Dark YA psych thriller
I grew up in Orange County, CA and spent way too much time messing around with Ouija boards and not enough time enjoying the perfect weather. Now I live on an island in south Texas with my husband and 2 kids. I’m happiest when playing in the waves with my family.
I primarily write YA, but dabble in other kid lit age categories from time to time. I love genre bending stories with a hint of the spectacular. I’m a sucker for darker stories but love it when they contain hope and humor.
I love unreliable narrators. Fan of ensemble casts with friendship at the core of the story. Love magical realism and hints of fantasy. I’m a sucker for time travel. Laini Taylor, Victoria Schwab, and Holly Black are some of my favorite authors.
Six months after her baby brother’s death, June is still haunted by the creature who snatched him from the world and left her on the bathroom floor, covered in blood and broken glass. Without her medication, June believes the monsters are more than dark delusions and her brother is still alive.
When she meets Seth, a boy battling his own demons, June thinks she’s found someone to help save her brother. But as her grip on reality weakens, who will save June from herself?
WHAT THE DARKNESS LEFT BEHIND is a YA psychological thriller complete at 60,000 words.
The shadow in the corner steals my breath.
Yesterday, I spent first period Calculus watching the fluorescent bulb flicker. It flashed and blinked, strobing behind the filmy sheet of plastic surrounded by yellowing ceiling tiles. Now it’s dead. It left behind nothing but darkness.
Someone jostles the bag slung on my shoulder. Whispers and derisive giggles sound behind me but they feel miles away. I need to step into the classroom, take my seat, at least get out of this doorway. But I can’t make myself move. I can’t take my gaze off the dim corner, terrified the moment I look away, the darkness will grow.
“June.” A hand wraps around my wrist. It’s Emily. From the tone of her voice, she’s been trying to get my attention. I take a breath. The earth restarts its rotation.
“What’s up?” Emily asks.
I force myself to look at her, to look away from the corner. I should tell her I saw something, tell her I’m scared. That was my plan this morning: talk to Emily, rekindle our friendship, relearn how to be in the world. But that was before I saw the shadow and now the bit of darkness has made breathing difficult.
“Someone needs to replace that bulb.” I point to the corner. To my relief, no monster has emerged from the shadows.
This is the darkest thing I’ve written. I have another ms that deals with ghosts and guilt and grief. I’m outlining a WIP with super powers, time travel, and a little sister who is wise beyond her years.
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