# Paranormal Romantic Thriller - Torc of Moonlight - 99c finishes soon!



## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

I am pleased to introduce...

*TORC OF MOONLIGHT*
Book 1 of a Trilogy $2.99

How many believers does it need to keep an ancient religion alive?

Second year student Nick Blaketon came to Hull's university to play rugby, drink beer and get laid; none of it is going right for him. Alice Linwood came to focus her studies on uncovering the shrine to a Celtic water goddess and to exorcise an unhappy childhood where too many died by accident. She knows why modern universities surround the North York Moors as once did mediaeval seats of learning. Derventio, Malton's Roman garrison, holds the key. Nick dismisses her theories as fantasy - until the trees crowd in and he realises that history is not always buried, and it's not always dead.

How many believers does it need to keep an ancient religion alive?
Just one.
It is you, isn't it, who throws coins into a wishing well?

_Torc of Moonlight_ (113,000 words) is the first in a trilogy of thrillers set in English university cities ringing the North York Moors. Bonus material includes: research articles, author interview, and the opening of Book 2 _The Bull At The Gate_ set in York.

Review snippets from Amazon UK for the paperback TORC OF MOONLIGHT:

"...in starkly elegant prose, builds a powerful novel of possession and psychological breakdown in 'Torc of Moonlight'. She writes the male point of view very well indeed..." 5 stars

"...Acaster's narrative voice is punchy, crisp and authoritative, swinging the reader through a variety of colours and moods. Her descriptions of the world of nature are evocative and sympathetic. Her love scenes aren't half bad either..." 4 stars

"...I could not put this book down and confidently recommend it to all who love well written novels with believable characters, intriguing stories and real settings..." 5 stars

The people in this work of fiction never lived, except in the mind of the author. The places are real. We walk on yesterday, and yesterday is only a heartbeat behind us.

Thanks for reading.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Welcome to KindleBoards, Linda, and congratulations on your book.

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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Thanks for responding, Betsy & Ann. I've been good, but your gentle reminder is always well received.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

I'm taking part in the #SampleSunday Twitter campaign today, offering the Prologue of Torc of Moonlight : Special Edition to read on my blog. Catch it at http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com. If you enjoy the excerpt, please Tweet it using #SampleSunday in the Tweet. Or even better leave me a comment.

Thanks for reading.


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## Ali Cooper (May 1, 2010)

Torc of Moonlight will be reviewed on a new UK review site to be launched at Christmas. Watch this space .


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Ooh, thanks, Ali. I look forward to it. Quite an accolade, being one of the launch reviews  
Good job I revamped my blog! 

Linda


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

It's 9am in the UK, but 1am on the Pacific coast, so that means my banner ad for *Torc of Moonlight : Special Edition* is live. It's at the top of the page; what do you reckon? Not bad for someone graphically challenged. Thanks to everyone who pitched in with suggestions.

_Torc of Moonlight_ is the first in a trilogy of novels set in university cities surrounding the North York Moors in northern England, and concerns the resurrection of a Celtic water goddess. The need to throw coins into a 'wishing' well is almost part of our DNA, and in doing so we are enacting a rite of our ancestors over 3,000 years old. There are a lot of ancient springs in England, and many of them are named _Lady Well_.

As I've not added to this thread since pre-Christmas I thought I'd offer an excerpt. This is from the start of Chapter 2. A paranormal element was introduced in the Prologue so readers have a heads-up, and at the end of Chapter 1, in a seminar class, the lead character Nick has witnessed something eerie which he insists on rationalising&#8230;

Everyone was standing. Nick rested back in his seat feeling witless. Had the class come to an end? It must have done. The students were leaving. Duval was sorting papers in her open briefcase.
_Her hair had lifted_.
It couldn't have done. What was he thinking? His eyes had been playing tricks on him. He wasn't well. He'd thrown up, hadn't he? Nearly passed out. Of course he had. He'd frightened Murray to death.
The girl with the auburn hair had left her seat. Nick looked to the crush at the doorway, but could not pick her out, not the auburn hair, not the green sweater. Most probably she had already gone. He felt oddly relieved.
Sunshine poured through the skylight, its intensity pressing on his head. Squinting into the light source, he could clearly see a flaring round the edge of the passing cloud. Stupid individual! That was what he'd seen around her head - an after-image of the sun's corona. 
In the quad the breeze gusted about him, kicking up dried leaves and pieces of litter. Cornered by the buildings they chased round and round upon themselves, chattering on the paving slabs as if animated. It was cooler outside, much cooler. The clouds weren't wispy as they had been earlier in the day, but ominously thicker. He'd give odds that they would be training in a downpour. Slick grass and standing water. His rugby kit would have to be scrubbed of its mud.
The memory of Louise's touch came unbidden. He tried to banish it, but it was insistent. She liked the rainy games the best, standing on the touchline with that huge red and blue panelled umbrella. She would rush on to the field to meet him when the final whistle blew, to lay a hand on his heaving chest, to draw her nails down the shirt that had become his second skin. She could pout when she didn't get her own way, and her way was for him to be unshowered, unshaven and still sweating after a game. And he'd gone for it like a dog with its tongue hanging out. Not any more.
He toyed with the idea of going back to the house, but he knew that he would drop on his bed and sleep if he went there. He needed food and he needed something substantial. If he ate later he would be liable to throw up again, and if he did so all over Hodgson's boots there would definitely be no place for him in the team. He checked his pockets for cash and made his way to the main refectory.
The noise in the high-ceilinged hall reverberated with a need and an excitement as if everyone was speaking in tongues. Nick couldn't see a free table anywhere and the queue to the counter was twenty deep. He groaned and considered his options. He could go to the shops on Cottingham Road, but he didn't want a takeaway. There were the campus' cafes, but he wanted more than a snack, and the queues were liable to be the same. A couple ahead pulled out and he stepped forward, and it was then that he saw her, leaning over to pick up a tray. Five up the queue was the auburn hair and green sweater.
He didn't think about it. He slipped his position in the line and pushed in behind her, raised his hand to touch her arm, hesitated, then let it fall on her shoulder.
She spun round more startled than he had expected, the tray held vertically, a shield between them, but he met her gaze with bright eyes and a face wreathed in smiles.
'I missed you at the end of the seminar,' he said. 'I'm so pleased I managed to catch you. Sara didn't say where I could get hold of you and I was afraid that I might not see you again until Duval's next session.'
It came out in a rush as he'd meant it to, giving her no time to voice automatic defences, and _Sara_ was such a fantastic name to use. There had to be over 200 Saras on campus. If she didn't know one, she knew someone who did. He could see the confusion standing in her face. She was puzzling the name, trying to locate the connection. _Sara_ was his foot in the slamming door.
'I'll be up front,' he told her. 'I'm here because I need help, and Sara said that you were red hot on the subject and- Hey, I'm sorry, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Nick, Nicholas Blaketon.' 
He offered his hand, half expecting her not to take it, but she did, even in the confined space of the queue. She had a light grip, a cool and damp hand, very small in his. He released it at once, wanting her to read nothing untoward in his manner. She was shaking her head, not a good sign.
'I'm sorry, I-'
'We met at a party last year-'
'A party?'
'Well, a gathering, anyway. I suppose it didn't quite get out of hand enough to be called a party.'
Didn't she go to parties? He reached across to collect a tray from the stack, hoping he could sever that thread of conversation.
'I'm sorry, I think you've got the wrong person.'
He was losing it. He watched her lift a prawn salad from the chilled shelves and turn her back on him to move a little further up the queue. Fibres of her sweater wavered iridescent under the intense lighting, her hair a shower of red-gold leaves.
'Alison,' he said. 'Your name is Alison.'
She half turned, one eyebrow raised. 'Alice,' she murmured.
_Alice..?_ He had never been that close in his life.

