u/ThefifthShadow

Hi everyone! I’m a new author, and I’d like to introduce my debut novella, The 5th Shadow.

Genre: YA Psychological Horror • Suspense Thriller

POV: First person

Length: 130 pages

Blurb :

Alex, Jake, Harry, and Leo are inseparable. For Jake’s eighteenth birthday, they plan a camping trip in the deep woods, hoping for a perfect weekend.

​Right before they leave, a chilling, anonymous broadcast hijacks every screen and radio in the city. A distorted voice warns everyone to stay out of the forest, listing thirty people who have mysteriously vanished there. Dismissing it as a viral prank, the boys head into the trees

anyway.

​Around the campfire, the nightmare begins. They count the group: five physical bodies. Five familiar faces looking back. Their memories have been altered so perfectly that everyone feels like an old friend, making it impossible to identify the extra person.

​The next morning, Leo vanishes. But the real horror? None of the remaining boys even remember him.

​As the forest closes in, Jake uncovers a shocking, unchangeable truth about their reality.

​Will they be able to survive the 5th shadow?

The Fifth Shadow is a fast-paced psychological thriller built around secrets, paranoia, memory manipulation, unreliable perception, and existential dread, with twists designed to keep you questioning what is actually happening.

If you enjoy YA thrillers where the mystery keeps getting stranger and you can't completely trust the protagonist's perspective, this might be for you.

I’m a new independent author, so every reader, review, and piece of feedback genuinely helps. 📚🖤

If you're a fellow author, feel free to tell me about your book too—I’d love to discover some other indie authors!

Hi everyone! I’m a new self-published author, and I recently released my first novella, The 5th Shadow.

It’s a YA psychological horror/suspense thriller about Jake, who goes on a camping trip with his friends. After one of them mysteriously disappears, things start becoming increasingly unsettling, and Jake begins questioning what he can actually trust.

Publishing my first book has been a huge learning experience. I’ve learned a lot about editing, cover design, publishing, marketing, and especially how different the process is once you actually have a finished book in the real world.

Since I’m still a new author, I’d genuinely love to hear from more experienced self-published authors: what’s one thing you wish you had known before publishing your first book? Any advice about marketing, building an audience, getting reviews, or simply improving as an author would be really helpful.

Thanks!

I wrote a psychological horror novella while studying for my 9th-grade exams. I have no idea if that was a good decision.

I’m Avik, and I recently published my debut novella, The Fifth Shadow.

It’s a YA psychological horror/suspense story about four friends who go camping for Jake’s 18th birthday.

On the way there, their car radio is hijacked by a broadcast warning about people disappearing in the forest—and something that can make itself look like a lifelong member of your friend group.

They laugh it off.

That night, Jake counts the people around the campfire.

There are five.

But everyone is completely convinced there are only four.

And whenever Jake tries to figure out who the fifth person is, his own mind seems to fight back.

The next morning, one of his friends is gone.

The terrifying part?

His other two friends don't remember that person ever existing.

They genuinely believe Jake has lost his mind.

I wrote the entire thing strictly through Jake's first-person POV because I wanted the reader to experience the same uncertainty he does—no outside narrator explaining what's real and what's not.

There are also things I deliberately left unanswered: the mysterious radio broadcast, a terrified forest ranger, a strange whistle, unexplained bruises, and what happened to the missing friend after he encounters the entity.

I wrote it while juggling 9th-grade exams, which probably wasn't the most sensible time to decide, "Yeah, I'll write a horror novel." 😭

But I wanted to try anyway.

For the writers here: what's the most ridiculous circumstance you've ever written a story in?

And if you're into psychological horror, what's scarier to you: a monster you can see, or the possibility that you can't trust your own memories?

The book's name is THE 5TH SHADOW. If yall are Intrested.

When I started writing, I never thought I'd actually finish a book.

Balancing school, exams, and everything else, I kept wondering if I'd eventually give up like so many unfinished projects.

I didn't.

At 14, I've now published my first psychological horror and thirller novella, The 5th Shadow.

Here's the blurb:

Alex, Jake, Harry, and Leo are inseparable. For Jake’s eighteenth birthday, they plan a camping trip in the deep woods, hoping for a perfect weekend.

​Right before they leave, a chilling, anonymous broadcast hijacks every screen and radio in the city. A distorted voice warns everyone to stay out of the forest, listing thirty people who have mysteriously vanished there. Dismissing it as a viral prank, the boys head into the trees

anyway.

