Catherine Cavendish: The Stones of Landane Are Here

After months of waiting, it's finally here. The Stones of Landane is now out in the world!

My official launch takes place on TUESDAY, JANUARY 21st at 6.30p.m. to be precise, and the lovely people at Waterstones, Liverpool One, are making it all happen.

In the chair, asking questions and keeping me from wandering off down all sorts of meandering roads, will be my friend and fellow author, JAMES LEFEBURE. What is he going to ask me? You would have to ask him that, or better still, come along and see for yourself but here's a little sneak preview into what I intend to wangle into our conversation (by fair means or not so fair):

* The long and winding road that led to The Stones of Landane

* 'It was the mice what done for it' (thereby hangs a tale. Or tail?)

* Of ley lines, stone circles and Aubrey Burl

* The magic and mystery of Avebury

Obviously, there will be more. Some of it may even be true. One thing is certain, if you can make it to Waterstones for the book launch, you will be eligible to win a bundle of beautiful prizes provided by Flame Tree Press in conjunction with a shop I always visit (and never come out of empty-handed) whenever I visit Avebury, namely - The Henge Shop

As I write this, the silver moonstone pendant (which is utterly gorgeous, by the way) is sold out on their website so this is your only chance to get your hands on one and, believe me, you'll want to. It's beautiful.

You'll also see a bag of mixed stone runes which the Henge Shop describes as: Made using mixed tumble stones. These can vary from a mixture of Tiger Eye, Obsidian, Blue Agate, Amethyst, Rose Quartz and more....

This set consists of 25 crystal runes in a beautifully made satin-lined velvet bag. The runic symbols are engraved into the crystal and there is one left blank. The engraving is then inlaid with gold paint.

From Flame Tree Publishing comes the Tree of Life Notebook. Every writer needs to carry one of these around because you truly never know when an idea is going to strike you and unless you write it down then and there, trust me, you won't remember it.

Ideas frequently come thick and fast when you're reading, and the Folk Horror Short Stories Collection from Flame Tree Press will keep you chilled, thrilled, inspired and entertained with tales from: Linda D. Addison, V. Castro, John Connolly, Neil Gaiman, Helen Grant, Kathryn Healy, H.R. Laurence, Alison Littlewood, Lee Murray, Adam L.G. Nevill, Cavan Scott, Christina Sng, Benjamin Spada, Stephen Volk, Jen Williams, Katie Young and B. Zelkovich.

I hope you can make it to the inspiring city of Liverpool and my book launch on the 21st. Meanwhile, here's a little taster from the beginning of The Stones of Landane:

Nadia

The (Almost) Present

'It seemed I had always known them, those magnificent sarsens towering above my head. I nearly convinced myself that I had been created by them. That somehow, incredible and impossible as it might seem, they had given birth to me. How stupidly fanciful is that? Yet now, as I drive closer, I feel that old rush of excitement flowing through my veins as it has since…well, forever.

It’s a feeling, a real sense of coming home. And I know that sounds crazy. Here we are in the south of England, yet I have lived all my life in the north, two hundred and fifty miles away. But much as I love the Pennines and their rugged beauty, I never felt I truly belonged there. Recently, I have come to realize that, only when I am in Landane, surrounded by those ancient stones, do I feel grounded, at home, where I belong. Even if it isn’t always easy.

Safe? Is that the right word? Maybe not safe exactly but…protected, shielded from something I don’t understand. Something I have never understood. It exists on the edge of my sight. I can’t quite see it, but it’s there. Like a fleeting shadow. When it happens, it’s for a split second only. So fleeting that I am left unsure of whether it even happened. And it can occur at any time, without warning. Like that day at work…. I don’t have a fancy job. I work as a sales assistant in a branch of a chain of high street pharmacies. One day, I was advising a customer on which type of moisturizer might suit her best when, out of the corner of my eye, it…whatever it was…flashed by. I let out a little cry. I didn’t mean to. It just happened and it scared the wits out of the poor woman. Next thing, she summoned the manager. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Nadia,” he said, so I suppose I must have. And he wasn’t far off the truth anyway...

We have just whizzed past a road sign. Landane’s only five miles away. Beside me, my partner, Jonathan, has fallen asleep…

Four miles now. My nerve endings are tingling. It’s as if the stones are calling to me. They always have. It’s been two years but I always knew I would return. They knew too. I only wish it wasn’t under such sad circumstances but…well, I’m here now and this time feels different, as if something important is going to happen. No, important isn’t a strong enough word. Life-changing. Monumental….

Jonathan stirs. He opens his eyes, yawns and stretches. “This looks familiar,” he says. I wish he could sound more enthusiastic. Both sides of the road are bordered by fertile hedges, resplendent in their bright green spring foliage. It’s late April and the sun is shining.

It’s late April and I’m coming home.'