The Cemetery Scene
One of my favorite chapters in The Villa takes place at a cemetery. This is when the protagonist Susan Smith goes to visit her late best friend Zoe’s grave. She places a bouquet at the gravesite and ponders on their friendship. At that very moment, Susan finds Zoe’s grief-stricken husband standing behind her. He had come to pay his late wife his respects as well.
During their conversation, Susan mentions to him that she desires to locate a particular grave in this massive cemetery. This grave is over a century old and is the resting place of the ghost that’s haunting her villa.
After searching for some time, they finally discover the gravesite. While she gazes upon the worn-out and half-broken headstone a chill goes down her spine. She knows who this malevolent spirit is and standing in front of this century-old resting spot makes her very uncomfortable.
If one’s home was being haunted by a malevolent ghost, I would assume he or she would do everything in their power to get rid of it. How? Well according to those I’ve spoken concerning the matter (I mean people who have had to face such a situation) they would surely pray over the home, consult spiritual advice, and even do some research into the history of the home to determine if anyone had died there.
This is what the protagonist does in the story. Knowing how evil this ghost is, she desperately attempts to figure out a way to get rid of it or help the spirit find rest. She even goes to the grave in search of any clue. Can you imagine standing in front of such a gravesite? I would feel the same way as Susan- uncomfortable and chilled to my core.
Photo Credit: “An old cemetery plot protected by an iron gate” by emersonquinn (Creative Commons) is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
What is it About an Old House?
What is it about an old house that gives us the creeps? I use the word ‘house’ quite loosely here. It can also be a humungous bungalow or an estate that is centuries old.
As a writer, I like to envision such places when I am creating a story. I also like to imagine what the people who lived in such a place were like- especially the previous generations. Were they good or bad? What legacies did they leave behind? Is there a connection between the past and the present? If so can I build on it to develop a fascinating yet horrific story that a reader would never forget?
The attic is always a great place to fashion a mystery around. It could be a murder that occurred and maybe the body has been sitting there for centuries and a couple of hapless kids who were curious about the attic stumble upon a huge trunk and discover the bones of the person who was killed there. This is exactly what happens in my book Beyond these Walls 2 (which will be released in November).
Maybe people died so violently in the home that their spirits cannot rest. They haunt whoever is occupying the home because essentially it is their territory.
As a writer, putting such paranormal occurrences into words is quite intriguing. It takes a lot of thinking and skill as well. The spine-chilling aspect has to come alive so that the reader can picture themselves in the scene and get a first-hand feel as to what’s happening. This is the hallmark of a good horror writer.
So let’s get back to the old house. If I am standing in front of the very old mansion in the above picture, I can think of a couple of good ghost stories. If I am writing fiction, I must appeal to my imagination. If I am writing a true story, some research into the history of the house would help. Either way, the house is a great place to start a thrilling horror story. There are so many possibilities and just thinking them up brings goosebumps.
Photo Credit: “The Haunted Mansion [Explore]” by Brett Kiger (Creative Commons) is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Why Horror?
Why not? We all need a good scare sometimes not just from watching movies that make the hair on the back of our neck stand on end but with a blood-curdling horror novel.
A book paints the complete picture. One may not get this through a movie all the time.
I love writing horror because just thinking up a scary scene for a book that I am working on gives me goosebumps. That’s a good sign because if I get goosebumps, then my readers will too.
In my book The Villa, I talk about the woman in white who appears in the night. She walks on her property and God help anyone who comes across her. Her angry piercing eyes, her jet black hair, her snow-white skin, her long white hundred-year-old lace gown, and her wailing. Oh! It’s absolutely sinister! This is what makes a horror novel stand out It’s that spine-chilling aspect.
This apparition Eleanor Mortimer is based upon a very old legend. Growing up in Sri Lanka for the first fifteen years of my life, I had heard this legend of a beautiful white-clad woman who walks in the middle of the night carrying a child. My friends used to scare me with it. She is called ‘Mohini.’ I guess you can say that she is the Sri Lankan counterpart of the American Bloody Mary. She appears to hapless young men who walk on lonely roads or by cemeteries in the dead of the night. Sounds interesting? Actually even thinking about it gave me the goosebumps. What happens to these hapless men is quite sad.
As the legend goes, when the young man encounters Mohini, of course, stricken by her beauty he would stop perhaps to talk to her or just to get a peek. She would come close to him and beg him to carry her child for a moment. If the victim complies, too bad for him. He would either be frightened to death at that exact instant or go mad for the rest of his life. Wow! All of that just to get a glimpse of the woman.
The Villa has a little bit of Mohini in it. I guess I could say that Eleanor Mortimer is a version of her. But in the story, she’s not after any man. Instead she’ trying to get Susan Smith to leave her century-old domain. The Villa in the mountains belongs to Eleanor and God help anyone who gets in her way.
Image: “Dance with Ghosts” by Daniel Kulinski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Hello!
Hello! Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope that you enjoyed reading a bit about my book The Villa. I am a horror and suspense writer, but as you can see on my website I have written to other audiences too. I love a little bit of suspense in every story because it keeps you, the reader engaged. I love watching horror and suspense movies also because I guess you can say my wheels turn as a writer and I get fresh new ideas and images to build upon.
I am currently writing a suspense thriller. It is a long twisted story about a couple who were in love and get married. But then what seems to be a picture-perfect relationship gets corrupted because namely, the husband decides he wants another woman in his life. This leads to a not so happy ending for the poor wife. There is a supernatural component to the story as well- that added kick that keeps the main character, Adam White, on his toes. I am planning to publish this novel in the near future.
Welcome to my blog!
Welcome. My name is M. Warnasuriya, author of The Villa. I’m so happy to have you as a visitor to my blog about my book. This project is very special to me, and I hope to share some of that excitement with you here.
I’ll be using this blog to interact with you about The Villa, expanding on some of the topics in it and blogging on some of the ideas related to my book. This is a great place for you to get to know me, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you, too. What did you think of The Villa? What questions do you have for me? How do you relate to my book?
I’ll be returning here frequently with new posts and responses to feedback from you. Until next time, tell me a little bit about yourself.