Kelly McWilliams

Historical Horror Author

Kelly McWilliams is a mixed-race novelist whose work examines white passing, American history, and the uncanny. She is the author of several acclaimed novels for young adults, including Mirror Girls, a Junior Library Guild Selection, Agnes at the End of the World, a Golden Kite Honor Book, and the forthcoming No One Leaves the Manor.

American Nightmare is her adult fiction debut, releasing from Crown/PRH on September 15.

She lives in Seattle with her family.

 

〰️ Praise for American Nightmare 〰️

In this haunting historical novel, a light-skinned Black man goes undercover to investigate lynchings in the South, only to be confronted by the very evil that has pursued him since childhood…

Inspired by the life of civil rights activist Walter F. White, American Nightmare is a gripping historical thriller that reveals the most terrifying monsters aren’t those that go bump in the night but those that walk among us.

Coming from Crown/PRH September 15.

“With its unflinching excavation of our dark past, American Nightmare is a page-turner with a message. This is a novel uniquely suited to our current moment and beyond.”

—Tayari Jones, New York Times bestselling author of Kin and An American Marriage

“Beautifully rendered and unflinchingly honest, American Nightmare is a lyrical exploration of the histories that haunt us. I was spellbound by this novel.”

—Dolen Perkins-Valdez, New York Times bestselling author of Wench and Take My Hand

“A powerful, brutal, and fascinating novel about one of America’s most startling historical horrors.”

—Daniel Kraus, New York Times bestselling author of Whalefall and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angel Down

Fiction