Read an excerpt of the #mystery The Lyons Orphanage from Charlie King
Title: The Lyons Orphanage
Series: The Lyons Series
Author: Charlie King
Genre: Mystery
Published: 8th March 2017
~ Blurb ~
Sam Watkins, an orphaned young teenager, possesses the ability to read the minds of almost everyone he meets. Howard Lyons, the owner of the orphanage where Sam has lived since he was a baby, has been reluctant to let Sam leave the orphanage. Unable to read the mind of Mr Lyons, he takes it upon himself to investigate the reasons behind the owner’s decisions and learn more about the origin of his ability, his parents and the potential of his power. However, Sam’s investigation and mind-reading abilities reveal a power struggle at the top of a faltering orphanage between Mr. Lyons and his assistant Natalie. Sam’s involvement in this conflict leads him to look for ways to save the orphanage and uncover the true motivations of both the owner and his assistant while trying to learn about his past.
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~ Excerpt ~
“Thank you Mr Lyons for being so honest with me, when I do go to a new home, there will always be a tinge of sadness about leaving you, Natalie and the books behind,” I said.
“While we’re being honest Sam, I should let you know that you shouldn’t hold Natalie in the highest regard,” said Mr Lyons.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You’ve seen her around recently, you’ve seen the stress and anger in her face,” replied Mr Lyons. “I shouldn’t really be telling you this but we both trust each other, right?” he asked.
“Of course,” I responded.
“For the past year, Natalie has been trying to oust me from my position so that she can take charge of the orphanage,” said Mr Lyons.
“I don’t understand why she would do that, you two have worked tirelessly over the years for the orphanage,” I said.
“We have but recently Natalie seems to have convinced herself that she has the only right way to do things, she can’t wait to undermine me at every opportunity and tell me how my decisions are ruining the orphanage,” said Mr Lyons.
“That doesn’t sound like Natalie,” I said.
“She didn’t use to be like this but I think with all the work she has put in, she is seeking fame for running such a charitable cause, she feels she should be rewarded with some sort of celebrity status,” said Mr Lyons. “The only ego-driven decision I made was to have lion-head knockers on the front doors to represent me, even though my surname isn’t spelt the same.”
“But you’re the one who funds the orphanage, how does she expect to keep it running?” I asked.
“She wants to cut corners everywhere to save money, I know that she saved up well from her previous job so she can just do enough to fund this place but if you thought I had to make sacrifices with the building and quality of food, you don’t want to see what she’d do to the orphanage,” said Mr Lyons. I couldn’t believe that Natalie would have these intentions so I was intent on finding out the truth myself so that next time I saw her, I’d read her mind to know exactly what she was thinking. It is supported by the fact that reading Natalie’s mind earlier had shown me she was angry and that apparently Mr Lyons was the idiot Natalie was referring to.
“Are you sure she’s not just saying these things out of stress?” I asked Mr Lyons.
“I wish it was because then I’d understand it but that stress over the years has manifested itself in her recently to a nasty, continuous campaign of hate against me,” said Mr Lyons. “Under stress, she has turned to alcohol which is why, if you saw her this morning, she looks tired and lacks energy.”
“In that case, I don’t understand why she’s still here,” I said.
“It’s not so easy to replace her, despite all this, Natalie is still committed to working here and finding a new assistant would be a struggle for me right now,” said Mr Lyons. “Natalie is killing herself and her relationship with me but for now, I need her to keep up the hard work while I search for a suitable replacement.”
“She wouldn’t leave though, you said it yourself, she’s after your job,” I said.
“Don’t you worry about me, I’m keeping in control of everything, just let me know if you ever see anything suspicious from Natalie,” said Mr Lyons. “That’s why I’ve told you this, I trust you to use this information wisely and help you to distance yourself from Natalie so the final goodbye is far less emotional.”
“Okay, thank you sir,” I said.
“I’m glad we have had this chat, make sure it stays just between us,” said Mr Lyons. I nodded towards him and headed out the room.
~ About the author ~
My name is Charlie King. I am a newly self-published author from Croydon, England having just published my first book, The Lyons Orphanage, and I intend to write more including a sequel.
I have had an interest in English and writing ever since I was young and it has stuck with me throughout my education. I have a BA Hons in Journalism with English Language from the University of Portsmouth. When I finished university, I found that Journalism was no longer for me but I still loved to write so instead I tried to find a non-Journalism related writing job. When that didn’t happen, I went through a stressful job in retail before working where I am now in an administrative role in a law firm.
Being content with my job, I found myself motivated to write a book. It had crossed my mind many times over the years; I even tried to write a book a long time ago around the age of ten/eleven but it was terrible and lucky not seen by any eyes other than my own. The thought of that book put me off from thinking I could write a decent book. However, now I am happy to say that I’m pleased with my debut novel. I was surprised of how the ideas flowed into my mind as I was writing it and it was the same for planning the plot of the sequel.