Troubled Spirits: A Supernatural/Horror Thriller Series

by Nicki Huntsman Smith

Jillian barely escaped Forsaken Harbor, Alaska, in one piece. Now, she finds herself in rural Wyoming, settling into a hundred-year-old house filled with musty old furniture and an antique doll for a roommate. Surrounding her in all directions are acres of hay, desolate prairie, and a cornfield long overdue for harvesting…and overseen by a decrepit scarecrow. It’s the perfect setting for a spooky Halloween, until strange and terrifying episodes begin to happen. What has she stumbled upon in the Wind River Range? What happened here generations ago that resonates so powerfully in the region and compels the residents to behave in bizarre and alarming ways? Should she leave now while there’s still time? Or stick it out and learn more about the dangerous and mystical supernatural world that upended her life a year ago? Jillian Beaufort is not quitter. You can bet your last bottle of Sam Adams she’ll find some answers…or die trying. ****** Jackson, no longer a prisoner of the Rosalind Project, but rather a willing ally, joins forces with Dr. Walter Richter and his beautiful and brilliant daughter, Dr. Stacey Richter. Utilizing resources Jillian can only dream about, Jackson and his new partners embark on a quest to identify monsters and unmask demons. The scientists want to study them, but Jackson has different plans. He has been grappling with monsters far longer than anyone else, and he knows one truth better than The only good monster is a dead monster. ****** Troubled Spirits, Book Two in A Monstrous Dread series, is a white-knuckled thrill ride that will take you deeper into the terrifying world of Jillian and Jackson Beaufort. Don’t get left behind!

564 pages, Paperback

Published July 11, 2023

About the author

I love books.

Everything I've learned about writing has grown from my love of reading. I began my writing career at the tender age of seven, when I wrote a play for my third-grade class. It was not an assignment; I did it because I discovered I loved creative writing as much as I loved reading. I received a children's typewriter the next year, and countless short stories followed.

I wrote some awful poetry during my teen years, then some not-so-awful short stories over the next two decades. I became serious about writing books ten years ago. The timing felt right, and I created the world-altering habit of writing every day.

My first published novel, Secrets Under the Mesa, began as a short story. I decided it had some legs and went with it. The inspiration for The Troop of Shadows Chronicles emerged from two directions: my love of post-apocalyptic fiction and a recent interest in disaster preparedness.

Stephen King says, "Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work."

The hard work is worth it. I hope you enjoy my novels. I wrote them for fellow book lovers just like you.


I live in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, with my husband and three spoiled rotten rescue dogs.