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.
The WildHearts Saga
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.
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.
Adaptation Potential
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.
The Veil Is Real
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.
A spreading system of connection and pressure, where voice becomes both refuge and threat.
A dangerous force tied to power, rupture, and control in the saga's visual and emotional language.
The sound beneath the city, gathering individual pain into something collective and impossible to ignore.
Visuals & Film
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.
The Author
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.
Non-Fiction · Lived Experience · Published by FND Connect
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 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
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).
App · by FND Connect
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.
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.