Debut Novel "Mortal End: A Simmering Pit of Jiggery Pokery" by Toula Mavridou-Messer

LOS ANGELES - Aug. 20, 2014 - PRLog -- MORTAL END: A SIMMERING PIT OF JIGGERY POKERY
By Toula Mavridou-Messer


Mortal End: A Simmering Pit of Jiggery Pokery is the old fashioned fairy-tale of intrigue, murder, cannibalism and incest that everyone is talking about.

Ænus P. Wordsworth the arrogant, absinthe-drinking village rector plays detective attempting to discover just who the bones in the giant mound of burnt toffee belong to and how on earth they got there.

Why does guilt hang heavy in this village like offal in a stew? What secret has the God-fearing Ænus P. Wordsworth kept so carefully? Where have all the children gone? These and many other questions will be answered when you read Mortal End: A Simmering Pit Of Jiggery Pokery.

This fantasy who-dunnit is filled with mystery and humour, a tantalising sense of suspense and absurd darkness, which will capture your imagination in a way no other murder mystery ever has.

"It was me," said a voice from the other side of the cottage door.
"It was me. I killed her. I should have done it years ago.

“Mortal End is the funniest and most outrageous adult fairytale ever written.”

Mortal End: A Simmering Pit of Jiggery Pokery, the debut novel from Toula Mavridou-Messer, was written in the space of three weeks after two car crashes in just one hour. Even the rescue serviceman who came to collect her from the mangled wreckage was hesitant about transporting her, saying, "Things happen in threes, don't they?"

"It's a sign," thought Toula, as those crashes came during the return journey from a residential crime writing course she attended, given by best-selling author Val McDermid. She had been battling a major problem faced by so many would-be authors - that of actually finishing a project and then doing something with it.

Facing death head on seems to have been the antidote, although not necessarily recommended as a remedy for all.  Every time Toula was faced with either a blank page or the option of walking away from the type-writer, she remembered that she had been spared a fate worse than death...or in fact, death and that small fact kept her chained to her desk.

Fortunately she saw the funny side and hopefully so will you when you read Mortal End: A Simmering Pit Of Jiggery Pokery.

"Toula's imagination knows no bounds. Her characters are original and fascinating and leap off the page. She is a smart writer with the ability to make a story exciting and mysterious and will take your breath away." - LA WRITERS CENTER

 SYNOPSIS:

A lightning storm sparks a fire deep in Phooka Wood.

The following morning, Mortal End’s self righteous rector Ænus P. Wordsworth, his sidekick Savant Poe and a motley crew of villagers venture into the wood to see what damage has been done.

To their amazed befuddlement, right in the centre of the seared earth is a giant mound of molten toffee and within it, a selection of human remains.

Ænus P. Wordsworth takes it upon himself to find out who these bones belong to and how they came to be there.  In doing so, he uncovers a horrific tale of murder, incest and cannibalism that spreads throughout the neighbouring villages that surround Phooka Wood.

Their investigation takes them to all corners of their roundabout world; from Mortal End to the oozing Hamlet of Stifle and Little Napoo.  Along their colourful journey, we are introduced to a larger than life cast from Doc Sheare the barber surgeon, Verrye Brutall the handsome woodsman, Beliala Bigswoln the publican’s daughter, Baron Rubigo Bluebeard and Umbra the Bogyman.

Everyone seems to have a secret that they are trying to hide that could give clues to the horror of Phooka Wood. Even Ænus P. Wordsworth has something to hide!

Mortal End: A Simmering Pit of Jiggery Pokery is available internationally from Amazon as a paperback and as a Kindle download.
ISBN-10: 1500669822
ISBN-13: 978-1500669829
ASIN: B00M7JABLK

Author Biography
Toula Mavridou-Messer has written all of her life. She started typing her first novel at the age of two and just never looked back.  At the age of 12 she won a coveted Blue Peter badge for writing a script for Grange Hill.

At 15, Toula was a regular gossip columnist for Gay News, alongside her lifelong friend (and screenwriter) Jane Goldman.

Then at the ripe old age of 22 came 2nd in a Write A Blockbuster competition for a national women’s magazine with something she cobbled together in an hour and won a state of the art electronic typewriter.

Apart from being a talented author, Toula Mavridou-Messer is also an extremely talented photographer. She and her graphic designer husband James are also the brains behind the soon to be released series of 100% Photography books.

Before dedicating her life to creating books, Toula Mavridou-Messer was one of the world’s most successful Celebrity Producers, working on world famous shows on both sides of the Atlantic.

For further information, images, cover artwork and PDF review copies of 'Mortal End' and interview requests, please get in touch.