Category Archives: magickal realms

November 3, 2025 · 11:06 am

A Gothic Renaissance, 2025. The Gothic Revival.

November 3, 2025, The Gothic Revival

Gothic literature, art, film, fashion, style (even food and cookbooks) and all the nuances of pop culture are rising not only in popularity but in value and depth of understanding.

Power of the unknown and the supernatural will get you every time and refuse to let go. Nielsen BookScan’s data reveals a staggering increase in horror book sales, with a 54% jump during 2022 to 2023. Becky Spratford in her column at Library Journal states that Publisher’s Lunch reports horror sales rose 79% in 2023. Gothic novels are a large part of these surges. Seventy percent of horror readers identify as female.

Art by ANTIQVE. Digital Vintage Aesthetic Art

For 2024 and 2025, blends of Gothic horror with romance and fantasy are creating a new cross-genre in literature. Dark academia is thriving. Feminist horror is bursting out from traditional and indie publishers.

At Mind On Fire Books, they explain Gothic’s rise “Maybe it’s the world feeling a little extra haunted lately, or maybe it’s just that nothing beats a good, brooding castle and a ghost with unfinished business. Either way, classic gothic tales are everywhere in 2025, from TikTok book clubs to indie author anthologies.” More here from Mind On Fire Books about the Gothic revival:

Haunted Again: Why Gothic Revival Is Trending (and How to Read the Best for Free)

The Gothic Subculture Is Still Going Strong. What do you think?

Liisa Ladouceur, author of Encyclopedia Gothica, says “The truth is goth is immortal, and it’s never truly gone away . . . goth survives because beneath the vampire shtick is an embrace of timeless, deeper themes like beauty, romance and death.” More here from Liisa:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-goth-subculture-revival-younger-generations/

Why Does Gothic Endure in Visual Culture?

Nathania Gilson advises at her blog “What we call gothic has always been a moving target, but one thing stays constant: finding beauty in what’s meant to frighten has to say about why Gothic is shapeshifting history.” Read more of Nathania’s thoughts here:

https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/gothic-resurrection-the-thing-that-wouldnt-die-graphic-design-illustration-271025

Do you think Gen Z is contributing to the Gothic surge happening?

Ed Power at The Independent.com investigates what goth looks like in the 2020s and why it’s back now. “Like most current trends, the great goth revival is partly a social media phenomenon. GothTok accounts sprang up on TikTok as Gen Zers celebrated their love of goth music, fashion and literature online. Follow the “gothgirl” hashtag and you’ll disappear down a virtual warren that leads to all sorts of bleak and eerie places.” More from Ed Power here:

https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/features/gen-z-goth-trend-tim-burton-beetlejuice-the-cure-b2698070.html

There is a contining relevance of Gothic in our world today. What do we gain from Gothic? Does it awaken our instincts to our primal nature? Do realms of fear and fascination unlock self-discovery?

I think Gothic can be a mirror to our soul’s hidden depths both the beautiful and the monstrous. The Gothic genre invites us to explore not only fear and the unknown powers beyond but also the eternity of our souls.

If you love the dark and mysterious, or if you write, read, illustrate, dress, decorate, or gobble up Gothic wherever you can, please drop a comment below. What do you think of a Gothic Reading Month?

Lots more to come on Gothic here at Reading Fiction Blog.

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I invite you to browse the INDEX OF AUTHORS’ TALES above for free short stories or novellas. This is a compendium of nearly 400 stories by some 170 famous contemporary and classic storytellers of mystery, Gothic, suspense, supernatural, ghost stories, crime, sci-fi, romance, horror and quiet-horror, fantasy, and mainstream fiction.

