Welcome to the official website of Willow Hewett. If you would like to know more about her work, then visit http://www.storiesthatspook.com to find out more, or http://www.facebook.com/storiesthatspook
Introducing Willow Hewett
Willow Hewett is a 29-year-old mother of two tiny dictators, residing in the country’s smallest city — because apparently she enjoys living somewhere where the biggest excitement is when the milkman comes early.
She began her writing journey at the age of seven, scribbling short stories in between eating biscuits and pretending her homework didn’t exist. Fast forward to now, and she’s decided to share her work with the world — mostly because her kids kept ignoring her, and she needed someone to listen.
In just one year, her stories have wandered further than she has (mainly because she can’t leave the house without packing 17 snack boxes and a first-aid kit), popping up in magazines around the globe and even on popular podcasts like Pocketpulp and Openbookpod. She’s come second place in a writing competition — which is impressive, considering she did half of it while breaking up a fight over a stolen crayon — and she’s been shortlisted in more contests than she’s had hot cups of tea.
She somehow balances writing with being a full-time bum-wiper, snack-dispenser, and referee. Her debut novel, Past My Time – The Witch’s Curse, took her nearly 11 years to complete — a delay she blames entirely on her kids. (They, of course, take full credit for “inspiring” her.)
Willow has also penned Chamberlain Street – The Murder of Lady Penelope (crime), The Taranock (horror), and The Wishy-Washy Curly-Wurly Dragon (children’s picture book) — proof she can jump from grisly murders to fluffy dragons faster than her toddler can find the biscuit tin.
Willow is also working on an exciting range of new projects, including the crime series Chamberlain Street, the gripping thriller The Leviathan, and two additional novels: a 17th-century mystery and a Viking thriller. With these diverse genres, she continues to expand her storytelling repertoire, captivating readers with tales of suspense, history, and adventure.
She’s somehow managed to win 30 awards for her books, scripts, and lyrics — which is baffling, because she can barely find time to wipe her own backside, let alone churn out multiple novels, scripts, and songs. Her poor, battered fingers are glued to the keyboard while her kids run around pretending to be stuntmen, doing more damage than a Hollywood action scene.
Between writing, chasing chickens (who are more rebellious than the kids), negotiating peace treaties with the cat, managing the household chaos, juggling a day job, fulfilling every toddler demand, and crying quietly into a mountain of laundry that’s been neglected since… well, last year, she’s honestly surprised she’s still standing.
Oh, and let’s not forget she somehow finds the energy to create TikTok videos, illustrate books, write scripts and lyrics, and hold on to the bare minimum of her sanity. How? No one knows. Probably magic. Or coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
“Some people do yoga to find peace; she just types faster.”
What I Do
Short Stories
Young Adult Novels
Illustrator And Writer
Children’s Picture Books
Horror, Crime, Thriller, Romance & Fantasy
Past and Present Experiences
Founder of StoriesThatSpook
(2021 – present)
Writes short stories for her followers to read, and to keep up to date with her progress as an author.
The first book of her YA series
(2012 – 2021)
The first book was written called ‘Past My Time-The Witch’s Curse’. Currently being edited by her publishers. The book will be released at the end of this year in paperback, audio, ebook, hardback, and online.
The Wishy-Washy, Curly-Wurly Dragon
(2021 – 2022)
Willow’s first children’s book will be out at the end of this year as part of a series of picture books aimed at 3-7-year-olds.
The second book of her YA series
(2022-2023)
Willow has now started on the next book in her series and will be finished by the end of this year. The next book is called ‘Past My Time- Elizabeth’s Cult’
(2023-2024)
Willow has four new books coming out in 2024, The Taranock (Horror), Past My Time The Witch’s Cult (Young Adult Fantasy), Chamberlain Street (Crime), and The Wishy Washy Curly Wurly Dragon (Children’s picture book).
(2024-present)
She is currently working on the third book of her young adult series, ‘Past My Time Elizabeth’s Reign’, and the second book of her children’s picture book series, ‘The Wishy Washy Curly Wurly Dragon’.
Out Now!
Why Willow Began Writing
Willow’s childhood was filled with pain—years of abuse and neglect that left invisible scars. But in the midst of her suffering, she found a refuge: books. They became her escape, her sanctuary, her way of slipping into worlds far away from her own.
Every week, she would lose herself in at least five books, borrowing as many as she could carry from the school and public libraries. Each story she read ignited something within her—a spark of imagination, a glimpse of possibility. By the time she was seven, that spark had turned into something more. She began writing her own stories, pouring her emotions onto paper, crafting small, handwritten books that she folded in half, as if creating her own little world where she was in control.
She fell in love with horror fiction, drawn to the eerie magic of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series. The way he could twist reality into something dark yet thrilling fascinated her. Inspired, she filled pages with her own chilling tales, channeling her pain into stories that made her feel something other than fear—power.
Writing became her voice when she had none. And in those makeshift books, in the worlds she built, Willow found something she had never known before: a sense of belonging, a place where she mattered.
By the time Willow was 12, she had outgrown the worn pages she used to fold into little handmade books. Her grandfather, seeing the fire in her, gifted her an old laptop—a relic by most standards, but to her, it was a doorway to something greater.
With that laptop, she wrote her first book, Past My Time – The Witch’s Curse, a chilling blend of horror, fantasy, and romance. It was darker, deeper, and more intricate than anything she had ever written before. But she wasn’t just creating stories—she was devouring them. She had already conquered the entire young adult section of both the school and public libraries, so she reached further, checking out books meant for adults, desperate to lose herself in richer, more complex worlds.
Every novel she read sharpened her craft, every story she consumed fueled her own. What started as an escape had become an obsession—a hunger for knowledge, for storytelling, for a future where she could create the kind of books that had once saved her.
From 13 to 24, life pulled Willow away from writing. The passion that once burned so brightly was buried beneath the weight of everyday responsibilities. She still read—stories were still a part of her—but the words that once flowed so effortlessly onto the page remained locked inside her.
It wasn’t until she turned 24 that everything changed. A sudden epiphany struck her like lightning: she was meant for more. She wanted to create something that mattered, something her children would one day look at with pride. That realization reignited the fire within her, and she took the first step back into the world she had once loved. She created Storiesthatspook, a place where she could share her writing again, where she could finally breathe life back into her dreams.
With renewed determination, she revisited Past My Time, the book she had started as a child. This time, she was ready to finish it. The journey wasn’t easy—navigating the publishing world felt overwhelming at first—but once she understood it, she embraced it with everything she had.
By 28, the girl who once folded pieces of paper into tiny books had become a published author with five books to her name. She had not only reclaimed her passion—she had turned it into something real, something lasting. Her story became proof that dreams never truly die; they just wait for the right moment to be brought back to life.
WILLOW HEWETT AUTHOR 