A forgotten mansion. A ghostly plea. And secrets that refuse to stay buried.
Are some secrets meant to stay hidden… locked safely behind closed doors?
When Lillia Pameroy arrives in central Wisconsin, a quiet mansion and its lonely owner seem harmless enough. But when a ghostly girl named Amelia reaches out for help, Lillia is pulled into a mystery buried deep within the estate’s walls.
Through her imaginings, the past begins to unfold—revealing hidden rooms, forgotten letters, and two families bound together by love, loss, and long-kept secrets. With her new friend Molly at her side, Lillia must piece together a story that was never meant to be uncovered.
But not every memory wants to be found.
As time runs out, Lillia must decide if unlocking the truth will bring healing… or uncover a heartbreak that has waited far too long.
Scroll down to explore photographs that inspired Locked Doors and discover how the history and landscape of Wisconsin helped shape this mystery.
This beautiful mansion, built by Thomas Scott, stands in Merrill along the Wisconsin River. Its grand appearance and rich history helped inspire the mansion at Edgewater Estate in Locked Doors. For the story, I imagined it in a quieter, more secluded setting on a rural stretch of the river south of Merrill… a place where secrets could remain hidden for generations.
This young girl has stayed with me ever since I found her photograph tucked among old family pictures. No name. No story. Just a quiet presence looking back through time. In Locked Doors, she became Amelia Meyer, a gentle, ghostly girl who reaches out to Lillia for help. Her image now lives on as Amelia… watching from the cover of the book.
This farmhouse, once owned by my grandparents, became the inspiration for Anna and Bernice’s farm beside Silver Creek in Locked Doors. Its peaceful setting and deep family roots helped shape one of the story’s most heartfelt connections… where past and present quietly meet.
These photographs were taken in Wausau during a historic tour on Barker-Stewart Island. As the reenactors brought the past to life, one of the stories they shared stayed with me long after the tour ended. That tale became part of the inspiration for the three drownings mystery woven into Locked Doors.
A visit to a quilt exhibit at the Marathon County Historical Society revealed the beauty of many different fabrics stitched into one meaningful whole. That idea found its way into Locked Doors, where fabrics, sewing, and hidden pieces of the past are woven together… much like the mystery itself.
This marker in the Town of Berlin stands as a tribute to the Prussian roots of many local families. In Locked Doors, it becomes part of a touching moment when Anna’s dream of having a family stone laid at the memorial site is finally realized… honoring both memory and belonging.
Hidden away in rural Marathon County, this unique geographical marker became one of the memorable stops Bernice shares with Nora, Lillia, Molly, and Charlie. It’s places like this quiet, unexpected, and easy to miss that often hold the most interesting stories.
From the top of Rib Mountain’s observation tower, Lillia experiences one of her most remarkable imaginings… one that carries her back millions of years.
It’s a place where the present feels very small, and the past stretches farther than you can imagine.
In Locked Doors, the Pameroys begin one morning with their traditional first-day treat… ice cream for breakfast. Briq’s, a beloved family favorite in central Wisconsin, has been serving up sweet memories for generations and was the perfect inspiration for this special stop.
The Setting for Locked Doors…
Locked Doors is set in central Wisconsin, where the Wisconsin River winds between the towns of Merrill and Wausau.
Lillia and her family explore a landscape of wooded hills, quiet farmland, and small rural communities. From the view atop Rib Mountain to the backroads that follow the river, the area blends natural beauty with a strong sense of history shaped by lumber camps and early settlers.
Beyond the towns, the countryside opens into fields, family farms, and stretches of forest where life moves at a slower pace.
This setting, both peaceful and deeply rooted in the past, plays an important role in the mystery as Lillia follows clues through hidden places, old homes, and the stories left behind by generations before her.