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‘Gravenham’ by Christopher Walker – Review

Lee Hall Leave a comment

British Horror with psychological and atmospheric tones that twist into surreal revelations…

Christopher Walker presents a British horror story with plenty of the usual genre hallmarks but it is executed in a unique atmospheric style that very much sits in the head of main character ‘Edward Drummond’. The strength of this story is the tones that carry atmosphere and the concept of everything not being what it first seems with an internal monologue that adds a certain surrealism to the affairs of three city dwellers who find themselves on a mystery solving mission to the remote village of ‘Gravenham’.

After meeting reporter ‘Melanie’ at a dinner party and even when readers learn early on that ‘Edward’ doesn’t think too much of himself, he strikes up an unexpected romance which takes them both on the path, along with his photographer brother ‘Thomas’ to Grantham where a dead body is missing. This accidental romantic ‘Edward’ sets the theme of things to come as his confidence grows while the story unfolds or is that just his delusion? Something I flagged early is the concept of something doesn’t quite fit and every so often the reader is reminded of that keeping me guessing. Is this all an elaborate dream or nightmare?

The trio’s arrival and quick discovery of the situation in Grantham quickly unfolds along with a sense of danger but who can they trust? The locals are typically frosty towards them and the story leans into the likes of the ‘Wickerman’ and even popular video game film adaptation ‘Resident Evil’ in which the author mentions at the start of the book. An unexpected twist then sets the story on a weird and even obscure path that leads all the way to a finish that explains most things but lets readers fill in some of the gaps.

For those who like mystery horror with plenty of atmosphere, this one is for you.

5 Stars

Weekly Ramble #169

Lee Hall Leave a comment

Serious results in any creative endeavour is fostered by taking it seriously. There are so many factors as to why one can find success with their creativity but above all, attitude is everything.

To be able to constantly learn from something while participating in it has been the driving factor for me in so many different corners of my online activities and for social media. From showing up daily to reflecting how that has benefitted my growth over time to the all important recording of what works in my mind. We take the good we can learn from and continue forth, much like when it comes to writing and then editing a book – just one more edit is the mindset and at the forefront of a writer constantly improving – to me this a good sign.

Patience is a solid joint first place when it comes to pursuing creative endeavours successfully because you could do everything you can to feel like you should be getting good results but instead you face zeros – patience will serve anyone in that situation well and in the meantime keep building, keep learning and keep going – that’s all I have ever done. Evolution really is a change that cannot be seen instantly but over time and with patience and the right attitude, you’ll get there.

Weekly Ramble #167

Lee Hall 2 Comments

Sometimes an extended rest is all the mind needs. Although I love being busy, it can be nice to take ten days away and spend it with my significant other. Escape equals recharge sometimes and now I am back with batteries that are full.

My intentions this year are fewfold – from querying my forever dream book to outside writing day job aspirations to even directing another show. I’ve got my work cut out and I’m so ready. 2022 was a long and labouring year which took a lot from me. A huge priority has been to get my mental health back up to scratch and now after some time away and reflection my anxiety has seemingly drained and now I must strive to keep myself in better shape both physically and mentally. These ramble posts serve as a diary and a also to-do list. Hopefully by 2023’s final one, I will be reflecting on some successes.

As I pick up where I left of just some weeks ago, I cannot help but look back on my short break away with fond memories. A huge shout-out the wonderful Island of Saint Lucia. What a fantastic place!

‘Fire at Her Fingertips’ by Rebecca Crunden – Review

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‘You know it’s better to lie. To keep the fire for yourself.’

Rebecca Crunden delivers a powerful tale with deep meaning that immerses readers from the start.

For a shorter read it doesn’t hold back with a writing style that uses every word to create the sense of an enduring journey to finding belonging and home. There is a lot of symbolism and metaphor here paired with poetic writing that displays Crunden’s strengths as an immersive story teller while also carrying an important message. Fire is a force that carries a mystique and power which is embraced here. Its also okay to be different because eventually you’ll find others to accept you for who you are.

