***WATTPAD FEATURED Nov 2017*** Penniless, hungry, and stranded at a truck stop just before Christmas, Jane Johnson has few options. So when rescue comes in the form of three Kentucky hillbilly brothers--two of them mute--she reluctantly accepts. When they hire her to paint a dilapidated nineteenth-century hotel in middle-of-nowhere Nebraska, she expects nothing more than a few days' work and a meager paycheck. Instead, as the days turn into weeks, she discovers the true renovation is taking place within the brothers--and herself. Initially drawn in by the men's unexpected kindness and droll humor, she's mystified at their reticence to discuss their past. When shocking revelations about their family entwines with her own, she questions all she knows about her history. Soon she must decide if digging for answers is worth tormenting the men who befriended her. "The Marvels of Prairie Creek" is the first installment in a romantic women's fiction serial featuring the most off-the-wall leading man you'll ever meet. If you like slow-burn romances, wry-humored men with mysterious pasts, and true-to-life characters, then you'll love Lynne Mickley's witty tale of life in a small Nebraska town. ***Iron Lace Awards 1st place winner, The Monthly Elimination Awards 1st place winner & Grand Finale winner***

Elsie-Rae always fancied having Double D's and that's exactly what she got after her boyfriend Ben dumped her, since that night in McDonald's car park her life has been one disaster and dilemma after another. Now, she must learn to live her life in the only way she knows how, by following advice columns in magazines and dating unsuitable guys. Book 1

Kathy Taylor had weathered eight rough years as a black female police officer in Boston - but enough was enough. She turned in her badge, moved up north, and set up shop as a private investigator in historic Salem, Massachusetts. Now she's surrounded by Wiccans and herbalists, by crystal shops and psychic pizza-deliverymen. And her first client has just stepped in the door. The Lucky Cat is the very first entry in the Salem Massachusetts Mini Mystery series. These short stories will be written and loaded one a day from October 1 through October 31, 2014. You can read them one-by-one if you wish, or you can read them bundled into collections. All author's proceeds from this series benefit battered women's shelters. Lisa has lived in scenic Massachusetts since 1986, with only two brief forays out of state. One of Lisa's ancestors was Ann Foster, who died during the Salem Witch Trials. Ann Foster was a grandmother by that time and sacrificed herself to protect her daughter and granddaughter. Ann had been born in England, came over in 1635, and was 75 by the time of the trials. Salem reached its dark depths during those trials from 1692-1693 - but since then has healed, blossomed, and shines. It now features the amazing Peabody Essex Museum, a plethora of gorgeous historic architecture, and a beautiful coastline. It's well worth a visit. If you can't go in person, take a virtual trip through Lisa's first-hand descriptions!

A fisherman catches his wife in the sea. ONC entry for prompt #29 "I am in the mood to dissolve into the sky." (Substitute 'sea' for 'sky'.) Cover by @AuthorLilyXu

Ever since the mainland vanished overnight, along with almost the entire city watch, gangsters have ruled the bustling cobblestone streets of the once proud towns of Renryre Island. Now, a new quest begins; the search for the mainland is revived. It's a perfect opportunity for villains and heroes alike! This comic fantasy will bring adventure and laughs throughout, in a tale both diverse and original. A host of unique guides will lead you on a fantastic journey through all parts of the island as the quest for the mainland continues - disjointed, but ever interconnected! --- Praise for TDToRI ⭐ "This is so brilliant. It's like T. Pratchett meets R. Jordon, but better." - A wonderful Wattpad comment from author E A Carter. ⭐ "It's like Robert E. Howard with a touch of Douglas Adams." - A generous Facebook post from Trevor James Blasius. --- Achievements and Rankings ⭐ Wattys 2018 Longlist ⭐ 1st Place in Pastel Awards Fantasy (2018-2019) ⭐ Runner-up in Prism Awards 2018 √ Highest Rank #1 in ComicFantasy! √ Highest Rank #576 / 130k in Fantasy! √ Highest Rank #459 / 128k in Adventure!

