(10-minute read)

Recently, I had an unpleasant and thought-provoking experience whilst chatting with someone I've known for a long time, who I'll call A. During our conversation, A inadvertently revealed what she really thinks about what I do for a living. 

She was relaying the back-and-forth of a conversation she'd had with a mutual acquaintance, who I'll call B. B was unsure about taking a weekend break, and A had been persuading her to go. 

"She should definitely go. She needs to relax. I told her, 'Tracey always has fun, she's always off to London having fun...'" She tailed off awkwardly, realising what she'd let slip, and to whom. The rest of the conversation (which, thankfully, didn't last long) was really uncomfortable. I managed to keep my voice mild as I pointed out that what she's clearly describing to others as 'jollies' are actually work trips. A made an unconvincing show of acknowledging this.

It left a bad taste in my mouth. 

When I got home, I looked at my diary to see how many 'jollies' I'd had, using the publication date of my last book - August 2025 - as a start point, as I'd had a busy few months. 

As well as being a writer and historian, I am Project Manager for Devon-based charity The Folklore Library and Archive, working part-time for them in between my writing and research. I attend a lot of meetings for the charity, and my work for them, as well as my own work, requires networking and the building and maintenance of connections and partnerships. I get bookings from groups and organisations, as well as via my publisher, to give talks and presentations in a variety of locations. So what is it about the work I do which results in me being described as "one of the busiest people I know" by the host of the last podcast I was on, and as someone who's always off on a jolly (the inference being that I have no responsibilities and spend my time frivolously gallivanting around the country) by someone I've known for years, and who has talked to me many times about my work?

August 2025 saw me representing the Folklore Library at the Dartmoor Folk Festival, and at the Sidmouth Folk Festival, where I gave a presentation on my new book Devon's Forgotten Witches 1860-1910. These are local events, and while I had the opportunity to catch some of the events at both festivals, I was there to work. 

As always, there were numerous meetings (local), followed by the Ross on Wye book fair, where Mark and I had booked a traders' table. To reduce the risk of running into delays on the roads, we drove up the night before, and managed a brief look around a small part of the town centre - because sightseeing wasn't why we were there. We were there to work. 

Some more local events - presentations, and a large fundraising event for the Folklore Library - were followed by a trip to Portsmouth, where Mark and I were both presenting at the town's Holmesfest. We were there for two days, presenting in the evenings. The first day was taken up with travel, and on the second, we visited the historic dockyard, and toured the Mary Rose and the Victory. There was also an exhibition called She Sees, showcasing women who work in a variety of trades connected to the sea. Even this was work-related, as I wanted to gather ideas for ways in which the Folklore Library and Archive could exhibit some of its artefacts at events. Looking at the interpretation and the layout of the exhibits at the Mary Rose museum was incredibly helpful, and the She Sees exhibition gave me ideas on how to present some of the Folklore Library's artefacts in interesting and visually appealing ways. 

We presented at another local festival at the end of September, there were some more local meetings, and then my first trip to London in the time period I was looking at. I'd been invited to the press launch for a new esoteric exhibition in Waterloo. There were some more bookshop presentations, an invitation to a show in Bristol, and our annual trip to a three-day Plymouth-based (local) convention, which we've attended for the last nine years as traders. Yes, we stayed in the convention hotel, as we do every year. But we were not there as attendees - we were there to work.

My most recent trip was to London, as Mark and I had been booked to give a presentation about Devon's Forgotten Witches at Watkins Books near Covent Garden. The following day, we went back to the esoteric exhibition briefly, to shoot some video for a mini-documentary for the Folklore Library's YouTube channel, then drove to Ipswich for another presentation - this time, for Mark's latest book Britain's Folklore Year. All we saw of Ipswich was the route to and from the place where we had dinner - we were back on the road by 11am the next morning.

All of these events were work. Not a single one was a short break or a day out. 

I spent some time considering how I explain what I do, and how A (and perhaps others) might be interpreting it - but there really aren't that many ways to say "I'm working at this festival" or "I'm selling my books at this event." My schedule is necessarily flexible, and I haven't worked a 9-5 job in almost nine years. I work hard and I work a LOT, often late into the night. So why doesn't A, who's watched me transfer from a 9-5 to self-employment, consider the work I do as "real work"? Why does she think that preparing talks and slideshows, ordering stock, planning Folklore Library events, trading at book events, social media promotion and, of course, the writing and research I do in order to make any of these other aspects of my work possible - are not actual work?

