Isabel Cañas on Her YA Debut The House of Gardenias

Acclaimed horror author Isabel Cañas is celebrating her young adult debut with the release of The House of Gardenias, a dark speculative novel centered on a teenage runaway working as a maid for a wealthy widow in a war-torn Latin American nation. Drawing from her own academic experience witnessing a foreign coup alongside deeply personal struggles with grief and family loss, the writer utilizes the horror genre to tackle heavy themes like systemic trauma and mortality. Although she previously found success writing adult gothic fiction, returning to the young adult space allowed Cañas to champion diverse storytelling and encourage younger audiences to recognize their own inner strength. Ultimately, the author hopes that readers will finish the harrowing narrative feeling empowered and far less helpless than they initially believed.

"Open a book. Discover a world."

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