Book 1 of The Accident Series. cover by @/fleanr on instagram [PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS THERE SHE GOES] Have you ever accidentally liked an Instagram photo of the captain of your university's varsity volleyball team? From three years ago? A guy you have never spoken to in your life? Jaiyesimi 'Jaime' Okusanya can relate. As a second-year biophysics student at Herringway university, Jaime is trying to do what every person at university is as well: survive. Especially as she tries to fulfill the requirements to obtain a research position at Dalhousie Laboratory. But when she accidentally likes Aven Montaque's Instagram picture after noticing him twice over a few days, she attempts to survive her fascination with the hot and cold fourth-year criminology student who's aspiring to go to law school. In a coming-of-age story of romance, friendships, drama and mottos, Jaime discovers that her priorities are about to shift. And Aven Montaque might become one of them.

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.

"𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞?" He scoffs, black eyes emotionless. "𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬." She was a girl born in the midst of a war. She was the forgotten child. The sister of the girl who sacrificed herself, saving the boy with the lightning bolt scar. He'd come in the night, ripping away everyone she had ever loved. He'd taken away her family. He'd shattered her beyond repair. "𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞?" She asks, blue eyes hard. "𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞." She was raised to only know neglect. She was raised to only feel pain. She had been thrown away by her own blood. No one ever paused to ask for her wellbeing. No one paused to make sure she was all right. "𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐌𝐄!" "𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫." She was raised to know anger. She grew with only pain. She was raised with no family. She was being choked with a fiery chain. A fiery chain of loneliness A chain of regret. A flaming chain of loathing. An overwhelming drown-age of emotional debt. "𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮." "𝐈 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬." No one expected her to be more than just a poor orphan. No one expected her to have power beyond what anyone knew possible. The wars would come to pass. The wars would kill millions..... Yet she was their only salvation. The world needed her to save it. It needed help. Why would she help a world with such darkness in it? Why would she ever try to save something that killed her soul? "𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠." "𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮." Just as she was learning to love again, starting to feel like she had a family.... She was ripped away from