Surf Mystic

Think TWILIGHT ZONE meets GIDGET.
"Blends surfing, soapy small-town politics, and destructive demons in a page-turning alchemy that will transform your summer days. Come on in-the waves are epic!" -- David Bowles, Pura Belpre Winner

Something evil stalks Laguna Beach-- and only a young surfer girl named Frannie can stop it.

In 1958 Laguna Beach, California, a girl escapes tragedy by learning to surf with a close-knit group of misfits while spending her nights working at the shady tiki bar Cafe Monstro. But when a powerful demon in disguise targets the cafe in search of the mysterious, future-revealing empty books called Blanks, she must learn her uncle's Jewish mystical secrets to destroy the demon and free her friends. A 1950s thriller of surfing, water ghosts, dybbuk boxes, Yiddish curses, and supernatural romance.
Night of the Book Man is a debut coming-of-age horror novel and a love letter to California surf culture and the books, art and music of the mid-century, from Frankie & Annette and Gidget to Dragnet and Stephen King's IT.

Praise for Night of the Book Man
What can I say about Night of the Book Man? It's a delicious retro treat wrapped into a perfectly crafted horror novel! I wasn't sure what to expect when I started the book. Horror? Coming of age? Romance? A nod to the 60s? A creepy demon made of origami cranes? A terrifying witch? Yes to all of that and more. Peyton Douglas has knocked it out of the park in this story. From the first word until the more than satisfying end, I savored the book. If you are looking for a multilayered book that will keep you up late into the night turning pages, Surf Mystic is what you need in your life!
-- P.J. Hoover, award-winning Lone Star List author of Homer's Excellent Adventure

"Night of the Book Man is the perfect summer read for any fan of genre fiction. An atmospheric romp of horror in a distinct, vibrant setting where wondrous, kitschy and terrifying things take hold with equal aplomb. Whether crafting dread or compiling a Golem, this novel adds up to a delightful, spooky blend featuring intriguing, dimensional characters you can't help but root for. It's the summer blockbuster drive-in movie for your mind!"
- - Leanna Renee Hieber, award-winning, bestselling author of the Strangely Beautiful and Spectral City series

"What if Richard Matheson had penned a Gidget movie in collaboration with William Peter Blatty, directed by Dan Curtis for Hammer Film Productions? In these pages, Peyton Douglas has captured precisely that sun-drenched yet spooky dread. A pitch-perfect horror homage to 60s beach culture... blends surfing, soapy small-town politics, Kabbalah, and destructive demons in a page-turning alchemy that will transform your summer days. Come on in-the waves are epic!"
-- David Bowles, Pura Belpre Winning and Texas Bluebonnet List Author
Original title: The Book Man