Chiddingstone was a sleepy little village in the heart of Kent. Nothing too exciting ever happened there, apart from the steady stream of tourists that liked to frequent the local Castle in the high season. There was just one shop, a church, an antiques store and school. Tucked into the lea was an Inn made of old red brick, with a slate roof and quaint sign above the criss-crossed windows. The thick gold lettering read - Castle Inn and a swinging crest above it gave it a welcoming feel.
The Inn was run by an elderly man by the name of George and his daughter, Claire. She was a slender red headed woman with a no nonsense face while George in contrast was rotund and cheery eyed, never failing to smile. The patrons would come and go and apart from the staff, just one other person lived there and her name was Jeanie – Claire's fifteen year old daughter. 
Jeanie's hair was a flaming copy of her mother's. It hung lank to her waist with a hint of curl at the ends. She had piercing green eyes that never ventured far from the pages of a book and her skin, as a consequence, was a pale flawless shade. Jeanie's room faced out back toward Chiddingstone Castle with a view as far as the eye could see. From her second floor window she could see the embattlements and the well groomed gardens that the tourists liked to flock to on incessantly hot summer days. Unlike her school friends, Jeanie was unconcerned with the trivialities of clothes and makeup – preferring to wander the Castle grounds in daydreams of Knights and their tales. Only one other person shared her passion for the world of fantasy – her fourteen year old cousin Simon. When he wasn't consumed with his favourite football team, Simon would accompany Jeanie on her fanatical explorations of Castle's and all their surrounds.
But despite having her own slice of medieval sitting at her backdoor; there was another Castle they both preferred to visit. Ten miles away sat the imposing sight of Hever Castle – a magical fortress surrounded by a mote, endless manicured gardens and the biggest attraction of all – the Yew Maze. At weekends and school holidays, Jeanie and Simon would take the ten mile bus ride from the Inn and spend entire days circumnavigating the tightly cropped hedges and racing each other to see who could conquer its passages first. Jeanie usually won much to Simon's disgust, but she knew the maze backwards in her head.
Today was to be such a day. They had been planning it for weeks and with the finish of the last day of school, before the summer holidays, Jeanie's excitement was overflowing. Over the winter months the Yew Maze had been closed for several weeks while gardening and repairs could be done. But most excitingly of all was the change in its design – a new avenue had been added to challenge those who had already conquered its paths. But as with the best laid plans of mice and men, today wasn't going to go as smoothly as planned. Jeanie was upstairs packing her knapsack with water and supplies, while she waited on Simon to be dropped off by his mom.
"Jeanie?" her mom called up the stairs. "Could you come here a minute please?"
Jeanie froze with a grimace. She knew that tone. Perpetually in a flap, she knew only too well, when her mom had come up with something for her to do. She tossed her bag on her bed and stomped begrudgingly down the oak stairs. Her mother's exasperated expression was waiting at the bottom. Claire's arms flew to her hips.
"Now don't give me that look young lady. We would all like to be gallivanting off to play in mazes all day, but some of us have work to do."
"You always have work to do," Jeanie grumbled under her breath staring stony faced at the floor.
"Well someone's got to keep the wheels turning." She placed a stern hand on Jeanie's shoulder and steered her toward the backdoor. It stood ajar. Reluctantly Jeanie followed the line of her mother's stiffly pointing finger and let out a miserable groan.
"God no – Max?" she whined.
"Yes Max! Your ruddy dog has smashed and licked up the entire morning's milk delivery. Your grandfather had to rush off and get a whole new batch before the lunch customers arrive."
Jeanie glanced despairingly behind the mess of shattered glass and drooled upon milky slops. There was Max - her over zealous border coli sitting wearing an unrepentant doggy smirk, panting steam into the midmorning air. Jeanie grit her teeth in restraint.
"Get the brush and shovel and clean up this mess before the patrons arrive and cut their feet." Jeanie's mom turned briskly and stormed off with a swish of her flower print housecoat. Her voice echoed sharply from down the hall. "And tie that beast up in his kennel."
Jeanie silently mimicked the tone of her mother's voice while praying hopefully she didn't have eyes in the back of her head.
"Max – you retard," she scowled. "How the hell didn't you cut your mouth?" Jeanie bent down and began gathering up the largest of the broken pieces while Max stood in front of her wagging his tail. She flung them angrily into the outside bin.
"Jin? Oi Jin?" a loud voice echoed from inside the Inn.
"Backdoor Soz," Jeanie hollered over her shoulder, as she gathered the brush and shovel to finish the clean.
Her cousin Simon came wandering the corridor, banging his pack noisily against the walls. Although only fourteen, Simon was already a good head taller than Jeanie with a lean athletic build from the constant kicking of footballs and a cheeky sprawl of freckles across his face. He had shoulder length auburn hair which he kept fashionably messy and dressed lazily in ripped shorts and Tee's. He scowled as he spied Jeanie kneeling on the ground.
"What the hell are you doing Jin? We're going to miss the bus."
"Instead of hassling me – lend us a hand. Go tie Max up in his kennel and then we'll scarper before mom finds something else for me to do."
Simon didn't need telling twice. After spying the no nonsense look on Jeanie's face, he jumped over her and after a five minute chase around the backyard, stuffed Max unceremoniously into his kennel. Simon's mom only lived five minutes up the road, so they had been close since they were born. Their nicknames had stuck from when they were toddlers and unable to pronounce each others names in the proper way.
