Is this cover not stunning, eerie, and thrillerish? I love it. I hope all of you will too.
The Girl Upstairs is my 2nd thriller that steers away from police investigations. You may have read my Strange Crimes Series about a specialized unit with the FBI hunting down sadistic serial killers.
The Other Sister veered away from that kind of story. It’s a mystery to be solved for sure but by an average person not an official investigator. It’s first person POV and hits main stream topics without profanity and spice.
This book and my next two contracted thrillers will be more in step with The Other Sister. Dark subject matter. Meaning if you pick it up and think it won’t be that dark, I assure you it will. So if dark topics aren’t your jam, better to forego the story and pick up a Love Inspired Suspense by me. I have a slew of them. Just click the tab at the top of the page to peruse the books.
So what can you expect from my upcoming thrillers?
- A total thrill ride.
- Signature twists, some you might suspect (it’s hard to fool avid thriller readers), but some you won’t see coming!
- A mystery to be solved whether a murder, other crime, cold case or something else sinister.
- First Person POV
- Strong heroines–who are usually shaky in their faith and cross morally gray lines (until they can stand on solid ground, learn their lesson so to speak.
- DARK subject matter. I don’t shy away from violence, sexual crimes, or even child abuse but I’ll never be gratuitous. I’ll never write an assault scene or abuse scene. But these things actually happen and I’m not afraid to tackle it because I feel led to write these kinds of stories. As a Christ-follower, I’ve been given this task. There is actually a large audience for books with darker tones and themes. You may not like them but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t write them. It means you shouldn’t read them but grace to the authors who are writing about it.
- Biblical truths and principles explored through showing and not telling. Symbolism that contrasts light and dark. Good and evil. Actions that reveal wrong and right. Just because I don’t provide a litany of scripture to back up every scene or choice or sentence doesn’t mean truth isn’t prevailing. Think Narnia. The book of Esther where God isn’t mentioned once but it was clear He was providentially moving and truths like “such a time as this” is now on stickers and wall hangings. Mordecai didn’t preach a sermon to her. But his simple but profound statement revealed that she was not there by chance and her choices mattered. Then we read that an applied it to our own lives. So it’s there 100% in every book and can be seen by bible literate Christ-followers and for those who are not, they are not preached at. They don’t read books for that and I’m not going to do it. But I do view the world biblically and therefore it will reflect in honest and hopeful endings.
- I don’t write happily ever afters. I write hopeful endings. I don’t want to leave the protagonist still living in darkness and hopelessness. I want them to live in light. But living in light is not always happily ever after. Rarely is it that. So I don’t do that.
- I never use profanity in my books. I don’t write sex scenes. That doesn’t mean characters don’t use profanity or have sex. They do. It doesn’t mean some characters won’t be lewd to some degree. People are lewd.
- Sometimes I’ll write in the killer’s POV and murderers are sick and depraved so they won’t be talking about daisies and sunshine or the weather unless those things are hindering them from a kill. They’ll be thinking and talking like killers.
- There is no romance in this book or my next two. I’m not opposed to it, but these stories haven’t called for it.
In a nutshell, I guess they could be called clean thrillers. Mainstream thrillers. Even though they are written from a Christian’s world viewpoint. I am a Christian and I’m not ashamed of that.
Who is My Perfect Readership?
- People who enjoy dark twisty mainstream thrillers but prefer no sex or strong language.
- People who love mysteries, true crime, creepy crime documentaries. You enjoy shows like Dexter, Criminal Minds Evolution, You…and some horror shows/movies.
- People who love to be unsettled, disturbed, and creeped out without going too far (that’s subjective of course).
- People who are Christians and enjoy books that reveal truths and principles but don’t need a salvific message, as you’re already a Christ-follower.
- Any other religious readers who just wants a fun thrill ride without being preached to about another religion–or no religious affiliation. I’m not trying to make anyone follow Jesus just because I do.
- People who love a good twist!
Will I go back to books like Strange Crimes?
Yes! I have a whole series written that needs revised and is very much like SCU. And my editor and I are already talking about the next set of books after this 3-book contract is up in 2028. It may veer procedural, it may not! But we’re cooking up some fun ideas already.
Are my future thrillers for you?
I don’t know. But it’s okay if they’re not. If you love twisty romantic suspense with strong faith threads, then read my Love Inspired Suspense. It’ll hit all the notes for you! And it’s happily ever afters!
But for now, here’s a little about The Girl Upstairs:
She bought this house to save her marriage. Unearthing its secrets might just claim her life.
Gwen McDaniel’s life is broken. But she knows the perfect place to fix it. Cold Harbor, Maine is where she used to vacation with her parents as a child, an idyllic small town with views of Acadia National Park. Here, she and Steven can start over, renovating their cliff-side fixer-upper while patching up their marriage. Soon, everything will be better.
Except from the moment they arrive, Gwen sees and hears things, and it’s more than just the drafts and shadows that are part of any old house. Steven downplays her fears, warning her not to fixate on problems as she has in the past. But Gwen spent years as a homicide detective, and her instincts don’t lie. Something happened here. Proof comes when she rips up the attic’s old carpet to discover a chilling message carved into the wood.
As Gwen delves into the history of the house and Cold Harbor community, she begins to piece the fragments together. And gradually, a terrifying picture emerges: A missing girl. A house of horrors. And a dark, decades-old nightmare that is more haunting than Gwen ever imagined…
If this looks like your jam, it would be so very helpful to this author if you preorder it from your favorite online retailer! Audio is not up just yet but it will be!
What do you think of the cover?
Warmly,
Jess
