Author Alexander Paul Burton Brings a Queer Fantasy Saga Back to Somerset Roots
Thursday 29 May, 2025
PRIDE MONTH STORY STARTER: THE HOLLOW VALE GOES HOME
Author Alexander Paul Burton Brings a Queer Fantasy Saga Back to Somerset Roots
Key Angles for Journalists:
- Local Boy Makes Magic: Born in Bridgwater, raised near Glastonbury, schooled at Crispin School in Street — Burton’s fantasy novel The Hollow Vale reimagines the Mendips and Avalon as a post-Roman, magical borderland.
- Queer Author Spotlight: As part of Pride Month, Alexander champions LGBTQ+ self-publishing and mental health advocacy, speaking openly about estrangement, focus challenges, and the power of creative independence.
- Books as Gifts: Copies of The Hollow Vale have been gifted to Westover Green Primary, Catcott Primary, and an autism school, showing how speculative fiction can inspire neurodivergent and queer youth.
What is The Hollow Vale?
A sweeping queer fantasy epic blending Arthurian myth, Roman Britain, and childhood landscapes — a world where nature remembers the stories we forget. Burton’s Vale is haunted, beautiful, and full of grief and healing.
“It’s the kind of story I wish I had at 13: mystical, dark, but full of hope. And unapologetically gay.”
Rural Somerset Roots as a Queer person
- Grew up in Bridgwater, Catcott and then Falmouth, Cornwall (Now Toronto, Canada)
- Crispin School alumni (Street)
- Spent weekends in Glastonbury, walking the Tor, writing poems in notebooks
- Names and landscapes from Somerset appear throughout the book, hidden in the lore
Quotes You Can Use:
“The Hollow Vale is a love letter to the West Country — with all its ghosts.”
“At a time when queer voices are under threat, I wanted to show what happens when we create our own mythologies.”
“Kids like me weren’t meant to write fantasy books. But we’re doing it anyway.”
“I’m not interested in fitting in. I’m interested in growing something new from where I’m from.”
“This book isn’t just about magic — it’s about surviving estrangement, memory, and finding your voice even when it trembles.”
For Local Pride Features
- Mental Health & Writing: Diagnosed with focus and spelling challenges, Alexander uses AI editing tools not to ‘cheat’, but to make writing accessible.
- Self-Publishing as Activism: Burton releases his books independently, with gold-foiled covers, hand-drawn maps, and music albums accompanying the story.
- Giving Back: Ongoing donation of books to Somerset schools with neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ students.
Media Kit Includes:
- Author photo (free to use)
- Cover art from The Hollow Vale
- Original artwork and calligraphy
- Excerpt sampler (Youtube book reading and short video)
- Other content
Available for Interviews
Alexander now lives in Toronto but is available for UK press interviews via Zoom. He’s happy to speak on:
- Queer rural identity
- Self-publishing as an outsider
- Writing fantasy inspired by local myths
- Estrangement and chosen family
- How Glastonbury shaped his creative life
Distributed by Pressat
