Isaac Jacobs is the protagonist of the story. He's 20 years old when we first meet him, a first year student at Monks-Lantern University studying Religious Studies and Ancient History. He likes pepperoni pizza and his favourite colour is purple. Oh and he's gay - not that it matters really but it's worth mentioning. He's known about the supernatural truth of the world for about five years now. It all started as a bit of boyish adventure, a bit of fun, a jaunt, a jolly. But on one terrible night five years ago it all changed. It stopped being an adventure and it started being awful reality. The events of that night have forever scarred Isaac and they have shaped him into the person he is in the books. Isaac carries things with him with a real intensity - some people can just shrug and let things go but he finds that difficult. He acts quite subdued and calm a lot of the time but there's a real intensity that burns within him; intense love for his friends, intense guilt over his past; intense anger at himself and an intense desire to not let history repeat itself. He both hates and loves the supernatural at the same time - he finds it fascinating and he loves to help people yet at the same time it has taken so much from him and he has a real desire to lead a "normal" life with his friends - which obviously the supernatural elements of life are preventing .
Gabriella "Gabbi" Gurtpasha is the first member of our group of heroes that Isaac meets when he first comes to Monks-Lantern. Her family come from Pakistan, her mum died when she was a baby and her dad moved to England with her to start a new life. She's 20 when we meet her and she's always known about the supernatural as her Dad runs a spiritual group - she used to sit and listen to them talking about angels and spirits when she was younger. Gabbi is so very loving and kind, she's everything that a friend should be. You know sometimes you just meet someone and they're just brilliant - they make you smile, they make you feel better when you're down and you can't imagine them ever doing anything wrong. Gabbi is that sort of person. She's probably Isaac's best friend out of the group although he wouldn't like to say that for fear of the word "best" meaning that the others were somehow inferior. Gabbi really believes in what she and the others are doing, she really believes that they're doing good and she feels good about that.
Billie was brought up in a haunted cottage where she helped the ghosts there move on to the afterlife. The problem was that her parents didn't believe her for one second and they persistently put her down about her beliefs. She doesn't speak to her parents very much now because of that. Her upbringing has left her with a tremendous heart though - she cares about people, cares about their feelings - whether they're alive or dead. She's a bit silly, a bit giggley and she may appear a little timid and afraid at times but don't be fooled! Beneath that exterior is a fiercely brave woman who in the most dangerous of situations will happily put herself in harms way to protect those she cares about. Isaac says she's small but mighty - and that is a very apt description indeed.
Laura had a fairly supernatural free upbringing. It was only in her teenage years that her and her friends at the time became interested in things like witchcraft - and unfortunately their dabbling led to one of her friends becoming possessed. That was Laura's first proper supernatural experience but it was enough to teach her that these things are real and serious and enough to spur her on to want to help Isaac when she meets him at university. She's the quietest member of the group, but she's very inquisitive - always ready to ask the questions that really matter. She's not quiet through lack of care or lack of interest, she's that type of person that might not say all that much or get that animated about things but you know, you just know that they are there for you. If you have a problem or if you really just need some silent support, they're there.
Ben is the only other man in the group, and the only straight man. As such you might feel that he'd be a bit isolated but that's far from the truth. He gets on brilliantly with the girls and he forges a really strong bond with Isaac which is different to the other relationships in the group. He is the newest to the supernatural out of the group - he had his first experience with a poltergeist just before university started. Therefore he's a bit more cynical than the others sometimes, but he believes nonetheless. He joined Isaac and the others because underneath all the macho bravado he really just wanted some friends - and he saw friends in Isaac, Gabbi, Billie and Laura. He's great for banter and he's also great for heartfelt support - even though it makes him cringe a bit when he gives it.
The Chronicles of Darkness: The Box of Infernos
The Chronicles of Darkness Book One
Matthew Head
Genre: Supernatural Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-78299-263-9
Number of pages: 204
Word Count: 85,000
Cover Artist: Matthew Head
Teaser trailer: http://youtu.be/STsB96OFZfw
Book Description:
In the south of England, in the city of Monks-Lantern, events are starting to unfold which have the potential to threaten all of creation. Isaac Jacobs is a young university student with a haunted past who has long been fighting the supernatural monsters of this world and now he fights them alongside his four friends; Gabbi Gurtpasha, Billie Stamford, Laura Henley and Ben Pokeley.
What starts off as a disturbing but relatively low key investigation soon explodes into something much larger, darker and more fearsome than any of them could have imagined. Just what is behind the slow but steady disappearance of people from the city? Who is the much feared Imperator? What is the worst thing you can hope to see beneath a door in an empty building? How do you define a good man from a bad one? And what terror lies within the Box of Infernos?
A plan which has been in motion for millenia is now coming to fruition and Isaac had better be ready as his life will never be the same again from now on.
Something is coming.
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About the Author:
My name is Matthew Head and I'm a writer from Surrey. Well, I say from Surrey - I was born in Kent, moved to London for a bit and then moved out to Surrey to live with my partner Andrew. I was born in the eighties, raised in the nineties and then I was inspired in the noughties during my time at university where I studied Theology.
Theology is quite possibly the most fascinating subject in the world. Sounds boring I know, sounds like church and everyone knows that church is boring. But it's not like that at all. It's packed full of myths and monsters, gods and goddesses - mad, bad, sad ones alive in stories which rival many blockbuster movies in terms of how epic they are. It doesn't matter whether it's all real or not - it's the story that counts. Stories are beautiful because absolutely anything is possible within them. That's why I love writing because I love the idea of contributing to that and creating stories. Stories that will make you cry, make you laugh, make you scared. Because I think there is some magic in writing - that simple words have the power to make us feel and react so strongly to them.
When I'm not writing or doing my day job then I really enjoy going out and exploring new places. I love going somewhere I've never been before, especially if there's some history linked to the place. Old places are the best - the older the better. You just get this sense that so much has happened there, so many different people have come and gone and yet the place remains.
A few more random facts about me - my favourite pet is the humble goldfish, my favourite dinner is macaroni cheese, I love banana flavoured things but I strongly dislike bananas and the only real phobia I have is a phobia of frogs. Yeuch.
Web: www.chroniclesofdarkness.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheChroniclesOfDarkness
Twitter: @Chronofdarkness
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Chronofdarkness
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6536000.Matthew_Head
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Thanks for the awesome giveaway. I would love to read this book. It sounds very good. Tore923@aol.com
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