A Hatherleigh-based fantasy novelist has released a new series which he was inspired to write after a trip to Okehampton Castle.

Damien Tiller is launching his new book, ‘Brothers Sidhe’, today (October 1).

It was inspired by a visit to Okehampton Castle about ten months ago and the castle inspired one of the key locations in the story.

In November 2025, Damien and his partner decided to move to Devon, and visited Okehampton after spotting a sign to the town. Damien said it felt like a sign as many of the names in his books begin with ‘oak’.

He said: “I have always followed my guts. One day I woke up and said, ‘we’re moving to Devon’. When deciding to relocate to Devon, we looked at a few places, the minute we saw the motte and bailey castle in Okehampton, I knew we were home.

“Devon had given me the space to build a darker, bigger world than I've tried before. ‘Brothers Sidhe’ is the start of something I've wanted to write for a long time.”

The novel tells the story of a young man hunting for a cure for his brother’s illness. In an attempt to save his brother he makes a bargain with a healer which ends up having dark consequences.

Damien’s writing has been strongly influenced by his difficult childhood. He was born in Portsmouth to working-class parents and spent some of his teenage years homeless, living in a squat in Bournemouth. He turned to writing as an escape, drawing on some of his experiences to create stories that can sometimes address what he described as “uncomfortable” aspects of life.

He has since had a successful writing career which began in 2004 with publication of his debut novel ‘A Winter’s Child’. His 2013 novel ‘Dragon's Blight’ became a bestseller, reaching number three in Epic Fantasy on Amazon in 2020 and number one in 2024.

He has since done signings across the UK, including at London Comic Con, and hopes to do local signings of his newest book in the future.

Reflecting on his changing writing style, Damien said he believed his most recent novels have “more hope” – a reflection of his now settled life, with a home of his own, improved mental health, a partner and rescue cat Bernard who often joins him while he is writing.

Damien’s book is available in paperback, hardback, Kindle format and on audiobook.