A Year of Old Light

I’d like to say that it’s a year to the day that my most recent novel, Old Light, was published, but I can’t because it actually came out on 29th February 2020 and so I can really only say it’s an exact year every four years. Perhaps a Leap Year publication has its challenges.

Bringing out a new book just before your home country goes into a long pandemic lock down, closely followed by much of the rest of the world, also has its challenges. Many of the launch events and readings I had planned never took place. It also means that the publication date of the final novel in the Witchlight series (Old Light was the second, Witchlight was the first) has been delayed. I still don’t have an actual publication date for Elderlight (the third and final book in the series), but I can report on the QT that work has begun on designing its cover. There is, therefore, an elderlight at the end of this pandemic tunnel.

Anyway, to celebrate the almost anniversary of Old Light I thought I’d share some of its rather lovely reviews:


"Author Watts doesn't disappoint with this sequel. If anything, I found it faster reading and more engrossing than the first installment."

“What a magical and wonderful story with such amazing characters that make you want to be a part of the book. Loved it.”

"fun, witty and innovative and an excellent follow-up to Witchlight."

"Watts writes fluently and entertainingly about Holly's efforts to combine staggering supernatural powers with a completely human need for love and partnership. A very enjoyable read."

"A wonderfully crafted story of magical realism shot through with humour as dry as the almost sentient rustling of pages within the coven’s library. Following on from “Witchlight”, Holly gets to grips with her subtle powers while upsetting old – really old – enemies. People die, and those already dead fail to behave as their station befits. I’ve seen the comparison before, but it is valid: it’s as if the world of a famous teenage wizard grew up. Great read."


Old Light in summary: Holly has had a year to deal with the family-sized portion of Old Magic she has inherited. Her focus is on the future, but when both the Coven and the past come calling, the future she has imagined seems to be slipping from her grasp.

If the past is truly a different country, it turns out it is a dark and bloody one that shares a border with the present – a border that is frequently crossed.

Holly needs to right a past wrong and lay some old ghosts, without becoming one herself, if she is to come to terms with her present and claim her future.


Old Light by J.S.Watts (ISBN 978-1946050205) was published by Vagabondage Press in paperback and e-book formats on 29th February 2020.