SOMETHING IS COMING: Introducing
When I Wake
, My Next Psychological Thriller
By Brittany Murrain | November 2026
Some nightmares end when you wake. Others begin.
There is something terrifying about waking up and realizing that you cannot remember what happened while you were asleep. What if those missing hours held a secret? What if someone had died? And what if the evidence suggested that you might have been involved?
These are the unsettling questions at the heart of my upcoming psychological thriller, When I Wake, officially releasing on December 4, 2026.
Following the release of The Confession Files, Don’t Look Outside, and The Things the Elders Warned Us About, I’m excited to introduce readers to another dark, suspenseful story. This time, the horror is not something lurking outside a window or hiding in the shadows. It is the possibility that the greatest danger might exist within ourselves.
A Morning That Changes Everything
Elena Baptiste goes to bed expecting an ordinary night’s sleep.
But at 4:17 a.m., she wakes up on her kitchen floor.
She is wearing a black dress she did not go to bed in. Her legs are covered in dirt. Her body bears unexplained marks. And clutched tightly in her hand is a silver earring with a small green stone.
It does not belong to her.
Even more disturbing, Elena has absolutely no recollection of how she ended up there.
Her husband, Daniel, attempts to reassure her. Perhaps she was sleepwalking. Perhaps there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything.
But when news breaks that a woman has been found murdered, Elena notices something that makes her blood run cold.
The victim was wearing earrings remarkably similar to the one Elena woke up holding.
Suddenly, a strange morning becomes the beginning of something far more sinister.
And the more Elena tries to uncover what happened during those missing hours, the more she begins questioning the people closest to her—and herself.
What Happens When You Can No Longer Trust Your Own Mind?
One of the things I wanted to explore in When I Wake is how frightening uncertainty can become when it involves your own memories.
We rely on our minds to tell us who we are, what we have experienced, and what we know to be true. But imagine losing several hours of your life and discovering that something terrible happened during that time.
How do you prove your innocence when you cannot remember where you were?
How do you trust someone else’s version of events when you have no memories of your own?
And how far would you go to uncover the truth if you were terrified of what you might discover?
Elena’s journey takes readers into a world of suspicion, buried secrets, strained relationships, and increasingly disturbing discoveries.
What begins as a mystery surrounding a single earring develops into a psychological struggle in which every answer seems to raise another question.
A Psychological Thriller Rooted in the Caribbean
As a Caribbean author, I enjoy creating stories that reflect the places, communities, and environments familiar to us while exploring darker, more unsettling themes.
When I Wake unfolds on the fictional Caribbean island of St. Mary, where everyday life continues against the backdrop of a disturbing murder investigation.
There are familiar neighbourhoods, school routines, coastal roads, and communities where news travels quickly and privacy can be difficult to maintain.
But beneath that ordinary island life lies something deeply troubling.
I wanted the setting to feel recognizable and real, because sometimes the most frightening stories are not those that take place in distant, unfamiliar worlds. They are the ones that could unfold in a home, on a familiar road, or within a community where everyone believes they know one another.
Secrets. Obsession. Murder.
If you have read my previous books, you already know that I enjoy exploring the darker sides of human behaviour.
With The Confession Files, readers entered the mind of a serial killer who believed his actions were justified.
With Don’t Look Outside, the terror came from an unimaginable threat during a devastating hurricane.
With When I Wake, I wanted to explore something different: the fear of not knowing whether you can trust your own memories, your relationships, or the person you see in the mirror.
This is a story about secrets and the consequences of uncovering them. It is about the unsettling distance between what we believe and what may actually be true.
Most importantly, it is a story designed to keep readers questioning everything.
Because sometimes, discovering the truth can be far more frightening than remaining in the dark.
Mark Your Calendars: December 4, 2026
I am thrilled to announce that When I Wake will officially be released on Friday, December 4, 2026.
As an independent author, every new release represents another opportunity to share the stories that have lived in my imagination with readers around the world.
I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported my writing journey, whether you have purchased one of my books, shared a post, recommended my work, or simply followed along as I continue building my collection of Caribbean-inspired thrillers and horror stories.
Your support means more than you know.
Over the coming weeks, I will be sharing more about When I Wake, including teasers, behind-the-scenes insights, and glimpses into the mystery awaiting readers.
For now, I will leave you with one question:
If you woke up with no memory of the night before, only to discover that someone had been murdered, would you trust yourself?
Some nightmares end when you wake. Others begin.
WHEN I WAKE
A Psychological Thriller by Brittany Murrain
Coming December 4, 2026
Follow my author updates and discover my other books at www.brittanymurrain.com.
The next nightmare is almost here.