Escape from Browns Island
Every small town has legends—but not every kid gets the chance to rewrite them. This novelette starts off with a simple dare: 17-year-old Tommy must spend one summer night alone on Browns Island, an abandoned, 4-mile-long island in the heart of the Ohio River. What he wants is a peaceful night to himself. What he needs is an escape from the chaos he just caused his family. What he finds is an island that isn't abandoned. It is alive and waiting for his arrival.
What Inspired This Story
Inspired by the real Browns Island in the Ohio River and the local legends we grew up hearing about mysterious happenings on abandoned islands.
✨ About the Book ✨
Seventeen-year-old Tommy accepts what seems like a simple dare: spend one night alone on Browns Island, a desolate strip of land in the middle of the Ohio River that locals whisper about but rarely visit. Seeking refuge from family troubles and craving solitude, Tommy thinks a quiet night under the stars is exactly what he needs. But Browns Island has other plans. As darkness falls, Tommy discovers he's not alone—the island pulses with an ancient presence that has been waiting for someone like him. What begins as a test of courage becomes a fight for survival as Tommy uncovers the island's secrets and realizes that some legends exist for a reason. Fast-paced and atmospheric, this YA adventure will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.
💫 The Story Behind the Story 💫
Growing up near the Ohio River, we were surrounded by local legends and stories passed down through generations. Browns Island was real—a mysterious, abandoned stretch of land that captured our imaginations as kids. We'd hear tales from older kids about strange lights, unexplained sounds, and the eerie feeling that someone was watching from the trees. These stories became the stuff of summer campfire tales, dares, and adolescent bravado.
We always wondered: what would really happen if someone spent a night there? That question became the seed for this story. We wanted to capture the unique tension of being a teenager—that age where you're trying to prove yourself while simultaneously dealing with family drama, personal identity, and the desire for independence. Tommy became the perfect vehicle to explore these themes while delivering an adventure that would have thrilled us as teenagers.
Writing this novelette together allowed us to blend our different perspectives and memories of growing up in a small town where everyone knows everyone, and local legends are as much a part of the landscape as the river itself. We poured our love for atmospheric storytelling and our fascination with the unexplained into every page, creating a story that honors the legends we grew up with while adding our own thrilling twist.
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