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Filed under dark literature, fairy tales, fiction, fiction bloggers, Genre-Bending, Genre-Blending, ghost stories, gothic, Gothic fiction, Gothic Horror, Gothic-Fantasy Fiction, Gothic-Horror-Fantasy Fiction, haunted houses, haunted mind, historical fiction, historical ghost stories, horromantasy, horror blogs, horror renaissance, horror revival, horror short stories, literary horror, Magical Gothic, Magickal Gothic, magickal realms, magickal romance, magickal romantasy, mysteries, paranormal, Penny Dreadful, psychological horror, quiet horror, READING FICTION BLOG Paula Cappa, romantasy, romantic thrillers, supernatural fiction, supernatural mysteries, supernatural tales, supernatural thrillers, women writers

Tagged as 54% increase in horror book sales, 70% of horror readers are female, 79% increase in horror book sales, dark themed literature, Draakensky, Goth Girls, GothGirl, Gothgirl hashtag, Gothic literature, horror readers, horror renaissance, horror revival, Magic and Gothic Literature, Paula Cappa, Wind Witch of Draakensky

September 23, 2025 · 10:34 am

Conjuring the “Magickal Gothic”—A Supernatural Genre-Blend for Readers

Conjuring the “Magickal Gothic.”

September 23, 2026

Magickal Gothic Fiction

How wild is your heart? How far will you let your imagination journey into the unknown realms of magickal powers?

Stories in the Magickal Gothic fiction genre tell readers they are in for a supernatural adventure, a terror that expands the mind and elevates the imagination. When mystery and magick, romance and ghosts, intertwine with the supernatural, there is a terrifying haunting.

An emotional intensity captures the reader. If you’ve not experienced Magickal Gothic fiction, I’m here to define and recommend this new level of Gothic Horror—although horror is the root category, in Magickal Gothic we experience a distinctive phenomenon.

Ann Radcliffe, known as the originator of the Female Gothic Movement (The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794), explained that “Terror and horror are so far opposite, that the first expands the soul, and awakens the faculties to a high degree of life; the other [horror] contracts, freezes, and nearly annihilates them.” She explains that “terror is a very high one” and “lies in the uncertainty and obscurity.”

Stephen King reminds us of the three types of terror: “I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I’ll go for the gross-out. I’m not proud.” Danse Macabre.

King describes this sublime terror as, ‘when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but turn around and there’s nothing there.’ But of course something is threatening there, and we instinctively know it.

In storytelling, this terror exists in Magickal Gothic fiction because Gothic, by its very nature, is sublime. For example, in Elizabeth Hand’s Wylding Hall, this story has a deep subtlety to it, with music being the supernatural power of magick, mixed with folklore and psychological uncertainty, ghostly presences, and all wrapped in an atmospheric mystery. This is not the kind of literal horror that contracts and freezes the reader, but it is a serious haunting for the reader.

Defining Magickal Gothic exhibits a range of variations and includes the following. Settings are dark, ancestral estates; a structured magickal or suggested occult power rules this fictional world (spell-craft, magickal artifacts, rituals, curses, art, ancient books, or folklore and history); hidden realms play into the action; ghostly or otherworldly entities drive the theme; characters seek emotional or psychological answers about themselves or a lost one, which drive the plot.

Romantic intrigue or sexual tensions are a classic element that raises the stakes. Language, of course, is a defining feature, the prose acting as an instrument of the intense dread, beauty, and mystery—descriptive narrative breaks open the fictional dream for the reader.

What books lurk in these magickal Gothic shadows? To name a few of these genre-blending, or genre-bending, novels . . .

The Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness: witches, demons, magickal manuscripts, vampires, blood magick.

Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia: haunted house, ghosts, science, evil, magickal arts, cultural feminist themes.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke: magickians, ghosts, literary secrets, historical powers.

The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon: ghosts, cursed books, magickal powers.

Wylding Hall, Elizabeth Hand: occult music, folklore, ghostly presences, magickal blends of spell-craft.

The Death of Jane Lawrence, Caitlin Starling: alchemical magick, spell-craft, magicians, feminist themes, ghosts, love story, body horror.

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt, Chelsea Iversen: London estate, magickal garden, ambiguous ghostly presenses, psychological and feminist themes, love story.

Affinity, Sarah Waters: Victorian England, unruly ghosts, magick, spiritualism, romance.

The Year of the Witching, Alexis Henderson: Dark forest setting, ghostly shadows, ancient witch magick.

Everything Is Magick

Readers love the fictional dream of fantastical realms, magick, and ghostly worlds beyond. As you explore the various genres (and many overlap into cross-genres), whether it be Urban or Rural Gothic, Southern or Suburban Gothic, Paranormal Gothic, Historical Gothic, Dark Romantic Gothic, Cosmic or Eco Gothic, Folk or Crime/Mystery Gothic, Sci-fi or Techno Gothic, Fantasy Gothic, there is a new and excited readership for Magickal Gothic among these diversities.

