Reader reviews for “Tales from the Manor”

January 20, 2025Leave a comment

Hello friends, another Monday dawns! Hope you’re all staying warm and having a great start to the week 🥰 Today, I’ll be sharing some of the very lovely reviews I’ve received from those who have read “Tales from the Manor” ~ I cannot thank you enough! And if you would like to- please head on over to Goodreads/Amazon to give a review and share your thoughts, experiences, or anything you’d like future readers to know. The link is provided below as always 🤗

And so let’s begin with review number 1!

“Chills… goosebumps… get me out of the manor…

How Kate managed to tie in psychological trauma into manor terrors is phenomenal. Each short story shines on its own and I was on the edge of my seat reading each one. Not to mention, the stories are derived from true events (my personal fav when it comes to horror).

The characters each has a unique tale to tell. Though I have my favourites, each one is special. I don’t want to spoil anything but I’d go back to the psychological elements they entail. This book is more than just fictional horror stories (which is once again, my fav kind!). It makes you question your own fear and ask whether it has manifested in any way similar to the characters’ (I better stop now or I might spoil everything).

If you want a cosy yet thrilling read, I highly recommend Tales from the Manor! You’ll see what I mean!”

~ Lyn

“The book is split into 5 stories, all set in the grotesquely gothic Hartshaw Manor. At first I thought the stories were only connected by the location but as the book goes on it becomes clear that there is much more than that connecting these creepy tales.

Each story is told from a different characters point of view but they all have a dream-like quality. The narrative is split into little sections, the slight disconnect helps time move forward quickly and sporadically. It’s difficult to know if the events are truly happening or if they’re just a dream. I was questioning all the way to the end! It really messed with my head and I loved that!

I really enjoyed each story and each character, but it’s the ending that really blew me away. I’ll say nothing more because I don’t want to spoil it but it is so clever!

And the writing in this is so beautiful. The author truly captures what I mean when I say that I love the beauty in horror! The juxtaposition between the terrifying scene and the beautiful, lyrical words to describe it. It’s so well done!

I love the little afterword at the end from the author too. I was focused mostly on the horror of the situation so I appreciated the few notes at the end pointing out some of the nuances I wouldn’t have thought about.

There really is so much to this little book. It is gripping, gothic, horrifying, disgusting, disturbing and psychologically twisted. I loved every single page.

My only warning would be to proceed with caution, or you may find yourself waking in the night to little green flies crawling all over your skin.”

~ Samantha

“This is a perfect book to read on a rainy day at home (or any other weather, of course)!

Kate created a world that is spooky yet familiar to all of us because sometimes our fear is a projection from our internal world. I was very much immersed in the creepy manor when I read. I actually really enjoyed how it manifested in the manors through paintings, dolls etc.! It’s crazy, I know.

Particularly loved the Kary chapter. I was instantly hooked and wanted to know what actually happened in the past…I won’t spoil it for you.

5 out of 5, I definitely recommend it!”

~Wendy

Though I can only include a small selection here, I appreciate each and every one of you have taken the time to read, be immersed in the world, and are so eloquent in expressing your thoughts in your reviews!

I hope you enjoy this little collection of cosy, gothic short stories that conjure up the image of old manor houses and days snuggled by warm country fires; nestled deep in the English countryside. Lose yourself for a moment.

Follow me… for things are not as they seem. And the power of what you can’t see – can be truly wondrous indeed.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222142687-tales-from-the-manor

Synopsis:

Inspired by true events…

In these five stories, the gothic awaits. From eerie oil paintings that come alive, devilish dolls, and a sinister game of hide and seek; there are more than creepy crawlies that lurk in the crevices of Hartshaw Manor. The secrets the structure holds will keep anyone up at night. But is it the work of mischievous spirits, or are they merely horrors conjured from their own frenzied imaginations?
Join Dinah, Peter, Kary, Tony and Violet as they each spend an unforgettable night deep in the folds of the British countryside.

Read on if you dare, because we’ve saved the best till last….

Tapas.io- Read “Caskets of Ice” for free!

January 4, 2025Leave a comment

Hi friends! Happy New Year! 🥳🎉🥂

To kick start Jan, I have uploaded episodes (or chapters!) on tapas for free, link below:

https://tapas.io/episode/3400974

Press subscribe directly on the site to read the latest segment when I post a new chapter weekly!☺️ I’d love to hear your thoughts over the course of the trilogy ~ who are your favourite characters, what do you think of the setting of the dreamworld? Do you have vivid dreams?

