Castaway

Upmarket Grounded Speculative

Castaway (79,000 words) follows a gifted young artist, her high-profile therapist mother, and the immersive AI project that becomes both their connection and undoing.

Phoebe Sommers, a young painter fresh out of her MFA, is thrilled when tech billionaire Bradley Chance offers her a role designing Castaway, an immersive AI-driven world that promises to transform emotional pain into beauty and growth. For Phoebe, it’s a chance to turn her art into something lasting and to prove herself on a stage far bigger than one she ever imagined.

Diana Sommers, a celebrated psychotherapist and bestselling author, built her life around understanding trauma and helping others heal. But nothing has prepared her for losing her daughter to a man, a technology, and a future full of moral complexity neither fully understands. As Phoebe is drawn deeper into Bradley’s orbit, Diana watches, sidelined and desperate to stay connected.

When Castaway takes a devastating turn,  Phoebe reaches out to Diana for help. What follows is a fragile, high-stakes reunion as the two women investigate Castaway's dark evolution. As disturbing patterns emerge and the danger escalates, mother and daughter must decide what they're willing to sacrifice — for the truth, for each other, and to prevent the harms the AI is inflicting on its users.

Set in a near future where immersive technology blends art, psychology, and ambition, Castaway reimagines the myth of Demeter and Persephone for the digital age.