The Garden of Bewitchment

by Catherine Cavendish

Overview

"Cavendish draws from the best conventions of the genre in this eerie gothic novel about a woman’s sanity slowly unraveling within the hallways of a mysterious mansion." – Publishers Weekly

Don’t play the game.

In 1893, Evelyn and Claire leave their home in a Yorkshire town for life in a rural retreat on their beloved moors. But when a strange toy garden mysteriously appears, a chain of increasingly terrifying events is unleashed. Neighbour Matthew Dixon befriends Evelyn, but seems to have more than one secret to hide. Then the horror really begins. The Garden of Bewitchment is all too real and something is threatening the lives and sanity of the women. Evelyn no longer knows who - or what - to believe. And time is running out.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781787583429
Publisher:	Flame Tree Publishing
Publication date:	02/20/2020
Series:	Fiction Without Frontiers
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Cat first started writing when someone thrust a pencil into her hand. Unfortunately as she could neither read nor write properly at the time, none of her stories actually made much sense. However as she grew up, they gradually began to take form and, at the tender age of nine or ten, she sold her dolls’ house, and various other toys to buy her first typewriter – an Empire Smith Corona. She hasn’t stopped bashing away at the keys ever since, although her keyboard of choice now belongs to her laptop.

The need to earn a living led to a varied career in sales, advertising and career guidance but Cat is now the full-time author of a number of supernatural, ghostly, haunted house and Gothic horror novels and novellas, including The Haunting of Henderson Close, the Nemesis of the Gods trilogy –Wrath of the Ancients, Waking the Ancients, Damned by the Ancients - The Devil’s Serenade, Dark Avenging Angel, The Pendle Curse, Saving Grace Devine and Linden Manor. Her short story, 'Miss Emmeline’s Mirror', recently appeared in the anthology Haunted Are These Houses.

She lives north of Liverpool with her longsuffering husband and black cat (who remembers that her species used to be worshipped in ancient Egypt and sees no reason why that practice should not continue).

When not slaving over a hot computer, Cat enjoys rambling around stately homes, circles of standing stones and travelling to favourite haunts such as Vienna and Orkney.
Following a varied career in sales, advertising and career guidance, Cat is now the full-time author of a number of paranormal, ghostly and Gothic horror novels and novellas. She lives with her long-suffering husband and black cat in a 260 year old haunted apartment in North Wales.

Interviews

What is the book about?

In 1893, sisters Evelyn and Claire Wainwright leave their home in a prosperous Yorkshire mill town for life in a rural retreat on their beloved moors. They are both devotees of the Brontë – and Claire is quite besotted with the notorious and ultimately tragic Branwell Brontë. She believes she sees him; that he visits her in her room. But he has been dead for over forty years.

A strange toy – The Garden of Bewitchment - mysteriously appears and a chain of increasingly terrifying events is unleashed. Neighbour Matthew Dixon has had personal experience of the deadly object and says it must be destroyed, but can he be trusted? Events begin to take hold. Fantasy and reality become blurred and Evelyn no longer knows who or what to believe. Something is threatening the lives and sanity of the women. It all centres on the evil toy. And time is running out.

Did you base your characters on anyone you knew?

Not personally no. I wouldn’t want to be sued!

Who influenced you most in the writing of the book?

My influences come from decades of reading – not just horror, but many genres, and not all of them fictional. I think M.R. James was probably looking over my shoulder at times, along with Susan Hill and even a little Oscar Wilde (think The Picture of Dorian Gray).

Is there any advice you can give someone starting to write?

Firstly, develop the hide of a rhinoceros – you’ll need it. Never argue online – especially with someone who has given you a less than flattering review. You never win those battles and I have seen some writers’ reputations permanently ruined. The main thing though is to produce the best work of which you are capable. The words ‘that’ll do’ should be eliminated from your vocabulary. Be prepared to be ruthless with your own work. If that paragraph doesn’t move the story on or serve some other useful purpose, out it goes. Finally, never, ever give up.

Where did you write?

In a small converted single bedroom. It has served as an office/study for the past few years but is now overrun with boxes as we get ready to move house.

Did you write in silence, or to any particular music?

I need peace and quiet, and music would be a distraction. I need to fully enter the world I am creating so that, when the shocks come, I can be scared too

Why do you write?

I have always written – even before I could properly form words. It is something I have a passion for and a need to do. I couldn’t imagine ever not writing.

What do you do when you need additional inspiration or ideas?

I read, watch films or simply go for a walk. Strangely though some of my best ideas occur when I’m in the shower. Then it’s a mad dash to get out, get dried and dressed and get the ideas down before I forget them. It’s a shame I can’t take a pen and paper in the shower with me!

Do you finish everything you start? If a piece isn’t working, at what point do you cut your losses and abandon it?

I mostly finish everything I start but I did have one occasion where I realised I simply couldn’t stand the protagonist and didn’t want to spend any more time with her. That was one manuscript that ended up in the garbage.

What are you writing now?

I am currently working on a story about a woman who undergoes major surgery in a hospital with a lot of murky history behind it. The past is about to confront the present and my protagonist becomes increasingly caught up in the evil that was wrought there many years ago

Editorial Reviews

12/16/2019

Cavendish (The Darkest Veil) draws from the best conventions of the genre in this eerie gothic novel about a woman’s sanity slowly unraveling within the hallways of a mysterious mansion. In 1893, twin sisters and aspiring authors Claire and Evelyn Wainwright leave their Yorkshire home for a reclusive life on the expanse of England’s moors. Their retreat is disrupted when a strange toy turns up inside their new house: a miniature mansion surrounded by a beautiful garden. Entranced by the toy, Claire believes herself to be able to enter its halls and gardens and becomes increasingly possessed by its ghostly inhabitants. As Claire loses her grip on reality, Evelyn tries to uncover the truth behind the dollhouse and free her sister from its power. Though numerous red herrings create unnecessary confusion, Cavendish successfully maintains the suspense as she dives into the intricacies of her carefully-constructed world. Fans of gothic tropes will appreciate the atmosphere and intensity of this horror tale. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

A gothic nightmare set on the Yorkshire moors, full of ghosts, uncertain motivations, and the creepiest board game this side of Jumanji.

Tor Nightfire

"The Garden of Bewitchment is everything you want in a ghost story. [...] She also proves that if there is a crown of queen of gothic horror, she should be wearing it."

Modern Horrors

The Garden of Bewitchment is a novel that does not so much beg to be read as it commands the next page be turned [...] A must-read for fans of atmospheric tales of the supernatural that creep into the psyche. Cavendish is a master storyteller, capable of building a world that is almost too real for the reader [...] an element that her literary ancestors Henry James, Shirley Jackson, Arthur Machen, and yes, the Bronte sisters understood all too well.

iHorror

"Well-rooted in classic gothic traditions, the novel doesn't furiously spill the blood like most modern horror, but it maximizes its unique advantages. The setting in particular seems well-drawn [...] An atmospheric and gently scary tale that will appeal to horror fans and Brontë enthusiasts alike."

Booklist

Atmospheric and rich in detail, Cavendish masterfully draws the reader into the slow-burning horror that makes well-crafted Gothic literature so delightfully addictive. The Garden of Bewitchment delivers as a gothic tale of unexpected horror, unravelling insanity, and what happens when the realities we’ve constructed for ourselves turn against us.

The Nerd Daily