THE MISREMEMBERED LIGHTHOUSE

By p.m. terrell

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GENRE:  Mystery

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BLURB:

While researching her next book, historian and author Hayley Hunter rents a lighthouse in Southeastern North Carolina. The modern lighthouse and vacation home replaced an original wood structure that only functioned during the Revolutionary War. The old lighthouse may be long gone, but the light keeper’s ghost remains.

Hayley becomes increasingly obsessed with finding why the spirit of Jonathan Corbyn lingers between realms. Joined by her lover Shay MacGregor, her search will take her into a world of spies, double agents, and espionage at the dawn of American democracy.

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EXCERPT

I bolted upright and tapped on the latest alert. I found myself staring at the lantern room. The security camera encompassed nearly the entire circular room, save for the wall behind it. My eyes skimmed the walls, alighting briefly on each window. The moon was high and full, and for a moment, I thought the camera might have picked up the glow or perhaps even something flying against the window. But as I continued to stare into my phone, I spotted something moving along the top steps as if ascending.

I quietly tossed the covers off me and glided into my slippers as I grabbed my robe. I cautiously strode to the spiral stairs to peer upward into the stairwell. It was not as dark as I had expected, but a muted light from the moon struggled to illuminate it. I glanced downward to discover it was darker beneath me. Turning my attention again to the stairs leading upward, I remembered the curvature in the design prevented me from seeing to the top. How, then, my mind argued, could the moonlight find its way down?

I stepped onto the staircase. My right hand clenched the phone, while my eyes continually moved from the image on my screen to the steps above me. My naked eyes could see nothing out of the ordinary. The steps appeared just as they had a few hours earlier. But my phone displayed a shadow moving upward.

As I reached the uppermost stairs, I realized the image picked up by the security camera was not a human, but rather a human form. It was opaque, but I detected the outline of a man’s broad shoulders, his torso, arms, and legs. His legs were misshapen, as though he were wearing breeches that ballooned slightly from him. There was something else that extended beyond his body, like a waistcoat. I could see the outline of his head, but it was shadowy, with facial details absorbed into the darkness.

I froze on the step. I could see the image clearly on my phone’s security app. But when I used my naked eyes without the benefit of the phone, I could see nothing at all in the spot where it should have appeared. Shakily, I climbed to the next step and then the next.

The figure moved just beyond me as if to entice me to follow him. As my head topped the floor, it turned to me, as if he was looking straight at me, though I could see nothing but darkness where his face should have been.

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Interview With p.m. terrell

Who would you say is the main character of your novel? And tell me a little bit about them!

The main character in The Misremembered Lighthouse is author and historian Hayley Hunter, who made her first appearance in April in the Back of Beyond. Hayley is logical, spunky, and not easily deterred, even when faced with hauntings and danger.

What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the world building within your book?

The lighthouse in The Misremembered Lighthouse was inspired by the Ocracoke Light Station, which was only in use for less than twenty years due to shifting channels. A spooky crossroads nearest the lighthouse was inspired by Dundarrach in Hoke County, which Scottish immigrants settled. A general store at the crossroads plays a pivotal role in the suspense. The plot was inspired by the Scots who migrated to North Carolina after fighting against the British in the Battle of Culloden in Scotland, only to be called up to fight for the British during the American Revolutionary War. In the book, Hayley discovers the original lightkeeper’s journal and discovers he still haunts the lighthouse. I drew on North Carolina myths and legends throughout the book.

What inspires you to write?

I often write to process events or circumstances. I can’t imagine not writing.

What are your future project(s)?

I am currently writing a novel set against the backdrop of Poland during World War II. It follows the lives of four ordinary people, two men and two women, who are placed in extraordinary circumstances. It asks the question: if you knew when you died that you would revisit events to feel the consequences you inflicted, would it cause you to make different choices?

What makes a good villain? A great villain is someone who is three-dimensional. Very few people are entirely evil, so I enjoy delving into the multiple layers of a person’s psyche. For example, I wrote about a hired killer in Exit 22 who enjoyed knitting baby booties in between murders, and who dreamed of opening his own knitting supply shop when he retired as a hit man.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

My full name is Patricia McClelland Terrell, and I have been writing under the pen name p.m.terrell ever since a publisher presented me with my first fiction book cover. The graphic designer had also entered my name in lower-case letters; my editor hated it, and I loved it. It’s been p.m.terrell ever since.

I began writing when I was nine years old, inspired by a schoolteacher and elementary school principal. Scott-Foresman published my first book, a computer instructional for universities, in 1984. Scott-Foresman, Dow-Jones (Richard D. Irwin branch), Palari Publishing, Paralee Press, and Drake Valley Press have published 26 books to date.

Before embarking on a full-time writing career, I founded McClelland Enterprises, Inc. in the Washington, D.C. area in 1984, specializing in computer instruction for employees in the workplace. I opened another business, Continental Software Development Corporation, in 1994, which focused on custom application development, programming, website design and development, and computer crime.

I was honored to be the first female President of the Chesterfield County/Colonial Heights Crime Solvers. I also served as the Treasurer for the Virginia Crime Stoppers Association. Since moving to North Carolina, I served on the Robeson County Friends of the Library and Robeson County Arts Council.

I launched The Book ‘Em Foundation with Waynesboro, Virginia Police Officer Mark Kearney, and assisted in Virginia, New Hampshire, and South Carolina events before establishing the Annual Book ‘Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair, chairing it for several years before turning it over to Robeson Community College in Lumberton, NC.

Links:

Website: https://pmterrell.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pmterrell.author/

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-misremembered-lighthouse/id6749962807

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-misremembered-lighthouse-pm-terrell/1148042055

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FM4D9YTB

All other eBook formats: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1832068

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GIVEAWAY

p.m. terrell will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.