CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REWRITTEN!

She's always been the shy girl that no one notices, but once she catches Harry's attention will things ever be the same again?

UNEDITED Gemma Alder is used to being the unlucky one in the Alder family: from a nasty rumour about her back in high school to inexplicable mishaps, she seems to be the comical target for unfortunate situations. But if there's one thing she's good at, it's acting. After she graduated from high school, Gemma remodelled herself and decided to pursue a career in acting-but not in the way you think. Gemma Alder has managed to keep a steady business going across Vancouver Island by playing the fake girlfriend for various customers. Her job is difficult and sometimes it blurs the lines between acting and reality, but it's the only job where she can handle taking orders from the boss: herself. And when a ghost from her past appears, the very ghost that destroyed her reputation back in high school, comes to her, begging her to play the part to get an investor for his company off his back, Gemma take the job without a second thought. Because she sees this as a prime opportunity for revenge. Jake Swift is surprised with Gemma's decision but he's desperate to stop Olive Garcia, a well-known investor, from throwing herself at him. All Jake wants to do is make money and provide for his little sister, Hanna. After their parents died in a car accident, Jake has been the sole guardian of Hanna since he was seventeen and he has no interest whatsoever in a romantic relationship until his little sister has graduated from high school. Long story short, Gemma's agreement is a blessing in disguise. Until, that is, things start to go terribly wrong during his company's two-week getaway to a campground in the middle of nowhere. From unexplainable food poisoning to waxing cream in a sunscreen bottle, Jake can't seem to catch a break, which Gemma is pleased with. However, as time begins to tick away, both Jake and Gemma notice a similarity between themselves which, inevitably, leads to something more. Can the two of them forget the past? Or will their relationship go up in smoke?

UNEDITED Between his semi-committed addiction to smoking and his role as CEO of Elemental Coffee, Cassian Russell has spent the majority of his life running one of the most popular coffee shops on the Island with his best friend, Jake Swift. After an initial decision to expand their business, Cassian and his fellow investment partner, Penelope Montgomery, stay in West Kelowna to promote their business to a new winery. While Cassian's aware the head of the management team of Utterly Uncorked is someone he was madly in love with when he was a kid, he's not prepared for the unfathomable relationship that follows their reunion. Penelope Montgomery has been working double time to expand the horizons of Elemental Coffee since Jake and Cassian hired her, so when she's presented with the opportunity to help them open up shop in West Kelowna, with new responsibilities and additional incentives, she jumps on the job. Working with Cassian, the man she's been crushing on since they met during a business trip, is supposed to be easy, right? No. When Cassian reunites with an old friend and she sees the smouldering flame between them, things get harder for Penelope. How long can she watch the man she loves fall for another woman? After feeling out of place for decades, Penelope is more lost than ever. As time goes on, Cassian begins to realize the calamities of having a relationship with another big-corporation business person. Relationships come with a price, and he doesn't know if he's ready for the one he has to pay. And when a shocking new revelation comes to light, he's forced to make a choice between his company and the broody, cynical attributes of love.

UNEDITED After violating campus rules and committing student misconduct, twenty-three-year-old Warren Ashford is deep trouble and at risk of losing his volleyball scholarship -- the one thing he truly values other than his bad boy reputation, and his family. There's only one way Warren can salvage the scholarship that's giving him a free ride through university and that involved keeping his lifestyle low-key. Meaning, no partying at clubs on Friday nights and no late-night hookups with random girls. No fun. Just him, his education, and volleyball. Oh -- and the high-strung, sassy girl with the deepest brown eyes he's ever seen. The moment she walks into his dorm room -- the same room she's staying in because of a glitch in the computer system -- he wants nothing more than to strip her down both physically and mentally. Not only is she immune to boys like Warren, but she makes it obvious that she's not interested in having any kind of relationship with the campus' star athlete. Warren likes the challenge, but little does he know that Nova Elliot, behind her spitfire attitude and deep brown eyes, is still nursing a broken heart and a past full of despair. The last thing she wants is to hand her heart over to a boy like Warren Ashford (who has a faultless smoulder) -- the kind that only ends up breaking hearts after toying with them. But as the winter semester passes and the heat of summer arrives, Warren's bad boy charm begins to crack Nova's structurally built walls as the two of them head out on an unforgettable trip to Halifax. The two of them begin to learn that two people often fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time and do unexpected things. Highest Rankings: #4 in Romance 17.01.19 #1 in Love 25.12.19

* CURRENTLY EDITING.* Luke Madden is a NHL superstar. But when an injury sidelines him, he's required to undergo physical therapy. With a stable family and girlfriend, Luke has all the resources he needs. Or so he thinks. As it turns out, there are secrets and lies surrounding him. He should know better than to trust anyone. Rosalina Walker hates strings being attached. All she wants is to work, hookup, and continue to live her life. But when Luke Madden becomes her patient, perceptions begin to shift.

Ivan has hunted a beast for years, and everything he knows about William comes back to Lianne - the beast's first victim, his only survivor and his next target. The plan is simple: protect Lianne, kill William when he comes. But protecting Lianne is anything but simple. Whispers follow her like shadows: of a Lady of the Lost, of her curse and her miracles. Demons prey on her at night. The toll of William's victims continues to rise. And when she speaks to Ivan's wolves, her words restitch their wounds with a hope he hasn't seen in his Pack for years. When William finally shows for the reckoning, Ivan finds everything he loves tested. Just how much can he sacrifice for one woman? Content/trigger warning: This story contains mentions of rape, self-harm, suicide, miscarriage, and drug use. [[word count: 150,000 - 200,000]] Cover designed by @Eunkyung_art

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.

Imagine the second you're born, a consultant removes you from your mother's grasp and runs a battery of genetic and physiological tests on you. Thirty minutes later they give you a score out of one hundred which denotes your level of perfection. If your score is above eighty and you work hard to maintain that score you will have a charmed life; well fed, well-rewarded, spoiled. But fall below eighty and you're labelled Flawed, and life will not be so kind. Hannah is adopted by a Flawed family when her birth parents choose their social standing over their daughter and endures a life of struggle, hunger and service. One day Hannah is escorted to the regional government office and told that the Consultant who delivered her, who labelled her Flawed got it wrong! Now, she is being relocated back to her birth parents, to live as one of the Ninety-Five- all medically and legally judged as perfect. Entering this new life Hannah has an impossible decision to make which puts not only hers, but the lives of everyone she cares about at great risk. "The Numbered- where no one wants to be number one". Authors notes: -This is a first draft of my story and will be edited soon. -2013 Began writing Flawed -2015 Watty Winner/ Named changed to The Numbered -2016 Completed The Numbered -2019 Optioned by eOne for development into a TV show.

Lily is a laidback slacker with a phobia for commitment...who happens to owe the devil her (nonexistent) firstborn. When the ruler of Hell comes knocking, what choice does she have but to let the devil play matchmaker? *** Lily has never been good at relationships, not that it matters to her. That is until Eve, a seductive woman claiming to be the devil's apprentice, shows up to collect a debt Lily doesn't remember owing: her firstborn child. Without a firstborn to give, and with the threat of eternal damnation at her heels, Lily finds herself on a chaotic matchmaking quest with the devil herself. Eve swears she's only playing matchmaker to collect the debt owed to her, but with each failed set-up, Lily suspects there may be something more to the devil's plan. [[word count: 60,000 - 70,000]] Cover designed by Joe Resch [[Wattys 2020 Winner]] Content warning: this story includes dark humour, mature themes, and scenes of violence and gore