A Walk in the Fog - Dalmatian Days



In the days before our big thug of a black Labrador arrived, there was this cute little darling. She's the one in the middle at the back and she was probably around 6 weeks old in this picture. Eight weeks old in the next one on the day we brought her home.

Skye was my inspiration for The Keeper and the book is dedicated to her.


When she was around eight months old, Skye was left for several hours on her own, something we had never done before - and never done since! She provided her own entertainment and quite literally ate our kitchen doors.

And there started the tiny nugget that formed Domino's character in The Keeper. A male Dalmatian, much bigger than Skye, I based him on Skye's dad, a glorious big example so like Skye in looks.



The story of The Keeper formulated some years ago when Skye and I would wander through the deserted woodlands over the far side of The Ironbridge in Shropshire along Benthall Woods. Dark and creepy, the acoustics along the valley give a false sense of security. You can hear the voices of people in the park on the other side of the river at certain times of the day as though they're right next to you. But if something happened, there is no easy way for them to get to you.

It was late in the day, one dismal autumn when Skye and I went for our walk. Ironbridge had an eerie atmosphere that comes when the fog presses down and the streets are deserted. The chatter of the people in the park was subdued and I realised that it probably wasn't a wise decision to take the path I did.

As Skye trotted ahead of me, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled as I felt someone watching me. I froze. Turning my head, I scanned the steep slope of the woodlands above me. There, in the dusky light was a herd of fallow deer. As I watched and waited, they literally faded into the background, their camouflage so effective in the darkening of the day.

I held my breath for so long, before I went on my way not wanting Skye to notice the deer and take chase. But the idea jangled in the back of my mind. What if that had been a man? What if he'd been watching me, waiting...

And so The Keeper began...







Amazon UK  https://amzn.to/2BQEzuz
Amazon.com  https://amzn.to/2Nk0sId
Kobo https://bit.ly/2MVUNch 

Comments

Post a Comment

Please type your comments

Popular posts from this blog

PASSIONATE HISTORY - LIBBY WATERFORD

Image
Hi Libby it’s lovely to meet you and congratulations on your new release PASSIONATE HISTORY.  I’m really pleased you have brought Professor Worthy *strokes the sleeve of his jacket*  with you. Pull up a chair, grab a coffee and please excuse me while I *sigh, takes another stroke of his arm* …ask, Aidan (I can call you Aidan can’t I?) some questions. Aidan, it’s lovely to meet you. Uh, thanks, Diane, it’s lovely to be here. Can you tell me how you first felt when you met Bree? Bree was a breath of fresh air – young, vibrant, and enthusiastic about learning about Italian Renaissance art—my speciality. Was she one of your students? Er, yes, she was in my class the last semester of her senior year. Then we lost touch for a while, but she found me again at her five-year reunion. You must have young women *gulp, touches Aidan’s arm yet again* throwing themselves at you all the time. How do you deal with that on a professional basis? Well, I don’t…I mean, I hav
Read more

DS Jenna Morgan Series - Inspiration, Writing & Research

Image
What comes first when I create a story? – Part 2   It’s a strange thing but when I write romance, no one ever asks me what my inspiration for writing the story is. I’m not sure if that’s because they’re frightened of the answer because it might involve … shhh … sex, but I can tell you far more people are interested in your desire to kill. So I gave some thought to my inspiration to write Someone’s There (originally titled Copycat) and I can honestly say that killing off nurses has absolutely no connection to the fact that my youngest daughter is in her final year of her nursing degree. No connection at all… Someone’s There is dedicated to my dad who would have been 100 years old in February 2020, the same month as the book’s release. My dad was a quiet hero. He fought in World War II and we grew up believing the stories he told us were just that. Stories of battles and hand to hand combat. Rescues in the dead of night. But it turned out they were all true. He’d actually been
Read more

Valentine's Day Gift Hop

Image
I'm really pleased you've decided to drop in and visit me at this most romantic time of year. It probably means you've got everything arranged for Valentine's Day ... Yes?? Well you should - and quickly - we don't need any little faux pas do we? I remember such a faux pas when I first started dating my now husband.  Valentine's Day - seven months after we had first started dating each other. This was an important day in my mind and being young and with high expectations, I was delighted when the doorbell rang and I had a delicate single silk red rose in a beautiful white satin box, delivered from the florist. Ah, I was overjoyed. A single red rose - from a secret admirer. As my heartthrob arrived at my front door later that evening, I flung myself in his arms, kissed him wildly and thanked him for my gorgeous silk rose. The frozen silence was a small hint, then he pulled a lovely real red rose from behind his back and handed it to me.
Read more