This May…
"The Howling Tree"
Bea Durant never tried to be a rule-breaker. But when she moves with her father from San Diego to Verity, Tennessee, they are greeted with a list of confounding rules:
1. Never paint the house anything but green.
2. Do not cover, remove, or replace its stone pillars outside.
3. Only plant flowers that are yellow or white.
4. Do not place any reflective surfaces on your porch or exterior.
5. Hang a wind chime to be warned of foul moods.
6. No matter how loud, no matter how sudden, never investigate the Howling.
Why such odd stipulations for living at 710 Olivine Way? Because just down the road, dividing the town east from west, stands a Tree, distinguished by its enormous size, its perpetually bare branches, and two knotholes that resemble screaming mouths. And do they ever scream!
To protect the fragile stalemate, each side of Verity caters to the whim of the Face looking in their direction. Everyone who ever broke the Rules was driven back into obedience by jinxes or met a grisly end.
On a stormy night, one Face brands Bea a traitor, and the other mistakes her for a long-lost ally. She must dig into a centuries-old mystery that might free the town from the Faces' control or destroy it. Even if that means breaking more and more of the rules.
Available for pre-order in April 2026 by Selene Press.
