Future Ghost Stories…

Ask Michelle Anything

Daryl writes…

Dear Mrs Paver,
As somebody who has to read a lot at their desk for their job, I noticed myself no longer reading for fun – I simply could not face the ever growing pile of books on my "to be read" shelf (now shelves…). I thought I ought to try something different and see if that lifted the plague of apathy i had towards reading anything that wasnt required for my job. After some digging (and randomly adding to my basket), my partner & I were surprised to see your book "Dark Matter" on both of our wishlists so I decided to buy it – if worse came to worse I could donate it to them.
Well, I was only a third way through Dark Matter before I purchased Thin Air. You have reignited my love for reading, the excitement to get into bed and get lost in another world before leaving our world to sleep. I finished Dark Matter in two days – i wish i had savoured it more but your writing didnt allow me to stop! Im now almost finished with Thin Air, another masterpiece I cant stop raving about to anybody who will listen.
I can see in other questions youve been asked to write an awful lot more books within the other worlds you have created. I feel cheeky asking if we could hope for another ghost story – knowing just how much love & time goes into each novel. But I cant help but hope I havent been greedy and devoured your two ghost story books within a week. If a ghost story isnt a future goal of yours, just know my disappointment is testament to your astounding work and you've not only created 2 books I adore, but you've also given me the ammunition to make time for myself doing what i love most: reading, reading and more reading. Love and light to you. And my utmost thanks. Daryl.

Michelle Replies…

Oh, Daryl, what an absolutely marvellous message to find as I was about to switch off my computer and go to bed!  I do feel for you when you noticed that you were no longer reading for fun.  That must have been truly disconcerting, to put it mildly; and I’m delighted that my stories helped you get over what you aptly call “the plague of apathy”.  I don’t think you were greedy at all for reading Dark Matter and Thin Air in a single week, I think it’s great.  I intended them to be read that way, in a very few sittings, so that the reader remains immersed in the story.  As to writing more ghost stories, I love writing them, even though they’re by far the hardest things I ‘ve ever written; but I can only create them when I get a really good idea, and I never know when (or if) one will come along.  However you’ll be glad to learn that since Thin Air, I have indeed written another novel, Wakenhyrst, which was published in the UK in 2019.  It’s set in Edwardian times, in an old English manor-house in the fens; and although I would tend to call it Gothic rather than a pure ghost story, it certainly has a strong spectral element.  Also, I’m in the process of finishing another ghost story.  It doesn’t yet have a title and I don’t know when it will be published, but it’s set in a remote part of the Mexican rainforest, and I think it’s one of my best.  I hope you enjoy it when it comes out – and in the meantime, it’s wonderful to know that you’ve regained your love of reading.  Thank you so much for getting in touch.  With very best wishes, Michelle


Upcoming Live Events With Michelle

Incredible… Inspiring… In Person!

Only 47 days to grab your ticket!

Wimbledon Book Festival

October 17, 2025
Festival patron and Sunday Times bestselling author Michelle Paver will talk about her latest supernatural fiction in this live recording with Always Take Notes, a podcast for and about writers and writing.

Michelle will discuss her incredible career, from finding inspiration for Wolf Brother on Wimbledon Common to her latest novel Rainforest, which weaves Mayan culture with themes of obsession, gender and rebirth.

Only 50 days to grab your ticket!

The Witching Hour with Bridget Collins, Michelle Paver and Laura Shepherd-Robinson – Waterstones Canterbury

October 20, 2025

Join Bridget Collins, Michelle Paver and Laura Sheperd-Robinson as they discuss their stories in a brand new collection of ghostly tales called The Witching Hour.

In this dazzling collection of original haunted tales, thirteen bestselling and much-loved authors bring the old superstition of the witching hour to new and vivid life.
Transporting you from the smog of London to the freezing mists of Svalbard, from an Irish town riddled with rumour to a sinister English boarding school, these thirteen stories will serve as your spine tingling companion to the long hours of winter.
So curl up, light a candle, and wait for the clock to strike . . .
Only 55 days to grab your ticket!

Yeovil Literary Festival

October 25, 2025

An experience like no other. From a writer like no other...

Successfully published as an adult author, the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness (“Wolf Brother”) were her first books for younger readers, followed by her brilliant 5-part series set in the bronze age, Gods and Warriors. On the adult side, her first ghost story, Dark Matter, was a UK bestseller and won massive praise from reviewers and readers alike, as did her second ghost story, Thin Air.

Oxford Literary Festival 2026

March 29, 2026

The Oxford Literary Festival takes place in venues across central Oxford, such as Blackwell's bookshop, the Bodleian Library, the Sheldonian Theatre, the Weston Library, and Oxford colleges such as Christ Church and Worcester College. The festival includes international authors, journalists, intellectuals, historians, and poets.