[Featured by PsychologicalNovel] A youthful couple struggle with the emotions of newfound love, try to push back their life changing diseases and rediscover the zeal to live positively amidst the fear of loss and death. ******* What would you do if you knew you were going to die? Some people say they'll fight, they'll live every moment of every day as if it's their last. But not everyone is a fighter. Suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa, a life-threatening illness, eighteen-year-old Phoebe's life is everything you don't want yours to be... Daniel is twenty-one, cheerful and a happy go lucky guy. When their paths cross, he tries to bring optimism in their lives. But what will happen when one day they realise that their roles are reversed? Will the love survive with death hanging above their heads? Or will time snatch away what the two of them held dearest? This is a story of living with fear, finding love and courage in the darkest of places and a girl, whose skin is as fragile as butterfly wings! [50,000-60,000 words] #135 in Teen fiction. Edited by @lindajonesAuthor Cover by @sereneur ♥️ Chief advisor is @michh_44

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.

What if it came to the starkest of all choices: kill, or else suffer the loss of a loved one? Readers' comments: 'simply the best', 'one of the best books I've read', 'loved it', 'amazing', 'great reading', 'stumped me to the very end' and others Plot: When a pregnant doctor is brutally murdered in her own kitchen, the husband claims to have some weeks earlier received an anonymous and darkly menacing letter. For the small town of Ravensby, it's just the start of a living nightmare - one in which nobody is spared from the murderous cross hairs, and which will drive Detective Inspector Kubič to the edge of his own sanity... Genre: suspense/thriller Status: completed Length: 70,000 words (approx. 275 standard novel pages) Target readership: Though aimed primarily at adults, the novel features several teenage characters and so may also appeal to a younger audience Extract: "Warn you sir, not a pretty sight in there." Kubič took a deep, preparatory breath, his footsteps slow and leaden as he moved towards the kitchen door. Not for the first time over the years, he found himself wishing he'd chosen an entirely different sort of career. Paper-pushing, something out of doors. Anything at all. He'd always been reasonable enough at woodwork back at school, he recalled. Why hadn't he done that, he thought? Become a cabinet maker or some damn thing. A reluctant hand pushed open the door... "Oh dear Christ." The words escaped his mouth forcefully, involuntarily, like blood gushing from an open wound

Sometimes the truth is just too terrible to ever be guessed... Readers' comments: 'Excellent story', 'gripping page-turner', 'marvellous read', 'great writing', 'simply remarkable', 'a fabulously emotional ride', 'wow', 'what a great book!', 'had me engaged right to the end' Wattys award-winning author (The Painted Altar, literary fiction 2020) When two British brothers are reported missing whilst on holiday in southern Italy, the local carabinieri turn to retired detective Jim Jacks for help. Still pained by a recent divorce, he has started a new life for himself as a small-scale wine producer. Along with commander Nuzzo, he will slowly unravel a mystery which is even darker than it had first seemed... Genre: murder mystery Length: 75,000 words (300 novel pages) Target audience: adult, fans of crime fiction, anyone who likes mysteries full of twists and which are populated by three-dimensional characters Extract: I stayed there at the holiday bungalow with Sarah and Olivia for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Would return again the following morning. An analyst would no doubt conclude that my actions weren't entirely selfless; that as a lonely old divorcee I found a nostalgic comfort in female company. And yes, this might have been part of it. But there was a very practical reason too for my more or less continued presence in the house. I just didn't want to leave them to themselves I suppose, was afraid of what might happen. Yes, the thing I remember most about that forty-eight hour period is the silence. There was something brooding to it. Something ominous, almost delicate, like if it cracked you feared it would explode. An edgy, precarious silence stretching on and on, minute after minute, hour after hour... About the author: I'm a 47-year-old English teacher who has lived in Italy for the last 15 years. I have two other novels on the site, The Painted Altar and Kill Who You Want

