Something is watching in the swamps of Alabama…
When Lillia Pameroy arrives at a weathered mansion along the Bon Secour River, she expects a quiet visit. Instead, she finds restless spirits, hidden messages, and a warning she cannot ignore.
A Pirate Queen haunts the lowlands.
And she is guarding something buried deep within the swamp.
As Lillia begins to uncover the truth using her mysterious imagining ability, the warnings grow stronger… and more dangerous.
Then her brother Charlie vanishes.
Now Lillia must venture into the shadowed wetlands, where the line between past and present disappears, and where one powerful spirit will do anything to protect what is hers.
Including stopping Lillia.
These photographs helped inspire the setting, history, and haunting atmosphere of Unsettled Things, where Lillia’s journey through Land Between the Lakes brings her face to face with both the beauty of the present and the mysteries of the past.
This beautiful tidewater mansion is the very house where Lillia, Charlie, and Grandaunt Nora stayed. Surrounded by towering oaks draped in Spanish moss, it’s easy to imagine the past lingering here… just out of sight. This home was the main inspiration for Watched Places, and once you see it, you can understand why. If you ever have the chance, take a tour. You might just feel like you’ve stepped into Lillia’s story.
These trees on the Swift-Coles house grounds fascinated Lillia and Charlie from the moment they arrived. The long strands of Spanish moss hanging from the branches created a scene unlike anything they had ever seen back in Kansas. To Lillia, it felt like stepping into another world. One where the trees seemed to whisper, and the past lingered quietly in the air.
Charlie tripped over this yard statue the very first night they arrived. It seemed like nothing more than a weathered figure tucked among the trees. Easy to miss in the fading light. But as Lillia helped her brother up, she could have sworn the statue had changed. Just for a moment, she thought she saw it smile at them.
This historic photograph shows the three eldest Swift sisters who once lived in the home. Their presence helped inspire the playful spirits Lillia encounters during her stay, the ones who seem eager to be seen… and heard. Looking at their faces, it’s easy to imagine their lives, their stories, and the echoes they may have left behind.
Courtesy of Swift-Coles Historic Home
The very night Lillia arrives at the Swift-Coles Historic Home, she experiences one of her first imaginings. She sees one of the Swift sisters seated at a small table, her eyes covered as she moves her hand across a Ouija board. The moment is vivid and unsettling, as if Lillia has stepped directly into the past.It is then she realizes this house holds more than memories… it holds echoes of lives that are not quite finished.
This statue, standing in front of the Swift-Coles house, became part of the mystery for Lillia. One of the notes that helped her piece together the truth about the Pirate Queen was found here, waiting to be discovered.Set among the greenery and shadows of the old house grounds, it was the perfect hiding place for a clue.
This is the outhouse once used by the Swift family children, a small but fascinating glimpse into everyday life long ago. While exploring the grounds, it’s easy to imagine what it might have been like growing up here. And for readers of Watched Places, keep an eye out for this setting. It plays a part in the story when Matt decides to play a joke on Charlie.
This crumbling, vine-covered barn at the rear of the Swift-Coles house helped inspire one of the imagining scenes in Watched Places. Weathered by time and nearly hidden beneath tangled growth, it seemed like the sort of place where old secrets might still be waiting. For Lillia, places like this carried a feeling all their own… quiet, watchful, and filled with the past.
Nightwatchman Pete loves the history of the ships that once docked at the wharf just outside his door. One of them may have been a double-decker steamer like this one, carrying passengers, cargo, and stories along the river. Images like this helped bring the past to life as I wrote Watched Places, reminding me that the house was once connected to a busy and fascinating world beyond its quiet grounds.
Photograph courtesy of the Swift-Coles Historic Home
The Setting for Watched Places…
Watched Places is set along the Bon Secour River on the Gulf Coast of Alabama.
Lillia and her family stay at a historic tidewater mansion surrounded by large oak trees draped in Spanish moss. The property includes open grounds, a small barn, and paths that lead toward the nearby river and swampy lowlands.
This Southern setting, very different from Lillia’s home in Kansas, plays an important role in the mystery as she explores both the house and the land around it.