Embedded Files
ARTICLE IN 'SPOOKY ISLES' ONLINE MAGAZINE
20 DECEMBER 2024
"Poppy The Ghost Hunter of Dunster, by Nina Dodd, blends folklore, adventure and real ghost stories from one of Somerset’s most haunted villages.”
www.spookyisles.com/poppy-the-ghost-hunter-of-dunster/
WORDS IN WATCHET LITERARY FESTIVAL
12 DECEMBER 2024
"Imagine writing your first book in a foreign language, choosing a topic that has terrified you since childhood, squeezing ghost stories out of villagers as a newcomer and typing on your laptop night after night in your back garden. This is what writing ‘Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat – a travel guide to the mystery tales of Dunster’ was like for Finnish-born journalist, photographer and Dunster Living shop proprietor Nina Dodd.”
wordsinwatchet.com/witches-giants-and-a-ghost-cat-by-nina-dodd/
ARTICLE ABOUT 'POPPY - THE GHOST HUNTER OF DUNSTER' IN YAHOO!NEWS
9 DECEMBER 2024
uk.news.yahoo.com/childrens-ghost-book-set-exmoor-170040200.html?guccounter=1
ARTICLE IN SOMERSET COUNTY GAZETTE
9 DECEMBER 2024
"A captivating story about a bubbly little sausage dog called Poppy who wants to find ghosts in Dunster has been published by renowned ghost writer Nina Dodd.”
www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/24782778.exmoor-village-setting-new-childrens-ghost-book/
ARTICLE IN WEST SOMERSET FREE PRESS
29 NOVEMBER 2024
"A NEW children’s book based in a West Somerset village thought to be the country’s most haunted will be officially launched next week."
www.wsfp.co.uk/news/ghost-story-book-for-children-in-uks-most-haunted-village-of-dunster-743685
ARTICLE ABOUT 'WITCHES, GIANTS AND A GHOST CAT' IN SOMERSET LIVE
27 OCTOBER 2024
https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/inside-uks-most-haunted-village-9644780
NEW BOOK OUT IN DECEMBER!
2 OCTOBER 2024
Poppy, The Ghost Hunter of Dunster, a children's book suitable for ages 4 to 10, will be launched during the Dunster Winter Festival on the weekend of 7–8 December!
EXMOOR MAGAZINE AUTUMN 2024 ISSUE
2 AUGUST 2024
A new article in Exmoor Magazine about Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat book.
SOMERSET AND EXMOOR COAST FESTIVAL
20 MARCH 2024
Somerset and Exmoor Coast Festival has included the self-guided ghost walk from Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat book as one of their featured activities for the festival held 21-29 September 2024: somersetcoastfestival.co.uk/events/self-guided-ghost-walk-of-dunster/
ARTICLE ON EXMOOR VISITOR
15 MARCH 2024
An article on Exmoor Visitor highlighting the self-guided ghost walk aspect of the 'Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat' book.
THE FAVOURITE BOOK LIST ON SHEPHERD
1 MARCH 2024
Author Nina Dodd shares three of her favourite books that inspired her research for Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat:
THE BEST BOOK LIST ON SHEPHERD
26 DECEMBER 2023
Author Nina Dodd shares five books she found especially interesting while researching for her book Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat:
INTERVIEW ON SPOOKY ISLES
14 DECEMBER 2023
An article in the UK’s leading independent paranormal online magazine, Spooky Isles, features author Nina Dodd as she discusses her book Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat and reveals some of her favourite stories. See the interview here: Mysteries of Dunster: Interview with Nina Dodd
'WITCHES, GIANTS AND A GHOST CAT' AVAILABLE AT WATERSTONES
24 NOVEMBER 2023
Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat is now also available on the Waterstones website: www.waterstones.com/book/witches-giants-and-a-ghost-cat
DUNSTER BY CANDLELIGHT 1-2 DECEMBER 2023
21 NOVEMBER 2023
We are excited to be part of Dunster's biggest annual event, Dunster by Candlelight, on 1st and 2nd December!
Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat will be on display in the window of Dunster Living shop, and author Nina Dodd will be in the shop, ready to chat about the stories and superstitions she collected for the book.
