Del Sandeen – författare

A young woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth: they're under a curse‘A sinister and beautifully rendered Southern Gothic, This Cursed House explores the real-life horrors of racism and trauma. Del Sandeen’s stunning debut haunted me’ Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching----Louisiana, 1962. The Duchon family has always been a little different. Light-skinned enough to pass as white, they’ve always felt superior to their black peers, ensconced in their palatial but decrepit New Orleans mansion.Meanwhile in Chicago, Jemma Barker is desperate to escape another winter in the freezing cold – and the spirits she has always been able to see.When Jemma receives an unexpected job offer from the Duchon family, she can’t say yes soon enough.But it’s not long before Jemma realises she’s been lured south under false pretences. The Duchon family are trapped in their home by a curse – and they have reason to believe Jemma is the one who can break it.What’s more, it turns out Jemma didn’t manage to leave her ghosts behind in Chicago. And the spirits that haunt the Duchon mansion have a message for her.As she tries to understand how to break the curse, Jemma unravels deeper and more disturbing secrets about the Duchons and their damning past. Secrets that stretch back beyond the grave. Secrets that tie her to the family’s fate if she fails . . . ----Praise for This Cursed House:‘An absolute marvel of a debut from a prodigious talent. A richly atmospheric, utterly chilling ghost story, an enthralling puzzle box of family scandals and secrets – that's also an unflinching examination of the insidiousness of racism, the horrors of colorism’ Rachel Harrison, national bestselling author of Black Sheep and Such Sharp Teeth‘An enthralling, twisty Southern Gothic historical full of family secrets and century-spanning sins. A remarkable debut’ Eden Royce, award-winning author of Root Magic‘An inglorious remnant of American history is handled so deftly that you won't believe it's Del Sandeen's first novel’ Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor

In this Southern gothic horror debut, a young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth: They’re under a curse, and they think she can break it.In the fall of 1962, twenty-seven-year-old Jemma Barker is desperate to escape her life in Chicago—and the spirits she has always been able to see. When she receives an unexpected job offer from the Duchon family in New Orleans, she accepts, thinking it is her chance to start over. But Jemma discovers that the Duchon family isn’t what it seems. Light enough to pass as white, the Black family members look down on brown-skinned Jemma. Their tenuous hold on reality extends to all the members of their eccentric clan, from haughty grandmother Honorine to beautiful yet inscrutable cousin Fosette. And soon the shocking truth comes out: The Duchons are under a curse. And they think Jemma has the power to break it.As Jemma wrestles with the gift she’s run from all her life, she unravels deeper and more disturbing secrets about the mysterious Duchons. Secrets that stretch back over a century. Secrets that bind her to their fate if she fails.

In this Southern gothic horror debut, a young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth: they’re under a curse, and they think she can break it.In the fall of 1962, twenty-seven-year-old Jemma Barker is desperate to escape her life in Chicago—and the spirits she has always been able to see. When she receives an unexpected job offer from the Duchon family in New Orleans, she accepts, thinking it is her chance to start over.But Jemma discovers that the Duchon family isn’t what it seems. Light enough to pass as white, the Black family members look down on brown-skinned Jemma. Their tenuous hold on reality extends to all the members of their eccentric clan, from haughty grandmother Honorine to beautiful yet inscrutable cousin Fosette. Then the shocking truth comes out. Jemma learns the Duchons are cursed—and they believe only she can free them.As Jemma wrestles with the gift she’s run from all her life, she unravels deeper and more disturbing secrets about the enigmatic Duchons. Secrets that stretch back over a century. Secrets that bind her to their fate if she fails.

To say that Thomas Jefferson was complicated would be an understatement. A founding father and third American president, Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. It said that "all men are created equal." Yet Jefferson owned slaves, including a woman named Sally Hemings with whom scholars believe he fathered several children. Some two hundred years after the birth of their first child, interest in Hemings and Jefferson has hardly died down. Movies, television shows, newspaper articles, and literature have been devoted to the pair. Jefferson''s legacy has also suffered as details emerge about his ties to Hemings. Is he a man that Americans should respect? With the help of this fascinating book, readers will learn about the nature of Jefferson''s connection to someone who was legally his property, and about his descendants, both black and white.

Some houses keep their secrets. This one keeps its dead.The dark, atmospheric Southern gothic ghost story longlisted for Goodreads’ Horror Book of the Year 2024‘A sinister and beautifully rendered Southern Gothic, This Cursed House explores the real-life horrors of racism and trauma. Del Sandeen’s stunning debut haunted me’ Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching----Louisiana, 1962.The Duchon estate looms over New Orleans, a crumbling relic of Southern charm. Its walls decaying under the weight of its long-buried secrets.At its door stands Jemma Barker, fleeing the frozen streets of Chicago and a past she won’t talk about. But Jemma wasn’t invited. She was summoned.Inside await the light-skinned Duchons, bound by a family curse. They believe Jemma is the one who will save them. Never mind her darker skin, a shade they’ve always scorned.But their curse isn’t just supernatural. It’s woven into generations of silence, superiority, and shame.As the house stirs and Jemma’s past creeps in, she must decide: will she be the Duchons’ salvation, or risk losing herself to their darkness?----Praise for This Cursed House:‘An absolute marvel of a debut from a prodigious talent. A richly atmospheric, utterly chilling ghost story, an enthralling puzzle box of family scandals and secrets – that's also an unflinching examination of the insidiousness of racism, the horrors of colorism’ Rachel Harrison, national bestselling author of Black Sheep and Such Sharp Teeth‘An enthralling, twisty Southern Gothic historical full of family secrets and century-spanning sins. A remarkable debut’ Eden Royce, award-winning author of Root Magic‘An inglorious remnant of American history is handled so deftly that you won't believe it's Del Sandeen's first novel’ Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor

Some houses keep their secrets. This one keeps its dead.The dark, atmospheric Southern gothic ghost story longlisted for Goodreads’ Horror Book of the Year 2024‘A sinister and beautifully rendered Southern Gothic, This Cursed House explores the real-life horrors of racism and trauma. Del Sandeen’s stunning debut haunted me’ Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching--Louisiana, 1962.The Duchon estate looms over New Orleans, a decaying mansion heavy with secrets and shadows.Jemma Barker arrives from Chicago seeking a fresh start, but she wasn’t invited — she was summoned. Inside, the Duchon family waits, bound by a generations-old curse and convinced Jemma is the key to breaking it.As the house begins to stir and old ghosts rise, Jemma must face the darkness that haunts both the Duchons and herself…before it consumes them all.----Praise for This Cursed House:‘An absolute marvel of a debut from a prodigious talent. A richly atmospheric, utterly chilling ghost story, an enthralling puzzle box of family scandals and secrets – that's also an unflinching examination of the insidiousness of racism, the horrors of colorism’ Rachel Harrison, national bestselling author of Black Sheep and Such Sharp Teeth‘An enthralling, twisty Southern Gothic historical full of family secrets and century-spanning sins. A remarkable debut’ Eden Royce, award-winning author of Root Magic‘An inglorious remnant of American history is handled so deftly that you won't believe it's Del Sandeen's first novel’ Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor

Racial profiling isn''t just a problem for one group of people. It''s a problem for everyone in America, and the world. The underlying racism that contributes to profiling is a serious issue for people of all colors. This insightful book presents facts and statistics to counter damaging myths, giving readers perspective to understand how racial profiling can happen and what to do about it. Readers will learn how to push back against discrimination, what to do if they ever feel they are a victim of racial profiling, and how to handle the emotional toll that racism causes.