interest him.
c. What guilt does Dermot carry about Arthur’s
death?
The war made
Dermot and Arthur close friends. One survived and one did not. If that was all
there was to it, Dermot might still feel guilty. Yet a lot more wears on his
conscience. His dreams are troubled. He fears what sleep brings. Overcoming his
own ghosts while coming to the aid of another is an irony that both Dermot and
the reader can appreciate.
Iain is
a writer of gothic mysteries.
*~*~*
The Curse of Malenfer Manor
Book One
Iain McChesney
Genre:
historical mystery / paranormal
Publisher:
Wayzgoose Press
Date of
Publication: October 1
ISBN:
978-1-938757-10-5
ASIN:
Number
of pages:
Word
Count: 85,000
Cover
Artist: DJ Rogers
Book Description:
Those
in line to the Malenfer estate are succumbing to terrible ends –is a
supernatural legacy at work, or something entirely more human?
Young
Irish mercenary Dermot Ward retreats to Paris at the close of World War I where
he drinks to forget his experiences, especially the death of his comrade,
Arthur Malenfer. But Arthur has not forgotten Dermot. Dead but not departed,
Arthur has unfinished business and needs the help of the living.
Upon
his arrival at Malenfer Manor, Dermot finds himself embroiled in a mystery of
murder, succession, and ambition. Dermot falls in love with the youngest
Malenfer, the beautiful fey Simonne, but in his way are Simonne’s mismatched
fiancé, her own connections to the spirit world, Dermot’s guilt over the circumstances
of Arthur’s death… and the curse.
Currently on sale for 99 cents at
About the Author:
He was
born and raised in Scotland. He studied History and Geography at the University
of Glasgow.
The
World Wars left Iain’s family with generations of widows. As a result, Iain has
always been interested in the tangible effects of history on family dynamics
and in the power of narrative to awaken those long dead. For the characters in
The Curse of Malenfer Manor, he drew on childhood reminiscences and verbal
family history—though he hastens to add that his family had barely a penny, far
less a
manor,
and any ghosts dwell only in memory.
He
lives in Vancouver, Canada, with his wife and two children.
Tour Wide Giveaway:
3 paperback copies- international shipping
3 beaded charm bookmarks - US Shipping
1 comments:
Thanks for the awesome giveaway. I would love to read this book. Tore923@aol.com
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