From an ancient story, a new horror begins…
The gallows beckon, and it’s more than just rivalry and Puritan injustice driving Old Demdike and her family there.
Twisted Fate Publishing, a small, independent UK publisher, is delighted to announce the publication of the next new title from Huddersfield author Nick Stead: The View from Gallows Hill.
A clever blend of historical fiction and supernatural horror, this book follows the events leading to Gallows Hill, Lancashire, in that fateful month of August, 1612. Stead begins his version of the story in 1609, and at the heart of the tale is Old Demdike and her family, labelled witches in the eyes of
the Puritans but considered cunning folk by themselves and those not yet blinded by the new religion.
Life is becoming ever harder for the cunning folk with so many being forced into the new Protestant faith, and the people of Pendle are increasingly turning their back on the old ways – the traditions of their pagan ancestors, passed down through the generations and kept alive by the wise women and cunning men still practising their craft. But this is not the craft of black magic and devilry the Puritans mistake it for. The ways of the cunning folk are rooted firmly in the white magic which draws its energy from nature and spirits, and Demdike encourages her family to use the craft for healing the sick and protecting their neighbours from dark spirits and evil curses from the likes of their biggest rival, Chattox, who is perfectly happy to turn to the dark arts.
But one Puritan in particular has a personal grudge against Demdike and her clan. Richard Baldwin, the miller of Wheathead and a steward of the Church, will do whatever it takes to see every last ‘witch’ sent to the gallows. Even if it means dealing with demons.
The View from Gallows Hill is Stead’s own spin on the story of the Pendle witches. There is much in his novel that has a firm basis in the true events recorded in Potts’ account of the trials, but there is also plenty that came purely from his twisted imagination. Hellhounds, demons and other dark
spirits feature, as well as the craft of the cunning folk and the curses of those who could be more accurately called ‘witch’.
The View from Gallows Hill is available on Amazon for both Kindle and Kindle Unlimited, as well as in paperback format – HERE.
More information about The View from Gallows Hill, the author, and his other works, can be found at www.nick-stead.co.uk
Nick Stead is a lifelong fan of supernatural horror and fantasy, Nick spends his days prowling the darker side of fiction, often to the scream of heavy metal guitars and the purrs of his feline companions.
Fate set him on the path of the writer at the tender age of 15. The journey has been much longer and harder than his teenage self ever anticipated, but 20 years later he is still forging ahead. Nick is best known for his Hybrid series. He has also had short stories published in various anthologies, and will soon be releasing another non-Hybrid novel inspired by the legend of the Heart of Midlothian in Edinburgh and the history of The Old Tolbooth prison, as well as his own journey as a published author.
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