Joseph Delaney
About Author
Joseph Delaney is a retired English teacher living in Lancashire near his three children and seven grandchildren. His home is in the middle of Boggart territory and his village has a boggart called the Hall Knocker, which was laid to rest under the step of a house near the church.
Most of the places in the Spook's books are based on real places in Lancashire. And the inspiration behind the stories often comes from local ghost stories and legends.
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The Spook's books are about a boy called Thomas Ward who is the seventh son of a seventh son with a destiny mapped out before him. At the age of 13 he leaves his family and the farm where he grew up to become an apprentice to the local Spook.
But its the night-time when things turn really scary. It is only when Thomas is tricked into freeing Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the county, that he really understands the true nature of horror.
As a child, Joseph lived in a similar house in Preston where he had a recurrent nightmare. In the dream he'd be sitting on a carpet in the front room whilst his mother was knitting. Then, everything would become cold and a shadow-thing would come up from the coal cellar, pick him up and carry him back towards the dark. What's even spookier . . . his brothers had the same nightmare!
Joseph does believe in things you cant see and although he has never actually seen a ghost he does believe he has heard one!
The first book in the series, The Spook's Apprentice, is being made into a film directed by Enchanted Director Kevin Lima. Warner Brothers and Legendary are co-producing and co-financing along with Thunder Road.
