Meet A. L. Sterling
AUTHOR
Dark tales for bright minds.
I’ve been concerning parents and teachers with my dark and sparkling tales since childhood. I wrote my first novel at thirteen and haven’t stopped since. I earned my Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from North Carolina State University, and drafted FORESYTH CONSERVATORY between scientific papers and copious cups of black coffee.
My work focuses on character-driven narratives steeped in mystery, myth, and the academic sublime. These stories dwell in the spaces where academia becomes ritual, and where traditions crumble under the weight of personal sovereignty. Rooted in my lived experience, my writing seeks to subvert Western occult traditions, explore feminine power in liminal spaces, and interrogate the institutions we’re taught to revere.
I write for readers who crave emotional depth, intellectual danger, and a touch of haunting. My debut FORESYTH CONSERVATORY releases this October 2025.
Photography by Jeff Hahne (2025)
JOIN THE CONSERVATORY
JOIN THE CONSERVATORY
“Most children inherit jewelry or surnames—I inherited death, debt, and a door I should have never opened.”
Dahlia Blackburne is a failing bookstore keeper and Tarot reader who relies on deductive reasoning—not magic—to cast her fortunes. When a stranger calling himself the Meister walks into her shop and offers three times her normal rate for a reading, Dahlia’s curiosity—and her growing debts—compel her to accept.
But the reading reveals that the Meister has a far more dangerous proposition: infiltrate Foresyth Conservatory, an elite occult arts graduate school, and investigate the alleged suicide of brilliant but troubled student and puzzle maker, Julian Earhardt.
Desperate to care for her ailing mother after her father’s recent passing, Dahlia agrees to investigate Julian’s death. Inside Foresyth’s candlelit halls and ivy-choked towers, Dahlia finds the school’s ruthless academic “Circle”—a cadre of students who double as suspects obsessed with creating art that doesn’t merely imitate life, but transcends it. What Dahlia doesn’t know is that the other students are there to pay off their own form of debts, and her father’s history is more intertwined with the seductive currents of Foresyth than Dahlia could have imagined.
As the line between performance and passion blurs, Dahlia must confront the truth about Julian, the Conservatory, and a dangerous form of magic that isn’t taught—but inherited.
Perfect for fans of A Study in Drowning, Mexican Gothic, and Ninth House, FORESYTH CONSERVATORY is for readers who believe the mind is a haunted house and academia a battleground for the sovereignty of the soul.
Thank you for supporting this author’s dream of haunting yours!
Early Praise for FORESYTH CONSERVATORY:
“Sterling’s debut novel shines brightly as a genre-defying piece of mysticism and mystery. It’s one of those rare books I wish I could experience for the first time again.”
- Madison H. (beta reader)
“WARNING: This book could cause book insomnia–a condition where a story is so compelling that one forgets that one's body needs sleep. Expect to see the sunrise because you won't want to stop reading until it's finished.”
- Lessa G. (beta reader, professional tarot reader)
“A page turner where I loved every second of it—I couldn’t put it down! I want to tell everyone I know to read it.”
- Rachel B. (beta reader)
“Blurring the lines between prose and poetry, FORESYTH CONSERVATORY gave me everything from butterflies to goosebumps. A compelling and captivating read—I cannot recommend it enough.”
- Ishita K. (beta reader)