Logline

In the ancient, rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, lifelong best friends Kora and Sage are plunged into a world of folklore and mystery when Sage’s brother Sam disappears looking for ghosts, forcing them to retrace his steps through haunted locales and strange forests to find him — before it’s too late.

Summary

Two years ago, a car accident on a perilous mountain road sent a family into freefall, and none of them have been the same since.

Sage used to have everything under control: perfect grades, record times on the swim team, and carefully medicated ADHD. But ever since her mom died, she’s just been going through the motions, and no one in her family seems to notice.

Kora has known Sage’s family her whole life, so losing Sage’s mom was like losing her own. At the end of the summer, she’s supposed to abandon her beloved Blue Ridge mountains for a prestigious art school in New York, but leaving now feels wrong. And an unexpected romance with a new girl in town might complicate things.

Then there’s Sam, Sage’s older brother. He’s spent the last two years traipsing through the mountains, trying to find evidence of local ghost stories. He said he would be back by now, but no one has heard from him.

To find him, Kora and Sage will have to dig deeper into the myths and legends of the mountains they call home — before it’s too late.

Author’s Bio

Olivia Neal is a writer, artist, and storyteller from Greensboro, North Carolina. She has published work across genres, including fiction, poetry, essays, reviews, and zines. She also works in communications for social justice nonprofits, advocating for reproductive justice and LGBTQ+ liberation. She currently lives in Durham, North Carolina. You can find out more and stay up to date with her work at olivialeighneal.com.