Chapter Thirteen
by Maria A Palace

Silver Award recipient of the Literary Titan Book Awards, Chapter Thirteen is a paranormal suspense/thriller about an old woman who will do everything in her power to reclaim the life that was taken from her and the young journalist who holds the key to her success or failure.

On April 13, 1936, in Morganville, Pennsylvania, a fire occurs at the well-known Brewer mansion, resulting in a mysterious death. Fast-forward to August 28, 2005: After attending school in New York for six years, Katy Barton returns to her hometown of Morganville, when she lands a job as a reporter for the local news station. The antiquated mansion is scheduled to be demolished and Katy is assigned to get a story from the reclusive old woman who still lives there.

Katy is a “survivor” or so she’s been told, although years of therapy have not reconciled her with her own tragic past, to which she has long since been plagued by nightmares. Each time she goes out to the estate, her nightmares are amplified by unexplained visions. When she finally meets the eccentric recluse, Evelyn, she finds that her early portrait bears an uncanny resemblance to her own high school graduation picture–and the more she learns of Evelyn’s past, the more she finds that it is eerily similar to hers. As Katy is lured deeper and deeper into the old woman’s mysterious world, she begins to question her sanity, to the point where she seeks out a hypnotherapist.

In an odd twist of fate, a handsome firefighter comes to her emotional rescue, spiraling her into a whirlwind romance that appears too good to be true. Hoping to resolve her issues, both past and present, Katy reluctantly undergoes hypnosis, where she is confronted with the truth from her past and ultimately, what could be her future. But is the life she sees her own, or is it Evelyn’s?

4 out of 5 fairies

This was an interesting read from start to finish. Love, loss, ghosts of the past, and nightmares haunting the present. Katy was an interesting character, and in the beginning reminded me of a few people I knew in college (a bit over the top). Evelyn made me curious, and I really liked Mike. I’m grateful that some things were left for the reader’s imagination to fill in, which also helped move the story along more smoothly. Overall a fascinating paranormal story that’s perfect for the Halloween season!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maria was born in the Republic of San Marino, an enclave in the Apennine Mountains of northern Italy. It is one of the smallest independent states in Europe with a population of 34,000. At the age of five, she immigrated to the United States with her family and settled in the Midwest.

From the time she set foot in an American school, English became her favorite subject and reading became her favorite pastime. After graduation, she went on to obtain a paralegal degree and worked in the legal field for almost 20 years where she enjoyed working alongside lawyers helping them get their cases ready for trial.

After raising three children and living on the east coast as well as the west coast, she and her husband retired to the state of Nevada. There she joined the High Sierra Writers so she could finally pursue her true passion: writing.

When she is not busy writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling the world, and hiking the beautiful Sierra Nevada landscape with her husband and soul mate of over 37 years.

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