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The Depth That Horror Offers
Blood on the Trailhead follows the Chief of Police for a state park who is investigating several cases involving a mutilated body, strange glyphs, and a missing child, all leading to a supernatural cause. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Our inspiration all started around the Indigenous myth of the Tah-tah-kle’-ah. Feel free to Google it, but be warned, it will be a big spoiler. Therefore, we don’t want to elaborate here, knowing many people have not read the book yet.
We were also very inspired by the beauty and the vastness (Redwoods) surrounding Ferndale, CA, which is the town that we modeled the small city of Lost Grove after. There is still so much wilderness that holds pockets of secrets that we have yet to uncover. We found this fertile ground to explore in this story.
What were some ideas that were important for you to personify in your characters?
A big one for this book was nature conservation and the preservation of cultures, specifically the Wiyot tribe of Northern CA. Both of these are throughlines that run through the horror and mystery in the story. One of the other ideas we cling to in the Lost Grove series is the close-knit mentality of the small town of just under 1,500 residents, their resilience, and camaraderie. We see this among the teens and in the small police force. Lastly, and this is more so a focus for Alex, is always keeping a sense of humor in the characters that feels grounded and true to who they are.
What intrigues you about the horror and paranormal genres that led you to write this book?
Well, we both absolutely love horror in any fictional medium. We watch over one hundred horror films a year and host our own year-end Horror Oscars. We also love the depth that horror offers its lead characters, placing them in life-or-death situations that reveal everything about a person. The draw to paranormal is the intrigue of the unexplained that exists and persists in our world. The paranormal also gives us a chance to explore things beyond what we experience in most of our day-to-day lives. Charlotte, in particular, has always been fond of folklore and superstition, which are ripe to explore in this sub-genre.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
Regarding Lost Grove, they can expect book four next fall. The working title is The Devil’s Acre, and it will return readers to Lost Grove during one of its darkest winters. Cold Cases, isolation…it may be one of the more unsettling books in the series so far.
Charlotte is also wrapping up an epic fantasy trilogy, Trust of the Magdrid that she has been working on for some time now. She hopes to release the first in that series late next year as well.
Alex is in the midst of his own mystery trilogy. Book one, The Disappearance at Devil’s Churn, is complete. He is planning to begin work on book two at the start of 2026. He is waiting until he finishes book three before releasing any of the books, as they will be released in quick succession.
Charlotte Zang Links: GoodReads | Website
Alex J Knudsen Links: GoodReads | Website | Facebook
Just outside town, a local teen stumbles on strange, twisting glyphs scorched into the trees, eerily similar to those once studied by an Indigenous academic researcher who disappeared just years earlier. Desperate for answers, she turns to a friend with family ties to the Wiyot Nation, only to be warned off: some things are better left buried.
When a local teenager goes missing, town meetings turn ugly, campers cancel in droves, and the pressure mounts with each bloodied trail. On the eve of the county fair, Seth is faced with the burden of an old case threatening to resurface and unravel his career, along with the rising dread of a community coming apart.
Because what waits in the forest isn’t just an echo of the past. It’s hunting again.
Blood on the Trailhead – A Lost Grove Mystery
Blood on the Trailhead is a haunting, slow-burn mystery that tangles horror, folklore, and small-town secrets into a story that seeps under your skin. It opens with an archaeologist’s quiet curiosity and ends in something much darker, something that feels both ancient and alive. The book’s plot threads stretch across Devil’s Cradle State Park, where strange glyphs, a missing child, and old wounds converge. The story blends investigative suspense with mythic terror, pulling you through the redwoods and into the dark pulse of the land itself.
The writing is lush and eerie, with that grounded sense of place that author’s Zang and Knudsen do so well. They write forests the way others write cities, every root and shadow alive with intent. The pacing is steady, sometimes deliberately slow. When the horror hits, it lands hard, not with cheap shocks but with creeping inevitability. I found myself both enchanted and unsettled by how human the story felt, even when it slipped into the supernatural. The grief, guilt, and obsession in these characters are raw. Sometimes the dialogue feels almost too clean, but that’s balanced by the way silence and atmosphere carry the emotion.
