Author - Christine Delahay

I was raised in a strict Pentecostal Christian family but despite their discouragement, I always had a deep-rooted love of anything magical and fantastical. As a child, I found comfort in my imagination, and spent my time drawing, writing and reading fairy tales. As a rebellious teen in the 80’s, I was naturally drawn to being a Goth and my fascination for the fantastical took me down a darker path of vampires and anything black and spooky. At 18 I left my home in Bridgend South Wales to attend art college in Cardiff. Disillusioned with the art scene, my interest turned to more spiritual practice and I dabbled in the occult, and I discovered I had a natural ability in witchcraft. During this time of exploration, and a love of the magical mushroom, I read Carlos Castaneda and my life changed forever. I explored Shamanism and the Gnostic movement and whilst doing so I continued to paint and create out of clay and other mediums; I also trained as a Mental Health Nurse and continue to practice as a Crisis Nurse to this day.

I battled with my sexuality for many years, and eventually came out as gay at 32. I met and fell in love with a woman and we went on to have a child together. During this time, I lost touch with my spirituality and devoted my time to raising our son. The relationship broke down soon after he was born and my wife left me for someone else, and to cut a very long story short, I lost my son when he was 7. This loss was so devastating that I almost lost myself completely, but a few years later, I stepped back on my spiritual path and found I was stronger, wiser and more creative than I’d ever been.

One day in 2020, I woke up with a story and knew I was going to write a children’s book. The desire was so strong, and the feeling so intense that I began writing that day and 3 months later I completed “Misty Morgan Witch of Elphame”. I painted the cover and other illustrations to accompany it but at that time I had no plan to publish; until a friend read it and told me to at least try. I found Veneficia Publishers by ‘accident’ and when they agreed to publish under their children’s section Ginger Fyre Press, I thought I was dreaming. I knew then that I had a trilogy and wrote the sequel “Misty Morgan the Otherworld”. I have just finished writing “Misty Morgan Return of the Wild Hunt which will complete the trilogy. The books are aimed from age 9 but have had great reviews from both children and adults.

I now live happily in the Vale of Glamorgan with Charlie and our cats Shadow and Merlin, and when I’m not nursing, I write, paint and practice my personal craft.