I’ve done a few interviews recently about The Woodcutter and have been asked what inspired it. One strand that I have referenced is that of wanting to incorporate a reality TV show type setup and using that to play with the reader’s understanding of what is going on.

The Woodcutter is set in the small village of Little Hatchet, edged by the overwhelming presence of GodBeGone Woods. These woods are the source of the legend of the Woodcutter and Grandma. Part of the legend was the need for the Woodcutter to claim an apprentice from the village and this process, the offering up of sons to the Woodcutter so that he could chose one of them, forms the re-enactment which is turned into a reality TV show. In addition to the film crew, the villagers also take part, videoing it for social media and YouTube. BUT is this just a re-enactment or is it real? Certainly as you read it, your perceptions will change and change again, much as the characters’ own understanding of what is going on is continually tested.

The idea of this level of manipulation came to me as I remembered a show, Apocalypse, created by Derren Brown which I caught on TV some years ago. It’s always stayed with me because it set up a person to believe that a zombie apocalypse had happened and he was the sole survivor. There has been much debate about whether this central character was an actor or not, but from what I remember, I believed then that he believed what was happening to him. And this was what I wanted to bring into The Woodcutter.

You can see Derren Brown’s show and decide for yourself.

Shepherd is a new site, one which asks authors for their favourite reads and to explain why they like them. They do not ask for an in-depth review for the books, but more a ‘response’, a human reaction to the book. And this is something which strongly appeals to me as a reader. I do not like to read reviews which analyse to nth detail, I like something which speaks to me in a more immediate manner. The ‘wow’ or ‘ugh’ which might be the only word in a review resonates more strongly, it is emotional and real. Such short responses draw me in to read the blurb and it is the latter which then determines my decision to read, or not.

My comments on my five favourites are not that short, but they are ‘me’, they are why I love the books in question. I hope you pick one or two of them, too, and enjoy them as much as I did.

https://shepherd.com/best-books/to-introduce-the-dark-delights-of-folk-horror

And if you want to see what else might be on my shelf at home, here’s a peek at part of my bookcase:

It’s been a while since my last short story collection (The Reckoning), and a lot has happened since then – including a growing body of shorter fiction which needed gathering in one place. In Devil Kin, I’ve mixed 6 previously published tales with 13 new ones, including a novelette. All, I believe, are amongst the strongest works I’ve written and range from gothic to folk horror to body horror and scifi/dystopian, and even some dark humour. With regard to the latter, I will happily admit to a soft spot for “The Book of Skin” which allowed me to have a chuckle with a pompous poet wandering the moors, though not quite as lonely as a cloud …

Catherine McCarthy, author of Immortelle, had these kind words to say ‘Devil Kin is a generous collection of folk horror and sci-fi/dystopian shorts, some of which have been previously published in anthologies while others are brand new. There truly is something for everyone here, and Ellis proves her strength at both genres.’ Go here for the full review.

Publication Date: 15th May

Pre-order here: https://books2read.com/u/mqe2Pd

For this book, I’ve decided to go wider for the ebook and so it is not part of Kindle Unlimited at amazon. Setting it up at different sites has been a learning experience! It may be that in the future I also move away a bit from amazon for the print version but one step at a time!

Ebook is available via amazon, Kobo and Barnes&Noble.

Print book will be available via amazon.

Table of Contents:

Dog Rose and Devilkin
Phantom
From the Mist
The Family Way
Moulting*
The Book of Skin
Suspended
Platform of the Righteous
Romany Rose*
Rat’s Alley
Family Reunion*
Milking Time*
Better to Close Your Eyes
To See with the Eyes of God
Cry me a River*
Skin to Skin
Unravelling*
The Last Word They Always Say
Of Blood and Stone (novelette)

*previously published

We knew that we had something special when we started to receive feedback from our earliest readers:

Their words have been reward enough for this little book which was truly a labour of love.

Foundlings is available via https://mybook.to/Foundlings

My bio-horror novella, Paused has picked up some fantastic recognition since its publication. Most recently, I was delighted to discover it has been awarded Scribble’s Worth Book Reviews Best Plot of the Year. https://scribblesworth.wordpress.com/2023/01/08/book-awards-2022/

First published via Silver Shamrock before the publisher closed, it found a new home and new cover with Brigids Gate Press (left).