​Around the campfire, the nightmare begins. They count the group: five physical bodies. Five familiar faces looking back. Their memories have been altered so perfectly that everyone feels like an old friend, making it impossible to identify the extra person.

​The next morning, Leo vanishes. But the real horror? None of the remaining boys even remember him.

​As the forest closes in, Jake uncovers a shocking, unchangeable truth about their reality.

​Will they be able to survive the 5th shadow?

Whether the book succeeds or not, I'm proud that I finished something I once thought was impossible.

If anyone has questions about writing, publishing as a teenager, or wants to check out the book, I'm happy to answer. It's available worldwide on Amazon, Notion Press, Flipkart, and other major online bookstores.

Thanks for reading.

Hi everyone!

I'm 14 years old, and after months of writing during my ninth-grade exams, I finally published my first psychological horror novella, The 5th Shadow.

Alex, Jake, Harry, and Leo are inseparable. For Jake’s eighteenth birthday, they plan a camping trip in the deep woods, hoping for a perfect weekend.

​Right before they leave, a chilling, anonymous broadcast hijacks every screen and radio in the city. A distorted voice warns everyone to stay out of the forest, listing thirty people who have mysteriously vanished there. Dismissing it as a viral prank, the boys head into the trees

anyway.

​Around the campfire, the nightmare begins. They count the group: five physical bodies. Five familiar faces looking back. Their memories have been altered so perfectly that everyone feels like an old friend, making it impossible to identify the extra person.

​The next morning, Leo vanishes. But the real horror? None of the remaining boys even remember him.

​As the forest closes in, Jake uncovers a shocking, unchangeable truth about their reality.

​Will they be able to survive the 5th shadow?

About the book :

The Fifth Shadow is a relentless, fast-paced psychological horror thriller that taps into the ultimate nightmare: being erased from existence and being replaced by someone..or something . The story plunges readers into a frantic race against time as a sinister entity begins to warp reality. It starts slowly—a forgotten detail, a fading memory—until the horrifying truth becomes clear: a malevolent extra presence is lurking in the shadows, systematically replacing people and wiping their entire history from the world. As a gripping detective investigation unfolds to stop the unexplainable, the characters face a breathless battle against a force that consumes everything you are and everything you have ever known. Packed with heart-pounding suspense, sharp twists, and a terrifying sense of urgency, The Fifth Shadow is a fierce, gripping ride that will make you look twice at your own reflection.

The book is available worldwide on Amazon, Notion Press, Flipkart, and other major online bookstores.

Thank you for reading!

Hi everyone!

I'm 14 years old, and after months of writing during my ninth-grade exams, I finally published my first psychological horror novella, The 5th Shadow.

Alex, Jake, Harry, and Leo are inseparable. For Jake’s eighteenth birthday, they plan a camping trip in the deep woods, hoping for a perfect weekend.

​Right before they leave, a chilling, anonymous broadcast hijacks every screen and radio in the city. A distorted voice warns everyone to stay out of the forest, listing thirty people who have mysteriously vanished there. Dismissing it as a viral prank, the boys head into the trees

anyway.

​Around the campfire, the nightmare begins. They count the group: five physical bodies. Five familiar faces looking back. Their memories have been altered so perfectly that everyone feels like an old friend, making it impossible to identify the extra person.

​The next morning, Leo vanishes. But the real horror? None of the remaining boys even remember him.

​As the forest closes in, Jake uncovers a shocking, unchangeable truth about their reality.

​Will they be able to survive the 5th shadow?

About the book :

The Fifth Shadow is a relentless, fast-paced psychological horror thriller that taps into the ultimate nightmare: being erased from existence and being replaced by someone..or something . The story plunges readers into a frantic race against time as a sinister entity begins to warp reality. It starts slowly—a forgotten detail, a fading memory—until the horrifying truth becomes clear: a malevolent extra presence is lurking in the shadows, systematically replacing people and wiping their entire history from the world. As a gripping detective investigation unfolds to stop the unexplainable, the characters face a breathless battle against a force that consumes everything you are and everything you have ever known. Packed with heart-pounding suspense, sharp twists, and a terrifying sense of urgency, The Fifth Shadow is a fierce, gripping ride that will make you look twice at your own reflection.

The book is available worldwide on Amazon, Notion Press, Flipkart, and other major online bookstores.

Thank you for reading!