I’m beyond excited to share that my debut novel, Maybe There Are Witches is now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook format, from Fitzroy Books!
You can order it now from any of these sites:
Bookshop.org
Regal House Publishing
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
Libro.fm (audiobook)
Longlisted for the Bram Stoker Award
Winner of the Kraken Prize for Middle-Grade Fiction
An Independent Book Review “Book of the Month“
Middle school student Clara Hutchins and her mother inherit a creaky Victorian bed and breakfast on the outskirts of Biskopskulla, Illinois, a lonely historic site settled by a group of religious fanatics. In the present day, it’s just a tiny town—a village, technically—where Clara’s prospects for new friends are as low as the population.
As she adjusts to her new surroundings, Clara discovers that her family has a history in the region: one hundred forty years ago, one of her ancestors was hanged as a witch from the white oak tree on the edge of town.
When Clara finds a mildewed diary in the basement, she’s even able to read the rambling thoughts of this long-dead relative. But when the book’s predictions about Clara’s own life start coming true, she realizes those 19th-century villagers had a point: her great-great-great-grandmother really did have an unearthly ability to peer into the future!
Now, a break-in at the tomb of the old cult’s founder means a great evil has returned to Biskopskulla. Clara and her newest friends—two of the weirdest boys in school—must join forces to decipher the messages of a murdered witch and stop an unnatural catastrophe from destroying the town. But as they quest through historic cemeteries, backcountry libraries, and high-octane scholastic bowl tournaments, something sinister is lurking, watching, and waiting…
PRAISE FOR MAYBE THERE ARE WITCHES:
“Devotees of supernatural stories reeling from the end of STRANGER THINGS reel no longer! Atwood delivers a twisting, turning tale of Midwestern macabre equal parts spine-tingling and laughter-inducing.”
-J.R. Potter, author of THOMAS CREEPER & THE GLOOMSBURY SECRET
“When books are really good we feel like they are speaking directly to us. The ingenious premise behind Jude Atwood’s sharp debut MAYBE THERE ARE WITCHES is to cast this sensation as an actual spell for young Clara. Her ordinariest of ordinary lives takes a twist toward the darkly fantastic as a newly-discovered book communicates truths about Clara’s present it couldn’t possibly know and launches her into a harrowing adventure she can’t possibly hope to survive.”
-Steven T. Seagle, co-creator of BEN 10, BIG HERO 6, and CAMP MIDNIGHT
“MAYBE THERE ARE WITCHES has something for everyone—complex characters, multiple timelines, spooky settings, and surprising twists. It’s part HOLES, part R. L. Stine, and still completely its own thing. School librarians are going to want to snap up this fresh, engaging story for both reluctant and voracious readers alike.”
-Paula Stokes, author of LIARS, INC. and HELLFINDER
“Wonderfully plotted with head-spinning twists and turns, I was racing toward the end of this impossible to put down adventure. By turns funny and smart and scary, this book is guaranteed to thrill and enthrall.”
-John Calvin Hughes, author of THE LOST GOSPEL OF DARNELL RABREN
“Jude Atwood knows how to tell a magical story! In MAYBE THERE ARE WITCHES he gives readers a mysterious small town with quirky, lovable characters, a middle-school girl in communication with her great-great-great-grandmother (a witch!), and a fantastic quest to stop an evil villain—all masterfully orchestrated with suspense, humor, perfect pacing and a shockingly brilliant ending.”
-Candi Sary, author of MAGDALENA and BLACK CROW WHITE LIE
Jude Atwood 