The Willow Chronicles are dark-fantasy books written for curious and fearless middle-graders. They walk the line between magic realism and horror, against a historical context.

They all take place in the late 1980s in a small country where I grew up – in Czechoslovakia.

Back then, it was a Soviet-controlled socialist state marked by political repression, a strong secret police presence, and a growing undercurrent of dissent that would eventually lead to the Velvet Revolution.

Combine that with the rich traditional folklore: the water spirits, the rat-catchers, the ghosts in the abandonded castles, the goblins, the headless knights, the noon witch, the fire goblins, or the will-o’-the-wisp… and you’re almost there.

Add strong middle-grade characters, sprinkle in some darkness, and don’t forget a dash of light and hope at the end of the tunnel. Now, you have arrived.

Welcome.