Looking for the ultimate ghost-hunting experience? Prepare yourself for 24 hours of isolation in a house steeped with local lore.

New York Times bestselling author J.D. Barker announces a chilling contest to celebrate the release of his new thriller SOMETHING I KEEP UPSTAIRS: one winner and three friends will spend the night in the real haunted house that inspired the novel.

The location? A solitary house perched on Wood Island off the New Hampshire coast, where mysterious lights flicker in windows and shadowy figures walk the rocky shore. While now a museum, its dark history includes use as a quarantine zone during the yellow fever outbreak, prisoners were housed there during the Spanish/American war, and in 1972, two bodies were discovered buried on the beach, to date, they have not been identified.

Contest Details:

  • Date: May 13, 2025 (winner selected)
  • Location: Wood Island (accessible from Kittery Point, Maine)
  • Duration: 24 hours
  • Transportation provided by boat
  • No contact with mainland during stay

"Like The Stanley Hotel's influence on The Shining or the infamous Amityville house, some places don't just hold memories - they hold darkness," says Barker. "The Wood Island house isn't afraid of visitors. Just the opposite. It loves to share."

The contest launches alongside SOMETHING I KEEP UPSTAIRS (May 2025 - Hampton Creek Press / Simon & Schuster), which follows seventeen-year-old Billy Hasler and his friend David Spivey as their summer adventure awakens an ancient evil that has influenced generations.

Think you can survive the night? Enter at https://woobox.com/vcevs2

SOMETHING I KEEP UPSTAIRS is available for pre-order wherever books are sold.

Please direct all media and speaking inquiries to J.D. Barker’s publicist:Kate Gomez: kategomezcomms@gmail.comStrat 2 Elevate Communications

About J.D. Barker: J.D. Barker is a New York Times and international bestselling author known for his gripping psychological thrillers that blend reality with the supernatural.

Contact: Kyle Stotts / kstotts@hamptoncreekpress.com