Hello.
Here’s another sneak peek at my work in progress.
I can’t keep calling it ‘mystery by email’, so I’ll let you know that I’ll probably call it Death at Blackingstone Rock. I call it DAB for short!
Blackingstone Rock is a real place, not far from where I live, and I loved the sound of its name. Here’s a picture, courtesy of https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/37705
Anyway, here’s a snippet from the 4th email in the series, and I don’t think there are any spoilers. It get harder to share snippets without spoilers as I go along, but we’ll see what I can find.
Here goes:
Miriam Castleton dominated the conversation. I wasn’t sure if the others were content to let her speak for them, or whether she was Victor’s second in command. But they all watched her as she spoke, in the same way that attentive pupils watch their teacher.
Miriam is in her thirties, but she has that fresh and healthy complexion that comes from spending more time outdoors than in front of a mirror.
Her eyes were bright in the light from the fire, and once she got onto the perils of the moor in winter, she spoke quickly and with a passion that took me by surprise. Her long curly hair was tied back in a sensible ponytail, but I imagined that if she were to shake it free, she’d look rather stunning. She has proud features, and when she talked of the wildness of the moor, she put me in mind of Emily Bronte.
But when I steered Miriam toward the subject of Simon, she clammed up, dropping her gaze to the floor. It was as though I’d poured iced water over her. Her cheeks lost their rosy glow, and she pressed her lips tight shut as though she were keeping something back. What was it that she couldn’t say?
The man sitting next to her was less reserved. He laid his hand on hers, squeezing her hand and leaning forward to look her full in the face. “Don’t blame yourself,” he said. “Simon was a fool. He brought this on himself.”
—
I was quite pleased with Miriam. She seems like a character who could come back in other stories. But I try not to get too attached to every character. They can’t all come back. And it’s good to keep introducing fresh blood to the stories.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the snippet.
All the best,
Mikey
Nicely done. Looking forward to the finished product.
I love the DAB title…brings to mind your Darkeningstone series.
Thank you. Glad you like it.