Welcome to White Hart by Alex Dawson

Welcome to White Hart by Alex Dawson

The quiet magic of 'Charlotte’s Web' collides with the raw survival of 'Winter’s Bone' in this YA novel of magical realism set one December in rural Alabama.

All her life, Mags longed to hear her horses talk. Now she’s fourteen and doesn’t believe in magic. Until today.

But the beast that speaks is not a horse. It’s a deer. It’s white. It’s wounded. And its blood glitters like gold.

When a gang of bloodthirsty hunters arrives at her Puppa’s motel, Mags risks everything to save the injured animal. With the help of her best friend and her Irish grandmother’s old diary, Mags and the deer escape into the forest, where ancient things lurk behind curtains of fog and kudzu.

There she discovers a secret cave, a forbidden island, and a portal that only opens on New Year’s Eve—the creature’s only way home.

But the hour is late and the hunters are closing in.

Alex Dawson is a creative writing professor at Rutgers University in the USA, where he focuses on folklore, weird fiction, and the dark fantastic. He hosts Inside the Writers House, a weekly conversation series with authors from around the world, and leads myth-inspired Study Abroad programs. Dawson is also the co-creator of The Rac-On-Tour, a mobile bookstore and performance space, and curates R.O.T. Fest, a bi-monthly variety show featuring writers and performers.