Previous: Chapter Four Ethne snuggled into her insulated down jacket and listened to the reassuring purr of the twin propellers. She had the plane to herself, aside from the two pilots squeezed into the cockpit. ReSource had provided everything she needed for her visit to the ice sheet. There was no door between the cockpit… Continue reading The Shining Ones: Chapter 5 – searching for the roots of civilisation…
Previous: Chapter Three Ana watched the glowing tail lights of the Lexus disappear around the corner, leaving her in darkness. She wanted to chase after it and bring Ethne back. She had begged her to stay, but her friend was stubborn and once she got an idea into her head, she wouldn’t let it go.… Continue reading The Shining Ones: Chapter 4 – stalking the truth and the ultimate biobank…
Previous: Chapter Two Ethne woke with a headache. Gentle fingers pressed a cloth to her head and she could hear the murmur of an apology on a loop. She squeezed open her eyes to find herself on the sofa, a cushion behind her head, and Ana bent over her in anguish. ‘I’m so sorry, Ethne.… Continue reading The Shining Ones: Chapter 3 – the phone call that will change the world…
Previous: Chapter One Ethne Godwin was standing outside her therapy practice in China Town, watching the festivities. Red lanterns lined the street, glowing like underworld embers, while sulphur from the New Year firecrackers lingered in the fog. A red and gold arch loomed from the haze, festooned with dragons and flanked by stone lions. The… Continue reading The Shining Ones: Chapter 2 – noodles and boredom at the end of the world…
The first review has arrived for The Shining Ones. A big thanks to Claudia Durr for this. Glad you enjoyed the book!
“Page turner with lots of action ★★★★
A great read. I couldn’t put it down. Jessica truly knows how to spin a tale and keep you on the edge of your seat.”
The Shining Ones starts in an abandoned church in the centre of Newcastle. I could have invented a location, but reality provided the perfect candidate in All Saints. It’s a beautiful old building – a dilapidated 18th century elliptical church. I chose All Saints because of its shape: the ellipse is aligned more or less… Continue reading Research Notes: Location – All Saints, Newcastle
Previous: Prologue Mist clung to the city like a security blanket, the river a dark gash through a haze of light. Thousands of glowing beads hung in the air as if defying the darkness of space. Behind one of those lights, Ana moved between benches administering first aid. She was at the shelter where she… Continue reading The Shining Ones: Chapter 1 – welcome to the future you never asked for…
I thought this day would never come, but it’s finally here – The Shining Ones has arrived! The story is about a group of friends who hold the key to the awakening of humanity, but they have no idea who they are. It was inspired by the myths that prophesy an awakening at this time… Continue reading The Shining Ones: Prologue – a lost secret returns to the light…
Creating images of the characters that feature in your novel is a great way to help you visualise your cast. You can do the usual checklists and build psychological profiles. You can list their hair colour and height, what they like to eat, how they talk, and so on. But nothing beats an actual image.… Continue reading Creating Character Portraits: Meet the cast of The Shining Ones
Last time we looked at the art of morphing the reality of real locations to suit your story. Sometimes reality gets in the way and it’s easier to make stuff up. Creating fictional locations means you can ignore the facts and get on with the business of telling the story – which is the whole… Continue reading Tweaking Reality: Should you rename locations in your novel?
Describing reality in words is a tricky business at the best of times, and in fiction especially so. Part of The Shining Ones is set in and around Newcastle where I live so I should have no excuse for getting the locations wrong. But it’s not that simple. Some of the locations weren’t quite right… Continue reading Tweaking Reality: How accurate should locations be in your novel?
This week we’re counting down to the publication of The Shining Ones – exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time! And we start, appropriately enough, with its origins. Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint where an idea for a story comes from. But others arrive with an obvious genealogy, even if the story eventually… Continue reading Plagiarising Dracula in my sleep
Jessica Davidson 