Gothic writers will continue to terrify readers with their high creativity. These stories will enlighten and grow our understanding of fear, oppression, endurance, and morality.

Is Gothic a mirror or a mask? Let’s find out if the ghost in the mirror is you or trying to become you.

Coming soon . . . An International Gothic Reading Month! Watch this blog for when and where this event will be made public. We are on a mission to encourage and proliferate Gothic readers and writers, authors and publishers, and Gothic books displayed in shops and libraries. Why? Because Gothic communicates that the mysteries of our spirituality possess wisdom, beauty, and redemption.

I sign off with my own Magickal Gothic adventure.

Please share your thoughts about Magickal Gothic. Comment if you have a title to add or author you admire who writes in this genre. Are you an author of Magickal Gothic? I invite authors to post your titles and links in the comments. Please join me in promoting Magickal Gothic literature!

Gothic shadows are whispering. What are yours saying?

Darkness can possess its own shining.

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Filed under book bloggers, book recommendations, Book Reviews, dark fantasy, dark fantasy fiction, dark literature, fiction, fiction bloggers, Genre-Bending, Genre-Blending, ghost stories, ghost story blogs, Gothic fiction, Gothic Horror, Gothic-Fantasy Fiction, Gothic-Horror-Fantasy Fiction, haunted mind, historical fiction, historical ghost stories, horromantasy, horror, horror blogs, horror short stories, literary horror, literary short stories, Magic, Magical Gothic, magical realism, magical romance, Magical stories, magick, Magickal Gothic, magickal realms, magickal romance, magickal romantasy, novels, occult, paranormal, quiet horror, READING FICTION BLOG Paula Cappa, romantic thrillers, short story blogs, soft horror, Stephen King, supernatural fiction, supernatural music, supernatural mysteries, supernatural thrillers, tales of terror, vampires, weird tales, werewolves, witches, witchraft, wolf stories, Women In Horror, women writers

Tagged as A Discovery of Witches, A Supernatural Tale of Magick and Romance, Ann Radcliffe, Conjuring the Magickal Gothic, Draakensky, Gothic and Magic novels, Gothic Book Reviews, Gothic Genre, Gothic ghost stories, Gothic Horror, Gothic Horror and Fantasy, Gothic Horror Fantasy, Gothic horror romantic fiction, Gothic mysteries, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Magic and Gothic Literature, Magick is Everything, Mexican Gothic, Paula Cappa, The Wind Witch of Draakensky

August 20, 2025 · 11:22 am

Lovecraft’s Ancient Garden: “The grey, grey scenes . . .”

Author of the Week

H.P. Lovecraft (August 20, 1890—March 15, 1937)

August 20, 2025

In remembering Lovecraft on his birth date, I found this poem that is brimming with a ghostly atmosphere of the past. I love the Old English flavors he uses—oft, flow’rs, o’er. There is a gloomy beauty in this garden, reminding me of how intensely dark Gothic tales can bloom. Don’t miss it.

The Garden

There’s an ancient, ancient garden that I see sometimes in dreams,
Where the very Maytime sunlight plays and glows with spectral gleams;
Where the gaudy-tinted blossoms seem to wither into grey,
And the crumbling walls and pillars waken thoughts of yesterday.

There are vines in nooks and crannies, and there’s moss about the pool,
And the tangled weedy thicket chokes the arbour dark and cool:
In the silent sunken pathways springs a herbage sparse and spare,
Where the musty scent of dead things dulls the fragrance of the air.

There is not a living creature in the lonely space arouna,
And the hedge-encompass’d quiet never echoes to a sound.
As I walk, and wait, and listen, I will often seek to find
When it was I knew that garden in an age long left behind;

I will oft conjure a vision of a day that is no more,
As I gaze upon the grey, grey scenes I feel I knew before.
Then a sadness settles o’er me, and a tremor seems to start—
For I know the flow’rs are shrivell’d hopes—the garden is my heart.

I have several Lovecraft short stories previously posted here at Reading Fiction Blog in the Index. If you’d like to indulge in this master of Gothic horror, just click the links below for your convenience.

