Prestwich writers’ ‘terrifying’ book inspired by football
Added: (Mon May 30 2022)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
Football is to blame for readers up and down the country having nightmares after they’ve opened the covers of Philip Meese’s new horror novel.
The 42-year-old’s gripping new book, The Presence, has been described by critics as ‘brilliant’, ‘immense’ and ‘terrifying’.
But he admits his spine-chilling thriller, as well as his writing career, owe a lot to the beautiful game.
Philip, who lives in Prestwich, explained: “It was bad football journalism that first inspired me to start writing myself.
“I wrote football articles from my mid-30s, most of which can still be found online, and progressed on to write my first book, Diary of a Call Centre Agent, four years ago.
“I’ve always wanted to write a horror story, but I thought of the title before anything else.
“One night, I was listening to a football phone-in on the radio, and somebody said those two words – The Presence.
“I just thought that would be a great title for this kind of story and began developing the rest of the ideas from there.”
The Presence follows the fortunes of Kate and her family after she accepts a job offer to manage one of Britain’s oldest stately homes.
Rather than worrying Kate, Blackmoor Hall’s haunted reputation is seen by her as an ideal marketing opportunity.
But soon after the family moves in, they find there’s much more to the home’s ghostly notoriety than a few bumps in the night.
Philip added: “Kate and her husband, Sean, are an ordinary everyday married couple with three children.
“Eldest child, Abi, is a typical 11-year-old girl, who can’t stand her brother, is obsessed with SnapChat and Instagram, and is used to getting her own way.
“Seven-year-old Harry is obsessed with the paranormal, so is excited about moving into a haunted house.
“The youngest is Caitlin, a 15-month-old baby whose reactions to her new surroundings provide one of the first hints that Blackmoor Hall is haunted.
“As time goes on, the family soon realise that not only is the ghost of Jane Weston real, but that they are in grave danger just by being in the house - and that Jane isn’t the only set of eyes watching them.”
Since the recent release of The Presence, it has received a lengthy string of five-star reviews by captivated readers.
Critic C A Lewis stated: “I couldn`t stop reading this amazing story - I read it in one sitting.”
Following the successful launch of The Presence, Philip, whose favourite authors include Dean Koontz and Stephen King, is working on a sequel.
For more information visit Amazon and search for Philip Meese, where the Kindle and paperback versions of The Presence are available.
Notes to the Editor
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