It's better to die by the gun than die by the dead.

When the dead began to rise and kill, the government had to make a decision- whether right or wrong- they had to protect what little society was left.

They built walls which kept the dead out, and the live in. Other towns quickly followed suit, forcing the dead to live in the desolation that they had created. Only the zombies aren’t alone either. These lands are not only teeming with hungry zombies, but also with the very worst of what was once a civilized society. Nina now lives in a world where all the rules have changed. Where those who don't cooperate are tossed over the wall and into hell, and the good are rewarded with a pitiful existence.

When Nina empathizes with a young girl called Emily-Rose who’s about to be thrown over the wall, her life gets a whole lot worse. The leader of the town has rules which he will not break, even if it means blood and death for the unfortunate ones, and with this in mind Nina makes the decision to go with the Emily and protect her at all costs. However, can a woman with no fighting abilities and a penchant for
spending money on expensive clothes really keep them safe?

Nina must now fight the zombies which rule the free-lands, and find a safe zone that could be just a myth.

Scared, starved and on the run from everything, Nina has everything working against her survival... but she’s not quite ready to give up on life yet, not now she has someone to live for again. Her quick wit and snarky attitude might just keep her alive long enough to find some way to protect Emily-Rose. Maybe…

Get your hands on Odium now!

And check out the prequel short work for Odium, Life Ever After, in BHB's Anthology! This is where the hunger began!

Breakwater Harbor Books is excited to announce the release of Ivan Amberlake's Paranormal Suspense novel, Diary of the Gone!

Without a girlfriend, bullied by the Principal’s son, and haunted by the dead, Callum Blackwell thinks his life can’t get any worse. But he’s wrong.

Callum writes in a diary to stop the dead haunting him. He has seen them since he hit 9.

When The Blackwells move to the town of Olden Cross, Callum hopes to leave all the dead haunting him behind. But after the disappearance of a boy and his diary, his existence turns into hell.

Featuringgripping Independent authors from around the world, FUSION is the first collection of short works published by Breakwater Harbor Books. Contributing heart-pumping tales of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Crime are seven stories that will thrill you, rivet you and some will even make you sleep with the light on.  Authors from across a wide variety of genres, Dee Harrison, Ivan Amberlake, Claire C. Riley, Scott J. Toney, Mindy Haig, Cara
Goldthorpe and C.M.T. Stibbe.


 
 





The Sliver of Abilon – A Mirrorsmith Tale – 'and you thought it was safe to look in the mirror?'

Diary of the Gone - Without a girlfriend, bullied by the Principal’s son, and haunted by the dead, Callum Blackwell thinks his life can’t get any worse. But he’s wrong.

Life Ever After. Nina's Story: Part one. – When the dead begin to rise, it's time to put your differences aside and run!

NovaFall - When the Meteor falls, the essences will come, forging flesh and planetary souls as one.
 
Cybilla. – To claim his Muse, one man must find the gate between the mortal and the immortal worlds.

Capturing Perfection – An artist's tale of love, loss and beauty in Renaissance Milan
 
Until The Ninth Hour – Until a man loses his daughter to a serial killer, until he loses his best friend, until he is down on his luck, Darryl Williams must put all thoughts of retaliation out of his mind.



An excerpt from Dee Harrison’s The Sliver of Abilon – A Mirrorsmith Tale
   
Junah Venmark, Master Mirrorsmith, exited the wayportal directly into the seaweed stench of Abilon. The foul odour tickled the back of his throat and he gagged on a rise of bile. Mirrorsmith Guild protocol demanded that he preview his destination before he arrived but it could not prepare him for an assault on his other senses. He vomited onto the trackway, just thankful that there was no-one to witness his most pitiful entrance ever. He loathed the smell of mouldy greens – it stirred up too many reminders of his wretched childhood in the back alleys of Varna, largest city on his homeworld of Vargo – but this was kabbige soup intensified tenfold.

When his heaving subsided, Junah sank down onto his rump, trying to ignore the early evening dew which was soaking into his leggings. He pulled a kerchief from his belt-purse, to wipe the spittle from his lips, and cursed this ill-favoured world. Sissik, his wail, chittered and scurried around him like a silver-furred cyclone, mewing her distress. Junah winced when she skipped onto his tender stomach, the better to peer into his face with her large, prosimian eyes. He ran a finger down her spine and she slowly relaxed beneath his touch.
    
