Dark pub talk inspired Gary's novel
A Shropshire author has drawn inspiration from the dark conversations of pub staff and customers about life and death and black magic for his debut novel, called Peace For The Wicked.
Gary Corbyn-Smith, 60, of Shrewsbury took to writing and painting full time after being forced into early retirement through ill health.
"I have written several novels purely for my own pleasure but upon being given my cancer diagnosis I decided to try for publication. I liked the idea of leaving some kind of legacy for my family," said Gary.
"Now that Peace For The Wicked has been published I am in the process of submitting two further novels, The Freedmen Archipelago and Nine-tenths of the Law.
"Until ill health forced me into early retirement I owned a small leisure company of pubs, restaurants and clubs.
"Originally from East London, I moved to Norfolk in my late 20s where I owned a small farm and meat processing company before being wiped out by the 1987 hurricanes that left me almost penniless.
"I then rented my first pub and expanded from there before selling up and moving to Shrewsbury three years ago. I have been writing for 10 years purely as a hobby.
"Peace For The Wicked is set in Edwardian rural Norfolk. At the time I ran a large country pub and it was while listening to a group of my staff and customers discussing life after death, black magic and similar matters that I decided to use the characters as a basis for my book, the staff of a pub being instead the staff of the manor house which the pub once was back in Edwardian times.
"Set in post-Victorian rural England, this is the tale of the wealthy but bored Lady Balmforth, who, with the encouragement of her three companions, turns to the mysteries of the dark arts as a possible distraction to her privileged but unfulfilling life.
"To her surprise, she discovers a terrifying link with her husband’s family, which unleashes a chain of events that threatens to engulf the tiny community she calls home.
"As well as fans of horror and crime, this would appeal to those interested in the growth of female emancipation and what Edwardian women faced in an effort to make themselves heard in society."
Published by Austin Macauley, Peace For The Wicked is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in other bookstores.
