Polly Hall
My debut novel, The Taxidermist's Lover, was published by CamCat Books in December 2020.
I hold an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University, England and currently facilitate creative writing courses online. Pre-covid I ran residential writing retreats in the UK and hope to reinstate these when we can safely do so.
My work has been included in cross cultural collaborations such as community arts projects.
Residencies include: Theatre Melange & Somerset Libraries' collaboration - Out of the Mouth of the Parrett, a journey through time on the River Parrett, Somerset, England.
I am Director of SM'art and Culture Community Interest Company in my home town of Shepton Mallet which supports arts and culture events in the local area.
I especially enjoy found art, found poetry, mixed-media collage and sculpture.
Follow me on Twitter @PollyHallWriter or Facebook #PollyHallWriter.
Works
The Taxidermist's Lover
The Taxidermist's Lover is a modern gothic tale of a woman obsessed with her lover's taxidermy creatures and haunted by her past.
When Scarlett meets taxidermist Henry, a passionate love affair commences. One year later, on Christmas Day, Scarlett recalls the ebb and flow of their intense relationship and tries to unravel her obsession with Henry's taxidermy creatures and the influence of his rival, Felix. Both enchanted and entrapped by the isolated rural environment of the Somerset moorland she calls home, Scarlett reaches out to her only remaining family, her twin brother, Rhett, to make sense of the secrets they share. Soon, Scarlett realizes that past promises have far-reaching consequences. Drenched in the torrential rains of rural South West England and the sensual pleasures of the characters, The Taxidermist's Lover lures you ever deeper into Scarlett's delightfully eerie world.
Available as hardback, paperback, ebook and audiobook. Published December 2020.
Awards and Recognition
- 2020 Bram Stoker Award Finalist for Superior Achievement in a First Novel
- "Finalist in the Best Interior Design category of the 2020 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest" ~http://americanbookfest.com/generalfiction.html
Press and Media Mentions
- “The menace increases slowly but relentlessly, permeating every corner, and the twists, plentiful but also well earned, pile up, resolving in a near-perfect horror ending . . . [A] lyrical debut, told with the confidence of a veteran. ” ~Booklist, Starred Review
- “Creepy and sensual . . . the tension between Scarlett and Henry is riveting . . . making The Taxidermist’s Lover a luxurious, macabre romance. ” ~Foreword Reviews
- “As strange as it is disturbing . . . It’s [Scarlett’s] highly personal confessional tone, exposed internal conflicts, grotesque dreams, and desires that draw the reader in. ” ~Kirkus Reviews
- “Rich, decadent prose . . . allusions to The Bride of Frankenstein nicely ground the ending in the gothic tradition. ” ~Publishers Weekly
- “With its gothic setting and lurid subject matter, Hall’s eerie prose is just right for those cold winter nights.” ~This Is Horror Review
Website
Location
Shepton Mallet, None
Author Contact
Category
Fiction & Literature, Poetry, Horror / Thriller, Romance