What really struck me was how the story handles belief, scientific, spiritual, and everything in between. It doesn’t force explanations. It lets mystery exist, and that takes confidence. The book asks you to trust your instincts, even when they’re wrong. There were moments I felt real affection for the characters, especially the flawed ones who keep searching for truth when it’s obvious the truth is going to hurt. The story gave me that same uneasy calm as walking through an empty parking lot after dark, knowing you’re probably fine but not quite believing it.
I’d recommend Blood on the Trailhead to anyone who loves mysteries with a side of folklore and a heavy dose of unease. It’s perfect for readers who like their horror thoughtful, their detectives damaged, and their endings not too tidy. If you enjoy stories that make you linger on the last page before closing the book, this one’s worth every step into the woods.
Pages: 444 | ASIN : B0FVZH16H9
Obsessiveness Pays Off
Lost Grove: Part One follows a tenacious lawman who digs into the mystery of a woman’s death, discovering the town is hiding more secrets than he anticipated. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Charlotte: The idea first originated when I visited the quaint and stunning Victorian town of Ferndale, CA. I was inspired by the picturesque surroundings and the magical vibes it made me feel. While I was there, I came up with the idea of a series of interconnected weird tales, something akin to Josh Mallerman’s Goblin, six separate tales that all happen in the same town, with some loose connections. A few of the original stories I came up with were one about The Green Man, one about Mary the Vampire, and one about a mysterious institute (which became the Orbriallis).
Alex: When Charlotte brought the idea to me, I came up with the concept of tying them all together through a detective story, which are my favorite books to read.
Charlotte: I came up with the idea and image of Sarah Elizabeth’s body being found on a beach. With Mary being there.
Alex: And I grabbed the baton from there to come up with the actual case.
Sergeant Seth Wolfe is an intelligent and intense character who is set on discovering the secrets that the town has hidden even as the clues drift away. What was the inspiration for the main character’s traits and dialogue?
Charlotte: I think Seth was an amalgamation of some of my favorite detective characters from books, as well as my husband.
Alex: Insider secret – that’s me. The husband. But what else are you leaving out, Charlotte? Don’t hold back.
Charlotte: Ugh, fine. Yes, I will also admit there was a little bit of Seth Rollins, the current WWE Champion, in there.
Alex: There ya go. So, Charlotte established his overall character and then passed him off to me, knowing my penchant for detectives. I wrote the majority of Seth’s dialogue and really leaned into the stoic nature that Charlotte came up with. He’s seen things in his almost twenty years as a homicide detective in San Francisco that make it hard for him to get phased by much. I also consciously forced his dialogue to not be from my personal voice.
Charlotte: Right, because truthfully, you talk more like Nate Abbot, one of our favorite teen characters.
Alex: Very true, which is why I had to rewrite a lot of his dialogue to make him awesome and hilarious.
Charlotte: Is that why? (laughs)
What was the hardest part about writing a mystery story, where you constantly have to give just enough to keep the mystery alive until the big reveal?
Charlotte: I think one of the hardest parts of writing a mystery story is keeping track of the clues and what’s been revealed, when, and by whom.
Alex: And this is where our obsessiveness pays off. We did an epic amount of prep work before digging in to start actually writing the novel(s). Coming up with the overall story arc first, and then using flashcards to break it down event-by-event, date-by-date, covering our entire living room floor with them.
Charlotte: Yes, that was very important. But we also had to allow for natural surprises to come out in the process of writing the novel and not be fully tied to these pre-planned events.
Alex: Right. Much like preparing for an opponent in sports. Like if I were a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves—-
Charlotte: You’re not.
Alex: No, but if I were, it would be practice, practice, practice, study tape, read reports. But then, when the game comes, we’d have to be willing to throw all of that aside and just go play. Allow for the opponent, in this case, our story, to challenge you and force you to switch gears.
Can you tell us a little about where the story goes in book two and when the novel will be available?
Charlotte: I’m going to take a queue from Mr. Scott Gimple, franchise boss of The Walking Dead Universe, and vaguely reply: you’ll get answers.
Alex: (laughs) Oh, I think we can say a little more than that. Every now and then, Gimple will actually give the audience something to chew on. I will say this: the title of book two is The Orbriallis Institute, which one could logically conclude that you’ll learn a lot more about the mysterious research facility.
