COMING JUNE 2025

COMING JUNE 2025

A Withering Betrayal

a debut novel by Dea

Some secrets refuse to stay buried.

When 10-year-old Sarah moves to a crumbling old house across from a graveyard in a ghost-like town, she feels like her world is falling apart. She’s left her three best friends behind, her new home is barely standing, and her mom’s sharp words make every day harder to bear. Even worse, her dad never stands up for her, acting like everything is fine when it’s anything but.

But the moment Sarah steps into that eerie graveyard, things get even stranger. She begins experiencing visions—flashes of a teenage girl, a burning house, and whispers of a hidden past. The nightmares come next, pulling Sarah into vivid, terrifying dreams that feel all too real.

As Sarah starts to piece together the mysteries of her new home, she realizes there may be secrets darker than the shadows in the graveyard. The more she uncovers, the more Sarah questions everything she thought she knew—about the home, her family, and herself.

A Withering Betrayal is a spooky and suspenseful middle-grade thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Perfect for fans of eerie adventures and stories about courage, family, and uncovering the truth, A Withering Betrayal reminds us that sometimes the scariest thing isn’t what’s lurking in the dark—it’s what’s hiding in plain sight.

A Withering Betrayal

During the cruel, cold night

When shadows are hollow souls

When candles flicker and fade

As the fire fiercely roars

One thing still lingers

Clings to me like smoke

Unburnable

Untouchable

Undestroyable

Only to vanish

By morning

The betrayal

Sharp and cold

Gnawing at my soul

Withering me away

The betrayal

A constant ache

Never to be forgiven

Or forgotten

I’m Dea, a 10-year-old author from Chevy Chase, Maryland whose love for storytelling began long before I could spell all the words in my stories. My upcoming debut novel, A Withering Betrayal, is the first step in my journey to becoming a published author.