The Morrow Secrets (27 page)

‘This is yours, Tallitha. Put it round your neck,’ demanded Lord Frintal as he handed the jewel-stone to Tallitha.
‘Never!’ she cried and flung it across the room.
It clattered against the fireplace as the Swarm let out a cry and ran to retrieve it.
‘You’re wrong. You’re lying. I’m not part of this pact nor the dreadful Edwyn Morrow!’ she screamed.
But as she said the words the familiar gut-wrenching feeling gripped her in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t be part of this evil brood, the brood whose faces bore a terrifying resemblance to those ghostly spectres she had seen in the Raven’s Wing!
The Thane stamped his foot, his eyes lit up like the devil and he pointed towards the huge oak door at the far end of the gallery. The room was swimming before her and she felt as though her head was about to explode.
‘Look over there, Tallitha. See who’s coming through the door,’ the Thane chortled malevolently.
Tallitha did not want to look. She screwed up her eyes and hid her face. She was afraid she would see what she feared the most. But the Thane would not let the moment pass. Tallitha must witness the entrance he had so carefully arranged. He gripped Tallitha’s face in his wretched fingers and forced her to lift up her head.
‘Open your eyes! Look Tallitha, over there, LOOK at my beautiful daughters!’ he shouted as he stood up to greet his children.
Through the entrance, draped in silken dresses of red and gold, Snowdroppe and Asphodel entered the gallery and regally took their seats at the grand table.
‘The last seat is yours, Tallitha! Now we are the Thirteen!’ shouted the Thane.
The Morrow Swarm and their entourage clapped their hands in delight and shouted with whoops of pleasure.
‘Let it begin! The Swarm will be complete!’
The Thane shouted ecstatically as the baying cacophony of the jubilant Morrow Swarm filled the long gallery.
Tallitha screamed and screamed.
This could not be happening.
It must be a nightmare.
‘Let me go!’ she yelled, struggling to get free, ‘I won’t be part of this.’
Marlin held her tightly, his eyes glinting as he hopped about, saliva running down his whiskery chin.
Her mother’s ecstatic face beamed at her from across the table.
Tallitha gasped. She was trapped in this evil, wretched place.
She tried to wrench herself free, but it was no use.
They were all trapped in the evil clutches of the Morrow Swarm in the depths of Hellstone Tors.
She was doomed if she stayed in the Swarm’s lair.
How would she ever get free?
But somehow, someday she had to find a way.

And that is the end of this story and the beginning of another one.

 

An Interview With Susan McNally

 

1. What inspired you to write The Morrow Secrets?

Around two and a half years ago I bought a children’s illustration by an artist called Edward Ardizzone and I thought about all the fantastic stories I read when I was a child by writers such as C.S. Lewis and Mary Norton. I remembered my perfect day when I was about ten years old. We’d been for a picnic to Brimham Rocks in North Yorkshire. Later I went home, jumped into bed and I started reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I have often thought back to the joy of finding that book. So I was inspired to write the kind of story that captivated me as a child, a gripping tale that children could not put down.

2. Why did writing in the genre of Gothic Literature appeal to you?

Well I didn’t deliberately decide that I was going to write a Gothic novel. However I’ve always loved big rambling houses and once I’d thought about the main character, Tallitha and where I’d decided to set the story the Gothic atmosphere just fell into place. I’ve always been drawn to spooky books and scary movies. I used to love TV shows like The Addams Family, The Munsters and Bewitched when I was a child. When I was a teenager my friends and I used to go to see Hammer House of Horror movies every Sunday. As an adult I love movies by Alfred Hitchcock and The Woman in Black. I also admire Gothic architecture and castles where you are never quite sure where the staircases might lead.

3. What made you choose children’s literature?

Writing stories for children definitely chose me. I have begun novels before but the themes and plot lines didn’t grip me sufficiently. I wrote the first chapter of The Morrow Secrets and I read it to my husband. We were on a long drive and he was trapped in the car and couldn’t say that he had something else to do! I read him a few pages and he said, “That’s not bad actually.” He writes as part of his job and I respect his opinion so when he said, “Why don’t you tell me when you’ve written the book,” I thought, “Okay, I will.”

I have always wanted to write a novel but couldn’t find my genre until I began writing The Morrow Secrets – I adore getting lost in the world I have created with all the characters and the plot lines.

4. Which authors have inspired you as a writer?

I have been inspired by many different writers, both for their gripping plots and the quality of their writing. Definitely Bram Stoker who wrote Dracula, which has to be the scariest book I have read. Also Edgar Allan Poe, books by the Brontë Sisters, Doris Lessing, Charles Dickens and Susan Hill who wrote The Woman in Black. As far as children’s authors are concerned I loved reading Mary Norton who wrote The Borrowers, J.R.R. Tolkien, Alan Garner and C.S. Lewis.

5. Describe the process of writing this book.

How many hours have you got? I had the kernel of an idea and I began writing from there but the whole story wasn’t mapped out until much later as I had to revise the story many times as characters evolved or new plot lines emerged. I tend to run with an idea and have lots of interwoven plotlines. For me, once I was clear on the setting and on the main characters the story flowed from there. I have researched about how writers’ write and their numerous writing tips. I found that the more I wrote that the main characters began to occupy my head much of the time. What would Tallitha do in this situation? For me, when I got to this place as a writer the characters began to take over and the dialogue flowed.

6. Why do you think it’s important for kids to read?

I think reading develops their inner world, their imagination and it helps children see the world from different perspectives. Keen readers develop into clever articulate children. It also helps children empathise with the characters and their plight. I’ve deliberately used long words in my books because I wanted to challenge the young reader and I also wanted to make the book appealing to adults as well. So the book is written in a way that will stretch children’s comprehension in relation to the use of vocabulary.

THE SHADOW OF THE SWARM
The Second Book in The Morrow Secrets Trilogy

What will Tallitha Mouldson do next? How will she escape from the sinister castle at Hellstone Tors and free herself from the grip of the Morrow Swarm? Will she ever see Winderling Spires again?

Grand Witches, Hellstone Shroves, evil relatives, strange creatures and supernatural powers abound in the second book in Tallitha Mouldson’s exciting adventures.

Find out what happens in the next instalment of
The Morrow Secrets. Follow Tallitha with her trusted friends as they meet exciting new characters in the mysterious land of Breedoor.

ISBN: 978-1-78226-034-9

 

Format: Hardback

 

RRP: £12.99

 

Publication Date: 27th March 2014