June 9, 2026

Writing update: a new body horror collection

Just a writing update from rainy Belfast! I’m working on a new body horror short story collection, inspired by the experience of body dysmorphia. I’m no stranger to body horror, as my novel Matthew’s Twin has a lot of it, and there’s some in my novella, Zombie Reflux, in my collection, Diabolical Dreamscapes. Some of the stories in it will be quite ghostly, but others are just pure and utter corporeal horror… so brace yourself.

If you’ve ever experienced body dysmorphia, you’ll be able to relate to my new body horror work in progress. I’m working on it while also working on a new novel draft, a psychological horror set in Belfast, although unrelated to my previously published Belfast Ghosts series.

I’ll keep you posted with updates as they happen.

Posted by on June 9, 2026 in Writing and tagged , , , .

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June 5, 2026

The Buddha’s Bone series: living in Japan with a dash of J-horror

What is my Buddha’s Bone series like? Like living in Japan with a dash of J-horror, lol. I am a big fan of Japanese folk horror, particularly the stories of Lafcadio Hearn. Some of my reading influences bleed through into my writing – particularly in The Wabi-sabi Doll with the psychological horror elements.

Wanna check it out? Here are the links:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Waterstones
Foyles

Posted by on June 5, 2026 in Books and tagged , , , , .

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May 30, 2026

What’s in the box? Something strange and macabre

What’s in the box? Something strange and macabre… Maybe the question should be, ‘what do you do if you find a box big enough to hold a body?’ The answer? Why, you get inside it, of course!

Here’s a reading from Diabolical Dreamscapes: Strange and macabre short stories. If you’re reading this post, watching my video, or if you’re even weirder and have read my book, Diabolical Dreamscapes, then you must be a strange and macabre kind of person. If you are, then hurray! We’re kindred spirits. I am definitely a strange and macabre kind of person; I’m a horror author, first of all, and second of all, I’m the kind of person who would get inside a coffin-sized box in a secluded alleyway, lol.

Well, they say there is a fine line between creativity and insanity, and maybe there’s some truth to that. This is my dose of creativity and craziness to kick off the weekend… and infect you with my little slice of feverish insanity too, ha ha!

Posted by on May 30, 2026 in Books and tagged , , , , .

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May 26, 2026

Supernatural reads by authors that I recommend

If you don’t already know, I’m Leilanie Stewart, and I write ghost horror books. I’m the author of three ghost horror novels and two ghost story collections, two of which are award winners (hurray). But did you know that I’m also an avid reader of supernatural books? Since I read and review books semi-anonymously online, allowing me to support fellow authors while giving my honest opinion, I thought I’d take a moment to share some favourite spooky reads with you. Please do check out these fabulous authors and their supernatural reads:

Two Groves by G.K. Wilson has a very freaky supernatural antagonist and is a different kind of horror.

Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China by Sherry Ellis has a great supernatural adventure plot and I love ghostly emperor Ch’in.

Amanda Sheridan’s Rapid Eye Movement quadrilogy of paranormal suspense books feature a unique story line, and one of my big fascinations as a reader and writer: astral projection.

Rosalind Barden’s story, Friends Indeed, in the Strangely Funny X horror anthology has lots of wacky supernatural fun when Bigfoot finds an opossum familiar.

I really recommend all of these authors, not only for their awesome writing, but also their amazing supernatural storylines.

Posted by on May 26, 2026 in Reading and tagged , , , , , , .

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May 23, 2026

How much do authors in the UK actually earn?

Did you read the article on Sky News on 11th May, titled I’m a literary agent – here’s what makes me sign a writer instantly and what most authors actually earn? It mentioned that the average salary of UK authors is around £4000 a year. Pretty depressing, huh? No wonder the majority of us have day jobs, or are writing after retirement, funding a literary lifestyle with a hard-earned pension, accrued from a lifetime of non-creative writing work. I’ve heard it said that some people consider creative writing a privilege not a profession and I wonder if that is part of the issue?

Anyway, the figure of £4000 prompted me to do a quick search, just to see if there was any more data to explain the figure. I didn’t find any sources to support that number, so it seems that was from the literary agent’s own experience. Instead, my general search suggested an average salary of around £7000 for UK author’s earnings. This is the same amount I found back in 2023 when I was looking into the topic for an earlier blog post, What percentage of authors make a full time living from it? Hmm. I can’t think of too many writers who could get by on that kind of money when rent and mortgage rates are at an all time high, and we’re in the midst of a cost of living crisis.

Continue reading →

Posted by on May 23, 2026 in Writing and tagged , , , , .

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May 18, 2026

Do you ever get imposter syndrome as an author?

Do you ever get imposter syndrome? Recently, I was out running errands in Belfast when a woman approached me and asked, “Are you that author? I think I’ve read one of your books.” I was caught a bit by surprise, but confirmed without knowing if she meant me or not (lol) that I am, indeed, an author. The reader then went on to say that she had read my book, The Blue Man, as it was one of the titles that came up at her book club when the group was focusing on local authors. I’m guessing that her book club was through Libraries NI, but I didn’t ask, as I found myself somewhat thrown for a loop at being recognised.