Junah ill? She sent.

No, I’m fine, Little One he reassured her. He grimaced. The smell caught me out, that’s all.
   
Sissik wrinkled her own nose. Nasty, nasty stink, she concurred.
   
Junah delved into his purse a further time and extracted a couple of lozenges from a packet. A few chews later and he could smell nothing.
   
“Next time I’ll take ‘em before I get here,” he promised out loud. “Not that there’ll be a next time!” 
    
Junah clambered to his feet and peeled the sodden fabric from his buttocks. Sissik took her accustomed place on his shoulders, hiding beneath his long, dark hair and curled around his neck like a fur collar. Wails were native to all the worlds of the Regium, even the undeveloped ones like Abilon. Some wails, the silver-furred ones like Sissik, were prized for their ability to generate the acoustic frequencies that Mirrorsmiths depended upon. Others, the plumper, browner ones, made good eating. Whenever Sissik irritated him, which was often, Junah threatened to dye her coat russet. Now, however, she was quiescent, understanding that it was time for work. 
   
The wayportal, part of the network of gates that connected all the worlds of the Regium, had opened between a pair of standing stones that dominated the headland to the north of Abilon. Junah looked down at the coastal town, which nestled within the arms of a sheltering bay. A slash of fire on the horizon marked where the sun was setting and silhouetted the ugly, squat fortress guarding the harbour mouth. Somewhere among the sleazy alleyways of this provincial rats’ nest below was the inn where his contact waited. It was supposed to be a routine mission according to Teren Lemmick, Guild Master but also his oldest friend. All Junah had to do was locate the sliver of Desecrated Mirror, secure it then return it to the Mirrorsmiths’ Guild on Vargo, where it could be destroyed in relative safety. He had carried out scores of such ‘grabbits’ but this time unease pricked his spine. Mirrorsmiths tended towards the superstitious and worlds like Ysreal, with its triple moons, were considered inauspicious but this went deeper than that. Junah’s senses were trained to detect distorted vibrations and this place was riddled with them – probably due to the presence of the sliver.  Sissik’s tail tightened around his neck so he dampened down his disquiet. Wails were sensitive to heightened emotion. He checked his accoutrements once more then headed for Abilon, thinking it best to get this trip over with as quickly as possible.
   
Despite the lateness of the hour, the streets of Abilon were crowded. Every third house seemed to be selling ale and shabby, ill-visaged townsfolk bumped and barged their way through the densely-packed lanes.  Junah knew roughly where the inn lay but he had previewed it during daylight and it took him a while to reach the waterfront. He spent a few minutes reconnoitering then pulled his hood up and entered the tavern.
   
Not surprisingly most of the patrons were fishermen and the uneven floorboards must have made them feel right at home. Junah jostled his way through the raucous hubbub, towards the booth where he had arranged to meet his accomplice, but an overripe, blousy serving girl intercepted him.

Visit the link to Amazon.com below for your 99 cents Kindle copy or the Smashwords.com link for a FREE copy in all eReader format types! This is a gift from BHB to you to show our appreciation to our fans, especially those who have enjoyed one author and then gone on to check out our other authors' works.

Amazon.com

Smashwords.com

Have a wonderful day and enjoy this phenomenal read!

 

So you just can't wait until Breakwater Harbor Books' first Anthology is released? You're salivating in anticipation? Here's a taste of C.M.T. Stibbe's Crime short, Until the Ninth Hour!

Chapter 1

Detective David Van Straubenzee watched the man closely. He had a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach and if he could put a name to it fear was the first thing that came to
mind. 

“On the night of Monday, June 25th at around eleven o’clock,” he said, glancing briefly at his notes, “did you take Kizzy Williams from a tent in Cimarron State Park?”

 “Yes,” the man said. His slate-grey eyes were dull as if he was already dead. 

David chewed absent-mindedly on his bottom lip. He couldn’t help wondering if the prisoner was the right man. There was something in his demeanor that didn’t quite sit right. He was too pensive in David’s opinion, dazed as if he had been hypnotized. 

“Morgan, I know this is difficult but when you took Kizzy from the tent was she asleep?” 

“Yes.”

David was relieved. There was no way the little girl would have gone willingly with a man like Morgan Eriksen. His hair was shaved at the sides except for a thick braid that ran from the tip of his forehead to the crown. His arms were covered in Celtic knots, more colorful than a downtown bus stop.

