YA Horror Release Month

Today on the blog, I describe the path that led me to writing Phantom Algebra, a YA horror. This is the novel's release month. Get it everywhere on September 15th!

YA Horror? Are you kidding me?

When I first started scribbling out stories, I never imagined one day I would pen a YA horror novel. I wanted to write epic fantasy and perhaps science fiction, but horror never crossed my mind. Then again, I didn't intend to write young adult fiction either, but here I am.

YA Fiction

My first three published novels (the fourth and final volume is coming) comprise The Allison Lee Chronicles, a YA urban fantasy series. Monsters feature in these books. You might even claim that at its black heart, the series is a monster story. So really, it's not a big jump from that to YA horror. After all, you could claim that ghosts are just a variety of monsters.

A Call for Ghost Stories

When my publisher put out the call for ghost stories centered around the fictional town of Pinedale and its haunted high school, I answered the call…and Phatom Algebra was born.

What's Phantom Algebra all about?

You can read an excerpt here. Below is the blurb.

Zuri and her mother settle in Pinedale, North Carolina, to start over. For years, they’ve been on the run from Zuri’s father, a retired boxer and full-time gangland enforcer.

In Pinedale, Zuri finds a gym where she can train in mixed martial arts to pursue her dream of becoming a champion fighter. At Pinedale High, she discovers friends among the outcasts, academic challenges, and something unexpected…ghosts.

When Zuri encounters a tween phantom haunting the library, her life is turned upside down and inside out as she attempts to help the spirit. This incurs the wrath of devils, living and dead. Zuri will need her martial arts prowess, heart, and the aid of friends to protect everyone she loves.