Meet Pauline Holyoak

 Meet, award - winning, Canadian author, Pauline Holyoak 

Read about her, “spine-chilling trilogy.” It was inspired by her own experiences at a remote little cottage near Stonehenge. Merryweather Lodge

 

“This author paints each page with fantasy, colorful characters, and haunting events that would light up a movie screen.”

           

 I grew in Southeast England, in a coal mining village lovingly nicknamed, “The place that time forgot.” Go to my website, click on ‘Articles’ and find out why.  I immigrated to Canada when I was 21 in search of adventure and a new life.  I currently live in Alberta with my sports crazy husband, adorable sheltie dog and cantankerous ginger cat. I am the proud mother of two grown children and one adorable grandchild.

I immigrated to Canada, when I was 21. I came in search of adventure and a new life.

 

     As far back as I can remember the pen and paper have been my faithful companions and story telling my forte. As a child I would sneak away from the mundane adult world, find a private retreat (usually behind the garden shed) and imagine. There in my own little sanctuary I'd conjure up all kinds of intriguing tales and colorful characters. In my teen years my journal became my confident, revealing all my hidden secrets, private fantasies and wild notions within its pages. Later I started to write poems, articles and short stories, and pondered the thought of becoming a writer.
     When I moved to Canada I buried my dreams under layers of real life clutter. I chose a safe and practical career in child care, married and raised a family. But my creative spirit kept trying to dig its way out. I was asked to write articles and editorials for our local church. I taught a story time class at the school, which lead me to writing a children's book. I wrote an article about my husbands' prestigious grandfather and sent it to our local newspaper. They printed it. I kept sending them articles, they kept printing them. I was surprised by the compliments I received from the editor and readers. It was evident to me then that I had excavated my creative spirit.
      I decided to take a comprehensive writing course to improve my technique. With help from a proficient and supportive tutor, who told me I had a gift, I began to cultivate my skill. My articles started to sell and I received an assignment from a major Canadian magazine.

           

      The first book in my Merryweather Lodge trilogy was the Readers Favorite 2011 Silver Award Winner for paranormal fiction. I have also written two children’s books and had twenty five articles and editorials published.

 

I often get asked. “What inspired you to write this trilogy?”…

 

      Every summer, when I was a child, we would visit my aunt and uncle at their quaint little cottage on Salisbury Plain. It was called Scotland Lodge and was situated not far from the historical Stonehenge. My uncle worked as a farm hand for the local squire. My aunt tended the manor house. It was there as I roamed free, deep within the English countryside, that I experienced joy, enchantment and some very strange and frightening occurrences. It was like a fairytale kingdom with a sinister twist. The memories of my summers at Scotland Lodge stayed with me, as a sort of nagging unsolved mystery all my life. A few years ago I revisited my childhood wonderland (the old place still emanates a strange and eerie essence) and was led by some mysterious force into concocting this story and writing this trilogy. It is from my mystifying experiences at Scotland Lodge that this story has emerged.

 

Blurb: It’s Christmastime at Merryweather Lodge. Emily has returned to the old cottage from her home in Canada; after the untimely death of someone she loved. Will she be able to celebrate a traditional English Christmas in her aunts enchanting little cottage or will she be tormented by the hideous creature, again? Was Emily’s attempt to banish her unearthly adversary successful? Will her aunt disclose the secrets she has been concealing for so many years? What will happen when Emily’s best friend comes to visit her? What secrets will she reveal? Will Emily ever get to make love to the man of her dreams?  A chilling tale of love, passion, sorcery and sacrifice; laced with mystery and tied with humor.

 

 Excerpt: I heard voices, lots of voices, some in a language I didn’t understand. “Find her you imbeciles. She has come back and she cannot escape. There is nowhere for her to go.” I recognized that voice but - could be - ? Shadows of screaming vultures circled overhead. The air was crisp and biting.  I moved back from the stone and gazed around the area. The ancient monoliths were smooth and uniform, in a perfect circle. Fires inside the circle lit the sky and the air reeked of wood smoke, sweet herbs, and death. I rose from the ground and peeked around the blue stone. There were clusters of people - some in long white robes, others wore dark hooded cloaks.  One of the groups closest to me was performing some sort of slaughtering ceremony. I cringed at the gruesome site. 

 

      Merryweather Lodge – A quaint little cottage, steeped in history, shrouded in secrets, its aura a paradoxical essence of heaven and hell. Come with me to the West Country in England and experience my protagonist’s strange and eerie journey there.

Merryweather Lodge – Ancient Revenge and Merryweather Lodge – Malevolent Spirit

Available at  www.whiskeycreekpress.com – www.amazon.com – www.amazon.co.uk

Visit Pauline at her website www.paulineholyoak.com Book three coming soon…