“Where did you take her?” David asked, looking at his watch. It was ten thirty in the morning. 

“About fifty yards downriver there’s a ranch,” Morgan said, staring at David’s bald head as if he could see his face in it. “I parked my pickup there.”

“Frank Tolby’s ranch, right?”

 “Yes.”

David listened to the Nordic accent, softer now since he had been living in the States for eighteen years. “Did you hurt her?”

Morgan looked down at his hands. His skin was sallow in the harsh light of the interrogation room and the constant clink of the cuffs reminded David that his prisoner was well-shackled.

“When she woke up I had to choke her. She was making too much noise.”

“Did she die when you choked her?” 
 
“No.”

“When did she die, Morgan?” David gritted his teeth. This was the part he dreaded the most.

 “Not until the ninth hour.”

That’s how it was with Morgan, indecisive, taking his sweet time with everything. Sometimes he would look up and sniff the air and sometimes he would just flex his hands, big hands, choking hands. 

The rest of Kizzy’s remains had never been found not even after a pack of sniffer dogs had swept the entire countryside with volunteers from the county sheriff’s department. All they found was a statue of a goat with a pentagram on its forehead and eight human faces carved in tree trunks. There were four areas where upright stones marked some kind of ritual ceremony, only they were mostly grown over with grass. The shadows gave a man that feeling, that keen instinct that something wasn’t right and the dragonflies with their membranous wings that wafted just above the surface of a small pond were no longer beautiful. There was a jaundiced blush about the place as if the sun would never set.  

A tired old barn sat on the property with two doors that creaked in the wind. David remembered creeping forward with a gun in his hand, back pressed against the doorjamb until he was sure there was no one there. A commercial fridge stood in the center, light flickering on and off. It was quite
out of place with its hideous display and David couldn’t speak, he couldn’t move. Four shelves filled with human heads, eight he counted, and all girls. A knackery with axes and knives spread out on a wooden trestle table only there were no hanging carcasses on the meat hooks.   

------------------------------------------

Craving the rest of this fantastic short work? Fusion: a collection of short stories by Breakwater Harbor Books' authors releases Aug 31st in Kindle, Nook and paperback formats!

Breakwater Harbor Books is excited to announce the release of Melissa Simonson's newest novel, SNUFF! Simonson is best  known for her hit  Thriller/Horror novel, Doubles, and this is her fifth  release. For a taste of  this addicting new author, read the pitch below!

Book 3 of 4 in a series involving FBI SSA Maxwell. (Can be read as stand-alones)

Brooke is found on the side of the road at three a.m., clutching a dead body and a burner cell phone. This doesn’t surprise LAPD,  who’d expected as much from the moment she went missing. What they also expect  is suicide—the kidnapped girls who turned up the same way killed themselves  within hours.

Being the sole living witness of the crime is almost more  than she can handle, but an LAPD homicide sergeant is there to hold her  restrained hand as she retraces every waking moment of the time she spent in  that dungeon with her murdered friend, Abby.

Brooke knows why the other  girls committed suicide. She might too, if she didn’t have some very complicated reasons to live.

To the dismay of Sergeant Jennings, Brooke confirms the  most troubling theory of all: the girls are being filmed those three weeks  they’re held captive. Not for their captor’s personal enjoyment, but for his  number one fan.

For more of this addicting author follow the link below to Amazon.com!

SNUFF, Amazon

Breakwater Harbor Books is excited to announce the release of Melissa Simonson's newest novel, The Young and the Reckless! Simonson is best known for her hit  Thriller/Horror novel, Doubles, and this is her fourth release. For a taste of  this addicting new author, read the pitch below!

Lila was one of many women allegedly assaulted by Bradley Holiday. Five months after the fact, a counselor tells her the only way she’ll find closure is to confront him. She never expected to stumble into a friendship  with the monster who raped her repeatedly.

But is he a monster? He can’t  remember, thanks to a head injury. Lila’s the only living witness who can say  for certain—the eleven girls before her weren’t so lucky.

An ambitious  public defender manages to negotiate a re-trial, but Lila doesn’t believe a  fresh courtroom drama will be enough to spare Bradley’s life this time,  especially not when the death penalty is back on the table. Yet the more she  learns about Bradley’s earlier years, the more determined she is to help. Even  if means getting some convenient amnesia about the events of those three days  she’d been his captive. He isn’t the same person—brain scans, neurologists, and  psychologists confirmed it. He may never remember; they confirmed that,  too.

