Happy book birthday to GRAVE MESSAGE by Mary Jennifer Payne, out now from Orca Book Publishers!
“Payne effectively uses simple vocabulary and short chapters to tell a story that is full of suspense and intrigue and made even more accessible through the book’s physical design.” ― Kirkus Reviews
“Gives readers an edge-of-the-seat experience…A terrific story, blending the theme of grief and bereavement with the excitement of the supernatural and murder mystery genres. Highly Recommended.” ― CM: Canadian Review of Materials
Jaylin is studying for a stressful English exam when she receives a message from her best friend, Fatima.
The thing is, Fatima died a year ago in a terrible traffic accident. At first, Jaylin thinks someone is playing a horrible prank, but as the texts become more detailed, containing secrets that just the two of them shared, Jaylin realizes she’s either going mad or Fatima is actually reaching out to her from beyond the grave. Then Fatima shares one last secret and asks Jaylin to set the record straight around the circumstances of her death. Jaylin is torn. Is she strong enough to relive losing her best friend all over again?
Mary Jennifer Payne is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers’ Summer Workshop in Creative Writing and the author of many books for young people including the Daughters of Light series, Enough and Since You’ve Been Gone which received a Quill & Quire starred review. Her writing has been published in journals, anthologies and magazines in Canada and abroad. She works as a special education teacher and lives in Toronto. Mary is represented by Amy Tompkins.