AN EVIL PREMISE

The reader is the main character in this nasty tale. And for that, I am truly sorry. Evil Premise, T. Marie Vandelly's follow-up to her acclaimed horror novel Theme Music, is a mind-bending, thrilling meta-novel about possession, insanity, and the lengths a writer will go to find inspiration, even murder.

A struggling, self-published author, Jewel has always lived in the shadow of her older, more successful sister, Deidre, a bestselling fantasy author. They are not close, but when Jewel arrives at the hospital to find Deidre in a coma, the victim of a hit and run and some grotesque skin malady, she resolves to be there for her. Staying in her sister's apartment, the attic of a house where they lived as children until their mother died, Jewel immediately senses a presence. Then Deidre's agent, Emily, calls, in a panic and desperate for Deidre to deliver her new novel. Jewel tells her about Deidre's accident and Emily confides that Deidre is in a bad financial situation and absolutely must deliver the novel on time. To Jewel's surprise, it's a departure from her other worksit's horror. Jewel agrees to search for the novel and manages to find it saved on the cloud. Deidre didn't finish it, but Jewel has the idea-- she can finish it. She can help Deidre and also impress Emily, maybe even get her to represent her too. Jewel starts reading, eager for the opportunity to prove herself. But the story is unsettling. It begins with a writer looking for inspiration. She finds an unclaimed manuscript, something she thinks she can work with, improve upon. But the novel is just a series of protagonists who commit one heinous act after another. And soon the writer starts to have her own evil thoughts. Jewel is determined not to be scared off, but the novel hits too close to home, mirroring her own thoughts and feelings. She swears she can hear someone typing when she is not at the desk, and somehow the word count of the novel seems to be going up. Her skin begins to itch. Terrified of losing her sanity but equally terrified of losing her one shot at success, Jewel tries to find a story somewhere in the carnage, even as her rash becomes worse and she starts to have not so neighborly thoughts about her neighbors, who tell her of other strange, violent happenings in the house. Is this what happened to Deidre? Did the manuscript drive her mad, drive her to kill? Jewel finds herself hoping her sister never wakes up. And fearing what she will do if she does. T. Marie Vandelly has wanted to write her entire life but (after a career change) has only recently been granted the freedom to pursue her dream full-time. She lives on Gwynn's Island, in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay, with her husband and their two dogs. AN EVIL PREMISE is her second novel.