[Watty's 2018 shortlist] Adelyn's quick hands and knack for thievery had a bad habit of putting her in dangerous situations, but forcing her into the path of Nikolai Kors was the worst of them all. A pirate captain with years of death and destruction under his belt, Nikolai has spent ages searching for the one thing that could make every loss, gamble and lie worth it, and Adelyn is the one person who knows where it is. But when fate strikes, it's revealed that Adelyn is more than just a common thief that stole a watch: she's the second piece to the puzzle Nik has been desperate to solve. Together, Nikolai and Adelyn must venture the seven seas and battle monsters of every kind. Should they succeed, Adelyn would have enough money to buy herself out of the life of thievery she's been living for years, but Nikolai hasn't been entirely honest with her... because there's a whole lot more than just riches at the end of this game.

WATTYS WINNER 2020 Two interconnected murders, 64 years apart. One woman's search for truth and identity. Readers' comments: 'a masterpiece', 'impeccably written', 'amazing', 'superbly crafted page-turner', 'hauntingly beautiful', 'tremendous plot and character development', 'one of a kind', 'fantastic story telling', 'loved this book', 'a wonderful read", 'absolutely beautiful', 'brought tears to my eyes' and many more Wattys judging panel: 'This is VERY good. We were HOOKED from the beginning, and the writing and plot hold up throughout. This is a very unique, polished, well-written and well-researched piece.' Plot Set partly in rural England, partly on the sun-kissed coast of southerm Italy, The Painted Altar is a murder mystery mixed with romantic and historical elements (World War Two). Given away at two days old, Mary Rice has spent her life in the shadows. When discovering the suspicious circumstances surrounding her biological mother's death, she embarks on a journey which will shine a light not only on the truth but also on her own identity. Brief extract Suddenly, the door had inched open, half a wrinkled face visible behind the tautened chain. "Hello. Who is it?" The words I was going to say had of course been well-rehearsed, repeated over and over in my mind like a mantra, but now that the moment had arrived I found myself struggling to remember them. "Mrs Harvey... I think that you might... well, that you might be..." The door closed, then slowly opened once more, the chain this time unlatched. And there she was before me - half a metre away, within arm's reach. Thin lips gradually crooking upwards at each corner like the slow beatific kindling of a summer's dawn. "Oh yes love, I know who you are." Length: 70,000 words About the author: Originally from England but for the last 16 years I've been living in Italy. I hope therefore that the Italian aspects of the novel will have a certain gloss of authenticity.

Completed! This isn't the first time love had a roommate. It's been five years since the death of her parents and 19-year-old Lillian Camel still mourns their loss while battling with mental illness. Cooped up in her aunt's house, she embarks on a one-girl mission to survive university and get her bachelor's degree as a fashion designer. But she is not going alone. She will need the willpower to face the demons that are coming along with her. But a breakdown in the dormitory system sets Lillian off to a decade-old abandoned dorm to room with the mysterious Noah Sky. Friendly, observant, and extremely attractive, he shares an unlikely trait of secrets with Lillian - secrets that haunt his past. However, they're not the only ones. The dorm has a few of its own. [[Word count: 90,000 - 95,000]] Content/trigger warning: Contains semi-mature themes, language and sexual content ©All Rights Reserved

{SAMPLE: Published on Amazon} Five hundred years ago, humanity's freedom died. When the Greek Gods and Goddesses were usurped from their home on Mt. Olympus, they crashed upon Earth and enslaved the human race. Children spend their existence inside prisons ran by ruthless Immortals, and upon their eighteenth birthday, they are thrown into an arena to be fought after. Once won, they are scarified with their name and short-lived identity in an unforgiving world, where there is an absence of hope for people with mortality coursing through their red veins. Servitude shackled humanity, but then a girl stood in the arena on the first summer solstice since she turned eighteen years old. A nameless girl, trembling behind the safety of her friend, landed in the Gods' worlds without knowing that she was going to be their unraveling. This wide-eyed slave, who bled two colors. One red like humans. One gold like the gods. Five hundred years ago, humanity's freedom died, but she's here to take it back. Final Book Cover commissioned by @Fantastical-Ink