Synopsis:

How far would you go, if you had the power to control your dreams?

“One thing is true for them all; and what a price to pay-
When they realise the ice caskets, which were once their tomb, are the only thing keeping them alive.”

Entering lands where things are eerily not what they seem, cannibalistic witches and glowing jade cicadas that bring nothing but misfortune. Where a dream devil wanders the dreamscape collecting souls, building his empire on nothing but fear and death. Beyond the caskets of ice, some doors should remain unopened….

Come closer and listen my dear…

Where do we really go when we fall asleep?

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If you’d like to own your very own copy to add to your shelves, the link on Amazon, including my latest gothic short story release “Tales from the Manor” can be found below. I have a collection of poetry too for you poetry lovers!

https://linktr.ee/Katewjwhite

Happy weekend friends! ❤

Celebrating Christmas ~ Tales & the festive spirit

December 12, 2024Leave a comment

Christmas is finally around the corner! Are there any festive books on your radar?

They say to write what you want to read and this time I was really yearning for that gothic, historical cosy feeling, with a bit of the uncanny (also to try my hand at writing a psychological horror!) Especially as the cold, dark, winter months are upon us!

I was inspired by more traditional folk tales, as well as some more of the unique eerie, Victorian Literature based around this season! You’ve got your dolls and dream terrors, but also more fantastical, gothic romance.

If you end up picking ‘Tales from the Manor‘ either for yourself or a loved one this Christmas, firstly thank you! and secondly, I hope you enjoy this journey.

Let me know if you’ll be reading ‘Tales from the Manor‘ (I’ll probably be dipping into it during the Xmas week!) & we can do a buddy read together! 🙂

*Festive book tree using my hardcover creations!*

Click video below to see the book in more detail:

Lots of love, Kate x

The Count of Monte Cristo ~

March 16, 20192 Comments

I always loved “The 3 Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo” is another by Alexandre Dumas. It’s a powerful book about loyalty, commitment, determination, strength of spirit, of seeking justice and yet not giving up hope. And along with that, if you like sword fights, revenge, disguises, deception, then it’s right up your alley!

“Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes.”

No truer words said! As the main character finds out, he finds his ‘truth’ in the most unexpected way, through the people he meets that come into his life only briefly and teaches him something at the moment he needs it the most.

Edmond Dantes is unjustly framed for treason and sent to a prison fortress for 14 long years. A fellow prisoner is able to teach him all he knows, to figure out his purpose and to plan his vengeance on his duplicitous ‘best friend’ who stole is life, and love. With the secrets to the treasure of Monte Cristo, he is able to re-instate himself in society as the mysterious Count, surrounded by wolves in disguise, he learns to keep his enemies close….

So, no matter what, we must endure. Nothing is perfect in life or happens as we expect, it’s about our mindset when we face disappointment and adversity, and how we act that counts.

“When you compare the sorrows of real life to the pleasures of the imaginary one, you will never want to live again, only to dream forever.”

~ The mystery of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ ~ 🖤🌹

February 28, 2019February 28, 20192 Comments

‘The Phantom of the Opera’ is definitely a tale about escapism- Christine spends her whole life being coached by a ‘mysterious voice’ that mentors her to do better and achieve beyond what she thought possible, when she finally steps through the mirror and meets the man behind the voice, her illusion shatters and she is repulsed by his deformed face. 💀

Instead, she goes for her childhood sweetheart Raoul, and, the phantom realises that despite all he’s given her, she still turns away in horror. She pities him and yet still agrees to lay a trap, by going along with his grand plans for her on the stage, but in the end, his jealousy still destroys them (and the opera house which is also his home.) 🎼🎭

We see him as the villain of the story, but we also feel sorry for him, hiding away with no love and kindness- and perhaps it’s this forced solitude & space to develop his talents that turns him into a musical genius. There are many things to learn from it, that you can’t force love, that you can’t expect too much from anyone, yet also the power of forgiveness and also dedication throughout a lifetime. 🖤🖤

Another thing I love about the Phantom are the aesthetics, the opulent backdrop & historical references- after all it’s a theatre, the masquerade balls, the grandness, and of course, the amazing soundtrack!! Andrew Lloyd Webber really transformed it and made it his own- hence why it still stands the test of time. 👰🏻👻🎞⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

~ 𝔔𝔲𝔬𝔱𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔯𝔫𝔢𝔯~

“They played at hearts as other children might play at ball; only, as it was really their two hearts that they flung to and fro, they had to be very, very handy to catch them, each time, without hurting them.”

