A Montgomery County Public Schools teacher has turned her passion for storytelling and Maryland history into a debut novel that blends romance, the supernatural, and local folklore.
Melissa Adams, an English and Humanities teacher at Poolesville High School and class of 2000 graduate of Watkins Mill High School, recently published Meet Me in the Graveyard, a paranormal speculative romance set at her alma mater, St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
The novel follows Colby, the ghost of a student who died tragically on campus, and Emmy, a freshman who discovers she can see and communicate with him. As the pair work together to uncover why Colby remains trapped between worlds, their quest evolves into a story of friendship, healing, self-discovery, and first love.
Adams said the idea for the novel emerged during a class at the Chesapeake Writers Conference, held annually at St. Mary’s College. “That whole area of southern Maryland is full of folklore about ghosts, and plenty of reported sightings,” Adams explained. “I remember, when I was a freshman, one of my senior friends first telling me all the campus ghost stories. She was so calm about it. She said, ‘Don’t bother them, and they won’t bother you, but they are here so either accept that or transfer.’ Then at the CWC, I was chatting with some other alumni, and I started thinking: What would it be like for a new student, who is just trying to get her footing in college life, to find herself befriending one of these ghosts?”
What sets the novel apart is its incorporation of real Maryland history. Colby’s closest companions are three historical spirits inspired by figures from the state’s past. Among them is Moll Dyer, the legendary “Winter Witch of Leonardtown.” The novel also features Askuwheteau, a Yacocomico Indigenous man reportedly seen in Historic St. Mary’s City, and Nuani, a character inspired by Antonio, an enslaved man who was murdered by colonial landowner Simon Overzee.
These historical figures serve as mentors to Colby as he grapples with his death and search for peace, adding a distinctly Maryland perspective to the story’s supernatural elements. At its core, Meet Me in the Graveyard explores themes of grief, belonging, forgiveness, found family, and what it means to truly be seen by others.
The novel is available now in Kindle and paperback formats through Amazon. Additional information about Adams and her work can be found on her website, melissaadamswriter.com.
