Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books Interview with Danny Weston - The Piper

Following the sounds of the eerie piper, I found myself under the unbreakable spell of Danny Weston. Wherever he leads, I follow. In the shadows of the ancient gravestones, I approached the lonesome figure. The following cheeky interview soon began . . . . . 

Are you a real person?

What an extraordinary question! I like to think I’m real. There are certain people who claim that I died in 1874, but to them, I say, ‘Well, if I’m dead, who’s that lurking in your wardrobe?’

What are your current projects?

Aside from the irksome duties of writing yet another book, I have been conducting some interesting experiments on literary critics. It’s interesting to note that no matter what age or size they are, they all take roughly the same time to drown. Quite by coincidence, all of them are people who have written bad reviews of The Piper. Strange that.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I like to think that I have no peers, but of course dear long-lost Uncle Edgar was a great influence of my writing. His rib-tickling comedies The Premature Burial and The Fall of the House of Usher are still firm favourites at Weston Towers. We bring them out every Christmas and my goodness how we laugh!

How much of The Piper is realistic?

Well, the story deals with an ancient curse on a family home and a series of deaths that reoccur every sixty years… so I would say that it’s very realistic. I mean, there surely can’t be a house in the UK that hasn’t suffered similar problems at one time or another?

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I learned that if you wake up in the small hours of the morning to find little girls dancing to eerie music in your mist-wreathed garden, it’s probably not a good idea to go outside and join them. I also discovered that being an evacuee wasn’t a bed of roses.

When did you get the idea for your debut book The Piper?

Ah, now that was Uncle Victor’s fault. As I watched his figure hurtling over the cliff, two thoughts occurred to me. 1. What a good job he’d just changed his will in my favour and 2. There’s a book in this. As it transpires, I ended up cutting that scene but Victor, if you’re up there… ahem, I mean, if you’re down there watching this, thanks for the inspiration!

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

As a young boy, I was left very much to my own devices. But, after a while, those devices broke down and because of a general shortage of wood, string and wire mesh, I started to doodle in a notebook. My Aunt Agatha discovered what I’d written and beat me soundly with a broom handle, but that only encouraged me! Poor Aunt Agatha. Such a shame, what happened to her…

When is your next book out?

My next book, Mr Sparks, will be released some time in 2015, though my publishers won’t commit to a date, no matter how much I tighten the thumbscrews. It’s called Mr Sparks and it’s about a psychopathic ventriloquist’s dummy, one that’s a little too convincing for comfort. He tells everyone that he used to be a real boy and the fact is, he just might have been, once upon a time…

As he departed into the mist, his final words were: "Did I really make it into Mr Ripley's Top Ten Favourite Reads 2014?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Well the supernatural gods must have been shining down on me on that day," he whispered. 
Without any further hesitation he vanished, apart from his cheeky chuckle which could still be heard trailing behind him.

Out now in all good bookshops, but beware of the haunting sounds of the piper!

Book review here......

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Danny Weston - The Piper - Book Review

'Please,' he whispers as he thrust a copy of his book at me. 'Read this,' the strange man grunts at me. He leaves me with no choice as he quickly vaporises into thin air; I can still feel the prickly sensation from the strange encounter on that unusual day in November. To be brutally honest, that surreal vision kept me up all night as I read 'The Piper' by Danny Weston. Could he be the vision and the voice that I heard? Ah well, we will perhaps never know.

This story landed in the hands of a reader who loved every minute spent reading each page. It's the best spine-tingling, atmospheric tale that I've read for some time - I really love to read good books like this. Just of late, I feel that this genre is becoming quite scarce to find. It is a good old-fashioned campfire ghost story, but with a twist to the tale.....

The story is set on the eve of World War Two. At this time, children were evacuated from busy cities to the safer countryside. Peter and Daisy are two such children who have been sent to a rather strange farmhouse in the middle of a desolate landscape. The house and the family have a dark secret. From the moment they arrive, they are aware that something evil and mysterious haunts the place.

Just like the Pied Piper and the town rats, you are soon hypnotically drawn into the mysterious past. It is like an eerie melody that plays repetitively and alluringly until you finally wake up. Be aware though, as you might not be in the same place that you were before you started reading. It is a spooky fantasy that will hit you full in the face the more that you read. Watch out for the floating cold hands that drag down weary people into the murky waters and children vanishing on mass.  Peter's sister finds herself in terrible danger; her last breath may soon become her final scream.

I thought that the plot was very well written and cleverly executed. It is a classic blend of Pied Piper meets The Machine Gunners. I read the whole book in one night as I couldn't put it down. The bleak sensation of war mixed with a hidden dark family history pulls you in to a vice-like grip. The loose ends are tied together in a satisfying climax that will stay with you for some time. If you like the ghost horror genre, then this book is a recommended read. Warning: be prepared to be up all night.

This book is out in all good book shops now ready to buy for the festive season.