Meet The Author

About the Author: C J Hilditch

Grief, Magic, and the Stories We Carry

In the world of fantasy fiction, some stories transport you, and others hold your hand as they do it. C J Hilditch writes the latter. Her work blends emotional depth, layered world building, and raw, human resilience. At the heart of it all is a voice that speaks not just to escapism, but to survival.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the writer behind Sacrifical - Book 1 of The Elegiac Grove; where her inspiration comes from, how her stories take shape, and why her fantasy feels so grounded in real emotion.

Where It All Began

C.J. Hilditch’s journey as a writer began with a notebook and a loss.

“If you’ve stumbled across my first book, then thank you for choosing to read it! I started this story thanks to my mum - after she passed away I found a couple of pages scribbled in a notebook of a story that she had started, yet did not have the time she deserved to finish. The prologue is her creation, and the rest is what I’ve snowballed into a story of magic and adventure, loss, love and new beginnings.”

That spark of unfinished storytelling became the seed of The Elegiac Grove series. In many ways, June’s journey in Sacrificial mirrors Hilditch’s own process of navigating loss, searching for meaning and trying to find your place in a world that suddenly feels unfamiliar.

Books became her escape. Writing became her way back.

Between Two Worlds: Vet by Day, Author by Heart

When she’s not writing about magical creatures and forest dwelling monsters, Hilditch works as a veterinary surgeon. Her days are filled with caring for real world animals and her evenings are often spent building fictional ones.

She’s also deeply passionate about marine conservation, drawing inspiration from the resilience of nature, both above and below the waves. Forests, oceans, and the creatures that inhabit them are woven into her narratives, giving her worlds a texture that feels alive and wild.

Writing with Wonder and Weight

CJ doesn’t outline every twist and turn before she starts writing. Her process often begins with an image, a feeling, or a question, allowing the story to unfold from there. Her stories are shaped not by rigid structure, but by instinct. She allows her characters space to breathe, speak, and surprise her. After writing a chapter, she returns with a critical (but kind) eye to deepen the emotional threads and tighten the plot. Time is tight, balancing writing with full-time work, but she carves out space to write without expectation, letting the story grow in its own time. Trusted friends and early readers play an important role, too. Feedback isn’t just welcome, it’s part of the rhythm.

Inspirations from the Real and the Mythical

Hilditch draws inspiration from everyday magic:

• The hush of a forest trail

• The pulse of grief

• The stories we inherit

• The creatures we love

Whether it’s folklore from across the world, mythic themes of transformation, or the very real ache of growing through loss, her stories are deeply personal. And it’s that personal touch that makes her worlds feel so honest, even when they’re filled with flying beasts and sarcastic magical creatures.

Her dog, Barney, is her walking companion and sounding board, particularly when wandering through the woods or along the coast. Those walks, she says, are often where the best ideas find her.

What Comes Next

With Sacrificial in progress, CJ is already deep into future stories set in the world of Lasmire and beyond. Each new instalment promises more magic, more heart and more of the quiet emotional power that made her debut so memorable.

While her characters face winged monsters, power hungry politics and unsettling truths, at the core of her stories is always the same question: What do we hold onto when everything else is taken away?

Why Her Fantasy Feels Real

C J Hilditch writes for people who have loved and lost, for people who’ve looked at the world and needed it to be something more. Her stories are filled with found families, reluctant heroes, and the wild, strange beauty of survival.

If you've ever felt like you didn’t belong, only to stumble into something unexpectedly magical, you’ll feel right at home in her world.