D.B. Milliken

When a grad student in folklore and mythology fears her monster-of-study might be hunting her, she retreats to a rural cottage to lure it out — and prove she’s not losing her mind.

Arya, an aspiring novelist, begins work on her new book about a malevolent figure named Maldoror. As she writes, Maldoror comes to life and torments her in order to consume her soul. Arya fights to retain her sanity as the boundary between the written word and real world starts to blur.

Life begins to imitate art as an Off-Broadway actor is forced to grapple with his own shame during a stage production of "The Scarlet Letter."