It brought to mind a graphic I've seen online, which I believe relates to a survey in the Sunday Times about what those questioned classed as essential and non-essential jobs.

Guess what the number one "non-essential" job was.

ARTIST.

I can only imagine the feelings of the poor artist who was commissioned to create that particular graphic.

(FYI, number 2 in the non-essential list was Telemarketer and number 3 was Social Media Manager/PR specialist. Make of that what you will).

There's a hostility towards art and creatives of all kinds. We see it all around us, whether it's graphics in a newspaper telling us we're "non-essential", or the people around us telling us we ought to get "a proper job". Yet the people criticising us or making snarky comments about our career choices would be the first to complain if art and creativity was removed from their lives. No TV. No books. No movies. What would happen to their wardrobes if there were no fashion designers? What would supermarkets look like if there was no one to create labels for food packaging? Have any of these people, who are so quick to denounce creatives, ever paused, even once, to consider the myriad ways in which their life is touched every single day by the creativity they believe is "non-essential"?

Should I do anything differently? Simplify descriptions of my work? Keep quiet if work requires me to travel?

My first thought is No. I'm proud of my achievements. Knowing A as well as I do, I'm aware that this is a her problem, not a me problem. Yes, her attitude irked me, of course it did. I can't change her mind, but I can manage my reaction to her. I can tune out her snark now I know it exists. As long as people keep coming up to me and telling me how much they have enjoyed my books, as long as I'm booked to give talks and presentations, as long as I'm invited to be a guest on podcasts and at festivals, I know that I am doing the right thing, and that my work is moving in the right direction. 

Ultimately, my work makes me happy. I enjoy it. And I know that it has value - to my readers, to the folklore community, and to the community in which I live. Art and creativity MATTER.  To all of us. 

It's always good to be in a position to support independent bookshops, and Crediton has a lovely one. The Bookery, run by Dominic, Carl and their team of volunteers, has been community-owned since 2013. Find out more about them here - and next time you're in the area, pop in and browse for a while.

Mark and I were invited along to talk about Devon's Forgotten Witches 1860-1910, and Mark's latest solo project, Britain's Folklore Year. We were delighted to find ourselves in front of a sold-out audience, so thank you to everyone who came along and supported not only ourselves, but The Bookery too. 

The poster - cleverly done using our book jacket artwork!

From left: Mark, myself, Carl and Dominic.

I can never resist a shelfie - here, our books are in excellent company, sitting alongside Ghostlore by the wonderful Icy Sedgwick. Find out more about her work here - she does all kinds of interesting things!

Signing Devon's Forgotten Witches 1860-1910 - if you'd like a signed copy, The Bookery's are signed by both of us. There are a couple of copies in Waterstones, Barnstaple, which are signed by me. 

Some images from the new Dark Secrets esoteric exhibition at The Vaults, Waterloo, London.
Overall, this is an excellent, beautifully curated exhibition. The lighting is superb, and the artefacts on display are wide-ranging, covering a multitude of areas of interest.
I was fortunate enough to be invited to the press event on opening day, which meant I was able to take part in a Victorian seance, led by Dr Matteo Borrini.
The experiments conducted during the seance were fascinating, and the deep boom of the trains rumbling overhead really added to the ambience.
The exhibition is extensive and labyrinthine. You wind your way through room after room, some with interactive exhibits, some with tableaux. I particularly enjoyed the Pepper's Ghost.
There is an audio narrative which can be accessed on your phone via QR codes in the various rooms.
The main disappointment for me personally was the lack of written artefact interpretation, which ranged from good in places, to scant or entirely absent in others. I only tried the audio narration in one room, and suspect that it's meant to replace written interpretation, but the narration I listened to wasn't especially detailed and didn't cover every item in the room. It would have been good to have an indication of which items were genuine and which were reproductions. In addition, one piece of historic written interpretation I saw was in Italian and there was nothing visual to explain to non-Italian speakers what was being conveyed.
That said, I'm aware that, as a historian, I automatically seek information and detail, and this is an exhibition catering to general interest - so while there were areas where I personally would have liked more information, I acknowledge that it wasn't necessarily aimed at someone with my level of knowledge and interest.
It was wonderful to have so many areas of interest represented in such an engaging way. There were rooms for spritualism, freemasonry, Crowley, witchcraft, voodoo... there was a room full of cursed dolls, there were interactive quizzes, plus the opportunity to become a Pepper's Ghost. There are 27 rooms in total, so if you're going to visit - which I highly recommend - make sure you set aside plenty of time!
There is also a little coffee bar, decorated with a Stranger Things theme, which is a good place to relax for a while at the end of your explorations. The merch stand is mainly for a beautiful and weighty exhibition catalogue, plus some crystals, mugs and fridge magnets.
I took SO MANY photos - there simply isn't space for all of them here, otherwise you'll all get RSI from scrolling.
Go to Dark Secrets. Interact with everything. You won't regret it.
Check out their website here. 

