So, Who Is Sloane?

"I just have the most terrible feeling that somebody is missing."

The story of how Sloane came to be is a long one. But don't worry, I'll tell you the short version.

My debut novel Are You There, Sloane? began as a short story I wrote a while ago, titled "The Dinner Party". It wasn't the worst thing I'd ever read, but I didn't love it. So, I put it away and didn't do anything with it. But the end of that short story- I loved it. It gave me chills every time I read it. Sloane knew somebody was missing, she just doesn't realize it was her.

So, I went back to that story and as it turned out, there was more to it. A whole book's worth. I had just dropped out of academia, deciding that a PhD was not what I wanted. I wanted to write a book. So I did.

Sloane is important to me, not just because it's my first book, but because of the story it tells. I am Sloane. I am Sadie. I am Madison and Sasha (and maybe even Mrs. Haberknackle). And I hope anyone reading this book can see a little bit of themselves in these women, too.

Are You There, Sloane? while being a gothic thriller is also a story about what it means to survive. It's about trauma, the scars it leaves us with and what we have to do in order to heal. It's about mental health and the millennial existential crisis (or maybe just a human one...) It's about the women who walk away and those who are trying to. It's about overcoming abuse, and not letting it define you. Is it fast paced and thrilling? I think so. But I hope it also speaks to you.

This story of trauma and survival is told through the lens of the gothic. There's elements of witchcraft and the Occult, two very important things in my own path of healing, and two integral parts of the narrative.

Sloane is not the perfect victim. She is flawed. But that's what I love about her. I got tired of all the girls who lit up the room, whose smiles could make your day. The girls who had it all together, only to have it all taken away. Sloane does certainly not have her sh*% together.

I'll leave it there for now. I hope you find something in this book for you. Even if it just a moment to yourself.

Happy Reading.