This past week we gave the spotlight to Once Upon a Lane, the slice-of-life Paranormal Horror novel of Duncan Wilson. Our Roadies brought a wide selection of content to this show with reviews, interviews and other posts. Now it’s time to bring the show to an end and it’s my pleasure to present you with the encore, including some extra content. Come and learn a bit more about the world of Once Upon a Lane through our Q&A with Duncan!
Shall we?
Duncan Wilson has been writing since childhood, having fallen in love with the written word at a very early age. Having spent his formative years in various libraries, he can bore his friends on a variety of subjects. Inspired by the natural world and the splendors of the heavens, he writes primarily science fiction and paranormal stories. He has a novel and two novellas published on Amazon and Smashwords, and an additional novella and several short stories published on Patreon.
“There once was a lane, filled with well-tended lawns and well-fostered friendships, of well-appointed houses all neat and tidy and those that live within, of stories and mysteries that manifest for only fleeting moments for the few who pay attention. This is one such tale. A tale about pleasant people, about the lives they live, about their wants and dreams, about their loves and losses, their joys and hates, about their days and nights in the company of cherished companions in the houses they call home. In this tale of the happy little lives of blissful simple folk, there are monsters, to be sure. But this is not the story of monsters, this is not the tale of their evil deeds, this is the tale of those they make suffer. In this tale, the monsters have no names. The monsters do not deserve names.”
A character driven slice-of-life story that follows the humble lives of the residents of a suburban neighborhood as they live and love, and about the house with the dead yard, a vacant lot, that sits among their homes, inert and immobile, yet intimidating and terrifying to any who look at it too long. The children of the lane are not the only ones who are fearful of the anomaly in their midst. Every adult upon the lane wonders why the structure still stands, with no known owner and no reason to be. The lingering question is not who owns the house, but why no one ever goes in or comes out, and why there are such ghastly noises emanating from within. Day by day, the happy people of the lane go about their tasks and trials, and day by day, the house with the dead yard seems a little more ominous, a little more intrusive, and a little less ignorable than before.
Click on the blog name to read their full review or other content!
MARCH 10TH–THE WELCOMING
Whispers & Wonder – interview + IG spotlight
MARCH 11TH
Jessica Belmont – review
“The Lane is intriguingly described. I could see the details I was given, very easily. The story itself is hard to explain, and I think it is one you’d enjoy going in without knowing too much. It sounds odd, but it was so worth the read.”
Beneath a Thousand Skies – review
“Once Upon a Lane is certainly an unusual book, and it’s hard to define. It’s a story that makes you question many things, including how such stories should and shouldn’t work, and it’s one that I think you can only truly understand by reading yourself. If you want something different, something that steps outside the normal boundaries then this is one for you.”
MARCH 12TH
Dream Come Review – review
“I have so many unanswered questions even after forcing this review to marinate for a while. If nothing else, Wilson has written an intriguing, creepy, mind-bending that has stuck with me. It was absolutely an entertaining way to spend some of my down time and I will keep an eye out for Wilson’s work in the future.”
MARCH 13TH
Out of This World SFF Reviews – review
“All in all this was a very intriguing read that crossed many different sub-genres. It is a slice of life story where some of the monsters aren’t always ones of a supernatural form. I was definitely surprised when I got the the end because everything wasn’t necessarily wrapped up in a tidy bow, and I like that in endings. This was a very quick and fun read that I recommend for those looking for something a little different and creepy. You will definitely feel a sense of unease as you turn the pages in this interesting take on the gothic horror tale. I look forward to reading more books by Duncan Wilson in the future because I was really entertained by this one!”
MARCH 14TH
booksnbites – review
“I almost felt like I was spying on the neighborhood with how well Duncan Wilson had described their comings and goings. I would highly recommend this book to readers who are looking to get their feet wet in the world of horror, as gothic horror is a great stepping stone to readers who scare easily.”
@alazyeggreviews – review
“I can entirely imagine this as being both a lovely, sit in the sun read, and an audiobook listen as you go about your daily life.”
MARCH 15TH
Her Scribbled Thoughts – interview+ IG spotlight
@ceej_writes – IG spotlight
Welcome to the Asylum, Duncan! Take a seat by the fire, have a glass of beverage of your choice and tell me something about yourself!
What inspires your writing? Do you listen to music, stare into the fire, listen to the whispering of the wind, make deals with the Devil?
Inspiration rarely comes of its own accord. More often, it must be torn forth, screaming and clawing, from the abyssal void with tremendous effort and sacrifice. Yes, there is music to serenade such madness. Yes there is contemplation of the nature of reality, either entropic or eternal. Yes there are demons of such voids, tempting me to sit still forever, simply staring into the boundlessness of all with stars in my eyes, taunting me with stillness and serenity, but such devils are not dauntless, and can be defeated daily with perseverance and persistence. Practice makes perfect and one must write to be a writer, even if the spirits sing no songs and no muse motivates some mornings.
Describe an asylum set in the world of your book, Once Upon a Lane!
Such a sanctuary from reality would be home to those who have become aware of the shadows that creep upon the edges of our immaculately artificed world, of the creatures that still creep upon our city streets when all the people are asleep, creatures we either cannot see or care not to believe could still be among us in this or modern world. Asylums in this world are not full of the delusional nor deranged, but of those few sane enough to perceive the cracks between what we wish to believe and what persists beyond the bucolic whether we wish it to or not.
Your MC is locked in an asylum. What did he/she do to end up there?
Some might say the lane is my main character, and those same might suppose the lane is an asylum away from the darker dangers of the modern world, a safe place for simple living and domestic dreams to unfold. But there is a troubling intruder amid them, disturbing their dreams and their idealized existence. Yes, the lane is an asylum, both a sanctuary for sanity and a cell for those who prize civilization and serenity above scrutiny.
Which fictional character (it can be one of yours) and/or author would you like to live with in an asylum and why?
Poe, for he could render such a penning poetic and poignant, even if there were no meaning to such a sequestration.
While you are locked in here for eternity, we will allow you one book – what would you choose?
A book of blank pages and a pen, as I am a writer, and the best book to brandish in the face of infinity is the one I have yet to inscribe.
Well then, we hope you’ll enjoy your stay in the Asylum! Any last words? *locks door*
Beware the poet without pen and the artist without paint. Their madness must be made manifest, lest it plague the dreams of all mankind.
If you are interested in Once Upon a Lane and would like to get in contact with Duncan, you can find him on social media:
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Grab a copy of Once Upon a Lane on Amazon!
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