The Candle at Fairlight Cove follows Nick Batts, a charming but directionless man in his mid thirties living in a seaside town on the south coast of England. After a long day working for his mate Ben, Nick sees a barefoot child standing alone on the beach at dusk - a child who vanishes before his eyes. Shaken, Nick confides in his Uncle Roger, a retired milkman with a wicked sense of humour and a deep knowledge of local lore. Roger reveals that Nick's great grandmother was a renowned medium, and that Nick may have inherited her gift. He sends Nick to Violet Hart, a reclusive psychic who once lived on Roger's milk round. Violet is reluctant at first - her past work with spirits left scars - but she senses something unusual about Nick. Together, they investigate the boy's identity, discovering a forgotten graveyard and the headstone of Thomas Larkin, a child who died in 1818 during a smuggling clash at Fairlight Cove. Nick's dreams become vivid visions of the past, showing the French cutter lured onto the rocks, the smugglers, the customs men on horseback, and the moment Thomas was accidentally killed while searching for his father, Samuel Larkin. Their research leads them to the marshes, where Samuel's unmarked grave lies. Nick experiences a powerful psychic connection, feeling Samuel's crushing guilt and the shadow that has held him trapped for two centuries. In a climactic séance at Violet's cottage, Nick's gift fully awakens. Thomas and Samuel appear - one hopeful, one broken - and with Nick and Violet's guidance, father and son finally reunite. Together, they step into the light, symbolised by a single candle flame. In the aftermath, Nick and Violet grow closer, both personally and spiritually. The story ends with the pair walking along the cliffs, ready to face whatever comes next - together.

Author Bio ? Danielle Wynter Batts

Danielle Wynter Batts writes atmospheric Gothic and ghostly fiction set along the windswept coasts of England, where salt marshes, ruined churches, and ancient towns hold stories older than their stones. Blending mystery, romance, and the supernatural, her work lingers in the liminal spaces where history bleeds into folklore and the living brush against the dead.

Living on the rugged south coast, Danielle draws inspiration from the landscapes around her ? the shifting tides, the forgotten cellars beneath medieval streets, and the myths whispered across marshland. Her fiction often delves into the story behind the myth: the human fears, desires, and tragedies that give rise to legends and hauntings.

Whether she is unearthing the darker corners of English history or imagining the ghosts that walk its shorelines, Danielle's writing invites readers into worlds where the veil is thin, the past is restless, and every shadow has a tale to tell.