Manuel Maldonado

Manuel Maldonado

2 booksHorrorYoung AdultParanormal

Manuel Maldonado is a compelling new voice in the intersection of dark romance and psychological horror. Drawing inspiration from the rugged landscapes of the American wilderness and the complex inner lives of veterans, Manuel crafts stories that explore the resilience of the human spirit against supernatural odds. Before turning to fiction, Manuel spent years studying the nuances of human behavior and atmospheric storytelling. He lives in a quiet corner of the country where the woods are thick and the legends are old. When he isn't weaving tales of suspense and sacrifice, he enjoys restoring vintage machinery and exploring local history. The Weight of Omission is his latest exploration into the shadows of the human heart.

Books

Between Floors: The Ritual of the Lost

Between Floors: The Ritual of the Lost

One broken rule. Ten floors of terror. A game where your soul is the prize.

  • Horror
  • Young Adult
  • Paranormal

Ten floors. One sequence. One rule: do not speak to the woman who enters on the fifth floor. When Leo Santoro’s best friend, Jazmine, vanishes without a trace, the police are baffled. But Leo finds the truth hidden in her browser history: the Elevator Game. Desperate to bring her back, Leo enters a decaying high-rise to perform the ritual himself. He follows the sequence perfectly—until the doors open on the fifth floor. A tall woman in a tattered shroud steps inside. In a moment of panic and hope, Leo breaks the silence to ask about Jazmine. It is a fatal mistake. The elevator doesn't return to the lobby; it ascends to the Otherworld—a distorted, nightmare version of the thirteenth floor where the building itself is alive and hungry. Now, trapped in a shifting labyrinth of blood and memory, Leo must find Jazmine and escape before the building digests their identities. The Woman in the Shroud is hunting them, and she doesn't just want their lives—she wants to erase them from existence forever. Can they finish the sequence before dawn, or will they become another urban legend whispered in the dark?

The Weight of Omission

The Weight of Omission

Where old battlefield ghosts meet ancient cult shadows in a fight for love.

  • Romance
  • Thriller
  • Horror

Grant Halloway survived the war, but the peace he found in a secluded cabin was always fragile. When he meets Lydia Vesper, the silence finally feels like home instead of a haunting. For the first time since his squad was lost, the former Marine sees a future that doesn't involve looking over his shoulder. But Lydia is running from a darkness Grant can't see. She is the escaped prize of The Fold, a prehistoric cult that believes she is the vessel for an ancient, hungry deity. When they tear her from their home in a night of blood and omens, Grant's quiet life is incinerated. To save her, Grant must march into a shifting, gothic nightmare where the laws of physics bend and his own PTSD is weaponized against him. He isn't just fighting fanatical cultists; he is facing paranormal entities that feast on guilt. As the line between his traumatic memories and the cult’s rituals blurs, Grant must decide how much of his soul he is willing to sacrifice. In the heart of the woods, a choice awaits that no one—not even the gods—saw coming. Love is a sanctuary. The Fold is a cage. And the weight of what is left unsaid might be the deadliest burden of all.