Lovecraft, H.P. The Outsider, February 14, 2022

Lovecraft, H.P. Dreams in the Witch House, November 30 2012

Lovecraft, H.P. The Strange High House in the Mist, June 25, 2013

Lovecraft, H.P. The Cats of Ulthar, August 20, 2013

Lovecraft, H.P. Pickman’s Model, August 19, 2014

Lovecraft, H.P. The Music of Erich Zann, January 7, 2014

Lovecraft, H.P. The Festival, December 2, 2014

Lovecraft, H.P. In the Walls of Eryx, July 14, 2015

Lovecraft, H.P. The Tree, November 17, 2015

Lovecraft, H.P. Haunter of the Dark, October 24, 2017

Lovecraft, H.P. What the Moon Brings, April 10, 2018

Lovecraft, H.P. The Moon-Bog, November 18, 2024

Lovecraft is said to have earned more acclaim after his death than during his lifetime. “The Call of Cthulhu” came out in 1928 in Weird Tales. He wrote over sixty short stories and novellas and twenty stories in his Cthulhu Mythos. He is revered by many today to be the finest Gothic and literary supernaturalist.

If you’d like to read more about the “Gothic Lovecraft” visit this link below by Kathleen Hudson.

Foreshadowings – H.P. Lovecraft as a Gothic writer

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The Old Wolf Under the Tree, a Fantasy

Tuesday’s Mystical Music, August 12

The Old Wolf Under the Tree awakens Nature and the forest inside us. Trees are living creatures and hold great power to communicate. In my novel Draakensky, I explored the consciousness of trees because they played such a vital role in the story. Especially for the character Charlotte who drew sketches of them throughout her life, and, because Marc Sexton has a Celtic ogham tree grove on his land that performed magickal events.

Today, I bring you The Old Wolf Under the Tree for your listening pleasure.

‘A forest druidess becomes one with the rhythm of roots and the stillness of time. Far beyond the tangled woods, where moss climbs stone and silence grows thick, an old wolf rests beneath a tree she planted long ago – and listens.

Let yourself drift through slow-growing thoughts, quiet soil, and sacred winds.’ Lord Pecalon.

Druids were among the ancient Celts. They acted as priests, teachers, and judges. The earliest known records of the Druids came from the 3rd century BCE. Their name may have come from a Celtic word meaning “knower of the oak tree.”

These days, in my research of the Celts for Marc Sexton in Secret Mysteries of Wolf Magick, launching in 2026, this is the music I listen to while writing the Draakensky sequel. I hope you enjoy the spirituality of this Old Wolf Under the Tree. I am inspired!

This is from Lord Pecalon on YouTube, click the link to enjoy this musical mystical adventure:

https://youtu.be/H4_6k9ad9sY?si=cla2-9aZvlk9XbWj

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Filed under book bloggers, dark fantasy, dark fantasy fiction, fantasy, fiction, fiction bloggers, free short stories online, Gothic fiction, Gothic-Fantasy Fiction, horromantasy, literature, magical realism, Magical stories, magickal realms, magickal romance, magickal romantasy, Reading Fiction Blog, READING FICTION BLOG Paula Cappa, romantasy, romantic fiction, short story blogs, supernatural music, supernatural mysteries, wolf fiction, wolf stories

Tagged as Celtic music, Celtic wolf music, Draakensky, mystica trees, mystical music, ogham tree groves, Paula Cappa, The Old Wolf Under the Tree, tree music, wolf music

July 24, 2025 · 10:23 am

The Haunting in The Old Bedford Oak

The Haunting in The Bedford Oak

July 24, 2025

Charlotte Knight is walking this path to the famous oak tree in Bedford, New York. This giant white oak is not far from Draakensky Windmill Estate. The tree is massive and drenched in sunlight, and has lived for over 500 years.

The spread of its branches is 130 feet, and its girth is more than 30 feet. This great-branching tree wears a mesmerizing face scattered across the sky.

Charlotte walks light-footed here. Shifting shadows linger behind her shoulders. She turns, “Who’s there?”

No one is visible. Perhaps a bird throwing shade. Or just the wind easing by—or waiting. As she gazes up at the tree, she sees chambers. The spaces glow like windows in a temple.

