Demon in the Whitelands
by Nikki Richard
Date of Publication: September 24th 2019
Publisher: Month9Books
Cover Artist: Danielle Doolittle
Genre: YA Fantasy
BLURB
Sixteen-year-old Samuel, son of a devout cleric, has endured shame and prejudice his entire life. Though he is destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, he longs for an ordinary life in the whitelands away from talk of demons and holy roots.
When the mayor claims to have captured a mute demon-girl, Samuel is forced to become her caretaker. But as Samuel gets to know the prisoner, he finds her not to be very demonlike. Instead, she is intelligent, meek, and an exceptional artist. Despite her seeming goodness, some more concerning things cannot be ignored. Samuel is hard-pressed to reconcile her uncanny strength and speed, one missing arm, ambiguous gender, and the mysterious scars covering most of her body.
Samuel forms a deep attachment to the girl with predator eyes and violent outbursts, against his father’s advice. As their friendship threatens to become something more, Samuel discovers the mayor’s dark intentions. Now, he must decide whether to risk his own execution by setting her free, or watch as the girl is used as a pawn in a dangerous game of oppression, fear, and murder.
Excerpt:
After a while,
the buck quieted its struggle. It panted wildly, its dark tongue hanging out
the crack of its mouth. Samuel got to his knees, drawing closer. The deer
twisted its neck in horror, its dark eyes watching him. They were wide and
black. The eyes of prey.
Samuel reached
inside his jacket and got the knife.
“It’s okay,” he
said softly as he straddled the deer’s torso, making sure to fully secure him
underneath his legs. The buck’s muscles twitched, but the creature could do
nothing. How had the girl felt when she’d been caught in the bear trap, iron
teeth snapping into her leg? Like the buck? Did she think she’d be free?
Somehow, he couldn’t picture her as a deer. She was more like a scrappy wolf
cub.
Or a demon.
Author Info
Nikki Richard is a sensitive queer writer with moods and coping mechanisms. An MFA graduate from the University of Baltimore, she lives in the city with her hot wife, amazing daughter, and fluffy cat.
My Favorite Five Bands To Add To Any Writing Soundtrack
1. London Grammar
A mix of bedroom pop synths, piano rifts, orchestral strings, and the classic-style vocals of Hannah Reid, this band has a way of lulling me into the perfect writing rhythm.
2. Circa Survive
There’s nothing that creeps deeper into my soul than the seraph-like vocals of Anthony Green alongside the experimental indie rock melodies in Circa Survive. Green sings about his struggles with mental health in a way that is honest, poetic, and haunting. Do yourself a favor and check them out.
3. Beach House
I’m an avid fan of the Baltimore-based dream pop band, Beach House. Their 2012 album Bloom is a particular favorite of mine. No matter what sort of playlist I’m making, a Beach House song will always find its way in there.
4. Drake
I don’t care how basic it makes me sound. Drake makes amazing music. I’ve written some sick poetry with Drake playing in the background. #facts
5. Braids
Art-rock Canadian band Braids is a blend of folk, post-rock, and shoegaze, and Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s dynamic vocals and gut-wrenching lyrics are unmatchable. While writing the second-half of Demon in the Whitelands, I listened to albums Native Speaker and Deep in the Iris on loop for hours on end. True story.
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