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David Tocher (pronounced “talker”) is the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of Spider Seeds, She Who Hunts, and Letters from a Dead World, a chilling short story collection introduced by horror legend Nancy Kilpatrick.
In 2025, he received the Literary Titan Gold Book Award for Spider Seeds in the category of Fiction. His 2019 anthology Canadian Dreadful was praised by First Blood author David Morrell as “a harrowing tour of the northern landscape that will leave you both dazzled and terrified.”
An accomplished editor, fiction writer, and essayist, Tocher’s short stories and essays have appeared alongside those of genre luminaries including Kelley Armstrong, Tanith Lee, Richard Chizmar, Robin Furth, and Bev Vincent. New York Times bestselling author Stephen Spignesi (Stephen King, American Master) describes Tocher as “a Wizard of Words and a Master of Literary Mayhem.”
Tocher is the author of three nonfiction essays featured in Bear Manor Media’s Stephen King Dollar Baby Series by Anthony Northrup. He is also an Associate Producer of several independent horror films, including the remake of Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told, starring Ron Chaney and Brinke Stevens; Beyond the Gates of Hell; and The Edge of Her Mind, an acclaimed anthology featuring Lance Henriksen.
He lives in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada, where he continues to write, edit, and champion the enduring power of story. When not working, he enjoys revisiting literary classics, watching B-movie horror, and following a good baseball game.
Reviewed by Luwi Nyakansaila for Readers' Favorite
Moonlight Desires by David Tocher is a retelling of the popular Cinderella fairytale, as well as that of Spider Princess Kipira, which are both rooted in folklore, mythology, and literary traditions. It follows Aurelia, a nineteen-year-old girl who lives as a servant in her father’s house. Her stepmother and stepsister despise her and have turned her father’s heart against her. However, Aurelia does not become spiteful. Instead, she holds on to the teachings of kindness and forgiveness that her late mother passed on to her. When word spreads that the duke of the land is holding a festival to find a bride for his son, Lord Samuel, Aurelia thinks she has no chance of attending. However, with the help of Princess Kipira, who was cursed to live as a spider, Aurelia attends the festival.
Moonlight Desires covers the familiar tale of Cinderella but has unique elements that make it a memorable read. The author’s main source material for the story is from the recovered manuscript by Charlotte Sophia Janicker. I love that David Tocher did his research and blended the story with folklore language, but still included a modern style that made it easy to follow. He gives his take on gender roles in fairy tales and the complexities of human motives. Princess Kipira’s story is also a great, lesson-filled tale that highlights personal growth, transformation, and the importance of humility. The story incorporates the symbolism of the Ingridelite Weave, used to make Aurelia’s dress, to highlight unexpected connections and relationships. I enjoyed reading this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in retold fairytale stories that incorporate elements of redemption, forgiveness, and the magic of human connections.
