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.

{FIRST BOOK IN 'THE GIRL IN THE HOODIE' SERIES} {2014-2018} A girl moved to California two years ago. No one knows what she looks like. All they know is that she wears a hoodie. *~*~*~* "HOLY SHIT, NOAH! WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU LET THE TROLLEY GO?! COME BACK! OH MY FUCKING LIFE, FIZZY DRINKS UP AHEAD--" BANG FIZZ POP "...am I dead?" I'm suddenly grabbed by the back of my hoodie and pulled up from the ground and out of the mess of the opened bottles of fizzy which had exploded when the trolley and I crashed into them. My hands instantly go to my hood and I sigh in relief to find that it hadn't fallen off through all of that. I turn my head and look the the employee who's holding me, his face completely red and the vein in his neck throbbing. "Wassup, dude?" I smile sheepishly. *~* {HIGHEST RANKINGS: #1 in Funny #1 in Sad And #1 in Cancer apparently }

"I love you, Ashton" I whispered to his sleeping face, being careful so he doesn't hear. Quickly kissing him on the cheek, I run away knowing that he can't know, and he will never know. I'm in love with my bestfriend. "Diana?" Ashton's voice stops me. Tears threaten to fall down, but I push them away. "Yes?" "Could you please call Mel?" He replies. I nod and walk away.

✨✨Shortlisted for 2017 WATTYS!✨✨ Losing any human sense sucks. But for Everett North, losing his vision at eight years old made his life a living nightmare. Angry and hurt, his sanctuary became the world he found in music and he shut out the world. But when a new girl emerges on the scene and attempts breaking through his walls, Everett realizes all bets are off. So now, it's up to the girl with a pocket full of dreams to show the boy who gave up that life has plenty of things worth fighting for. Soon, Everett ends up finding friendship, a little bit of love and most importantly, himself. * * * * * * * * * * "Love...is never blind."

"I'm asking to marry your daughter for 1 billion dollars." what would you think if a random stranger asked to take you away from your parents? Eve thinks her life is destroyed and that she is an item to the billionaire boy Heath, Sexy, sleek, smooth, and smart. However resisting his charm is harder than Eve anticipated, and with complications in the way, her life just got a whole lot harder. Will she resist? will she fight back? will she be able to live the life of a billionaires wife? but most of all will she fall for the mysterious, flirty Heath, who has more than her on his mind? ***Some Mature content***

"Never call a girl a bitch," I glared into his eyes as he opened them, piercing into me, the bright blue drink I had just poured over him still dripping from his dark hair. "Or she just might act like one." I gave him one last sarcastic smile before pushing by him and walking away, practically strutting. Well, this year will be fun... • • • • Crystal Summers; a self-proclaimed expert in all things sarcastic and the human embodiment of destructive decisions. Trying to get away from her troubled past, she moves with her mom to California to start a new life, and potentially not screw this one up. There, she quickly meets Scarlett and Savanah, her new-found partners in crime, and her life finally begins to feel normal again for the first time in years. But she just so happens to also collide with the school's sexy, notorious jackass, Ashton Monroe.. and his pack of asswipes. She loathes him, and the feeling is mutual. But as the poets say, the line separating love and hate is a very thin one. And often times, when two people hate each other, it can grow into much more. Hopeless devotion, if you will... • • • • !!!TRIGGER WARNING!!! • slight mention(s) of suicidal concepts • substance abuse, addiction, anxiety, PTSD • sexual assault, domestic abuse • strong language and mature scenes • • • •

1 man down, 2 more to go. I blocked a guy's punch, closing my hand around just fist till I could here the cracking of the bones in his fingers, turning to dust. He let out a howl in pain. I smirked, looking at my work: two men sprawled on the floor, blood leaking from the wounds on their faces. Another guy kicked me in the shin but I quickly recovered from the pain and kicked him in the jaw. He managed to grab hold of my foot so I used my surroundings to lift my other leg up and around his neck until I heard him gasp for his last breath. Police sirens wailed through the city and I took that as my sign to leave, watching as the officers gaped at my work from a nearby rooftop. "What the-" "It was Shadow!"

Sophie Allen is a Pre-Med student, a hard worker, and head over heels in love with her long-time boyfriend, Bryce Harrison. Bryce Harrison is a baseball jock, a lover of the movie Hairspray, and head over heels in love with his long-tie girlfriend, Sophie Allen. That is, until Bryce's world is turned upside down with the big-C. A cancer diagnosis. What does it mean to love someone unconditionally? And just how far would you go for the person that you love? Sophie is about to find out.

Henley agrees to pretend to date millionaire Bennett Calloway for a fee, falling in love as she wonders - how is he involved in her brother's false conviction? ****** Henley Linden's brother is in jail for a crime he didn't commit, and she'll take any job to raise the money needed to free him. Soon, she's agreed to pretend to date millionaire Bennett Calloway for ten thousand dollars, so his mother will ease up the pressure on him to find a wife. But once Henley is enmeshed in Bennett's world, he falls for her, and she starts to have feelings for him as well. Despite her romance with Bennett, as she grows closer to the Calloways, Henley realizes they are somehow involved in her brother's conviction. Journeying deeper into a world of wealth and conspiracies, Henley is forced to rely on Bennett, though doing so could cost her everything. [[word count: 200,000-250,000 words]]

HR- 3TF | "Most people have a hard time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them" Meet Noel Atkins, kinda awkward, has her face stuck to a screen almost every time, talks to herself and always, always wears a beanie. She moves to a new town in other to start things afresh, and scale through Highschool unnoticed and alone. Meet Aaron-lee Altamira, the popular boy, rich, handsome, every girl's dream and every boy's model. With his killer blue eyes and charming attitude, Aaron-lee always gets what he wants. Aaron-lee doesn't do flings and hook ups, he's searching for something real. Something substantial. Something challenging. Something more cherishing than his cars. Something he finds in the eyes of the new girl who talks to herself and always wears a beanie. With the school's hottest boy interested in her, Noel's quite, boring, gaming and withdrawn life is about to take a ride on a rollercoaster. Noel isn't interested and Aaron-lee isn't taking no for an answer. --- All Rights reserved ©2018 CriticallyIntense Cover by @misssarcastic