Wayne Sharrocks
www.myspace.com/waynesharrocks
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About My Writing
Ones for fans of psychological thrillers-think
Val McDermid with a sprinkling of gothic
sensibility...
SAMPLE:
DOMINION (prologue)
Sat hunched within the dark recess Karl Connor
felt as small and vulnerable as a china doll. As
what seemed like hours passed he could feel the
welts from the cigarette burns rising up on his
body, smarting, searing…
His body still hissed from the pain of her nails
gouging his young and tender flesh. As dread
washed through him, how he longed for a shining
light in the great dark loneliness of human
existence.
Terror began with the fact that he could hardly
move. His mind wrestling with some unbalanced
nightmare, whilst his body ached with cramps,
knots in his muscles as the cupboard under the
stairs was no more than three feet long, roughly
the same in height and was crammed full of
assorted bric-a-brac (a vivid testimony to his
mother's car-boot compulsion).
As his panic escalated with him, all his desires
diminished to just the need to move, a desperate,
overwhelming need to free himself from the dark
and cramped conditions. As his mind fractured he
tried to scream but found that he could not even
speak. The unbearable stress shattering his logic
to pieces, finally breaking him from reality as
thoughts like moths fluttered through his mind,
seeking light in his darkness.
The punishment was as if a tourniquet around his
neck, strangling the life from him. His pallor
ghostly, he began to writhe and squirm as his
shoulders began to shake. His grief vast enough
to bring down an empire, as the waiting silence
dragged him down like exhausted sleep and his
wanting; longing to be freed filled the space
oppressively.
Crippled by fear he was suddenly aware of the
darkness sucking him down.
Although he had long since managed to spit out
the rag that was stuffed into his mouth to stifle
his earlier protestations, his breath was still
very shallow, trapped by the dull suffocating
heat of the blackness that had encroached upon
him. He found that his palms were sweating. He
had gnawed at his knuckles until they bled,
sucking at the warm blood that flowed from them
as it were comforting nectar. Recoiling, his mind
snatched feebly at passing thoughts whilst above
him, he could hear the sound of the splintering
wood and the creaking floorboards. He could hear
his mother's gin soaked voice echoing as she
descended the wooden staircase, her rage biting
deep.
'Filthy, dirty boy, I told you he wasn't right,
he is the devil's child. I should have had him
aborted when I had the chance…'
Moments later he heard the catch being slid from
the lock and the cupboard door sprang open,
battering his eyes with light.
Springing back from the sudden brilliance, he
flinched as the light scolded his vision,
momentarily dazzling him.
A torch shone in his eyes but all he could see
was the glare, burning his eyes and dragging him
still further into his mother's alcohol fuelled
nightmare.
Her voice now seemed distant and slurred as she
brandished the huge torch at him. Under the skin
on the back of his neck, ticks of apprehension
still burrowed and twitched, but heart pounding
he unfurled from the fetal position that he had
been forced into and achingly crawled out from
the cupboard. His muscles and limbs screamed with
every movement and the abrupt definition of sight
stung his eyes, whilst his nerves were shredded
and crippled by his own deceiving mind. Believing
that to be the end of the punishment he began to
apologize, even though he sensed that he done
nothing wrong. As he spoke, there was a tremor in
his voice, a fragility, not pain so much as
emotional distress. The hardness of her heart
frightened him. He had taken two faltering steps
before he was doubled over, as if a hook had
caught his stomach, knocking the air from him.
The world had become too strange for him to fully
comprehend, and as the large torch lay broken in
pieces upon the threadbare carpet, he gazed
meekly up at her, into a face set with thunder.
He let out a cry of sheerest childlike terror but
as he tried to kid himself into believing that
life had a purpose worthy of his struggle he knew
deep down that he would be made to pay further
for his actions…
www.amazon.co.uk/Dominion-Wayne
..Sharrocks/dp/1843863855
Available online (£3-£8) via: www.amazon.co.uk
www.whsmiths.com www.waterstones.com
www.amazon.com www.amazon.ca www.play.com
www.blackwells.co.uk
www.pegasuspublishers.com
www.tesco.com
ISBN-10: 1843863855
ISBN-13: 978-184386385
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Authors' Register:
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| About Me
I was born in Camden,London but am now residing in Diss, Norfolk.
Currently juggling work at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary with trying to establish a literary
career.
In 2005 I managed to secure a three-book deal with Pegasus Publishers (Cambridge).
My debut novel 'Redemption' was released 23/01/06 (thankfully to positive reviews) with the
sequel 'Dominion' following 08/10/07.
