Inspired by a true story, this supernatural thriller for fans of horror and true crime follows a tale as it evolves every twenty years-- with terrifying results.
Ella Louise has lived in the woods surrounding Pilot's Creek, Virginia, for nearly a decade. Publicly, she and her daughter Jessica are shunned by their upper-crust family and the Pilot's Creek residents. Privately, desperate townspeople visit her apothecary for a cure to what ails them--until Ella Louise is blamed for the death of a prominent customer.
Accused of witchcraft, both mother and daughter are burned at the stake in the middle of the night. Ella Louise's burial site is never found, but the little girl has the most famous grave in the South: a steel-reinforced coffin surrounded by a fence of interconnected white crosses.
Their story will take the shape of an urban legend as it's told around a campfire by a man forever marked by his boyhood encounters with Jessica. Decades later, a boy at that campfire will cast Amber Pendleton as Jessica in a '70s horror movie inspired by the Witch Girl of Pilot's Creek. Amber's experiences on that set and its meta-remake in the '90s will ripple through pop culture, ruining her life and career after she becomes the target of a witch hunt.
Amber's best chance to break the cycle of horror comes when a true-crime investigator tracks her down to interview her for his popular podcast. But will this final act of storytelling redeem her - or will it bring the story full circle, ready to be told once again? And again. And again.
About the Author :
Clay McLeod Chapman writes novels, comic books, and children's books, as well as for film and television. He is the author of the horror novels The Remaking, Whisper Down the Lane, and Ghost Eaters, among others. He was named by Esquire magazine in 2023 as one of the authors shaping horror's next golden age. He also co-wrote Quiet Part Loud, a horror podcast produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw for Spotify. Visit him at claymcleodchapman.com.
Clay McLeod Chapman writes novels, comic books, and children's books, as well as for film and television. He is the author of the horror novels The Remaking, Whisper Down the Lane, and Ghost Eaters, among others. He was named by Esquire magazine in 2023 as one of the authors shaping horror's next golden age. He also co-wrote Quiet Part Loud, a horror podcast produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw for Spotify. Visit him at claymcleodchapman.com.
Corey Allen, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, has been labeled by artistic collaborators as a "journeyman" and "chameleon-like" actor, relentless in his pursuit of truth and transformation in his work. As a voiceover artist, his talents have been heard in sound plays, commercial copy, industrial and documentary films, and many audiobooks. He is based in New York City and is a founding member of Coyote REP. He holds a BA from the University of California-Irvine and an MFA from the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign.
Morgan Hallett is a New York City-based actress, voice-over artist, and audiobook narrator. She has worked extensively throughout the country and on Broadway. She is an AudioFile Earphones Award winner and has lent her voice to dozens of television commercials, including Time Warner Cable, 7-Up, and Accuvue.
Suzy Jackson is an Earphones Award-winning audiobook narrator whose readings include several novels by Charlane Harris, Jodi Picoult, and M. L. N. Hanover. She was co-winner of an Audie Award in 2018 for Best Multi-Voiced Performance.
Review :
"[A] page turner...Be it a specter or a painful recollection, Chapman teaches an absolutely chilling lesson on just how long the past will wait to bite you."
-- "Fangoria"
"One of the most original and chilling novels [I have] read in recent memory."
-- "BuzzFeed"
"The perfect horror novel for fans of filmmaking and true crime."
-- "BookRiot"
"This disorienting and immersive story anchors itself in history but stretches its terrifying tentacles into the present, producing intense chills."
-- "Library Journal"