The medieval village of Dunster will be closed to traffic from 3:30 pm onwards on both Friday and Saturday. The streets will be filled with food and artisan stalls, live music, fire jugglers, knights showcasing their sword skills, puppet shows, and all things magical.
Dunster Living shop, where you can purchase both the book and prints of the book's illustrations, will be open on 1st and 2nd December from 10 am to 10 pm, and on Sunday, 3rd December, from 10 am to 5 pm.
ARTICLE ON MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS
5 NOVEMBER 2023
It's wonderful to see so much publicity for Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat—this time, an article has been published in the Manchester Evening News:
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/we-live-britains-most-haunted-28021617
ARTICLE ON THE CITIZEN NEWSPAPER
2 NOVEMBER 2023
Author Nina Dodd’s interview and article about Dunster’s ghosts has been featured in The Citizen, an American newspaper published in Auburn, New York.
See the interview here: auburnpub.com
ARTICLE ON POLISH EXPRESS
1 NOVEMBER 2023
A Polish-language article about Dunster’s ghosts and author Nina Dodd has been featured in the British weekly Polish Express: polishexpress.co.uk
ARTICLE ON AUSTRALIAN INKL
31 OCTOBER 2023
The articles sparked by the publication of Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat are now spreading around the world!
www.inkl.com/news/every-home-has-a-ghost-haunting-stories-from-dunster-somerset
ARTICLE ON SOMERSET COUNTY GAZETTE
31 OCTOBER 2023
Great to see another article about Dunster and Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat—this time in the Somerset County Gazette! www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/23889596.tales-ghosts-west-somerset-village-dunster/
ARTICLE ON BRISTOL LIVE
31 OCTOBER 2023
An article about Dunster and Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat has been featured in the popular Bristol Live!
www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/local-news/we-live-britains-most-haunted-8870420
ARTICLE ON TIMES OF BRISTOL
31 OCTOBER 2023
An article about Dunster's ghosts, along with an interview with Nina Dodd, the author of Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat: timesofbristol.co.uk/we-live-in-britains-most-haunted-village-every-home-has-a-ghost/
ARTICLE ON SOMERSET LIVE
31 OCTOBER 2023
"One businessman I spoke to even said that he can't tell his staff about the ghost experiences he has had or they wouldn't come to work." www.somersetlive.co.uk/whats-on/halloween-somerset-we-live-britains-8867604
ARTICLE ON YAHOO LIFE
31 OCTOBER 2023
Read it here: uk.style.yahoo.com/britains-most-haunted-town-dunster-144044769.html
ARTICLE ON NATIONAL WORLD
31 OCTOBER 2023
An article about Dunster and Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat has been featured on National World, a British online news platform: www.nationalworld.com/news/uk/halloween-britains-most-haunted-location-somerset-village-dunster-4392225
ARTICLE ON METRO: 'Village where nearly every home has a ghost'
30 OCTOBER 2023
Great to see an article about Dunster and Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat featured on such a well-read platform as Metro!
metro.co.uk/2023/10/30/inside-uks-most-haunted-village-where-most-homes-have-a-ghost-19741358/
INTERVIEW ON YAHOO NEWS
30 OCTOBER 2023
An article with a catchy headline designed to grab attention and draw readers in!
Listen to the interview here: uk.news.yahoo.com/live-britians-most-haunted-place-122726194.html
ARTICLE ON AUSTRALIAN YAHOO SPORT
30 OCTOBER 2023
An interview with Nina Dodd has been published on Australia’s Y!SPORT: au.sports.yahoo.com
ARTICLE ON BULLETIN OBSERVER
30 OCTOBER 2023
An article about Dunster's ghostly tales and Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat has been featured on the online news site Bulletin Observer: bulletinobserver
ARTICLE ON MIRROR
30 OCTOBER 2023
An article about Dunster's ghostly happenings and Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat:
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gallery/locals-living-britains-most-haunted-31315363
ARTICLE ON JAUN NEWS
30 OCTOBER 2023
An article about Dunster and 'Witches, Giants and a Ghost cat' book, which appeared on an online Jauns News site: jaunnews
ARTICLE ON DAILY EXPRESS
30 OCTOBER 2023
An article about Dunster's ghost stories and Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat has been published, although there is an unfortunate spelling mistake in the article: the author is 56 years old, not 66.
