Yorkshire, 1845.
Folklore whispers that they used to burn witches at the standing stone on the moor. When the wind is easterly, it wails a strange lament. History declares it was placed as a marker, visible for miles—a signpost for the lost, directing them towards home.
Forced from their homeland by the potato famine, a group of itinerant Irish refugees sets up camp by the stone. They are met with suspicion by the locals, branded as ‘thieves and ne’er-do-wells.’ Only Beth Harlish takes pity on them, and finds herself instantly attracted to Ruairi, their charismatic leader.
Beth is the steward of nearby manor Tall Chimneys—a thankless task as the owners never visit. An educated young woman, Beth feels restless, like she doesn’t belong. But somehow ‘home’—the old house, the moor and the standing stone—exerts an uncanny magnetism. Thus Ruairi’s great sacrifice—deserting his beloved Irish homestead to save his family—resonates strongly with her.
Could she leave her home to be with him? Will he even ask her to?
As she struggles with her feelings, things take a sinister turn. The peaceable village is threatened by shrouded men crossing the moor at night, smuggling contraband from the coast. Worse, the exotic dancing of a sultry-eyed Irishwoman has local men in a feverish grip. Their womenfolk begin to mutter about spells and witchcraft. And burning.
The Irish refugees must move on, and quickly. Will Beth choose an itinerant life with Ruairi? Or will the power of ‘home’ be too strong?
Publication Date: June 20th, 2025
Publisher: Allie Cresswell Ltd.
Pages: 400
Genre: Historical Romance
An interview with Allie Cresswell
What inspired you to start writing?
I was an avid reader from an early age, reading my way through the entire junior section of the local library by the time I was ten. Story just enchanted me, and so when we were tasked with writing our own stories in school, I couldn’t get enough of it. I didn’t write any fiction while I was at university but in 1992, as a young, effectively single mum, feeling a bit bored and intellectually stagnant, I began my first novel. It took me ten years to write. I think what enthrals me is the fact that I create something from nothing. Where my characters did not exist, where their world and their stories were not, now, they are.
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
The same as always. Starting. I don’t plan out my plots. I’m what’s called a panster, which means I wing it by the seat of my pants. I never know the end of the story from the beginning, just setting out is a huge challenge. I liken it to exploring an unfamiliar landscape accompanied by a group of strangers (my characters) who may—or may not—turn out to be reliable. Stepping out on that first day takes courage.
But also, this book has several scenes that take place at a coal mine, and researching the operation and construction of a mine in 1845 was quite challenging.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
Frank. He is a relatively minor character, the taciturn brother of the main protagonist, but I do feel very fond of him. Firstly, my dad was named Frank. He died in 2010, a few months before I married my second husband. Dad was the rock of our household, the only male, the provider, the moral compass, fun, wise and reliable. Mum could be volatile but Dad was as steady as a rock. I never saw him lose his temper. He was kind. I know he was very proud of his girls, my sister and me, and he loved his four grandchildren. It makes me sad that he didn’t get to meet his great grandchildren, or to see how happy my husband Tim has made me. He only read a couple of my books before he died, but I know he would be proud of those too.
My character Frank is like him in temperament but revealed hidden reserves of passion I never suspected in my dad.
If your book was to be made into a movie, who would you cast in it?
What an excellent question! Beth, my heroine, is twenty-eight. I had Charlotte Riley in my mind but I find she is a little old for the role. What about Georgie Henley, who played Lucy in the Narnia series?
For Ruairi, Emmett J Scanlan has the right look, but is also a bit too old. Do you think Paul Mescal might be free?
My book has a character with a learning disability. Dónall was deprived of oxygen at birth and has the intellectual age of a child whilst inhabiting the body of a young man in his early twenties. He plays a central role in the plot, but he is a character with a disability rather than a “disabled character”. Zach Gottsagen is the actor I would choose to play his role.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
I hope the characters stay with them long after they have read the last page, and that they have an urge to visit Yorkshire, walk the moors and seek out the strange hollow where Tall Chimneys lies. I hope they gain just a little insight into what it is to be forced to leave your homeland and seek a life in a place that does not welcome you. I hope they ask themselves—and talk to each other about—what, or where, or maybe who, ‘home’ is.
And, of course, I hope they rush to my website to find out about the other books in the series!
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Allie Cresswell
Allie has been writing fiction since she could hold a pencil. She has a BA and an MA in English Literature, specialising in the classics of the nineteenth century.
She has been a print-buyer, a pub landlady, a bookkeeper and the owner of a group of boutique holiday cottage but nowadays she writes full time.
Allie has two grownup children, five grandchildren and two cockapoos but just one husband, Tim. They live in the remote northwest of the UK.
The Standing Stone on the Moor is her sixteenth novel.
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