The Diary of Derek Drummond

Gothic fantasy inspired by Scottish folklore
explores love beyond death in a stunning debut

An immortal soul. A forgotten curse. A love that rewrites fate.

Once a proud Scottish nobleman, Derek Drummond has spent 124 years caught between day and night, hiding from the world – and from himself. A shadow among shadows, he has watched time unravel, love vanish, and hope fade into myth.

Until Megan MacKenzie looks at him — and sees more than she should.

With haunted eyes and a quiet, stubborn kindness, she stirs the man he used to be.

But the past never stays silent. Some curses won’t break. And some ghosts refuse to let go.

Told entirely in Derek’s voice — darkly poetic, sardonic, and painfully human — The Diary of Derek Drummond is a gothic fantasy of redemption and reckoning.

From the storm-lashed cliffs of northern Scotland to the rain-soaked rooftops of London, it is a story of immortality, forgiveness, and the terrifying hope of being truly seen.

If you believe in second chances — even after death — open the diary.

Katelyn Emilia Novak is constantly on the move – travelling, working, creating. She’s an energetic person who deeply values the world, people, and meaningful projects.

Katelyn explains: “I wrote The Diary of Derek Drummond as a deeply personal exploration of grief, transformation, and the search for identity through the lens of gothic fantasy.

“The inspiration came during a trip to Scotland, where the misty landscapes, ancient standing stones, and rich Celtic folklore stirred something powerful in me — a story about a cursed man, once immortal, forced to live as a raven from dawn to dusk for over a century.

“But this book is more than fantasy. It’s about trauma, healing, and the redemptive power of love. I wanted to tell the story of someone who lost everything — his humanity, his love, his future — and yet finds the strength to fight for a second chance, even after 124 years of exile from life itself.

“I also wanted to flip the genre by telling the story not from the saviour’s point of view, but from the saved — from a man who doesn’t feel like a hero, who doesn’t want to be saved, and yet is dragged back into
life by a woman more courageous than fate itself.”