ABOUT DAVID
David Tocher (pronounced “talker”) writes horror and dark fantasy rooted in folklore, myth, and the darker corners of human nature. His stories often inhabit the space where the familiar becomes strange and the beautiful becomes unsettling.
He is the author of SPIDER SEEDS, SHE WHO HUNTS, MOONLIGHT DESIRES: A CINDERELLA RETELLING, and LETTERS FROM A DEAD WORLD, a short story collection introduced by horror legend Nancy Kilpatrick. His 2019 anthology CANADIAN DREADFUL explores the supernatural character of the northern landscape and was praised by FIRST BLOOD author David Morrell as “a harrowing tour of the northern landscape that will leave you both dazzled and terrified.”
Tocher is a two-time recipient of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award, receiving the honor for SPIDER SEEDS in 2025 and MOONLIGHT DESIRES in 2026. New York Times bestselling author Stephen Spignesi has described him as “a Wizard of Words and a Master of Literary Mayhem.”
A fiction writer, editor, and essayist, Tocher lives in British Columbia’s Okanagan region. When he isn’t writing, he can usually be found revisiting literary classics, watching B-movie horror, or cheering on a good baseball game.
BOOKS
“David Tocher is … a Wizard of Words and a Master of Literary Mayhem.”
—Stephen Spignesi, New York Times –Bestselling author of Stephen King, American Master
Moonlight Desires: A Cinderella Retelling
Winner of the Literary Titan Book Award
Shunned by her stepfamily, nineteen-year-old Aurelia seeks solace at her mother’s grave, only to encounter Princess Kipira, an heiress cursed to live as a spider. As an unexpected friendship is woven between them, the spider-princess helps Aurelia find a suitor.Winner of the 2026 Literary Titan Book Award
Shunned by her stepfamily, nineteen-year-old Aurelia seeks solace at her mother’s grave, only to encounter Princess Kipira, an heiress cursed to live as a spider. As an unexpected friendship is woven between them, the spider-princess helps Aurelia find a suitor.
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Spider Seeds
Winner of the Literary Titan Book Award
After years of escaping the trauma of her youth, novelist Madison “Maddy” Perth finally has a quiet life of her own. Then she brings home a strange houseplant.
An arachnid, savage and insidious, is hidden within its foliage. As terror spreads through her high-rise condo, Maddy finds herself trapped with a creature that doesn’t merely hunt its victims. It plants seeds in them.
Spider Seeds is a gothic horror novel of psychological suspense and supernatural dread, exploring the lasting scars of shame, memory, and trauma.
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She Who Hunts: The Tale of T’lejhánka
“Beautifully told, thematically rich, and quietly devastating; a stunner.” —The Prairies Book Review
In the forests of British Columbia’s Pacific Northwest, an ancient First Nations village is falls prey to T’lejhánkha, a terrifying spider that preys on humans.
Guided by the forest’s animals, a band of orphaned children find refuge beneath the shadow of Three Brothers Mountain, who teaches them a ritual that will trap the spider in plant form so they can save themselves and their future generations.
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Letters from a Dead World: A Collection of Short Stories
Introduction by the legendary horror author Nancy Kilpatrick
Do you have a taste for terror?
Discover the power of a telepathic teenager who communicates with the living dead. Witness the nightmare visions of a widowed husband whose departed wife warns him of unspeakable interdimensional horrors. Face the wrath of angry ghosts who confront a phony psychic, showing him the true horror of his deceptive commerce.
And more.
Brace yourself for Letters from a Dead World – six terrifying stories spawned from the macabre imagination of David Tocher. With a uniquely Canadian flavour, this collection will leave you breathless, grappling with the darkest fears that haunt us all.
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Shadow in the Gully: A Short Story
In the sweltering heat of a 1991 Kootenay summer, twelve-year-old Corey Teague is about to learn that some shadows bite back…
Corey is new to Clydebank, a small town where the “Clydebank Welcome” means getting beat up. Blistering his hands mowing lawns to buy his first guitar, Corey’s lonely world shifts when he encounters Shadow, a Maine Coon with hypnotic turquoise eyes and a terrifying, magical power hidden in the town’s uncultivated gully.
