INDEPENDENT AUTHOR AWARDS: BEST DEBUT NOVEL & BEST HORROR NOVEL
"ABSOLUTELY STOMACH-CHURNING" — KIRKUS REVIEWS
"A remarkable piece of writing...A SUCCESS IN EVERY SENSE" — S.T. JOSHI
"GLORIOUSLY UNSETTLING" — ENTRADA PUBLISHING
A terrifying nightmare sets off a series of attacks on Deena Bartlett's five senses, and her eighty-year-old Aunt Agatha is responsible. But the old woman is not alone. She's made a monstrous bargain with the Sensu, a malevolent entity who's stock in trade is attacking a person's five senses, one by one. It has promised Agatha health in return for one evil act—the killing of her niece.
Deena has remained loyal to her bitter aunt for years—her self-imposed penance for having neglected her now-dead parents. But Agatha is dying and her insults will soon end... until a string of inexplicable incidents. A sound so piercing Deena's nose bleeds. A smell so vile her breathing suffocates. And against all reason, after each attack her aunt's health improves. With mounting dread, Deena discovers the bargain her aunt has made and when the Sensu thrusts her into its terrifying realm, she must battle not only the power of her aunt's long-held secrets but her own guilt as well.
Editorial Reviews
"Deena Undone is a REMARKABLE PIECE OF WRITING. … loving descriptions of the natural landscape; vivid character portrayal; and a novel supernatural motif—the notion of an ancient entity that seizes upon its victim's five senses, individually and collectively, with terrifying results…all incorporated into a broader tale of searing domestic conflict fueled by love, betrayal, and hatred. THIS NOVEL IS A SUCCESS IN EVERY SENSE."
– S.T. Joshi, Bram Stoker recipient H.P. Lovecraft, A Life
"A panic attack of prose, slowly seizing your senses until there's no breath beyond Debra Every's final word."
– Clay McLeod Chapman author of Ghost Eaters, Vulture's Best Horror Novel of 2022
“Every crafts a genuinely spooky tale that relies less on body horror and more on the slow and patient buildup of moody suspense—an approach that FANS OF GRADY HENDRIX AND STEPHEN KING WILL SURELY WELCOME…The author manages to infuse her solid horror story with larger themes—including motherhood, grief, youth, and death—that lend Deena an added layer of depth while raising the stakes of her emotional and physical journey. The novel’s eerie, open-ended conclusion is reminiscent of classic horror novels and movies that manage to satisfy even as they unsettle. A COMPELLING PLOT AND MOUNTING SENSE OF DREAD INFUSE THIS ATMOSPHERIC THRILLER WITH PLENTY OF CHILLS."
– Kirkus Reviews
“MASTERFULLY CRAFTED. A FASCINATING READ."
– Alma Boucher, Readers Favorite
"Debra Every deftly explores familial conflict through the lens of the supernatural. THIS IS THE LITERARY EQUIVALENT OF WATCHING A CAR CRASH, A FAST-MOVING AND DESTRUCTIVE STORY THAT’S HARD TO LOOK AWAY FROM."
- Entrada Publishing
“Debra Every provides what readers crave most in this hypnotic psychological horror novel filled with atmosphere and suspense as sharp as a razor.”
– Michael Aronovitz,
The Winslow Sisters and The Sculptor
"Deena Undone explores familial trauma with the urgency of a lit fuse making its way towards a stick of dynamite. With vibrant language, picture-making storytelling and psychologically realized characters, Debra Every MARCHES US DEEP INTO THE MURKY WATERS OF ANCESTRAL HORROR."
– Merideth Finn, Cue the Dog Productions
Producer of The Rite, Flowers in the Attic, and the V.C. Andrews Dawn series)
"Every's writing style is engaging and evocative, skillfully capturing the escalating tension and fear that permeate the narrative. One of the strengths of "Deena Undone" lies in its ability to seamlessly blend supernatural elements with psychological depth…Overall, "Deena Undone" is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that explores themes of guilt, betrayal, and the lengths one will go to protect their secrets."
- Pratibha Malav, A Kind of Commitment
"Debra Every has created a supernatural marvel with CRISP AND BEAUTIFUL PROSE that combines the real and the fantastic, drawing powerful parallels to our shared human experience. Fearing the worst for Deena, you will find yourself entangled along with her in a world of sinister characters controlled by her Aunt Agatha, UNABLE TO STOP TURNING THE PAGES."
– Bruce Makous, Virtually Dead and Riding the Brand
Deena Undone
Debra K. Every is a self-described adrenalin-junkie writer focused on horror, thrillers, and stories that make the heart beat fast. Her short stories have appeared in various literary magazines such as Querencia Press, Unleash Creatives, and Etched Onyx as well as in soon-to-be published anthologies by Fairfield Scribes, Penumbra, and Hippocampus. Deena Undone is her debut novel.
While she has written all her life, Debra comes from a diverse background of opera and business, both of which have informed her work. She lives amongst the rolling hills and pastures of Upstate New York with her husband and quirky cattle dog, Bad Dog Bob. On a side note, she would like to share how oddly satisfying it is to write about herself in the third person.