Why I love a hardback special edition (and why I ended up making my own) I love books. Don’t you? I assume that’s why you’re reading this, which is a relief to me as I probably don’t need to try too hard to convince you how bloody amazing a book can be. To be clear, I’m no format snob. I read eBooks and paperbacks. Audiobooks are awesome too, the way they can transform a story into a performance, so that even if it’s raining or you’re driving, and you can’t hold an actual boo

An Indie Author’s Guide Are you an indie author that’s really wanted to make a hardback special edition of your book? Yes, you can publish it through Amazon KDP and get a nice hardback edition, but what about foil embossed, wraparound dust covers? Or end papers? Or sprayed edges? I recently took the plunge and put together a bespoke, hardback special edition of my new novella Mask of the Hare, via Bookvault, who offer all these additions as a bespoke, print-on-demand service.

Creating a book cover the hands on way There are some genuinely stunning book covers out there at the moment - there really are. In my humble opinion, the best ones are made by a human being, by utilising a human’s creative gift, that which leaves part of that human being’s soul intrinsically blended into the image. A book cover is so much more that just the outward facing part of a book. To me, the cover is part of the story itself. I consider myself a multi-creative (sorry,

The inspiration and process for writing a folk-horror novella With just six days to go before the release of my new folk horror novella Mask of the Hare, I thought it would be great to introduce you to the inspiration and more about my writing process for this small but (hopefully!) mighty novella. When Tamsin Bray’s grandmother dies, she leaves behind a chest containing a single item: a carved mask in the shape of a hare. The mask shows Tamsin the truth she has never been to

I shall go into a hare, With sorrow and sych and meickle care; And I shall go in the Devil's name, Ay while I come home again. Those that have been reading my newsletters recently will know that I’ve been working on a new folk horror novella called “Mask of the Hare.” It’s currently sitting with my editor, and while I wait for feedback, I wanted to take some time talking about the inspiration behind this story. I remember clearly the moment I realised I had to write a book ab

Personal rituals to honour the goddess of rebirth Ēostre in ink by Alex Darkfell I’m not sure about you, but as I’ve got older, I feel a lot more connected to the changes of the seasons than I used to be. I love seeing the first signs of Spring, especially, like this year, if the winter has felt particularly cold, dark and wet. The first signs for me are when the Hawthorn bushes begin to show their first green leaves (they’re great in salads btw) and the blackthorn blossoms b

A Short Pilgrimage through Neolithic Wiltshire My alarm went off at 4.15am and I crept downstairs, careful not to wake the rest of my family. It was the morning of the Spring Equinox 2026 and I’d made the decision the night before that this would be the year I’d make the trip on foot to nearby Stonehenge for the sunrise. Like for the solstices, the site is opened up for visitors free of charge for the morning, where visitors can get up close to the stones and I’d planned out

The Origins of Christmas So, what even is Christmas? Why do we bother? For some, it’s a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. Different Christian denominations celebrate it in various ways. However, long before that, mid-winter meant party time. For those who know me, I live about ten minutes from Stonehenge. This site has a long history and significance around the summer and winter solstice. If you travel about three miles north, you’ll come to Durrington, famou

I'm lucky enough to live in south Wiltshire, a beautiful part of the world with rolling hills and surrounding chalkland, with the medieval city of Salisbury at its heart. If you venture just west of Salisbury, you’ll come to the small village of Wilton. On the outskirts of this village lies the ancient Grovely Wood. You can drive out, about 10 minutes from Salisbury, park in the small car park, and follow the old, beech-lined Roman road through the woods. If you can go during

Hi All OK so I’m going to do something a little different today and send out the first of my folklore inspired essays, this time, on numbers and their powers in superstition. Hope you enjoy! Alex PS. thanks to all who have read my new folk-horror short story collection Epiphany and More. Out now on Amazon as paperback and eBook. Signed copies still available on my website, www.darkfellwrites.com. Enter EPIPHANY10 at checkout for 10% off! Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a h