The Ghosts of Tutbury Castle

Since Bound by Oath and Honour begins in a creepy (inspired by Cannock Chase) forest in beautiful county Staffordshire, I thought it appropriate to write a little something paranormal in Tutbury...like the castle for instance.

Photograph of Tutbury Castle by Dave Harris

For a time, the great de Ferrers family called this castle home. Later it became a center for some very powerful earls and dukes, such as the great John of Gaunt, 2nd Duke of Lancaster. 

What? You don’t recognize the name? Well somewhere along the way you might have heard of his son, King Henry IV; his grandson, King Henry V; and his great grandson, King Henry VI.

Ahem... moving right along...

What Lurks Inside the Forest of Cannock Chase...

So, you might ask, "Where on earth have you been, Debbie? I mean you haven't posted a thing for well over a month now...and really...how boring is that?"

Well, the answer to that question is---I've been busy catching up with life, and working on my latest work in progress. What could be better than all that? However, I do want to take a minute and tell you all that we now have an audio version of my sweet fantasy Romance, Bound by Oath and Honour, narrated by the fabulous Andrew McDermott! Do you love that "warms you all the way to the bone, spine tingling in a most fabulous way Irish accent? Then this audio book is definitely for you!

Cover created by Debbie Taylor! What do you think?

Yep!

Anyway, since malevolent shifters are the antagonists in this book, I thought I'd share some of the crazy goings on in England--all purported to be true--that inspired the villains in my book.

In central England there is a lovely, but spooky forest known as Cannock Chase. There are those who will tell you encounters with enormous felines, ghostly canines, werewovles, and even creatures akin to Bigfoot have become a common thing for those who venture inside the woodland. We even have a newspaper report as recorded in the Stafford Post, April 26 in the year 2007 relating to this that states: