|| WATTPAD FEATURED STORY || || WATTY'S 2018 SHORTLISTED || Zora was only a little girl when her mother raked out her left eye. A mauled princess, she is alive only because of her political marriage potential. In a world where misogyny reigns, there is little she can do about her situation. When Zora comes of age, she decides to take matters into her own hands, and plots the murders of her father and his proclaimed heir. Jurauk likes to eat people. His favorite part is the neck. Sadly, humans are getting a little scarce. Being the second heir of the mythical race of Nefari, it's his job to find the tastiest morsel and bring it back home on a silver platter. His only problem? His intended prey is willing to put up a hell of a battle. Start: 11/1/17 End: TBC highest: #71 in fantasy #1 in The FaeFolk's November 2017 Book of the Month cover by me

❝Where a brutal and fierce king falls for a vain and beguiling queen.❞

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.

she wrote him letters out of pure devotion; he ignored them because it was a waste of time. [ © btsayper ] [ √completed : June 12, 2016 ] [ E D I T E D ]

All Denise had ever wanted was a little bit of love, affection and acceptance. All she ever got was hate, scorn and rejection. From Ethan, her dead mate to Cory, her Alpha turned ex-lover. When she meets Fabian, her second chance mate, she expects another rejection. But will he prove her wrong or continue with the long line of pain in her life?

Trapped in the woodlands, Ivy's only hope of going home is to escape the faerie who enchants her into loving him, blinding her to what he is--monstrous. *** A dark fortress of trees twisted and crippled by time, the Clearwater, Connecticut, woods is no place for two teenage girls. The legends claim it's haunted. Fed up with being kept inside after dark, fearing the monster will take them, sixteen-year-old Ivy Farewell and her best friend Margaret set out to prove everyone wrong--that the ghost of Clearwater isn't a ghost. And the voice that has been calling to Ivy after dark is simply a trick of the wind. But the woods are deeper than Ivy imagined, each turn bringing them farther from home. When they end up lost their only hope is in each other. All seems undone when Ivy falls ill with a fever, until a stranger persuades them back to his cabin. Under his spell, Ivy falls into a deep and complicated love, a love so treacherous it blinds her to what he truly is--a monster. Copyright © 2023 T.A. Joseph All rights reserved cover by @xenomorphius