Welcome, Kindred Spirits 👻

GrrrrRrrR, Hisssss, Gurgle, Bleurgh, Hiya!

14th February 2025

If you’ve ever found yourself drawn to the glow of a jack-o’-lantern, whispered to the shadows under your bed, or wished you could step into the pages of a haunted fairytale, then you, my fiendish friend are exactly where you should be!

This is a space where the eerie meets the enchanting, where the alternative is celebrated, and where no one has to wait until Halloween to revel in the marvellous macabre.

Think of it as your personal portal of escapism, your ever expanding grimoire, your ‘one stop spot’ for the spooky, kooky, magical, fantastical, weird and wonderful world(s) of Children’s Literature & Illustration.

Be warned though brave reader, we will be exploring stories inspired by;

🏚️ Haunted Hideaways & Spine-Tingling Settings

Bogs, swamps, misty moors, creepy forests, haunted houses, and anywhere the shadows stretch just a little too long…

🦇 Classic Monsters & Ghoulish Creatures

Witches, wizards, vampires, werewolves, mummies, skeletons, trolls, ogres, and of course my big guy, Dr Frankenstein’s misunderstood creation (justice for Frankie!).

👁️ Critters, Creepy Crawlies & Cryptids

Black cats, cute bats, things with too many legs, things with not enough legs, and those things lurking just beyond the edge of your vision…

👻 Supernatural & Paranormal Mysteries

Aliens, UAP/ UFO’s, ghosts, poltergeists, and the spine-chilling unknown. If it boggles the mind, I have a book recommendation that can help demystify it. Possibly!

🧚 Folklore, Fairytales & Mischievous Magic

Fae folk, goblins, imps, brownies, banshees and all the creatures of local legend and lore whispering their secrets from the shadows.

🎃 Seasons of Spooky

Here, we celebrate Valloween, Summerween, Halloween, and Creepmas, because one day a year just isn’t enough for the haunted-hearted!

📖 And, of course… Kidlit & Illustration for everyone!

From the cutest spookiest board books, to picture books with a delightfully eerie twist to middle-grade adventures dripping with mystery, to YA Gothic horrors that keep you up at night – if it’s got a dark soul, I’ll share it with yours! Because you are never too young or too old to enjoy a frightfully good story!


October Jones

Some people collect trinkets, memorabilia and well, ‘stuff’. I collect stories, especially the strange, the unusual, and the ones that make your spine shiver just a little.

I’m October Jones, your library- dwelling, curator of creepy, and devoted champion of spooky storytelling and I firmly believe that Children’s Literature and Illustration holds the most magic of all.

By day, I am a devoted guardian of stories (a Children’s Librarian) and by moonlight, I’m sharing bookish delights, curious recommendations, and occasional eerie whispers about the books you really shouldn’t read in the dark either here or ‘Around the Cauldron’.

So, grab a pumpkin spice potion (or a goblet of something delicious), jump in your comfy coffin or luxurious lair, whatever is most comfortable and let’s ‘Creep On Reading, Pumpkins!’ 🎃✨

Let’s get acquainted…

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