Olivia has always been ready to meet her Matched partner. However, when the Matching system fails, she is paired with Neo - a heartbroken boy who is totally uninterested in her. *** Olivia Jensen has always known that she will be meeting with her Matched partner at eighteen. She is confident that she will be the perfect pair for him to love her. What she does not expect is Neo Carmichael, a boy who already has loved someone outside of his Match and is not interested in being with her. Completely taken aback by his confession, Olivia finds herself to be the first incompatible Match with Neo by a seemingly 'perfect' Matching system. What seems to be the first signs of the system failing ends up opening a whole new world for Neo and Olivia as they navigate a life that they discover to have been built upon lies and secrets. (Book One of the Death of the Future Series) [[Editor's Pick | April 2021]]

Small town girl Song Hyejin grew up with a pair of scissors in her hand, spending her high school days in her father's barber shop cutting crew cuts for young men who were about to enlist in the army; this was how she was intending to spend the rest of her life. When top star Ares Hwang walks into the shop one rainy day demanding that she give him a haircut even though it's past opening hours, her life gets thrown straight into a raging hurricane known as the world of showbiz. ======== Enter Kang Hyunwon, hairstylist to the celebrities, touted by all the country's fashion magazines as the golden hands that could catapult anyone, literally anyone, from obscurity to stardom. When his limelight gets stolen unceremoniously by the head of hair atop one Ares Hwang (whom he had callously rejected to style just days before), his ego takes a beating that he will never forget. When he finds out who it is who was responsible for his humiliation, he vows to show this clueless suburban girl what it truly means to be hair-raisingly good with a pair of scissors... ======== Cover adapted from the artwork by @ClarissaNorth

When Americans turn 20, they become immortal- if they can afford it. Ilana is ready for her birthday so that she can become immortal and enjoy a world where there's no need to live cautiously. When a new amendment is proposed to euthanize Americans who can't afford immortality, the entire country- and Ilana's plans for her birthday- are turned upside down forever. *Content Warning(s): This story contains some mature themes such as grooming, mild gun violence, character death, mild drug use, and brief mention of suicide.

Blackwell Boarding School is swarmed with cameras that prey on the students in order to film for the reality TV show that shows an exclusive inside to an elite school. Zora McQueen avoids the glistening TV screen when her nudes are spread around campus, instead taking comfort with the only other person who keeps secrets from the public. Alluring mystery and dubbed slut, Eliott Hearse. Except now, Eliott is missing and no one has the faintest idea where she could've gone. Taking matters into her own hands, Zora believes that the answers may lie in Eliott's favourite game: chess. Partnering with the school's best chess club player, Arwyn Truong, Zora learns that not everything is as it seems and that perhaps the old school holds far more secrets than they'd care to admit. Some secrets hitting dangerously close to home. In order to see things for what they are and find her friend, Zora must escape the gossip and cameras that follow her closely and embrace the title she adorns. The only way to do that? Follow the Slut's Guide to Chess. [2022 Watty's Shortlist] [Featured on Wattpad Editors' Picks, April 2021 + 2023]

[2020 Watty Award Winner] Alice Rhodes, an aspiring actress who gets a heart transplant, has to live her heart donor's life like it's a movie role, in order to find her identity and the life that awaits her in Hollywood. ***** A heart transplant causes Alice Rhodes to remember her heart donor's life. Intrigued by the strange people from her new memories, she goes looking for them, only to find herself in the middle of an investigation of the absurd disappearance of an important woman. With her personality changing into her heart donor's, Alice navigates a mysterious world where nothing seems to make sense and yet everything is strangely connected. It's not long before she realizes she may actually be looking for herself in the missing woman, and as she yields to her new heart, she's longing for the one she lost. Content warning: This story contains mature sexual content and themes of depression, sexual assault, and violence. © Robert Peterson 2020

When Olivia Parker is found dead at a high school party gone wrong, it seems obvious who her killer was. Wesley Owens was found next to her covered in blood. Obviously, he did it. The question was why. With the entire senior class attending the end of the year bash, it shouldn't have been that simple to get away with the crime. There had to be witnesses and alibis, especially in the tight-knit friend group found at the scene. Now, with the eyes of everyone on them, the group has to pick up their broken pieces and figure out what actually happened that night before one of them gets falsely accused. With each step closer to the truth, the friends start to get more and more hesitant to reveal the truth and start to realize no one seems to be innocent. (Featured on Wattpad Picks twice!) (Shortlisted for the 2018 Wattys!) In the process of a rewrite!