The bestselling thriller that kept you up all night might have begun with a three-line news item buried on page seven. The novel dominating airport bookstores could have sparked from an overheard conversation at a coffee shop. In the cutthroat world of thriller writing, the most spine-tingling narratives often spring not from grand imagination but from the mundane reality we scroll past every day. More…
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Feb252025
Win an overnight stay in a haunted house on a secluded island!
For a haunted house to be born, somebody has to die.
That’s the premise behind New York Times bestseller, J.D. Barker’s next thriller, SOMETHING I KEEP UPSTAIRS which releases in May 2025. Here’s the full jacket copy:
In the sleepy coastal town of New Castle, New Hampshire, seventeen-year-old Billy Hasler’s life is about to take a terrifying turn. When his best friend David Spivey inherits a mysterious house on a nearby island, it seems like the perfect place to spend their final summer before heading off to college. No parents. No police. No responsibilities.
As they dig into the island’s dark past, they awaken an ancient evil that has influenced generations. What begins as an innocent summer adventure quickly descends into a nightmare.
SOMETHING I KEEP UPSTAIRS is a haunting exploration of friendship, sacrifice, and the darkness lurking just beyond our understanding. It will keep you on edge until the final chilling page.
The house this novel is based on is real.
…and we want you to spend the night there.
The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park Colorado inspired Stephen King’s, The Shining.
In 1974, a house in Amityville found infamy.
For residents of New Castle, New Hampshire, little is known about the lone house perched at the center of Wood Island just off the New Hampshire coast on the border with Maine. Occasionally, a light fills one of the windows. Sometimes, there’s movement; the shadow of a figure walking the rocky shore. Today, it’s a museum, but its past? Well, there’s talk. There’s whispers. But some things are best forgotten, like the bodies found out there in 1972. Or what happened to Billy Hasler and his friends in 2010.
Some of the most haunted places in the world sit quietly, unassuming. Waiting. They’re not afraid of you. Just the opposite, they welcome visitors. They love to…share.
Walls have a memory.
Houses don’t forget.
How daring are you?
Do you have what it takes to spend the night in a haunted house?
Even if it’s the only house on an isolated island?
On June 13, 2025, we’re going to draw one winner and give them the opportunity to spend the night on Wood Island with three of their closest friends. You’ll meet in Kittery Point, Maine, and be transported by boat to the island. To the house. Once the boat leaves, it will not return for twenty-four hours.
Can you survive the night?
Enter HERE to find out.
In the meantime, click here to pre-order your copy of SOMETHING I KEEP UPSTAIRS. We can tell you how the story began, only you can determine how it will end.
Feb242025
Rolling Stone – The Great Writing Divide: Inside the Creative Battle Between Plotters and Pantsers
A fierce debate rages in the literary world, dividing authors into two distinct camps: plotters who meticulously outline every story beat, and “pantsers” or “discovery writers” who write by the seat of their pants. This fundamental split in creative approach has spawned endless discussions about which method produces better fiction. More…
Feb92025
LA Weekly – Spend the Night in a Real Haunted House: JD Barker’s Spine-Chilling Contest Brings Fiction to Life
NEWS: Bestselling thriller author JD Barker offers readers a rare opportunity: the chance to spend a night in a real haunted house. As part of the promotion for his upcoming novel, Something I Keep Upstairs, Barker has launched a contest where one winner and three guests will be transported to Wood Island, a secluded and historically eerie location off the coast of New Hampshire. More…