Helena came to self-publishing because she had had a bad experience with the traditional publishing world. She explains, “My original book was all about how Halloween developed from a Celtic festival to the celebration it has become today. It had a darker and Victorianesque feel to it, still with craft projects and recipes. Although I initially got a publishing deal, one of the other publishers I had submitted the book to (who rejected it) got an in-house writer to write a very similar book. This meant that the deal I had secured was withdrawn. I then decided to do things my way and rather than worry about making the book commercial enough to sell, I wrote it for myself, representing what I am into and my style.”