How far do second chances really stretch? Can those types of  memories stay buried for long?
 
For more of this addicting author follow the link below to Amazon.com!

The Young and the Reckless, Amazon

Last year I asked on my Facebook page if anyone was willing to fill in a short survival questionnaire for me and in return I would put them in the book, or at least use their name in the book. The response was
amazing, and I got some great answers, for which I can't thank you enough.
At the time, I also filled one in. Here are my answers to the questionnaire. I'm having a great time writing Odium, and it's thanks to some of your great and not so great answers haha. I'll be posting up some of the answers that you gave me as the time draws near to publication. - Claire



----------------------------------
 
So… it’s the end of the world as we know it. 

Zombies… the dead… the living-dead… maggot infested bodies… stinking, brain eating
corpses… (well, I think you get who I’m talking about) are taking over the world. 

Your neighbors, your friends, your family members… they are all coming back from the dead, and they are hungry for braaaaaaaaaains… (and pretty much anything else they can sink their teeth into.)

Let’s test your survival skills, and I’ll decide in my book on whether you live, die, or rise from the
dead.


Survival Questions 

Q1. So, what’s the plan? You must have a secret retreat or hidey-hole you've always thought about going to if things turned ugly right? Up in the hills? The big city? (are you mad!) Board up your house and camp in the basement? Between me and you… where is it?

Well, I really shouldn't tell you if I'm honest. I mean I wouldn't want you all trying to sneak in to my hideout… Okay, I’ll tell you since you asked so nicely. It would be at my daughter’s school. There are 6-7 ft bars around the entire perimeter. There will be food there, books, first aid. There is outside space etc.  I'm pretty sure it has its own generator. I would lock those gates tight and stay
there.

Q2. Wow, great hide-out, but how the hell are you going to get there? I think we’re going to need a car at some point. What car are you going to be on the look-out for? (You can’t drive you
say! You’re doomed, doomed I tell you… Oh, so you know someone who can drive, okay, well what car are they after then?)

I’d like to say that I would run there, but I wouldn't want to get cornered so I would take our car.
 
Q3. Any clue as to where you’re going to find such a vehicle? Neighbor? Car garage? Or just see what you stumble upon? Randomly, do you think that you’re going to be looking for diesel or un-leaded?  

In the private car park at the back of the house. It’s a Toyota Rav 4 so it should do the trick,
but there are tons of other cars there also, so we should be good for any circumstances.

Q4. Phew… that was close! Right, so we’re on our way to your great hideout. We've got our wheels, but wait, we need to stock up on food! What are you going to be taking? Dry food? Fresh food? Canned food?

Since it’s only round the corner and there is food there, I won’t need to take much food. The
school should be pretty stocked with dried pasta’s and flour etc. I will take the canned food though. Shove them all in a back pack and make a dash for the car. They may weight me down, but they are also heavy if I need to swing the bag at a zombie.

Q5. Where are you going to get it from? Scavenge house to house or supermarket stop?

Just my house. Though, let’s be serious, there would be no way that I would be going to a supermarket. That would be madness. No, I would be going house to house once things calmed down. In each house there would be a possibility of finding survivors and if there were zombies, there won’t be to many in each house.

Q6. What about medicine and bandages etc? Have you already got a good medicine box or are we going to have to stop for that too? If we’re going to stop, are we going to a chemist (smaller so less risk, but also less meds) or a hospital? (more meds but bigger danger)

I've got a pretty good medicine box, and the school should have one also , but if I do ever need to get more first aid I will be going into small doctors surgeries. Never, I repeat, never a hospital!

Q7. Hey, you any good with a gun? Do you know where we can get one?

Nope, but my zombie survival team is excellent and so I think that I would be just fine. They
can always show me, and I’m a really quick learner.

Q8. Okay, so we have time to pack a ‘dream survival pack’ (I know, right!) What are you going to pack? Weapon, meds, food, space shuttle out of this madness? 

Okay, so I would pack some really sharp knives AND a knife sharpener for when it they get
blunt. I would pack some ration packs for food and some canned fruit. Fruit is going to be a luxury very soon. My medicine pack would contain, some energy tablets, vitamin tablets, painkillers, bandages, sutures, antiseptic spray/cream, safety fasteners. I would be wearing my big doc martin boots and some thick socks, a t-shirt and hoody and some cargo pants- you know the ones with tons of pockets! 

