COVER REVEAL: To Those Willing to Drown by Mark Matthews

Coming May 14th, 2025 from Wicked Run Press

The Lake is So Cold. The Truth is So Deep

Very excited to reveal, for the first time, the cover of my new novel, To Those Willing to Drown. The novel takes place in a true setting, Torch Lake, known for its cold, Caribbean-blue waters, and the deepest inland lake in all of Michigan,

In the novel, in order to save her child’s soul, a grieving mother must battle a sinister pastor who feeds off cremains of the dead and haunts this lake community.

Coming May 14th, 2025 from Wicked Run Press

Here’s the cover art from British Fantasy Award Winning Artist, Ben Baldwin

Ben did a fantastic job. For those of you buying the paperback, here’s the full wraparound:

Inside this novel, you’ll find a unique blend of grief horror. (I like to believe you’ll never look at the ashes of a deceased loved one in the same way again). You’ll also find dark, mythical creatures living in the depths of the lake, and even darker ones living in the depths of the characters’ souls.

Torch Lake holds decades of memories for me and my family. The lake is full of life. It has moods and feelings and speaks to you in a language all its own. There’s nothing small about Torch. You can’t just dip your foot into the shallows and dabble in its mysteries. You have to completely succumb, and for that, you will be rewarded with its secrets, for… the lake speaks most honestly to those willing to drown.

Blurb

When Jewel Jordan dies from cancer, her father’s wish is to scatter the ashes inside their beloved Torch Lake. But after the grieving mother hears her daughter’s voice coming from inside the urn, how can she let the ashes go?  Especially after a mysterious pastor begs her to keep them and promises to reunite her with her daughter’s spirit. Who should she listen to?  Even creatures from the lake whisper to her at night, pleading for the remains of her daughter. Who can she trust?  Nobody knows the truth and the bargain she made that led to her daughter’s death. Now she has to fight to save her child’s soul, and Torch Lake holds the answers. But the lake is cold, the truth is deep, and it will take the ultimate sacrifice, for...the Lake Speaks Most Honestly to Those Willing to Drown.

Early readers have thoughts!

“This is goddamn wonderful. It’s beautiful and horrible. Matthews manages to put a psychotic Civil War surgeon, a bunch of camp counselors, and water demons and makes it absolutely f*cking cohesive and brilliant.” – Julie Hutchings, author of The Harpy

“An epic tale of pain, love, grief, and regret. Atmospheric and steeped in folklore, the centuries-spanning saga cuts deep both in gore and empathy.” —Laurel Hightower

“Deep, disturbing, and beautifully rendered.” –Christa Carmen, author of the Daughters of Block Island

The novel is coming this spring, but Preorder is live now!  

Digital at a discount, just $3.99. Paperback $15.99.

Amazon Kindle:

Amazon Paperback:

Barnes & Noble paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-those-willing-to-drown-mark-matthews/1146727294

Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/to-those-willing-to-drown-mark-matthews/22142722

About the Author

Mark Matthews is a graduate of the University of Michigan and a licensed professional counselor who has worked in behavioral health for over 25 years. He is the author of On the Lips of Children, All Smoke Rises, Milk-Blood, and The Hobgoblin of Little Minds. He is also the editor of a trio of addiction horror anthologies including Orphans of Bliss, Lullabies for Suffering and Garden of Fiends. In June of 2021, he was nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award. His next novel, To Those Willing to Drown, is coming in 2025.