Situations like this don’t happen to me a lot; this is the second time in the past year, to put it in context, the other time being when I was shopping in Belfast city centre and was recognised by a follower of my social media. This latest occasion really gave me a moment of disconnect, a real feeling of imposter syndrome, and a sense of detachment from Leilanie Stewart the author and even from the success of my book, The Blue Man.

Continue reading →

Posted by on May 18, 2026 in Writing and tagged , , , .

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May 15, 2026

Listen as I chat about my award-winning Belfast Ghosts trilogy on BBC Radio Ulster

Since I’m a one-woman writing and publishing team, which means I’m my own publicist too (hi and hello from both of us over here in Northern Ireland, lol) it’s time for some more shameless self promotion. Hey, an author has to keep the sales ticking along somehow, eh? I’m hoping that you’re a reader, or a potential reader of my books, and if not (yet!) then why not give them a try? They’re on Kindle Unlimited, if you subscribe, and if you’re a bit skint, then you can read them for free at any of the following libraries:

Anyway, let’s get to it.

Here you can listen as I discuss my award-winning Belfast Ghosts trilogy on BBC Radio Ulster show The Ticket with host, Kathy Clugston. Book 1, The Blue Man won a Chill with a Book Premier Reader’s award in 2023 and Book 2, The Fairy Lights won an Author Shout ‘Recommended Read 2024’ award. But out of the series, Book 3, Matthew’s Twin is my personal favourite.

These three ghost novels are standalones, so you can read one of them, or all three, in any order you like. 

Posted by on May 15, 2026 in Marketing and tagged , , .

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May 10, 2026

Unboxing the final draft of my ghost novel WIP

With my final draft: Title under wraps for now!

Finally, after three years of writing my latest novel project, a ghost horror book set in London, I have finished the final draft. Hurray, yippee, whoopee, happy dance!

The reason that this novel draft took me so long to write was that I had several other projects on the go at the same time, so I hadn’t been focusing all my efforts on this one solely. I started writing it in May 2023, and during the three years, I finished and published short story collections Pseudologia Fantastica in June 2024, Love you to Death in February 2025 and novel The Wabi-sabi Doll in September 2025, in addition to reading and editing submissions for Bindweed Anthologies; so you can imagine how often I set it aside.

Better late than never, eh? I always print paperback copies of final drafts as I find it easier to spot mistakes than reading the manuscript on my computer; for this purpose I always use Lulu. Plus, the printed drafts make a nice edition to my bookshelf as a way of helping me remember the progression of my plot and characterisation before the polished book is ready for publication.

Continue reading →

Posted by on May 10, 2026 in Writing and tagged , , , , , , .

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May 6, 2026

What’s the best compliment an author can get?

A few days ago I received a review of The Wabi-sabi Doll from a reader in Canada, giving the best compliment I’ve had for a book in a while: that they thought the novel read like a true story and hoped that some of the events were fictional. I really gave my main character Kimberly a hard time in that novel, as I joked about with host Kathy Clugston on BBC Radio Ulster when I was discussing the plot of The Wabi-sabi Doll, so I can see why the reader hoped it was fictional, which of course it is.

As a writer, I strive for authenticity in my books, so I’m thrilled that a reader felt the novel read as though it was real. I lived in Japan a long time ago, so I needed to do a lot of research to keep everything up to date and realistic in the story. In non-fiction books, references will be cited at the end; not a requirement for fiction, but in The Wabi-sabi Doll, I decided to reference the sites I used for research as a thank you for the information.

Anyway, if you want to support a humble indie author, you can buy The Wabi-sabi Doll from the links below. Content warning for racism, miscarriage, references to sexual assault, misogyny and domestic abuse. But if you like dark psychological reads, you won’t be disappointed:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Waterstones
Foyles

Posted by on May 6, 2026 in Books and tagged , , , , .

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May 1, 2026

Happy Mayday! Beltane and a flower micromoon

Happy Mayday! Which book is better for Beltane, The Fairy Lights or Gods of Avalon Road?

Both! These novels each feature May 1st in the plot. The Fairy Lights is set at Friar’s Bush graveyard in Stranmillis, Belfast, where there is a Hawthorne tree known as a ‘Maybush’ and according to local folklore, if you sit under this on May 1st, you will find yourself transported to the fairy realms. Gods of Avalon Road takes place  during the six days of Beltane/Beltaine, after a pagan ritual on Mayday, which resurrects ancient Celtic gods into modern day London.

Tonight is also a full moon, making Mayday a double celebration. The moon is reaching its furthest point away from the earth (its apogee), hence the ‘micro’ aspect of the name. As for the ‘flower’ meaning? April flowers bring May flowers, of course.

Posted by on May 1, 2026 in Books and tagged , , , .

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