The Lessons – A True Story About a Parasitic Novel and Its Hidden Meaning

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This article is about my novel called The Lessons. Strictly speaking, it is not a novel at all, but something far more sinister. The dictionary lacks a word for what The Lessons actually is, but has provided a two-way mirror that hides a life behind my own reflection.
 

How The Lessons Began in My Teenage Years

At the age of 19, I made the momentous decision to being this novel – on April 23 1985, to be precise. I know this because I kept a diary between 1977 and 1988. As soon as I began, an illness cut me down for a week. I thought nothing of it, determined I was going to begin this novel as soon as I felt better. Little did I realise how this novel would affect my life.

Symbolic drawing of multi-headed writer
Me during one of my writing episodes. A fantasy world burned me up inside.

The Hidden Story Beneath The Lessons

I kept my novel secret from family and friends. I feverishly read books on how-to write novels, sitting in my flat for hours on end, eking out a few sentences. During episodes, I would lose weight and become ill.

My novel appeared to have no bearing upon my life at all. A psychopath operates in a creepy old house called the Hollows and heads a criminal ring. I was living in a sleepy village with my parents and siblings. I partook in kiddie stuff like babysitting, toy-making, Sunday school teaching and art.
 

A Novel That Felt Parasitic and Alive

During my writing, I connected with this ‘strand’. This strand grew addictive. It ran deep, powerful, compulsive, shameful, deathly, depressing, creepy and devastating.
Little did I realize the source of this strand.

This fascinating journey into the secret message beneath The Lessons actually is available in Kindle and paperback.

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