After the success of Broken Bayou, thriller author Jennifer Moorhead was already deep into her next big project — Poison Wood. Set in Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana, this upcoming novel brought her to mysterious places that sparked the inspiration behind the story. Moorhead sat down with us for an exclusive look at the makings of her second novel and what readers can expect within its pages.
Moorhead’s first novel was featured on Amazon First Reads in June of 2024 — a big deal for a debut novel. Despite the news, Moorhead was still unsure what this truly meant, but she quickly found out. Her novel quickly jumped to #30 in the Kindle store, and by the end of the night, it had hit #1. From there, Moorhead began doing book clubs to engage with her audience and received the “best seller” title. It wasn’t long after until she received the opportunity to share Poison Wood in a two-book deal with her publisher. So, as if we weren’t already excited, there is more to come.
The Story Behind the Story
Poison Wood took root in Moorhead’s mind while writing her debut novel, Broken Bayou. Rita Meade, whom you’ll meet on October 28, wouldn’t let Moorhead rest until her story was told.
“She just kept waking me up every morning saying, ‘I’ve got a story.’ And, so I started kind of playing around and just writing a few scenes and seeing where it led,” said Moorhead.
Meade is a crime reporter whose story started back in her high school days at a boarding school called Poison Wood Therapeutic Academy for Girls. It was this discovery that led Moorhead down a rabbit hole of Louisiana boarding schools, where one abandoned building in Kisatchie National Forest became the perfect setting.
“There was writing on the chalkboards. There were files everywhere. There were stairs torn down. It’s been abandoned for many, many years,” said Moorhead. “And, I was like, ‘This is it.’ So, then the story started snowballing from there.”
The abandoned boarding school became the backdrop of Moorhead’s novel and even inspired the book’s name. The forest was drenched in poison ivy, which sparked a thought. Moorhead imagined a school covered in ivy with poisonous things hiding in the woods (and even more dangerous things in the school). She knew immediately “Poison Wood” was the name of the book.
Book Three is Already in the Works
Moorhead’s novels are both standalone, so you don’t have to read one before the other. And, she took the same approach with book three.
“I pulled a character out,” Moorhead said. “Poison Wood isn’t a sequel to Broken Bayou; it’s just a companion book. There is a character from Broken Bayou who is now the main character of Poison Wood. So, you can read both individually or one before the other, and it still works just the same.”
Despite being a month out from the release of Poison Wood, Moorhead is already closing in on the final pages of her third novel. As she did with book two, book three pulls a character from Poison Wood, giving readers a deeper look into their story. While we don’t know who it will be, we can still anxiously guess until the big reveal.
If you are local to Louisiana, we’ve got word of a few local events you won’t want to miss.
- October 30 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at The Conundrum, St. Francisville
- October 31 at the Zachary Library
- November 1 at the Louisiana Book Festival in Downtown Baton Rouge
Pre-orders through indie bookstores also come with a special bonus — Place an order with TBR Books & Tea, Red Stick Reads, or The Conundrum for a signed bookplate from Moorhead.
Readers can find advanced copies of Poison Wood on NetGalley as they anticipate the release. Moorhead’s second thriller hits shelves and online stores on October 28, 2025. Preorder your copy here.
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