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Coming October 19, 2027
Publisher: Sibylline Press
THE WEIGHT OF FABLES: psychological suspense:
Hoping to find solitude in a uniquely small town, a couple is thrown into a deadly battle between logic and superstition when a series of unsettling events upends their lives.
Book Description:
Looking to calm the chaos of their hectic lives, lifelong San Franciscans, Olivia and Mason Samaras, move to Kindred, California, a quaint burg of twenty-one people whose population has never changed, even over decades. Charmed by the warmth and welcome of new neighbors and the glory of their bucolic surrounds, they eagerly settle in, confident that leaving the big city for a stake at serenity is fortuitous.
Then life in Kindred takes a foreboding turn.
When her unexpected pregnancy triggers odd reactions from various townspeople, response that’s followed by a series of strange, even terrifying, events, Olivia becomes convinced she’s being inexplicably targeted and harassed. Mason, who can find no rationale for that possibility, struggles to take her fears seriously, doubt that foments an uncommon rift between them. In the midst of their growing conflict, a stunning piece of town lore is revealed, a secret that renders them both incredulous and endangered, forced to react, respond, and determine whether dark, mystical forces are truly at work, or the people of Kindred are victim to the cultish power of inherited groupthink.
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Praise from early readers:
“In The Weight of Fables, Lorraine Devon Wilke offers a chilling and timely reminder that tiny populations can induce the same kinds of chaos as any teeming city on the globe. She also makes the vital point that unfounded, yet deeply embedded, belief systems too often provide a blueprint for terror.” ~ Junior Burke, award-winning author of The Cold Last Swim and Buddha Was a Cowboy
“The Weight of Fables is a page turner, one that simultaneously resonates and provokes long after the story’s culmination. Lorraine Devon Wilke is a storyteller of the highest caliber and, while I’m typically not a reader of suspense fiction, her writing immediately entices and engages. Provocative, haunting, unnerving, this is a tale not to be missed.” ~ Judith Teitelman, award-winning author of Guesthouse for Ganesha
“The Weight of Fables grabbed me from the very first paragraph and never failed to deliver all the way through. The mysterious journey of Mason and Olivia in the creepy town of Kindred was both troubling and redemptive. Kindred, a seemingly bucolic town in northern California, should have been a perfect place for a couple seeking a beautiful home in a serene area. But the bubbling undercurrent of old traditions percolates throughout the book until the town’s secrets can’t be kept any longer, and the seemingly ‘nice’ residents turn out to have a sinister side. Through it all, Olivia remains an engaging, believable character who, while experiencing the town’s weird culture, tries to adapt, understand, and finally abhor it all. I turned pages as fast as I could to see where it was going. The book will capture readers’ attention all the way to finding out what Kindred is hiding. The naturally paced dialogue is believable and captivating. Devon Wilke has a winner here!” ~ Beth Brookhart, award-winning author of Four Queens of the Buttonbush Museum
“True creatives like to keep pushing the envelope and that’s exactly what Lorraine Devon Wilke has done with her new book, The Weight of Fables. Already an award-winning novelist of dramatic fiction (The Alchemy of Noise, Chick Singer), romantic comedy (Hysterical Love), and short stories (The Mother of My Reinvention), her new project is a hybrid psychological thriller with paranormal underpinnings.
The Weight of Fables follows a couple’s relocation from the big city to the tiny hamlet of Kindred, and how their surprise pregnancy is greeted as anything but a blessed event by the superstitious residents. In a series of escalating events, delight turns to deceit and friendly to fiendish, as trust is betrayed and hidden agendas revealed. Devon Wilke’s flawless prose and seamless plotting ratchets up the tension to a dramatic climax that leaves the reader questioning whether the outcome was the result of myth or madness.” ~ Rod Raglin, author of The Maddie Saunders Series and Finding Meaning and Making Sense
“Brilliant! The Weight of Fables will keep you turning pages, neglecting dirty dishes, and declining social invitations until you’ve finished. A beautifully told story, it blends myth and mystery with superstition and suspense. It reminded me of an old favorite, The Stepford Wives, with a story that is compelling in itself, yet also raises important social questions, in this case surrounding the irrationality of exclusion.” ~ Romalyn Tilghman, author of The Obit Habit and To the Stars through Difficulties
“The Weight of Fables is a compelling and suspenseful tale of a strange little town, the inhabitants who hide its secrets, and the unwitting couple from the big city who move in hoping for an idyllic, peaceful lifestyle and instead, uncover terror and heartbreak. Lorraine Devon Wilke spins a masterful tale that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end.” ~ Lori Hultin, author of Daredevil, a novel
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