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.

I sat behind the couch, scrunched in a fetal position, hiding from the sliver of sun which managed to squeeze its way out from behind the drapes. My tormentor. Once a beloved friend, now it holds me captive behind this couch with nothing to keep me company but some cobwebs and fuzzy dust-bunnies. My newly improved eyes spotted a small, dark colored circular disk amongst the shag carpet. Slowly I eased my way over to it. Score! It's a brown M&M. Popping the tiny sweet treat into my mouth, I carefully chewed...trying not to puncture my lips with my freshly acquired fangs. I smiled. Today is looking up.

Timothy, a vampire turned no nonsense bounty hunter who keeps peace among supernaturals, has his world turned upside down when he meets a mysterious young witch who requests his help. ***** Timothy is excellent at what he does. He's a vampire bounty hunter who hunts supernatural beings and trains others to do the same. It's not a glamorous life but he loved it... until his boss nearly killed him but that's a whole separate story. As an apology for nearly murdering him Timothy's boss has granted him paid vacation for the first time since 1919: Tim has great ideas about what to do in New Orleans with his time off but those plans are shattered by the human witch Sammy and her damn magical pancakes. Will this confusing new relationship between a BDSM-loving vampire and an asexual human witch survive their quest for answers about Sammy's past while battling supernatural creatures and genetically engineered monster hunters? Tim's vacation just got a whole lot more complicated... Content warning: This story contains mature sexual content and themes of violence. 𝔅𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔨𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔊𝔬𝔡𝔰 Breaking Imhullu [Book 1] Breaking Order [Book 2] Breaking Death [Book 3] Breaking Darkness THIS STORY IS A PART OF THE WATTPAD ORIGINALS