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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best book magazine in the UK“, in The Reflection by TLJ Heaven, Dr Johnathan Grunge unwittingly unleashes a plague of living shadows with an insatiable appetite for killing in the most gruesome of ways upon the world.
The Reflection
Drawing inspiration from his childhood fear of shadows (sciophobia), TLJ Heaven crafts a chilling sci-fi horror story titled The Reflection. The novel delves into the psyche and scientific pursuits of Dr. Johnathan Grunge, exploring the unexpected consequences of his laboratory experiments. Dr. Grunge’s work seems to tap into the very essence of his childhood fear, turning shadows into something far more gruesome and terrifying.
Haunted by the tragic loss of his eldest daughter, Rebecca, Dr. Johnathan Grunge poured years of research into genetic manipulation, desperately seeking a solution. Blinded by grief, he was oblivious to the chilling consequences of his experiments. Unwavering in his focus on the DNA program, he remained unaware of the monster he was birthing in the shadows. This monstrous creation now plagued his nights, a constant reminder of the darkness he’d unleashed upon his own family.
TLJ Heaven started to write this fearsome and bloodcurdling narrative, which combines both physical and psychological terror, at the tender age of 14, and completed it almost a decade later. His fascination with the damaged Walter Bishop, the lead character in the TV series Fringe, provided the inspiration for his highly intelligent and eccentric scientist.
TLJ Heaven
Hailing from the Rhondda Valleys in South Wales, 25-year-old author TLJ Heaven now calls Northern Ireland’s Newtownards home (since 2021). His passion for writing began young, with the first draft of “The Reflection” completed at just 14. Fast forward to August 2021, and the full novel was complete! Currently, TLJ Heaven is already hard at work on his second novel, showcasing his dedication to the craft.
As a bucket list goal, I wanted to write a novel. I succeeded by writing this book when I was fourteen years of age, which was around the year 2013. The original manuscript was merely 32,000 words (92 pages) long. At the time, I was studying “Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck” in school, so my goal was to make my manuscript longer than that. Little did I know back then that it was considered a novella rather than a novel.
My original idea was to create a horror story with heavy science fiction themes. I have always had a fascination with the horror genre and explored it whenever I had the opportunity to. It may sound contrary, but the paranormal aspects never appealed to me. So, I wanted to create a book or series of books based around science fiction or more realistic premises.
When I was a child, I got scared easily and one of the most powerful fears I had, was of shadows.
John Grunge was inspired by the character Walter Bishop from the TV series ‘Fringe’. John Noble’s performance of Walter Bishop was amazing, and his personality was contagious. I wanted to explore a similar premise. A man who was so intelligent that he had to resolve the errors he had made. “I redrafted over the years but never put consistent effort into the book until COVID 19 struck in 2020. It took me until 2021 to fully immerse myself in the redraft.
Now with a more experienced mind, a better understanding of the horror genre and the experience of reading Stephen King and Robert Jordon; the details of the book just grew to build up what you have in your hands today. My characters and scenes came to life in a way that I never could have imagined when I was younger.
-TLJ Heaven
Find more from TLJ Heaven now:
Apple Books: https://apple.co/45EeWKw
Kindle: https://amzn.to/3VYRGnm
Paperback: https://amzn.to/3VDXzVB
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