The Clock Maker Book Tour

Cover Blurb

The Clockmaker waits for you…

A gripping supernatural novel set in post-blitz Scotland, the first of an upcoming series.

“No man in this world may boast of his might, he is awake in the morning and dead at night.”

Widowed in World War 2, Annette and her young son face a completely different life as they exchange the devastation of post-blitz London for the slow pace of a small village. The house they have inherited is old, its bones still settling, creaking noises in the dead of night and the murmur of scritch-scritch in the walls. Located outside the village of Lochnagar, it’s been empty for many years.

The unfolding of how the Clockmaker made his plans, his meticulous preparations and macabre creations, all builds up to a series of gruesome, horrific murders. These have just one end in view: his release from that which has held him captive for centuries.

A chilling supernatural novel with characters you’ll come to care for, The Clockmaker will interest anyone who fears the dark – and what might lie in the shadows…

Other Titles By the Author

Drew Neary & Ceri Williams

Author Bio

Neary-Williams is the co-writing team of Andrew Neary and Ceri Williams, based in the Midlands of the UK. This is the first time we are co-writing and we are really excited about how dynamic our partnership is. It was evident from our initial meetings and the snowballing of ideas which evolved into the journey, that we absolutely had to write this novel, and which subsequently forms the basis for the books that will follow. Our third member is Priscilla Rosriguez, based in the Netherlands. She is the illustrator of our covers.

Ceri was born in Chester and has lived in several countries before settling in the East Midlands. Graduating from the University of Witwatersrand with a degree in Dramatic Arts and English, she then worked in advertising as a copywriter before moving to the UK and becoming a teacher. She has always loved language and has always wrote in some form or another.

Drew grew up in the North East of England, where as a teenager he nurtured a deep fascination with science fiction, fantasy, mythology and rock music. Since graduating from the University of Leicester he developed a passion for writing. He has turned his hand to many a profession - from driving tractors to teaching science in higher education, but the wish to write has always remained.

The Book Tour

Day 1 - Favourite Quotes

Night crept slowly upon Lochnagar that evening. With great stealth it smothered the skin, eager to begin its short reign over the small village. (Eileen Tilley)

And so it was for the man with the stolen teeth, and the lady with her lost youth and grief, that their might passed under a strange and unknown roof. (Rachel Stoddart)

The Blitz intensified. Night after night, and the incendiary bombs set the factories alight, surrounding the Isle of Dogs with a ring of fire – you could feel the heat. (Michelle Marshall)

“Love is too small a word. To this particular mother it was a chain of steel, forged in the hearth of birth pain, tempered in the fires of the loss of a father, a companion, a soul mate, a one true love.” (Sophie Jupillat Posey)

What would they find within? Thin dust and sadness? (Tim Marshall)

“I am not sure what you are saying, but I do not believe in ghosts or things that haunt old houses.” He merely smiled and said that there were more things within the universe than they could comprehend. (Yvonne Marrs)

Night crept slowly upon Lochnagar that evening. With great stealth it smothered the skin, eager to begin its short reign over the small village. (Niall McKay)

Day 2 - Character Summaries

Annette: She is full of strength and protective instincts for her child, following the death of his father. She made me touch base on the role of being a mother and proved to be a quiet and unassuming lady, who rose to the challenges it can present. She began the story with timidity but as the novel progressed, her strength shone through. (Eileen Tilley)

Annette: I felt most drawn to the character of Annette. She is so driven by the love for her son, even though her grief is overwhelming. She is kind to everyone else in her life, taking the time for them all, despite needing to set up a new home for herself and Duncan. She is beautifully written with incredible empathy and I admired her display of hope and resilience in the face of such terrible tragedy.

