His first Wiccan book, Magical Herbalism (1982), met with a popular response and he began to write regularly for Llewellyn Publications, the primary publisher of Wiccan materials in the United States. These began appearing at a time when the variety of books available to those interested in Wicca was still relatively limited. Along with his novels he began writing textbooks and reference books for Wiccans. He also developed his interest in nature and became knowledgeable in herbalism and the various substances used by magicians in their practice. He made contact with several covens and studied in several different traditions, though ultimately he withdrew from coven participation and decided to practice as a solitary. Through the 1970s, Cunningham continued his study of magic.

In the mid-1980s he authored two scripts for the popular television program 'Knot's Landing.' He published one gothic romance novel under the pseudonym Cathy Cunningham and a series of Westerns as Dirk Fletcher. Over the next two years he wrote more than a dozen novels in various genres from adventure to horror. He left after two years, having already launched his writing career.Ĭunningham jumped from short fiction and magazine articles to books in 1980 with the publication of his first novel, The Cliffside Horrors. Following graduation he attended San Diego State University to study creative writing. He becameįascinated with magic and witchcraft, and a short time later met a classmate who had begun practicing Wicca, the contemporary Neo-Pagan Witchcraft. In 1971 Scott read a book his mother had acquired, The Supernatural by Douglas Hill and Pat Williams, which introduced him to the world of magic. His father, Chet Cunningham, was a writer and the author of more than 100 books. Scott Cunningham, author of a number of book on contemporary Witchcraft, was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, on June 27, 1956, but moved with his family to San Diego, California, in 1961.

Wicca by scott cunningham