To read some more, visit http://www.kboards.com/book/?asin=B004FEFCKK
Or to catch some of the rave reviews for the paperback (which ships without the bonus material and excerpt from Book 2 _The Bull At The Gate_ that the Kindle Special Edition contains) check the Amazon UK book page http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1906558752

Or just drop by to say hello. It will be good to hear from you.

Linda


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Just thought I'd mention that Chapter 2 (Pt 2) is today's #SampleSunday offering on http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com. It's already received a comment... "This is great writing!"

If anyone is a member of Goodreads AND lives in the UK, I'm having a Goodreads giveaway for the paperback http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7547570-torc-of-moonlight, deadline 31 January. Alongside it I'm offering 10 copies of the ebook to those who live further afield. Just PM me.

Have a good Sunday!


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

The Goodreads Giveaway went well, with 194 people in the UK requesting the paperback. I'm getting on with the second in the trilogy, The Bull At The Gate, set in York, and today I'm being interviewed on a new Fantasy review site http://indiebookblogger.blogspot.com which recently gave the novel a 4* review.

So call across to have a look. You may well find something of interest.

Linda


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

I've just revamped the Amazon product description for my supernatural thriller _Torc of Moonlight_. For some reason it has taken on the UK site but not yet on the USA site. I'll give it another day and then email a query through.
~~~​
"&#8230;The historical detail is immaculate, as is the authentic detail of modern student-life, the whole suffused with a rich pagan sexuality&#8230; Superbly gripping&#8230;" 5 stars - Karen Wolfe (Amazon UK review)

"&#8230;The transformative, menacing, use of Nature was powerfully established&#8230; Excellent." 5 stars - Michael Deane-White, author of 'Planks And Other Timber'

TORC OF MOONLIGHT : SPECIAL EDITION
Book One in the Celtic Goddess Trilogy

When student Nick Blaketon manoeuvres into Alice Linwood's dry academic life he's aiming to get into her bed. Readily agreeing to help find the water shrine to a forgotten Celtic fertility goddess, he makes light of Alice's worry that people close to her die. But as her desire for him rises, he becomes less certain. Sleeping dreams seep into waking nightmares. Warnings screamed from a balcony, shapes in a steamy mirror.... Alice? Himself? A figure he terms The Other? Did the shrine return to nature, or was it obliterated by fire, quenched in blood?

As time extends and reality splits, Nick knows he and Alice are out of their depth. But who will believe him? Not Alice, running from her past, and from Nick. He can't let her face the danger alone, but is she right? Has she marked Nick to be The Sacrifice?

How many believers does it need to keep an ancient religion alive?
Just one. You, throwing coins into a wishing well.

TORC OF MOONLIGHT : SPECIAL EDITION (113,000 words) is the first in a trilogy of thrillers set in English university cities pressing the North York Moors against the sea. Bonus material includes research articles, author interview, and the opening of Book 2 THE BULL AT THE GATE set in York.
~~~​
The novel is set in the UK but don't let that put you off. It's picking up 4 and 5 star reviews from US readers. It's gritty and set in a realistic world, in fact on my doorstep, and I describe the places as true as fiction allows, ie there's a distinct lack of telegraph poles and litter in the novel. However what is definitely true is the county of Yorkshire, once home to the Celtic Parisi and Gabrovantices, has more ancient springs known enigmatically as Lady Well than anywhere in England. AND it's just been voted the most haunted region in the UK. Well of course it has. That's because it is. 
http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com/2011/03/yorkshire-is-haunted-its-official.html

Thanks for reading.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Is it lust or obsession... or something reaching from a bloody pagan past?