www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1829563/We-live-in-Britian-s-most-haunted-place
BOOK READING ON 27 OCTOBER AT STAGS HEAD INN
28 OCTOBER 2023
What a wonderful Halloween party Janie and Nigel Deeming hosted at their 15th-century Stags Head Inn last night! With great music, fantastic company, and beautiful surroundings, it was a night to remember.
In addition to the general merriment, author Nina Dodd and Tim Wetherell read some of the over 60 ghost stories Nina had gathered for her book, earning plenty of "ooohs" from the captivated audience.
After the reading, Janie Deeming, the inn’s owner, took the stage to share her own experiences from the Stags Head—some of which even Nina admitted she hadn’t heard before. This sparked questions from the audience about the possibility of a sequel to the book.
"Not quite yet," Nina replied, "but gathering stories from Exmoor is an ongoing project for me. I encourage everyone to come and share their stories so they can be recorded for the benefit of future generations and researchers."
Pictured from left: artist Tim Wetherell, illustrator Asia Wetherell, author Nina Dodd, Stags Head Inn owner Janie Deeming, and Amelie, the Little Ghost Girl.
ARTICLE ON EXMOOR MAGAZINE: "West Somerset's Spookiest Travel Guide?"
27 OCTOBER 2023
"September saw the launch of a travel guide with a difference at Dunster's Luttrell Arms. Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat - a travel guide to the mystery tales of Dunster is a collaboration between author Nina Dodd and digital illustrator Asia Wetherell.
This is a wondrous collection of English superstitions, local ghost stories and history, which also doubles up as a travel guide to the beautiful village of Dunster.
Nina says, "Writing this book has taken a full year of research and countless hours spent creating the images, but the biggest thank you goes to all the present-day and former villagers who came forward with their captivating stories. Without their kind contributions this book would never have been written.
Indeed, not all of the stories are ancient: surveys show that nearly half of the British population believe in ghosts, so it is no wonder that stories of new otherwordly encounters pop up frequently.
Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat is divided into sections that relate to the different parts of the village where the mysterious encounters have been recorded and can therefore be used as a thrilling walking companion by visitors of all ages." Exmoor Magazine, Issue 105 Winter 2023.
BOOK READING AT THE STAGS HEAD INN'S HALLOWEEN PARTY
27 OCTOBER 2023
Come and join us for a night of fascinating tales, fancy dress, and music at Dunster's cosy Stags Head Inn, located at 10 West St, TA24 6SN.
ARTICLE ON WEST SOMERSET FREE PRESS
20 OCTOBER 2023
An article in the West Somerset Free Press covers the Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat book reading and Halloween party held on 27 October 2023 at Dunster's 15th-century Stags Head Inn.
"Nearly every building in Dunster is believed to have a ghost or two, and Nina has done a great job recording the stories."
INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR NINA DODD
4 OCTOBER 2023
If you missed the program on BBC Radio Somerset this morning, you can listen to it here for the next 30 days (just skip ahead to 20:40 to hear the interview): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0gdhn96
BOOK LAUNCH AT LUTTRELL ARMS HOTEL
30 SEPTEMBER 2023
What a fantastic night we had at the book launch of Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat at Dunster’s beautiful Luttrell Arms Hotel! It was wonderful to see so many people come together to celebrate the final product.
A big thank you to everyone involved: Anne Way for generously allowing us to use the Luttrell's Stable Bar, Tim Wetherell for doing the reading (dressed as one of the monks haunting Dunster village), Amelie for playing the part of Luttrell's Little Ghost Girl, and to all the guests—your presence truly made the night special!
