Book + Events
The Story Of The Deer Woman By Heidi Hinda Chadwick
An enchanting tale where Manchester’s familiar streets tilt toward the uncanny. The Story of the Deer Woman is a strange, sensual and fiercely imaginative novella from writer and performer Heidi Hinda Chadwick.
After a chance encounter inside the Manchester Museum, an ordinary woman finds her life beginning to unravel in wild and impossible ways. Reality blurs. Desire stirs. Antlers bloom. What follows is a journey into metamorphosis, myth and the hidden animal inside us all.
Chadwick’s writing is vivid, lyrical and daring. Influenced by the unsettling brilliance of Mona Awad, Bora Chung, Sayaka Murata and Ottessa Moshfegh, she creates a world where the macabre meets the human, where power and eros live at the edges, and where the strange becomes a kind of truth.
This is the first adult fiction title from Lemon Jelly Press, chosen for its bold heart and its commitment to amplifying unheard and marginalised voices. A story that is unsettling, beautiful and unforgettable.
Upcoming events
If you would like to book Heidi Hinda for a speaking engagement, panel, festival, event or writing workshop, please do so HERE
~
In Conversation
Saturday 16th May, 18:30 - 20:00
Join Heidi this May at Greenhouse Books for an intimate evening of reading, conversation and insight into The Story of the Deer Woman. Step into a world where the familiar slips into the uncanny as Heidi shares her work, creative process and the inspiration behind this bold and unforgettable novella. Tickets available via Greenhouse Bookshop.
Trafford’s Celebration of Reading
Saturday 6th June, 10:30am - 3:30pm
Trafford’s Celebration of Reading is a day of free literary events held in Urmston Library, co-organised by Trafford Libraries and Urmston Books and Board Games. A blend between a book fair and festival, the event offers talks and workshops across all ages as well as a chance for local authors to exhibit their latest books and introduce them to a local audience.
Entry to the event and book fair is entirely FREE and we’d love to see lots of you there, but spaces are limited for author talks and workshops, so do reserve your ticket in advance. More details HERE.
Didsbury Arts Festival ~ The Art of Tea
Sunday 28th June, 6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Join debut author Heidi Hinda Chadwick for a reading of The Story of the Deer Woman. Tickets are FREE and are available HERE.
This lyrical, adult fairytale explores hidden desires and transformations. Discover a radical, Manchester-set story that celebrates wildness and confronts the monstrous within the lives we live.
The Art of Tea is a charming, converted space that retains much of its original character. The interior of the café is spacious, with generous clearance between tables to ensure comfortable navigation and accessibility for wheelchair users.
Didsbury Arts Festival (DAF) is back for 2026 with an exciting contemporary festival of art and creativity, working with local, national and international artists. Join us for a rich programme of music, theatre, dance, visual art, spoken word, and more!
What Folk Are Saying
If you’ve read it, please do share your review on Goodreads and Amazon. This truly does support the author and press. Thank you.
“5 stars ~
I devoured this delightful book over two winter evenings and by the end was in love with the Deer Woman.
The quietly magical tale told in Heidi’s subtly ironic, wry tone is full of characteristic understatement which makes the surreal and strange feel grounded and believable. Heidi’s prose is lyrical and yet beautifully Northern with long sentences unravelling into thinking aloud rhythm. Something about it reminded me of Angela Carter.
The story is written in alignment with the deer rather than the noisy, cruel and ridiculous humans. It speaks to belonging, othering and how the mythical might live alongside the mundane.
There is something very matter of fact about the magical realism in this novella which reflects the Mancunian grit of its location. This beautiful, gently funny, slightly sad, urban folklore tale is so cinematic , I can’t wait for the film!
My only criticism? I wished it was longer. Maybe second edition could be the extended version! Mancunian magical realism, bring it on!!!”
“4 stars ~
A psychedelic journey through feminist mythology narrated in an oracle fashion.
I read this novella over a few nights but it’s one of those stories that is nutrient dense and I feel the re-readings of it will illuminate more each time. So it ticks two of my big boxes in that I found that I wanted to keep reading but it’s not “eating movie popcorn” storytelling, there’s deep and cheeky bits. It’s writing that is fulfilling to read.
Heidi’s writing style is how I imagine going on a psychedelic trip with an oracle would be while they tell you myths about creatures only they have seen but that oracle is also the long lost cousin of Hunter S Thompson.
Highly recommend for those who love feminine horror but also those who like mythology/fantasy and are wanting to explore horror.”
“5 stars ~
I inhaled this book!
Heidi is The Queen of storytelling - I love how this book weaves magic, nature, eroticism and intrigue. It is truly the most unique book I have ever read. Each page sucks you into this curious alternate world which exists behind the scenes of the Manchester we know and love. There probably needs to be a warning highlighted to visitors of the Manchester Museum though. Stunning and poetic - this debut is highly recommended.”
“5 stars ~I couldn’t stop reading, such delicious words so beautifully written. An ode to language itself.”