_Reviews! Reviews!_

Two Ends of the Pen: http://bit.ly/ghS0b8 : "...The author draws you in with her descriptive and lyrical style of writing. You can see, hear and almost feel each scene as it unfolds. The riveting climax of the story will keep you on the edge of your seat..." 4.5 stars

Rita, Goodreads: "...Great story, very atmospheric. Some of the images stay with you after you've read it.." 5 stars

Amazon US purchaser: "...excellent research, pacing, and plot..." 4 stars

Can you drown in a hallucination? *Torc of Moonlight - Bk1 in the Celtic Goddess Trilogy*


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

*Torc of Moonlight* is being featured today on IndieBooksBlog.blogspot.com http://bit.ly/hcoiYn. See who inspires me and my writing.

This caps a great day. I've just received another 5* star in-depth review on Amazon _...The writing is exceptionally elegant and well-crafted. The story is compelling, gradually gaining momentum and building suspense... _

And I've discovered that the novel has jumped on Amazon US to #60, and on Amazon UK to #42 in Horror>Ghosts.

Break out the champers!


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Giving _Torc of Moonlight_ a moment in the light. Available in both ebk and pbk and carrying seventeen 4/5 star reviews in the UK and eight 4/5 star reviews in the US, the latest...

"The writing is exceptionally elegant and well-crafted. The story is compelling, gradually gaining momentum and building suspense. It is clear that the characters from different times and places are connected in some way and that those in the present are being used by forces from the past. Yet the reader cannot be sure exactly whose intentions are good or bad, nor of exactly what the links are and certainly not of how the story will be resolved.

I particularly like the interweaving of archaeological evidence of votive offerings of swords deposited in watery sites in the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age. Also the concept of water - or indeed any reflective medium - as a portal between the Earthly world and that of the gods or ancestors...." 5 stars Ali Cooper

Enjoy your reading!


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Popping up to say "Hi" and waving the flag for _Torc of Moonlight_

Here's a 4* review from Amazon UK:
"Yorkshire based author, Linda Acaster, uses the county as the backdrop to her compelling time-slip thriller. Based on the Hull University campus, the novel features two very different students - Nick, who is there for fun and Alice, who comes to the area to uncover a shrine to a Celtic goddess. Thrown together, the story is part paranormal thriller, part romance. Skipping neatly between past and present, Acaster is a skilled writer fully in control of her complex plot and ideas, and as dark secrets are revealed, this is a novel which satisfies on many levels. Recommended." - Nick Quantrill, author of Crime "Broken Dreams".

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Somewhat late, but thanks for your comments FRSADE.

Much of _*Torc of Moonlight*_ is set among the real streets of Kingston-upon-Hull and a section has been picked to be dramatised during an event at this year's Humber Mouth Literature Festival because it gives a real, yet surreal, feel to the Old Town - yeah, I bet it does! UK Litfests tend to have a very narrow focus of 'literature' so it'll be interesting to see how this pans out. Perhaps it'll be dramatised to me and four staff. Been there before!

Here's a UK Kindle review that touches on the settings:

"...Two things I guarantee will happen when you read this book:
1 - you will have to finish it, becasue you will be desperate to know how it ends, how the mysteries unravel
2 - you will want to buy an ordanance survey map and go hunting for signs.

You may even book a trip on the fantastic Pickering railway, see what you can spot on Google Earth, or go snooping round the Salmon Road area of Hull University.

The people and plot are all fictitious - the geography and history is not. If you've ever fancied learning about Yorkshire celtic history, read this book, buy the OS map, and spend a few days having the most fun you can have with your clothes on (Unless, of course you decide to recreate the railway love scene)...."


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

_Torc of Moonlight_ was featured on http://www.theindiespotlight.com/?p=5685 last week, and garnered a fair few comments. Thanks to Ed & Greg for the opportunity.

Drop by to read the interview and excerpt.

Linda


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Mock the past at your peril. If you open a door and invite it in, you'd better have the wherewithal to kick it out again - and the means to seal the door behind it.

Once it knows its way, it won't forget.

*Torc of Moonlight*
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004FEFCKK


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

At university Nick wanted to enjoy ample sex, plenty of beer and the macho rough and tumble of the weekly rugby game. Instead he becomes fascinated by Alice, who's chaste, doesn't drink alcohol, and believes rugby will get him seriously injured. She's not wrong.

Neither is the lascivious lecturer who followed her every move throughout her first year. So much so he dreamed about her. So much so he painted her. Now he's a trembling wreck, addicted to malt and cigarettes, because those paintings show much more than a pale-skinned girl with auburn hair. And he's supposed to have destroyed them.

5 5 star reviews Amazon US - In top 100 of #Ghosts
13 5 star reviews Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004FEFCKK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004FEFCKK


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

For the month of July I'm starting my holiday reading push by offering *Torc of Moonlight* at 99c US and 86p UK.

The cover has had an update, and here's a new, shorter, blurb:

Sex, sport and alcohol are why Nick Blaketon escaped to college, but when pieces of his life start disappearing he locks on to chaste Alice for stability. Only it's not the alcohol that's affecting him. And seducing Alice lays a path to a past that isn't buried, and definitely isn't dead.

Multiple 5* reviews "Riveting"

Kindle US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004FEFCKK
Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004FEFCKK


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

To complement the July sale I've started to add presentations to my blog from the main characters of _Torc of Moonlight_. First up is from the protagonist, Nicholas Blaketon, chatting about himself, where he's at, what happened... sort of...what he doesn't want to face...

It's a kind of read-between-the-lines chat.

See what you think. http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com/2011/07/torc-of-moonlight-introducing.html

Regards, Linda


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Something is stirring in the water
Rising through the woodland
Moving with the rain

And it's in your eyes
In your ears
On your lips

You're swallowing it  
Him
The Other

What will you become?