The third (but hopefully not final) contracted novel is currently a work in progress...
| Some of My Work
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Redemption by Wayne Sharrocks
Genre: Fiction - Thrillers and suspense
Status: Available for Purchase
Buy the Book
| |
Book Description:
Indelibly scarred by childhood trauma, abuse
and distrust, the main character (Jamie Allen)
seeking refuge and solace, loses himself in
the capital city. Forced by circumstances to
grow up fast, he begins to build a new life
for himself, gaining confidence, although
still battling his inner demons. He lives a
solitary life until fate intervenes and a
chance meeting in a local bar suddenly turns
his life upside down. He is charmed by her
beauty and enthralled by her mystique. She
becomes an all consuming obsession. After
their brief but intimate liaison, the woman in
question (Nikki Chandler) is followed home and
strangled on her doorstep. When her body is
discovered it echoes the unsolved murders of
three other local women. Is he innocent or
does his mind hold a dark and terrible secret?
Will he discover the truth before his
tormented mind snaps completely?
From the Author
One for fans of psychological
thrillers.
Think Val McDermid with a sprinkling of
gothic sensibility...
About the Author
Redemption is the debut novel but there are
two more books already in the pipeline for
future release.
Extract from my debut novel ’Redemption’ (by
Wayne Sharrocks)
Category: Writing and Poetry
Chapter 1
I awoke trembling and sweating, the sheets
soaking wet beneath me as my mind recalled the
visions from the nightmare that had violently
ripped me from my sleep. The recollections
were sadly all too vivid as I had been
fighting them all night, a battle I was
destined to lose.
Damn, twenty years on and still the memory
of those events would not fade. I felt the
maelstrom of reproach and morbid regrets as
every night seemed to rekindle old memories
that I wished to leave behind and to deny the
existance of. Sometimes I found myself closing
my eyes and hiding away in the dark. I knew
that there was a lot to be ashamed of in my
life, but I just did not understand why these
dark spectres from my past, kept invading my
mind of late, now almost on a nightly basis. I
always felt exhausted upon waking due to the
upsetting dreams and unwelcome presences
disrupting my slumber and I was now sick of
continually waking up in cold sweats. I had
always hoped that my mind would bury the
experience if my will was strong enough, but
alas it was not to be, as the scar tissue had
peeled away, leaving me raw.
My temple was beginning to throb so I
rolled over in bed, opened my eyes and looked
across into the semi darkness at the
illuminated face of the now buzzing alarm
clock, which sat perched precariously upon the
bedside table. It was pleading with me to
arise. I looked at it for a few seconds,
whilst attempting to focus my eyes and clear
my head, before turning off its infernal din.
I reluctantly slipped out from beneath the
covers and headed towards the bathroom.
Pulling on the cord to the light, I then
recoiled at the vision that confronted me from
the bathroom mirror. The fact that I’d had a
restless night was etched into every pore and
crevice of my milk white skin whilst my eyes
were bloodshot and drowned in themselves.
I looked like Bela Lugosi, which was not
necessarily so bad in itself, except for the
fact that he’d been dead since 1956. I ran the
taps, filling the wash basin, and splashed
water onto my face in a vain effort to revive
myself. My mouth was dry, filled with a sour
taste, my teeth stained red...
www.amazon.co.uk/Dominion-Wayne
Sharrocks
Available via www.amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.com www.amazon.ca
www.whsmiths.co.uk www.play.com
www.tesco.com www.blackwell.co.uk
www.waterstones.com
www.pegasuspublishers.com
ISBN: 1843862549
Author: Wayne Sharrocks
Title:
Redemptionwww.authorsden.com/waynesharrocks
www.writerspromote.com/waynesharrocksww
w.myspace.com/waynesharrocks
ISBN: 1843862549
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Dominion by Wayne Sharrocks
Genre: Fiction - Thrillers and suspense
Status: Available for Purchase
Buy the Book
| |
Synopsis
Scarred by childhood trauma and neglect,
Karl Connor attempted to flee the dark shadows
of his young life, the horrors that he had
experienced, and the inner demons that
continued to haunt him. As the past and
present collide the brutal reality is that the
long slide into violence has already begun,
but who could have imagined that his desire
for perceived vengeance would have such
terrifying results. Young women are being
murdered in London suburbs and there is
seemingly nothing to connect them to one
another, let alone the killer whose charming
manner hides a warped and sick mind.Detective
Inspector Ross is determined to hunt the
killer down, jeopardising his career in the
process, as he becomes increasingly alienated
and obsessed with finding the murderer. It is
a difficult time for him and his depleted team
as they find themselves caught up in Karl's
deadly game of ruthless vendetta and vengeful
murders. Soon their lives begin to run on a
parallel, which leaves one of his team in
mortal danger.
