Coming Soon!
A New Novel by Ilene Dudek
Samantha Rogers was an eight-year-old girl who lived at her grandmother’s house. A house that was filled with junk, a hoarder’s delight, was still her refuge after her parents’ divorce. Along with an overgrown garden, where she used to love to play. Until one day, she saw someone standing in that garden. Something. And that thing wanted her dead.
Samantha ran that day, and has been running ever since. When her mother remarried, she thought she could leave that monster behind. But she only found new monsters in its place. The kind that no one talks about. The kind that live in the shadows of a stepfamily. And in the darkness of your mind.
Her only escape would be to cut ties with her family. And her haunted past. But the farther she ran, the more insistent her demons became. Mysterious things begin to happen. Dark truths are revealed. And the fine line between fantasy and reality starts to blur.
With no one to believe her, and nowhere left to turn, Samantha must find her way back to that garden. Back to where it all began. And face her fears once and for all. Or, die trying.
Brief Synopsis
A Coming-Of-Age Thriller for Adults
Samantha Rogers was a child of the '80s. She grew up eating TV dinners and playing hide-and-seek on the block until the streetlights came on. But one day, while hiding in her grandmother's garden, something happened. Something that will change her life forever. Monsters began to stir. Shadows took form. And every dream became a waking nightmare. Haunted by that one moment, Samantha journeys into a world of darkness. And uncertainty. Will Samantha ever find her way back out into the light? Or will she be stuck in that garden forever?
What's Happening
My book is really coming along! I'm at 180 pages and it's almost where I want it to be. Sometime this week, I will send it out to a proofreader. And then it goes to an agent. Wish me luck!
I'm hard at work on my new project! I put my Little Ant children's books aside for a while, so I can focus on writing a novel for adults. I plan to take a different route with this book and publish traditionally.
And the first draft of my novel is complete! It's a psychological thriller. Woohoo! Now...we edit!
Little Ant Books
About the Author
Ilene Dudek, Award-Winning Author & Illustrator
Ilene Dudek is an award-winning author and illustrator from Nutley, NJ. In 2017, she began writing her Little Ant children's series. Since then, she has completed six books in the series. All six books have been featured in the 2020-2021 preschool art program at Lovlee Art Studios in Bloomfield, NJ. Her new book Little Ant & the Epic Battle received the 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Award—earning honorable mention in the Picture Books 6 & Older category. It was also recognized by the state of Illinois as a valuable COVID-19 resource for families with young children. It sits alongside recommendations from the CDC and UNICEF as a resource for understanding the pandemic. Ilene has participated in over 50 local author events, including a book signing at Barnes & Noble, and has been featured on "Spotlight New Jersey" — News 12 New Jersey and in Jersey's Best magazine. Ilene was also the guest speaker at a 2020 Nutley Rotary luncheon and on the 16W with Norman podcast. In the future, Ilene hopes to expand her horizons and write a fiction novel for adults.