Come closer.

She follows the instruction waving into her mind and steps closer. The air is quiet as a feather now. Except for the looming hums from that darkened pink blaze striking between the leaves.

“What is that?” She rephrases, “Who is that?”

Come closer and look deeper.

At the center, she sees the image of a black figure, gnarled and tangled. Eyes meet. In that darkness, Charlotte finds a soft deceitful smile.

Charlotte cannot resist the urge to touch the tree as if she could hug a brave old father. The beauty and the danger are irresistible. With her hands on the trunk, she sniffs the fragrance. Woody. Brash. Bittersweet.

“What mysteries do you have for me?”

Look deeply, place yourself inside my green leafy cottage. I have secrets to tell.

“Tell me a secret first,” she tempts the old oak and listens for the answer. This is what Charlotte hears.

“Lovely, but this is only your oak leaves spilling over themselves. What secret do you have to tell?

A bold, silent throng emerges.

Knowing a tree’s power resides in trust, she gazes upon the oak leaves.

A wispy flock of clouds passes overhead with the empty minutes speeding by. Her light-footed steps retreat down the path. She drives out of Hook Road into Bedford Village, the oak’s mesmerizing face scattering across the sky. She does not hear the voice following her into The Grackle Bar and Grill.

There is a murder about to happen.

Charlotte Knight

There are great mysteries in trees. In Celtic folklore, the oak tree possesses a cosmic link, a kind of spinning axis, that connects Earth and sky to the Otherworld realms. When Charlotte walks into the Grackle Bar and Grill in Bedford, she meets Marc Sexton, impossibly sexy, and endowed with breath-catching eyes of blue—a man who possesses mysterious Celtic enchantments.

Marc Sexton

“Good afternoon.” The bartender strolled toward her, a hell of a cute guy with blond wavy hair and eyes slashed brilliant blue. “Welcome. Having a good day?”

“At the moment, yes,” she said eagerly.

He smiled—pow! Instant seduction. His burgundy cable-knit sweater threw cheerful hues. “My first time here,” she gave him a gleam back.

“I see you’re not a regular at The Grackle Bar. What can I get you?”

She read the cocktail menu descriptions on the wall. “What’s The Grackle? ‘Burnt whips and gales and stormy hail’? Sounds dangerous.”

“You’ll love it. Our signature cocktail. Cold coffee, Sexton Irish Whiskey, kick of cayenne, spices, two stabs of bacon.”

“Bacon?” she said, resisting the urge to lick her lips. “Sounds perfect.”

“You got it.” He put his hand out for a shake. “Marc Sexton.”

“Charlotte Knight.” His grip penetrated warm and calming.

He reached for a stemmed goblet. “You passing through Bedford on your way to—?”

“I’m here for a few months. I saw that Bedford Oak on Old Bedford Road. Some kind of god, that tree. Ravishing.”

“That oak is our prize citizen. A resident sage. Some trees have shackled power. Not The Bedford Oak. He’s a true warrior.”

“Really? Forests are a big attraction for me. I’m hoping to spend time in nature and walk the wild woods here.”

He tossed crushed ice into a goblet and free-poured from a black bottle with a skeleton in a top hat on the label. “You want to escape into the forests, hike with some wild man, and muse with Mother Earth?”

She wanted to purr at that. “I don’t know. Are there wild men in Bedford?”

“A few of us around,” he whispered, then splashed coffee and a shake of spices into the glass. “I’m owner and barkeep. I live in a renovated barn in Bedford woods, chock-full of owls and wild geese.” His voice came in smooth notes from deep in his chest.

With a twist of his hand, Marc waved a blowgun to smoke a cinnamon stick under a glass bell; he topped off the drink with two bacon sticks flaring out into dark wings. Smoke swirled as he placed the drink down.

“The Grackle. For the lovely lady looking for a wild man.”

The gates to Draakensky Windmill Estate are open.

Watch this blog for more flash fiction excerpts, stories about the beauty and the danger of hauntings.

