My New Book (YA) – Extract

Blackbirds keep popping up in my mystery book.

As I read carefully through my final proof copy of my upcoming YA mystery novel, I decided that now was the time to begin sharing snippets from it.

The book is about Drew and his friend Siobhan, who come across a mysterious house one day, while cycling to town. As two A-Level students, their lives are full of exam revision and hobbies but after visiting this house to retrieve a blown away scarf, their lives change for good.

Feel free to share your thoughts on this in the comments below. I hope that you enjoy.

Being Watched

I was reluctant to get up when the alarm went off for the third time and I realised that I couldn’t press ‘snooze’ one more time and get away with it. I nipped to the shower straightaway and went downstairs half-dressed, grabbing some bread and hoping there was time to toast it before I had to make a run for it. Dad had left the telly on and the breakfast news was blaring out about some atrocity somewhere. I changed the channel to see if I could find something more entertaining. As I pressed the button and flicked channels, I noticed something unusual. The telly seemed to drag its heels a bit. It sort of paused before it changed over. I stood dead in my tracks. The fresh toast that I had just plucked from the toaster seemed to burn my hand and I dropped it as I froze, stunned, almost glued to the spot.

In front of me, the TV had paused on the image of a house. Not just any old house. It was feint but easy to identify. I tried to grab for my phone to capture the image and send it to Siobhan but it quickly altered and ITV came on. Goosebumps were immediately covering my arms. The whole thing must have only been half a second but it struck a chord with me. It made me feel sick. Was I hallucinating? Had I had too much to drink last night? No. I hadn’t even had a sip of the wine I was handling for customers. Mum had offered me a glass of bubbly but I turned her down in favour of the chance to drive the car home under her observation. I noticed a few more missed calls from Siobhan and decided to ring her straightaway.