A clergyman's wife makes a deal with the devil. The man she tempts becomes a father. His children grow. Strange things happen in this household. Things move around of their own accord. Crosses turn upside down. The neighbour's goat speaks foul things. Because the devil always pays his dues. And the devil always collects. A Paranormal-Bildungsroman about growing up in Kerala. Cover by @VaineLuchia Hopefully I finish this one.

A journalist sacked for phone hacking and tired of his decadent life style researches a triple murder that took place in his own ancestral home during the English Civil War. He discovers that events which occurred there nearly four hundred years ago are mirrored by his son's relationship with a Muslim girl whose father has forbidden her to marry outside of the faith. Returning to his ancestral home, the journalist finds himself assailed by memories of the tragedy which appear to be embedded into the fabric of the building and brought to life by his presence. When his son's girlfriend is abducted and forced to appear before a sham Sharia court for offending Islamic values, the memories in the house take on a more tangible form which propel the journalist into a dramatic chase to rescue his son and girlfriend from a terrible punishment.

/ complete / Life hasn't always been kind to East Winters, but for the most part, she's finally made peace with the incident three years ago that tore her family apart. The same can't be said for Edgecliff; half the town still won't look East in the eye, and the latest wave of petty crimes isn't helping. Two fires and a dead mom hardly prove her innocence. Even worse, Asher is back in town-but no matter how close they used to be, East can't forget what he did on that fateful night... As small incidents snowball into startling revelations, East begins to realize that there might be more to her family, more to her sleepy little town, more to even herself than she could've ever imagined. / best ranking: #25 in Paranormal / featured story in 2016, 2018 / Wattys 2018 longlist