Magic is Book 23 of Demain Publishing’s Short Sharp Shocks! series. The latest edition of the chapbook, Magic, features two folk horror stories. The first, Magic, sees old magic coming to town as ex-con Grange races against the shape-shifting terrors of the Wild Hunt for one last chance to see his daughter.

Having children allows you to glimpse the magic of childhood. We tell our kids stories of wonder where our world is inhabited by tooth fairies and elves, princesses and trolls, bunnies that deliver eggs, a grandfather that gives presents to all the world’s children in one single night, and for a short time they believe. This ability, this innocence, has long fascinated me, and Magic was a way of recording this. Of course, as I explored the subject, I entered the folklore forest and discovered the dark origins of some of western societies’ well-loved beliefs, and one of these has made its way into the story.

The second tale, The Woodwose and His May Queen (first published in Terror Tract magazine), is a tragic story of possession and obssession, a breathless pursuit through ancient woods, and a twisted take on old traditions.

Available at Amazon and Scifier. Listed on Goodreads and StoryGraph.