More on The Bedford Oak in Bedford, New York here: https://www.bedfordhistoricalsociety.org/bedford-oak

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Dark Gothic Fantasy, Shadows and Ink Interview

Greetings to All, July 3, 20025

Genre blending is hot in contemporary fiction! Are you cool with it? Writing supernatural horror, ghosts, Gothic spiritualism, and fantasy (magick) into your story or novel is complex and requires a level of symmetry and balance. Gothic sensibilities are essential. Gothic imagination primary. Here’s more on the genre blending and writing of Draakensky, A Supernatural Tale of Magick and Romance during an interview by A.F. Stewart at Shadows & Ink. (YouTube 30 minutes)

Leave me a comment! Are you writing a horror and fantasy novel? Are you a Gothic fan? Tell me, what is your favorite horror/fantasy novel or short story?

Thank you for stopping by.

Take the Draakensky story for a spin by downloading the FREE short story The Wind Witch of Draakensky (prequel to the novel) in ebook format on Amazon, Smashwords, Apple, and Barnes & Noble. (30-minute read) Come experience the wind beings of Draakensky and meet Jaa Morland, the lady of Draakensky Windmill Estate.

And if you dare to enter Draakensky Windmill Estate in Bedford, New York, you will meet a ghost and the owl Camaroon as two lovers battle magickal realms and secret forces from The Otherworld. First place winner in Gothic at The BookFest Book Awards, 2025.

Watch for the sequel in April 2026 from Crystal Lake Publishing.

Draakensky II, Secret Mysteries of Wolf Magick

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Filed under #horror short stories, book bloggers, dark fantasy fiction, dark literature, fantasy, fiction, fiction bloggers, free horror short stories online, free short stories, free short stories online, ghost stories, ghost story blogs, Gothic fiction, Gothic Horror, Gothic-Fantasy Fiction, Gothic-Horror-Fantasy Fiction, Hauntings, horromantasy, horror, horror blogs, horror short stories, literary horror, literary short stories, literature, Magic, magical realism, magical romance, Magical stories, magick, magickal realms, magickal romance, magickal romantasy, murder mystery, mysteries, occult, paranormal, Penny Dreadful, psychological horror, quiet horror, Read ebooks, Reading Fiction Blog, READING FICTION BLOG Paula Cappa, romantasy, romantic fiction, romantic thrillers, short stories, short stories online, short story blogs, soft horror, speculative fiction, supernatural fiction, supernatural tales, supernatural thrillers, tales of terror, witches, witchraft, wolf fiction, wolf stories, women writers, writing tips

Tagged as Author Interviews, Draakensky, Genre blending in contemporary fiction, Gothic Horror and Fantasy, Gothic Horror Fantasy, Gothic thrillers, Magick and horror novels, Paula Cappa, Shadows & Ink

May 3, 2025 · 11:24 am

Book Recommendations, Gothic-Fantasy Novels

Greetings on May 2, 2025,

Let’s chat Gothic-Fantasy books.

Gothic-Horror-Fantasy is a sub-genre of horror that ignites Gothic suspense, supernatural fiction, and fantasy. If you love Gothic mysteries, dashes of quiet supernatural horror, and fantasy elements, then Gothic-Fantasy novels will sweep you away. Immerse yourself into this genre for lush settings, complex characters, drama and plots that hold you to the last page—and with the excitement of magick!

Goodreads lists over 1000 Gothic-Fantasy novels. This sub-genre is getting hotter and more popular by the day. Everybody is reading it. Amazon lists some 10,000 titles of this genre-blending Gothic, horror, and fantasy fiction. Sometimes the lines between Gothic, supernatural/horror, and Gothic fantasy can get blurry. Did you know that there are over 30 sub-genres within horror/supernatural fiction? Here are some guidelines:

Gothic Horror stories inspire a sense of fear and dread from supernatural or psychological elements, usually within a romantic theme, rely on a historical view of the past, and take place in a highly atmospheric setting with evocative descriptions.

Supernatural Horror stories go beyond scientific or physical knowledge and often contain gods or demons, ghosts, witches, vampires, or powerful entities, all wrapped inside a plot of high stakes and intense fear.

Dark Fantasy employs fantastical elements and magickal or occult powers along with horrific elements. Stories have gloomy supernatural landscapes or otherworldly settings with fantastical creatures and gifted or evil characters in a supernatural world here or in the beyond.

