The original story
An original short story set in England’s past, to savour with your tea. Love, secrets, intrigue and the untidy business of being human.
FOR THE CURIOUS READERA CUP OF TEA. A LITTLE TIME. ANOTHER ENGLAND.
Step back in time,
one envelope at a time.
Put the kettle on, settle into your favourite chair and open a little door into England’s past. Beyond the cottage gardens, handsome houses and familiar village streets are lives full of love, longing, scandal and things best left unsaid.
Love, mystery, secrets, betrayal, obsession and murder.
Stories from England’s past, with something different behind every door.
Coming soon. Join the list to hear when subscriptions open.
A LITTLE WORLD TO UNFOLD, READ & KEEPEDITION No. 01
01 / THE CLUBYOUR LITTLE ESCAPE FROM THE EVERYDAY.
The pleasure of
another time.
Blackthorn Letters is my small, independent postal story club, bringing the charm and intrigue of England’s past into your modern-day reading ritual.
Each envelope introduces an original historical story, a character’s private letter and our fictional newspaper, The Blackthorn Observer. Together, they let you wander further into the lives behind the windows, the conversations behind the headlines and the words meant for only one pair of eyes.
From love and mystery to family secrets, betrayal, obsession and murder, each edition opens a different door into England’s past. Always another world to slip into, with a bookmark and our crow sticker to keep when you return to yours.
02 / INSIDE THE ENVELOPEFIVE PIECES. ONE WORLD TO UNFOLD.
Open an envelope.
Enter another time.
Cream paper, private correspondence and a story waiting to be discovered. Here’s what arrives at your door.
A styled preview. The secrets stay inside your envelope.
The private letter
A character’s personal correspondence, revealing thoughts and secrets that don’t belong in the newspaper.
The Blackthorn Observer
A folded fictional newspaper, with reports, correspondence and little notices that bring the world of your story to life.
The matching bookmark
A keepsake designed around the setting or story, ready to slip into whatever you’re reading next.
The crow sticker
Our Blackthorn Letters crow carrying its sealed envelope, a small finishing touch to keep.
03 / THE FIRST EDITIONLANCASHIRE · OCTOBER 1891
THE BLACKTHORN OBSERVERMissing young woman
Twenty pounds offered for information.
EDITION ONE · COMING SOON
The Lodger
of Narrow Street
A missing young woman. A generous reward. A respectable name.
Our first envelope takes you to Lancashire in October 1891. Clara Bell has disappeared, and a twenty-pound reward draws the town’s attention.
A story of love, obsession and power unfolds between the public newspaper reports and a private letter from Harcourt Hall. Respectable appearances can conceal a great deal.
AN ORIGINAL SHORT STORYONE CONNECTED ENVELOPE
Take a look at the reading desk04 / THE READING DESKA GLIMPSE INSIDE EDITION ONE
The public story.
The private words.
Three ways into the same mystery. Browse a small preview of the first edition.
BLACKTHORN LETTERSYOUR FIRST STORY
The Lodger of Narrow Street
October 1891. Lancashire.
Clara Bell has disappeared. A twenty-pound reward promises answers, but the public notice is only the beginning.
Settle in with a story of love, obsession and the lives hidden behind respectable doors.
A glimpse of the first edition, with its secrets still to discover.
HARCOURT HALLOCTOBER 1891
My dear Clara,
A private letter from Harcourt Hall holds another side of Clara’s story.
What Edward puts in writing is yours to discover when the envelope arrives.
The letter’s contents stay inside your envelope.
THE BLACKTHORN OBSERVER
A town has
its own version.
Missing-person reports, correspondence and small notices. Read between the lines of our fictional newspaper.
A preview for Edition One.
05 / BEHIND THE LETTERSA NOTE FROM KATE
Meet the person
behind the letters.
I’m Kate, a Lancashire writer starting a small, independent postal story club. I love English history, old houses, beautiful paper and getting lost in the lives of people from another time.
I created Blackthorn Letters for the pleasure of slowing down with a good story and something lovely to open. The settings may belong to the past, but the love, grief, hopes and secrets of the people inside them still feel familiar. Each edition is a little world I hope you’ll enjoy spending time in.
06 / A FEW PARTICULARSBEFORE THE POST ARRIVES
For enquiring
minds.
Are these true stories?
These are original works of historical fiction set in England’s past. The characters, events and The Blackthorn Observer are invented. Blackthorn Letters is the name of the club, rather than the town in the story.
Does every edition follow the same story?
Each edition introduces a different historical story. Its booklet, private letter and newspaper belong to the same world, so you can enjoy an edition without collecting earlier ones. The stories may explore mysteries, relationships, family secrets and other lives from England’s past.
Will every story have a neat ending?
Not always. Some tales offer answers; others leave space for your imagination.
What will I receive?
An original short story, a character’s private letter, The Blackthorn Observer newspaper-style insert, a matching bookmark and a Blackthorn Letters logo sticker.
When can I subscribe?
Subscriptions aren’t open yet. Join the launch list and I’ll let you know when you can subscribe. The opening date and delivery schedule will be confirmed before launch.
BLACKTHORN LETTERS · COMING SOON
Your next little escape
could arrive by post.
The kettle’s on. The first story is waiting.
Join the launch list to hear when subscriptions open.
£11.99 including UK postage
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