Subscribe to Read Haggard House, a Dark, Psychological Suspense
Haggard House is not what it appears.
“Reading it felt like a treasure hunt. Except all the clues are horrific.” ― Jenilee L.
The Story
The village of Nomaton. 1859. After a solitary life within the dank walls of Haggard House, Adam, kept back until the age of eleven, is finally allowed to attend the village school. There he meets bright-eyed, bright-spirited Penny; and his once solitary life takes a turn. Frightened of the consequences, should his zealot mother discover the match, Adam builds another Haggard House—only this one within his mind—and keeps the memories of Penny there, safe from his mother and safe from himself.
Yet things begin to unravel when Adam’s outraged mother discovers their secret friendship and forbids them to associate. Years pass, and Adam, restless and heartsore, ventures from home to work his way west. As he meets hard men of the world for the first time, his promise to his mother to “keep to the straight and narrow” begins to falter.
When finally he returns home, Adam can no longer restrain himself from seeing Penny. But the training and influence of his mother returns, and he is forced to face the house within his mind, a house that has been steadily decaying—a house ready to collapse at any moment.
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Reader Reviews
“Ms. Rhoads's novel HAGGARD HOUSE is compulsively readable, and satisfying on every level. I am thoroughly enjoying it, and I bet you will, too.” ―Richard Bausch, PEN/Malamud & REA Award-winning short story writer & novelist
“I loved it! I was really invested. The suspense towards the end was so exciting. This needs to be a movie.” ―Kayoko H.
Readers have also described this novel as:
Sinister
Coming-of-age
A story of religious zealotry
Having Gothic elements
How it works
The entire, serialized novel is free! Two chapters are published per week.
Limited time
Haggard House will only be available as a free serial until June 1st, 2025. After that, the novel will be available for purchase. So get it free now while you can!
Why free?
Getting traditionally published is notoriously difficult for debut authors, but self-publishing poses another problem—it’s incredibly difficult to build a readership as an unknown author.
I’ve decided to follow in the footsteps of The Martian author, Andy Weir, and offer my novel as a free serial before selling it in order to build a readership and spread the word about Haggard House. I hope you’ll join me on this journey.
About the Author
Elisabeth Rhoads is the author of Haggard House and numerous short stories. She is the Vice-President on the board of the California Writers Club, Orange County branch. Since 2021, she has been a volunteer juror for the Scholastic Writing Awards.
If you prefer, you can start reading right away and subscribe at the end of any chapter.
Adam awaits…