'People are, like, 'You act like Mary Poppins. 'Everything I write is dark,' Howard said, laughing brightly. And the White Rabbit is no bunny at all he's a skeletal creature with antlers whose name is actually Rabid White. The Walrus isn't just tusked he's a 500-pound beast with tentacles for legs. It's the same curse that caused her mother to be institutionalized, and when Alyssa begins to investigate, she finds herself whisked away into a Wonderland that's more disturbing than Carroll ever depicted.įlowers don't just talk they speak of devouring their visitors. Howard's central character, Alyssa Gardner, is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Alice Liddell, a real-life girl whom Carroll knew well.Īlyssa's the victim of a family curse and hears bugs and plants speak incessantly. The dark fantasy novel is a sequel of sorts to 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll, imagining a modern-day descendent of the young girl who may have inspired Carroll's flights of fancy. Saturday at Barnes & Noble, 2415 Soncy Road, and again at 2 p.m.

Howard's first young-adult novel, 'Splintered,' was released last month under her pen name, A.G. 'She is just filled with hope and optimism, and I think that is a gift,' said Cooper, the librarian at Crockett Middle School who worked with Howard for about two years.Īnd in person, too, Howard was bubbly and bright all through an interview over drinks at Barnes & Noble Cafe.īut Howard has a secret, darker side, one that's starting to get national exposure. That's former coworker Sharon Cooper's impression, for one.

To all outward appearances, Anita Howard is effervescent, all smiles and high spirits.

Splintered by ag howard