Dark fantasy / occult / paranormal horror / magical realism
It’s 1985, and eighteen-year-old Katherine Green, twelfth-generation witch of her maternal family line, is a loose cannon. Grieving the death of her mother and estranged from her father – also leader of ‘The Council’ to which all witches are bound – she finds herself turning to a dangerous source for comfort: an incubus. Not just any incubus, but the king of the Shanka demon world, Darius.
Seductive and relentless, Darius feeds on Katherine’s rebellion like a vampire feeds on blood, with predictable and devastating consequences.
The only person with any hope of reaching her is Gwain, a fallen angel appointed to guard her by her father. But even he is struggling to make her see sense ... until an unexpected healing ray of light appears, demanding her courage, and changing the course of Katherine’s future forever.
This dark fantasy / supernatural horror novel explores Katherine’s relationship with her father, with Gwain, and with the darkness inside her, also adding new depth to the events leading up to Elena’s birth. It contains themes of an adult nature, including sexual themes that may be triggering for some. It is probably best read after the four main books of The Witching Pen Series so the nuances of the relationships are understood better.
This title is due to be released on 27th August, 2026 in both eBook and paperback formats, with a hardcover also released soon after.
The Kindle version will not be available for pre-order until nearer the release date, but all other platforms will be added to the link below as soon as the book is on there.
Katherine is not always an easy character to like in The Witching Pen Series, and she’s no more easy to like as a rebellious teenager acting out her anger and grief. In The Demon Bride, she explains to Elena that she is hard-headed like her mother whereas Elena is much more like her grandfather, to which Elena is suitably confused as she doesn’t feel she gets on with her grandfather at all (and up until The Demon Bride, pretty much saw him as evil). Katherine however … well, we’ll get to know her better, and it’s not going to be roses and sunshine. It’s the 80s, punk and rock rule, and she’s raging and hurt. What’s a girl to do but summon an incubus to hurt her father as much as she’s hurting.
Re-reading The Demon Bride and The Last Dragon will remind you of Katherine’s backstory and motivations as we head into Out of the Shadows. We may also learn some interesting things about Gwain.
All details for this book will be updated regularly on the website page.
Other imminent / upcoming releases:
After the Storm (paperback only) (contemporary fantasy / dark fantasy / saga)
Fathom’s Deep (paranormal romance / paranormal fantasy)
The House Along the Way (women’s fiction/contemporary romance | writing as Elysa Summers)
The Satin Smoke Press team