Local Independent Author Releases Haunting Southern Gothic Novel Set in Rural Georgia
MANSFIELD, Texas — Indie author Chandra Martin announces the release of Wisteria Grove – Book One: Those Summer Days, a tender and unsettling Southern Gothic coming‑of‑age novel following nine‑year‑old Renate Vale through the first fracture of her childhood. Set against the heavy heat and superstitious mysteries of rural Georgia, the novel explores trauma, resilience, and the residual forces that refuse to stay buried.
In Those Summer Days, Renate spends the summer with her grandparents, Henry and Evelyn Moreau, expecting long days of play with her cousins. Instead, she enters a season of confusion and fear that reveals how unsafe and unkind the world can be. Surrounded by three older boy cousins and adults who twist truth into something sharp enough to wound, Renate begins to sense a presence moving beneath the ordinary life of Wisteria Grove — something that sees her, hears her, and refuses to let her stay small.
Martin writes from a lineage shaped by visionary storytellers who taught her how to bend reality around emotion. In Wisteria Grove, readers can feel the gravity of Octavia Butler, the intimate strangeness of Asumiko Nakamura, and the sweeping, character‑driven resonance of MXTX. Wisteria Grove is a novel of atmosphere, ache, and red clay — a sophomore release announcing a voice wholly original yet rooted in a rich cross‑cultural tradition.
| “I wrote Wisteria Grove because Renate Vale’s story has been living inside me for decades. At some point in our lives, every one of us has been Renate — unseen, unheard, misunderstood, left to fend for ourselves like something feral scrambling to survive. I wanted to explore that experience honestly and take a deep dive into generational trauma — how it begins, how it spreads, how it ends. Wisteria Grove is my attempt to answer those questions with honesty, compassion, and the kind of truth that settles into the bone.” — Chandra Martin, author of Wisteria Grove |
BOOK DETAILS
| Title | Wisteria Grove – Book One: Those Summer Days |
| Author | Chandra Martin |
| Publisher | Nitram Press |
| Publication Date | July 22, 2026 |
| Genre | Literary Fiction / Southern Gothic |
| Format | Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook |
| Pages | 114 |
| ISBN (Hardcover) | 979-8188481667 |
| ISBN (Paperback) | 979-8235402607 |
| Price | Hardcover $19.99 | Paperback $9.99 | eBook $5.99 |
| Available At | Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Indie Bound, and other online book retailers |
MEDIA CONTACT
Name: Chandra Martin
Location: Mansfield, Texas
Email: nitrampress@outlook.com
Website: authorchandramartin.me
Chandra Martin 