The Needfire

You are afraid of the border places. You are afraid of the fork in the road. Fleeing her mistakes in Glasgow for a marriage of convenience, Norah Mackenzie’s new home on an estate far in the north of Scotland is a chance for freedom, a fresh start. But in the dim, draughty corridors of Corrain House, something is very wrong. Despite their warm correspondence, her distant, melancholic husband does not seem to know her. She is plagued by ghost ships on the sea, spectres at the corner of her eye, by winding, grasping roots. Her only possible companion, the housekeeper Agnes Gunn, is by turns unnerving and alluring, and harbours uncanny secrets of her own. As the foundations crumble beneath her feet, Norah must uncover the truth about Corrain House, her husband, Agnes, and herself, if she is to find the freedom she has been chasing.

About the Author :
MK Hardy is the pen name for Morag Hannah and Erin Hardee, two geeky women living and writing together in Scotland. They are both communications specialists working in higher education. With backgrounds ranging from museum interpretation to web design, and from science communication to ghost tours, they are devoted to storytelling in almost every aspect of their lives and work. When they are not telling stories they can be found singing in choirs, foraging for fungi, and working on their 1880s fixer-upper.

Review :
“A feverishly haunting story about the ways in which love can free us from the traumas that entangle us, all told with a deeply authentic Scottish voice.” —Sunyi Dean, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book Eaters “At once haunting and moving, shot through with a tenderness that underscores the pervasive, dreamy horror. This book will sink its roots into you and never let go.” —CJ Dotson, author of The Cut “Perfectly creepy and rich with power and yearning.” —Lorraine Wilson, author of We Are All Ghosts in the Forest “The Needfire combines all the elements of a traditional gothic novel – the derelict grand estate, the festering secrets, the prophetic dreams – with the more modern slow-burn sapphic love story. Add a pinch of witchcraft and a generous helping of female rage, and you end up with a haunting page-turner that demands to be felt.” —Johanna van Veen, author of My Darling, Dreadful Thing “An assured and glorious debut; like the haar around Corrain House, The Needfire will linger with me for a long time to come.” —Sam K. Horton, author of Gorse “Avowedly Gothic, unashamedly Sapphic and an observation of the futility of trying to control the elements.” —Historical Novels Review “A rich, atmospheric and creepy book that has everything: monsters, ghosts and a beautiful sapphic relationship.” —Aliette de Bodard, Nebula Award-winning author of Navigational Entanglements “The Needfire is a sumptuous feast of the gothic; a Rebecca for the Highlands and border places, where old wrongs stain land and bloodlines alike.” —Ally Wilkes, author of All the White Spaces and Where the Dead Wait “Lush, atmospheric, and haunting, The Needfire takes the reader into the in between places, where secrets and mysteries await.” —Natania Barron, author of the Queens of Fate trilogy “An unabashedly queer take on the Scottish Gothic tale, which hums with tension – sexual and otherwise – and rattles along compellingly to its explosive denouement. With a striking setting and strongly rendered sense of both place and time, The Needfire serves up a rich brew of magic and history.” —Sally Hinchcliffe, author of Hare House "The Needfire is a gothic-lover’s dream. Writhing with a dark and luscious atmosphere, the story unfolds against the backdrop of a bleak Scottish landscape with a cast of characters whose actions blur the lines between right and wrong, justice and revenge. It has everything I yearn for in a gothic tale: a sapphic romance, a houseful of secrets, and a scorching sense of dread." —Angie Spoto, author of The Bone Diver and The Grief Nurse “The Needfire is a beautifully written, intricate novel that is dripping with an atmosphere so strong that it clings to you with a creeping sense of dread. With characters that are complex and yet easy to root for, it adds something new to the genre whilst bearing all the hallmarks of a fantastically gothic novel.” — Elspeth Wilson, author of These Mortal Bodies “An impressive slice of gothic historical fiction, with a deliciously twisting plot.” —Buzz Magazine