Nick Hayes – illustratör

Grimm's Fairy Tales meets Ransom Riggs in this deeply creepy, gorgeously illustrated collection of twelve original pitch-dark fairytales, from international bestselling author of The Hazel Wood, Melissa Albert. Journey into the Hinterland, where every page tells a wondrously terrible adventure . . . In this brutal and beautiful world a young woman spends a night with Death, brides are wed to a mysterious house in the trees, and an enchantress is killed twice - and still lives.But it's not safe inside these pages, and once you enter, you may never want to leave . . . The highly anticipated collection of stories set in the creepy, haunting fairytale world first introduced in Melissa Albert's internationally bestselling and critically acclaimed Hazel Wood series. Featuring beautiful interior illustrations by Nick Hayes.Praise for Melissa Albert:'Magical, mesmerising and inventive.' Karen McManus, bestselling author of One of Us is Lying'You'll not sleep a wink' Heat'The Hazel Wood kept me up all night . . . Terrifying, magical, and surprisingly funny, it's one of the very best books I've read in years' Jennifer Niven, author of All The Bright Places'Insidiously beautiful' Guardian

LONGLISTED FOR THE JAMES CROPPER WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2022___A year of looking, listening and noticing across four unique seasons and thirty-five beautifully illustrated poems.'Dazzling, moving... A book that will touch many, and be given often: here, take this, you must read this.' ROBERT MACFARLANE'So vivid... A call out to our elemental relationship with love and nature. Beautiful.' WILLEM DAFOE___The world changed in 2020. Gradually at first, then quickly and irreversibly, the patterns by which we once lived altered completely.The Heeding paints a picture of a year caught in the grip of history, yet filled with revelatory perspectives close at hand: a sparrowhawk hunting in a back street; the moon over a town with a loved-one's hand held tight; butterflies massing in a high-summer yard - the everyday wonders and memories that shape a life and help us recall our own.Across four seasons and thirty-five luminous poems and illustrations, Rob Cowen and Nick Hayes lead us on a journey that takes its markers and signs from nature and a world filled with fear and pain but beauty and wonder too. Collecting birds, animals, trees and people together, The Heeding is a profound meditation to a time no-one will forget.At its heart, this is a book that helps us look again, to heed: to be attentive to this world we share and this history we're living through, to be aware of how valuable and fragile we are, to grieve what's lost and to hope for a better and brighter tomorrow.____'The Heeding speaks to us all, guiding us through the emotional journey the nation has gone through during the past year, with humour, pathos and forensically sharp portrayals of people and nature at a time like no other.' Stephen Moss, author of The Robin'Poignant and exquisite' Lucy Jones, author of Losing Eden'Vivid, beating, aching. The Heeding feels like both a eulogy and a defiant, wild challenge to go on. I loved it.' Josie George, author of A Still Life'It is rare to find a writer that is able to tease apart the threads that make up the fragile fabric of our loves, hopes and despairs with such care and humility. An exceptionally good book for an exceptionally bad time.' Matt Gaw, author of Under the Stars

LONGLISTED FOR THE JAMES CROPPER WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2022___Take a journey filled with everyday beauty and wonder.A year of looking, listening and noticing across four unique seasons and thirty-five beautifully illustrated poems.‘Dazzling, moving... A book that will touch many, and be given often: here, take this, you must read this.’ Robert Macfarlane‘A book about people, place and nature that’s impossible to put down.’ BBC Wildlife Magazine___The world changed in 2020. Gradually at first, then quickly and irreversibly, the patterns by which we once lived altered completely.Across home and town, allotment and moorland, The Heeding paints a picture of four unique seasons caught in the grip of history yet filled with moments of wonder close at hand. A sparrowhawk hunting in a back street; butterflies massing in a high-summer yard as death rates rise; the moon overhead with a loved one held tight – the everyday memories that shape a life and help us recall our own.The Heeding leads us on a journey that takes its markers and signs from nature and a world filled with fear but beauty and joy too. Collecting birds and animals, land and people together, it helps us look again, to heed: to be attentive to this world we share, to grieve what’s lost and together seek a better and brighter tomorrow.____SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOK ARE MY BAG READERS AWARDS 2021‘The Heeding isn’t a book. It’s a gateway into the place all of us have been looking for.’ Joanne Harris‘A love letter to all that still remains for us to hold dear, to protect, to celebrate.’ Kerri ní Dochartaigh‘I have clung to this book since it arrived, keeping it close, and the words have clung to my mind.’ Jackie Morris‘Rob Cowen’s poems speak to us all, guiding us through the emotional journey the nation has gone through… Powerful, moving and brilliant.’ Stephen Moss‘Visceral, achingly tender and with stunning illustrations by Nick Hayes.’ Dara Mcanulty‘Luminously hopeful . . . The Heeding is an invitation to appreciate the gifts of the moment.’ Kathryn Aalto