Writer's Grove

The Hermit Next Door

Out now in ebook and audio, a new science fiction novella from me! I’m already hearing from folks how much they dig it and it makes me happy because this story is a bit different from my usual stuff and I had such fun writing it.

This above cover (by Dominic Harman) is for the ebook and print edition. (The print edition is a limited signed and numbered edition from Subterranean Press, and due to a printer delay will be out near the end of July, but definitely snag it if you like print, it’s gonna be gorgeous.) There’s a different cover for the audio edition because they require a square design, but the story’s the same! Here’s the audio cover (photo illustration by me):

Here’s part of the blurb about it: Newly widowed and trying to cope with her grief, Winnie Mae Chisholm moves from Tennessee with her teenage son, Pax, to Oregon, hoping the change will let them both heal and move on. She’s warned when buying their new home that the next door neighbor, Mr. Fisher, is a famous recluse and no one has seen him in years, but that’s fine with her—she’s looking for quiet.

She’s not going to get it, however, because when Pax meets the neighbor, he discovers that the reason Mr. Fisher hides from the world is that he isn’t actually from this world. He’s been stranded for decades and he’s trying to get home, and he could really use some help.

The audiobook is narrated by Annalee Scott, who captures Winnie Mae perfectly. Here’s a excerpt where Winnie Mae is looking for a place to buy in Oregon and asks the realtor about their prospective new neighbor, Mr. Fisher:

It’s only $4.99 in ebook and $7.95 in audio (US) and you can finish it in an afternoon. Since it’s a small press and there isn’t a budget for marketing, I’m basically depending on y’all for word of mouth. If you give it a shot, (thank you so much!) please leave a review and holler about it to your friends, eh? This is the sort of story where you can leave it there if you want because Winnie Mae makes a decision at the end and that’s really the question: Would you make the same one in her shoes? But it’s also the sort of story where there’s room to explore further questions in further adventures, and while I would absolutely love to write more of Winnie Mae and Pax, sequels don’t happen unless there’s a demand. I hope you’ll help create that demand by spreading the word to your friends.

Thanks so much for reading! Hope you enjoy.