(Rachel Stoddart)

Annette: Although this book has a very memorable villain, it was Annette who won my heart. I found her to be very brave, uprooting herself and her children from London to start a new life in Scotland. Despite her grief, she endures through her heartbreak to do the best for her family and never gives up, despite the trials she experiences. Her character represents so many women who have had to find the strength and resilience to support themselves and their families following the losses of war. Although she has emotional scars, Annette’s spirit isn’t broken. (Michelle Marshall)

Annette: My favourite character was Annette. She is one of the many POVs we follow in this book. She is certainly not the main character but she is an interesting character to follow regardless. She gives off fragile vibes throughout most of the narrative; she is often overwhelmed and sad, forced to raise Duncan alone due to the War. However, she shows a quiet tenacity of spirit as she shoulders all the new responsibilities of moving to the countryside with her son. Her memories about her former husband and their previous life were some of the most poignant scenes in the book. She doesn’t know how to protect herself very well, as shown with the Major, but she will do anything to protect Duncan. The last quarter of the novel really shows her in action: the more things spiral out of control the more unsettled she gets until she is faced with a life and death situation. And all her motherly instincts kick into high gear. We see a side of her that we knew was hidden in there but had never had a chance to come out. She shows herself to be a survivor, despite the horrific things she has endured and is enduring in the novel. With the twist at the end, I wonder how her character will develop to face this new problem… (Sophie Jupillat Posey)

Mystery Man: I found the mysterious man to be the most intriguing character. He’s presented in an almost fragmented manner, revealed bit by bit. I think that a strong sinister presence is key to this kind of story, and he certainly fits the bill. (Tim Marshall)

Annette: Annette, Duncan’s mother and a World War II widow, is our main character and the most important. Her struggles are portrayed vividly as she attempts to move on with their lives after being forced from their bombed out London home, with Duncan as her main focus. As all mothers have, her instincts are heightened to protect her son at all costs. She is stronger than she is given credit for, and by the end has developed the most. The readers of this book will find the most empathy for her, and wish for them to have a happy ending, more for Annette than her son. (Yvonne Marrs)

My favourite character is the Clockmaker. The character is a tortured soul indeed. He has great depth and the reader really gets an appreciation of this. There is a protect element to his persona but then a conflict that keeps him to the task at hand. Overall a really well crafted antagonist. (Niall McKay)

Day 3 - Favourite Excerpts

Gazing down at the face beneath him, the halo of hair spread about the grass greys, turning white as old age claims it in mere seconds, rosy plump cheeks wither and shrink into hard angles of cheekbones. Ancient eyes of arctic blue glare up at him and peel back the layers of his soul. "Wake up, George!" the thrush screams at him. "Retribution comes for you.?
'The long shadow of a man in a brimmed hat flows out of the tall grass and the sun is stolen from him. (Niall McKay)

He stood once more with the silent stone circle and breathed. The air, clear and cool, carried the fragrance of earth, grass and livestock. Yet this was the place, the place he needed and perhaps it needed him a little too. (Eileen Tilley)

Night crept slowly upon Lochnagen that evening. With great stealth it smothered the sun, eager to begin its short reign over the small village. You could smell its purpose. Tendrils of thin fog quested their way down from the hills and began to probe their way down through the village streets. (Rachel Stoddart)

In his recent homeland, with its beauty and colour, there were the framed houses; churches whose spires over towered long valleys where the salmon leapt. But here, apart from the endless stations, there were no lights from farms or towns. He was used to summits. The loftiness of the Alps, crags towering above valleys where water flowed, and the scent of summer lingered. These hills and ranges edging the landscape possessed a mysticism he found alluring. Peering at him through this carriage window, where the pasts of other travelers lingered in the tartan fabric of the seats. (Michelle Marshall)

A raging volcano of pure hatred burst from within her that she had never known she was capable of. A mother wronged, a child taken with the intent to do harm from a man who made monsters. (Sophie Jupillat Posey)

Berlin would always surface. No matter where he had been since. Sleeping, waking, walking foreign streets. Berlin would rise above his other horrors that stretched away like failed crusades. Centuries littered with lives. (Tim Marshall)

“Bloody hell Gas Bottle. What kept you? Now get stuck in there and find that rat for me, will you!” Ushering the cat towards the filing cabinet proved easy as the clickings and scurryings caught its attention. Scratching at the edge it began a low-pitched yowling that ricocheted off the walls. (Yvonne Marrs)

Day 4 - Video Interview

Day 5 - Reviews

Overall Star Rating: 4.5 stars. I looked forward to reading this book each evening. At times I did find the story complicated, but I eventually got into the rhythm and was rewarded for persevering. It did take me a while to read, a slow builder rather than a page turner, but the rewards were worth it. (Eileen Tilley)

