72 Minutes in the woods

In the fall/autumn of 2015, my son Jack (HauntedSon) had an idea. The idea was raw, fantastical and became difficult for him to pin down. After long and lengthy discussions, these strands of ideas became characters. Strange, interesting and some even scary characters although he no real way of putting it all together. After much badgering, he persuaded me to compose a theme tune. I hadn't composed fresh music since before he was born and to be honest have spent nearly 20 years without really touching a keyboard in anger. His persistence and tenacity made me write this theme tune. Which  then became an album. Which has now become my first novel and subsequent soundtrack.

 

'72 Minutes in the Woods'  is the story of a boy named Peter Andrews who's involved in an horrific event that will shake up everything that he has ever known forever. Joining him on his journey are friends old and new and supernatural elements that envelop his world as the story unfolds. An eyeless owl, strange black eyed children and a hideous 8 foot tall entity known as 'The Ticking Man' will challenge Peter as he unveils the secrets of Tulip Park, portals and a path that may ultimately lead to sacrifice.

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At time of writing this, the story is on its third draft and has taken a while due to the constraints of writing it in the many lunch hours of my day job. The second draft was very positive and with a final bit of spit and polish, I hope to put this in front of the hands of a publisher in the very near future. 

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It's accompanying audio material has a few spoilerific titles and while not essential to the book, will certainly enhance the reading experience. The album is currently at 14 tracks (whittled down from over 20 at one count) and its duration? Well 72 minutes of course!

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The image to the right is an imagining of  'The Ticking Man' by the insanely talented artist Dan Charnley (look for his social media handle @DansMonster).

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