Linda publishes spooky novel

Linda Mary Tegerdine has recently published her first novel with Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie. Round to Midnight is an atmospheric tale of an evil spirit who haunts a couple in their own home.

‘The idea for my novel started in a delightful, very old house situated near to the River Blackwater, which is just outside Maldon on the North Coast of Essex, where indeed odd things really did happen. The timbers of the floor in the dining room of that house had been taken and rebuilt from an ancient monastery in Wales, and once the floor was put down strange things started to happen.’

Linda, whose real surname is Clark, took the name Tegerdine from her mother. She lives on the border of Suffolk and Norfolk and hopes to write more books including a possible sequel to Round to Midnight.

‘I’m also the author of two children’s books Flurry the Mouse and Tuppy the Puppy. Flurry was published in 2002, and is the story of a lovable little mouse who can’t resist getting into mischief, and his adventures carry him through all the different seasons of the year. Tuppy the Puppy was published in 2005 and is the tale of a puppy who lives in an old barn on the edge of the moors near to a big forest, who seeks to find a new home filled with happiness and love.’

Linda has also written a book about a hyperactive dog, based on a true story, and is currently looking for an agent or publisher. ‘It is a highly amusing diary about the life of a hyperactive dog. The book is written by its owner (me) but in words and thoughts of the dog itself.’

Linda is already working on ideas for her sequel to Round to Midnight. ‘I am gathering bits in my mind. To me it is rather like a puzzle, a piece goes here, then another bit goes there, until my master plot is formed. My real wish for me would be to have it published abroad.’