February's podcast guest is none other than legend of the horror genre, Ramsey Campbell. Bea finds him at World Fantasy Con 2025 in Brighton to discuss his novel, An Echo of Children, which offers a terrifying glimpse into the practice of exorcising children. An illuminating conversation in which Ramsey reflects on 60 years in the genre and how he continues to find inspiration, refine his craft and unsettle his readers six decades on.

This month Flame Tree is releasing a new edition of his 1980s novel Incarnate, a classic exploration of malevolent dreams and monstrous forces. If this episode has got you curious about Ramsey Campbell’s novel, An Echo of Children, you can listen to an extract in our October episode ‘Not So Alive and Spooky’ or find out more on our website.

Biography

Ramsey Campbell was born in Liverpool in 1946 and lives in Wallasey. First published by Arkham House at just eighteen, he has become one of the most acclaimed voices in modern horror, blending psychological unease, the uncanny, and cosmic dread across a body of work that spans decades. His many honours include lifetime achievement awards from the World Horror Convention, the Horror Writers Association and the World Fantasy Convention. In 2015 he was named an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University for services to literature. Several of his novels have been adapted for film, including The Influence and The Nameless which is being adapted by Netflix . A longtime BBC film reviewer and President of the Society of Fantastic Films, Campbell remains a defining figure in contemporary horror.

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Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.

This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer).

Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here: flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.html

Our full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com

Flame Tree Publishing, Independent Publisher of the Year 2024, British Fantasy Society. Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.

The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.

Content Warning: This episode contains distressing descriptions of childbirth and loss.

Full disclosure, today’s two stories share little more than the word “bride.” One takes you down a shadowy, unsettling path; the other is delightfully quirky and unfailingly sweet. They’re less companion pieces and more contrasting tales but if there’s a thread that binds them, it’s this, love has a way of blooming in the most unexpected places.

Featuring

‘I Exist’ by Lyndsay E. Gilbert (04.54) , read by Amanda Benzecry. A twisted gothic tale, with the unsettling use of a Sheela Na Gig type figure; found in our Gothic Fantasy collection, Terrifying Ghosts.

‘The Forest Bride’ from Hungarian Folklore (33.12), first published in English by Parker Fillmore in 1919, read by Olivia. An endearingly sweet story about a marriage to an unconventional bride. This one can be found in our brand new Kalevala & Finnish Myths & Tales short story collection.

Biographies

Lyndsay E. Gilbert is a hopeful YA author from Northern Ireland. She lives by an ancient castle looking out to sea. Her interests are reading, writing, science fiction and fantasy, horror, music, playing the fiddle, movies, fairy tales, cats, dogs and the ancient art of belly dance. Lyndsay has a few stories published in anthologies such as Steampunk Universe, Fae Visions of the Mediterranean and the up-and-coming Trouble the Waters. She is currently working on a horror novel about post-apocalyptic witches and can be found writing terrible poetry and procrastinating on Instagram @lyndsayegilbert.

Parker Fillmore (1878–1944) was an American author born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He most famously published Czechoslovak Fairy Tales (1919) and The Shoemaker’s Apron (1920).

Amanda Benzecry (voice actor) regularly narrates books for Audible, is on the panel for the RNIB and is a frequent contributor (both as a narrator and a writer) to TNF Soundings, providing audio material for the visually impaired.

‘I Exist’ is ©2021 Lyndsay E. Gilbert and appeared in Terrifying Ghosts (Flame Tree Publishing, 2021).

‘The Forest Bride’ from Hungarian Folklore was first published in ‘Czechoslovak Fairy Tales’ (1919), but more recently appears in Kalevala & Finnish Myths & Tales (Flame Tree Publishing,

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Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.

This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer).

Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here: flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.html

Our full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com

Flame Tree Publishing, Independent Publisher of the Year 2024, British Fantasy Society. Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.

The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.

Love is arguably the most central and powerful force in stories across the world. From the very first myths ever told to the stories we’re still writing today, love has always been right at the heart of it all. If an alien landed on Earth tomorrow, I think one of the first things they’d figure out is this: humans love love, even when it hurts.

Featuring

‘A Mortal Breaks Aphrodite’s Heart’ by Ev Datsyk (03.48), read by Sabrina Robinson. We imagine Aphrodite as untouchable, but what happens when her heart gets broken? This reimagined, modern re-telling of Greek myth can be found in our Aphrodite collection.

‘The Brave Tin Soldier’ by Hans Christian Andersen (22.55), read by Bea. A familiar fairy tale for many of us, this one tells the tale of a little toy soldier who falls hopelessly in love with a paper ballerina. Discover more stories like this one in Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales.

Biographies

Ev Datsyk is a queer, second-generation settler living on the land known today as Canada. She primarily writes short stories and is passionate about the Oxford comma and questionable puns. Her work can be found in Haunted Words Press and Divinations Magazine, with a full publishing history accessible on her social media. You can find her at @evdatsyk on most platforms.

Hans Christian Andersen is regarded as a national treasure by his homeland Denmark, but his popularity extends far beyond his native shores. As one of the most translated authors in the world, there are hundreds of editions of his books in many languages.

Sabrina Robinson is an award-winning American actress and lover of whimsical stories. She most recently performed as The Bride in Blood Wedding at Tower Theatre and in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at Putney Arts Theatre. For her role in Breakfast of Champions (streaming on Amazon Prime), Sabrina received the Best Actress award at the ÉCU European Independent Film Festival in Paris.

‘A Mortal Breaks Aphrodite’s Heart’ is ©2025 Ev Datsyk and appeared in Aphrodite (Flame Tree Publishing, 2025).

‘The Brave Tin Soldier’ by Hans Christian Andersen was first published in 1838, but more recently appeared in Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales (Flame Tree Publishing, 2020).

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Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.

This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer).

Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here: flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.html

Our full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com

Flame Tree Publishing, Independent Publisher of the Year 2024, British Fantasy Society. Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.

The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.