Nightmare at Emerald High - The Journey

Before I wrote Nightmare at Emerald High, I thought I’d never be able to write a full length novel. I always loved to write and I’ve written many a short story, but I never broke the novella barrier. Nightmare at Emerald High started off as a project to prove to myself that I could go further and do better. I wrote every waking moment, plotted and worked on my characters whilst on my day job and even stopped to jot down notes during sermons (yes, I made notes for my book during church ). I was determined to make this one happen.

One of the things that helped me most was the fact that I loved my story. Malcolm (my protagonist) was a lonely, geeky teenager who loved computers. In other words, he was the male version of me as a teenager. I put Malcolm through the ringer and had him jumping over boxes and running through never ending hallways and I loved it. That, for me, was the key to breaking the novella barrier. I loved the story. It was something I would pick up from a shelf and buy because it sounded like a fun book. It took me about six weeks to bang out the first draft and I was so proud of myself. Part of me wanted to just print the darn book and place a copy in a frame somewhere!

But of course the hard work had only just begun. After several edits, it was finally ready for the public. My first full length novel and I felt like I’d won a Nobel prize!

So here it is – Nightmare at Emerald High – the synopsis.
Malcolm Drake is one year away from the end of high school when a tantalizing scholarship offer comes his way. Malcolm and several other classmates eagerly join a program called Alternative Science that promises to open their minds to new ways of thinking and of course, help them win that scholarship. Little did they know that this program would change their lives forever. The class is riddled with eerie séances, encounters with spirit guides and a slow desensitization of the teens towards everything evil until they become completely entangled in the world of the occult.

With the program being run by the town's most influential people, the kids have a hard time getting out. Teachers that they trust hold them against their will and try underhanded tactics to convince them to remain in the program. Will good prevail over evil? Will the kids escape with their innocence?