Shorter reads like this deserve praise because they may only whisk the reader away for a short time but that important message within will stick around for much longer.

5 Stars

‘Of Swans and Stars; Finding my own North Star, one poem at a time’ by E.M. McConnell – Review

Lee Hall

A uniquely emotive and descriptive collection of poetry…

E.M. McConnell delivers a fantastic array of poetry that touches on so many subjects and across the four parts there is something that will resonate with anyone who takes on these words.

From the subject of being hopeful to even myth and magic which made for a great way to finish the collection, McConnel’s brand of poetry is strong, brave and consistent throughout. In particular ‘O, My Muse’ spoke to me along with ‘Music’ where the description really shines from the very start.

‘The beat skips and slithers down the cord Dodging errant quavers with amusing grace…’

This collection took me on a unique journey of language, rhyme and magic encapsulated by a British charm. There’s modern references and a power in these words along with the occasional mention of dragons all framed by an excellent looking cover and brilliant formatting.

For anyone looking to take on immersive poetry, I’d highly recommend this one!

5 Stars

Exclusive Excerpt: ‘Soul of Light and Thunder’ by Arianne Nicks

Lee Hall

Fellow author Arianne Nicks shares an exclusive promotional excerpt of her novel ‘Soul of Light and Thunder’

I should have done as I was told, but I was curious and kept my eyes open.

In the next moment, I wished I had listened. Kane was looking straight through me, frowning. His gorgeous smile disappeared, and his grip was stronger and steadier. His countenance was almost scary. Around us, huge white light circles were growing and spinning faster and faster. I got dizzy and felt like I was the one reeling. I knew what was happening—relocation spell. How did I not think of that? The dizziness got my mind all foggy, and I lost track of my surroundings. I was seeing multiple faces of Kane, all of them unclear and glimmering. Mercifully, in a few seconds, the circles disappeared. When I got my senses and balance back, I saw the landscape changed. The darkness of the night was gone, and so was the dense forest in Chicago and the shadow of my house.

A slow, warm wind ruffled my long hair from behind my shoulders. It brought a fresh, flowery smell, like a dewy garden in the early morning. Maybe because it was an early morning here, with a hidden, shy sun. We were surrounded by the most splendid and majestic trees I have ever seen in my life. Absolutely huge and thick trunks, with bright yellow leaves forming immense, round crowns, almost competing with the sun. I felt my mouth opening in awe of them. If I had to put an image to the word magic, this would be it. Ironic, wasn’t it?

“Ginkgo trees,” Kane said, smiling. His frown was gone, and he was himself again.

I unwrapped my arms from around him. He let me go but grabbed my hand.

“We’re here,” he added.

“We’re…where?”

“We’re in Japan. Come, my father is waiting for us.”

Oh, there. Yes, that’s where we were going. My thoughts were functioning again, so I could think about what happened. I didn’t know they could relocate with another person, especially with a commoner. It appeared to have taken more focus and more time to cast this on two people; I remembered the other ones disappearing almost instantly. That, or Kane tried to take it easy on me so I didn’t pass out. Still, the reeling sensation was more intense than I was prepared for.

This is an exclusive excerpt of ‘Soul of Light and Thunder’ by Arianne Nicks. You can find more information here.

Thank You for the Awards

Lee Hall

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who recently voted for me in the Feed My Reads Awards 2022.

Its an honour to be named both Star of the Book Community 2022 and Biggest Indie Supporter of the Year.

To be supported, mentioned and thought of in such a wonderful way for my efforts in the Writing Community and of course the Indie Book Community is both humbling and special. As a fan of stories and reading that passion eventually urged me at quite a young age to consider pursuing the dream of becoming a writer myself.

