The Novel

The Rough Close Murder happened on 27 February 1886. One brother, John Daniel, shot dead his other brother William in a heated rage. They lived at Dale House Farm, Rough Close, Stoke-on-Trent. This is a true story.
I was told this story by someone who actually lived in the same house, and had experienced ghostly movements of furniture etc. I decided to write this book with another, fictitious, family moving in, some time later.
While doing some electrical work on the house, the husband, Dave, receives an awful electric shock and, following that, his personality starts to change. He becomes aggressive, starts drinking heavily, speaking in an old Potteries dialect, and finally doesn't acknowledge his wife. Sue, his wife thinks this might be some sort of mental health problem, but checking with Dave's work, she finds that he is his normal joke-telling soul at work, and not affected by drink. Very strange - so not a mental health problem.
Sue then starts looking into paranormal experts and alights on Julie Angel, a physic medium.
Julie visits the house and, after cleansing the house and meeting Dave. she realises that Dave has been taken over by the spirit of William Daniel, and agrees to perform, what turns out to be an edge-of-the seat exorcism.
I have intermingled the chapters with true extracts from newspapers of 1886 about the murder and the trial.
Julie Angel actually exists - she is a psychic medium of international renown, and has helped me to develop the exorcism, as she would perform one.  I contacted her, when I was writing the book, realising the storyline was leading to an exorcism, and I needed my exorcism chapter corroborated, or changed in accordance with a non-religious exorcism. Julie read the chapter and actually said, "Have you been following me around for the last 22 years, as what you have written is spot on?" Julie was so helpful, providing me with everything she says and does in an exorcism and psychic house cleansing, so I actually decided to make her the psychic medium in the book. We have been firm friends since with Julie helping to promote the book on her website and stage shows:

https://www.julieangelinternationalpsychicmedium.com/