A Michigan author just released his second novel in a planned three-part horror series that has strong Vanderbilt ties.
Midland resident Jeff Vande Zande wrote “Blood of the Witness Tree,” which takes place in the Pigeon River Country State Forest, and includes a reference to the Mill Street Diner in Vanderbilt. Vande Zande knows the area well as he has been fly fishing there for the last 25 years.
Vande Zande’s first horror novel was “Dance of the Rotten Sticks,” released in August 2024. Both are part of his Orphan Island series that will be completed with the third book, “Coven of the Worm Moon,” slated for later this year.
“I’m just happy that I was able to incorporate this part of Michigan into the novels,” Vande Zande said.
Vande Zande works as a creative writing professor at Delta College near Saginaw. Before COVID-19, he mainly wrote poetry, short stories and other novels.
“After COVID, I got the idea to write horror stories, which I guess makes sense given all we went through with (the pandemic),” Vande Zande said.
Vande Zande enjoys fly fishing in the Vanderbilt area several times a year and considers the two-hour drive from Midland part of the relaxing nature of his trips. He admits fishing last summer was different because there was so much debris around the forest and in the water from the March 2025 ice storm.
During visits, Vande Zande has dined at the Mill Street Diner in Vanderbilt and has become friendly with owners Shelly and Doug Slagel. When his second book was released in August 2025 through Montag Press, Shelly agreed to carry copies of it at the diner. It’s been a successful partnership.
“She’s sold over 50 copies of my books out of the diner so far, and I need to bring more up to her,” Vande Zande said. “I think some people like the fact that the book features (the forest) and Vanderbilt. Hopefully, a few of them actually like the book,” he added with a laugh.
The book sales and exposure have gone so well that Vande Zande and the Mill Street Diner might jointly host a launch/book signing event in the fall for the release of his third and final novel in the series. That book includes a scene at the Elkhorn Bar & Grill in Vanderbilt.
“It’s fun to write about the area because it means a lot to me,” Vande Zande said.
His books can be purchased through a few independent retailers around Michigan, and online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Michigan author’s horror book series features Vanderbilt ties
Reporting by M. Alan Scott, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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