Overall Star Rating: 4.5 stars. Such a well written book with a brilliant premise! It starts off with little quaint details that often reminded me of my own family, when they'd talk about similar experiences, such as trips or journeys they'd taken. Despite the dark elements, I still felt an overall tone of optimism and the vivid characters made it really come alive. I loved the sense of community displayed and how people worked together to overcome the malevolent interloper in their midst. (Rachel Stoddart)

Overall Star Rating: 4.5 stars. This atmospheric and evocative book really gets under the skin. The slow build and tension created, make for an engaging and at times chilling story. The descriptions were particularly well done, I could picture the setting very clearly and both the writers have a natural command of the language. I found myself interested in which author wrote which part and found their writing styles seemed to blend seamlessly. I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants to cosy up and escape on a cold Autumn or Winter evening. Though probably not one for fans of graphic horror, it definitely has its thrills and chills along the way. (Michelle Marshall)

Overall Star Rating: 4.5 stars. The book has a very strong premise: a young family comes to live in Lochnagar after the destruction of London in the war. We follow Annette, a grieving mother, and her young son Duncan. They settle into this new village and start making a life for themselves. Life seems to go on quietly, but evil stirs in the town; an evil we are introduced to as early as the first chapter, in the form of the Clockmaker, a man out of time, with interesting powers. His motives are clear from the get-go, and he works tirelessly through the book to make things happen. The scenes with his creations and what they can do are some of the most visceral in the novel. All the characters have diverse backstories and some are more fleshed out than others. I would have liked to see more chapters from the Clockmaker, and the village people he targets; to truly feel the emotions when certain events happen. Duncan is a sweet boy, but I never quite connected with him; seeing him filtered through the lens of everyone else. However, Annette and even Major Evelyn are some strong, well-detailed characters. The dialogue is for the most part striking, and we know who is talking. The scenes are well-written and the style is almost poetic. It is an atmospheric read. Sometimes though, the transitions between scenes are abrupt, or the timeline jumps in the middle of ponderings or certain events. The book sets the stakes early on, but the pacing seems to pick up and then drop off a bit irregularly throughout. The ending especially felt too rushed considering the slow buildup. However, this was an enjoyable read, and I am looking forward to reading the sequel and seeing what happens next. (Sophie Jupillat Posey)

Overall Star Rating: 4.5 stars. The Clockmaker is of the sort of suspense and dread that takes time and careful reading to piece together as a mystery. The horror for me here is more ethereal than visceral, though the glimpses through the veil are unsettlingly intriguing. (Tim Marshall)

Overall Star Rating: 4.5 stars. This supernatural horror set in post-blitz Scotland sees Annette and young son Duncan move from London to an old inherited house in a small Scottish village. En route to their new lives, they by chance meet the Clockmaker, where he decides Duncan fulfils the perfect final role for his plans. The unfolding of the Clockmaker’s preparations and creations build up to a series of horrific murders. A chilling supernatural novel with characters you’ll come to care for This is absolutely not a book genre that I would choose to read, however the characters have been well written and the setting well researched. The original and imaginative plot here holds the readers’ attention throughout, with a satisfactory pace and credible dialogue (even including the Scottish brogue!) (Yvonne Marrs)

Overall Star Rating: 4.5 stars. The Clockmaker sees a recently widowed wife and her son relocate far to the north, escaping the terror of the 2^nd World War. However, the arrival of a stranger, a seemingly innocent old man, sees their lives once more thrown into turmoil. The story starts with a slow burn and the author capturing the grief of Annette, the mother, and the innocence of her son as they arrive near the Cairngorms in Northeast Scotland to take over a hotel and start their lives anew. The Clockmaker arrives not long after and has a plan that has been presented to him by demonic forces. The story builds around several key characters and secondary characters. Each is well crafted, and the reader will either like or loathe. The scenes build and really draw the reader in to what is a great climax. The author’s sense of time and place are exceptional and this pulls the reader even further into the story. The story is not an ”all guns blazing” affair but this works to really build the suspense. Fans of steampunk and suspenseful horror will love this (Niall McKay)

Book Tour Reviewers

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