"At his best Jeffreys writes memorable, perturbating prose with an overwhelming sense of menace. The stories stay with the reader, touching something in the psyche that is both troubling and intriguing." Bristol Review of Books.
The Secrecy of the Heart concerns a confused young man named Benjamin whose car breaks down on the Yorkshire Moors, forcing him to seek refuge at an isolated house. Things at the house are not as they appear, but his time there will eventually lead him to an important revelation about himself. This story is linked to two stories I've previously written, The Shape of the Heart and The Lies of the Heart, as well as an as yet unpublished novel called The False Ones.
I ain't lying. See it with your own eyes here.
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The book is now available from Amazon.
A huge thank you to Tim McWhorter, and the rest of the team at Manta for accepting this story and putting it out into the world.
Here are a few nice things people are saying about the book:
"A layered mystery wrapped
in paranormal intrigue that will have you racing to the end!" - Steve
Stred, Splatterpunk-nominated author of 'Sacrament' and 'Mastodon.'
“Holburn is a gripping tale of love, loss and the
irresistible force of family ties. Tim Jeffreys has created a headlong
rush of a story, gripping the reader and not letting go until the final
page. An addictively readable combination of horror, the supernatural and
the relentless pull of one’s own flesh and blood. Join Gael Drake in the
breathless search for his missing sister Ava, despite the apparitions she has
raised.
“Finally, a modern ghost story done right! One of the creepiest, most unsettling books I’ve read in a long while.” Tony Evans, author of Sour and Wicked Appalachia
“Jeffreys’ HOLBURN is a chilling novella filled with academy intrigue, haunted corridors, teen angst galore, and vengeful ghosts around every corner. Moody and with great, deeply flawed characters, this Gothic tale will keep you up all night waiting to see what manifests in the end.” - Gaby Triana, author of Moon Child and the Haunted Florida series, and editor of Literally Dead: Tales of Halloween Hauntings.
"Author Tim Jeffreys pulls off a page-turner with his new novella Holburn. When irreverent Irish rock guitarist Gael Drake learns his younger sister has gone missing from her school on a remote island Drake’s laid-back life takes a deadly serious turn. Readers who like their writing pacy with shocks and splashes of humour may well rate this a rattling good read. A lively blend of mystery, thriller and chiller from an author well-tuned to the weird. Energetic, entertaining fiction from Jeffreys whose setting and characters may strike a chord with many. Admirers of Gael Drake may wonder if more adventures lie in wait." - Matthew G. Rees, author of Smoke House and other stories, and The Snow Leopard of Moscow.
Worth buying for the cover alone!
My thanks to editor Wayne Kyle Spitzer (who's own story 'Clouds' also appears in this issue) for accepting this story.
My flash fiction 'Myerscough and Skelton' is featured on Episode 527 of Tales to Terrify as read by Alexandra Elroy. You can listen to the episode here.
Weird year, huh? Even weirder than the previous one in my opinion. A year when I was determined to get my head down and do some serious writing, making up for all the lost writing time in 2020, which is exactly what I did. I wrote a good number of short stories, finished a novella, and started work on a novel which is about half-way done. Not too shabby. I also saw some of my stories printed in a batch of quality publications, and had a new collection put out by Insomnia & Obsession Books.
My flash fiction about sinister money collectors, Myerscough and Skelton, appeared online in Blood Knife. An audio version of this story is also due to be podcast on Tales to Terrify in early 2022.
I was glad to get Grace and the Grey Angel finally let loose on the public when it was published in the Jolly Horror love-gone-wrong anthology, Fornever After.
Two of my stories were published by the good folk at Granfalloon. First, a story of murder, chess and the universe called Castling. Next was In Strangers' Gardens, a warning about the direction social media could go in the future.
Insomia & Obsession Books put out a kind of 'best-of' collection of my previously published stories called Autumn Country in October. The stories for this collection were chosen by the writer Robert Pope, who also wrote an introduction. A huge thank you to Robert for gifting me this book!
