You can't move away from your nightmares. After decades of living in a haunted house, Steve and Mara Spain have had enough. Steve's anxiety-fueled nightmares have increased with each passing year. To find peace, he takes a leave of absence from his law firm to build a home on ten acres of forest near the quaint town of Maquoketa, Iowa. A place to retire-their last house. But these woods are not empty... When the mother of a missing girl begs Steve to investigate her daughter's cold case, he's initially happy for the distraction. But as he peels back the layers of her story, he unexpectedly finds himself on a journey into the shadowy heart of small-town America, and the dark recesses of his own troubled mind. To find the girl, Steve must confront the demons he's avoided since childhood...or succumb to them forever.
Matthew Speak grew up in Bettendorf, Iowa, within sight of the Mississippi River. He earned a degree in Theatre Arts and a pre-law certificate at St. Ambrose University, in Davenport, Iowa. Eventually, he moved to California, where he appeared on stage and in a few short films before seeking his teaching credential at California State University at Northridge. Besides writing, he is a co-host of the Cinescare Horror Podcast. He lives in Burbank, California, with his family and their beloved dog, Rosie.
