I'm afraid that today was another forgetting-it-was-Monday day! It's the May Day Bank Holiday, meaning I'm off work so naturally, I've been spending the entire day thinking it was Sunday. So I've had to quickly put together my notes for this blog, which is all about the Mentor Character in a middle grade novel. But first... What is the Mentor Character? This character's primary job is to teach and guide the protagonist until the time comes when they can stand on their own two feet. This could involve teaching them magical abilities, or lending a listening ear when it's needed. It could be a family member, or a friend of the family's, or a guide to another land... The possibilities are endless (just be aware of stranger danger!) Do all Middle Grade Books Need a Mentor Character? No, not at all. But, if you have a bunch of kids running around on adventures, the authorities are going to start asking questions sooner or later. A mentor offers the opportunity...
Hello and welcome to this series of blogs for #HistFicThurs!
In 2024, I made the decision that I was going to pull together a few different short stories which I have written and then put them together into a book. My hope is that this book will be released in October this year. October is not only Spooky Month, it is also my favourite month, and I can’t wait to share these stories with you to celebrate.
In the meantime, I’ve decided that each month I will introduce you to one of the stories which is in the book. They are all historical fiction, as I believe Gothic Horror is best between 1800 and 1920. Perhaps, very occasionally, my work might stray slightly away from this timeframe, but there is something about the rapid development of technology and communication during this period which makes it perfect for Gothic Horror. I always like characters receiving telegrams, or experiencing electric lights for the first time.
Furthermore, the Victorian makes for an excellent character. Be they a repressed man or a wild woman, there is something about the upbringing and society which seems to invite the supernatural. The repressed man is my favourite: he is so sure he is right, so confident because of the amount of times society has told him he is right, that he has the furthest to fall. This is something which I also explored in The Folly at Raighvan Park, which was released in 2023 and was received warmly by readers and reviewers.
There is also the practicality of where they live, as well. During Victorian times, it remained usual for a certain class of people to live in absurdly big houses, with a staff which worked tirelessly around them for very little reward. Shows like Downton Abbey have attempted to convince us that there were overlaps between the family and their servants, but I think that is simply utilising our 21st century lens. However, expect to find housekeepers, butlers, and valets in these stories: these are the roles (along with lady’s maids) where there would, at least, have been conversations between the two classes.
Many of these stories pay homage to the great Gothic tales by M. R. James. Perhaps the most terrifying story I ever heard was his Warning to the Curious. It was read to me by my eldest sister when I was about 11 or 12, and it scarred me for life. The language James used made everything seem so plausible, as though it really was a factual account. Many years later, I discovered that Seaburgh, where the story takes place, was tightly based on Aldeburgh in Suffolk, where many generations of our ancestors were born, lived, died, and are now buried in the very same churchyard as James mentions in his story. In fact, when Ginny and I visited Aldeburgh last year, we collected a couple of pebbles from the beach to take home with us, and commented sarcastically that “surely nothing bad can come from taking away a part of Aldeburgh with us!”
Anyway, this was just supposed to be an introduction to my upcoming short story collection, and the blog posts which I will be sharing every month. I hope you’ll drop by and read them, and that they whet your appetite for some scary stories once Spooky Season is upon us. If you would like an ARC for writing a review, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.
Comments
Post a Comment