The households in India have been run by women primarily, following the centuries old tradition. From taking care of the child's breakfast to ensuring that the mother in-law's morning cup of tea is served on time, it is always the woman of the household. She is a wife, a daughter, a daughter in-law, a mother.... But who is she in reality? Mrinalini. The name was abruptly forgotten the moment she stepped into the Acharya household as a married woman. She became Mrinal for her husband, Bouma (daughter in-law) for her in-laws and other elders, Boudi(sister in-law) for her brothers in-law and Mrs. Acharya or Acharya Boudi for outsiders. Her identity was forgotten as she gradually accepted her duties as a married woman, as a daughter in-law and as someone who was expected to sacrifice. Their home wasn't a mansion or even a bungalow. There were financial constraints and there were challenges like every other middle class home. Not everything was easily available, apart from that one thing that was abundant and pravalent: PATRIARCHY She was taken for granted like most women in India are. Maybe there was love, maybe there was no mistreatment yet Mrinalini felt the walls around her constricting on her and causing her asphyxiation. This is the story of a bird compelled to live in a locked, golden cage... Will she ever liberate herself and fly? ... Dedicated to all the Indian mothers and women and to women all around the world who dedicated their entire lives to raise their children, to give love and to be selfless. ... This story doesn't aim to hurt or offend anyone's thoughts or sentiments. This is a work of pure fiction that came to my mind after watching the Bengali movie, 'Mukherji da r Bou'. The concept and the story and the characters explored in the story are all going to be my creation and my own original ideas. No plagiarism intended or supported. My work is copyrighted

FEATURED ON WATTY'S 2018 LONGLIST ⭐Be quiet if you like your skin... ⭐ There is no escape once it knows you're there. When the alert sounds, stay still and pray a Desolation doesn't hear you. If it does, your only hope is to become part of the Skinless. --- These do not need to be read in any order, although you may find that some people's encounters overlap. Pay close attention and you might just find mysteries and riddles you've never imagined.

A secret program in the United States seeks to replace human militaries with artificial intelligence-driven machines, but the machines aren't so willing to play along. *** Picture a world where humans no longer fight wars. No more families missing loved ones. No more veterans with lifelong mental and physical scars. No more conscription. For the super-secret End of War Project inside the United States government, such a reality is already here. The project models out how artificial intelligence can overcome dangerous and morally sensitive war scenarios with algorithms and automation. The centerpieces are "autonomous combat machines," or ACMs, that look like humans but function like supercomputers. After a string of brilliant successes in the field of combat, the End of War Project is preparing to reveal itself to the public, but something unusual stands in the way. Against their programming, the ACMs start exhibiting all-too-human signs of apprehension, guilt and compassion as they're pushed to perform ever more extreme tasks. The human leaders of the End of War Project race to find who "hacked" the ACMs, but what they find is even more startling--and revealing--than they could ever imagine. ***2019 Watty Award Winner - Science Fiction***

The second volume is the continuation of the story that began with Prithvi.. (volume 1) - http://www.wattpad.com/story/5433945-prithvi-vol-1 Note posted on 5 October 2022 'Prithvi' is an ongoing story. It was in 2008 that the story began to flow through me. I continue to be as passionate about it as I was back then. However, I do not know how long it would take to be completed. I do not know how many more volumes or chapters will be required. I update chapters only once a month, and even that doesn't happen at times. But if you would still like to experience this story, please go ahead and give it a try. I hope you enjoy it reading 'Prithvi' as much as I enjoy writing it.

There was confusion in the eyes of the seven year old Surangi as they dipped mango leaves into the sandal-turmeric paste to anoint her. She did not know what marriage meant, she was just told that she would move into a new home in a village far away and Yashoda mami would be her mother-in-law. Fighting back tears she clutched her carved sandalwood doll, trying not to miss her mother Kaveri whose recent demise had prompted her father to agree to the alliance between Surangi and Madhav, the eleven year old son of Raghav, Kaveri's distant cousin. Shridhar knew he could not bring up his daughter alone. He was constantly under pressure to take a new bride to bear him the much desired son as his late wife had only left behind a daughter. He chose to marry little Surangi off in accordance with the custom of the day rather than leave her at the mercy of a step-mother.

The theft of a diamond necklace and sudden death of a young law officer take Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to a remote town in Iowa, where they soon find themselves hot on the trail of two of America's most infamous criminals. Also posting on FanFiction.net