Welcome to CentreStage!
CentreStage showcases fantastic authors from around the world. These authors might tell you about their lives, their writing, their favourite shoes or their workspaces. In short, about anything relevant to their inspiration and happiness. Today, it is my tremendous pleasure to welcome back the one and only Janice Horton!
Only last week, this blog took part in Janice’s Spellbindingly Fun Blog Party in honour of the launch of Janice’s latest work, How Do You Voodoo? And today, Janice has promised to let us in on some of the nitty-gritty of her research… Take it away, Janice!
Outstanding Bravery in the Name of Research: Get Ready to Be Spooked!
Hi Nicky and Happy Halloween – or should that be Spooky Halloween…?
Hi Janice, and a Happy Spooky Halloween to you to! It’s so exciting to have you back here today telling us all about your very daring research for How Do You Voodoo! Hats off to you, I don’t think I’d be this brave! (I’m easily spooked!)
*Janice laughs* There is nothing better than a good spook, is there? I’ve popped along today to tell you about my romantic and humorous Halloween novella How Do You Voodoo? and to tell you about the spooky time I had writing it. You see, a central scene in the story takes place in a very spooky place, the Necropolis in Glasgow – a cemetery otherwise known as The City of the Dead!
Nicky says: Is this the bit where I get spooked?
The City of the Dead is the burial place of over five thousand people, mostly from the Victorian age. In those days, when Glasgow was a very important and wealthy port, the rich merchants were basically trying to outdo each other in death as well as life, by commissioning hugely expensive and architecturally fancy mausoleums and monuments as their gravestones. Now, all these years later, they are mostly neglected, wonky, covered in lichen and in a bad state of disrepair. This of course, together with a hanging Scottish mist, all adds to the spook factor!
Nicky says: I bet it does. Did you say something about showing us for real?
*Janice whips out a stack of photos and slithers them nonchalantly across the table.* These are some of the photos I took there while researching a scene for How Do You Voodoo? See what I mean!
Nicky says: Goodness, I wouldn’t want to go there at night-time! But the photos look stunningly eery and haunting (not to say haunted), the perfect backdrop for your story. Fabulous, thanks for sharing. Now tell us more about How Do You Voodoo?…
About How Do You Voodoo?
How Do You Voodoo? is a humorous contemporary story about a loveless fashion model called Nola Nichols, who thinks being beautiful is a curse; that is until she is cursed and her looks begin to fade just a week before the most important photo shoot of her career. Nola rejects all rational explanation on what might be causing her lost looks and decides she has to find a way to get uncursed. This imaginative quest takes her from the Caribbean to Glasgow’s own City of the Dead. Along the way, she finds herself taking part in a rather unconventional funeral, involved in a voodoo ritual, reveals one or two unrests in her own past and falls madly in love with a doctor. Erm, that would be a witch doctor, right…?
Nicky says: Awesome. I have this on my Kindle and can’t wait to get reading!
About Janice Horton
Janice Horton lives in Scotland and writes contemporary romance with humour. Her novels ‘Bagpipes & Bullshot’ and ‘Reaching for the Stars’ are both Amazon Kindle bestsellers. Her latest title ‘How Do You Voodoo?’ is a romantic novella for Halloween and is out now for Kindle at just 77p or 99c!
Visit Janice’s Author Blog; Follow her on Twitter @JaniceHorton; or Like her Author Facebook Page
Janice is a Featured Author & Associate Editor at Loveahappyending.com
Find her ebooks on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
So, dear reader: How Do YOU Voodoo? Has this totally captured your interest? Brilliant!
Have you considered writing a novella? And what excites you about reading them?
Nicky Wells: Love & Thrills 
Really interesting finding out about the setting. Great photos.
Thank you ladies.
x
whooop! Our first spooky visitor: thanks for stopping by and saying hello, and I’m glad you loved the post! Spook on!
Having read How Do You Voodoo already (brilliant by the way!) I sincerely hope Janice doesn’t cast any spells … if she does I’m ducking! Fab theme Janice throughout your Blog Tour – waves to Nicky!
Hi Linn, lovely to see you here… of course, Janice has probably cast a ‘follow my tour’ spell on all of us, LOL! (just kidding, we’re willing followers, sweetie!). Thanks for visiting! 🙂 x
Hi Nicky – thanks for letting me turn your Rock On Blog into a Rocky Horror Show today for Halloween! Visiting Glasgow’s City of the Dead was a great day out actually – they even do special guided tours for tourists and everything. After entering the cemetery and walking over ‘The Bridge of Sighs’ which is said to seperate time and eternity (how spooky sounding is that?!) we had a good look around (dh and I) at the spooky graves and soaked up the haunting atmosphere, took some photos (see those above) and then we went out for dinner in the city before heading home. I do love to do my research!
Janice xx
It’s a brilliant post and if I do ever get to come up your way, I’ll be sure to take a look. In bright sunshine, though, if I may!! Hope you have lots of spooky fun here today. XX
Thanks Sue and Linn for your kind comments – it’s such fun doing a Halloween themed blog tour for How Do You Voodoo?
Janice xx
Sue’s not that spooky – well, not before the wine… Haw, haw! Love it! I can almost see Dracula looming in that middle photo, Janice. Wouldn’t catch me there on a moonless night. Eeeek! 🙂 xx
I can see it at dusk, the stone lid of a sarcophagus sliding slowly open with a great grinding sound as it scrapes over the base and then Dracula sitting up.
Enough already, I won’t sleep tonight! Have you considered switching genres?? XX
Then again, us intrepid explorer sisters together with our respective screwdrivers (actual and liquid)… we’ll be all right! Thans for visiting and commenting, spooky Sheryl! X
Love Glasgow. Love the Necropolis although I’ve only seen it from the cathedral. And most importantly, loved How Do You Voodoo? Well, done ladies.
Thanks so much, Mel, at least you’ve been up there! #jealous Thanks for visiting and excited to hear you loved #voodoo! XX
Great photos – woud love to go there, preferably on a sunny day! And did I see it feature in this week’s New Tricks??
I think the e-book revolution has opened the door to new lengths and formats – we no longer worry that a shorter story isn’t ‘worth’ printing or buying. Great time to experiment and I’m looking forward to reading Voodo.
I’m with you on the sunshine, Ali! Great thoughts on the liberating effects on e-publishing, thanks for commenting and stopping by today. You rock! X
Thanks for your comments everyone – you certainly wouldn’t find me anywhere near the City of the Dead tonight anyway! Happy Halloween!
Janice xx
Ah, no, now I’m disappionted! I was hoping for a follow up photo with your scary witch outfit and killer heels!!! X
Great post, Ladies. Stay safe tonight!
And you too! x
Trick or Treat? No content – reading Janice is defintely a treat, as your blog always is Nicky. Fab photos. My junior school used to be opposite a cemetery. One teacher used to threaten us with a night there if we misbehaved. Trouble was, most of us believed her! Right, now for the trick – the next book! 🙂
LOL, that’s old-school teachers ~ love it. (Don’t tell anyone) Thanks very much for stopping by and glad you enjoyed the book AND the blog. XX Have a spoooooky time! x
Oops that should have read “no contest”. Okay, who moved the keys round on the laptop? That was a rotten trick.
The spooky key-mover is at work! Quick, everybody, hide! x
That was brave! Interesting to get some background, Janice, and very much looking forward to reading How do you Voodoo – it’s safely on my Kindle in my ‘Friends’ folder. 🙂
Excellent!! Thank you and big hugs!