It feels like just yesterday that Thirst, my first foray into folk horror, was let loose upon the world. To be fair, that book’s only eight months old. A fledgling. So it feels a tad surreal to say that – as a result of various conniving circumstances – I have another book on the way. Already. It’ll be out in no time at all. 24th September, to be precise. Barely a year after its predecessor.

Say hello to Lykewise:

This beautiful, eerie and very atmospheric cover is by Natalie Smilie, who, as it happens, also created the cover for Thirst. Which is apt, since this book comes from a similar place. Almost literally.

What’s it about? Here’s a blurb:

Don’t look to closely into the mirror
It might look back…

Dunn Caulkner is no stranger to scary stories. The village of Harrowmere is plagued by danger and the unexplained: foggy boglands, eerie wraithlights and the terrifying legend of Grasping Jack. So how could Dunn ever have known that the darkest threat of all would come from a looking glass?

No one questions the arrival of a travelling salesman practically giving away his mirrors. Nor do Dunn and his friends think there’s any harm in toying with a mirror ritual said to reveal your true self. For what could be dangerous about a reflection? But then the attacks and disappearances begin, and Dunn starts to grasp how very wrong he was…

If you liked Thirst, you’re going to love Lykewise. When I say it comes from a similar place, what I mean is that, though Lykewise isn’t a sequel to Thirst, it’s set in the same fictional county. A place that seems lost in its own time. A place where folklore trumps science, and where the veil between worlds is dangerously thin. Thin enough – as you’ll see – to allow all sorts of sinister things to get in and out.

Savvy readers who’ve read Thirst will spot Easter eggs hinting to the county connection. I should mention, though, that as much as Thirst and Lykewise are set in the same world, Lykewise caters to a wider readership. Thirst isn’t necessarily appropriate for pre-teen readers – hence it finds its way onto YA shelves in bookshops – but Lykewise can be enjoyed by middle-grade readers as well as older folk.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have teeth. Far from it. Lykewise is arguably darker than Thirst. It’s got moments and twists that will shock and unsettle many readers. And so it should. That’s why we read horror novels. But Lykewise delivers in a way that works for slightly younger readers too. Which I’m very pleased about, because genuinely creepy horror should be available for readers of all ages. And based on what I’ve seen while touring Thirst around festivals and schools, those middle-grade kids are a bloodthirsty lot!

I hope Lykewise sates them. I hope it sates you, too. I’m pretty sure it will.

Lykewise is available for pre-order from bookshop.org, your local bookshop and the usual online places. Order now, let it slip your mind, then find yourself delighted by a pleasant surprise come September.

In the meantime, don’t go looking too closely into mirrors…