The Story of a Man I Killed
The Space Between Heaven and Hell is my debut novel. It is a dark, twisted tale that focuses on the human mind and dark intent. The story centres around the cruel and narcissistic Hugo Black, a multimillionaire who built his empire by destroying those beneath him, stepping on their necks on his way to the top of the greasy ladder.
The story is simple –
Invite everyone you have ever crossed to your home, lock all the doors, and see what happens.
But there is a twist –
Not only does each of the guests have a dark secret, such as love affairs, drug addiction, revenge, and more insidious motives, but there is also an evil entity that is pulling the strings of the weaker-minded who have darkness in their hearts.
With this story, I wanted to delve deep into the psychology of madness and cruelty and what would happen if laws and consequences were removed.
This book asks the really simple question: How well do you truly know someone, and what are they willing to do to save their own lives?
Friendships are strained, loving bonds are fractured, and our characters find themselves stranded in the desolate space between their perfect heaven and the hell they face.
The inspiration for this book came from real life, in which I met a narcissistic millionaire named ‘Hugo’ while I was a police officer. He was under investigation for a minor crime, for which he was told he had to come in for an interview. Unable to talk his way out of it, he decided to try and bully me, spending the next five minutes screaming at me and calling me names. I was young in service then, and I left with the intention of following up on the investigation; however, evidence happened to go missing, and that was that. Had I been longer in service, as I was by the time I left, he would have been dragged out in handcuffs, kicking and screaming.
So annoyed and pissed off with the interaction, I wrote a murder mystery night with my friends. Characters, storylines, and much more were birthed, and from that, I wrote the book, which was very well received.
So, thank you, Hugo, if you ever read this. Your giant baby tantrum made me a best-selling author and changed my life.
When life gives you lemons, I suppose...
One thing I enjoyed writing with this story was getting into the different mindsets of the characters. Each one is different, with different backgrounds, wants, and desires. Each has a dark secret and a separate goal. Weaving them together was fun and adding in some of my interests, such as classical music, Dante's Inferno, and even cold showers (you heard me), was challenging but great.
I hope you enjoy it.