Duncan Thompson's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"

Whenever someone has finished reading Within the Dark Places the first question I always ask is, “What was your favorite part?” and I’m surprised that no two people have given the same answer. So I asked myself the same question, and while there are many moments to choose from, the following excerpt was certainly the most fun to write. The adrenaline rush I experienced afterwards lasted most of the day and I couldn’t stop shaking from the excitement. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Even though the torch was now dead, the light from the moon was strong enough to allow Mike to see a few yards ahead of him. He was about to pick up his collection of sticks and branches and make his way hastily back to the camp, when he saw the shadow of something moving up ahead. Mike paused, squinting through the thick lenses of his glasses. Whatever it was, it looked human in shape. Mike stood still — so did the shadow. The shadow was elongated, its legs and arms long and out of proportion to the head and body — like a stick man. Due to the distraction of the shadow, Mike hadn’t noticed that the whispering had now stopped. Even the woods themselves had also fallen silent; gone were the bird songs and animal calls. Mike continued to squint, tilting his head. The head of the shadow mirrored the movement. Mike took a step back. The shadow took a step back, its legs and arms stretched out farther. Mike now had a hunch as to what this thing was and began to relax a little. To test his theory he raised his arms above his head. The shadow raised its arms above its head. Mike performed a little knees-up jig. The shadow performed the same dance.

‘Jumping at my own shadow,’ Mike muttered, chuckling to himself.

But there was something more important than the silence he had also failed to notice. The moon wasn’t behind him to cast a shadow out in front, it was to his right. He bent down to finally pick up the firewood and then he saw his own shadow cast to the left.

Duncan Thompson

If you have read my debut book, Within the Dark Places, you will know this is set in the town of Raven's Peak. However, we only see a glimpse of this setting, as the story mainly takes place in Druid Wood.

My forthcoming book, Where the Darkness Hides (due for release June 2017) moves from Druid Wood to Raven's Peak police station and we are introduced to some of the officers who are on the force. But what about the other residents of Raven's Peak? Or the history of this small, yet strange, town?

Well, I want to explore this in future books...

I am currently working on the first volume of shorter stories which take place in and around Raven's Peak. While each story will stand alone, there will be an underlying story running throughout which will reach a conclusion in the final part. In many ways, I hope to replicate the same feel and story arch as a T.V show.

I have ideas for at least five volumes, which will feature Raven's Peak in the title. The first currently entitled Welcome to Raven's Peak, which follows young police officer Rachel Cooper as she investigates the death of her father. The clues of her investigation have led her to Raven's Peak.

My goal is to then tie the Raven's Peak volumes to Within the Dark Places and Where the Darkness Hides, setting up their next installment, where we might just get to see characters from both series interact.

Within the Dark Places