Grownupreads Stories

The planet seems perfect for human settlement: water, an earth-like atmosphere and a lush vegetation. Mil plunges into the study of the biosphere with professional enthusiasm. But one detail slips her attention...

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

Something is brewing in the galaxy, and it's not a double shot of espresso. With the dust barely settled after the last near-Armageddon, the four baristas are called back into action, even though the four have become three. With a little help from their friends, can they find the missing barista, stave off the alien hordes, dodge their fan-club, save Earth (again) and restore peace to the galaxy? First, there was the apocalypse. Then things got serious. **This is the sequel to the Watty-winning "The Four Baristas of the Apocalypse"**

An #OpenNovellaContest (#ONC) Ambassador Pick! Eleanor and Lydia, book 1 Armed with knitting needles and a fantastic playlist, Eleanor and Lydia set off to solve The Mystery of Novak Manor. Eleanor Albright is a spritely ninety-year-old ex-detective with more than a few skeletons in her closet and a grim determination to keep them there by hiding from the world. Her great-granddaughter Lydia is twenty-two- years old and sorely misunderstood by the world. After all, just because a girl dresses in all black and listens to My Chemical Romance doesn't mean she lacks vision or hope. Well... maybe hope. When Lord Novak calls Eleanor from his castle in a tiny, beautiful Eastern European nation with a desperate plea for help, she agrees, with mixed emotions, to come out of retirement and she talks Lydia into serving as her assistant. Now the two women must find the truth about the fearsome ghost that's haunting Novak Manor before the "ghost" finds the legendary secret treasure with the power to bring the monarchy to its knees.

"She stretched her hand towards him expecting a handshake but he grabbed it and kissed it instead. Tingles ran all the way through her body....How had she not noticed him up until now? Her stomach fluttered as she felt the shyness covering over her like a veil." 21st century dating can be such a drag and nobody knows this better than Leah. After an emotionally draining beak-up and a series of unfortunate dates will Leah finally find the one for her (part 2/3 in the Leah/Jacob series)

Yuki had a crush on Kaname forever. When she learns that he also has a crush on her. The plot thickens as they learn more about each other and found that they're parents set up an arranged marriage years ago. What will the new couple do? ©2018 Nadine van der Merwe

7. Evleyen is on her seventh and-thankfully-final mission for the month. Crossing the silvery grey moon, Harooo, on her trusty Steed to deliver urgent medical supplies, she takes an unexpected detour... . Round Seven (tie-breaker) - Lost World. My stories for the SFSD X (Sci-Fi Smackdown Number Ten) 6. General Parker Rodriguez didn't believe for one second in the existence of flying saucers with little green men conducting random anal probes, but he still knew that Aliens were out there. Somewhere. One day, they would come. Round Six - First Contact. 5. Rosa woke to find herself a prisoner. She had no memory, no clue as to what had happened. She only knew she had to escape. Round Five - Spy-Fi. 4. FBI Agent John Masters was convinced there were humans with special powers, existing side by side with ordinary people. But were they with humanity - or against us? Round Four - Superhuman. 3. Version 8 Androids, Kate and Peter, looked like real people - they were Bianca's best product yet. But was it possible they looked too human? Round Three - Bardpunk. 2. Sam and Dean have been fighting a losing battle against demons for years. Now Sam thinks he might have a more permanent solution. Round Two - Alternate History. 1. Lost. It's 2815 and, after the Armageddon Wars, there's not much of old Earth left. Qu Pang, living in a small settlement in what used to be South Australia, hears rumours of an island far below the 60th parallel. Despite witnessing what happened to the last ship which went exploring, he is determined to find out if anyone else has survived. Round One - Lost world sub-genre.

**2016 WATTYS WINNER FOR VISUAL STORYTELLING** Letting her appearance fall to the wayside and desperate to find a reason for her life, Marilyn sits half naked in an Urgent Care examination room with a mysterious skin itch. If she can survive the humiliation of being treated by a sexy male nurse while unraveling the hidden drama woven throughout the hospital staff, Marilyn might leave the hospital cured far below the surface of her skin. NURSE McSEXY is a hilariously enhanced true story (with a healthy dose of fiction) about my mortifying experience involving an allergic reaction, Urgent Care and a sexy male nurse. It was an evening in which one of my greatest fears was encountered--only to reveal my better self on the other side of humiliation. This humorous tale is definitely worth calling in sick for! TO CLARIFY: Despite the title, this is not a tale about a hot and sweaty romance. I mean--I wish it was since it's based on a true story. Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), my life is a lot more on the belly laughing side of the spectrum than the steaming up mirrors side. Just saying.

A Novella. It is New Year's Eve, and the world is getting ready to celebrate. But this year, as midnight comes, so does an inexplicably terrifying fate. In a desperate attempt to survive, a group of strangers, brought together by luck and chance, flee westwards in a race against time - and midnight is not far behind.

Please fasten your seatbelts. As this century draws to a close, a new epoch in air travel is dawning. Jets are being replaced by high-tech airships known as arrowheads. Noah Drake, captain of the airship Albatross, is expecting his next flight to be a typically humdrum Atlantic crossing. Little does he realise how wrong he is... A 30,000 word novella.

