What an honour it is to reveal the wonderful cover art from Matthew Revert for the brand-new Jessica Leonard novel, Conjuring The Witch, the much anticipated second novel from the author of supernatural thriller, Antioch. It lands on 2 May 2023 but you can secure your copy in just a few days when Ghoulish’s spectacular Kickstarter launches on 3 January or right now via the pre-order page over at Ghoulish.
The Synopsis
There are witches in the woods. These are the words the reverend of the Lilin Assembly of Our Lord repeats to his parishioners each week. Steve and Nicole Warby think it’s just a metaphor, until Nicole takes a walk in those woods and comes back changed. Something came out of them with her, and the simple small-town life they’ve always known is forever altered when they discover the dark secrets buried deep and those intent on keeping them there. Fearing for his wife’s sanity, and his own comfortable status in the church, Steve is unsure if he wants to help or ignore the problems. The reverend believes there are witches in the woods, and he thinks Nicole is only the most recent.
Conjuring the Witch is a dark, haunted story about what those in power are willing to do to stay in power, and the sins we convince ourselves are forgivable.
From The Author
“In the winter of 2019 I noticed a church in the woods. It was along my route to work so twice a day I would look at it, just beyond the tree line behind a field that ran along the highway. I thought about it often and eventually on my way home turned down a side road to try and get to the church, but I wasn’t successful. And then I got a little obsessed. I looked for it on Google Maps but couldn’t find it, I went down other little country roads but never ended up in the right place. The thing is, I could see it. It was white and had those tall windows that denote a church. But I could never find it. That tiny church that only seemed to exist in the exact right place of the road where I could glimpse through the trees was the beginning of CONJURING THE WITCH. I imagined the reasons a church might hide and how that could happen. There was, in my mind, an obvious answer. There are witches in the woods.”
—Jessica Leonard, author of Conjuring The Witch
From The Publisher
About The Author
Jessica Leonard is a horror author who loves creating ghosts and that feeling you get when you think someone is watching you. She was born in a small town that may or may not exist and still lives there to this day. She lives with her husband, son, and two dogs. She has two novels, Antioch and Conjuring the Witch.
About The Artist
Matthew Revert is a designer based in Melbourne, Australia who has gained prominence in the independent press and record label world for his creative designs. His design of different formats, including books, cassettes and LPs, for various clients ranging from independent presses to industry heavyweights such as Eraserhead Press, Thick and Vaney, Bizarro Pulp Press, Ampersand Press, Broken River Books, Lazy Fascist, Kye Records, Erstwhile Records, Slope Editions, Noemi Press, Civil Coping Mechanisms, Grindhouse Press and Dzanc, to name a few, has garnered him a strong following and a recognisable name. Sought for his unique style of design which often throws back to 60s and 70s era Penguin books, Revert’s work evokes a sense of nostalgia and harkens back to an untainted version of design. Known for a wide range of design styles and implementations, possibly his most popular signature is creating distressed, aged looks which can have even the trained eye believing the item in question to be well-thumbed and roughly treated by human hands and the inescapable ravages of time. His work ranges from purely digital design, to organic construction, to creation by hand and/or a careful symbiosis of multiple mediums to create eye-catching and idiosyncratic designs.
Further Details
ISBN: 978-1-943720-84-2
Cover Artwork by Matthew Revert
Publication Date: 2 May 2023
Paperback RRP: $16.95
eBook RRP: $5.99
All pre-ordered paperbacks ordered directly from the publisher will receive a signed signature sticker from the author.
About The Kickstarter
Ghoulish Books will publish 10 books, one issue of a YA horror magazine called Night Frights, and two issues of a new pro-paying horror magazine for adults called Ghoulish Tales. Through Kickstarter, they are offering all 13 titles as one massive spooky book bundle.
