A warm welcome to author Taylin Clavelli joining us today here are Love Bytes 🙂

Title: Secret of the Manor
Author: Taylin Clavelli
Genre: Gay romance, mystery, paranormal, adventure
Length: Novel
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

Synopsis

Warren Blake is an accountant at the pinnacle of his career. After accepting a new position he decides to settle in the scenic Cotswold village of Walmsley Hackett.  A village with a colourful history of myth, old wives tales and mystery.

One morning during his train ride into work, Warren notices a small quaint church which he becomes enchanted with. Curiousity compels him to find the church and when he finally does, he discovers an unmarked grave in the corner. Feeling sorry for its occupant, Warren becomes a frequent visitor.

Little does he know that the young man inside the coffin needs a champion and Warren is chosen.

What follows involves a ghostly medieval joust, witchcraft, love, and Warren risking his life.

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SOM Article The Equestrian Side

I’ve written two novels now that have included horses. I can’t help it. I have been a horse rider since I was sixteen and am now forty-nine. So, essentially anything horsey you read in Secret Of The Manor, has come from experience and imagination.

Neither Nutmeg, from Dakota Skies, nor Argo from Secret Of The Manor, were based on one particular horse from my past. They were a combination of elements from here and there.

In my time, I have saddled up many a mighty beast, and a few spindly ones too. I have ridden pony sized horses to an actual shire – I was on a horse riding holiday on the Isle Of Wight. My main technical experience has been with cross-country, though I have dabbled in localised show jumping and dressage. In my earlier years, I used to have a weekend job at a stables too. All that came into play when deciding what do do with the equestrian angle of Secret Of The Manor.

Considering what Warren has to go through in the story, Argo had to be well built. In that respect, a carthorse would have fit the bill. However, I also wanted Argo to reflect a little of Warren and be the man’s dream mount. So, as Warren is a figment of my imagination I inflicted on him my own desires of a dream horse.

Every horse I’ve had the privilege to ride has had its own personality – its own quirks and ways of working. There are quite a few people out there who believe horse riding only involves sitting on a horses back and saying giddy up. Hell no. Every horse has a mind of its own. Therefore, to be a successful rider, you have to get to know your mount as well as have the skill to give it sound instructions. It’s a combination of weight distribution, voice, hand and leg commands. Most important of all is the trust between horse and rider that makes a combination special. In SOM I wanted to show the personality of Argo as well as his ability.

I remember riding this one mare. She was enormous and powerful. She’d been used to pulling guns for the royal cavalry. Walking was acceptable, trot was like riding a freight train, and as for canter – that took some getting used to, because, to begin with cornering was …interesting. As for going over jumps; she was so solidly built that, if she missed the fence would break, not her.

Another mare, used to hurtle at fences, but if her rider didn’t keep their leg on before takeoff, she’d happily scoot out the other side.

I have extremely fond memories of a gelding who played a trick on his riders. During the winter months he used to get a touch bored of being in the indoor school. He’d squeak as he trotted down the long side of the arena, then if his rider didn’t heed his warning by adjusting seat and reins he’d take action. Before reaching the corner of the other long side, he’d leap several feet sideways into the centre of the ring. With his rider dumped on the floor, he’d trot away rather proud of himself. Several of us would sit in the gallery and make bets on it.

As you’ve no doubt gathered by now – I can ramble on for hours about horses. So, I’ll save you precious moments of your life and move on.

I love all the characters within SOM, but my favorite has to be Carl – the stable owner. Anyone who goes to a reputable stable will usually find that the owner, male or female, is usually a person who prefers the company of horses to humans. This is where Carl comes from. If he likes a person, Carl would give them the shirt of his back, but put him in a social gathering, and he’ll try to find the nearest exit. He’s the kind of guy you know exactly where you stand with, because he doesn’t mince his words… with anyone. He’ll shovel shit where he thinks it is needed and protect those under his care.

As Carl had spent his life around Gloucester, and Cheltenham it was only right that he have the Gloucester accent. It was a no brainer for me. It was so much fun to write and while I was typing away, I could hear Carl talking. I tried to convey Carl’s personality, not only in accent, but by what he said, too. For example, a posh person might say, “I believe what you did was stupid,” whereas Carl would come out with, “Ye turnip.”

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Taylin Clavelli lives in the United Kingdom, about 15 miles south of Birmingham, and a short journey from the world famous Cadbury’s Chocolate factory. She’s married with children and loves her family with all her heart.

Her love of books has been a long standing affair, with Taylin liking nothing better than to lose herself in an imaginary world.

Until she met Lily Velden, she never considered trying her hand at writing. However, after talking ideas, Lily encouraged her to put pen to paper—or rather, fingers to keyboard. Since, with a few virtual kicks in the right place, she hasn’t stopped. Her confidence eventually led to her writing an original work for submission.

Her first published work was Boys, Toys, and Carpet Fitters, developed for the Dreamspinner Press Anthology – Don’t Try This At Home.

Now she absolutely adores immersing herself into the characters she creates, and transferring the pictures in her brain to paper, finding it liberating, therapeutic, and wonderful.

Outside of writing, her interests include; martial arts (she’s a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Taekwon-do), horse-riding, all of which facilitates her love of a wide variety of movies. Her action heroes include Jet Li and Tony Jaa—finding the dedication these men have for their art combined with their skill both amazing and a privilege to watch. If pressed, she’ll admit to thinking that the screen entrance of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean – Curse of the Black Pearl, and Shadowfax in LOTR, to be the greatest screen entrances ever. Her all-time favorite movies are Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.

The simple things in life that make her day, putting a smile on her face are:

Laughter – especially that of her children.

The smell of lasagna cooking – it makes her mouth salivate.

The dawn chorus – no symphony ever written can beat the waking greetings of the birds.

Social links:

Website: http://www.taylinclavelli.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005234535413
Twitter: https://twitter.com/taylinclavelli