NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE (Fitzroy Books / Regal House, summer 2026)

“…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…”

“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