The Former World

by Jessica Grace Coleman

The Former Book One in the Little Forest paranormal mystery series. Jessica Grace Coleman brings you the first novel in the paranormal mystery 'Little Forest' series, setting the stage for the follow Memento Mori, The Exalted, Carnival Masquerade, and The Gloaming. If you’d like to get the next Little Forest novel – Memento Mori – for free, sign up to the mailing list at www.jessicagracecoleman.com. You can also get the first four novels in the Little Forest series for a discounted price by buying the box set of The Former World, Memento Mori, The Exalted and Carnival Masquerade. “Little Forest is the only place I've ever lived, and it's the place where I'm going to die. Tonight.” These are the words of Beth Powers, long-time resident of Little Forest. On the surface, she’s just an ordinary English girl in a typical English village, but appearances can be deceiving… extremely deceiving. There’s something lurking beneath the picturesque façade of the English village of Little Forest, something dark and disconcerting, something the vast majority of the residents are refusing to see… Fed up with living in the tiny, gossip-fuelled village, twenty-one-year-old Beth resolves to escape to London with her best friend, Veronica Summers. That is, until something throws a spanner in the works. A rather large spanner. A dead body, to be exact. A dead body found early one morning in the spooky surroundings of the Great Specton Woods. The apparently accidental death of Beth’s work colleague sets off the small community’s well-oiled rumour mill, and Beth soon finds herself in the middle of a bizarre village conspiracy. Potential suspects start appearing in all shapes and sizes – including the handsome new resident, mystery man Connor Maguire, who has conveniently just arrived in Little Forest – and with the police refusing to consider murder, Beth takes it upon herself to investigate. At least it’s a good distraction from the other strange and unusual things that have started happening in her generally boring life; let’s just say that Beth’s work colleague isn’t the only dead person she has to deal with these days. After all, it isn’t always something as innocent as the ghosts of past memories that come to get you… With the help of rather unlikely ally Will Wolseley, Beth delves into the village’s sinister secrets and, in turn, uncovers a terrifying truth about herself that could change her life forever. Unfortunately, she might not have much of ‘forever’ left, as when it comes right down to it, it’s not a question of whether or not she’ll decide to leave her childhood home. The question is whether or not Little Forest will let her go. The Former World is reminiscent of a good old-fashioned English mystery thriller, updated to the twenty-first Century but still relying on the quaint locations of the beautiful English close-knit villages, local pubs, ancient castles, large, looming forests, and magnificent Stately homes. This enchanting rural environment gives Beth the perfect setting to explore the ominous events that threaten to shake up her small village – and her life. A fan of mystery books and horror writers, Coleman delves into the world of legends and paranormal activity in this supernatural series, leading her own investigation into the fictional fantasy landscape that permeates readers’ darkest fears. The Little Forest series isn’t just concerned with spirits of the dead or other ghost stories; it’s about how we would react if these terrifying spectres actually came into our own world.

Genres: Mystery

399 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

Jessica Grace Coleman was born in Stafford, England and raised in the nearby village of Little Haywood, a quaint English location that would later be remodelled into Beth Powers’ home village in the Little Forest novels.

She studied Film Studies and American Studies at the University of Sussex in Brighton, and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder for a year as part of her course. A big fan of travelling, she has road tripped around North America and backpacked across China, South East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Jessica has so far self-published five books in the Little Forest series: The Former World, Memento Mori, The Exalted, Carnival Masquerade and The Gloaming. She has also released her first short story collection, Grown By The Wicked Moon, featuring 14 weird and wonderful tales, as well as her non-fiction titles, Creative Ways To Start Creative Writing, Volumes 1, 2 & 3. The Downfall is the first book in The Downfall Trilogy, and the sequels, The Rebellion and The Revolution, will be released soon.

Jessica also runs her own proofreading, editing and ghost writing business, Coleman Editing, working for clients all over the world. You can find out more about Coleman Editing at www.colemanediting.co.uk. In her spare time she also now runs the ‘Truth Not Terror’ charity campaign by selling wristbands at http://truthnotterror.blogspot.co.uk.

You can also find out more about Jessica, her available books, and her works in progress at her website: www.jessicagracecoleman.com and you can contact her at jessica.grace.coleman@gmail.com. You can also sign up for her mailing list – where you’ll be the first to hear about her new releases and reader competitions – at www.jessicagracecoleman.com.

Reviews

[Diana Bush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful and thrilling

With so much mystery and suspense , this book allows your mind to wander and contemplate what you read. At first you think you know what is happening but then you second guess yourself until the end. I absolutely loved this book and look forwarded the the rest of the series

[David Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, enjoyable and engaging story.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book free from the author for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book it was a lot different from what I’m used to. If you like mysteries you will really enjoy this story it was brimming with mystery. It kept you guessing on what was actually going on. You would figure out one thing about what was going on and add several more things to the list that you don’t know. I can’t wait to read the other books in the series.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, great scary book.

At first, I didn't think I would like this book. But the more I read, the better it got.
I don't generally read horror or scary books, but this one kept saying "come on, just a bit more" to me.
If you like books of this type, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this one. It really was good. Now I only have to worry about sleeping tonight!