Review, Interview & Giveaway: The House on Blackstone Moor

Welcome to author Carole Gill.

Where did you get the inspiration to write the book?
I have always been a fan of the gothic romantic genre. I think however the genre needs to be modernized for today’s reader. This I did with my novel, The House on Blackstone Moor.

The story is a lot darker than would have been permitted years ago.

Take the classic, Jane Eyre. I love the dark and brooding Mr. Rochester but I wanted to create an entirely different sort of brooding character, one who is damned through no fault of his own, a creature of the night, damned before he was born; a creature with no hope of salvation.

Louis Darton is the son of a fallen angel and a human mother; he is the male protagonist in my novel.

I asked myself how such a creature would react if a beautiful young girl came into his world. Would it hurt to look at her? Would the light of her soul cause him to feel filthy because he has lived with sin and corruption for so long? Hence, the story began to evolve.

What do you think is totally unique about your story?
I think the fact that I have taken all the elements that make gothic romance what it is, but I have introduced dark horror in it, makes it unique.

I have also included the theme of child abuse, abuse committed by a human being. I did this because the question is posed throughout, is human evil as bad as supernatural evil and does evil invite further worse evil in?

Your favorite character in the book and why?
I have to say, the evil counterpart to my hero, Louis Darton is my favorite. Eco is like Louis. He is also demon spawn; his father was a fallen angel as well. But unlike Louis, he is mad, bad and dangerous to know. He has become pretty popular too. And as such is featured in the sequel!

The sequel btw will be released shortly. It is called Unholy Testament and it is Eco’s confession of sins committed during his entire existence. It is presented to the woman he loves.

Favorite book of all time and why?
Jane Eyre. I remember reading it as a young girl and falling in love with the narrative.

Jane Eyre has other things going for it. There is the examination of religious hypocrisy and the awful problems of social injustice.

The world of Jane Eyre was grim and unforgiving. Her desire to survive and to actually be happy and see to it that others are as well makes Jane Eyre one of the most admirable heroines ever.

Her world did exist and we can thank Charlotte Bronte for illuminating it as brilliantly as she did.

Favorite holiday destination? 

Without doubt, Paris! I love it. It is a beautiful city, with its wide boulevards. I love the cafes and the book stalls along the Seine.

It is a place you can dream in. Sit in one of the cafes and day dream over a cup of excellent coffee. Walk anywhere and you will be delighted with what you see.

And if you like books please bear in mind that France’s highest rated television show is a book review show! That is commendable.

Yes, I love Paris!

If someone made a movie based on your life, which actor/actress will you pick to be you?
Cate Blanchett! Cate in cape and hood walking over moorland with dogs, a figure shrouded in the cold, gray mist of a foggy morning.

She is one of my favorite actresses and I would love to look like her!



The House on Blackstone Moor
by Carole Gill
ebook
251 pages
Published May 2nd 2012

Summary:

“They say my father was mad, so corrupted by evil and tainted by sin that he did what he did. I came home to find them all dead; their throats savagely cut. My sisters only five and eight were gone as well as my brother who was twelve. My mother too lay butchered in her marriage bed. The bed her children were born in…” 

Young Rose Baines discovers the savage murders of her family by her mad, incestuous father. 

She is plunged into a nightmare of hell and is incarcerated in two madhouses after which she is helped to obtain a position as governess at Blackstone House. 

The house is located on haunted moorland. Nothing is as it seems for Blackstone House and its inhabitants have hideous secrets. There is unimaginable horror there but there is love too--love that comes at a terrible price. 

Thoughts:
I'm always pleasantly surprised when a self-published book is so well written and this is certainly no exception. It's creepy and haunting and even from the first page I was so immersed in Rose's chilling account of the gruesome tragedy that has befallen her family that it's hard for me to put down the book.

As Rose tried to put the horrors behind her, she grew up and later offered a job in Blackstone Moor after going out of the asylum that she was put into when she was young. The house is enshrouded in mystery and darkness and Rose has decide where her heart and loyalty lies.

Recommended for: fans of horror and gothic fantasy
Verdict: 4 stars.
Available on: Amazon

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