DeMorte Legend of The Lanes

This is an adult horror novel, not suitable for children. It follows Dr. Reuben Sawyer, who purchases a historic manor haunted by the sadistic 17th-century spirit of Arthur DeMorte. As Reuben attempts to restore the house, he inadvertently unleashes a host of restless spirits. A televised ghost hunt and a psychic medium's efforts to cleanse the house escalate the supernatural activity, culminating in a perilous journey back to 1643 to confront DeMorte and rescue a trapped friend. The story contains prominent themes of violence, substance abuse, and intense supernatural horror.

The overall concept of this, my first adult horror/ghost story, is what happens when past events begin to affect the present day. Gloucester doctor, Reuben Sawyer wins his dream house at an auction - but unfortunately for him, it later transpires that what he has taken on, is, in reality, closer to a deal with the devil. In the throes of the Siege of Gloucester, back in 1643, the manor house had been owned by a sadistic man named Arthur DeMorte - little more than a thief and a murderer. Fast forward to the present day, and Reuben sets to work restoring the old place with the help of his friend, Mike, who, luckily for him, is a builder. The renovation inadvertently disturbs a slew of restless spirits, most of them desperate to move on, but not the spirit of Arthur DeMorte, for he still considers himself to be master of the house. Reuben resorts to calling, Aurora Skye, a psychic medium and friend of his, who tries her best to rid the manor of its restless spirits. Despite Aurora's fears, Reuben firstly hosts a housewarming party which comes close to disaster and then he agrees to let the manor be taken over by a film crew over the Halloween weekend for a live ghost hunt. He does this purely to help pay for the extensive renovations needed. The ghost hunt is to feature a former high-profile celebrity, named, Roman Tandy, a hedonistic loose cannon with no respect for Aurora's advice on spirit protection. The network involved, hopes that the prime time televisual event will help to raise the fading star's profile. Unfortunately, Roman is often high and therefore, easy to manipulate, something Arthur DeMorte is well aware of. It turns out to be an unforgettable weekend, particularly for the falling star. Later, Aurora undergoes a regression in the hopes of trying to reunite the spirits of two young lovers, lost in time before, hopefully, casting DeMorte's demented spirit into the light. If only it was that easy. Aurora undergoes a regression but then becomes trapped in 1643 leaving Reuben having to face his own fears about regression, to also be sent back to 1643 in a desperate attempt at finding Aurora and bringing her back home, before Arthur DeMorte has the chance to suck the life essence out of them both.