The Writing Retreat

The dark, atmospheric, feminist offspring of Squid Game, The Hunting Party and Miser

A book deal to die for.

Five attendees are selected for a month-long writing retreat at the remote estate of Roza Vallo, the controversial high priestess of feminist horror. Alex, a struggling writer, is thrilled.

Upon arrival, they discover they must complete an entire novel from scratch, and the best one will receive a seven-figure publishing deal. Alex's long-extinguished dream now seems within reach.

But then the women begin to die.

Trapped, terrified yet still desperately writing, it clear there is more than a publishing deal at stake at Briar estate. As Alex must confront her own demons – and finish her novel – to save herself.

This unhinged, propulsive, claustrophobic closed-door thriller will pull you in and spit you out…

About the Author

Julia Bartz is a Brooklyn-based writer and practicing therapist. She is the author of the popular Psychology Today blog 'My Pleasure: The New Science of Sex, Dating, and Self-Care' and previously ran the Brooklyn literary blog 'BookStalker'. Her fiction has been published in the South Dakota Review, FictionDaily and InDigest Magazine and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. The Writing Retreat is her first novel.