Join us to hear about Mary’s new novel, Precious Children, and learn about the otherworldly consequences of cloning. Mary will be in-conversation with Corbin Bond, co-leader of the local Horror Fans group and associated book club. Following their conversation, Mary will answer questions and sign books. Copies of Precious Children will be available for purchase at the event.
This event is free and open to the public.
For accessibility requests, email events@curiousiguana.com at least two (2) weeks prior to the event.
About the book: “A tech-nesting doll of nightmares, hearkening back to the best of Michael Crichton while making it wholly Thompson’s own horror show.”—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Devil Inside
Dina Blake’s fourteen-year-old son, Geoff, has just died for the second time. But everything will be okay. The Blake family’s wealth has bought them thousands of clones of each of their children. These children are farmed out to loving families, but with the caveat that the bodies are always available to the Blakes.
After Geoff dies, the Blakes upload their son’s memories into Nathan, who is an unwilling host, desperate to stay with the family who loved him.
Dina’s younger daughter, Di, is terrified because she knows something her parents don’t—the memory transfer doesn’t always go as planned. The Geoff who’s been living with them since his first death isn’t the person her mother thinks he is, and the families of the bodies the Blakes steal aren’t all innocent.
When Geoff returns to life in Nathan’s body, he has to contend with Nathan’s frustrating desire to live and his unexpected ability to fight for his life. For some children to live, others must die. Dina must decide how far she’ll go to protect her children, and Geoff must find out if, and who, he’s willing to kill.
About the author: Mary G. Thompson is the author of the sci-fi novella One Level Down (Tachyon, 2025), as well as The Word, Flicker and Mist, and other novels for children and young adults. Her contemporary thriller Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee was a winner of the 2017 Westchester Fiction Award and a finalist for the 2018-2019 Missouri Gateway award. Her short fiction has appeared in Dark Matter Magazine, Apex Magazine, and others.
Thompson practiced law for seven years, including five years in the US Navy JAGC, and now works as a law librarian. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children from The New School and completed the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television’s Professional Program in Screenwriting. Thompson lives in Washington, DC.
About the moderator: Corbin is a high school English teacher for FCPS, originally from Virginia, who has always had a passion for horror. He founded Frederick Horror Fans in 2023 to form a community that welcomes any local fans of the horror genre across numerous mediums (literature, film, art, music, and gaming) as they collaborate to determine ways to give back to the community. The Horror Fans book club is but one facet of this 1600+ member community, but it’s a wonderfully creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky family.