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

!Just a week left on the July sale of 99c! Here's part of a review:

"...Two things I guarantee will happen when you read this book:
1 - you will have to finish it, becasue you will be desperate to know how it ends, how the mysteries unravel
2 - you will want to buy an ordanance survey map and go hunting for signs.

The people and plot are all fictitious - the geography and history is not. If you've ever fancied learning about Yorkshire celtic history, read this book, buy the OS map, and spend a few days having the most fun you can have with your clothes on (Unless, of course you decide to recreate the railway love scene)..."

Not in public, please! Better to just read the book.
Kindle US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004FEFCKK
Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004FEFCKK

Continuing on http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com is the continuing Saturday series of characters stepping from the page to talk direct to readers. A scene focusing on the character is posted each Wednesday. Enjoy your reading.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

I'd like to thank all my buyers who took advantage of the July sale.

*Torc of Moonlight* remains a good value read, carrying an average of 4.5* reviews. "Rich in history and true geographic detail".


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

I've been running a series of monologues from the main characters across on my blog, and a couple of days later following each by an excerpt from the novel. This is part of Leonard's excerpt. His monologue can be viewed at http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com/2011/07/torc-of-moonlight-introducing_16.html

This was ridiculous. What was he playing at? The sculpture was nearly ready: the face-mask, the jaw-line, the classical nose. The curls had refused to hold, but the clay should be drier now. Why hadn't he done as he'd first intended and completed it over the weekend? Clare would have understood. Clare would have brought her wine and her damned smoked salmon and made a picnic of the enterprise.
Leonard pulled forward the life-size head, patting its winding cloth with his palm. Too dry. He should have wrapped the entirety in clingfilm. Sweeping up the spray bottle, he pumped a light mist over the cloth. The last thing he wanted was for any of the clay to be transferred to it as the head was unwrapped.
He caught a fingernail beneath the leading edge. The cloth lifted at his touch and he grasped it between thumb and forefinger, teasing it from the layer beneath. The cloth was long enough to enshroud the head three times, keeping the clay moist despite the centrally heated studio. He sprayed again, the fine mist chilling the back of his hand. The cloth unwound steadily, its once white threads blotched a fungal red-ochre as if covering a bloody wound.
Catching his lower lip between his teeth, he concentrated on the final layer. Another misted spraying. A tentative separating of cloth from clay, sticking plaster from skin.
It was free. He breathed again, depositing the soiled cloth on the workbench beside the plinth. The head was facing away at an oblique angle, giving him an almost full sight of the rear. There was something very wrong with the hair, but he'd known that when he'd enclosed it in the cloth at the end of the previous session. The classical finger curls had been straightening as he'd worked on them. Dried out they looked as stiff as a hedgehog's spines.
Even as he released the catch he knew the sculpture was rotating under its own weight. Instinctively his hand reached out to steady the plinth. He faltered. The hairs on the back of his neck were starting to rise, mirroring those of the sculpture.
It wasn't just the hair. There was something wrong with the cheek. A long gash had been etched from eye to chin. As more of the face came into view he recognised the swelling of a bruise over one eye. A scream built in his chest, a pressured pain, but his throat constricted and would not let it pass. Birds pecked at his face and head, and his flailing arms careened into shelves which fought him in their turn, loosing canisters and palette knives to bounce up from the tiled floor and attack his shins. Bags of powdered paint followed, splitting on impact to scatter autumn colour underfoot.
Through its own weight, or will, the head kept rotating. There was nowhere in the littered studio for Leonard to flee its searching eyes. On hands and knees he scrambled into an alcove, pushing aside its contents, until his nails were tearing at the plaster wall. He collapsed on one thigh, whimpering from a cramped chest and aching arms. There was no escape.
The eyes, the carefully crafted eyes of sightless smooth perfection, had been torn away. In their sockets were carved the bulbous spheres of a seeing youth hell-bent on his destruction. He knew who it was, knew beyond a doubt, but could not draw his gaze away.
When a moustache began worming from the clay to cover the upper lip, Leonard could not believe what he was seeing. When the lips drew back from gritted teeth, Leonard screamed.

Thanks for reading.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Today I had a great meeting with the Hull History Centre's reading group which has been reading _Torc of Moonlight_. I'd been invited to join members at the end of their discussion to answer questions about the history and concepts used in the novel. They were a bit worried that they hadn't picked up on all the nuances and symbolism, as during the discussion some members had flagged elements that others had glided over unaware. I had to explain that with a multi-level novel writers don't expect readers to embrace *every* aspect, just enough so they remain onboard and intrigued. Odd what we, as writers, take for granted that readers don't. Anyway, my allotted 15 minutes turned into 40, and a good time was had by all. Can't say better than that!

http://www.hullhistorycentre.org.uk/


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Giving _Torc of Moonlight_ a bounce with a snippet from a 5* review...

"...The plot is seamless such that the reader may not appreciate the skill it takes to construct a story which interweaves through time in this way. It is a compelling story and one I found difficult to put down once I'd started reading."


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Is our reality the only one that exists in our space? Are "ghosts" truly shades of the dead, or is it history replaying? Can empaths hold artefacts and sense their past reality?

How many believers does it need to keep an ancient religion alive?
_
Torc of Moonlight_ - click the cover to read the opening excerpt.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

In June I'd been interviewed onBlogcritics http://blogcritics.org/books/article/interview-with-linda-acaster-author-of/ and only tonight did I find a comment that I hadn't noticed at the time. And it's a real booster:

"I loved the book. For me it felt most like fantasy, with a romantic thread running through it. While it is set in England with some idioms and the like that I didn't always grasp at first, I enjoyed the setting detail and historical background. Thanks to Linda for being curious!"
Sansietch, Blues Farm Records.