The entrance draws you in immediately.

A representation of Baphomet which shows how striking the lighting design is.

The wonderful Dr Matteo Borrini, forensic anthropologist by day and exceptionally talented illusionist by night. Here, he was demonstrating how Victorian mediums channelled those beyond the veil.

The Thoth tarot, and a chunk of masonry from Aleister Crowley's Temple of Thelema.

Who wouldn't want to take the opportunity to become a Pepper's Ghost? 

Recently, I had the joy of being part of the third Hell-Tor Film Festival, a brilliant three-day event which features classic movies, short films, talks and some fantastic guests. Ashley and Sue Thorpe of Carrion Events put together a superb programme this year. Here are some of the highlights.

Our sales table all set up and ready to go.

Such a brilliant line-up this year! Caroline Munro (Hammer Horror, James Bond), Pauline Moran (The Woman in Black, Poirot), Stephen Volk (Ghostwatch, Afterlife), Jonathan Rigby (Lot No 249, Borley Rectory), Steve Nallon (Spitting Image, Ghost Stories), Graham Humphreys (Nightmare on Elm Street, Inside No. 9, Evil Dead), Claire Louise Amias (Haunted Shadows, Masks of Aphra Behn), Peter Laws (The Frighteners, Fortean Times), Mark and myself. 

The theme this year was GHOSTS.

​On Friday night, it was a delight to enjoy the 1980 classic 'The Changeling' starring George C Scott and Trish Van Devere. This has been a firm favourite of mine since I studied it in the last year of secondary school, but this was the first time I'd ever seen it on the big screen.
To my surprise, the movie not only felt shorter, but two particular SFX, which I'd always thought clunky and jarring against the rest of the movie, had a very different feel for me. (SPOILER ALERT).
These were the wheelchair chasing Claire down the stairs, and the gold medallion pushing its way out of the earth at the bottom of the well. They were of their time. The medallion was clearly in reverse, and the wheelchair ... well, that was just a bit cheesy.
Something changed for me as I watched the story unfolding on the big screen. I know this movie well, and can probably recite a good chunk of the script - but on Friday evening, everything about it was *right*. Nothing seemed clunky any more. It was what I've always considered it to be - a deliciously creepy and effective ghost story - yet this time, nothing pulled me out of the narrative and it seemed to be over in a flash.
Re-watching old favourites is always a joy, but this was a wonderful experience, almost as good as watching it for the first time.
On Saturday morning, I kicked off proceedings with an exploration into the history behind the legend of Lady Mary Howard of Fitzford, in Tavistock on Dartmoor. This is one of the moor's best-known and creepiest ghost stories, involving four dead husbands, a carriage of human bones with four skulls at each of its corners, and a single blade of grass. (If you'd like to hear the talk, you can book me for your group - message me for details.)

Jonathan Rigby and Caroline Munro in conversation.

​Saturday's highlight for me was the interview with actor Caroline Munro (Dracula AD 1972, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The Spy Who Loved Me). Esteemed actor and film historian Jonathan Rigby, one of the stalwarts of Hell-Tor, led Caroline through a wonderfully detailed and well-researched tour of her career, which made for a delightfully entertaining conversation, interspersed with some film clips of a varied and fascinating acting career.
After that, it was time for the Hell-Tor banquet at the Rougemont Hotel. The grand staircase in the Rougemont is lined with prints, including one which reminded me very much of actor John Kearney as William Ager in 'A Warning to the Curious' (aired 24 December 1972 as part of the BBC's 'A Ghost Story for Christmas, and based on the MR James story of the same name). We had watched the film the previous evening prior to 'The Changeling'. Luckily, as no one admitted to discovering any East Anglian crowns, the evening passed without incident.

