The Ghostly Father
Was this what really happened to Romeo & Juliet?
Think you know the world’s most famous love story? Think again. What if the story of Romeo & Juliet really happened – but not quite in the way we’ve all been told?
This part-prequel, part-sequel to the original tale, told from the point of view of the Friar, tells how an ancient Italian manuscript reveals secrets and lies which have remained hidden for hundreds of years, and casts new doubts on the official story of Shakespeare’s famous star-crossed lovers.
If you love the Romeo & Juliet story but are disappointed with the way it ended, this is the book for you.
Purchase Links:
Kindle (universal link): mybook.to/the-ghostly-father
SHAKESPEARE – MY INSPIRATION
Many people believe that William Shakespeare was England's greatest ever poet and playwright. Whether or not this is true is a matter of personal opinion, but he's definitely up there with the front runners.
One thing which cannot be disputed is how much Shakespeare has contributed to the English language. A surprisingly large number of words and phrases in common use today were first penned by the Bard himself. If you're on a wild goose chase and find yourself neither here nor there, feeling faint-hearted (having not slept one wink), waiting with bated breath for the naked truth, and all of a sudden find yourself saying "Good riddance" as those who have eaten you out of house and home whilst playing "Knock, knock, who's there?" vanish into thin air - you are quoting Shakespeare. The world is [your] oyster, but for goodness sake, don't wear your heart on your sleeve and end up looking a sorry sight in a fool's paradise. Truth will out, and it's a foregone conclusion that you can still have too much of a good thing.
The Bard of Avon has certainly inspired much of my own writing. One of my first successes as a poet was winning a limerick competition, in which I summed up the plot of Macbeth in five lines:
On the strength of a witches' conjection
a regicide's planned to perfection,
but revenge is prepared
by a tree-moving laird
who'd been born by Caesarean section.
One of my long-term projects is to produce a full collection of limericks – one for each of the plays. That's still very much a work in progress, but in the meantime, two of Shakespeare's other plays – Romeo & Juliet and Julius Caesar – provided the inspiration two of my novels.
The Ghostly Father takes a new look at Romeo & Juliet, and asks the question "What might have happened if the events of the story had taken a different turn?" If, like me, you love the original story but are sadly disappointed with the ending, here is your chance to read an alternative version, with a few new twists and a whole new outcome.
The Unkindest Cut of All is a murder mystery set in a theatre, during an amateur dramatic society's performance of Julius Caesar. What really happened to the actor playing the title role, during the final performance on the infamous Ides of March?
These two books cost just £1.99 each on Kindle. That’s less than the price of a cup of arty-farty coffee, and lasts for a lot longer. Better still, why not buy both? You'll still come away with change from £4.
Meanwhile, here are my limericks for Romeo & Juliet and Julius Caesar:
Two households, one ongoing row;
sprogs meet and exchange true love vow.
Next day they are wed;
three days later, both dead.
Their tale makes me weep, even now.
A soothsayer (very astute)
tries to warn of impending dispute.
But though told to beware,
Caesar says “I don’t care!”
then he’s killed by a backstabbing Brute.
Author Bio –
Sue Barnard is a British novelist, editor and award-winning poet. She was born in North Wales some time during the last millennium, but has spent most of her life in and around Manchester. After graduating from Durham University she had a variety of office jobs before becoming a full-time parent. If she had her way, the phrase “Non-Working Mother” would be banned from the English language.
Her mind is so warped that she has appeared on BBC TV’s Only Connect quiz show, and she has also compiled questions for BBC Radio 4's fiendishly difficult Round Britain Quiz. This once caused one of her sons to describe her as "professionally weird." The label has stuck.
Sue speaks French like a Belgian, German like a schoolgirl, and Italian and Portuguese like an Englishwoman abroad. She is also very interested in family history. Her own background is far stranger than any work of fiction; she would write a book about it if she thought anybody would believe her.
Sue now lives in Cheshire, UK, with her extremely patient husband and a large collection of unfinished scribblings.
Social Media Links –
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