Haunted

M. Keen A.

Description

Mysteria, a small fishing island located just off the coast of Oregon. Covered in dense forests, its isolation is exactly what award-winning author Cameron Drake is looking for. After an amicable divorce he moves to the island from England, in an attempt to reignite his writing career. However, Cameron's arrival begins with a strange encounter on a deserted road, and leads to a series of hauntings that force him to question his sanity and investigate its history. As the community around him slowly vanishes, it appears Mysteria is not everything it seems. Aided by his loyal pet, Akando, an Alaskan malamute, Cameron descends into the strange world of the paranormal. Slowly, he begins to believe the hauntings are an attempt to warn of a fate that will befall the island and its remaining occupants. A quest of witchcraft, Ouija boards and contact with the dead awaits Cameron, but as he investigates deeper, the island's secret becomes clear.

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 06 mars 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783336265
• Langue: English

Extrait

Title Page
Haunted
The isle of Mysteria has a secret, and Cameron Drake is about to find out how angry she really is
A. M. Keen



Publisher Information
Haunted - published in 2014 by
Acorn Books
www.acornbooks.co.uk
Converted and distributed by Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
Copyright © 2014 A. M. Keen
The right of A. M. Keen to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.



Dedication
For my friends Alex Duggan and Michael York, who helped inspire this novel. To Barry Fitzgerald and Bill Murphy, two of the greatest paranormal researchers in the field who gave me their time on this work. For Allan Welsh and Allan Shipham, my literary friends who came with me on this journey, and to Holly and Willow. I love you both.



Forword
Bill Murphy
Lead Scientist for SyFy Network’s Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files
As an investigator of phenomenon that defies conventional logic, I have read detailed eyewitness accounts of events that contradict mainstream science. When a witness statement does not conform to the tangible evidence related to their experience, there is cause to be skeptical. The process of corroborating all aspects of the cases I research is tedious, can at times be frustrating, but there is always a sense of adventure that perhaps the small steps gained will lead to bigger breakthroughs in understanding the nature of reality. It has been this way for thousands of years, and what is accepted as common facts today would have often been considered as inconceivable to our ancestors. Such is the path I have been on for over twenty years and has led to my work appearing on various broadcast networks and other forms of media.
Although I primarily rely on non-fiction science journals and traditional textbooks as a basis for all I do, I had the good fortune to read the work of Alan Keen in his book titled Haunted. Freed from the constraints of cross checking witness statements and reviewing endless recordings that can sometimes have multiple interpretations, I was able to just enjoy the dark but always thrilling ride that Alan crafted in his book. And what a ride it is.
From almost the very beginning, Alan sets the stage for events that unfold to reveal ever deeper plunges into the depths of the paranormal. I found myself at the edge of my chair, turning each page where he is adept at keeping the flow of surprises fresh with vivid descriptions of a location with events that seem surreal, yet somehow familiar. A moody, atmospheric world awaits those who find themselves on the island of Mysteria, a place that lingers in the psyche of his characters and ultimately in the mind of the reader.
Alan has pulled from his subconscious a place that can be fearful, yet intoxicating to the point you must pursue the story until the end, otherwise there is the risk the reader will remain prone to the linger like the characters he has created that have found themselves in the realm of the supernatural. I still find myself strangely attracted to want to visit the island he has conjured for the reader, despite the perils that may await those who do. He has done his research and has captured the challenges that are faced by those who work to unravel the mysteries that fall into the paranormal category, mysteries with irregular borders that make it difficult to separate fact from fantasy. I was never sure where he would lead his main character, and in the process I began to live vicariously through him. This shifted the weight of the story in unexpected ways. No longer was I just reading his book, in way I felt as though I was actually on the island myself.
I was aware of what Alan had accomplished but his ability to suspend his reader’s disbelief works well. I just let his words rise up from the pages and construct a place that I could feel, and his novel is immersive. Many people would close their eyes if actually faced by what Alan has presented, but I could not resist wanting to know more, experience more, and eventually reach a conclusion. It would not have been possible for me to begin his book without completing it, as it would have left me stranded on the island, forever contemplating what occurs in this damp, dark, and chilly place where daily life including dreams and sometimes nightmares merge into one.
Bill lives in Los Angeles, CA and has worked in various forms of media his entire life. He has been featured in over 100 broadcast including radio interviews, associate story producer for Biography Channel, special guest on Discovery Channel, and featured host for the SyFy Network. The majority of his work is focused on investigating claims of paranormal origin, along with emerging discoveries in neuroscience. His website is www.ghosttown.tv
Barry Fitzgerald
Lead Investigator for Ghost Hunters International
The art of storytelling is sadly today on the decline; nevertheless I was very happy to have been introduced to Haunted. From the moment the preverbal starting gate was opened I was suddenly whisked away within a story which possessed an abundance of body, which prevails in today’s declining tales of the supernatural, and delicately immersed myself within a story which my imagination was free to gorge itself on, brilliantly delivered descriptions and twisting plot lines blocking the outside world of limited perception and opening the inner world of imagination.
Barry Fitzgerald



