Devil Mountain #author Inessa Jackson

When Detective Sergeant Anastasia Brown is sent to investigate a grizzly murder in a small New South Wales town, she welcomes the chance to run from heartbreak and humiliation. But she quickly discovers that this is no ordinary murder. The body of a popular doctor has been found on the mountain, chained and burned, with arcane ­symbols carved into the soles of his feet – and the boy who found him swears he saw a ghost lingering in the trees.

Is this a clever killer with a flair for the macabre? Or the work of an elusive Wiccan coven that worships on the mountain? Or, even stranger, are the local murmurs of the mountain being haunted more than just folklore? 

As the investigation grows ever murkier, Ana realises that everyone in town has a secret … and some are deadly.

To connect with Inessa .....
https://www.instagram.com/inessa_jackson_writer/
https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/authors/Inessa-Jackson/
https://www.facebook.com/people/Inessa-Jackson-writer/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

It's good morning, Inest Jackson. Welcome to Yellow Shelf. Thank you so much, so it's so lovely to be here. Uh congratulations. First time on Yellow Shelf, but it's a debut novel. Well done. Thank you so much. Yes. It's really exciting. This I love having debut authors. I think it's really special. I was lucky enough to get an advanced reading copy. I know it's available now. Tell us all about Devil Mountain.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Okay, well, I'll give you the pitch. So it's a it's a police procedural. Um, it's about a humiliated police detective, uh Sergeant Anastasia Brown. She's sent to a small mountain village, which is somewhere in central New South Wales, to investigate the really grisly murder of a local popular GP. So he's been found burnt and chained in the forest with creepy symbols carved into the soles of his feet. Um his investigation quickly hits a dead end, and strange things start happening to her, which makes her wonder is the secret covenant of witches who worship on that mount somehow involved? But either way, she's got to solve the case before the clock ticked down and the devil strikes again. Yeah. So that's my pitch.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Look, and I have been lucky enough to read this. There's lots of themes and characters. Um misogyny, gender bias. There's all, you know, we throughout the the novel, you I'm getting hit with yeah, lots of things, you know, you can relate to in the sense, um, but great characters. Thank you. That was so much fun, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:34

And they surprised me as they came onto the page. They really told me who they were. It was wonderful, it was so much fun.

SPEAKER_01 1:40

And tell us about the leap to all of a sudden being a debut author. I'd love for you to share a bit about you and a bit about the journey to, you know, like becoming an author.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

Sure. Well, it started 10 years ago, and my younger son went to kindergarten, and I walked home and I thought, ooh, big gap, what am I going to do now? And I thought, I love reading, and I did a writing course, and that was it. So I was off. So I've been writing for about 10 years. Um, this book, too, took three from start to finish, which was pretty quick. But my the door opened for me when I entered some competitions. So I shortlisted for the banjo prize, and that was just amazing. So then suddenly people were interested. I could talk to people in the industry. That book didn't get up, but it gave me the confidence to then write Devil Mountain, knowing that I've got something and I'm going to get there. So I was really lucky to shortlist there.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

Yeah. And I love when debut authors share their journey because you know what, it's not overnight. And it's not, it's hard, it's persistence. And it's yeah, you know, often we we we, you know, um do writing courses, like you said, and you you embrace the journey, embrace the feedback.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Yes, the feedback, and I had to learn the craft. Um, there's a joke that it's not a joke, but in high school, I never got higher than 60%. And I tried so hard. I really wanted to get a high distinction, never got one, did it uni, did a little bit better. But then I had to learn to write. I had to do the courses and I had to learn the craft, and that was so enjoyable. I really, really love it. So now there's a whole lot of stuff in my brain that comes out subconsciously because I've spent so many years learning.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

Yeah. And you know, having landed a publisher and you know, now the book's out there doing interviews. Have you caught the bug? Is there more in future to then sure?

SPEAKER_00 3:29

Yeah, definitely. I'm about 70,000 words into the sequel. So Anna's back and she's got a new case. Equally creepy, but not witches this time. So, like a series, yes, yeah, clever series. It's kind of like true detective, a little bit like X-Files in each in each series, parts of the series of the new case, and just a little bit off-center, a little tiny, it's supernatural. She's always challenged with that fear of the unknown. So, yeah, I'm hoping it is a long series.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

Yeah. And tell me about this journey of uh author doing interviews, promoting yourself. What's that like? Because people often ask me that. They're like, Oh, what's what's as a debut author? Can you ask? So, I'm asking, how has that been to jump in front of cameras, podcasts, promoting yourself, pitching your book?

SPEAKER_00 4:21

It's pretty terrifying, actually. But I love interviewers like you. You make it so wonderful and um relaxing to have a chat. So thank you. Um, yeah, look, it's been exciting. There's been some opportunities I didn't see coming that have just been wonderful. I had to sort of learn the craft again. So you'll see, like, I've got a light mirror here to try to try and help me.

SPEAKER_01 4:41

Oh, you're advanced.

SPEAKER_00 4:42

I'm buying into the whole thing. Oh, yeah, but it's all scary and exciting. And I feel really grateful. You know, I've thought about this for years.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

Yeah, so you can tell, you can tell. And you definitely can tell in the writing that yeah, I'm not surprised this is going to be a series. So thank you. You know, I you know I'm gonna want you to come back when the next book comes out. Oh, I'd love to. I would really love to.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

Thanks so much.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

Yeah, awesome. Uh well, listen, thank you so much for joining us. I know you're on socials because you and I are connected on Instagram. We are. Um, if anyone's watching, and many of the watchers and listeners love supporting debut authors. Tell us how do we connect with you and the book, and I'll put some links in the show notes.

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Oh, thank you so much. Okay, come and say hi. I love to have a chat on Instagram. So it's my first name, Inessa, underscore Jackson, and then underscore writer. And you should be able to find me there. I respond to messages I just love chatting. So yeah, come and say hi. I'm also on Facebook, InessaJackson.com. Yep. Um, and that's got a link to buy the book um through Booktopia, I believe.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

So awesome. Well, I'm gonna put some links in to make it easy as well. But yeah, look, enjoy this journey. It's I yeah, so love talking to first time authors because it it's never an overnight success.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

So yeah, it's a journey and it's a really wonderful, it's a hard journey. You're gonna put the work in, but it's so worth it. Yeah, well done. Thank you so much for sharing. Thank you so much. See you later. Bye.