Virtual
Queer Horror for Teens!
Tune in from anywhere and prepare for scares as we welcome a panel of queer authors and their chilling YA tales! We're so excited to be hosting JILL BAUCHINSKY, author of So Witches We Became, RYAN LA SALA, author of The Dead of Summer, ASHLEE LATIMER, author of Witchkiller, and COREY LIU, author of He's So Possessed with Me. From stories of secrets beneath the waves to dangerous spirits and sinister spells, these are books that will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Join us as we delve into them!
About the books:
So Witches We Became by JILL BAUCHINSKY
For high school senior Nell and her friends, a vacation house on a private Florida island sounds like the makings of a dream spring break. But Nell brings secrets with her—secrets that fuse with the island's tragic history, trapping them all with a curse that surrounds the island in a toxic, vengeful mist and the surrounding waters with an unseen, devouring beast.
In order to save herself and her friends, Nell will have to face memories she'd rather leave behind, reveal the horrific truth behind the encounter that changed her life one year ago, and face the shadow that's haunted her since childhood.
Easier said than done.
The Dead of Summer by RYAN LA SALA
Something is wrong in paradise.
Ollie Veltman is finally coming home to the quaint island of Anchor's Mercy after a year away while his mom battled cancer. It should be a celebration -- his mom is cancer free, and she's determined to have the best summer ever -- but a secret rots below the waves. A secret that could explain his mom's illness, and the illness of so many other locals.
Ollie's desperate search for the truth turns life-or-death when a storm descends upon the island. In its wake, a long-sunken horror rises . . .
Gretel had no choice. Hansel was in danger. Five months later, she is still ripped from her dreams and awoken by the noise of her sword tearing into the witch’s flesh.
Already newly rich, her greedy father has issued his newest ploy to increase his wealth. Gretel must marry, and soon. She flees a ball…and runs right into Prince Wilfried. He is also being pressured to find a suitable future queen -- they can both delay the inevitable by faking an engagement. Gretel agrees, and what starts as a ruse quickly deepens.
But in the quiet of night, Gretel feels the walls closing in and ventures into the neighboring woods. There, she meets Katharina, a beautiful witch who introduces her to the witch community. But these women aren’t evil -- they’re healers, and Gretel is drawn to them.
When information comes to light implicating her family’s involvement in a traitorous plot and endangering the lives of herself and those she’s grown to care about, Gretel must ask herself -- did the wrong person die in that cottage? And can the Witchkiller become a witch?
He's So Possessed with Me by COREY LIU
Ren says he’s in love, but his best friend Colin knows better.
Sure, he can't remember much about how it all began. But he remembers dancing at a club they were too young for. He remembers the boys who harassed them on their way home. He remembers a ghostly hand reaching for Ren through a thick fog. He can’t remember what happened next.
Only two things are clear to him: Ren is different now, and the new guy vying for his heart is not who he claims to be. With the help of two unlikely allies and a cranky old medium, Colin must learn to conquer his self-doubt and save Ren from a love that could cost him his life.
Saturday, June 13th at 3pm EST via Crowdcast!
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