Madison Murphy

by Jessica Gleason

Hungover after a regretful blind date, choking up hairballs, a Midwestern woman discovers the true cost of one-night stands.

You’d think life was difficult for a self-deprecating Midwestern loaner with less than stellar self-esteem? Just when Madison Murphy thought things couldn’t get worse, she woke up coughing up hairballs after a horrid one-night stand.

Madison Murphy, a curvy, sassy, and sometimes unlikeable young woman, is muddling her way through life the best she can. Following her regretful night with Harold, the tax attorney, she finds herself embroiled in a supernatural turf war after developing the rare ability to shift into a Siberian tiger. In a blink, she goes from drinking her feelings away to being a reluctant power player in Wisconsin’s tumultuous supernatural society.

In a flash, Madison is forced to join forces with the sexy though frustrating Max or take her chances with the more threatening figures of the Wisconsin paranormal power players. Her ability to shift into feline form is rare, powerful, and sought after. She wants to go back to having a drink and watching some football, but instead she’s on the run almost immediately. Madison needs to make her choice and align with someone before it’s too late.

Will she make the right decision? Or will her libido lead her astray … again?

119 pages, Paperback

Published April 24, 2025

About the author

Jessica Gleason finds writing horror therapeutic. So, she puts her nightmares to paper for your enjoyment. As a Hawaiian-Italian, she often draws from her cultural background and lived experience to bring occult-flavored and slasheriffic horror to life. If you look hard enough, you can catch her singing hair metal karaoke somewhere between Chicago and Milwaukee. Her daytime persona is a college professor in the American Midwest. Jessica's recent releases include “Playing Hooky” (Unnerving Books), and “The Dangerous Miss Ventriloquist” (Evil Cookie Publishing). Follow her on Instagram or Threads (@j.g.writes), where she hosts the #WeWriteHorror challenge.

https://jgwrites.carrd.co

Reviews

[F. Malanoche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica Gleason writes fantastic and oddball characters. Madison Murphy blends her brand of horror, romance, and humor. The most gripping part of this text has to be the titular character, Madison Murphy. I greatly appreciate the character being something not typically shown in Hollywood films, but a realistic view of a person with their lovely flaws and all.

This book is a good quick read as well.

I received an eARC copy of this book.

[Jessica Gleason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so glad to have a chance to revisit Madison and to have a new set of eyes help me to hone her story. I hope you all enjoy your read.

[Jeff Folschinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun read. It’s hard to pin down the genre as it has a little bit adventure, thriller, supernatural with a dash of humor. It blended really well though. The pacing of the story was nice. I never felt like I got bogged down anywhere. The characters were all interesting, well written and fun to follow. I had a good time reading this story and would recommend to anyone who likes a reading weird and fun fiction.

[Mark Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waking up after a one night stand, Madison Murphy learns that she is now a shapeshifter…

If you like comedy-horror-fantasy-romance in a short read then pick up a copy of this republished novella.

Similar to last year’s release, Playing Hooky, Jessica Gleason lures you in with humour then shocks with where the plot takes you. If the thought of cheese soup appeals to you at three in the morning then this book is for you!