Gosh, sorry Sansietch. I really didn't mean to ignore you. The least I can do is add in his URL: http://www.bluesfarm.com/


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

_Torc of Moonlight_ is set in Yorkshire, UK, in an area that has become known as the North York Moors. 1600 years ago it was a little different, but not as much as we might like to believe.

There a particular Celtic fertility goddess holds sway, protected by her acolytes and the priestess Yslan, a woman with toad magic in her tongue. But Rome has a garrison at Derventio and its influence is strong on the young men of the People. Honeyed words, the promise of riches, of power... and the acolytes and their priestess die bloodied and torn in their own pool, the pool of the goddess.

Shunned by the people, she submerges into her watery world, protecting herself with the thorns of Nature, caring only for the animals that drink at her cup, waiting, waiting, until the one returns, contrite, and offers a jewelled sword to her depths in return for his life.

She takes both.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

New laptop - check
Cleared office - check
Research books gathered - check
Coffee & choccie biscuits to hand - check

Time to re-enter the mystical world of the water goddess and see what lurks in the depths for Book 2


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## Dana Taylor (Jan 8, 2010)

This looks really interesting, Linda. Glad I ran across it.

Dana


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Hi Dana. Great to have you drop by. Yes, it's a Contemporary Thriller, yes it's a Fantasy, yes it's a Romance... but is there to be a happy ending? You'd need to wait for Book 3 of the trilogy to discover that.

Cripes! I'd have to write it first! LOL!


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Mother Nature... resurrected.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

With Halloween upon us - the old year-end when corn dollies are buried in the field and divination rites are enacted at sacred springs - curl into a comfy chair and let this supernatural thriller transport you to times past... that are truly times present.

Amazon US Kindle page: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004FEFCKK 
Amazon UK Kindle page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004FEFCKK


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

An obsession simmers through time, gowing darker with each century. A need to right a wrong. A determination to reopen a portal. The choice of tools no longer matters.

It matters to Alice. It certainly matters to Nick. 

Multi 5 star paranormal thriller set in Northern England in a landscape imbued with the power of a goddess.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Here's an excerpt from early on in _Torc of Moonlight_, from Alice, one of the main characters.

It couldn't be. Not again.
Yet, it could explain so much.
A pain zig-zagged through her abdomen and wrapped itself around her kidneys. She gasped aloud, hugging herself once more, holding her breath until the cramp eased.
His face swam before her pale and cold. Alice tried to block it out. It was almost as if she were calling him to her.
The activity holiday had been part reward, part gift for her thirteenth birthday. She hadn't wanted to go, not wanted to leave the house and the Clarksons, but her parents had insisted, as they always did.
She'd seen Andrew that first afternoon, across the tumult in the reception area. His smile had been so warm and full of joy. They'd been teamed together for many of the activities that week. He'd explained the rules of badminton and she'd shown him how to read a map for the orienteering. She'd kept close when his gelding had tried to throw him. He'd insisted on partnering her in the canoe.
The dreams... It had been him in the dreams. The wind, the water lapping against the shore, the overpowering scent of that woman who had hugged her and hugged her until she feared she would never breathe again.
I mustn't think of him, I mustn't.
His arm was reaching out for her, his fingers, open and grasping, trying to tangle in her hair. But the hand was too broad, the knuckles skinned. Her gaze ran along the extended arm, across the shoulder. Even before she reached the scarred face she knew it was not Andrew but Nicholas Blaketon.
The splash sounded loud in the still air and Alice lowered her hands to look about her. Despite the lighting, the courtyard was edged with shadows, some surprisingly faint, others impenetrable. She could see no one, but that didn't mean no one was there, that he wasn't there. She'd felt his stare in the seminar room. Again in the library. There was no denying it now, no brushing the intuition aside as mere coincidence. 
If there was one thing her life had taught her, there was no such thing as coincidence.

Enjoy!


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

_Torc of Moonlight_ is based very much in my own region of northern England, using real places if not real people. Here's part of a long review from _HullFire_, the Student Union magazine from the University of Hull where a lot of the novel takes place.

"...Fastpaced and thrilling, the novel captures the reader from start to finish. The language that Acaster uses is full of vivid imagery and rich descriptions that are sure to engage the reader; painting either a beautiful image of the various landscapes or of the chilling moments filled with tension. Either way, the descriptive writing she uses enhances the strong plotline. She also manages to balance it out with a well-written, natural dialogue between the different characters, each with their own distinct voice, maintained throughout..."

And here's a link to the opening http://www.lindaacaster.com/pdf/torc-of-moonlight.pdf.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

When student Nick Blaketon manoeuvres into Alice's dry academic life he's aiming to get into her bed, and readily agrees to help find the shrine to a forgotten Celtic fertility goddess, thinking it will be a lark. But as her desire for him rises, he becomes less certain. Sleeping dreams seep into waking nightmares. Warnings screamed from a balcony, shapes in a steamy mirror...

As reality unravels, Nick knows they're out of their depth. The shrine did not return to nature over the millennium as they supposed. It was obliterated. For a reason. Does Nick possess the courage to protect Alice, or is he her biggest threat?

Multi 5* reviews. If you've enjoyed reading Phil Rickman or Robert Holdstock, this could be the next novel for you.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

I've always found it interesting how readers interpret fiction, often quite differently, even when they seem to bring similar life experiences to the text. I try to write with this in mind, seeding nuances and leaving gaps for readers to slip in or overlay with their individual brand of rationalisation. Occasionally I'm brought up short:

"...the novel manages to integrate reality with fantasy so that the reader is left wondering where one begins and the other ends. Similarly, the book incorporates real places into a fictional plot, so any Hull student who reads this will recognise the various locations mentioned, hopefully engaging with a sense of familiarity. Perhaps Acaster is inviting the reader to open up to a child-like sense of adventure through discovering truth in fiction; she brings an added significance to exploration. It is after all set upon real locations, and although she claims that the events are fictional, there is a gnawing sense of wanting to realise this for yourself..."

