Our schedule is now confirmed for our online event 2027, running via Google Meet from 5th-7th February! Pick up your tickets here
UK GHOST STORY FESTIVAL – ONLINE SCHEDULE
All timings UK time
All sessions running online via Google Meet
Friday 5th February
6:30pm-7:30pm
Andrea Stewart – Interview
Andrea Stewart is the daughter of immigrants, and was raised in a number of places across the United States. Stewart is a Sunday Times Bestselling author whose short stories can be found in such venues as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Daily Science Fiction, Galaxy’s Edge, and others. Her debut epic fantasy novel, The Bone Shard Daughter, was a finalist for the Locus Award for Best First Novel, the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel, the Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy and Debut Novel, and the BookNest Award for Best Traditionally Published Novel. She now lives in sunny California, and in addition to writing, can be found herding cats, looking at birds, and falling down research rabbit holes.
In this interview session, we’ll be discussing Andrea’s writing background, her titles across multiple genres and much more.
7:30pm-8:00pm
Break
8:00pm-9:00pm
Gretchen Felker-Martin – Interview
Gretchen Felker-Marting is a Massachusetts-based bestselling horror author and film critic. Her debut novel, Manhunt, was named the #1 Best Book of 2022 by Vulture, and was one of the Best Horror Novels of 2022 by Esquire, Library Journal, and Paste. Her novels, Cuckoo and Black Flame, debuted on the USA Today bestseller list. You can read her fiction and film criticism on Patreon and in TIME, The Outline, Nylon, and more.
In this interview slot, we’ll be discussing Gretchen’s exciting array of horror novels, her work in film criticism and more.
Saturday 6th February
10:30am-11:30am
Kaja Franck – Fearful Landscapes: The Gothic and the Natural World
Dark forests, stormy oceans and windswept moors: the natural world has been a source of inspiration for the gothic. Full of monstrous animals and supernatural beasts, these spaces threaten to overwhelm and consume human protagonists. In this talk, we'll explore how the natural world has been made gothic and what it means now that the environment is itself under threat.
11:30am-12:00pm
Break
12:00pm-1:00pm
Deborah Hyde - Interview
Deborah Hyde is an author, presenter and producer. She wants to know why people believe in the supernatural, and uses psychology, cultural anthropology, history and folklore to shed light on this intractable strand of human nature.
She has written for periodicals such as The Guardian and The Fortean Times and has contributed material to book anthologies. She makes frequent TV appearances, being a regular contributor to Strange Evidence and Mysteries at the Museum, and has presented sceptical insights in two of BBC iPlayer’s most successful recent podcasts Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist.
Deborah’s relaxed and humorous speaking style has taken her from Las Vegas to New York City, from Wroclaw, Poland to Sofia, Bulgaria. She regularly hosts events for Conway Hall, the oldest surviving freethought organisation in the world, and for Fortean London’s special annual events there.
In this interview, we’ll be discussing all things supernatural with Deborah, as well as taking questions from the audience at the end of the session.
1:00pm-2:00pm
Lunch Break
2:00pm-3:00pm
Tiffani Angus – Workshop - Writing Witches: Character, Worldbuilding & Magic Systems
Join Tiffani Angus, co-author of the multi-award-shortlisted Spec Fic for Newbies series, on a dive into the contradictory ways that witches have been depicted in literature and pop culture. We'll explore three main elements of stories featuring witches and you'll participate in an activity that will get you started writing a whole new story featuring these compelling magic users!
3:00pm-3:30pm
Break
3:30pm-4:30pm
Brenda La Torre - Workshop – Gastrohorror and Humanity in Fiction
Food is part of our everyday life, so it's no wonder it's often used as a device in horror fiction. From zombies to cannibals, whenever food makes an appearance, it is accompanied by a deeper message that will help us understand ourselves better. Let's reflect on writing about food, as well as crafting exercises to enhance our writing through the five senses!
4:30pm-5:00pm
Break
5:00pm-6:00pm
Eric La Rocca - Interview
Eric LaRocca (he/they) is a three-time Bram Stoker Award finalist and two-time Splatterpunk Award winner. He was named by Esquire as one of the “writers shaping horror’s next golden age” and praised by Locus as “one of the strongest and most unique voices in contemporary horror fiction.” LaRocca’s notable works include Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke; At Dark, I Become Loathsome; We Are Always Tender with Our Dead; and Wretch. He currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts, with his partner.
In this interview, we’ll be discussing Eric’s range of novels and short story collections, the writing process, Eric’s inspirations and more.
Sunday 7th Feb
10:30am-11:30am
Francine Toon – Interview
Francine’s latest novel Bluff was published in November 2025. Her debut novel, Pine, was a Sunday Times bestseller and No. 1 Times bestseller. It won the 2020 McIlvanney Prize, was shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, and longlisted for the Highland Book Prize and the Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award. Her poetry, written as Francine Elena, has appeared in The Sunday Times, The Best British Poetry 2013 and 2015 anthologies (Salt) and Poetry London, among other places. She lives in London and work at The Novelry.
In this interview, we’ll be discussing Francine’s inspirations, novels, writing process and more.
11:30am-12:00pm
Break
12:00pm-1:00pm
Lyndsey Croal – Workshop – Dark Folklore
Folklore can be notoriously dark, strange and uncanny - perfect fodder for horror authors! Join Lyndsey Croal for a workshop exploring incorporating elements of dark folklore into your fiction. We will explore the top tips and tricks for incorporating folklore into writing, including writing setting and atmosphere, exploring modern themes and fears, and how to make your folklore story unique.
1:00pm-2:00pm
Lunch Break
2:00pm-3:00pm
Leon Craig – Workshop – The Concrete and the Numinous: Places, Objects and Atmosphere
How can descriptions of places and things create an atmosphere that feels uncanny or even unearthly? How do writers of sinister fiction use the concrete world (landscapes, rooms, buildings, objects) to conjure spectrality and dread. We’ll examine how different authors create unsettling atmospheres through precise and/or suggestive description, and consider how apparently inanimate objects can acquire an eerie agency of their own, influencing events or even advancing the plot.
3:00pm-3:30pm
BREAK
3:30pm-4:30pm
John Fraser - Talk - My First Night Alone in a Haunted House
Perhaps we should be honest and admit that most people’s interest in ghosts often comes from a perspective of 'romantic dreamers'. The science and the quest for meaningful connections in Ghost Hunting only come later.
A night in a haunted house is as much about testing one’s own belief system in an intriguing and mystifying and sometimes frightening setting. Proving or disproving the experience is something that only comes later. After all, even Isaac Newton dabbled in 'romantic' alchemy before becoming one heck of a scientist!
John Fraser asks these questions by discussing his first attempt at investigating the paranormal – which by good or bad luck turned into the ultimate archetypical haunted house story.
Fraser did survive the experience and now tries his best to be proper paranormal investigator- but the romance of the subject remains.
4:30pm-5:00pm
Break
5:00pm-6:00pm
Alex Davis – Workshop - A Trip to the Farlands
One of TikTok most secretive and sinister corners, the Farlands are not easy to find – but once you get there it’s a fascinating realm of uneasy atmosphere and analog fear. In this workshop, we’ll be exploring just what the Farlands are and what we can learn from them as writers, as well as taking on a writing exercise inspired by them.