My second novel is an adult novel in verse. It was originally published in February 2022 by Gurt Dog Press and was re-released from Pigeon Press in September 2022.
Buy The Lost Girl of Goose Creek here
About The Book
A novel in verse about rebuilding a life after everything is taken from you.
When sixteen-year-old Etta Jacobs went missing, the small town of Goose Creek, Montana went into a panic. But after years of searching, the trail went cold and everyone wrote her off as dead. She left behind her girlfriend Lexa and a grieving family, including a father whose health worsens every day.
Only she’s not dead. She’s been held in an underground cellar for eight years, abused by a man whose name she doesn’t know. Reading her favorite fantasy book over and over to escape the abuse, she slowly begins to lose track of what’s fiction and what’s real. By the time freedom comes, Etta confuses herself for the main character in the book – a girl named Mathilde who suffers her own story of abuse.
The world Etta returns to doesn’t know what to make of her, and she can’t tell what’s real. She doesn’t even know how to be a person anymore, let alone reconnect with her family and girlfriend. How can she learn to exist again when for so many years she just tried to hide?
And who is she really, Etta or Mathilde?
Age: Upper end of Young Adult/also considered New Adult. Recommended for 16+
Content warnings: The Lost Girl of Goose Creek contains abduction, sexual assault/rape, torture, mental illness/dissociation, blood, violence, suicidal ideation, substance abuse/alcoholism, and grief. Most of this is alluded to rather than depicted on-page and is not very graphic. There is also plentiful swearing including the F-word. In America it would be rated PG-13.
Author’s Note:
I made a donation to the JAYC Foundation when this book released and encourage you to consider giving as well. This foundation was created by Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was abducted as a child and escaped after 18 years with her two daughters she had during captivity. Her reunion with her family was aided by animal therapy, and the JAYC Foundation helps provide this sort of reunification therapy for other survivors and their families. As someone who has experienced the therapeutic ability of animals myself, I am moved by her work and her amazing spirit. Visit https://thejaycfoundation.org to learn more.