Crissa-Jean Chappell's Blog

COVER REVEAL!

NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE—in which an Instagram star who specializes in urbex must race against the clock to find out who’s behind a deadly game of dares spreading across the Space Coast of Florida.

about NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE

Birdie lives for danger-from rooftopping abandoned hotels to chasing the perfect shot for her Instagram alter ego, Bad Altitude. Her dying Florida beach town may be crumbling, but her follower count is rising fast. She's one viral post away from escaping the Space Coast for good. Then she meets Micah, a daredevil TikTok star with a taste for high-stakes stunts and even higher risks. At first, Birdie thinks she's found a kindred spirit. But Micah is secretly playing a deadly game online-and after he falls to his death, Birdie is left with more questions than answers. Determined to uncover the truth, she retraces his final stunts, getting dangerously close to his brother, Jayce. Can she trust him, or is he hiding something too? Now someone's watching Birdie-both online and off-and she's forced to keep playing. Because in this game, there's only one rule: if you quit, you die.

The preorder is live now!

Title: NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE

Author: Crissa-Jean Chappell

Publisher: Fitzroy Books

Genre: thriller

Pub date: May 12 2026

Cover design: studiochi.art

Look for NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE wherever books are sold.

Click here to preorder

I’m absolutely thrilled to share that my debut middle grade novel, GHOST TEETH, has sold to Fitzroy Books / Regal House (summer 2027).

GHOST TEETH, in which a thirteen-year-old and his eccentric cousin try to break a curse involving witches, enchanted bees, and their family's own brand of "Gray" magic.

“…an Instagram star who specializes in urbex must race against the clock to find out who’s behind a deadly game of dares spreading across the Space Coast of Florida…” (Fitzroy Books / Regal House, summer 2026)

advance praise:

“A beautifully observed story about the undertow of grief and guilt in the life of an anonymous Instagram star, Never Leave Me Alone is both ominous and glitteringly alive. Riley is the coolest of protagonists, a perfect guide to bring us through the perilous worlds of urbex adventures and social media fame.”

--Greg Takoudes, author of SHOUT AT THE THUNDER

“In this fast-paced roller coaster of a novel, fearless daredevil Riley-Jane must decide how much she’ll risk to uncover the truth behind another thrill-seeker’s death.”

 —Yvonne Ventresca, award-winning author of PANDEMIC

“Crissa-Jean Chappell’s stunningly vivid, emotionally wrenching YA thriller, focused on a teen girl in peril, raises important questions about social media addiction and the true human impacts of economic disparity.

 At a relentlessly suspenseful pace, Never Leave Me Alone exquisitely renders the stark contrast between Florida’s glittering Space Coast wealth and decaying fringes, where creative, traumatized Riley-Jane struggles to survive. It’s a land where rockets pop off like corks, while on the ground, the air is thick with fried Twinkies and bull-riding pens. Every sentence is a heartbreaking, vivid jewel, thanks to the author’s astonishingly precise descriptive powers.

 As Riley-Jane notes while sneaking into an opulent hotel where a disco ball spins beneath the palm trees, ‘We were invisible. That was our superpower.’ Viral images on social media seem to promise a ticket to financial freedom. Chappell masterfully serves up a mysterious roller coaster ride full of twists and turns that will keep readers eager to learn what happened, ‘who done it,’ and whether her irresistible young protagonist will be able to overcome adversity.”

—Ginger Pinholster, author of THE TRAIN TO SANTA FE

Ahhhh! It’s been one year since SUN DON’T SHINE was released! And to celebrate…I’m giving away FOUR contemporary YA novels (hardcover editions!) I’m so thankful for these incredible authors who were kind enough to blurb my new thriller….

Here’s the book bundle:

SUN DON’T SHINE by Crissa-Jean Chappell (signed!)

FINDING NORMAL by Jen Doktorski

RULES FOR CAMOUFLAGE by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

HALF IN LOVE WITH DEATH by Emily Ross

** HOW TO ENTER **

Follow me on Instagram @crissachappell

Tag a friend

Bonus entry: repost my giveaway on your story!

Winner will be announced on January 24.

I’ll be signing SUN DON’T SHINE at the Saratoga Book Festival

Saturday, October 5

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Saratoga City Center

522 Broadway

Saratoga Springs, NY

I’ll be signing SUN DON’T SHINE at the Brooklyn Book Festival

September 29

Booth #225

Talking about the people and places who shaped my creative writing journey. Thanks Shoutout Miami magazine!

I’m thrilled to share that SUN DON'T SHINE is a winner of the 2024 PenCraft Book Award for Young Adult literature (summer 2024).

PenCraft “recognizes books of remarkable literary quality, artistic excellence, and popularity with its readers.”

SUNDAY

virtual reading!

May 5th at 1pm.

Spring 2024 Regal House authors will read excerpts from their brand new novels. There will be time at the end for Q&A

Crissa-Jean Chappell reads from Sun Don't Shine

Mark Wish reads from Necessary Deeds

Beth Uznis reads from Coming Clean

Diane Josefowicz reads from L’Air du Temps

Gerry Wilson reads from That Pinson Girl

Susan Wadds reads from What the Living Do

Karen Holmberg reads from The Collagist

M. M. Downing & S.J. Waugh introduce The Adventures of the Flash Gang

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2722990593?pwd=TEZpSTNRL1NJZEdsOHgySFoySitkUT09&omn=82525539807

Meeting ID: 272 299 0593

Passcode: uapryNS60-