We are back, and today we're talking to Gabriela Houston about her debut novel with Angry Robot Books, The Second Bell. This stunning story is based in Slavic folklore and mythology.

In today's episode, we talk about writing an updated image of strigas (from Polish folklore), the dark side of putting readers into boxes, and advice for new writers looking to start out.

Hope you enjoy it.

Also, if you're looking for more bookish content, I run a YouTube channel where I talk books: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH-OpwqCBGxgQlsEv1CyZRw

You can find signed copies of The Second Bell at https://www.thebrokenbinding.co.uk/

You can also see Gabriela talk storytelling with Caroline Hardaker here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9VrtdBae7YgWGodbeYIoVg

Theme music: Sweet Dreams by Lakey Inspired at LoFi-HipHop.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-write-direction/donations