Thistle & Down

Anne Kelly is eighteen, on her own, and five months pregnant. But she tells herself she can handle it: life in the slums and smoky mills of 19th century Leeds has taught her how to survive. What life hasn't taught her is how to handle baby-snatching fairies.

At first Anne refuses to believe the masters of her mill are up to magical (and deadly) mischief. But when she’s framed for a coworker's unnatural murder, she must expose the true nature of Thistle & Down. As the mill and its workers become twisted by magic, Anne recruits a shy weaver, a soft-hearted bully, and a mischievous bogle to confront the fairytale creatures before they steal every baby in Leeds, including her own.

Thistle & Down is an adult historical fantasy that explores expectant motherhood in a setting of Victorian factories and magic. Complete at 89,000 words, it will draw in fans of The Peculiar and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faerie, as well as the untapped market of fantasy readers who are new/expectant mothers.