My two luxury items would be, baby wipes (because those things can be used for everything!) and toothpaste and brush.

Q9. Who would be in your ideal ‘zombie survival team’? Anyone you want,
famous or not…

My dream team would be, Tim JD (you  are a genius when it comes to making things)
San (since you have a massive stock of awesome weapons and he’s a chef) my auntie Milly (since she can cook anything and knows loads about foods and vitamins and zombie survival- she reads a lot of stuff ha ha) My best friend Kate (just because she would kick arse and I love her to death) oh, and The Australian guy who played Spartacus. The guy is hot and can fight!

Q10. Okay, now realistically, who would be in your team?

Kate, my auntie Milly, my hubby- even if he says he wouldn’t pick me (evil, isn’t he!) Duncan
and Britta because they are so clued up on a zombie apocalypse it’s amazing. 
 
These people are all easily accessible to me, since they live pretty close, and I’m sure that they would all be bringing their family along too.

Q11. Your house is being over-run. You have just enough time to grab three things- not including people- what are you going to take?

(Question courtesy of JR)

My dog. He is irritating as hell at times, but damn I love him.

My Doc Martin boots- comfy and practical.

A sharp knife!

Q12. How are you for foraging in the wilderness? Do you know your poison berries from your magic mushrooms? Any tips?

Nooooooo, I’m rubbish at stuff like this, but I’ve borrowed some books on the subject and am
learning. I’ll probably still suck at it though.
 

Limerence has been called "SEXY, SASSY AND SEDUCTIVE" as  well as being compared to Brom Stoker's Dracula. For a taste of this fantastic  new author, read the pitch and exerpt below!

One man's obsession is so deadly it could destroy them all.

Despite her love for her fiancé, Mia  Lawrence finds herself inexplicably drawn to Mr Breckt- the mysterious
new owner  of the Island. Her thoughts are constantly consumed with the handsome and  powerful stranger. However, there is much more to him than
she realises,  something dangerous and supernatural.

Mr Breckt is used to getting what  he wants, and now he wants Mia, at any cost. With his obsession spiralling out  of control, he knows that time is running out. A war is coming. Blood will be  shed, and lives will be  lost, but he will have to rid himself of his obsession  of Mia before it’s too late.

Mia and Oliver must now fight the very evil  that threatens to come  between them. If either of them fails, it will be more  than their love for each  other that will be lost.

Ultimately, all three  will have to make a sacrifice that will change each other’s destiny forever. But will it be the right one?
 

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK


Prologue.
  
Those eyes. Those hungry eyes.  
 
They stare into my soul. They burn  my resilience away, devouring me whole. Over and over he persists. I must fight  or die. Or die fighting.
  
I am his,  but I do not know it yet. He will devour me. He will devour us all before this  night is through.


1.

Mia.
  
A cold hand snakes under my duvet intruding on my thoughts. It slides along the warmth of my calf, and I shiver. I pull my legs up to my chest, curling myself up into a ball. The hand’s grip on me is firm and strong. It pulls my legs out from their foetal position, and begins to massage the muscle of my inner thigh, kneading my flesh persistently. My muscles deep inside clench in expectancy and I smile despite myself.

“Go on you, get to  work.” I emerge from under the covers. My long black hair falls around my shoulders, untidily no doubt, and I yawn and rub my eyes.  
 
“I’m the boss you know, Mia; I'm allowed to  be a little late.” Oliver’s voice is husky. His hand has reached my waist, and  now rubs the arc of my hips.

Damn he’s  gorgeous. I smile and look him over. His body is hard and toned with a  rugged sex appeal, and his sandy hair is tousled. His eyes are a deep chocolate  brown and sexy as hell as he looks at me. I notice that he’s only in his  underwear- some tight black boxer shorts, and nothing else. My stomach twirls in excitement.

“First off, Mr Boss Man, you  cannot be late for work today. You need to make a good impression.
Secondly,  just because you’ve been given lead control on the development over on the  Island, it does not make you ‘the boss’ as you so aptly put it.” I grin at him  and sit up.

I lean over, grab my coffee mug,  and take a tentative sip. I let the covers slide down off my
shoulders, making  sure to show more flesh than necessary with a grin.

“Mmmmm,” the sound leaves me, deep and  throaty. “This is really good.” I smile appreciatively, my blue eyes never  leaving his.