Extract from my latest novel ’Dominion’ (by
Wayne Sharrocks)
Category: Writing and Poetry
Extract from Chapter 2
DEADLOCK
Due to the gridlocked traffic Detective
Inspector Ross had arrived late at the crime
scene. As he pulled up to the kerbside of the
tree lined avenue he looked up through the
windscreen and watched as a cadaver, on a
wheeled stretcher covered in a thin white body
bag with black straps, was loaded
unceremoniously
into the back of the coroner's black van.
The whizzing sound of a police helicopter
intensified in the distance, rapidly growing
louder, shaking him from his stupor.
Previously deep in thought, he now caught
sight of his reflection in the rear view
mirror and could see that his face had turned
as white as the swollen moon above. He took a
moment to compose himself before he swung the
driver's door open. He raised his hand in a
vague wave to acknowledge the two body movers
from the coroner's office as they turned with
a darting urgency from the rear of the van.
Still encased in their white coveralls, they
mirrored his gesture before walking quickly
towards the front of their vehicle.
Detective Inspector Ross remained watching
as they pulled away from the kerb and set off
into traffic. He then glanced over at the
house, which was cordoned off by fluorescent
crime scene tape that fluttered in the breeze
like ribbons from a maypole. An assorted
throng of media types and rubbernecks, some of
whom were now attempting to take photographs
on their mobile phones, had already assembled
at the scene and looked on like a pack of
baying jackals only just being kept at bay by
the increasingly thin blue line.
He blew out a noisy sigh as he continued to
look out of the car window at the unfurling
scene.
He was less than thrilled to get a call
like this on what so far had been his first
day off in little over a month, especially as
he sensed that his days at the helm of the
investigation were numbered and such a public
fall from grace would all but finish his
previously fast-track career. At that thought
his jaw tightened and he felt a slight tickle
of electric current go down the back of his
neck, bringing the hairs there to attention. A
knot of anxious tension gripped his stomach, a
subconscious fear of failure.
He willed himself to relax but as his body
was stiff and his muscles ached from lack of
sleep his mind had no intention of obeying
him. He took a deep breath and swept his hand
through his steel grey hair so that most of it
fell back into place, whilst the wind took the
other rogue strands so that they resembled
dancing marionettes.
Ross removed his black wool sport coat and
threw it onto the passenger seat before
undoing his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves,
a display that was intended to state to
onlookers that he was getting ready for
business.
After fighting his way through the
escalating crowd, which combined the
concerned, the curious and the downright
ghoulish, he flashed his warrant card before
ducking under the police tape to enter the
crime scene.
As he reluctantly breathed in the chill of
the evening, he stared over at he house. It
looked unkempt, the garden untended, neglected
even. As he walked towards it, the press
continued to bombard him with queries, some
pleadingly, others rudely, but he ignored them
all. He had already braced himself for the
media storm, which now invariably followed
every new victim. As he stepped inside the
house he could still hear the voices being
carried away by the wind, muttering and
complaining...
Available via www.amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.com www.amazon.ca
www.whsmiths.co.uk www.play.com
www.tesco.com www.blackwell.co.uk
www.waterstones.com
www.pegasuspublishers.com
ISBN: 9781843863854
Author: Wayne Sharrocks
Title: Dominion
From the Publisher
'Dominion' is the follow up to 'Redemption',
Wayne's debut novel, which was nominated for
both The Guardian First Book Award & The
McKitterick Prize.
From the Author
I feel that you will find this to be a tight,
tension-building tale that provides both
psychological insight as well as a thought
provoking read.
For fans of Bret Easton Ellis/Val McDermid
with a sprinkling of Poppy Z. Brite's Gothic
sensibilities...
About the Author
Wayne Sharrocks was born in the London
Borough of Camden. After attending college he
embarked on a career in animal welfare before
returning to his passion for writing.
He now lives in the picturesque village of
Blo Norton, situated on the Norfolk/Suffolk
border, and is enjoying his new profession as
an author of psychological thrillers.
In his spare time he enjoys art & design and
is still a keen supporter of a number of
animal welfare charities.
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Book-Signing Event: Diss Publishing Bookshop
Genre: Fiction - Thrillers and suspense
Status: Available for Purchase
Buy the Book
| |
'The small market town of Diss, between
Norfolk and Suffolk, is not the place you
would normally associate with a mass gathering
of Goths. But such it was, for the launch of
Wayne Sharrocks second offering, Dominion.