I'd certainly go along with _...discovering truth in fiction..._ but _...a childlike sense of adventure..._? Mmm. If *Torc of Moonlight* resonates with her childhood "adventures" I'm grateful I didn't have her childhood.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Nick tells Alice he loves her above all else. But when time slips, can he protect her? Or is he her biggest threat...


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

A cracking paranormal thriller surrounding the belief - and the denial - of a Celtic water goddess set in a landscape that exists now as it existed 1500 years ago.

Enjoy your Christmas break!


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

I've not offered an excerpt for a while, so...

  ‘Hodgson’s set the teams for the morning. We both made First. Do you think you’ll be fit enough?’
  ‘Of course I’m fit enough. A couple of bruises and you think I should keel over?’
  ‘For Christ’s sake, Nick. Don’t you ever look in a mirror when you shave? Your own mother would be hard pressed to recognise you. I’m surprised you speak as clearly as you do with that lip. How’s the rest of you?’
  Bruised but unbowed, though Nick wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of saying so. He’d been surprised that he’d slept so well, that he didn’t ache more. Perhaps his body was just getting used to the punishment. Perhaps he was getting battle-hardened.
  ‘The stupid thing is,’ Murray continued, ‘you and Medavoy act like the best of buddies now.’
  ‘But that wasn’t what the kicking was for, was it?’
  Murray lashed out at a loose stone on the edge of the roadway. It careened into the bushes.
  ‘No, it wasn’t. But we shouldn’t have got involved. None of us. It was none of our business.’
  Ahead the bushes merged into thicker undergrowth and screening trees; beyond could be seen the first blocks of Taylor Court. Nick wondered if he’d meant to come this way, and decided that he had.
  ‘Medavoy’s got First team wing.’ Murray kicked at another stone, more vehemently this time. It cracked through the shrubs and a blackbird skittered out of the cover, shrieking its alarm.
  ‘Have you a problem with that?’
  ‘Only in the fact that I feel I’ve been taken for a ride. You might have a problem with it, though. Medavoy didn’t join us in the Sanctuary after the practice. We thought he’d stuck with you. He hadn’t, had he? He was seen in The Haworth. With his arm around Louise.’
  He pushed his hands deep into his jeans’ pockets and looked askance at Nick.
  ‘So?’
  ‘Christ, Nick! She’s going to turn up on the touchline tomorrow, isn’t she?’
  ‘I’ve no idea. And what’s more, Murray, I don’t give a shit.’ He drew up short, reaching out to grab Murray’s arm and pull him to a halt. ‘Look at that!’
  At the edge of the shrubs leading to the covered gateway of Taylor Court sat a mottled green and brown amphibian nearly half the size of a rugby ball.
  ‘Good God,’ whispered Murray. ‘What the hell is it?’
  ‘Well, it’s a frog, you fool. It was so still I thought it was a coloured rock. Then it blinked. There, it’s blinked again. Did you see it that time?’
  ‘That is not a frog, Nick. My grandfather has frogs on his allotment. I know what a frog looks like, and I’m telling you, that is definitely no frog.’
  Nick slowly lowered himself on to his haunches.
  ‘Don’t start imitating the bloody thing!’
  ‘It’s looking at me. Do you see it angling its head?’
  ‘Of course it’s looking at you. It’s probably sizing you up for lunch. Any second its tongue is going to shoot out, lash around your throat and drag you inside its mouth. The bloody thing’s huge.’


Enjoy your Christmas...but don't go touching any frogs. Or toads. Or whatever it is.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Get comfortable with a full-bodied red wine and a book that is "as complex as a Crime novel" - _Torc of Moonlight_.

Nick, though, drinks real ale and believes himself in control.
But he's young. He's naive.
And what he's up against feeds through everything he touches.


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## Dana Taylor (Jan 8, 2010)

Hi Linda--

Hope you have a wonderful, book sellin' year!

Dana Taylor


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Thanks, Dana. Same to you! I think the world is whatever we make of it. On every front we have.

Not that much different from our characters, eh?


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

A very decent review for _Torc of Moonlight_:

"Linda Acaster's novel takes you on an extraordinary journey back through time between Celtic - Romano Britain and present day Hull and the North Yorkshire Moors. Linda's narrative may extend over the millennia but in the end you are surprised how short a timescale has actually been encapsulated. This may well explain the at times exhausting pace of the novel. The reader is intrigued and at times frustrated by the hapless hero Nick. Is he a naïve student at university or a bizarre puppet? And if he's the latter, who is pulling the strings? The chaos and alienation of friends and loved ones is described with the same graphic mauling as the game of rugby in which he sustains a head injury. Strands of the story start to pull something more sinister into the sex-charged academic halls as harpies move in. But to what purpose? As you turn the pages you share with Nick a growing sense of unease that someone is watching him and manipulating his actions. Tensions build as the disturbing threads of the story turn into an ensnaring web around Nick and Alice, his new-found love.

I doubt that many students will have Nick's highly original excuses for missing his lectures. However it might make you think twice about walking down a dark alleyway. It would appear there is more to Hull than a rusting fishing fleet and the ghost of Philip Larkin. This thoroughly fascinating story is a great read, well researched and masterfully told."

Thanks, IndiereadsUK


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Time ploughs its relentless furrow with no regard to the beat of a human heart.
Young men believe they are immortal. 
What happens when you meet one, and it tries to take your life?