ARTICLE ON YAHOO!FINANCE
10 SEPTEMBER 2023
"What started a year ago as a project about local ghost stories ended up becoming a fascinating collection of centuries-old Somerset superstitions, beliefs, folk tales and stories of how people tried to protect their homes, families and livelihoods from evil spirits they believed to be lurking everywhere, writes Sara Badran." uk.finance.yahoo.com
ARTICLE ON WEST SOMERSET FREE PRESS
22 SEPTEMBER 2023
Lovely article in West Somerset Free Press about 'Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat' and the upcoming book launch:
Ghostly goings on in Dunster
Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat - a travel guide to the mystery tales of Dunster - will be published on 30 September and a launch party will be held at Dunster's iconic Luttrell Arms Hotel's Stable bar from 7pm. The party is open to everyone.
The idea for writing a book on Dunster came to author Nina Dodd from the realisation that there were surprisingly few books published about Dunster - even thugh the village is a popular spot for visitors, and is described as one of the best preserved Medieval villages in the UK.
"There was quite a gap in the market for a new travel guide, but I knew right from the start that I wanted to do something a bit more exciting than just a traditional tourist guide," Nina says.
The Finnish-born journalist and photographer, who moved to the Exmoor area 12 years ago with her British carpenter husband Andrew and their two sons, decided to approach the topic from the point of view of local ghost stories.
"I have always been fascinated by the amount of ghost stories there are on the British Isles," Nina says.
Nina, who holds a Master's degree in English and minor honours in Comparative Religions and Cutural History, started her research in September 2022 by interviewing people who live and work in Dunster village, or have done so in the past.
"Even though surveys show that nearly half of British people believe in ghosts, there was a slight degree of hesitation at first to speak publicly about indiviuals' otherwordly encounters. Once the word got around the area, though, and people realised that I was collecting the stories so that they would not be lost, I was very pleased by the amount of people who came forward to share their personal experiences and the stories they had heard," Nina says.
"What started purely as a ghost book, quickly developed into a much broader collection of folktales, local history, superstitions and beliefs," Nina says.
"Most of the ghost stories I collected through interviews, books and online sources are not scary, but convey the amazement of the people who experienced the odd encounters. Threfore I did not want the visual side of the book to be overly gory or contain stereotypical, Halloween type of illustrations."
The illustrations are done by a friend of Nina's, local digital artist Asia Wetherell.
"Asia has an excellent eye for building a visual coherence for the book, and a keen interest in otherwordly phenomena, but she also has quite a dark sense of humour which suits the topic," Nina says.
The book launch will be held on Saturday 30 September at 7pm at Luttrell Arms Hotel's Stable Bar where both Nina and Asia will be present to talk about their experiences creating this fascinating book.
ARTICLE ON SOMERSET COUNTY GAZETTE
10 SEPTEMBER 2023
"What started a year ago as a project about local ghost stories ended up becoming a fascinating collection of centuries-old Somerset superstitions, beliefs, folk tales and stories of how people tried to protect their homes, families and livelihoods from evil spirits they believed to be lurking everywhere, writes Sara Badran.
With constant curiosity surrounding ghost stories and their history, new book ‘Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat – a travel guide to the mystery tales of Dunster’ is quite the read.
The book launch is at Dunster’s Luttrell Arms from 7pm on Saturday, September 30.
The book and a large selection of illustrations will be available to buy at the launch, when the author, Nina Dodd, and illustrator, Asia Wetherell, will be present.
Nina said: "There was quite a gap in the market for a new travel guide, but I knew right from the start that I wanted to do something a bit more exciting than just a traditional tourist guide.
“I have always been fascinated by the amount of ghost stories there are on the British Isles.
"Even though surveys show that nearly half of the British people believe in ghosts, there was a slight degree of hesitation at first to speak publicly about individuals’ otherworldly encounters.
"Once the word got around the area, though, and people realised that I was collecting the stories so that they would not be lost, I was very pleased by the amount of people who came forward to share their personal experiences and the stories they had heard.”
The book is divided into local history, superstitions and a walking guide to Dunster."
ARTICLE ON YAHOO MOVIES
10 SEPTEMBER 2023
"Witches, giants and a ghost cat - surprise revelations of a Somerset village." Article: uk.movies.yahoo.com/witches-giants-ghost-cat-surprise
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