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Headcase: A Livé Saga
What if the thing helping you heal… was feeding on you instead?
Seventeen-year-old Emmitt Sanders has always lived in his head. After the death of his mother, retreating into fantasy feels safer than facing reality. So, when his father uproots their lives and moves them to New Orleans, Emmitt expects loneliness, not transformation.
Then he meets Emit Live’, a charismatic school counselor who seems to understand him a little too well.
Live’ encourages Emmitt to help his classmates. To listen. To heal. To use his empathy as a gift.
And strangely… it works.
Broken friendships mend. Old wounds fade. Problems disappear.
But the more Emmitt helps, the more reality begins to fracture.
Clocks stop. Mirrors ripple. Shadows linger too long.
Whispers follow him from the halls of Westmore High to the glowing screen of his favorite fantasy game.
And a word keeps resurfacing—Headcase.
As Emmitt’s classmates confront their own hidden sins, he’s pulled deeper into a hallucinatory world where good intentions carry terrifying consequences. With the help of a cryptic neighbor, Clarence and the memory of his late mother, Emmitt must confront a chilling truth:
Not all healing is selfless.
Not all guides are saviors.
And some evils don’t want more than your soul.
Set against the haunting beauty of New Orleans, HEADCASE is a psychological fantasy about grief, empathy, and the thin line between helping others and losing yourself.
Seventeen-year-old Emmitt Sanders has always lived in his head. After the death of his mother, retreating into fantasy feels safer than facing reality. So, when his father uproots their lives and moves them to New Orleans, Emmitt expects loneliness, not transformation.
Then he meets Emit Live’, a charismatic school counselor who seems to understand him a little too well.
Live’ encourages Emmitt to help his classmates. To listen. To heal. To use his empathy as a gift.
And strangely… it works.
Broken friendships mend. Old wounds fade. Problems disappear.
But the more Emmitt helps, the more reality begins to fracture.
Clocks stop. Mirrors ripple. Shadows linger too long.
Whispers follow him from the halls of Westmore High to the glowing screen of his favorite fantasy game.
And a word keeps resurfacing—Headcase.
As Emmitt’s classmates confront their own hidden sins, he’s pulled deeper into a hallucinatory world where good intentions carry terrifying consequences. With the help of a cryptic neighbor, Clarence and the memory of his late mother, Emmitt must confront a chilling truth:
Not all healing is selfless.
Not all guides are saviors.
And some evils don’t want more than your soul.
Set against the haunting beauty of New Orleans, HEADCASE is a psychological fantasy about grief, empathy, and the thin line between helping others and losing yourself.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 16, 2026
About the author
Thomas Parsons
2 books5 followersI am Thomas C. Parsons but more commonly known as Tommy. Born in Pittsburgh in 1973 and my family moved to southern Louisiana while I was still an infant. I am a new author that has published my first book Headcase: A Live Saga in 2026. This is book 1 of a planned trilogy. You might be surprised to know that I never had an interest in reading and writing growing up. Although it was necessary to get through schooling, I think I must have been more of a visual learner in my youth. However, I have always has a passion for art and storytelling and the older I've gotten the more I have enjoyed the challenges for learning new skills. I have always had very vivid dreams for some reason. I suppose it might be a side-effect of a wild imagination. My favorite part of being a new author is interacting with folks that have read my work. I have very much enjoyed the process and look forward to publishing many more reads.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 4, 2026
4.5☆
I had to sit with this for awhile before writing a review. This is an eerie tale. Is what 17 year old Emmitt experiences real or is he a headcase?
Parsons put so many words of wisdom within the pages. His cautions are easily recognized by individuals who are innate healers and empaths. Some of the messages hit hard, because they are too real.
The theme of feeding what matters and what is a diversion is stressed. What we feed; grief, beliefs, ideas, fears, darkness, internal stories, matter. What is fed shapes us. It is all a matter of choice. As Emmitt tries to navigate through his grief and self-doubt he wrestles with evil influences. Fortunately for Emmitt he also receives guidance from the enigmatic character of Clarence, an old man who offers up beautiful pearls of wisdom.
I received a free copy of Headcase, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Favorite Quote:
"'See, thing about healin,"' Clarence went on, '"is it don't come free. Sometimes it takes a little bit of what's inside you. Like a candle lightin' another. Light keeps spreadin'.... but the first candle burns down faster than the rest.'"
Clarence
I had to sit with this for awhile before writing a review. This is an eerie tale. Is what 17 year old Emmitt experiences real or is he a headcase?
Parsons put so many words of wisdom within the pages. His cautions are easily recognized by individuals who are innate healers and empaths. Some of the messages hit hard, because they are too real.
The theme of feeding what matters and what is a diversion is stressed. What we feed; grief, beliefs, ideas, fears, darkness, internal stories, matter. What is fed shapes us. It is all a matter of choice. As Emmitt tries to navigate through his grief and self-doubt he wrestles with evil influences. Fortunately for Emmitt he also receives guidance from the enigmatic character of Clarence, an old man who offers up beautiful pearls of wisdom.
I received a free copy of Headcase, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Favorite Quote:
"'See, thing about healin,"' Clarence went on, '"is it don't come free. Sometimes it takes a little bit of what's inside you. Like a candle lightin' another. Light keeps spreadin'.... but the first candle burns down faster than the rest.'"
Clarence
Displaying 1 of 1 review