Writing daRk stoRies tHat Beguile
A student will find that the hardest lessons sometimes come outside the classroom in this stunning dark academia novel from the acclaimed author of The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger.
Lennon Carter’s life is falling apart.
Then she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to take the entrance exam for Drayton College, a school of magic hidden in a secret pocket of Savannah. Lennon has been chosen because—like everyone else at the school—she has the innate gift of persuasion, the ability to wield her will like a weapon, using it to control others and, in rare cases, matter itself.
After passing the test, Lennon begins to learn how to master her devastating and unsettling power. But despite persuasion’s heavy toll on her body and mind, she is wholly captivated by her studies, by Drayton’s lush, moss-draped campus, and by her brilliant classmates. But even more captivating is her charismatic adviser, Dante, who both intimidates and enthralls her.
As Lennon continues in her studies her control grows, and she starts to uncover more about the secret world she has entered into, including the disquieting history of Drayton college, and the way her mentor’s tragic and violent past intertwines with it. She is increasingly disturbed by what she learns. For it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption . . . and it's a test she's terrified she is going to fail.
An Academy for Liars
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A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.
In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet's word is law, Immanuelle Moore's very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.
But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the
first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.
Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.
The Year of the Witching
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WANTED - Bloodmaid of exceptional taste. Must have a keen proclivity for life’s finer pleasures. Girls of weak will need not apply.
A young woman is drawn into the upper echelons of a society where blood is power in this dark and enthralling Gothic novel from the author of The Year of the Witching.
Marion Shaw has been raised in the slums, where want and deprivation are all she know. Despite longing to leave the city and its miseries, she has no real hope of escape until the day she spots a peculiar listing in the newspaper seeking a bloodmaid.
Though she knows little about the far north—where wealthy nobles live in luxury and drink the blood of those in their service—Marion applies to the position. In a matter of days, she finds herself the newest bloodmaid at the notorious House of Hunger.
House
of Hunger
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There, Marion is swept into a world of dark debauchery. At the center of it all is Countess Lisavet.
The countess, who presides over this hedonistic court, is loved and feared in equal measure. She takes a special interest in Marion. Lisavet is magnetic, and Marion is eager to please her new mistress. But when she discovers that the ancient walls of the House of Hunger hide even older secrets, Marion is thrust into a vicious game of cat and mouse. She’ll need to learn the rules of her new home—and fast—or its halls will soon become her grave.
WANTED - Bloodmaid of exceptional taste. Must have a keen proclivity for life’s finer pleasures. Girls of weak will need not apply.
A young woman is drawn into the upper echelons of a society where blood is power in this dark and enthralling Gothic novel from the author of The Year of the Witching.
Marion Shaw has been raised in the slums, where want and deprivation are all she know. Despite longing to leave the city and its miseries, she has no real hope of escape until the day she spots a peculiar listing in the newspaper seeking a bloodmaid.
Though she knows little about the far north—where wealthy nobles live in luxury and drink the blood of those in their service—Marion applies to the position. In a matter of days, she finds herself the newest bloodmaid at the notorious House of Hunger. There, Marion is swept into a world of dark debauchery. At the center of it all is Countess Lisavet.
The countess, who presides over this hedonistic court, is loved and feared in equal measure. She takes a special interest in Marion. Lisavet is magnetic, and Marion is eager to please her new mistress. But when she discovers that the ancient walls of the House of Hunger hide even older secrets, Marion is thrust into a vicious game of cat and mouse. She’ll need to learn the rules of her new home—and fast—or its halls will soon become her grave.
House of Hunger
hi! i'm Alexis
I’m a dark, speculative fiction author who loves writing stories about complicated, intense, and sometimes violent women. I grew up in one of America’s most haunted cities, Savannah, Georgia, which instilled me with a life-long love of ghost stories and gothic horror.
I'm so glad you're here!
I collect different translations & special editions of Dante’s Inferno.
fun fact #4
I’ve had black cats all my life.
fun fact #3
I own a first edition of Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie.
fun fact #2
Book ideas often come to me in dreams.
fun fact #1
fun facts
debut novel, but you’d never know it.... The story is enchanting, enticing, enthralling, enigmatic.”
“the year of the witching is alexis henderson’s
- Tor.com
“the year of the witching tells a universal, timeless story about women's power.”
- O, The Oprah Magazine
Henderson’s second novel (after The Year of the Witching) cements her status as one of horror’s best new voices.”
“Breathlessly paced and dripping with Gothic decadence,
- Publishers Weekly
and as dangerously sharp as a rare gemstone that could slice you open at any moment, Alexis Henderson's House of Hunger is a Gothic masterpiece that demands to linger like the coppery scent of blood in the air long after the final page is turned."
"With decadent prose as bewitching
- Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
“A haunting, unique read I couldn't put down—a story that cuts to the heart.”
- Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Tempests and Slaughter
Where can I buy signed copies of your books?
I do want to write that book for you someday, but I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I’m determined that the sequel be demonstrative of the best of my abilities. Had I forced myself to write it before I was ready, I think I could’ve delivered an okay story. But you deserve better than okay. And I frankly don’t want to waste your time reading, or my time writing, an okay book. When I feel ready to write the sequel, I promise you I will drop everything to tell that story and deliver it to you as soon as I possibly can. But that hasn’t happened yet, and so I’m giving myself the time and space to tell the stories I do feel ready to write. I understand this might be frustrating—and trust me there’s no one more annoyed by this than I am—but unfortunately this is my creative process. Trying to fight against my natural instincts as a writer and draft a story that isn’t yet ready to be told has only amounted to fatigue and burnout. So I’m going to wait and be patient and if the story comes to me I’ll welcome it with open arms. And if it doesn’t, well…there are more stories to be told and I really hope you’ll take a chance on them the way you did on The Year of the Witching. <3
What happened to The Year of the Witching sequel?
Yes click here for more information!
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Here's a list of some of my favorites!
What are your favorite books?
Stephanie Fealty
sfelty@penguinrandomhouse.com
Yazmine Hassan
yhassan@penguinrandomhouse.com
publicity
Mary Pender
United Talent
PenderM@unitedtalent.com
film
Jenny Bent
The Bent Literary Agency
jenny@thebentagency.com
