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Hi everyone,
As you may know, February is “Women in Horror” month. To
celebrate, I’m blogging about my “disturbing” novella, Nightmare in the North.
Nightmare in the North is a cautionary tale about traveling
alone in winter and trusting strangers.
NIGHTMARE IN THE NORTH
Stranded during a violent blizzard, Mark hikes to the only
house nearby. George, a well-mannered University professor, welcomes Mark and
gives him shelter from the storm.
By morning, Mark suspects that everything isn’t what it
seems. George’s adult daughter, Kate, who also lives in the house, shares a
disturbing and unsettling tale. When questioned, George insists that Kate has a
psychological issue and can’t be trusted to tell the truth.
Mark quickly finds himself caught in a game of cat and
mouse. Who should he believe? Is Kate’s desperate plea for help sincere? Should
he be suspicious of George? Or are both of them plotting something together?
Isolated from everyone, Mark is forced to wait out the
storm—and find a way to escape—if he hopes to make it out alive.
***
So… how did this novella come about? Believe it or not, I
wrote a version of this story for my eighth grade English class. The assignment
was to write a short story – and boy, did I! The original version was much
shorter and less detailed, but the basic premise was there. I’m not sure what
my English teacher thought when she read it, but I got an A.
I grew up in upstate New York where winters can be brutal
and last a long time. It can be an isolated place, and sometimes you could be
snowed in for days. I decided to use that as the backdrop to the story, throw
in some strange characters, and add a little mystery. After I submitted the
story for my English class, I pretty much forgot about it.
A few years ago, I drove to Vermont in a snowstorm. I was in
the car for 12 hours, and naturally, my mind started to wander… I wanted to
write a new horror story, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write. As I was
driving, I thought back to the original story and decided to rewrite it – to
tell the story the way it needed to be told.
I changed the opening, moved the setting to Vermont, and
filled in all the details and backstory to set the tone. The ending of the new
version is slightly different from the original, but it’s not off by much. I
added an epilogue (of sorts) to the end, and spent about twenty minutes getting
the last line just right. After reading Nightmare in the North, my husband said
it was well written and it drew you in, but it was “twisted” and “disturbing” –
I consider that high praise!
Order Nightmare in the North here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G9QD45X
All other platforms: https://www.books2read.com/u/m2vqOk
Read reviews here:
https://www.kelliwilkins.com/nightmare-in-the-north
If you love horror and are celebrating all things scary this
month, visit the Horror, Mystery & More page on my site:
https://www.kelliwilkins.com/horror to read about all of my spooky stories!
Until next time…
Happy Reading!
Kelli A. Wilkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has
published more than 100 short stories, 24 romance novels, and 9
mystery/thriller/horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and
she likes to scare readers with her horror, mystery, and thriller fiction.
Her latest book, The Route 9 Stalker, was published in
January 2026. This mystery/thriller is set in Central NJ and follows Detective
Jim Rourke on a disturbing new case. Meet him for the first time in The Route 9
Killer.
Kelli’s 24th romance, For Love’s Sake, an epic historical/fantasy romantic adventure, was published in 2025.
In 2024, she released Surreal Escapes, a collection of 7 speculative/spooky stories. Anything can—and does—happen in this anthology.
Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and visit her website/blog
www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list, social media links, and more.