“And, despite the care which she took to look behind her at every moment, she failed to see a shadow which followed her like her own shadow, which stopped when she stopped, which started again when she did and which made no more noise than a well-conducted shadow should.”

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

June 29, 2015June 29, 20159 Comments

“Treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends; they wound those who resort to them worse than their enemies.”

At first glance, Wuthering Heights appears to be a Gothic romance set amidst the wilderness of the Yorkshire moors. It encompasses the ferocity of raw emotions- of treachery, obsession and revenge. W.H is dark and brooding and does not have the light-hearted or witty societal interactions present in Jane Austen’s works. In my opinion, it is less a story of love, and more of possession; something deeper, a rawness of spirit that propels them to inflict the pain and damage to one another. It is almost spiritual in that Heathcliff believes the ghost of Cathy haunts him still after her death, and there will be no peace for them in the afterlife.

The narrative encompasses a period of 50 years and passes through 3 generations of two households- the Lintons and Earnshaws. I can understand why some readers may find it confusing; I had to keep turning back over the pages to find out who was who (cousins marrying cousins and various surname changes). It is told by a housekeeper Nelly Dean and a visitor to the moors- Mr. Lockwood. Between them they manage to piece together the event for the reader (reliable voices or no, it is up to you to judge!) it is one aspect of storytelling. I feel a lot of gothic novels such as Dracula, Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, are written as first person through journals and letters. This allows us to experience from a subjective point of view, but I wonder if this make us feel 100% committed to a character, or even to form our own unbiased opinion.

One thing you notice- no character is likeable. Though I felt no emotional connection with the individuals, (Heathcliff is violent, domineering and abusive, Cathy flighty and emotionally erratic), there was something about their plight that moved me. In my opinion a successful book is supposed to make you feel a range of emotions, frustration, anger maybe, or even hatred- these are all significant to your growth as a reader. To move you to feel these things- an essence that makes you feel a natural affinity to a novel. For me W. H though highly dramatized, is closer to reality for me than something like “Pride and Prejudice”. It encompasses the devastation of reality, of death and disappointment and unfulfilled yearnings. I don’t know why I drew this comparison, but I feel W.H has similar gritty, stark truths (murder and mental torture) comparable to certain scenes of the North in ‘Game of Thrones‘, albeit a censored, classical literature version!

Bronte’s depiction of the nature of Heathcliff and the wild Catherine are reflective of the setting- the harsh weather and isolation of the country. W H did leave a lasting impression on me, certain songs would remind me of scenes. I would imagine Cathy tapping on the glass, a ghost girl with a shrill cry and blood dripping on the windowsill, trying to break through the casement to reach inside. All images the Yorkshire Dales can inspire! Honestly, I think it’s important to have some sense of the isolation of the place, to imagine the structure of the buildings, the weather, landscape and daily pursuits of the young Heathcliff and Cathy to get a better idea of what Emily Bronte envisioned to be the backdrop of her novel.

And last but not least, I will leave you with Hayley Westenra’s version of “Wuthering Heights”(originally sung by Kate Bush)

Some questions I want to ask you guys:

– How is W H comparable to Romeo & Juliet as a love story?

-What do you think Emily Bronte’s main message was, that she hoped to carry through to the reader? Main themes?

-Do you think it’s important to know about the author, in order to understand a book better? Emily died 1 year after completing “Wuthering Heights” at the age of 30, her sister Anne following. They had such short lives (if we compare to the life expectancy now). The novel was published posthumously by her sister Charlotte.

Sneak Peak! My Book Cover

January 28, 20153 Comments

Thanks to the very talented Bonnie for my wonderful book cover design! The novel is called “Caskets of Ice”.

If you have any questions, or think I should release a preliminary chapter (or two!) out into the blog- world, then please feel free to comment below! Here is a link to Bonnie’s page so you can check out her other illustrations and general awesomeness:

http://bonniepang.weebly.com/