If you’re looking for a gripping read this summer, a writer with deep roots in Newton-le-Willows has just the thing – a psychological thriller that asks what might happen if the Devil turned out to be the good guy…
Steve Chelton, who writes under the name C H Elton, has been writing since childhood, but it is only as he has begun to look ahead to retirement – after 35 years in financial services – that he has been dedicating more and more of his time to his love of writing. “I’m looking forward to freeing up my imagination and giving it the run of the place,” he says.
His latest release is Marked by the Devil – Micky the Demon, the second book in a planned supernatural thriller trilogy. The story follows CEO Sally Fontana, framed for a £30 million fraud by her own board of directors and left facing criminal charges and public disgrace. When a demon named Micky appears with a proposition, Sally must choose between death and obscurity, or joining a covert crusade to bring down those who destroyed her life – backed by a Devil who is not the embodiment of chaos you might expect, but a strategic force out to rebalance a corrupt world.
“I wanted to take the idea of a Faustian bargain and turn it on its head,” Steve says. “Instead of the Devil being purely evil, she’s a force trying to correct the imbalance we see in the world today – corruption, inequality, and systems that protect the powerful. It creates a real moral tension for the characters and for the reader.”
Steve lived in Newton-le-Willows for around 25 years, making his home in various parts of the town, before moving to nearby New Bold. He remains closely connected to the community, serving as Chairperson of Newton Community Centre on Park Road South. When he is not writing, you will likely find him out on an early Saturday morning parkrun – which he credits as the perfect way to clear his mind and untangle tricky plot points – or enjoying the many restaurants on Newton High Street with his family.
“My aim is simple,” he says. “To tell stories that make you feel something. Whether that’s the chill of suspense, the pull of curiosity, or the quiet echo of a well-chosen word.”
Marked by the Devil – Micky the Demon by C H Elton is available now on Amazon as an eBook and paperback.