Lynda Stacey’s debut novel Keeper of the House has beaten a number of extremely high quality entries to win Choc Lit’s Search for a Star competition, in collaboration with Whole Story Audiobooks. The prize for the winning entry is a publishing contract, with world rights for the novel going to Choc Lit and Whole Story Audio.

Keeper of the House is a contemporary romantic suspense with a parallel timeline set in 1942. It is described by the author as “Fatal Attraction meets Lady Chatterley’s Lover” and follows the character of Madelaine Frost as she attempts to escape Declan O’Brien, a man frighteningly obsessed with her, helped by ex-marine, Christopher ‘Bandit’ Lawless.

One particularly interesting aspect of Keeper of the House is the distinctive location. The hotel owned by Madelaine’s father in the novel is based directly on the idyllic Wrea Head Hotel in Scarborough where Stacey and her husband have stayed in the past. Hotel owner, Gerald Aburrow, commented: “We purchased Wrea Head Hall as we knew it was a special place. To have one of our guests who equally loves the house write such a captivating and thrilling story using the house as the main back drop made it a special treat to read”

Stacey, a long-term Choc Lit fan, described her feelings on finding out she had won the competition: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with Choc Lit and Whole Story Audiobooks. Choc Lit has always been the one publisher above all others, that I really wanted to be with …  In short, nothing could have prepared me for this amazing journey, it’s like being on a rollercoaster without a track and I’m so happy to be taking the ride.”

Keeper of the House will be released in 2016.

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