Wayne's debut novel Redemption received good
reviews, and the launch of his second book
Dominion attracted an audience of enthusiastic
fans, including one senior citizen who had
adored the first book and been waiting 18
months for the sequel, and a little girl of
four who insisted that Wayne should paint her
fingernails black.
Wayne will also be giving a reading on 26th
April at the Whitby Bookshop, as part of the
Whitby Goth Weekend, a two-day event
celebrating Gothic culture and expected to
attract several thousand visitors.'
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Book-Signing Event (26/04/08)
Genre: Fiction - Thrillers and suspense
Status: Available for Purchase
Buy the Book
| |
Book Signing: Whitby Bookshop (Saturday 26th
April)
I have a book-signing on Saturday 26th April
(10am-12 noon) at the Whitby Bookshop (as part
of the Whitby Goth Weekend), so hopefully I
will see a few familiar faces...
Whitby bookshop: 88 Church Street, Whitby,
North Yorkshire. YO22 4BH
Tel: 01947 606202 Email:
mail@whitbybookshop.co.uk
For anyone who is unable to make it - copies
of both ’Dominion’ & ’Redemption’ are
currently on sale at Waterstones, Blackwell’s
, Jarrolds, Diss Publishing & of course the
Whitby Bookshop.
Also available online:
www.amazon.co.uk/Dominion-Wayne
Sharrocks/dp/1843863855
www.amazon.co.uk www.amazon.com
www.amazon.ca www.tesco.com www.play.com
www.pegasuspublishers.com
www.blackwell.co.uk
www.waterstones.com
Author: Wayne Sharrocks
Title: Redemption ISBN-10: 1843862549
ISBN-13: 978-1843862543
Title: Dominion: ISBN-10: 1843863855 ISBN
13: 978-1843863854
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Endless Dark Club 'Zine (Issue 17).
Genre: Fiction - Thrillers and suspense
Status: Available for Purchase
Buy the Book
| |
Interview & Book-Review in The Endless Dark
Club ’Zine
Category: Writing and
Poetrywww.myspace.com/shadowqueendollEn
dless Dark Club 'Zine (Issue 17).
Please check out my interview & the book
review(s) in this fantastic
Gothic/Rock/Alternative 'zine.
Copies are 3 Euros.
Interested parties please contact Magda via
her MySpace link or place order to:
Endless Dark Club, A/C Magda Estrela, Rua
Antero Nobre, No.16,3o dto. 8700-240 Olhao,
Portugal
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Spiders Web 'Zine
Genre: Fiction - Thrillers and suspense
Status: Available for Purchase
Buy the Book
| |
Interview in Spiders web 'Zine (Issue 9).
* PLEASE CHECK OUT THIS FANTASTIC 'ZINE &
HOPE THAT YOU ENJOY MY INTERVIEW PIECE.
Wayne
SPIDER'S WEB ISSUE 9
INTERVIEWS
Black Roses, Poetry and Death (USA)
Club Antichrist (London, UK)
Crysalys (Italy)
Wayne Sharrocks (Goth Writer, UK)
Temujin (Australia)
Second Skin (Italy)
Frightdoll (USA)
In Loving Memory (Italy)
Ismini (Greece)
Lace Me Up (Dublin, Ireland)
LIFE AS A GOTH
DJ Zynthexia (Finland)
Amaranth (UK)
Carlo (of Miriam, Rome, Italy)
Electric Barbarella (UK)
Chris (of V-Malice, Trieste, Italy)
REVIEWS
Black Roses, Poetry and Death (USA)
GPKISM (Japan)
Blood (Japan)
Spectrum-X (Italy)
Bloody Mary (Italy)
Sinbeats (Germany)
Katharine Blake (England)
The Offering (UK)
Virgins o.r.
Pigeons (Greece)
Wastescape (Sweden)
Uninvited Guest (UK)
This Void Inside (ITaly)
Crysalys (ITaly)
Ismini (Greece)
Gotham 2008 (23rd March 2008 , London, UK)
Anne Sudworth (exhibition, UK)
ZINE REVIEWS
Unscene (UK)
Bubblegumslut (UK)
Devolution (UK)
AVAILABLE VIA PAYPAL
£3/ €4/ $6...
www.myspace.com/spiderswebzine
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Awards and Commendations
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Redemption was nominated for Channel 4's Richard & Judy's Book Club
competition, The McKitterick Prize & The Guardian First Book Award
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