The Storm Format: Sheet map, rolled

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A January 2026 Indie Next Pick • "This gripping page-turner feels like it was ripped from the juiciest headlines." ―People • "Sexy and full of surprises...an ideal curl-up-by-the-fire read." ―Real Simple

Hurricane season can be murder...

St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is famous for three things: the deadly hurricanes that regularly sweep into town, the Rosalie Inn, a century-old hotel that’s survived every one of those storms, and Lo Bailey, the local girl infamously accused of the murder of her lover, political scion Landon Fitzroy, during Hurricane Marie in 1984.

When Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, hears a writer is coming to town to research the crime that put St. Medard’s Bay on the map, she’s less interested in solving a whodunnit than in how a successful true crime book might help the struggling inn’s bottom line. But to her surprise, August Fletcher doesn’t come to St. Medard’s Bay alone. With him is none other than Lo Bailey herself. Lo says she’s returned to her hometown to clear her name once and for all, but the closer Geneva gets to both Lo and August, the more she wonders if Lo is actually back to settle old scores.

As the summer heats up and another monster storm begins twisting its way towards St. Medard’s Bay, Geneva learns that some people can be just as destructive―and as deadly―as any hurricane, and that the truth of what happened to Landon Fitzroy may not be the only secret Lo is keeping…

Petrea Burchard grew up in northern Illinois where farm meets university, and life her to love both nature and academe. An early reader, she wrote her first short story at age six.

After earning her BA in creative writing with a minor in theater, she embarked on an acting career. Her experience ranges from improv comedy with The Second City National Touring Company, to Shakespeare and everything in between. Her resumé includes stage, TV, film and voice acting, including the badass space pirate Ryoko in the classic anime, Tenchi Muyo.

Petrea has published short stories, essays, articles and two books: Act As If: Stumbling Through Hollywood With Headshot in Hand, and Camelot & Vine, a time-slip novel which she narrated, and which was nominated for the 2023 SOVAS award for author performance. She has narrated nearly 90 audiobooks, two of which won AudioFile Earphones awards.

Petrea is inspired by travel and exploration, as well as the art, resilience and humor of humans―which is what stories, storytellers, and her own narration are all about.

Stephanie Németh‑Parker is an actor, voiceover artist and an award‑winning audiobook narrator who’s recorded over 400 audiobooks. A second‑generation Cuban‑American raised in Florida, Georgia, and Texas, she brings remarkable accent versatility―conversationally fluent in German with basic knowledge of Spanish and expertly shifting among Southern (Texas and Georgia), New York, RP British, Irish, Scottish, French, German, Mexican, Russian, South American, Hungarian accents and more.

Her narration spans a wide spectrum of genres―romance, thriller, historical fiction, sci‑fi/fantasy, LitRPG, horror, LGBTQ+, mystery/suspense, and biography.

Stephanie’s work has earned her three Audie Award nominations, five prestigious SOVAS Awards, and an AudioFile Earphones Award.

Her theater and on‑screen experience gives her narration depth, warmth, and range. Stephanie’s unique skill set―expert accents, emotional nuance, and genre flexibility―continues to captivate listeners and elevate stories across the audio landscape.