Guest Post by P.M. Leckie ~ Stumbledirt: Creating From Catastrophe

 Walls are not built solely to keep people out; they also keep people in 

The inhabitants of the village of Everdirge believe that the Thorns have it all. Money, privilege and power. But within the stone facade of the family home, Stumbledirt, a family struggles, governed by tyranny, virtually held prisoner by their patriarch.

Widower, Hero Thorn, cruelly rules over his brood with a rod of iron and a heart of stone. None of his children, Wallis, Esme or Cyrus, dare to speak out against him. Love and hope are luxuries, absent in the Thorn household, until a tragic accident brings the arrival of the wayward cousin, Rook, and life at Stumbledirt is never the same again.

Stumbledirt is available on Amazon US and Amazon UK

As a writer, I’m often asked about the inspiration behind my novels. Answering such a query can sometimes be difficult. Many of my stories seem to appear, then grow in my head and I have little clue where the seed for them came from.

With my first mainstream fiction novel, Stumbledirt, pinpointing the source of my motivation was a little more easy.

I found myself at a point of crisis in my life. My world had been turned upside-down. But my sudden upheaval prompted me to draw on the issues I was facing and the turmoil of emotions caused by them, to create a story. Something which I hoped would address an underlying concern for me at the time.

How does one recover from personal catastrophe?

My main character, Wallis Thorn, finds himself destitute. He turns to his family for help and old conflicts resurface, causing him to question his past actions and future intentions. The fact that we both suffered loss and turned to our nearest and dearest is where the similarities between Wallis and I end.

My family were supportive and wonderful. The Thorns have many skeletons in the closet and all are let loose in the process of a somewhat enforced reunion. While my situation was certainly peppered with amusing moments, his is filled with sometimes hilarious events.

But both of us ultimately come to the same conclusion. Life is not something to go through alone and the importance of having close family and friends around — albeit that they sometimes make you crazy — should never be underestimated.

P.M. Leckie

P.M. Leckie (aka Katsura) is a Scottish writer with a penchant for dark humour and classic British movies. Her comedy scripts have been performed in the Scottish Stand-up scene but she’s never taken to the stage herself. Latterly, her projects have mostly been collaborative works with the German artist, Yuramei, the most notable of these being the bestselling illustrated Yaoi prose series, Big Deal. But her latest novel, Stumbledirt, is a solo venture.

An avid reader of biographies and all things Joe Orton, she’s always got a few books on the go at a time. When not reading or writing, she loves to cook and spend time with her family. Passionate about politics, equality and the rights of the working class, she often rants about some or all of these topics and is best avoided at those times.

Twitter: @PMLeckie & @tabathathorn

Stumbledirt fan page: https://www.facebook.com/Stumbledirt