Curtis Wilkerson

THE ROOTS OF MIDNIGHT

• Historical Fiction
• Paranormal
• Horror

Salem, 1692. A town gripped by the fever of the witch trials, where a single whisper can lead to the gallows. When Elias Thorne arrives at twilight, his ageless beauty and unnerving calm immediately ignite the suspicions of the God-fearing community. But Elias is no common traveler. He is a creature of the soil, sleeping in the cool earth beneath the gnarled roots of the Midnight Tree, rising only when the sun retreats. Nathaniel Hale, the repressed and intellectual son of the fanatical Reverend Malachi Hale, finds himself drawn to the stranger’s quiet mystery. What begins as a chance encounter in the woods blossoms into a forbidden connection—a slow-burning flame that threatens Nathaniel’s rigid faith and Elias’s centuries of isolation. As the Reverend’s righteous fury focuses on the demonic presence he senses in his son’s companion, a ritual feeding in the forest shatters the fragile peace. Blood is spilled, and the village of Salem turns into a furnace of judgment. Caught between a father's salvation and a monster's promise of freedom, Nathaniel and Elias must survive a violent hunt through the dark pines. As the world they knew burns to ashes, they must find a way to escape into the wilderness, bound together by a covenant that transcends life and death.

The Claimed

Book One of the Harcourt Chronicles

• Thriller
• Fantasy
• Historical Fiction

One wrong step beneath the water changed everything. Darius Coleman and Connor Hayes expected nothing more than a late-night swim, but the glowing rift at the lake bottom dragged them into a nightmare mirror of colonial America. Here, Black families rule the colonies while white people live as property, beaten and branded under brutal overseers. Rescued by runaway slave Eli Turner, the boys are captured and returned to Harcourt Plantation—where Darius is shockingly revealed as the long-lost heir. Connor and Eli are cast into the slave quarters while Darius is welcomed into luxury by his mother. The intoxicating taste of absolute power corrupts him completely. His former best friend becomes his favorite plaything to break and humiliate. As Darius descends into sadistic dominance, Connor and Eli must endure torture, psychological warfare, and twisted games while plotting their desperate escape. Some rifts should never be crossed. Some power should never be tasted.

Salem's Vampire

In the shadow of the gallows, a predator seeks redemption through a minister's light

• Gothic Fantasy

Salem, 1692. A place of rigid faith and simmering fear. Into this world of shadows arrives Lucian, a centuries-old predator wearing the face of a fragile orphan. Driven by an immortal's boredom and the ghosts of a lost love, he finds sanctuary in the home of Jonathan Hale, a minister whose soul is as pure as the colony is cruel. While Lucian plays the role of a ward, he secretly orchestrates the town's descent into madness, planting the seeds of hysteria in the minds of young girls. But as the witch trials ignite a firestorm of paranoia and blood, Lucian finds himself ensnared by something he hasn't felt in an eternity: hope. Jonathan’s unwavering goodness threatens to shatter the vampire’s cold exterior, forcing him to choose between his predatory nature and a love that could be his salvation. As the noose tightens around the innocent and Lucian's ancient creator, Morrigan, draws near to reclaim her runaway progeny, the lines between monster and man blur. To save the one person who truly sees him, Lucian must confront the darkness he helped create and decide if he is willing to sacrifice his immortality for a chance at being human again. A haunting blend of gothic horror and forbidden romance, Salem explores the thin veil between faith and fanaticism.