Stephanie Marland on The Creepy Fascination of Abandoned Places

For me there’s something pulse-poundingly creepy and yet utterly fascinating about abandoned places, and that makes them the perfect setting for a crime novel. 

I’ve had a love of abandoned places ever since I was a child. Back when I was young, my Nanna took me to visit the long forgotten Italian gardens in the grounds of Halton House, Buckinghamshire. The stately mansion had originally been owned by the Rothschild family (complete with private zoo, tropical gardens and the Italian-inspired gardens) but after being given to the Ministry of Defence in the war and turned into an RAF base; the outer gardens had been long forgotten. To my child eyes the secret gardens were like entering another world.

Nature had reclaimed the once manicured lawns, trees had grown through the iron rose pagodas, toppling many to the ground, and the once trained roses had spread, winding their way across bushes and trees, untamed and free. 

I stepped through the wrought iron gates (luckily open a few feet) and stopped. The white and pink marble mosaic path was almost entirely covered with brambles. At the far end stood the summerhouse, a beautiful stone building with a domed roof. Slowly we made our way along the overgrown path towards it. I was in awe. Creepers had wound their way inside, curling up the walls, through the cracks in the plasterwork, and across the fresco painted ceiling. It was like no other place I’d seen.

I didn’t get the idea of uses abandoned places as a setting until many years later. That happened when I was taking a cruise down the Thames and spotted an abandoned film studio across the water. The fenced off grounds, and the boarded up windows got my mind whirring. What would it be like to go inside the old studios? What would you find there?

In that moment, from those questions, I got the idea for the opening of You Die Next – a group of urban explorers breaking into an abandoned film studio and stumbling into a murderer’s kill room. I pulled out my phone and frantically tapped some notes. 

As research for the book I’ve watched videos posted online by explorers far more daring than I. I’ve seen them riding Ferris Wheels at long abandoned theme parks, exploring derelict old mansions, and climbing through the half-built levels of urban high-rise construction. 

But when I think of abandoned places something always draws me back to the beauty of the abandoned garden at Halton House. Over the thirty or so years since I first went there with my Nanna I’ve been back many times. I’ve seen the awe-inspiring power of nature as she’s continued to reclaim the place as her own. I’ve noticed how one-by-one all the rose pagodas fell, how the mosaic path began to crumble, and how after one particularly ferocious storm a tree branch fell onto the summerhouse and the domed roof caved in. 

I wanted to go back when I was researching You Die Next, and I tried to, but was unsuccessful. In recent years the security on the RAF base has been raised higher and the opportunities to get access are near on impossible. Perhaps if I had the tenacity of the group of urbexers in You Die Next I would have succeeded. As it is, the sign ‘Attack dogs on patrol’ put me off! 

You Die Next by Stephanie Marland (Published by Orion Publishing)

When a group of urban explorers stumble across a murderer's kill room in a derelict film studio, terror strikes. And when one of the group is found dead, the team realise - they're being hunted.  DI Dominic Bell is investigating the murder, but as the body count rises, time is running out. The only person who can help him is a figure from his past, Clementine Starke - but Clementine is haunted by her own demons. Can the two of them pair up to catch the killer? Or is it already too late?

The trailer for You Die Next can be seen below.

Deep Down Dead - A review

Steph Broadribb’s debut novel Deep Down Dead features a well-drawn feisty bounty hunter who is determined, fragile and bloody good at her job.

Bounty hunter Lori Anderson is juggling her job alongside looking after her daughter who is seriously ill.  Struggling to make ends meet she takes on a job that for all intents and purposes should have been a straightforward and simple task. I mean what could go wrong? All she has to do is pick up a fugitive and return him. The only tiny problem is that the fugitive is her former mentor whom she really does not want to have anything more to do with. But as can be expected there is more to the job than meets the eye and soon she finds herself fighting more than just a simple pick-up. It is dangerous and out of control. Will she survive?.

 

Deep Down Dead is a wonderfully exciting novel that had me tearing through the pages at speed.  On the one hand I wanted to read it as quickly as possible but on the other hand I really did not want it to end. It is not often that this happens.  Steph Broadribb deals with the topical issues of child exploitation and sexual abuse with an intensity and maturity that leaves you gasping and with your heart in your mouth. Alongside the excellent characterisation and a sense of place you have in Deep Down Dead a series that is bound to get better and better.. 

This is no smooth ride. Deep Down Dead gives the reader one hell of an adrenaline rush.  More please.

Deep Down Dead is published by Orenda Books and is available now!

Orenda Books signs Crime Thriller Girl’s Debut Thriller

Karen Sullivan, publisher of Orenda Books, is delighted to announce the acquisition of World rights for Steph Broadribb’s Deep Down Dead, a stunning action thriller set in the USA.

Karen says, ‘I’ve worked with Steph professionally through her high-profile blog, and was delighted when she sent me her debut novel for assessment. It took me no more than about twenty seconds to decide that this was absolutely perfect for the Orenda list. Not only is it a well-written, tense, action-packed thriller, but the characterisation is sublime and there is an extraordinary, highly charged love story at its heart. Set in the USA, the unforgettable

key protagonist (and single mother) is a ‘bail runner’ (aka bounty hunter) and in a plot that twists, turns and then does it all over again, she faces a series of events that threaten her life, and that of her daughter. I was completely mesmerised by the eloquent prose, the emotional depths of the characters, the authenticity of the setting and the dialogue, and, of course, an extraordinary, riveting plot. In a nutshell, this has “bestseller” written all over it, and I could not be happier to welcome Steph to the team.’ 

Steph says, ‘I'm thrilled to be publishing my debut novel with Orenda Books and to be working with people as dynamic, inspiring and devoted to books and publishing as Karen and her team. It really is a dream come true.’

Deep Down Dead will be published by Orenda Books in early 2017. For further details, contact Karen@orendabooks.co.uk.