For Gothic-Fantasy fiction, here are two book recommendations for May. Comments are welcome, especially if you read Gothic-Fantasy novels please tell us your recommendations or why you enjoy reading Gothic-Horror-Fantasy. I would love to hear from you!

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Draakensky Wins the Gold at The BookFest Awards

Greetings on April 8, 2025,

I am pleased to announce that Draakensky, A Supernatural Tale of Magick and Romance, has taken the gold, First Place in Gothic fiction at The BookFest Awards.

The BookFest Awards honor authors who create outstanding works of fiction and nonfiction. All submissions go through three vettings by judges—professional experts in their fields.

They feature a roster of literary speakers and authors: Jonathan Maberry, Lisa Morton, James Rollins, Mitch Albom, Mark Coker, Cheryl Willis Hudson, and Mark K. Shriver, to name a few members.

I am thrilled that Draakensky has been acknowledged in the Gothic genre. Gothic is a literary category that demands an introspection of the characters, convincing powers of supernatural elements, and a haunting and suspenseful pace that draws the readers into a shadowy world.

Because Gothic can cross over many genres—and Draakensky certainly does—it pushes the boundaries of fiction and can transgress into new realms of the imagination. Gothic is bursting into the genre-blending arena of dark romanticism, dark fantasy and dark fantasy horror, and Gothic romantasy.

Draakensky Windmill Estate is located in Bedford, New York; once you open the book, you enter a deep world of the supernatural.

If you love to read supernatural mysteries with romantic intrigue, come experience the magick of Draakensky Windmill Estate in Bedford, New York. You will discover owl magick, wind magick, wolf magick, and an adventure where love and destiny ignite amidst witchcraft and magickal realms.

Reviews

“Cappa is a skilled craftsman. This is a sturdy, old-fashioned Gothic thriller, thoroughly charming in its atmosphere and invention and anchored by a fully dimensional heroine in the vein of Mrs. de Winter or Jane Eyre.”—Boze Herrington, US Review of Books.

“A novel steeped in the rich dual attractions of Gothic romance and ghosts. Paula Cappa does an excellent job of injecting atmospheric intrigue with a literary descriptive voice that is alluring. Charlotte ventures into heady waters of transformation and spirit-driven encounters. Exceptional. Unpredictability and twists.”—Midwest Book Review, D. Donovan.

“Spine-tingling, atmospheric mystery. Recommended.“—San Diego Book Review.

Thank you to all my readers and followers here who continue to enjoy my fiction and posts here on Reading Fiction Blog.

No permission is given for the use of this material from this blog, on any and all pages, for AI training purposes.

7 Comments

Filed under Book Awards, book bloggers, book recommendations, Book Reviews, dark fantasy, dark fantasy fiction, dark literature, fantasy, fiction, fiction bloggers, ghost story blogs, Ghosts, Gothic fiction, Gothic Horror, literature, Magic, magical realism, magical romance, Magical stories, magick, magickal realms, magickal romance, magickal romantasy, murder mystery, mysteries, occult, Reading Fiction Blog, READING FICTION BLOG Paula Cappa, romantasy, romantic fiction, romantic thrillers, short story blogs, supernatural fiction, supernatural mysteries, supernatural tales, supernatural thrillers, witchraft, women writers

Tagged as dark fantasy thrillers, Draakensky, Gothic Book Award Winners Draakensky Paula Cappa, Gothic fiction authors, magick and romance, owl magick, romantasy books, supernatural tales, The BookFest Award Winners Paula Cappa, wind magick, wolf magick

March 27, 2025 · 1:28 pm

What Fans Are Saying About Draakensky

Here’s the latest from readers and fans of Draakensky,

A Supernatural Tale of Magick and Romance.

Greetings,

Of the 56+ reviews Draakensky has on Amazon, which has gathered a 4.7 star rating, this customer review became the winner.

Joseph, Amazon Reviewer “Draakensky beckons to those who thrive on tricks of eerie landscapes and beguiling psychological tension, walking astutely on either side between horror and beauty. Paula Cappa immerses the reader into that strange and horrible immortality of the spectral. The novel balances the Gothic while remaining discomfited with a modern sensibility. Cappa inspires such clarity—owl magick, river spells, and necromancy forces—that readers become firmly plunged in a brilliantly imagined realm.”

