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Author · World-Builder · Hull

Stories that crack
the world open.

Matthew Gerdes-Hansen writes urban fantasy with the emotional weight of literary fiction. The WildHearts saga — set in a version of Hull where feeling too much can reshape reality — is available now, with an eight-book arc and cinematic world bible already taking shape.

Matthew Gerdes-Hansen, author portrait
3Published Books
8Planned in Saga
100+Artworks & Maps
2025Hull, East Yorkshire

The WildHearts Saga

Books from the hidden city.

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WildHearts: The Girl Who Cracked the Veil book cover
Book One · Released

WildHearts

The Girl Who Cracked the Veil

Wren Ashvale has always felt too much. Her emotions do not just affect her — they reshape the hidden world beneath Hull. When the Veil begins to crack, she must decide whether to silence her heart or become the voice that changes everything.

WildHearts: The Choir beneath the City book cover
Book Two · Released

WildHearts

The Choir beneath the City

The Veil is singing louder. Wren's voice has awakened something ancient in the heart of the city. As the Network spreads and old friends become enemies, she must decide who she is willing to become to protect those she loves.

8 BooksPlanned across the full saga arc
World BibleLocations, magic rules, maps, and character arcs
Screen ReadyVisual language built for adaptation
Hull, UKA real city with a supernatural underworld

Adaptation Potential

A franchise engine hiding in plain sight.

WildHearts has the shape producers look for: a strong central heroine, a found-family ensemble, a city with a supernatural underworld, a visual magic system, and enough mapped mythology to sustain books, seasons, games, and film.

The story starts intimate, then opens out: school corridors, docks, bridges, old streets, rebel networks, ancient power, and a city that begins to answer back.

WildHearts docks veil fracture cinematic still
Docks, storm, rupture
WildHearts corridor echo cinematic still
Corridors, mirrors, voice
WildHearts Humber Bridge cinematic still
The Humber as threshold
WildHearts wildstate spot art
The Wild state
Eight-book runwayA long-form arc already planned beyond the opening releases.
Cast-led dramaWren, Draven, Poppy, Evelyn, Lucien, Mara, Kai, Eira, and Terry.
Visual magicEmotion, song, memory, mirrors, red threads, and the Veil.
Place as IPHull is not a backdrop. It is the mythology and battleground.

The Veil Is Real

The city is not scenery.
It is choosing sides.

WildHearts is set in a version of Hull where an ancient magical force called the Veil runs beneath the city. It is powered by emotion, song, and memory. Those born Wild can hear it, shape it, and in rare cases break it.

Illustrated map of the hidden layers beneath Hull

The Network

A spreading system of connection and pressure, where voice becomes both refuge and threat.

The Red Voice

A dangerous force tied to power, rupture, and control in the saga's visual and emotional language.

The Choir

The sound beneath the city, gathering individual pain into something collective and impossible to ignore.

Visuals & Film

A series with a screen bible already in motion.

Trailer concepts, cinematic stills, maps, chapter illustrations, and spot art all extend the same mythology: rain on brick, red threads of power, mirror fractures, and the city pressing back.

Book one trailer concept WildHearts visual reel
WildHearts corridor echo movie still
Corridor EchoMovie still
WildHearts docks veil fracture movie still
Docks Veil FractureMovie still
WildHearts Humber Bridge Draven movie still
Humber BridgeMovie still
WildHearts dockside supernatural rupture
ScaleThe Veil gives every set piece a supernatural event language: rupture, weather, light, and city-wide consequence.
WildHearts mirror spot art
IconographyMirrors, red threads, hearts, old rooms, and fractured reflections create recognisable visual signatures.
WildHearts chapter illustration
DepthThe visual archive moves beyond covers into scenes, characters, locations, motifs, and mood.

Selected chapter and spot art

WildHearts concept artwork Chapter 1 illustration Chapter 5 illustration Chapter 8 illustration Chapter 12 illustration Chapter 18 illustration Chapter 21 illustration Chapter 24 illustration Chapter 32 illustration Mirror spot illustration Wildstate spot illustration WildHearts spot illustration
Matthew Gerdes-Hansen portrait

The Author

Matthew Gerdes-Hansen

Born in Carshalton, Surrey and raised in the village of Belmont just outside Sutton, Matthew has always been drawn to hidden layers beneath ordinary places.

He moved to Selby in North Yorkshire at 26, spent time in Reading, Berkshire, and settled in Hull in 2024, where the industrial edges of the city and the wild energy of the Humber began shaping the world of WildHearts.

He is the founder of Hull Digital, a creative technology studio, and spends his time between writing, building digital experiences, and exploring the strange, beautiful, and sometimes frightening corners of the places that have shaped him.

Living Well with FND book cover

Non-Fiction · Lived Experience · Published by FND Connect

Living Well with FND

There are illnesses that people understand instantly. And then there are illnesses like Functional Neurological Disorder — conditions that leave people fighting battles nobody else can fully see. This book exists for those people.

Living Well with FND is a 25-chapter guide to understanding, surviving, and rebuilding life with Functional Neurological Disorder. It is not toxic positivity or a miracle cure story. It is about learning how to survive, stabilise, adapt, and rebuild compassionately inside a difficult nervous system.

"You are not broken. You are surviving something incredibly difficult."
The Life That Changed Overnight The Fear Nobody Sees Living Inside Unpredictability The Grief of Losing Yourself When Your Body Stops Feeling Safe The Exhaustion Nobody Understands Hypervigilance and Survival Mode The Isolation of Invisible Illness The Weight of Being Disbelieved Learning to Pace Without Shame Seizures, Fear, and Recovery Nervous System Overload Rebuilding Trust in Yourself Building a Life Your Nervous System Can Trust Hope Without False Promises To The Person Reading This

A connected ecosystem for the FND community

The book is one part of a wider mission. Matthew founded FND Connect and developed SeizeControl to create practical, compassionate tools for people living with Functional Neurological Disorder. All book proceeds go directly into expanding services and reach.

Non-Profit · Journey to CIC

FND Connect

A non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of people living with Functional Neurological Disorder through education, advocacy, emotional support, and community connection. Currently on the journey to become a registered Community Interest Company (CIC).

Educational resources and awareness campaigns Lived experience articles and community voices Emotional support content for sufferers and carers Advocacy for better understanding in healthcare
Visit FNDConnect.co.uk
App · by FND Connect

SeizeControl

A seizure, symptom, trigger, and period tracking app designed to help people log their seizures, spot patterns, and generate meaningful reports that aid discussions with GPs and specialists.

Seizure and symptom logging with contextual detail Trigger identification and pattern recognition Period tracking for hormonal correlation Risk timeline showing high and low risk windows Comprehensive reports for medical appointments
Visit SeizeControl.uk

All proceeds from Living Well with FND go directly into FND Connect — expanding reach, improving services, and helping people living with Functional Neurological Disorder feel less alone. Every copy sold supports the mission.

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