My middle grade horror novel, BAD MANOR, will be released June 8, 2027 with Sley House Publishing. Long way away? Here, let me satiate you with the pitch:

Twelve-year-old Jejune believes in good manners, but not the regular kind. After stepping on a crack that killed her mother, it’s simply good manners to keep up superstitious routine and protect family at all costs.

When Dad leaves over winter break for a work trip, Jejune panics as she deals with the reality of him being too far away to protect. To make matters worse, a black cat delivers an eerie invitation to a place called Bad Manor, addressed to C.O.R.P.S.E.—Children Of Routine Prison Seeking Escape. Jejune wrestles with whether the black cat is bringing more bad luck into her life, or if the envelope’s etched white rabbit could be the good luck she’s been trying to summon. The safest answer is usually a no-brainer, but not when her best friend keeps claiming it’s all in her head. 

Skeptical of what the Manor holds, Jejune joins other habit-wielding candidates to prove it’s real and takes the one thing she avoids most—a risk. The Manor has its charm and quirks, such as a hand that hands out compliments and a nervous staircase with eyes that literally stare at its guests. But one room in the Manor spikes Jejune’s anxiety, making her question everything. Escape no longer seems plausible despite the invitation’s acronym. Good manners are no match for the bad luck spilling from the Manor’s walls and Jejune must get to the root of what the structure truly is, or she may never make it out to maintain control of Dad’s fate and show she’s worthy of being believed.