Hiding out from the Icelandic mafia in the middle of nowhere, Lia Rail finds herself offered up as the annual Halloween sacrifice to an oversized pumpkin-monster called Jack o’ the Patch. After a narrow escape, Lia is pursued by a growing horde of Jack’s pumpkin-minions. Monstrous worms, bats, and spiders will tear the town apart until their master gets his victim. As the creatures flood the town and close in, Lia’s survival depends on making friends and giving them a reason to trust her. She’ll have to do it quickly, too, before Jack o’ the Patch himself comes down from the mountain to destroy the city in search of his prize.

Our dear protagonist Lia is a habitual liar with synesthesia who lives out of her Ford Bronco. One time she set a building on fire that happened to be a sort of contraband warehouse for the Icelandic mafia. Since then, she’s been on the run. She’s been doing odd jobs for the local fortune teller in a little town called Squotter’s Notch. This story starts wild and goes straight up bonkers from there!

Pumpkin Guts is scheduled for release in October of 2026. This Halloween-night comedy-horror creature feature is my 5th novel, and I cannot wait to share it with the world! Lia was so fun to write about, and I am absolutely thrilled with the cover art by legendary horror cover artist Lynne Hansen.

There were several sources of inspiration for this story, and I will tell you all about them over in the blog section of this site. A Swarm of Flying Eyeballs, a coffin-shaped fire agate, synesthesia, Bill Moseley, Bogfoot. Hoo doggies, this book has it all!

I hate that I have to add: This novel was written by a human, and the cover art was designed by a human. No generative AI was used in the creation of Pumpkin Guts.