On this journey, which has given me a lot of experiences I’ve come to realise I am in the fantastic company of many talented and kind people who make all of this worth it. I’m a firm believer in supporting others to make our industry better and simply because I enjoy reading. Those who do release their words into this world deserve every single ounce of support they can get because it takes a monumental level of bravery to share any type of creativity.

Writers supporting writers is a world that I very much appreciate living in.

Thank you to the awesome Feed My Reads blog for putting together the awards and for the amazing effort. To everyone else who was nominated and those who also won awards – thank you also.

You can watch the full awards ceremony here.

‘Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown’ by Drew Faraday – Review

Lee Hall

A unique and immersive vision of survival and life during apocalyptic times…

Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown is a unique reading experience that plays out much like the transcript of a confession, life story and vision of one woman’s survival during the ‘Meltdown’. The wonderful thing is, its all three of those and more because the immersive conversational style adopted by Drew Faraday pulled me in from the very start and it isn’t one I’ve seen that frequently in fiction. Onthe surface it might appear as just ramblings but like all great books its what lies within those words that make it. Stories of childhood, love, struggle and life in apocalyptic times make up the experience that pulled me in from the start.

The ‘M’ virus and its fallout is where the majority of this story is set but we only get snippets of that from ‘Pearl’ and the focus is more on her many experiences during and then after. Its almost as if she is in the room telling you about the various trials and tribulations of her life and she’s a fun character to be around. Perhaps a little hardened by that life and her well fleshed out presence really puts you in the passenger seat of her ride. From her wealth of back stories to the various fun names she uses such as ‘Camp All She Wrote’ and even naming a suicide vest ‘Severance Package’ are just a few of humorous references peppered with a hint of darkness and there is a lot of emotion at the heart of this one.

‘I wouldn’t have gone through hell on earth on my own for nearly four years only to be pent-up in this rank jail cell pouring my heart out to a damn gizmo in hopes of not taking the long drop…’

Its part post-apocalyptic and part confessional-survival with ounces of humour and the question is, will this confession help her find acquittal? The answer is something I perhaps would have liked to have seen a little more from but that’s a minor critique at best.

Very enjoyable and original.

4 Stars – This review first premiered via Reedsy Discovery

Weekly Ramble #155

Lee Hall

The past week has been a ride. To see my debut book get downloaded several thousand times in 24 hours has been a rollercoaster of emotion. As a proprietor of one’s and two’s in terms of sales, these numbers aren’t exactly a daily occurrence.

Its going to take a while to come down and this result has kind of been everything I have ever wanted on this path and it is even more special because it is my debut book. It might not be my best work, and yes it is of a certain age but to see my book get an opportunity to be thrown in front of just a slice of mainstream readers is awesome.

Of course the reviews will contrast from glowing to obsessively obtuse and weird – I’ve been there before and to see my book after all these years get such numbers is fantastic. In the middle of all that was a hugely successful launch of my 8th book which has outsold every one of my previous releases. Sometimes this whole deal can be awesome.

And now I can retreat back into content creating and even editing of a book that I am going to hopefully query next year. You can expect the results of that recent promotion soon.

The Twitter Bar Analogy: Creating a Nice place to be…

Lee Hall

Hello loyal followers, today I’d like to share this guide from earlier this year all about Twitter – this bar analogy will also be the subject of my next Patreon Twitter Coaching Session…

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The majority of people enjoy nice experiences and the same can be said for most people on social media. A nice or pleasant social media experience can lead to so many possibilities from making new friends and connections, to even earning someone else’s trust or perhaps making a sale. Subconsciously and over many years, I made my social media presence across the platforms a nice place for my followers to hang out. This was also driven by how welcome I have been made to feel by so many others. Because social media is sometimes viewed in a negative light for many reasons, being pleasant tends to stand out.

I’m going to use this post to talk about Twitter in particular and how for me it compares to a bar or pub. Those who know me will also know I love an analogy! As of today my Twitter stands at nearly…

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