Local author Nicholas Belardes’ latest novel, The Deading, takes place in Baywood (that is, fictional Baywood Park) … and we held a giveaway for a signed copy of his book.
To enter, writers pitched book ideas that could only take place in SLO County to our Discord server. We randomly selected a winner at our weekly Friday write-in.
Listed by the order in which they were received:
Entry #1
There were Nine Sisters. First they were revered and worshipped. Then more came and they were carved and quarried and defaced but eventually they were revered once more. Their likeness drawn and called upon without an offering in return. Now they are carved and quarried once more as the feeble protections are ripped from the laws of these mortals and their greed hungers once more.
The Tenth Sister — blessed and cursed to an existence beneath the notice of these undeserving mortals crawling along her sisters’ rises — has heard their joy. Their anger. Their pain.
And she would like a taste.
— Katelyn
Entry #2
Log line: Deena Scott needs to figure out what to do when her harmless hobby starts to attack her neighbors
Synopsis: When beach goers and tourists at Pismo Beach observe one lazy summer day that all seagulls gather on the pier and then fly inland, it comes as quite a surprise. The birds do not return to the ocean. Deena Scott and her neighbors in Arroyo Grande are quite taken aback when they find those same gulls intermingling freely with their chickens in their coops. Soon the two fowls interbreed and a hybrid chicken gull comes into being. Those Sea Gickens are stronger, more aggressive, and larger than either of their parents. Soon they escape the coops, steal and destroy property, attack humans and animals alike, and wreak havoc on the community. The five cities find themselves in a race with the destructive avians. Can the residents of SLO beat back this unnatural new species that overtakes their homes and businesses? Can local researchers at Cal Poly figure out what prompted sea gulls and chickens to breed in the first place? And can Deena regain her hobby of raising backyard hens in peace?
Comps: The Birds meets The Chicken Chick’s Guide to Backyard Chickens
— Ute Orgassa
Entry #3
Book Pitch: In Paso Roble’s Tin City, one can expect a day of mild hedonism featuring all the varieties of wine, and an overindulgence of rich food. However, the unexpected happens at the Green Hills Estate Winery tasting room. It started as a lavish Bachelorette party for Breanna Hills,the heiress to the Green Hills Estate Winery. But it ended with poisoned wine glass and Breanna’s murder. Who could the culprit be? A rival winery, a jilted ex, or perhaps a jealous bridesmaid? Detective Marie Blanc (who’d rather be on the pickleball court than a crime scene these days), is on the case!
— Kristina L
Entry #4
Cass Mills didn’t expect much out of her first college party—maybe a few drinks, some awkward small talk, and the faint hope she wouldn’t end the night standing alone by the chips. What she got instead was a door that didn’t belong, a house that didn’t stay still, and a world tucked sideways to our own, hidden behind wood-paneled walls and laughter just a little too loud.
She was supposed to start Cal Poly’s AG engineering program that Monday. Instead, she’s chasing shadows and strange creatures through a place that’s familiar yet wrong—where the rules break themselves, and magic breathes just beneath the surface. And somewhere between the Madonna Hills and the haunted Bubblegum Alley of this not-quite-right San Luis Obispo, Cass meets Daniel—a barefoot surfer with eyes like storms and a smile that feels like a dare. He says he’ll help her find her way back. But not for free.
Now Cass has to figure out which doors to open, who to trust, and whether the way home is worth what she’ll have to leave behind. Because some doors don’t just lead somewhere new—they change you on the way through.
— SJ Hart
Each author had their name entered into a random drawing, and on Friday the winner drawn was SJ Hart. Congratulations!