Blog Tour - Children of Fire
Children of Fire
by Paul CW Beatty
On my blog today I have the pleasure of
sharing with you.........
Children of Fire
I would like to thank Rachel Random Resources and Paul CW Beatty for inviting me on the blog tour.
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Book Information
Can Josiah solve the puzzle before more people die, or is he out of his depth?
In 1841, at the height of the industrial revolution in the North West of England, Josiah Ainscough returns from his travels and surprises everyone by joining the Stockport Police Force, rather than following his adopted father’s footsteps into the Methodist ministry.
While Josiah was abroad, five men died in an explosion at the Furness Vale Powder Mill. Was this an accident or did the Children of Fire, a local religious community, have a hand in it. As Josiah struggles to find his vocation, his investigation into the Children of Fire begins. But his enquiries are derailed by the horrific crucifixion of the community’s leader.
Now Josiah must race against time to solve the puzzle of the violence loose in the Furness Vale before more people die. This is complicated by his affections for Rachael, a leading member of the Children of Fire, and the vivacious Aideen Hayes, a visitor from Ireland.
Can Josiah put together the pieces of the puzzle, or is he out of his depth? Children of Fire won the Writing Magazine’s Best Novel Prize for 2017
Purchase Links
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Excerpt
The passage comes from the very beginning of Children of Fire with a violent and fatal explosion at
the Furness Vale Powder Mill.
You must remain calm. Panic betrays you. Breathe deeply. Walk deliberately. Count your steps.
One at a time. Think of nothing except your steps. Only your steps. Have the metal wheels begun to
turn? How many revolutions before the rollers catch and spark? How far away do you have to walk
to be safe? Safe at this range? More to go?
The explosion rips the corning-mill apart. You feel it through your feet as the ground shakes.
The shockwave makes you gasp. Compelled to look, you turn to see your handiwork.
The detonation has formed into a terrifying pillar of smoke, flame and debris. The bodies of
the men who were charging the mill are flying through the air within this fountain of destruction.
You have killed before in combat, but this seems so much more cold-bloodied. You are comforted
by the thought that they would have known nothing.
But the macabre play is only in its first act. The sheet of flame that follows is uncontrolled. It
forms into a single ball and, caught by an indolent wind, drifts downhill close to the ground.
Three men, brave men, appear from other buildings and run towards the explosion hoping to
rescue their comrades but they cannot see what you see. The ball of flame reaches the press-
house, which in turn disintegrates.
The explosion transforms these would-be rescuers into blazing Roman Candles. Two fall to
the ground and, wreathed in private palls of oily black smoke, writhe in pain. One of them makes it
to the river and plunges in. You taste the vomit in your throat. You have done a dishonourable
thing. They were not your enemies.
But the last act is yet to play. A time almost too short to be perceived, then, simultaneously,
the glazing and charge houses explode. Their combined blast throws you to the ground and sets
your ears ringing.
When you come to your senses, men, appearing from all parts of the site, run past you
towards the bodies. One man stops and drags you to your feet.
‘Get up! Get up! Come and help!’ he screams, his cheeks purple with rage. Then a frown
passes over his face.
Blood pounds in your ears. Has he recognised you as a stranger? Your stomach tightens. You
touch the pistol in your coat.
‘Coward!’ he yells and runs on.
Move your feet. Do not think. Do it. Your lips are dry, but you cannot moisten them. Only a
few more steps. It is done. You are free, safe
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Author Bio
Paul CW Beatty is an unusual combination of a novelist and a research scientist. Having worked for many years in medical research in the UK NHS and Universities, a few years ago he took an MA in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University emerging with a distinction.
His latest novel, Children of Fire, is a Victorian murder mystery set in 1841 at the height of the industrial revolution. It won the Writing Magazine’s Best Novel Award in November 2017 and is published by The Book Guild Ltd.
Paul lives near Manchester in the northwest of England. Children of Fire is set against the hills of the Peak District as well as the canals and other industrial infrastructure of the Cottonopolis know as the City of Manchester.
His latest novel, Children of Fire, is a Victorian murder mystery set in 1841 at the height of the industrial revolution. It won the Writing Magazine’s Best Novel Award in November 2017 and is published by The Book Guild Ltd.
Paul lives near Manchester in the northwest of England. Children of Fire is set against the hills of the Peak District as well as the canals and other industrial infrastructure of the Cottonopolis know as the City of Manchester.
Social Media Links – Twitter @cw_beatty
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