Charlotte: Very true. I will add that you’ll also see the teenager’s friendships grow and that their mystery will take less of a backseat in this one.
Alex: And you’ll learn more about the Green Man and that Peter Andalu—
Charlotte: Okay, that’s enough.
Alex: Fine, fine. Can we at least tell them the date?
Charlotte: Absolutely. The Orbriallis Institute: Lost Grove Part Two will be released on Tuesday, October 8th.
Alex: And that’s this year, 2024. So, not long to wait! Just the way we planned it.
Charlotte Zang Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Alex J. Knudsen Author Links: Goodreads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
In the eerie, enigmatic town of Lost Grove, where secrets whispered among the rustling pines are as thick as the fog rolling in from the sea, the discovery of Sarah Elizabeth Grahams’ lifeless corpse on the windswept beach is but the first note in a haunting symphony of mysteries.
Sergeant Seth Wolfe, the town’s tenacious lawman, penetrates the cryptic and labyrinthine secrets veiled beneath the town’s murky facade. A connection to Sarah Elizabeth, one he could never have fathomed, begins to take shape, blurring the lines between his own existence and the mysteries that enshroud the town. Suspects multiply like whispers in a haunted forest, but each lead unravels, and the mysteries of the case deepen.
Meanwhile, a group of local teenagers embark on their own harrowing mission, driven by a relentless desire to answer the riddle of their friend’s vanished brother and expose the sinister secrets harbored by an affluent institute nestled in the heart of Lost Grove. Bringing their disturbing findings to Seth, he discovers eerie parallels between their quest and his case.
As Seth dives deeper into the abyss of darkness gripping Lost Grove, an unsettling incident threatens to derail his investigation and shatter the illusions of safety the town has harbored for far too long. A chilling web of malevolence begins to tighten its grip, ensnaring them all in a nightmarish dance that will test the limits of their resolve.
Readers who love the eerie, unsettling mystery of Stephen King’s The Outsider and the monstrous legends of Brian McGreevy’s Hemlock Grove will enjoy this twisty, taut thriller.
Lost Grove: Part One
The seemingly tranquil town is shaken to its core by the discovery of Sarah Elizabeth Graham’s lifeless body on its desolate beach. This grim event sets off a series of unsettling mysteries that ripple through the town’s fog-enshrouded streets. Sergeant Seth Wolfe, a steadfast lawman, finds himself entangled in the town’s complex web of secrets and lies. His investigation takes a personal turn as he uncovers a startling connection to Sarah Elizabeth, blurring the boundaries between his professional duties and personal history. As suspects emerge and leads dissolve into the town’s eerie atmosphere, Wolfe realizes that the mystery is far more intricate than he initially thought.
As the plot progresses, Charlotte Zang and Alex J. Knudsen’s adept storytelling becomes increasingly apparent. Each chapter weaves a tapestry of suspense and mystery, making it nearly impossible to put the book down. The unexpected twist of incorporating supernatural elements into what begins as a conventional thriller is a bold and successful gamble. This aspect, in particular, adds a layer of complexity and intrigue, setting the novel apart from its contemporaries. The vividness of the settings and characters is another commendable aspect. The authors’ use of descriptive language paints each scene with such clarity that it feels like watching a movie unfold in one’s mind. The attention to detail, especially in the portrayal of the small-town setting and the various struggles of its inhabitants, provides a rich backdrop against which the central mystery unfolds. What truly elevates this book, however, is its exploration of themes that go beyond the typical thriller. The sensitive handling of death and the nuanced portrayal of the characters, especially the teenagers, are handled with a deft touch, adding a sense of realism and depth to the narrative. The blend of genres – from mystery and thriller to horror – is executed with a rare and exhilarating finesse.
Lost Grove: Part One is not just a compelling read; it’s a journey through a maze of emotions and suspense. It is a testament to the authors’ ability to craft a story that is as haunting as it is enthralling. This book is highly recommended for readers seeking a narrative that seamlessly blends mystery, thriller, and horror with a dash of the supernatural, creating a unique and memorable experience.
Pages: 344 | ASIN: B0CSX713FZ
LITERARY TITAN 