Want to know what it’s about?

A terrifying pandemic sweeps the world, rendering its victims completely immobile but leaving them conscious with their minds intact. The victims are helpless against the environment, completely at the mercy of wild animals, weather, out of control fires, and other dangers. There’s no hope for those safe in their homes either, as they slowly starve to death, unable to feed themselves or drink.

Dr. Alex Griffiths leads a team racing against time to find a cure before it’s too late. Will he succeed?

I started writing this well before there was even a hint of the covid pandemic, my story being triggered by a what-if? moment after reading an article about locked-in syndrome. To be afflicted in this manner struck me as being possibly one of the worst things which could happen to a person. The idea of the ‘thinking cap’ is also developed from another article which talked about the possibility of reading thoughts becoming a reality, although this science is in its infancy. I love to find something in science, a possibility, and take it further. Sometimes I’ve even developed an idea and then found there is some truth in it after I’ve followed that train of thought – and I don’t know whether to be pleased – or frightened! – to discover that my ’cause’ for this particular pandemic has some basis in truth. If I mention what that aspect is, I give the story away, so I apologise, but you could always pick up a copy!

This Christmas, treat yourself to some cut-price ebooks and even a freebie as a Christmas thank you!

As the Wheel Turns – More Tales from the Weald is my folk horror short story collection set in the Five Turns world. It takes you through a year of rituals. From today and for 6 more days, it is down to 0.99.

https://mybook.to/AsTheWheelTurns

Poetry bonanza

Xmas Freebie! My twisted nursery rhyme collection, One, Two, I See You, is free from 12am Dec 21 – 11.59pm Dec 25th. https://mybook.to/OneTwoISeeYou

And watch out for poetry ebook sale! Starting 8am Dec 26th – 2nd Jan: Metallurgy, Foundlings & Lilith Rising will be down to 0.99 (US/UK).

https://mybook.to/Metallurgy

https://mybook.to/Foundlings

https://mybook.to/LilithRising

This has been a lovely way of seeing out a year which was initially fraught with publishing difficulty until the wonderful Brigids Gate Press came along.

The past few months have seen a real focus on both folk horror and poetry in writing and publication terms.

In the world of folk horror, I have been able to share Reborn, the upcoming sequel to The Five Turns of the Wheel with people. It’s currently available on Netgalley for review and is also up for pre-order here. It’s already picking up some great reviews:

‘This is a world of monsters. Stephanie Ellis takes us back into the Weald, refining and deepening a world she created. The world building is sensational, the imagery is magical, the characters alive with nuance …’ – Coy Hall, author of The Grimoire of the Four Imposters

I recently did my first online workshop (Darkness In the Fields), on how to turn the landscape into character in folk horror, which went reasonably well despite some technical difficulties at the start and a few nerves! If you missed this, then Alex Davis has another folk horror day lined up for March 2023, Darkness in the Fields 2, amongst many other workshop and online event opportunities.

This Sunday, I took part in Buzz Book Expo as part of the Brigids Gate Team and read an excerpt from another upcoming novel, The Woodcutter, which is due out in Jan. 2023.

I gave a sneak preview of the cover in progress which I share here together with the synopsis:

This reunion occurs against the backdrop of incomer Oliver Hayward’s scheme to raise money for the village by re-enacting part of the Woodcutter legend – a scheme hiding Hayward’s own murderous intentions. Old wounds are re-opened and ties of blood and friendship are tested to the extreme – when the Woodcutter is summoned and Grandma returns.

In addition to the folk horror, my poetry collaboration with Shane Douglas Keene, Lilith Rising, has finally gone up for pre-order here. This work started during lockdown and was batted back and forth across the pond over a period of some months, often with long breaks between but what appeared is something we are both extremely proud of! This is a true tale of revenge.

What else is happening? Things! I’ve a gothic horror novella out on submission and am currently 40000+ words into a new novel, Women of the Witch Eye. This is a dark historical mystery novel set in 1649 Lancashire, with a focus on murder and witchcraft and the social and political upheaval of the time. There is also a new poetry project developing …