Sep 3, 20223 min read

Blackbirch, Oak, Willow & More!

So, last week was pretty interesting for me, and by some bizarre coincidence...

everything was tree themed!

First point of discussion, a huge shout out to author K.M. Allan for her incredibly spellbinding series, Blackbirch. I devoured book one, The Beginning — nice double entendre there by the way K.M! (fans of the book will understand!), in just a few days. I'm a slow reader, but could have easily managed it all in one sitting otherwise.

The story follows Josh Taylor as he discovers things aren't always as they seem in his sleepy little nowhere town of Blackbirch. After moving back to live with his mother's best friend after his parents perish in a terrible car accident, Josh is haunted by bizarre dreams and visits by a mysterious girl with an ear blue glow.

Grab your copy here!

Below is my brief review:

I was absolutely captivated by this story from the start.

Everything about Blackbirch: The Beginning spoke to me. The creepy, mysterious town. The dead, unnerving forest. Magick. Nightmares. Mayhem.

Allan has done an amazing job at bringing this world to life, and the characters are enjoyable and real.

I’ll definitely be recommending this book to anyone and everyone.

I already have the next two in the series waiting in anticipation, and I can’t wait to discover more about the spellbinding town of Blackbirch.

Now if all that talked creepy towns and prophetic dreams has you thinking about another strange town you all know and love, then you may be even more shocked to hear it's been two years now since the release of Denver Falls! I can't quite believe it. It seems like yesterday I imagined up the story and spent day after day adding to it.

If you're new to my blog and yet to read it, you can grab the ebook on Apple, Kobo, and more here or on Amazon here in ebook & paperback.

Also, click the link blow to download the audiobook version, narrated by the talented Olivia Tennison (Chicago Fire, S10 Ep10). https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B08S29CHNW/?source_code=AUKFrDlWS02231890H6-BK-ACX0-230909&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_230909_rh_uk

Here's the blurb.

Plagued by strange dreams and questions about her past, Harper Andrews is leaving the comfort of her college campus behind to go in search of answers.

Answers she believes are hidden in the town of Denver Falls.

What will she find?

What will she lose?

And who is the mysterious shadow that haunts her dreams?

The town of Denver Falls was first introduced in my novella, The Willow, which began as a creepy short story for halloween.

You can grab a copy of the ebook here for only 99p!

Next up on my tree themed week is my work's Friday Factoid. In a bizarre coincidence, last Friday's fact filled email was all about, you guessed it, trees!

Here are some of my favourites.

Trees have only been around for the last 10% of the earth’s entire history. The earth may be a staggering 4.5 billion years old – but even early forms of plants (such as mosses and lichens) only sprang up as recently as 470 million years ago.😮

Like humans, trees do die from disease or lack of nourishment etc, but they never die of old age. In the right environment, Some tree species never die of old age. Yes, some species of tree are actually biologically immortal!.........😳

Of all the surprising facts about trees, it's perhaps their staggering height that inspires the most awe and wonder. The towering great-granddaddy of them all is a redwood species called Hyperion – which is a massive 116 metres high. That’s 20 metres taller than Big Ben!........😳

It’s been proven that just looking at trees can make us feel happier, less stressed and more creative. That’s partly because they release chemicals called phytoncides. Research has shown that when we breathe them in, it can have amazing effects, reducing blood pressure, lowering anxiety levels and increasing pain threshold – and they can even boost our levels of anti-cancer proteins!....😳

There’s a whole lot of folklore and myth surrounding trees – and all kinds of ancient pagan cultures, including the Celts, believed that kindly spirits lived in trees. Knocking on tree trunks was thought to awaken the spirit for protection – and this led to the saying ‘knock on wood’, which we still use today!.........😮