I want to thank the Authors’ Lounge for inviting me to discuss my work and the book, The Christmas Ghosts of Rothery Hall.
The Ghost from the Molly House. The book is an eerie, atmospheric, paranormal, historical, cosy mystery. It’s set in England in 1931 and focuses on two sisters who inherit Rothery Hall. As their second Christmas at the grand house arrives, they invite the noted spiritual medium Jocasta Bradman to stay, asking her to investigate disturbing events at the Hall that only seem to occur at Christmas.
Jocasta is intrigued and brings in her three associates from the famous Pluckley Psychic Historical Society. As it’s the festive season, she’s expecting lots of fine food, good conversation, sparkling decorations, and the warmth of roaring fires. However, as her investigation unfolds, she uncovers a dark family secret, greed, and a thirst for revenge that has had far-reaching consequences for three generations of the Rothery family. It is a story of human foibles and weaknesses filled with warmth, humour, and Yuletide spirit.
The Ghost from the Molly House is a series. The nine books focus on Jasper Claxton, a compassionate time travelling Ghost with a sense of humour; no one knows he’s a ghost. One of the books, A Christmas Wish, has proved particularly popular with readers, so I decided to write another Christmas tale, and the idea for The Christmas Ghost of Rothery Hall slowly came together. It took me about a year to write and required a lot of historical research. The book is available globally at Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats. The Christmas Ghosts of Rothery Hall
Although my stories are paranormal/supernatural and can involve references to the occult, they are not in the ‘horror’ genre; you won’t find blood and gore, nor will you find sex scenes and bad language. The Ghost from the Molly House series will appeal to fans of antiquity, period detective novels, female sleuths, tales of haunted houses, cosy mysteries, fantasy, and all things that go bump in the night. You can learn more about my work at https://www.grahamepeaceauthor.com/, and you can find me on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
I would describe my books as amusing, historical, and pure escapism; I want to bring a smile to people’s faces. They are full of historical names, facts, and references, which I hope people will find interesting. I also write in a genre I call fashion fiction; there are currently three books, two are coming-of-age stories. The third is a satirical tale about today’s obsession with designer labels and the notion of social media influencers and modern-day ‘celebrity’.
In June this year, I released my latest paranormal mystery, Jocasta Bradman Investigates. The Mystery at Marmaduke Manor. The story is set in 1924, and this time I’ve focused on my spiritual medium Jocasta Bradman giving her the starring role. The story involves a fake medium who accidentally summons unwanted spirits to the house. Jocasta must find out who the ghosts are, what they want, and how she can return them to the other side. I’ve decided to start a new series called Jocasta Bradman Investigates, and I’m currently working on the next book, which I hope will be released early next year.
As for me, I’m from the North of England and worked in Mental Health services for many years. It was a complex, demanding job dealing with acute mental illness, the effects of social deprivation, and the growing impact of drug and alcohol abuse on people, society, and criminality. As the years passed, it took its toll on me emotionally. Once I retired, I decided to take up writing as a hobby, but it has become a full-time job. Before that, my only writing experience was completing work reports and numerous academic assignments. I enjoyed the ‘writing’, so I dipped my toe in the water and wrote a story centred around fashion. It was the first of my fashion fiction books and took me around two years to complete. It was a huge learning experience as I navigated my way along my publishing journey – it still is.
As for my writing genres, because I have always been interested in high fashion and have experienced and witnessed first-hand through my work the negative impact ‘life’ can have on people, I wanted to write amusing stories offering pure escapism and happy endings. I’d had enough of reality! That’s not to say my stories don’t feature authenticity and won’t occasionally tug at the heartstrings. Still, I hope I soften any darkness with many humorous moments, quirky characters, and fabulous fashion details while offering unusual mysteries with fascinating historical references and facts. I write the type of books I want to read!