PRIDE'S CHILDREN, Book 1, is complete. ***** Finalist for 2016 Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards (UK)***** If you start reading on Wattpad, and would CONSIDER writing a review on Amazon (purchase not required, PM me for an electronic REVIEW Copy). The review is up to you - I won't nag. [It is published, on Amazon in Kindle Select, as of Oct. 30, 2015. The requirements for KDP are that the story not be available anywhere else, so I have taken all but 10% off Wattpad, where it had a great run. It is available in print as well.] If you like the sample here, let me know - all comments welcome. ***** WHAT YOU DO WITH AN OBSESSION COUNTS "I, KARENNA ELIZABETH Ashe, being of sound mind, do... But that's it, isn't it? Being here proves I am not of sound mind..." So begins Book 1 of the Pride's Children trilogy: Kary immediately regrets the misplaced sense of noblesse oblige which compels her to appear, live on national television-at exorbitant personal cost. What she cannot anticipate is an entanglement with Hollywood that destroys her carefully-constructed solitudinarian life. A contemporary mainstream love story, in the epic tradition of Jane Eyre, and Dorothy L. Sayers' four-novel bond between Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, Pride's Children starts with a very public chance encounter, and eventually stretches over three separate continents. ~ ~ ~ The complete blurb is on Amazon: http://amzn.com/B017AZLTLG http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B017AZLTLG ~ ~ ~ RATING: Sexual innuendo, mild swearing, occasional non-graphic violence (PG-13).

A house of cards is fragile, it is fleeting. If perfectly balanced, more stacks can be added to strengthen it. But just one touch, one breath, can be what it takes for it to collapse. The Underwoods' did not realize their house of cards would eventually be destroyed. The alternative conclusion to Netflix's House of Cards. (Takes place after Chapter 56).

Welcome to the AdultFic interview book. Inside you'll find interview sessions with inspiring authors posted each month, as well as helpful hints for readers and writers alike.

When Audra Wilkes returns to her childhood home after ten years, she doesn't expect to wake up next to Jamie 'Jay' Halston. Five years younger than her and her little brother's best friend, well ex-best friend now. Fresh out of a messy relationship where she's dumped her fiance all before her thirtieth birthday. She's sworn off relationships altogether, vowing to focus on her emerging art career and mending her relationships with her family. All she has to do, is avoid Jamie Halston and that spark between them. Jay Halston has been pining after Audra since he was a teen, but things are complicated now they're older. Both carrying the weight of things that aren't theirs, they don't realise how much they mirror each other. They will reflect and force themselves to heal.

When her mentor recommended her for a new job, Kaliope Barnes wasn't expecting to step beyond the Veil into a world of magic, and she wasn't expecting him...Ronin McIntyre, the CEO of Sage Tower and her new boss. ~ It's Kaliope's first case as a member of the Occult CMT team at Sage Tower after discovering magic exists. An old Witcher House is in crisis over succession as a plot for revenge threatens the end of the bloodline even as a scheme for a takeover ensues. The theft of a precious gem heightens the tension as the current heir lies on his deathbed, his son without a successor. As the team investigates the twisted plots in the case, they discover a problem closer to home.

Supernatural meets Grumpy Old Men. Richard had always believed he'd enjoy a few golden years before Death's bony hand reached for him. But what does he get? He gets to live across the hall from friggin' Stan Kapcheck with his shiny bald head and perfect teeth that were all his own, Stan Kapcheck who struts around like a peacock in his leather coat. Honestly! What kind of respectable senior citizen wears leather? But Stanley isn't your average senior citizen. He's a Hunter--a slayer of all things unnatural. He reveals to Richard that the one monster which has eluded him is the same beast that killed Richard's wife and it's due to kill again before the next new moon. The two men load up on ibuprofen and prune juice and embark on a cross-country demon-hunting adventure, but when The Devil Herself kidnaps Stanley, Richard realizes the line between Hunter and hunted is very thin, indeed, and the ornery octogenarian only has a few days left to trap The Devil, save Stanley, and slay the monster who murdered his bride. (Now available for pre-order from Scarsdale Publishing as "Some Monsters Never Die")

Which is real, the dreamer or the dream? A girl discovers that her dreams take her to another world, one whose existence she has been taught is impossible. Living in a dreamworld is literal for Del and Ari-what will happen when Del's secret is discovered? Epub is now available. PM me for details.

This book is a collection of numerous short stories I have created, both mini and midi ones, written in the period of the past twenty years. Some of them are award-winning entries in various micronarrative competitions. Others were adapted with the usage of audio and video stimuli thus creating something akin to hyperliterature. The book cover was done by a Wattpad user and a friend, @AWFrasier. Thank you for designing my cover (again! :)) and at such a lightning speed! Tiny Tales is ONLY available on Wattpad. If you are reading this anywhere else, it is a plagiarized version that may contain malware. ⭐⭐⭐ 📘 Featured on "Multi-Genre Anthologies" reading list on @WattpadAnthologies (June 16, 2020) 📘 Featured on "Anthologies and collections" reading list on @MicroBytes (July 14, 2019) 🥉 Microbytes Contests and Challenges - Winter Nanofiction Contest 2019 Highest rankings: #14 microfiction (June 29th, 2020)

What if in the future they cure old age with a pill? Carolyn Deschaines is a woman who has lived too long, and after 150 years she has decided to gracefully 'die of old age,' but then she meets Theo and sparks fly. *Completed Short Story* First published in 2011 in the print magazine Tough Lit III (Adventures for the Average Woman).