URSULA WILLS
Agent: Julian Friedmann
Photo credit: Mark Dawson
Ursula is the author of The Wicker Husband, the short story behind the hit 2026 film Wicker (Black Bear UK), starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgard, Peter Dinklage and Elizabeth Debicki.
She has also written a longer collection of short stories which will be published in 2027.
She recently completed a novel, a ghost story from the point of view of the ghost.
She lives in Gloucestershire, England, and is inspired by hidden history, odd folklore and old folktales, as well as the landscape around her.
WICKER & OTHER STORIES
Short stories, Tor Books, 22 pages, October 2026
In a small coastal village, a fish-gutter lives a lonely existence, shunned by neighbours and smelling of brine. Desperate for companionship, she trades her life savings – three gold coins – to a local basket-maker with a single request: make me a husband.
Woven from willow, her new partner is broad-shouldered, gentle-spoken, and utterly devoted. As he mends her leaky roof, shares her bed and restores her happiness, the woman blossoms, wearing flowers in her hair and singing as she works.
But her transformation sparks deep jealousy among the villagers, whose own marriages begin to curdle with envy. Driven by malice, the townspeople hatch a wicked scheme to convince her that her wicker spouse has betrayed her . . .
A darkly humorous and haunting folk fable. WICKER by Ursula Wills is perfect for fans of Katherine Arden and Naomi Novik.