Mark Norman's talk on Screaming Skulls opened the Sunday programme.

The final day - Sunday - began with two options - either a screening of 'Blithe Spirit' (1945), or a talk by Mark Norman (The Folklore Podcast) about screaming skulls, where he unpicked some of the misinformation which abounds about these fascinating artefacts.
Then there was *another* choice to make - either a presentation from Peter Laws (Into the Fog podcast), or a presentation from Steve Nallon (Spitting Image). I went to Steve's presentation, and Mark went to Peter's.
What an absolute delight it was to hear Steve reading his ghost stories. My favourites were 'Visiting Hattie', which he read as Kenneth Williams, and 'The Return of the Handbag', which he read as Margaret Thatcher (did you notice the little Maggie bust next to the skull in the photo of the creepy table [above]?) Each extract left me wanting more, so I bought Steve's book, and I'm very much looking forward to enjoying them all in full. Steve is also incredibly knowledgeable about ghost stories generally... but more on that in a minute.

Steve Nallon gets ready to delight us with extracts from his ghost stories.

​Sunday continued with one of horror's icons - the Woman in Black herself, the inimitable Pauline Moran, also known for her role of Miss Lemon in Poirot.
Pauline was in conversation with Jonathan Rigby, whose research was, as always, impeccable.
The interview got off to a great start, with Pauline commenting how lovely it was to sit down in a room full of psychopaths. She has a wicked sense of humour, which sparkled all the way through the conversation. Did you know that Miss Lemon was once the bass player in an all-girl rock band? No, neither did I. Look them up - She-Trinity.
Pauline's career, like Caroline Munro's, is incredibly varied. In addition, she has a passion for clothes and fashion, and listening to her talking about her costumes was absolutely fascinating.
The shot from The Woman in Black which has terrified countless people since the film's release in 1989 was accomplished in ONE TAKE. One. Take.

The delightful Pauline Moran discusses her fascinating and varied career with Jonathan Rigby.

After Pauline Moran's panel, Sunday continued with Ashley Thorpe of Ashley Thorpe Animation  interviewing artist Graham Humphreys, whose film posters you will undoubtedly have seen and marvelled over.
Eschewing digital art, Graham prefers to use gouache for his stunning artworks. If you're not familiar with his work, google him - it's spectacular. One of my favourites is the Dracula poster (which I bought), closely followed by the Nightmare on Elm Street poster, with the striking image of actress Heather Langenkamp, who played Nancy.
Ashley is also a brilliant artist and animator (check out his 2017 movie Borley Rectory and you'll see what I mean - it's on Netflix at the moment).
Listening to two artists discussing art, the art world and art in movies was both fascinating and inspiring in equal measure, and I especially liked Graham's individuality and determination to create his art in his own style.
Finally, the evening drew to a close with the 'Ghosts of My Life' panel featuring Steve Nallon, Jonathan Rigby, actor Claire-Louise Amias and Stephen Volk (Ghostwatch, Gothic, Under a Raven's Wing). They had each selected clips from two movies which had traumatised them as children, and discussed them - it was here that the depth of their knowledge on the subject was clearly demonstrated. It was an excellent panel, and a fitting way to close a brilliant festival.
There were also opportunities for film makers to chat to industry professionals, and a series of short 'Ghosts of My Life' videos where stars such as Reece Shearsmith (League of Gentlemen) and author Sir Christopher Frayling talked about the movies which had most affected them.
I hope this has whetted your appetite, as Hell-Tor will be back at the Exeter Phoenix in 2026 with a new theme and a new batch of movies to chill you to the bone....

From left: Steve Nallon, Claire Louise Amias, Jonathan Rigby and Stephen Volk.

A motley crew! Some of the wonderful people I met at Hell Tor 2025. From left: Mark Norman, Sue Thorpe, Pauline Moran, me, Peter Laws, Graham Humphreys, Claire Bueno, Lee Rawlings and Bex Phillips.