Entrenched secrets, mysterious spirits, and an astonishing friendship weave together in this extraordinary and haunting debut.Nothing matters. Only Bird matters. And he flew away. Jewel never knew her brother Bird, but all her life she has lived in his shadow. Her parents blame Grandpa for the tragedy of their family’s past; they say that Grandpa attracted a malevolent spirit—a duppy—into their home. Grandpa hasn’t spoken a word since. Now Jewel is twelve, and she lives in a house full of secrets and impenetrable silence. Jewel is sure that no one will ever love her like they loved Bird, until the night that she meets a mysterious boy in a tree. Grandpa is convinced that the boy is a duppy, but Jewel knows that he is something more. And that maybe—just maybe—the time has come to break through the stagnant silence of the past.

     In America's oldest and most haunted city, St. Augustine, Florida, teenager Jeff Golden is in trouble. Horrible dreams won't let him sleep, and he is up to his eyeballs in terrifying, paranormal experiences.     Finally, Jeff turns to his girlfriend Carla, and Lobo, the mysterious Native American shaman, for help. But what he discovers is a lot more than he bargained for.     A ghostly presence linked to a local historic cemetery is not only threatening Jeff's sanity but his life as well. And before he knows what's happening, Jeff finds both himself and Carla pulled into one of the nastiest and most bloody events in Florida history. It is a place from which they may never escape.        AUTHOR BIODoug Dillon has been writing for adults and young people since 1984, especially in the paranormal realm. An award winning educator, he spent many years as a classroom teacher, school administrator, and coordinator of programs for high-risk students. Prentice Hall, Harcourt, Mitchell Lane Publishers, Boys' Life magazine, Learning Magazine and The Orlando Sentinel have all published his work.OTHER BOOKS BY DOUG DILLON:     Nonfiction books for elementary through high school age students: A Brief Political and Geographic History of Asia; We Visit Venezuela; and Class Trip to St. Augustine. All of these books are offered by Mitchell Lane Publishers.     A nonfiction book on the paranormal for adults: Co-authored with Doug's wife Barbara, An Explosion of Being: An American Family's Journey into the Psychic is published through Old St. Augustine Publications.

An otherworldly, evil and dangerous force infests America’s oldest and most haunted city, St. Augustine, Florida. Everyone living there, or visiting, is at risk in ways too horrible to imagine. Standing between this invader and the people of St. Augustine are teenagers Jeff and Carla, the mysterious Native American shaman, Lobo, and Lyle, the homeless guy.In their quest to save themselves and all the inhabitants of this ancient Florida city, Jeff and Carla uncover lost parts of St. Augustine history, push past the limits of space and time, and come face-to-face with what they come to realize are the true walking dead.

Flo Gardner isn't exactly thrilled when she and her mom move into Corman Towers, a giant apartment building in the middle of the city. To call their new home strange is an understatement. And things only get weirder when she meets Ferdinand, better known as Furry. It doesn't take Flo long to realize that there's more than one secret lurking in her new home.