What are you in the mood to read?
For a high fantasy young adult adventure novella about awkward teenagers going on unsupervised quests, try The Princess and the Dragon and Other Stories About Unlikely Heroes. For a coming of age whimsical horror set in a magical antiques shop, pick up the Bezzina’s Emporium series. For women taking revenge, you’ll want Sometimes Women Your Age Are Just Tired. Into British folklore? Go for The Archive for Fair Folk Studies’ Anthology of Twenty-First Century Research into Fairies in the UK: An Account of Somerset Pixies. In the mood for bite-sized short stories? I have several dozen on my stories blog, inspired by the tarot, witchcraft, nature and… also women taking revenge, now I think about it.
Struggle with reading printed books or know someone who does? I’ve got you. Both my novels are available via the RNIB Bookshare for learners with print disabilities; just search for my name or the book titles for accessible formats. I’m part of the Society of Authors’ Human Authored scheme because Francesca HQ is a no-gen-AI household. All those typos are organic!
If you like…
Characters making complicated decisions, ensemble casts, the protagonist not always being the good guy, the adults in the room not having all the answers, subtle LGBTQIA+ representation, open-ended narratives that encourage you to think for yourself, social commentary wrapped in metaphors and magic, and pet dogs…
… you’ll love my stuff, I can’t wait for you to read it.
If you don’t like…
Anything in the ‘like’ column, but also: subtext, teenagers behaving like actual teenagers, smoking on-page, UK history being messy, strong romance plots, consumption of alcohol on-page, unsubtle references to My Chemical Romance, pet dogs, LGBTQIA characters existing on-page as indeed LGBTQIA people do in real life…
… go read something else. Life is too short to read a book you know you’ll hate.
Here’s what people say about my work:
Rotting Trees surprised me, and I immediately recommended it to a few friends who have tween and teen kids where I know they enjoy fantasy…
Lisa on GoodReads about Rotting Trees
A beautiful, lighthearted fantasy book, with enough substance to keep you hooked from beginning to end!
Anusha, on GoodReads, about The Princess and the Dragon and Other Stories About Unlikely Heroes
The way Astraea weaved together different timelines and generations worked incredibly well. I also loved the magical, witchy elements.
Em, on GoodReads, about Rotting Tees
Books
Dead Ends (Bezzina’s Emporium #2) (2027)
Pre order now for October 2027 or join the No. 1 Readers’ Club to read it early.
Rotting Trees (Bezzina’s Emporium #1) (2025)
The first full length Bezzina’s Emporium of Magical Artefacts and Antiquities novel and first in a trilogy. A young adult contemporary fantasy. Book two coming 2026.
- Originally published via the No. 1 Readers’ Club on Patreon, 2023-2024
- Ebook and paperback links (bricks and mortar stockists: Throne and Heart in Market Harborough, Locksbrook Art Shop in Bath, Carpe Noctem in Frome)
- Pagebound, GoodReads & StoryGraph
- Merch and signed copies on Folksy
The Princess and the Dragon and Other Stories About Unlikely Heroes (2020)
A young adult high fantasy novella consisting of three connected short stories.
- Ebook and paperback links (bricks and mortar stockist: Locksbrook Art Shop in Bath)
- About the novel
- Pagebound, GoodReads & StoryGraph
Short Stories in Anthologies & Magazines
Sometimes Women Your Age Are Just Tired (2026)
Short horror story in Divinations Magazine issue 6 (Cravings), May 2026. Audio recording on YouTube, produced by Edwina Tyrell.
The Archive for Fair Folk Studies’ Anthology of Twenty-First Century Research into Fairies in the UK: An Account of Somerset Pixies (2025)
Shortlisted for the Burnham Book Festival adult short story contest 2025, and available to buy in the festival’s 2025 anthology.
Manifested (2022)
Included in The Creative Zine, summer 2022.
Other Short Stories
- I often share short stories on Patreon and then, at a later date, on my stories blog.
- My short stories are usually stand alone, unless they are part of the Bezzina’s Emporium of Magical Artefacts and Antiquities world, the Major Arcana series or Ines’ Adventures in Paganism.
Francesca's Words 