Horror author Lee Mathews lives in a rural town in northern Maine. A famous horror author big enough to rival King, he's released more than 100 titles over the course of his career. Now, ailing, out of words and deep in retirement, he's turned his attention to his legacy: helping less established authors carry on his craft.

But a life's work doesn't come without muses. There are things—qualities and even objects—that have steered Mathews' writings through the years. Literary critics have been able to spot them. Readers who have paid attention have noticed them too. But no one is quite sure exactly what ties his work together or why. He's kept that a secret and very intentionally.

With a terminal diagnosis and limited time, Lee has invited a group of superfan authors to his home to study under him for six weeks. They will learn not only what ties his work but how to propel his legacy. Lee's chosen has agreed to drop all they know about the written word, lose their own voices, and take on his forever.

The hook? Not everyone will leave the mansion—rumored to be haunted—alive. Instead, Mathews will use one unsuspecting author as the group's muse.

Who will survive? Who will die? And why?