An Evil Premise

When a bizarre accident leaves her sister, bestselling author Deidre Baldwin, in a coma and suffering from a grotesque skin malady, Jewel rushes to her bedside. Though the sisters are not close, she is determined to do what she can for Deidre. Staying at her sister’s apartment, Jewel stumbles upon an unfinished manuscript, the one that Deidre was rushing to complete for her publisher. When Deidre’s literary agent calls in a panic, Jewel—a self-published writer herself, desperate for a break—suggests she can finish it by the deadline.

But the story is unsettling. It begins with a writer looking for inspiration, who finds an unclaimed manuscript. But said manuscript is just a series of protagonists who feel compelled to act out their heinous contributions to the grisly plot.

Jewel is determined not to be scared off, but the novel hits a little close to home. She tries to tell herself she’s being paranoid, but swears she can hear someone typing when she’s not at the desk, and somehow the word count of the novel keeps going up. Her skin begins to itch.

Terrified of losing her sanity, but equally terrified of losing her one shot at success, Jewel tries to find a story somewhere in the carnage, even as her rash becomes worse and she starts to have not-so-neighborly thoughts about her neighbors. Is this what happened to Deidre? Did the manuscript drive her mad? Infect her somehow? Jewel finds herself hoping her sister never wakes up. And fearing what will happen if Deidre does …