• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2019 September #2
  The Witch Girl of Pilot's Creek is an urban legend based on Ella Louise Ford and her daughter Jessica, who in 1931 were blamed when a baby was stillborn after the mother took one of Ella's herbal remedies, and were burned as witches. The townsmen buried Ella in the woods and then buried Jessica under six feet of concrete in a grave surrounded by crosses. Locals say that Jessica rises from the grave on the anniversary of her death. When a former resident comes home to make a film based on Jessica's story, he unleashes a series of events that show why it's best to leave ghosts alone. His horror film becomes a cult classic, trapping the actress who plays Jessica in that role. Decades later, a remake is planned and she is called out of obscurity to star as Ella. Jumping through time from the 70s to the 90s to 2016, Chapman slowly builds the tension and frights. As both a novel of psychological terror and a traditional ghost story, this short, chilling read is recommended for all collections. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Clay McLeod Chapman is the creator of the storytelling session “The Pumpkin Pie Show” and the author of rest area, nothing untoward, and the Tribe trilogy. He is co-author of the middle grade novel Wendell and Wild, with Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick. In the world of comics, Chapman’s work includes Lazaretto, Iron Fist: Phantom Limb, and Edge of Spiderverse, among others. He also writes for the screen, including The Boy (SXSW 2015), Henley (Sundance 2012), and Late Bloomer (Sundance 2005). You can find him at claymcleodchapman.com.