Trisha Leaver lives on Cape Cod with her husband, three children, and one rather irreverent black lab. She is a chronic daydreamer who prefers the cozy confines of her own imagination to the mundane routine of everyday life. She writes Young Adult Contemporary fiction, Psychological Horror and Science Fiction and is published with FSG/ Macmillan, Flux/Llewellyn and Merit Press.
"Readers will be caught up in the very real grief that Ella feels at losing her sister, as well as her desperation to keep her secret. The final pages are not terribly surprising, but watching Ella grapple with questions about life, death, and love makes for rewarding reading."
—Publishers Weekly
"Leaver's brilliant novel is the high school version of What Happened to Janie? The compelling premise will attract readers and the strong characterization will keep them enthralled."
—VOYA, ***Starred Review***
"...Leaver and Currie do the best thing horror authors can do, presenting protagonists who make smart choices, over and over, but to no avail. Now that's scary."
—Booklist
"A dark, disturbing story that will appeal to teens on the cusp of reading Stephen King…VERDICT A fine choice for teens who crave horror."
—School Library Journal
"Debut authors Leaver and Currie make an auspicious foray into YA horror… The authors create a believably desperate and terrifying situation for their characters, and Dee's history of physical and sexual abuse adds another layer of terror to this suspenseful and sporadically gory thriller."
—Publishers Weekly
Hardwired by
When Lucas tested positive for the warrior gene--a genetic abnormality believed to predispose humans to violence--he was shipped off to the Bake Shop, an impregnable government facility. There, he underwent a battery of psychological tests aimed at making him crack. Now, labeled safe to return to normal life, he's ready to put the horrific experience behind him. Then the van transporting him home is forced off the road by a group of rebels who insist there's more going on at the facility than anyone knows. To find the truth and save a friend's brother who's being held prisoner, Lucas infiltrates the Bake Shop's inner sanctum. But a power outage leads to a security breach that strands Lucas in the dark . . . with a prison full of potential killers who could snap at any moment. Praise: "This fast-paced, not-so-distant dystopian futuristic tale will appeal to teen readers. A must-have for libraries seeking dystopian futures."--School Library Journal
The Secrets We Keep by
Ella and Maddy Lawton are identical twins. Ella has spent her high school years living in popular Maddy's shadows, but she has never been envious of Maddy. In fact, she's chosen the quiet, safe confines of her sketchbook over the constant battle for attention that has defined Maddy's world. When--after a heated argument--Maddy and Ella get into a tragic accident that leaves her sister dead, Ella wakes up in the hospital surrounded by loved ones who believe she is Maddy. Feeling responsible for Maddy's death and everyone's grief, Ella makes a split-second decision to pretend to be Maddy. Soon, Ella realizes that Maddy's life was full of secrets. Caught in a web of lies, Ella is faced with two options--confess her deception or live her sister's life.
Sweet Madness by
Who was Lizzie Borden? A confused young woman, or a coldhearted killer? For generations, people all over the world have wondered how Andrew Borden and his second wife, Abby, met their gruesome deaths. Lizzie, Andrew's younger daughter, was charged, but a jury took only 90 minutes to find her not guilty. In this retelling, the family maid, Bridget Sullivan, shines a compassionate light on a young woman oppressed by her cheap father and her ambitious stepmother. Was Lizzie mad, or was she driven to madness?