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Giving this its Sunday airing. So many good reviews can't be wrong.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Possession? Manipulation? Divine retribution.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

In England, the first widespread use of stone to build Christian churches came in the 11th and 12th centuries. Most are still standing, dedicated to individual saints. 

Those on sites once dedicated to pagan practices, especially the non-Christian turning-of-the-year festivals in late October/early November, were instead dedicated to All Saints, or All Saints & All Souls. There was always a venerated water source nearby and in secret people left offerings to older deities.

They still do.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

_Torc of Moonlight_ is the first in a trilogy of books set in university cities abutting the North York Moors in northern England, which remains a wild, if managed place. The first book is set in Hull, named after the river it sits astride. The second, _The Bull At The Gate_, is set in York, astride the River Ouse, a city with Mediaeval walls sitting on top of Viking fortifications, sitting on top of Anglian walls, sitting on top of Roman walls. Yes, a city where there is more history per square yard than London.

And it's coming along nicely, thank you.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

It's Read An Ebook Week across at Smashwords, where _Torc of Moonlight_ is available for 50% discount with the coupon code RW50 at the checkout. Grab it while you can.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/29377


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Thanks to everyone who took the opportunity of purchasing _Torc of Moonlight_ at its discounted price during Read An Ebook Week. I hope you thoroughly enjoy the reading experience.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

When Julia Marshall races north from the safety of her retreat in Oxford, shes too late to stop the goddess from claiming her first victim. Can she help Nick save his girlfriend?

Does she want to?


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Giving my favourite novel a bump. Give it a try. It might turn out to be your favourite, too.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

The past lies only inches beneath our feet, and if we kick at dust we disturb life once lived, life that claws at the present in the names of the landscape, of places, of colours we use every day because we "like" them.

In Hull, at the university, there is a group of accommodation buildings all named after Romano-British settlements in the area. It lies in a wooded glade, within a campus of verdant green that supports its own wildlife. It's called the University of Hull, look it up on the internet. Except the city is named Kingston-upon-Hull. Hull is the river, a river named for a Celtic fertility goddess.

_*Torc of Moonlight*_


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

A cool paranormal set in England. No vampires, but a new take on a shape-changer.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

An excerpt from one of the long reviews on Amazon:

"...The story is good and the characters well described. I get a firm grasp of how they act and what they want. The point of view is consistent for the most part and the prose, although heavy, is eloquent in its own right. I love the Celtic history and myth weaved throughout, probably my favorite part. And thank God the formatting was exquisite (when deciding what to review, I saw quite a few examples where that wasn't the case). For all those things, this book was a good read.... for the excellent research, pacing, and plot I think it would make an enjoyable read for more literary fantasy fans..."


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Remember Grendel's mother? She was a water goddess too.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Thoughts from a reader...

"...The writing is exceptionally elegant and well-crafted. The story is compelling, gradually gaining momentum and building suspense. It is clear that the characters from different times and places are connected in some way and that those in the present are being used by forces from the past. Yet the reader cannot be sure exactly whose intentions are good or bad, nor of exactly what the links are and certainly not of how the story will be resolved...."


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Giving _Torc of Moonlight_ a bump.

I've been researching The King's Manor in York as part of its sequel. Lovely late mediaeval building http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Manor


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

"...Leonard Harkin is a man haunted by dreams and is on the verge of descending into madness. He believes the nightmares all stem from paintings that he's done of Alice, paintings that somehow represent so much more..."

He's not wrong.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Certain pools of water have always been revered for their healing properties. But who is doing the healing?

And what happens when they stop.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

From a 5* review...

"In Torc of Moonlight, Linda Acaster gives us a book which is more than simply a damn good read. This well crafted paranormal romance leads the reader through mysteries that are only gradually revealed..."


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

One of the reasons I like writing this trilogy is that I can allow the settings to become characters, or a character (no, I'm not giving more info!) in its own right. They are all true places, down to the names of the roads and the colour of the paintwork on the doors.

The pomp & ceremony that the Brits are renowned for started long before there was royalty. "Britannia" should never have been taken off the coinage.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

I always find it interesting which aspects readers highlight when writing a review:

"...This is the best novel Linda Acaster has written so far! Coached in lyrical, almost poetically descriptive language, it leaps from one character to another with a speed that's dazzling and almost frenetic in its haste to convey their points of view..."

Glad the reader enjoyed it... but it tends to give the impression that it's a mixed viewpoint narrative. It's a slow-burn thriller, mainly from one viewpoint. Only at the end when the pace is frenetic do the viewpoint and time threads inter-cut scene by short scene. I guess it's what we read into the text as we are carried along. Interesting.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Spent an interesting few days up on Hadrian's Wall - the Roman wall and its vellum that cuts across northern England - visiting archeological digs, the remains of forts and milecastles. Oh yes, interesting info for use in Book 2. Arbeia at South Shields was an unexpected joy. http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/arbeia/


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

When Nick falls in love, or lust - he's not sure - he doesn't bargain in opening a portal to another realm where history is being re-enacted and is spilling into the present.

Romano-Britain Ognirius Licinius Vranaun has been betrayed by Romans who promised him riches, by his own people who wish him dead, and by the Goddess of the Pool who he despises. But needs her. He needs to pass through. What is it that she needs in return?


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

_Torc of Moonlight_ - the first in a trilogy of paranormal thrillers set in university cities in northern England where the past erupts into the present in passion, betrayal and revenge.

For Nick Blaketon, university means sex, sport and alcohol with a bit of studying on the side. But when he falls for history student, Alice, to win her over he joins in her quest to discover the shrine to a forgotten Celtic water goddess.

