How’s that sound? Are you one of them? Actually they’re not, as far as I know. Disappearing that is. It’s a fairy tale, you see, sort of, and set in Sykesville.
And better yet, the author was born in Philly, always a plus, but she grew up here. Her name is Sang Kromah. She’s got her own dark and beautiful website, she’s got her own blog, she’s got her own book. She’s got her own look.
The Book’s called “Concealed.” It’s intended for young adults, and like the Snallygaster, it’s dark, and it does indeed take place in Sykesville.
The Barnes & Noble website describes it this way:
Kromah stages the story in modern-day Sykesville, Maryland in a quiet suburb. She weaves an account of an unusual sixteen-year-old orphan, Bijou Fitzroy, and the dark world of the Djinn that normal human eyes cannot see. Bijou is different, however, with an intuition that lets her feel other’s emotions and eyes so unusual that they make many uneasy to meet her gaze.
Upon Bijou’s arrival in the sleepy town of Sykesville with her nomadic grandmother, the local inhabitants begin disappearing. Bijou also has dreams at night of a mysterious faceless boy. Gradually, her true identity is revealed and she finds herself at the center of a war that she never knew was being fought.
Did you get that part? The local inhabitants start disappearing. Cool! Although I wouldn’t necessarily describe Sykesville as sleepy (then again, if you’ve ever walked down Main Street on a late Saturday night), but there are definitely some inhabitants I wish would disappear.
Kromah, who attended Sykesville Middle, has unfortunately also disappeared. From Sykesville that is. She lives in New York now and sounds like someone who’s probably going to stay there. You can learn more about her at the Eldersburg Patch site where she says:
In seventh grade I had a Language Arts teacher at Sykesville Middle School, who encouraged me so much and I think that’s when I knew that I could actually become a writer, because someone who wasn’t related to me believed in me almost as much as my Mom did.
From sleepy Sykesville Middle School to New York.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I love the article! Thanks! Did you know that most of the story takes place at Liberty High School?
Liberty, huh? The kids from Sykesville go to Century now. One of our daughters went to Sykesville Middle and the other will start there next year. Is your book available at A Likely Story Bookstore in downtown Sykesville?
SG
Yeah, when I was a senior at Liberty, they were still building Century. I’m not sure if A Likely Story has it yet. I’ll have to check!