Mask of the Hare: Writing Folk Horror

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 told, and a burden she must carry to right past wrongs. This is the story of what happened. This is also the story of what Tamsin had to become, for all those who wish to know the truth.

Without wanting to give too much away, there’s witchcraft, revenge and a dark folk-horror atmosphere, but I didn’t want to create a simple, straight revenge story.

Revenge in itself is morally ambiguous and I wanted a protagonist that has to wrestle with that feeling. Tamsin doesn’t regret what she’s done but she does mourn the person she was after being forced to become the person she had to be.

So, what’s the inspiration?

My original idea for a mask in the shape of a hare came from a visit a couple of years ago to the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle, Cornwall, where there’s a wonderful exhibit by Lionel Miskin called The Hare Woman.

This lead me to start researching the link between witchcraft and the hare, which I wrote about in my blog post earlier this year.

Once I’d settled on a rough premise, it took me around six months to write Mask of the Hare, which went through several iterations before landing on the final version.

The first draft was pretty quick, and very simple. I wrote it as a close, third person perspective as Tamsin comes to terms with her grandmother’s death and her new found isolation. Through the mask, she uncovers her family’s history and the truth about the people who supressed what really happened. I was happy enough with it, and I like the shape of the story, but something was missing from the early drafts.

The inspiration for the final rewrite (draft six, by this point!) came from an unlikely source. I was re-watching some old episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and I reached Season 6 Episode 19 In The Pale Moonlight. For those that don’t know, it’s a famous episode in this series where the captain has to deploy some morally questionable tactics in order to gain a new ally in a war that was rapidly being lost. It’s filmed as a confessional to the camera where he tells the viewer of the story of what happened and how he has to live with the consequences. Whatever you may think of Star Trek and sci-fi in general, it’s a masterpiece of storytelling, and became the inspiration for my final rewrite of Mask of the Hare.

I spent the next few weeks changing the focal point and perspective of the story to a retrospective, first-person confessional narrative, which instantly made the story come to life.

This fundamental shift allowed me to retell the story in a whole new way, where the plot and Tamsin’s actions are still told, but now the morally grey concept of revenge could be explored in a much deeper, and satisfying way.

I really hope this comes across in the story, and I’m so pleased that it seems to have resonated in the early reviews.

The viewpoint of Tamsin telling her story is so important to me. I can’t imagine it being written any other way; we know only what she wants us to know. I finished this novella in a day, and it was such a refreshing read. I’m very picky when it comes to women written by male authors, but I can truly say the women were authentic and easy to sympathize with. The girlhood between Mary and Tamsin was really something to me. -literaturecryptid - Goodreads review - September 8, 2026

Her story is told in such a way that you connect with the character instantly, her naivety and guardedness at the beginning make her endearing, but the way she tells her tale shows he growth and wisdom at the end. -Angharad Beresford - Goodreads review - September 19, 2026

The story was very compelling and the folk and horror tones blended perfectly together. I also think that the first person perspective made it more interesting as you got a really good insight into the feelings and motivations of the main character. -Eleanor - Goodreads review - September 15, 2026

I hope this gives a quick insight into the process of how this made it into the world. The more I write, the more I’m learning that you can never predict where stories come from and how they are going to evolve. Sometimes, you just have to be open to ideas and let them take you where they need to go.

In the end, I’m so proud of this novella, and if you get the chance to read it, I’m always happy to discuss ideas and the thoughts of the most treasured thing a writer could possibly have - a reader.

Alex

Mask of the Hare: A Folk-Horror Novella is released on October 1st 2026 available from all the usual platforms. Signed copies can be found at www.darkfellwrites.com

Look out for a special edition hardback, coming end of October 2026 only at www.darkfellwrites.com

Mask of the Hare