Shooting Season: A DCI Harry Grimm Novel
Page 26
One thing people generally don’t realise as they wander across the dales is that beneath their feet a magical world lies hidden in darkness so thick, that even with your hand up and touching your nose, you won’t see it. Crackpot Cave is one I have done many, many times, both as a child, with my dad and friends, but also when I was an assistant instructor at Marrick Priory in Swaledale (remember that from Corpse Road?) It is a fairly easy cave to navigate, and to take groups of children and teenagers down it is to see them confront not only their fears of the unknown, but also their own perception and understanding of themselves and the world around them. It is something I think everyone should try at least once in their lives. And I sent Harry down there to have just such an experience. And it really is beautiful, the calcite formations glistening in torch light, and the crystal-clear water continuing, over thousands and thousands of years, to reshape that underground world.
As to the background theme to this book, I promise you that Shooting Season isn’t ghost-written! And I’m also sorry to tell you that the bookshop I describe doesn’t actually exist, other than in my imagination, though it is an amalgamation of various favourites that I have.
People write books for numerous reasons. Some because they feel they have a book in them, others because they take it up as a new hobby, and then there are those who, like me, really have no choice. I write as much because I want to and love it, as because I have no choice but to do it. I can’t not write. It is part of who I am, central to everything I have become over the years. I have written children’s books, teen fiction, and young adult thrillers. I’ve written horror, military, and teaching materials. And now I’m writing about Harry Grimm and his team, and the wonderful, heavenly place of Wensleydale and the surrounding rea. And you know what? I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy writing anything in my life. I am honestly so incredibly grateful that you have given up a little of your time to read it. And I truly hope that you will stay with me as I continue to explore with Harry his new life in the dales.
Dave
Enjoyed this book? Then Please Tell Others!
You may not know this, but reviews can make all the difference, not just to a book’s success, but the career of an author. I know that I’m only a minnow in a very huge sea, but just a few words on Amazon about why you enjoyed it, and who knows . . . !
You’ll be prompted to leave a review when you get to the end of this book in just a few pages time.
And, in advance, thank you! Your support and enthusiasm mean more than you will ever know, and I look forward to (hopefully!) entertaining you with many more books to come!
About David J. Gatward
David had his first book published when he was 18 and has written extensively for children and young adults. Shooting Season is his fourth crime novel.
For more information:
www.davidjgatward.com
dave@davidjgatward.com
Also by David J. Gatward
THE DCI HARRY GRIMM SERIES
Grimm Up North
Best Served Cold
Corpse Road
THE PADRE SERIES
Padre: Mission Creep
Padre: Raised From Death
Padre: Jaws of Hell
SHORT STORIES / NOVELLAS
Padre: Damascus Road