Thornwood Letters is a story told by real physical letters delivered to your door. But it's more than that.

First, the story. Thornwood Letters is warm gothic fantasy, with a slow burn, delivered as physical mail — one letter per month, and usually twelve letters per season. Each season a complete story. Seasons are connected by a single constant, Thornwood, which is a private estate in the mountains of western North Carolina that is older, stranger, and more alive than it first appears.

Thornwood Letters is not just fiction, however. In every envelope, a note from the author is enclosed. It is not a comment on, rehashing of, or explanation about the story itself. It sits beside the story, and it is written directly to the reader.

In addition, every envelope includes one Thornwood card. It is mini art meets mini meditation but, especially taken together with the Letter and the author's Note, the Card becomes something more.

So every envelope comes with a Letter from the fictional protagonist, a Note from the author, KC Rose, and a Card from Thornwood.

Some envelopes contain additional items — artifacts from the world of Thornwood directly related to the story or delightful ephemera (just because it's lovely). But the core of Thornwood Letters is the three-part mailing each month.

Those three parts are the heart of Thornwood Letters. Here's the intention: The Letter moves you. The Note sees you. The Card holds you. All three parts are key.

That is why, among other things, Thornwood Letters is different from other snail mail subscriptions. That, and the fact that Thornwood Letters was created for a particular type of reader. They will know who they are when they see the protagonist of the story, and they will recognize what this is about when they read a Note from KC Rose (even just the one Note at the end of the free Prologue). Those who see it, who connect with it — that's who all of this is for.

I'm KC Rose. Hi. 

I'm the author. I suspect it's not so much me that this question is about, but why I created Thornwood Letters and how it came to be. So let me answer that directly.

I started this journey with a clear idea of who this was for. I set out to write about a particular type of protagonist (without ever making the character or the story about that protagonist's... condition(s)). That's all I'll say about that. Except that I am part of the community that I write for, and that is who Thornwood Letters is for. This is for us.

The idea of writing epistolary fiction that is delivered by mail, one physical letter at a time, struck me as something with profound potential. Especially in today's world of slippery time and digital 'realities' and screens that demand too much and infinite content that feels more hollow by the day. It's all too much. And not enough.

So creating something that is inherently slow, and paced, and intentional — a story told through physical letters, delivered just once a month — felt right. It felt like something worth doing. Something grounded, finite, real.

That's how it started.

A Note from KC Rose was initially a welcome letter, just an introduction to the subscription included with Letter One of the season. But as I wrote that first Note, I realized that it was something more. And that's when I decided to make it part of every mailing. Now it is integral to Thornwood Letters, and every envelope includes a personal note from me, on separate paper, about what that month's Letter stirred in me, and what I imagine it might have stirred for you too. Not explanation, not even about the fiction itself. More about what's true in the fiction.

The Thornwood Cards came around the same time. I noticed that every Letter was bringing up words, illustrations, and little poems or contemplative phrases I was sitting with during the writing. They came to me initially as so many sticky notes and doodles and stray pages littering my desk (humble beginnings), and they evolved into the cards you see today. I've always loved beautiful card decks, but these cards are not like others that I've seen. Not tarot, not oracle, not affirmation, not game.  These are different by design, and the art and words of each Card were created to do something unique — to gently hold the space between Letters. So that meant they needed to be small enough to handle and move around, prop on the mirror, mark a page in that book on the nightstand, tuck into a favorite journal.

The story artifacts depend on the story within the Letters; the belly bands, mulberry paper, pressed botanicals, and other ephemera change with what I find delightful or meaningful, so I decided to keep that flexible. I hope you love it all.

That's the backstory. Welcome in. I'm so glad you're here.

Gothic signals age, weight, mystery, and the past pressing on the present. Warm signals safety inside the darkness — that the strangeness serves the light rather than consuming it, that there is tenderness at the center.

The contradiction is intentional. Thornwood holds both. So does every story.

Whether the subscription is paid monthly or it is a prepaid annual subscription, Thornwood Letters are sent once per month. Seasons typically run for 12 consecutive months. One season is one complete story. (Mini-series stories consist of 3-4 months of one letter per month).

When we talk about the "letter" shipping, we always mean the full mailing, which always includes the Letter (the fictional letter), the Note (the author's note), and the Card (one contemplative card from that season's deck).

• The Letter: The story; fictional letters written in the protagonist's voice, on quality linen stationary. Each letter is roughly the length of a book chapter (2,000–6,000 words).
• The Note: A personal note from the author, KC Rose.
• The Card: One card from the Thornwood Cards, each unique to that season's deck.

Occasionally, the mailing will also include a narrative artifact from the story world or other ephemera. Everything arrives in a large, flat envelope, generally sent via First Class mail.

We ship letters twice a month, on the 1st and 15th.

Each subscription has a "mail-on date" that falls on either the 1st or the 15th. Subscription orders made between the 1st and the 14th of the month will have a mail-on date of the 15th. Orders made between the 15th and the last day of the month will have the 1st as their mail-on date.

For example, if you subscribe to Season I on July 22nd, your first Letter is mailed to you on August 1st. Your mail-on date is always the 1st of the month. So Letter 2 would ship on September 1st, Letter 3 on October 1st, and so on for the remainder of the season.

Yes, we ship all over the world. For letters sent to addresses outside of the U.S., and all other merchandise, shipping costs will apply and will be added at checkout.

It depends on where you are. Letters sent to U.S. addresses are generally sent First Class by U.S. Mail on the 1st or the 15th of the month, depending on your mail-on date. Other merchandise usually takes 5-7 days for delivery inside the United State. Overseas deliveries can take anywhere from 7-16 days.

Gift subscriptions are coming. In the meantime, reach out to help@thornwoodletters.com and we'll work something out.

You can manage your subscription at any time through the link in your account confirmation email. You can also reach us at help@thornwoodletters.com.