THE GHOST OF HIGHTOWER POND is a 40,000-word Gothic horror novella pitched as Chuck Palahniuk’s Haunted meets Silvia Moreno Garcia’s Mexican Gothic meets Bocaccio’s The Decameron in Victorian England. 

Cordelia Delacroix has only been in London for a season when plague strikes. Desperate to escape both the plague and her declining financial situation, she accepts a mysterious invitation to join a party of pleasure at Hightower Castle with six other young guests—including Henry Ashford, a wealthy young man who could form all her ideas of both love and a fortune if she can only catch his heart. 

At first, the strange party and its mysterious host are a welcome diversion from the doldrums of plague as the seven people engage in parties, galas, and telling stories about the legendary Ghost of Hightower Pond. That is, until strange things start happening in the castle: winds that shutter all the candles, mysterious rooms with magical texts, disembodied screams, and finally, one of their number dying in the night. When they try to escape, they’re sealed in, as though by magic. 

Desperate to escape, the guests must battle the supernatural happenings in the castle and their own growing madness and fear as they search for a way out. Because it’s becoming increasingly clear that they were each invited here for a reason—and if they can’t figure that out, any of them could be next to die. 

CW: suicide, homicide, child death (off page)