After another fifteen frustrating minutes where Jeanie had been ordered to carry the new milk supply to the kitchen and Simon had been caught nicking the chocolate buttons from the pantry by Grandpa George – the duo finally made their way out the door. There were only five minutes left to get the bus from the antique store so they ran as hard as they could in the now baking midday sun. They arrived just as it was about to pull out. Simon fearlessly leapt in front of it, scaring the elderly driver, Ernie half to death.
"You're going to find yourself as a hood ornament one day, young Simon if you're not careful," Ernie barked as they threw themselves panting into the nearest seat. Jeanie and Simon sat puffing and sweating for few calming minutes as the old bus roared swiftly up the road. 
The bus ride dragged. With the end of the school term and the weather smiling favourably, many people seemed to have the same idea about visiting Hever Castle. It stopped time and again in the green velvet landscape – picking up Castle goers along the way.
"Crap – I knew we should have left earlier," Jeanie groaned. "That place is going to be crowded."
"Nah – the Maze won't be. Most people will stay inside the Castle not wanting to walk the Maze in the heat – you'll see." Simon offered encouragingly. "They won't be as tough as you and me," he grinned. Jeanie grinned back with an excited skip to her pulse. The bus pulled out from what turned out to be the last of the stops before reaching Hever Castle itself.
It was no surprise that they were first to disembark the bus. They leapt off the bottom step and ran ahead of everyone else toward the entrance to the Yew Maze. Jeanie was quietly relieved to see that most kids had made a direct path to the adventure playground, while their parents headed inside. The sound of their feet clattered loudly in their ears as they passed through the ancient stone arch on the gatehouse bridge and then back out into the midday sun. Jeanie stopped and drew in a satisfied breath. The mile of lush green around them was broken up with white stone paths. The sweet smell of freshly mown grass mixed deliciously with the random scents of flowers. She paused for only an instant. Simon had headed right and was already crossing the lawn to the two marble statues that stood sentinelling each side of the grassy arch to the maze. He suddenly slammed to a halt. Jeanie hadn't noticed and ran straight into the back of him, pushing him face first to the ground. He hit the white pebbles with a thud.
"Geez Jin, can you watch where you're going?" he snapped exasperatedly from the ground.
Jeanie hastily helped Simon to his feet. "Sorry Soz – what the hell did you stop so suddenly for?"
Simon was dusting the gravel from his palms distractedly as he stared, leaning forward into the nearest piece of hedge.
"I thought I saw something," he muttered under his breath.
Jeanie leaned down and peered intently into the tightly knit leaves and barberry. Apart from the odd aril berry, she couldn't see a thing.
"Look – there. Did you see that?" Simon pointed anxiously. His tone had Jeanie jumping with fright.
"See what?"
"There," he hissed, while pointing in earnest at a waist high portion of the Yew.
Jeanie did notice the bush rustle slightly so she stooped to get a closer look. At first she could see nothing. Then after a moment of silence with Simon puffing nervously at her shoulder she gasped and leapt a foot back. Staring back at her were two enormous yellow eyes – concealed by what looked like a black and white mask. They vanished quickly with a flurry of leaves.
"What was that?" she gasped.
"It looked like a badger," Simon stammered with disbelief.
"Here? Can't be. Besides – it's too tall. It was staring me in the eye. Badgers don't climb through bushes do they?" Before Simon could answer a bizarre throaty chuckle tickled from between the hedgerow and the whole wall of hedge began to move. The branches were bending as if someone was walking through it and moving swiftly away along the path. The movement suddenly shot off around the corner. Jeanie and Simon took off after it, plummeting deeper into the maze. The hedgerow had grown in height over winter so it didn't take long for the light to dull from the obscured sun. On and on they chased the mysterious Yew burrower until they had almost reached the centre of the maze. Jeanie ground to a halt.
"Where did it go?" she panted – her head swivelling from side to side.
Simon stood still squinting into the gloomy light. All was quiet and the bushes cast silent shadows at their feet.
"I think this must be the new part of the maze," Jeanie whispered. "I've never been here before."
Simon turned slowly around in a circle. "Me either."
All at once they were startled by a cracking of twigs from behind. The nearest portion of hedge had begun to open up – ripping upward from the ground. The hole it created was an impenetrable shade of black. Except at one point on either side. Gripping the parted branches was a pair of large fury black paws – but the size of a grown man's fist. At the tips stretched long lethal looking claws. They tore at the leaves, opening the hole wider. Jeanie and Simon clung to each other shaking where they stood. In a blinding fast movement the paws slipped into the dark. There was no noise, no movement – just a distant sound of laughter beyond the edge of the maze. Jeanie grasped Simon by the hand. Barely making a sound they stepped up to the hole and carefully looked inside. They couldn't see a thing. Darker than night and more silent than the deepest well – the hole just stretched onwards to the unknown.
"What do you reckon?" Simon whispered fearfully in Jeanie's ear.
Jeanie frowned in concentration. "It just couldn't have been a badger – it would have to be as tall as a grown man."
"A bear maybe?" Simon uttered hopefully.
Jeanie turned and faced Simon with a look of disdain. "When have you ever seen bears living in Kent?"
"Just a thought," he grumbled. "You have any better ideas?"
Jeanie sighed. She had to admit that she didn't. "Let's take a closer look?" She motioned forward with Simon glued into her back. They had barely poked their heads into the hole when they both felt an almighty lurch. Screaming like their lungs might burst – they plummeted, head first down, into a bottomless pit.

