Based on a poem I wrote as a child, this southern gothic novel will leave you confused, haunted, and with both a love and fear of the swamp of Grace Hollow, Georgia.
Summary
Best friends Victoria DuBois and Blythe Alexander never expected to end their roadtrip in the quirky town of Grace Hollow, Georgia, run by a woman who claims the crows tell her the future. But after she prophesies Blythe will disappear…it happens. Victoria must unravel what is fact and fiction to find her friend before it’s too late.
Current Status: Editing Draft 2, signed LOI with Lost Island Press, collecting beta readers
Beta Reading
I’m looking for 10 people interested in reading a YA/Adult Thriller novel with southern gothic vibes.
THIS IS FOR YOU IF YOU LIKE
- Unnerving settings
- Twisty, turn-y, disorienting plots
- Spooky vibes
- Swamps
- Cult dynamics
- Slightly flowery, poetic prose
- Small towns
- The love and weaponization of nature in Where the Crawdad Sings meets midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil eccentric town drama, plus the unease and unreliable narrators of Shirley Jackson.
Content Warnings
- Suicide (non-graphic)
- Disordered eating
- Violence (non-graphic)
- Spiritual and emotional abuse
- Murder and threat of murder
- Animal harm (non-graphic)
- Substance use (implied)
- NO SPICE
Readers should feel comfortable reading a story dealing with themes of grief, manipulation, religious trauma, gaslighting, cult dynamics, and all the above content warnings. They should also be willing to give honest, specific feedback beyond “I liked it.”
At the end, you will fill out a detailed survey (I tried to make it as painless as possible and limited questions) for me to make edits for Draft 3 and eventual publication. I recommend reading the survey beforehand to know what you’re looking for while reading. Beta reading ends June 30 and all survey results are due then.