Inspired by the dualities of Robert Frost’s poem Fire and Ice, this story explores a world where souls can burn with rage or freeze from grief. When Corey is cornered by his relentless tormentors, Shadow reveals his true nature, wielding icy winds and razor sharp spirit claws to deliver a brutal brand of justice.
Originally appearing in the acclaimed 2024 anthology About That Snowy Evening…: Stories Inspired by Classic Poems, from Emily Dickinson to Walt Whitman & More (edited by Stephen Spignesi, Andy Rausch, and Keith Lansdale), this standalone tale by award-winning author David Tocher is a gripping must-listen for fans of psychological depth, magical fantasy, and supernatural retribution who crave a quick listen with lasting impact.
Will Corey choose the reward money he needs, or the bond of a magical protector who finally made him feel less alone?
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ANTHOLOGY EDITOR
CANADIAN DREADFUL
Dark Dragon Publishing, 2019
“CANADIAN DREADFUL showcases some of Canada’s best voices in horror fiction. This anthology is a harrowing tour of the northern landscape that will leave you both dazzled and terrified.”
—David Morrell, New York Times best-selling author of Murder as a Fine Art
In the pages of this anthology, you will not find the Canada you are accustomed to, nor a Canada that the world has grown to know and love. Between the covers, you will discover a dark landscape that will challenge your perspective. From sea to shining sea, stories of a darker Canada will arise, and within them all a kernel of truth. Stories of sacrifice, cannibalism, ghosts, and mystical forests, the authors will plunge you into the country that is Canadian Dreadful.
AUTHORS: Colleen Anderson, Judith Baron, Karen Dales, Pat Flewwelling, Jen Frankel, Tyner Gillies, Vanessa C Hawkins, Repo Kempt, Nancy Kilpatrick, Caitlin Marceau, Joe Powers, Robin Rowland, David Tocher, and Sara C Walker.
AUDIOBOOKS
Interviews
The Narrator’s Cup of Joe
Watch NowAcclaimed audiobook narrator, Daniella Acitelli, interviews David Tocher on her Youtube podcast.
Author Kathryn Rossati Interview
Read NowScottish YA author interviews David Tocher.
Mike Habelfelner Interview
Read NowMike Haberfelner @ (re) Search My Trash talks with David Tocher about the craft of writing fiction, his collection Letters from a Dead World, and movies as well.
Literary Titan Interview (Spider Seeds)
Read NowLiterary Titan interviews Tocher to discuss his award-winning novel Spider Seeds
Riding the Freakwency Chats with Liane Curtis
Watch NowIconic actress Liane Curtis (Sixteen Candles, Critters 2, Girlfriend from Hell) chats with David Tocher on her Youtube podcast.
Anthony Northrup Interview
Read NowAnthony Northrup, author of the bestselling Stephen King Dollar Baby Trilogy interviews David Tocher, discussing Letters from a Dead World
Literary Titan Interview (Moonlight Desires)
Read NowLiterary Titan asks David Tocher about his award-winning Cinderella retelling, Moonlight Desires.
Reviews
Prairies Book Review of Spider Seeds
Read Now“Dark, unsettling, and impossible to put down.” —Prairies Book Review
Eve Williams’ Review of Spider Seeds
Read Now“David Tocher seems to ask at the end of his short novel Spider Seeds: can encountering the dark lead you to the light?”
Anthony Northrup’s Review of Moonlight Desires
Read Now“David Tocher … has created not only a fascinating story, but one so beautifully told that you can visualize it.” —Anthony Northrup
Literary Titan Review of Spider Seeds
Read Now“The horror isn’t loud or gory; it’s soft, parasitic, and psychological.” —Literary Titan
Prairies Book Review of She Who Hunts
Read Now“Beautifully told, thematically rich, and quietly devastating; a stunner.” —Prairies Book Review
Readers’ Favorite Review of Moonlight Desires
Read Now“… a great, lesson-filled tale that highlights personal growth, transformation, and the importance of humility.” —Readers’ Favorite
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