Thank you to all the literary blogs that featured Draakensky.

Thriller Boulevard “There’s a seductive pull to Draakensky—not just in the romance, but in the way the estate itself seems to breathe. It’s the kind of book that makes you believe in hidden worlds just beyond our reach.”

Blue Reading Corner “If The Haunting of Hill House met Practical Magic at a windswept Gothic estate, you’d get something like Draakensky. It’s part eerie mystery, part romance, and fully committed to the strange and supernatural.“

Fantasy Souls “I didn’t realize how much I needed a book about a haunted windmill until I picked up Draakensky. It’s moody, magical, and has just the right amount of eerie romance to keep you hooked.”

Best Books in Town “At its heart, Draakensky asks a compelling question: How much of ourselves are we willing to risk for the unknown? Through Charlotte’s journey, Cappa explores the seductive and dangerous nature of power and desire.”

Red Book Stack “Draakensky is the kind of book you devour in one sitting. Atmospheric, mysterious, and with a love story tangled in magick, it’s perfect for fans of Gothic fiction who want a little extra enchantment.”

Jump A Book “Finally—a Gothic novel that acknowledges what we’re all really here for: creepy old estates, complicated witches, and a romance with just enough danger to keep things interesting. Draakensky delivers all that and a windmill with serious attitude.

Silver Book Mark “Look, if a haunted windmill estate, a mysterious sorceress, and a brooding love interest don’t sell you on Draakensky, I don’t know what will. It’s like stepping into a stormy Gothic daydream—moody, magical, and just a little wicked.”

TBM Horror Features “Draakensky is an atmospheric escape into a world where wind sorcery whispers secrets and magick shapes fate. The estate itself seems to breathe, its shadows hiding more than just old secrets. Cappa crafts a world where supernatural forces lurk just beneath the surface, tempting and testing. The novel doesn’t rely on jump scares or overt horror but instead weaves a hypnotic, atmospheric dread, reminiscent of classic Gothic tales like The Haunting of Hill House or Rebecca.”

The Secret Shelves “Draakensky wraps you in its eerie embrace. The wind howls, secrets swirl, and nothing is ever quite as it seems. If you like your Gothic tales with a side of supernatural danger, this one’s for you.”

Hidden Book News “There’s an allure to Draakensky that’s hard to shake—it feels like reading a spell. With each chapter, Cappa draws you closer to the heart of the estate’s dark magick, and by the end, you might find yourself glancing over your shoulder.”

Crystal Chapter Book “The wind is more than just weather in Draakensky—it’s a character in its own right. Cappa crafts a world where the breeze carries whispers of the past, and every gust pulls the reader deeper into a realm of mystery and magick.”

I have been receiving many comments about the title Draakensky for the magickal estate in Bedford, New York. Here’s a peek into how I came to discover the story of Draakensky, and its name—and where I met the ghost. Come with me on my cemetery walk.

“If there could ever be a dark whisper in the wind,

I am that darkness.”—The Ghost of Draakensky Windmill Estate.

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Filed under dark fantasy, dark fantasy fiction, dark literature, fantasy, fiction, fiction bloggers, ghost stories, ghost story blogs, Gothic fiction, Gothic Horror, horromantasy, literary horror, literature, magical realism, magical romance, magickal realms, magickal romance, magickal romantasy, murder mystery, mysteries, occult, paranormal, Penny Dreadful, psychological horror, quiet horror, READING FICTION BLOG Paula Cappa, romantasy, romantic fiction, romantic thrillers, short story blogs, soft horror, supernatural fiction, supernatural mysteries, supernatural tales, supernatural thrillers, suspense, wolf fiction, wolf stories, wolves

Tagged as cemeteries, cemetery walks, Draakensky, fans of Draakensky, Paula Cappa, Reviews of Draakensky

March 18, 2025 · 4:36 pm

Draakensky News for March, 2025

Announcement! I am happy to tell my followers here that Draakensky, A Supernatural Tale of Magick and Romance is listed in Locus Magazine, Science Fiction & Fantasy, January Issue 768, 2025.

Locus is “an industry-standard science fiction, fantasy, and horror literary periodical for book reviews, interviews, faces and places, new & notable books, recommended reading, monthly bestsellers, and events.”