Winter Folk
Winter Folk
Winter Folk
Member Benefits
30% Off All Books - Savings that support storytellers, not stock prices.
Fight Book Bans - Every membership sends a book to LGBTQ+ youth in affected states.
Member Book Price
$19.99
$13.99
Couldn't load pickup availability
Description
Description
A woman returns to the mysterious lodge in the woods where she once worked, and to the inscrutable creature that bound her there, in this haunting Appalachian gothic horror from singular voice Jen Julian. Perfect for fans of Alix E. Harrow and T. Kingfisher. "A mesmerizing and spell-binding tale, beautifully told, that you will not want to end. You, too, will never want to leave Deerhaven." - Bitter Karella, author of Moonflow This is the story of Moth, who earned her name working for the Winter Folk. Every year, the Winter Folk gather at a secret lodge in the Appalachians, a place known as Deerhaven, refuge for the time-worn and weary. As a child, Moth heard warnings from her mother: They are heartless, wild creatures--and they got no concern of us. At twenty-one, Moth is a college dropout, indebted, impoverished, and desperate for better things. She falls instantly for Deerhaven's beautiful antlered host, the mild-mannered Mr. Oslin. When he offers her a housekeeper's contract--one wish granted for a winter of service--she signs without question. But Deerhaven is a dangerous place. Staff must follow strict rules or else face dire consequences, and the guests can be unpredictable and savage. And yet, Moth endures, enticed by a rumor that Mr. Oslin is looking for a protégé. A singular worker who would stay with him forever and be transformed. Decades later, Moth returns to Appalachia with her husband and teenage daughter. She can't shake the feeling that she needs to return to Deerhaven, which banished her twenty years ago. As she hunts for a way in, her haunting memories and harrowing experiences come roaring back -- her friends and rivals, her growing obsession with Mr. Oslin, and her mysterious exile. A door exists in the dark of the woods. After so long away, what has Deerhaven become? "The Winter Folk feels like an Appalachian Spirited Away, blending the Blue Ridge with Studio Ghibli, teeming with haints, haunts, and monsters. Jen Julian crafts a tale that feels as if it has been handed down through generations of storytellers, a hauntingly evocative gothic for every campfire." - Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Devil Inside
About the Author
About the Author
Jen Julian's previous publications include a short story collection, Earthly Delights and Other Apocalypses (Press 53, 2018), which was the winner of Press 53's Short Fiction Prize, as well as work in numerous literary journals, most recently a story in Third Coast Magazine, which received distinction in Best American Short Stories 2023. Jen holds a PhD in English from the University of Missouri and an MFA in Fiction from UNC Greensboro. A 2016 Clarion Alumna, she has contributed fiction both to the Sewanee Writers' Conference and the Texas Book Festival. These days, Jen lives in the mountains of North Georgia with her enormous ginger cat and teaches creative writing at Young Harris College.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"The Winter Folk feels like an Appalachian Spirited Away, blending the Blue Ridge with Studio Ghibli, teeming with haints, haunts, and monsters. Jen Julian crafts a tale that feels as if it has been handed down through generations of storytellers, a hauntingly evocative gothic for every campfire."--Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Devil Inside
"The Winter Folk is a dark fairy tale that perfectly captures the magic and awe of your first childhood journey to Narnia or Oz or Fantasia, and the terror and heart-break of returning when you finally understand the adult stakes. A mesmerizing and spell-binding tale, beautifully told, that you will not want to end. You, too, will never want to leave Deerhaven."--Bitter Karella, author of Moonflow
"Drenched in dread and yearning, Red Rabbit Ghost is the kind of Gothic novel that you don't so much read as inhale. I loved it."--Kelly Link, author of The Book of Love on Red Rabbit Ghost
"Deeply immersive and darkly mysterious. Certain to be one of the year's standout horror reads."--Craig DiLouie, author of Episode Thirteen on Red Rabbit Ghost
--Rachel Cochran, author of The Gulf "Julian creates an emotionally rich blend of the mythical and the mundane in this dark, multigenerational Appalachian horror novel. The denizens of Deerhaven are delightfully terrible in myriad inventive ways, and the worldbuilding as a whole is beautifully executed. It's an impressive feat." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "The Winter Folk is an engrossing, beautiful dark portal fantasy. If you love modern-day tales of the fae and mythic that offer wonders and shivers in equal measure, you should enjoy this book as much as I did."--Lucy A. Snyder, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author
"Julian's queer, southern-gothic debut is a heady and atmospheric rumination on grief and belonging that will appeal to readers who enjoyed The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher and Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo, and is a perfect pick for fans of Twin Peaks."
--Booklist on Red Rabbit Ghost"[An] auspicious debut... [The] story is borne along by well-shaded characters, whose complex inner lives abound with mysteries that can't all be easily solved. The result is a chilling dark fantasy that readers will savor."
--Publishers Weekly on Red Rabbit Ghost "At once elegiac and deeply visceral, Red Rabbit Ghost is a bittersweet ode to all the ways in which a place can haunt us long after we've departed - and transform us when we return."--Georgia Summers, #1 International Bestselling Author of City of Stardust on Red Rabbit Ghost "Red Rabbit Ghost is a terrifying delight that deftly weaves together the ordinary and supernatural horrors of life in a small town. Sharply contemporary while remaining true to its Southern gothic roots, Red Rabbit Ghost is the perfect blend of WhatsApp and witchcraft, dive bars and haunted houses. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down!"--Gwen Kirby, author of Shit Cassandra Saw on Red Rabbit Ghost "Every time I thought I had a handle on the deviously entertaining Red Rabbit Ghost, it slipped through my fingers and became something even more remarkable. Jen Julian weaves a dark spell with the bones of southern gothic storytelling, crackling (and often hilarious) dialogue, and gorgeous prose. To enter this haunted swamp of a novel is to lose yourself in cosmic mystery."--Andy Marino, author of The Swarm on Red Rabbit Ghost"An immersive blend of Appalachian gothic, portal fantasy, and dark fairy tale. Like Moth, readers will feel drawn to Deerhaven, whose labyrinthine mysteries aren't easily solved. Fans of Stephen King's Fairy Tale . . . will find their time in Deerhaven a bargain worth making."
--Booklist (starred review) To step into Jen Julian's The Winter Folk is to slip out of this world and into a new reality entirely, one at once horrifying and enchanting, which you might never want to leave. With rhythmic and engaging sentences and arresting imagery, Julian's story weds fear with belonging, family with foe; the mysteries of the woods and the wild create a backdrop for a story so hauntingly personal and human, it can only be told with a touch of magic.--Rachel Cochran, author of The Gulf "Julian creates an emotionally rich blend of the mythical and the mundane in this dark, multigenerational Appalachian horror novel. The denizens of Deerhaven are delightfully terrible in myriad inventive ways, and the worldbuilding as a whole is beautifully executed. It's an impressive feat." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "The Winter Folk is an engrossing, beautiful dark portal fantasy. If you love modern-day tales of the fae and mythic that offer wonders and shivers in equal measure, you should enjoy this book as much as I did."--Lucy A. Snyder, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Run for It
Pub date:
2026-07-21
Length:
384 pages
The Allstora Membership
Membership Perks:
- Save 30% on all online store purchases
- Exclusive access to author's content
- You pay less, but authors still earn double
Membership Terms:
First Month:
$0.00
Monthly price:
$5.00
- To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
- One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.