The Wish Demon is the first Witches of Woodville comic. Written by Mark Stay with artwork by Emily Stewart.
And it’s FREE to anyone who subscribes to the Woodville Village Library Newsletter. You can do that right now (and get many other free short stories) by clicking here!
October, 1940.
After a summer of adventure, Faye Bright has one more challenge to face. Her eighteenth birthday. She doesn’t want gifts or cake or any fuss. All Faye Bright wants is a bit of peace and quiet.
But little does she know that a witch who draws upon the power of the moon and the light of candles should be careful what she wishes for… the Wish Demon just might make it come true.
And here’s the first page to whet your appetite…
Emily Stewart is an amazing artist and you can discover more of her work here: http://www.ejstewart.co.uk
She’ll also be at the MCM Comic Con this weekend if you’re going! You’ll find her in the London Artists Alley, B24.
Don’t forget, this is completely free to all newsletter subscribers. You can sign up right now (and get many other free short stories) by clicking here!
Unwelcome, the film I wrote with director Jon Wright, premiered at the Sitges Film Festival last weekend and I’m still buzzing from the experience. Here’s the trailer if you haven’t seen it already…
The Sitges Film Festival has been around since 1967 and is one of the best horror/fantasy film festivals in the world, so it was a genuine privilege to show our film there last weekend. This year’s festival was the first full-blooded version of the festival since lockdowns ended and they sold over 70,000 tickets this year for 350 screenings over ten days. It’s one hell of an event, with a reputation for incredible audiences who start cheering once the production logos start at the beginning of the movie (except Netflix, apparently… their logo gets booed!).
Five of us travelled to Sitges: myself, director Jon Wright, editor Zsófia Tálas, director of photography Hamish Done-Ditmas, and VFX Supervisor Paddy Eason. We were excited/tense/nervous (delete as applicable) because this was the first time the film was going to be seen by real people. I was whisked straight from Barcelona airport to the midnight screening on the Friday night. This was in the smaller pop-up cinema with 3-400 people. Jon and I said a few words, sat to one side, and waited as the lights went down…
The Sitges audience did not disappoint. They cheered and whooped and applauded. It was simply mind-blowing and such an incredible relief. The film wrapped almost two years ago and its release has been waiting out Covid, Omicron, the collapse of Western Civilisation’s economy etc… So I had no idea if was actually any good. Would it play for an audience? Thank you, Sitges for showing us that all our hard work was not in vain.
On the Saturday morning, Jon and I did interviews for radio and press (it’s testament to Jon’s generosity that he asked me along to these… not every screenwriter gets this treatment!). All the interviewers had seen the film the night before, and loved it and asked really insightful questions. I did feel sorry for our translators (Elena Martínez for the first presentation and the press, and Aina Girbau for the premiere) who had to make sense of my often rambling answers.
Saturday afternoon meant the big premiere in the main 1400-seater theatre. It was sold out, packed to the rafters. We walked out on stage and said a few words and it was like a dream. As the opening credits rolled and the wonderful Sitges audience cheered and clapped I was finally able to relax and wallow in a little moment of bliss (I’ve struggled to enjoy these big moments in the past). The end of the film got another terrific reception, and as we got up to leave we found people still standing and applauding us. It was a bit of an out of body experience.
On the Sunday, I wandered around Sitges. A beautiful town with beautiful people. We’re all fired up and want to return with another another movie as soon as possible. Gracias, Sitges, hasta pronto!
All photos by Miguel Anxo, courtesy of Sitges Film Festival.
From L-R: Hamish Done-Ditmas (director of photography), me, Jon Wright (director), Zsófia Tálas (editor), Paddy Eason (VFX Supervisor)Big venue!Jon giving the the translator something to laugh about.Doing the Abbey Road walk onto the stage.Thanking the amazing Sitges audience.One for my mum…Getting a little bit The Great Dictator here…Me with my favourite film director.
I’ve created this handy timeline schematic to keep track of the various short stories and novels in the ever-expanding “Woodville Literary Universe” (as no one is calling it… apart from me).
It starts in Roman times with Caesar on Watling Street, features the Miss Charlotte Quartet and more. And it’s yours to cut out and keep… or “download” as the young people would have it. Have you read them all?
The more eagle-eyed of you will notice something called The Wish Demon on the list. That’s coming very soon and will be exclusive to newsletter subscribers as a free treat. If you want to get your reading eyes on these free goodies, you can sign up to the Woodville Village Library Newsletter here.
I’ll scribble my signature and your choice of dedication (keep it clean!) and pop it in the post. I’ll even throw in a free bookmark. All my books are currently in stock and there are bundles available if you want to bulk purchase and save money!
Mark Stay Writes 