Alice has the knowledge, but it is Nick who experiences the visions. At first just uncanny, these soon take on a chilling edge. Someone is in danger, but in the past or in the present? By the time he realizes he's living a dual life, Alice knows she's in danger and fears that Nick is the cause. Can he stop her fleeing to the shrine, or must he face the past on its own blood-soaked terms? Which of them is it truly after? And why?


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Paranormal Thriller, Paranormal Romance, Supernatural, Ghost Story... 

It's all in the eye, and the mind, of the reader.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Readers can wield both the carrot & stick...

"I picked this [pbk] up again the other day and just idly started reading. Before I knew an hour had gone!"

"How's the second one doing? C'mon, people are desperately waiting here y'know."


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

A paranormal thriller with a romantic thread that turns into a noose threatening to strangle Nick Blaketon. What has the carefree college student got himself into?


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

How do you fight Nature when Nature is the very breath you take to stay alive?


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Hidden behind its skirts of drifting cloud, the moon rose each night a little plumper, until it was bright, and bloated, and ready to pierce the soul of those who dared to meet its eye.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

_*Torc of Moonlight*_ now has a new blurb and cover:

'Stay away from me. Don't you understand? People close to me die.'

Nick believes Alice is overreacting. She's been unlucky in her life, that's all. Coincidences - they happen all the time.

It had been coincidence that they'd locked gazes during the lecture, a trick of the light that had lifted her auburn hair. But is it coincidence that someone, some _thing_, is distancing him from his friends as the need to possess Alice builds?

Drawn into her obsession with finding a shrine to a Celtic water goddess, and drowning in sensual pleasure, Nick is in denial... until he sees a jewelled sword fade in his hand and knows that he, or the _thing_ that shadows him, has held it, and bloodied it, long ago.

To tell Alice will make her flee. To stay silent could kill her.



Altogether more in keeping than the originals. What do you reckon?
The cover is by our Karri Klawiter http://artbykarri.com/


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

An excerpt:

  ‘Helen, then. Where will I find this Helen?’
  ‘Right here.’
  Behind him the door swung gently on its hinges to reveal an angular woman in her late twenties wearing a mauve silk jacket and a short black skirt. In her heels she was taller than Nick. At sight of the poster she raised a darkly pencilled eyebrow.
  ‘Mother Earth Society, eh? Not a devotee, are you, desperately trying to be one with nature?’ Her gaze washed over his scarred face. ‘I guess not. Hardly the bardic type.’
  ‘He’s looking for Harkin,’ the girl told her.
  ‘Hawkins,’ Nick corrected.
  The woman shook her head. ‘Leonard Harkin, our celebrated hippie that never was, chief practitioner of free love and peace, man.’ She swayed, giving an imitation of being stoned. ‘Except he wraps it up with candles and secret invocations.’
  The girl shot her a warning look. ‘Helen...’
  ‘But not everyone,’ Helen continued, ‘only the impressionable ones, the ones he wants to shag. Your girlfriend. Presumably.’
  ‘Where will I find him?’
  ‘Now? Pass. His studio’s in Loten. You could try there. Of course, at this hour he could be scraping his reptiles on Cranbrook.’ She looked beyond his shoulder to the girl behind the desk. ‘Time to call it a day, Jenny.’
  Nick frowned. ‘This Harkin lectures in…?’
  Helen unhooked a coat from the back of the door and passed it over the desk. Jenny flicked the switch on the computer and its incessant hum fell silent in the tiny office.
  ‘You’re not listening,’ Helen told him. ‘Loten. Studio. You’ll find it if you want to. Can hardly miss it really.’ She gestured towards the corridor. ‘Would you like to go ahead of us so we can lock up?’
  Nick stepped by her and kept on walking. Helen followed him out of the office, watching his determined stride with interest as Jenny turned the key. 
  ‘You shouldn’t have done that,’ Jenny said. ‘If he flattens Harkin he’ll get thrown out. If he mentions your name you’ll get thrown out. They’ll bring up that harassment claim he made against you.’
  Helen smiled, unperturbed. ‘I hope he does flatten Harkin. I hope he beats the shit out of him. Justice has been a long time coming.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘Besides, you never can tell. A scapegoat might come in handy.’


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Just got a 5* review:

"...The prose is great. The plot and the relationship keeps the story moving with a tremendous amount of suspense. Great memorable characters. I can't see a reason why I wouldn't give this book five stars. I would read more books by this author..."

Yay!


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Today is the paperback launch of _Torc of Moonlight_ - book 1 of the trilogy of the same title.

Wish it well!

USA: http://bit.ly/ToMpbkUs
UK: http://bit.ly/ToMpbkUK


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

For Read an Ebook Week _Torc of Moonlight_, and my other titles, are discounted 50% at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/29377

Get your mobi version here! Discounts end 9th March.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

So if the weather isn't playing ball, and you can't connect with friends and family, pick yourself a great read and snuggle down for some R&R... with _Torc of Moonlight_

The modern streets of Britain resonate with the echoes of past civilisations. You only need to be attuned to hear them. 
And sometimes you don't. They come knocking.


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

The second in the trilogy, 'The Bull At The Gate', is coming along well, and this weekend I'm putting out extras with my bi-monthly Newsletter: a research photo trip round the book's setting, York, and the initial chapters as a taster. If you are interested in taking a look sign up. The Newsletter is via Mailchimp so your email is safe and there's always an unsubscribe button available.
http://eepurl.com/gQUqP - Yes, I know I should make it look better than that, but whenever I try I fail miserably!


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Celebrating (finally!) the launch of _The Bull At The Gate_, Book 2 in the trilogy, Book 1 _Torc of Moonlight_ is available for 99c / 99p - but only until the end of the month. Get it while you can!

This link will/should lead you to your regional Amazon store: http://getbook.at/TorcOfMoonlight


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