Ten years have passed since Simon and Jeanie have visited Leverforth. In that time Governor Tyrone has murdered King Fallon and slaughtered his entire Dragon protectorate - or has he? Thanks to the bravery and cunning of Prince Xavier and the loyal fox Ramos six un-hatched eggs still remain. Can the Dragon riders fill the skies again and save Xavier's people, ridding them of Tyrone once and for all? THE DRAGONS OF THE YEW MAZE will capture the hearts of young and old - entrancing the adventurous, ensnaring the senses leaving you dreaming of how to fly.

Come and enter a world of ghosts and demons, dragons and dragon riders and so much more than your imagination thought possible.

Join us on a journey of discovery as we get to know the characters from the Castle Trilogy as Melodie and her friends tackle the supernatural in The Transient, The Soul Keeper and The Darkest Angel. Teenagers and young adults will be transfixed by the mystery, the romance, the heart ache and the triumphs in the adventures of Heartworth Castle.

For an older following with a craving for the dark side - Roses at Dusk will be for you. Follow the frightening journey of a young accountant living in Maine called Hannah Malcolm as she falls for the handsome Marcus who comes with a deadly surprise.

If you love mythical creatures and have always wanted to fly - come and join The Dragons of the Yew Maze. Set in Kent, England this story will entrance anyone who ever fell in love with C.S Lewis. Strange talking creatures, evil Govenors and an elfish Prince all mixed up into an epic adventure for all.

Murder? Ghosts and Dark Angels? Forbidden love, purgatory, and spectacularly spooky castles? Friends? These are all things that Melodie Gibson never had in her life—that is, not until she moved from New Zealand to New York. Now, they fill her every waking moment. Fresh off the plane from the other side of the world, Melodie and her widowed father have moved into Heartworth Castle, an imposing manor-turned-Bed & Breakfast in upstate New York that he inherited from a distant aunt. But it’s no ordinary castle. Full of hidden secrets and layers of history, Heartworth has its ghosts—literally. Dripping with atmosphere, adventure and epic romance, THE TRANSIENT is the first instalment in the completed “Castle Trilogy” which creates an original mythology with roots in classical and biblical literature, where the afterlife is as complicated as the present, and the rules are just as hard to follow. It centres around Melodie, a socially awkward teenager, and Joseph, a “Transient ghost” that can take human form and who was murdered by a spurned love in the latter stages of the Civil War. No one is supposed to be able to see Joseph—but Melodie Gibson does. This unexplained contact sparks a passionate romance between the two. As Mel settles into her new American home and begins making mortal friends, she falls for Joseph, but not before the Governance and some old enemies of Joseph’s begin to materialize against them. Apparently, not everyone is happy about their new found love.

  In THE TRANSIENT, Melodie and her new friends face near death experiences, centuries old mysteries, ethical dilemmas and heart breaking decisions that may only lead to one option: if you truly love someone, you have to let them go. With shades of Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series and Lauren Kate’s Fallen and Alyson Noel’s Evermore, I have drawn inspiration from the Victorian Gothic novel and transplanted it into modern day New York. The result is a devastatingly powerful fantasy romance aimed at grades eight and up.