(ON HIATUS) After being thrown off the social pyramid when he had a child with a black girl, Andreas Moreau gets a second chance when he's asked by the man he works for, Antoine Louis, to help build a new invention of his; The beautiful execution machine that would give justice to all: the Guillotine. With the hopes of buying his wife out of slavery and creating a future for his son, Andreas complies and feeds Louis' idea. He can't predict the impact the Guillotine would have on his country, let alone the world. Told in a series of letters, Quick and Painless is a story of family, devotion, and catastrophe. - Cover by @Unevenfeets

Criminal necromancer & vampire private eye team up to solve the case of the missing barista. *** When a client drops dead in her parlor, former necromancer turned fortune teller, Isla, has no choice but to illegally resurrect the poor gal. Better that than go back to jail for keeping a corpse, am I right? The gal's just a Tourist. Isla is certain nobody will notice... At least she was until a handsome vampire strolled in. When vampire private investigator, Gregorio, is hired to find where another vamp misplaced their favorite barista, he never expected the case to lead him into the parlor of a fraudulent psychic with a secret. Or that that psychic would be so distractingly attractive. Neither expected they'd need to team up to find the not-dead girl before both the authorities and a lovesick vampire discover there's a new reanimated corpse in town. Sparks fly and blood splatters as Greg and Isla investigate Philadelphia's underground magical Society, negotiate with the werewolf mafia, dodge arrest by anti-necromantic wizards, and occasionally pop off for late night cheesesteaks. The "Bites Twice" Mysteries 1 - The Vampire Always Bites Twice [150,000-200,000 words // complete]. 1.5 - Doubull Indemnity [20k - 50k words // in progress] 2 - TBD This book contains mature sexual content, paranormal violence, and gore.

2019 WATTY WINNER FOR HISTORICAL FICTION. Charity loves Ian. Ian thinks Charity is an incorrigible flirt and he is certainly not tempted. Not one bit! Or at least that's what he tells himself... Bright, optimistic, and a bit naïve, Charity Crewe has always been in love with Ian Douglass. And it would certainly help if he loved her back... just a little bit! Though Ian was raised on the estate and generously given lessons with the Crewe siblings, no one, especially Ian, has ever forgotten he is the housekeeper's son. Charity might not care what anyone thinks of her, but Ian certainly does, so he is determined to protect her reputation as well as his own. He's worked too hard to secure his position to risk his livelihood, not to mention his mother's. He has discouraged her affections at every turn... with only a few moments of weakness. However, while Charity is away gaining some polish, circumstances drastically change and Charity must decide if she is willing to risk everything, even complete and utter ruin, in pursuit of the man she loves. Authors notes: This is Book One of The Crewe Legacy, a four-book series in progress, involving the Crewe siblings and other characters you'll meet along the way. I hope you enjoy Ian and Charity's story and that everyone else intrigues you! CONTENT WARNING: this story contains some mature sexual content, descriptions of spousal abuse, child abuse, murder, and suicide.

Diane Simmons always had the bad luck to look like a spitting image of her tall twin brother David. But as her world turns upside down, Diane has no other choice but to embrace their resemblance; with her father and David dead, two younger unmarried sisters in tow, an emotionally unstable mother and no other male successor, she doesn't see any other alternative to save her family and her home but to become her brother - and bury herself. And even if she thought it will be easy to impersonate a spoiled young heir that always gets his way, things get more than a little complicated with the arrival of David's so-called best friend, Captain Talbot, who seems to know more than she'd like him to. With his arrival, the secrets that have been buried in the heart of the Simmons home start to resurface and it looks like someone wants Diane dead one way or another...

At 17, Wildy's mother and 13 year old sister were murdered in front of her. Ten years later Wildy is a cutthroat investigative reporter on a mission to bring her family's killer to justice. Unfortunately, justice for her family may prove to be the worst kind of injustice for Wildy and the man she loves.