Inside My Upcoming Book "Closer," by: Joli G. Campbell

Hello to all my lovely followers! Happy spooky season!

To those of you who know me, know that my family and I LOVE Halloween. Because of that, I thought it would be a lot of fun to release a little horror novel, and I enjoyed writing it so much that I've decided to make it a yearly habit.

Of course, I'm still going through the process of editing, and I've found myself rewriting entire chapters that I wasn't satisfied with. AND I managed to write a significant amount more than I had originally intended.

So, in anticipation for my next release, I hope all of you enjoy today's blog post. <3 In it, I'm including the cover art for the book, as well. I'd love to hear  everyone's opinions! As per usual, it was created by my super talented husband, Elliott T. Campbell

Now...onto this week's blog!

Some Things Never Leave Us: A Little About Closer

There are different kinds of fear.

There's the kind that makes you jump when something crashes in the next room. The kind that makes you check the locks twice before bed. The kind that has you sprinting up the stairs after switching off the basement light, because apparently, we're all still eight years old when the lights go out.

And then there's the other kind.

The quiet kind.

The kind that settles into your bones when something feels wrong, but you can't explain why. The kind that makes you stare at a dark corner a little longer than you should. The kind that convinces you that you heard something, even when the house is perfectly still.

That's the kind of fear I've been exploring in my upcoming horror novel, Closer.

What If the Thing You're Afraid Of Knows You?

I've always been fascinated by the relationship between fear and grief. How the things we lose can change us. How guilt can follow us into the quietest moments. How desperately we sometimes cling to something simply because the alternative hurts too much to bear.

And what happens when something else notices?

Closer began with a simple question: What if the thing haunting you understood exactly where you were weakest?

Not because it was loud. Not because it was violent. But because it knew how to wait.

A sound in the silence.

A familiar voice where no one should be.

A presence you can't quite see, lingering just beyond the edge of your vision.

And a ticking sound that makes you wonder whether time is running out—or whether it already has.

Some horrors don't need to chase you. They only need to make you believe there's still something worth reaching for.

The Monsters We Carry

One of the things I love most about writing horror is that the supernatural can give shape to very human fears.

Fear of losing someone. Fear of being alone. Fear that the things we've done—or the things we've failed to do—can never be undone.

I don't believe a story needs buckets of blood to be frightening. Sometimes, the most devastating thing you can do to a character is give them hope when they have every reason to be afraid of it.

And sometimes, the scariest question isn't What's in the darkness?

It's What if it isn't what you think it is?

With Closer, I wanted to build a story where the dread grows alongside the emotional connection. Where the characters feel like real people, with ordinary lives, complicated relationships, bad days, and the occasional ridiculous conversation that makes you forget, for just a moment, that something terrible might be waiting around the corner.

Because that's how life works, isn't it? Even on the worst days, someone still has to go to work. Someone still has to make dinner. Someone will inevitably say something so absurd that you laugh when you probably shouldn't.

And then the house goes quiet again.

A Little Darkness for Halloween

Halloween has always held a special place in my heart. There's something wonderful about the way the season invites us to explore the strange, the unsettling, and the things that go bump in the night.

But I hope Closer offers readers something that lingers beyond the Halloween decorations.

I want you to feel the sadness beneath the fear. To care about the people caught in the darkness. To wonder what you would do if you were faced with the same impossible choices.

And maybe, after you've finished reading, I want you to find yourself lying in bed one night, listening to the quiet.

Maybe you'll hear the clock ticking.

Maybe you'll glance at the corner of your room.

And maybe you'll remember this little blog post.

You're welcome ?

Because some stories frighten us while we're reading them.

Others wait until we've put the book down.

And some things, once they find their way into our lives, are very difficult to leave behind.

Closer is one of those stories.

Until next time, keep your lights on if you need to. I'm certainly not judging.

— Joli G. Campbell

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~ Joli