Podcasters Alisa & Bethan of Eerie Essex will be interviewing debut author Lucy Barker about her glorious debut The Other Side of Mrs Wood

Lucy Barker was the runner-up for the Curtis Brown First Novel Prize
with an early extract from The Other Side of Mrs Wood. She holds an
MA in Victorian Studies from Birkbeck College and is a Curtis
Brown Creative and Novelry alumna. Lucy worked for years as a PA
in theatre and heritage, including coordinating the Solstice celebrations
at Stonehenge, before moving into social media management. 

The irresistible story of two rival mediums in Victorian London… ‘Charming, gorgeous, an utter delight’ Marian Keyes

Mrs Wood is London’s most celebrated medium. She’s managed to survive decades in the competitive world of contacting the Other Side, has avoided the dreaded slips that revealed others as frauds and is still hosting packed-out seances for Victorian high society.

Yet, some of her patrons have recently cancelled their appointments. There are reports of American mediums nearly materialising full spirits and audiences are no longer satisfied with the knocking on tables and candle theatrics of years gone by. And then, at one of Mrs Wood’s routine gatherings, she hears something terrifying – faint, but unmistakable: a yawn.

Mrs Wood needs to spice up her brand. She decides to take on Emmie, a young protege, to join her show. But is Emmie Finch the naive ingenue she seems to be? Or does she pose more of a threat to Mrs Wood’s reign and, more horrifyingly, her reputation than Mrs Wood could ever have imagined?

Your ticket will include a signed, hardback, first edition of The Other Side of Mrs Wood

Eerie Essex: A podcast for those who want to join us on our journey into the stranger side of the county. We will be exploring the folklore, urban legends and supernatural encounters that form part of its rich history.

Our event space is regrettably inaccessible to wheelchair users