We kick off 2026 with our first in-store event as we welcome Molly O’Neill back! After hosting Molly last year for her debut novel, Greenteeth, we’re delighted to have her return to celebrate her new book, Nightshade and Oak — a delightful historical fantasy of myth and magic in which an Iron Age goddess must grapple with becoming human. Molly will be in conversation with fellow author Annie McCann.

6:00pm arrivals for 6:30pm start

Free to attend, but RSVP essential.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

When Mallt, the goddess of death, is accidently turned human by a wayward spell, she finds she’s ill-equipped to deal with the trials of a mortal life. After all, why would a goddess need to know how to gather food or light a fire?

Unable to fend for herself, she teams up with Belis, warrior daughter of Boudicca, on a perilous journey to the afterlife to try to restore her powers. Frustrated by her frail human body and its inability to run a hundred miles in a single day, Mallt might not make the best travelling companion. But as animosity slowly turns to attraction, these two very different women must learn to work together if they are to have any hope of surviving their quest.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Molly O’Neill is a fantasy author and engineering geologist. She was born and raised in the Cotswolds and moved to Australia in 2019. She now lives in Sydney, on the land of the Gadigal People. Molly writes fantasy books inspired by the beautiful landscapes of her two countries, and by the folklore of the British Isles. She particularly loves the darker Arthurian legends and the Welsh myths of the Mabinogion and often uses them as a foundation for her stories.