One
Will Turley took to the helm of his 25’ Offshore and navigated a rare patch of sea fog descending across the ocean ahead. The small fishing boat sliced through the rough, rolling waves, their graying swells depicting the west coast season; cold, murky and with a shade of darkness that mirrored the approaching night fall. October was often known as the wet season to the local fishing town of Port Sandown, Oregon, and the prelude to the looming winter, the harshest and most inhospitable season that this small fishing community would have to endure. Fall had always been a time when optimism for the coming months was low, and present moods faded with the dark weather surrounding them.
The boat braved the freezing waters as it left the Port Sandown fishing port toward the small island of Mysteria visible from the harbor. This was his last job of the day, having agreed to transfer a passenger from the port on the mainland to the small harbor on the south-east coast of the island.
Cameron Drake stood rigid beside the sailor he’d hired to ferry him to the island of Mysteria where he’d brought a home-sight unseen-and hoped he wouldn’t disgrace himself by upchucking. Grasping the rails bolted to the side of the bulkhead he rolled with the waves, his knuckles white with the firmness of his grasp. The skipper of his ride bore a thick, turtle neck sweater and blue watch cap. His amused face looked like it hadn’t seen the best side of a razor for at least a week.
“What takes a rich and famous writer from England to a little island off the coast of Oregon?” he asked as the sea crashed around them, its spray lurching as high as the inverted windshield. Wipers removed the rogue droplets away that remained there.
Thought it was a good idea, at the time,” he replied in a strong, English accent. Cameron hoped the overwhelming despair he felt at the rolling sea would be short lived. He closed his eyes, squeezed them tightly and puffed his cheeks.
Will laughed. “Take it you haven’t travelled by sea much before?”
Cameron kept his eyes closed and shook his head. “Absolutely not,” he began, struggling with his speech the way someone usually does before their gut gives in and lurches its contents out in a violent manner. “The flight here was bad enough.”
“It doesn’t make sense for someone who can’t travel by sea to live on an island?”
“I thought that one trip was all I’d have to make, unless of course I need hospital treatment or something, but, I didn’t let that cloud my thinking when I decided to move here.”
“I have to ask, but it seems strange that someone from half way across the world should choose to move so far from his homeland, especially England?”
“Trust me sir, England wasn’t the place for me anymore. Where I lived, gangs of kids in hoodies terrorized the streets. I paid excessive amounts of tax to our government and never saw what it was being used for. It’s such an expensive place to live, and if you move out to the countryside, which, okay, isn’t that bad, you’re still paying excessive rates for the privilege of doing so.”
“I wouldn’t have thought that would affect a celebrity such as yourself?”
“I’m not a celebrity,” Cameron began, “I’m a writer. Just because I’ve appeared on a few shows to plug my book doesn’t mean I’m blessed to red carpet treatment and free meals whenever I hit the town.”
“But being a writer, I thought you’d be full of the old green by now?” the fisherman enquired. “I mean, I’ve heard of your books before, and we’re almost in the middle of nowhere out here.”
Cameron took a deep breath as his stomach churned and somersaulted with the passing waves. “It’s not easy, believe me. It took me years to build up a fan base. When I started o