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Hi, I’m Ali!
I love to write stories with a little bit of magic at their heart and often more than a little of the strange. My novels include A COLD SEASON, PATH OF NEEDLES, THE HIDDEN PEOPLE, THE CROW GARDEN and MISTLETOE.
“Hugely enjoyable – perfect reading for a dark winter’s night” – The Richard and Judy Book Club, of A Cold Season
I also write as Ava Morwood
Dark, suspenseful contemporary thrillers, laden with the eeriness of folklore and the secrets buried in the British landscape. UNTIL WE DROWN is out in April 2026 from HarperNorth. See AvaMorwood.com for details!
“This spine-tingling novel is a suspenseful twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s dark tale The Little Mermaid, where love, loss, and the lure of the water collide in a terrifying crescendo.”
And as A. J. Elwood
Latest title: THE OTHER LIVES OF MISS EMILY WHITE.
“A. J. Elwood has carved a solid reputation with her spooky and hauntingly beautiful historical fiction. This novel is no exception, and its brilliance surely cements her place as one of the finest British writers working today in any genre” – Tim Lebbon, author of The Silence
UNTIL WE DROWN
COMING IN APRIL 2026
- Until We Drown – early reader responses
Thank you so much for these lovely comments about UNTIL WE DROWN, written as Ava Morwood…
“A slippery dreamlike psychological thriller woven through with folklore and otherworldliness, UNTIL WE DROWN will have you gasping for breath before it lets you go. Bravo!” Sarah Pinborough, author of Behind Her Eyes
“Full of twisting and delicious undercurrents.” Priya Sharma, author of Pomegranates
“Ava Morwood’s Until We Drown is a siren song that draws you willingly into a brutal, beautiful world of watery myths … and then it rips out your heart. It’s a perfect fairy tale – hypnotic, lyrical and ultimately horrific. I loved it, and I won’t stop thinking about those last couple of chapters for a long time.” Tim Lebbon, Secret Lives of The Dead
“Ava Morwood bleeds the weird into the everyday. Morwood weaves old tales of thoughtless bargains and betrayals into a stylishly noir novel. Wonderful, haunting, and unexpected.” A. G. SLATTER, author of All the Murmuring Bones
“When folklore and reality collide; I will never look at a body of water in the same way again.” Jackie Kabler, author of Run for Your Life
“Until We Drown haunts you for long after the final page. Dark and eerie, I found myself holding my breath on so many occasions!” Natalie Chandler, author of The Voices
UNTIL WE DROWN publishes on 9th April.
See the Events page for appearances!
