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A Novel Readers Can Return To
The Unaccompanied Soul follows a reclusive older woman who opens her door to a mysterious stranger, unaware that she’s inviting darkness itself into her home. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Honestly, about 95% of my books come through divine inspiration. I was doing some house cleaning one day when the entire first chapter of this book suddenly came to me—vivid and complete. That was around 2015. Having only written one novel before (a coming-of-age story), I wasn’t sure what to do with this unexpected gift. So the chapter sat dormant for years until friends encouraged me to see where the story would lead and finish what had been started.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
As a society, we expect everyone to achieve some version of ‘success’—get educated, contribute positively to humanity, become accomplished. However, I’m always intrigued by this expectation when applied to people like Sam, who never had parents who loved her unconditionally and was brainwashed to believe violence wasn’t just acceptable but expected. She was never formally educated—so how was Sam, or anyone like her, ever supposed to achieve any semblance of normalcy? I think great fiction is made from telling the stories of greatly flawed people.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
When I write, I let my characters guide me—their voices leading me toward the lives they demand to live on paper. This being my first thriller, I’m still learning the art of shocking plot twists, but I’ve discovered that the best ones grow organically from my characters’ flaws and choices rather than being dropped in randomly for shock value.
Whenever I try to force a story in a direction my characters resist, that’s when I hit major writer’s block. But when I let character development create the surprises—when Sam’s buried trauma suddenly surfaces in an unexpected way—it becomes both character revelation and plot twist simultaneously. For me, they often are the same thing.
When the writing flows, the story plays out like a movie in my head, scene by vivid scene. Rather than planning shocking moments separately, I’ve learned to trust that authentic character growth will naturally create those jaw-dropping turns. My goal is to take readers on an extraordinary journey with people they’ll develop feelings for—even if that feeling is disdain—where every twist feels both surprising and inevitable.
I want to create a novel that readers can return to again and again, discovering new layers each time, seeing how the seeds of each revelation were planted in the character’s very foundation. If I can achieve that depth, where plot surprises emerge from the soul of the story itself, then I’ve successfully balanced both story development and shocking twists.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
My next book is actually a re-release of Some Price to Pay, a coming-of-age story I first published in 2004. Early 2026 will bring a follow-up novel to The Unaccompanied Soul, with Zayden taking center stage as the main antagonist. It’s another psychological thriller that delves deep into his psyche—that’s shattered, twisted or perhaps both.
Then, in fall 2026, I’m releasing something that’s currently scaring the bejesus out of me: The Other Side of Right, a psychological thriller that’s pushing me into uncharted territory as a writer.
One day I hope to write a great love story, but for now, it seems my niche has found me. There’s something about the dark corners of the human mind that keeps calling me back, demanding to be explored through psychological thrillers.
Author Website
But Sam carries secrets deeper than the Mississippi soil. Taught by a man she calls “Father” to view the world through a distorted lens of violence, she drifts from town to town, leaving a trail of sorrow in her wake. When her carefully constructed façade begins to crack, those closest to Clara race to uncover the truth before it’s too late.
The story weaves a tale of twisted devotion, fractured identities, and the terrible price of redemption. As buried truths rise to the surface like strange fruit, Clara must confront not only the monster behind her red door but also the fears that have kept her prisoner for so long.
Some souls are born of love. Others are carved from darkness. And in the fertile Mississippi earth, every secret eventually finds its season to bloom.
The Unaccompanied Soul
The Unaccompanied Soul is a dark and lyrical Southern Gothic novel that weaves mystery, memory, and trauma into a tale of unexpected kinship. Centered around Clara Lee Henning, a reclusive older woman haunted by her past, and Sam, a younger woman with a child and secrets stitched into her soul, the story unfolds in the hushed corners of Lazy Creek, Mississippi. A red door, both literal and symbolic, serves as the gateway to Clara’s guarded life and Sam’s carefully concealed agenda. What begins as a story of sanctuary slowly shifts into a tense psychological drama as the past resurfaces in chilling ways.
Harris writes with a voice soaked in Southern flavor, equal parts poetic and brutal. I loved how grounded the prose was in place and atmosphere. The house itself felt alive, pulsing with history and warning. Her characters breathe real and raw. Clara’s loneliness is almost painful to witness, and Sam? Sam’s a wildfire. Unpredictable, magnetic, and filled with so much buried rage, she practically jumps off the page. I found myself both rooting for her and fearing her. Harris plays with trust in interesting ways, just when I thought I had it figured out, something twisted the story into another direction. It was deliciously unsettling.
The writing can occasionally veer into the dramatic. And while I appreciated the slow burn, the pacing slowed in the middle. There’s so much weight in the dialogue that a little more action could’ve helped break it up. Still, the emotional punches landed. The deeper themes, abandonment, identity, generational pain, what it means to mother or be mothered, resonated with me. Harris never offers clean answers. This isn’t a book that wraps up neatly. It leaves bruises and questions.
I’d recommend The Unaccompanied Soul to readers who enjoy literary fiction with bite. Think Beloved meets Sharp Objects. It’s for folks who like their stories character-driven, haunted by memory, and tangled in complicated, often uncomfortable truths. If you want to get lost in something layered, lyrical, and quietly devastating, this novel will stick with you long after the last page.
Pages: 269 | ASIN : B0F6VVSBHT
LITERARY TITAN 