Cover Reveal! The Wretched and Undone by J. E. Weiner
HTF Publishing is excited to reveal the cover of J. E. Weiner's debut novel, The Wretched and Undone. Designed by the talented Christine Horner, known as The Book Cover Whisperer, the cover captures the essence of this Southern Gothic saga. It features a dark bedroom scene, where light splashes on a spirit cloaked in white, while a shadowy specter lurks ominously to the side. The striking emerald green and orangish yellow colors add depth and intrigue to the design.
Set against the backdrop of the Texas Hill Country on the eve of the Civil War, The Wretched and Undone is inspired by real people and events. It tells the story of Polish immigrants Marcin and Agnieszka Anderwald, whose dreams of a new beginning in Bandera, Texas, quickly turn into a nightmare. A vengeful ghost known as The Shadow haunts their lives, leading to tragedy and a legacy of sorrow that spans generations.
Heralded as "a genre-bending thrill ride through Old Texas," with "characters so well-crafted they crawl off the page," this novel has been named a Killer Nashville Top Pick for 2024 and a Claymore Award Finalist for Best Southern Gothic.
J. E. Weiner, based in Northern California, brings this tale to life with her debut novel, forthcoming from HTF Publishing in March 2025. Her previous work has appeared in various literary journals and anthologies, showcasing her talent for weaving historical narratives with emotional depth.
The Wretched and Undone is set to release on March 18, 2025, with fulfillment beginning on February 1, 2025 for those who order from our online store. We invite you to delve into this unforgettable journey through history and family legacy. Stay tuned for more updates and prepare to be captivated by Weiner's masterful storytelling and the evocative cover design.
Pre-order The Wretched and Undone and receive an exclusive gift set: a signed bookplate featuring a peacock design, a vintage Bandera, Texas postcard, and a custom peacock sticker, all celebrating the haunting beauty of Peacock Bend.
Praise for The Wretched and Undone
"A rattlesnake falls from the church rafters, and from there, J. E. Weiner unwinds a scorching Southern gothic tale across the Texas Hill Country in The Wretched and Undone. Her generation-by-generation saga of the Anderwald family across the tumult of the late nineteenth century is told with true authenticity of voice and place. Her characters are so well crafted they crawl off the page. The novel's dark edges are absolutely gripping. A finer piece of historical fiction I cannot recall."
–Adam Van Winkle, editor-in-chief at Cowboy Jamboree Press and author of Dylan Quick is a Dairy Queen Don Quixote
“J. E. Weiner has written a compelling, slow-burning horror story of a cursed family of Polish immigrants to the Texas Hill Country, haunted across the generations. The author takes her time, slowly building the suspense with an Old Testament sense of inevitable damnation while masterfully pulling from the rich and violent history of Texas and its immigrant settlers, fleeing the conflicts of Europe and drawn by the false promise of a new land at the dawn of the Civil War.”
–Jim Nesbitt, author of the award-winning Ed Earl Burch hard-boiled Texas crime thrillers.
“A fabulous read. J. E. Weiner writes in the finest traditions of Southern Gothic horror, exposing the sharp strata of class behind the genteel veneer. Somewhere between the gentry and the hard-scrabble and destitute, lie the outsider and outcast pitted in perpetual struggle.”
– WB Henley, author of Inescapable, A Novel
“A genre bending thrill ride through Old Texas. Once in a while a book catches you off guard with its depth, innovation, and storytelling. This is that book.”
– CJ Howell, author of The Salt Cutter
“J. E.Weiner has composed an absolutely marvelous debut novel in THE WRETCHED AND UNDONE, written with a confident, sure-handed elegance, evocative prose, and a particularly well-tuned ear for dialogue. Rich with sense-of-place and time, the sights, sounds and smells of the 1860s come wonderfully alive in this story of the human spirit, both temporal and other-worldly, that weaves corporeal and metaphysical narrative threads with a deft and clever hand. I am reluctant to reveal too much about the plot other than to say it is one of the most enjoyable slow-burn suspense thrillers I have read in quite some time. I highly recommend this book.”
– Baron Birtcher, Bestselling and Award Winning author of Knife River and Reckoning
About the Author
J. E. Weiner is a writer and novelist based in Northern California. Her debut novel, The Wretched and Undone, a Southern Gothic tale set in the Texas Hill Country and inspired by real people and actual events, is forthcoming from HTF Publishing in March 2025. Her previous work has appeared in the literary journals Madcap Review, Five Minutes, and HerStry, as well as the recent grit lit anthology Red-Headed Writing (Cowboy Jamboree Press, 2024). Weiner is a founding member of the Pacific Coast Writers Collective, and while living and writing in blissful exile on the West Coast, her heart remains bound to her childhood home, the Great State of Texas.
