District Employee Pursues Passion for Paranormal in Print

At 16 years old, Sandie Will, geohydrologic data manager, set out to pen her first work of fiction – a haunted house story based on her love of horror flicks. Years later, her passion for the paranormal will be printed on the pages of her first published novel, The Caging at Deadwater Manor – a young adult, psychological thriller from Caliburn Press scheduled for release by the end of 2016.

The story, inspired by true events, follows Jeannie Kynde, a 14-year-old girl who’s left in the care of her distraught father after her mother drowns. Four years later, Jeannie’s father eventually turns on her and imprisons her at Deadwater Manor, a psychiatric hospital with a dark past.

The idea for the story came from a conversation that Will had with her father. “This book was inspired by daily routines and a discovery my dad came across while working at a nearby psychiatric hospital here in the Tampa Bay area,” Will said. 

Will’s novel first caught the eye of Caliburn Press two years ago. “I was on vacation when I got the email that they wanted to publish my book,” she said. It was a welcome surprise for Will who had started writing as a creative outlet.

“There’s just this side of me that likes to create something,” she said. “I need to write. I don’t have a choice. I have to get it out.”

For the latest news on The Caging at Deadwater Manor, visit SandieWill.com.