Clearly, I’m not talking  about the coffee anymore.
  
He grins and  his hand grips me tighter under the covers, and moves up to my stomach. He  reaches further under my lace cotton vest, his fingers probing the soft outline  of my breasts. 

“I’m pretty much the boss,”  Oliver says with affection. His body straining against his boxer  shorts.

And there’s that sexy grin again.

“I’m in charge of the entire  landscaping team over there. And you can’t do THAT,” he squeezes my plump breast  tenderly, his eyes dark and brooding, “and expect me to go to work.”  

Leaning in for a kiss, he closes his eyes. I  bring my face to his, our lips brushing against each
other. Both his hands reach  out for me, and he cups my face. Holding me to him, he slips his tongue between  my lips. He strokes it against mine and heat spreads through me at his touch. He  smells divine as he leans further in, kissing my neck. His chin stubble is rough  against my sensitive skin and I shiver.

Swallowing down my desire with a sigh, I dive out of bed. His face falls as I  walk away with a giggle. I pad into the bathroom, looking back over my shoulder  with a grin. “You did that all to yourself, sailor.”  

He pouts at me, showing off his puppy  eyes.

 I laugh. “We haven’t got time, sugar.”  

Damn it!

Oliver groans. “Fine, I give up. I’m  going to work, grumble, moan and all that. I’ll call you at lunchtime if I get a  chance. But I’m not sure how busy I’m going to be.”

I watch from the doorway whilst he pulls  a black t-shirt over his hard, defined body, and I wonder idly if we could  ‘make’ some time for our extra activity.

“Have you met him yet?” I ask, leaning against the doorframe, continuing to look  him over; I scrub my teeth, the toothpaste foaming between my words.

“Who? The new owner? No, probably  won’t, not for a while I reckon anyway. You never do with jobs like this.  There’s so much to do over there, Mia. I mean literally, acres and acres of  landscaping; we’re going to be busy for a good few months.” He tugs up his blue  jeans with a smile. I realise that he must have been worrying as much as I have  over the lack of the recent work.

“I don’t  think anything has been done with those gardens for the last twenty years or so.  Certainly not since that creepy old guy used to live there. What was his name?  Mr. Sam? Mr. San? Or something like that, I wonder what happened to him,” he says  with a shake of his head. “Anyway, I don’t have time to make small talk with  silly little rich boys.” He uses his most patronizing voice on me.

Oliver grins and bends to tie his bootlaces, knowing that this will irritate me. He looks back up through his long  lashes. His brown eyes, alert with playfulness, whilst his unruly blonde hair  falls over his forehead.

“Ollie,” I scold.  “You shouldn’t judge someone until you’ve met them. As you just said yourself,  you haven’t, and most probably won’t. He could be a perfectly nice chap for all  you know.” I rinse my toothbrush in the sink. “And, Mr San sold the land off and  moved away- I think that was his name anyway,” I continue. “Probably because of  people calling him creepy!” I laugh and look back into the bedroom.

“Whatever, sweet cheeks. I’ve seen  these types before. Big city boys think they can come down here for some quiet  time. They flash their cash around, cause a bit of mischief, and then decide  that it’s too boring and head back off to the big city again, leaving a trail of  broken hearts in their wake.” Oliver stands up and comes towards me. The top  button of his jeans remains undone.

He  notices my glance with a sly smile. “I’ve got to go. Like I said, I’ll try and  give you a call later if I
get a chance.” He strokes his finger across my bottom  lip. “Are we still going out for dinner with your sister tonight?” He slips his  hand into the back of my long black hair, his fingers brush through the  softness. He pulls my face up to meet his, his eyes cloud with lust whilst he  plants soft kisses along my jaw line. I moan. My stomach heats and flips under  his touch. 
  
“Mmmmmm.”

Pulling back, he looks into my face. “I love you so much. Shame I can’t interest you in anything.” I can hear the smugness in his voice, but I don’t care right now.

His tongue darts over his soft lips. I  groan as the warm feeling spreads to the apex of my thighs, leaving me trembling  for him. He grins, his dimple pulling in, as he plants a passionate kiss on my  mouth, pushing his body roughly against mine. His hips hold me in place against  the doorframe. I am practically panting for him and ready to crumble, and give  in to his every demand when he releases me.

“Better go, babe.” He slaps my behind as he strides off down the hallway with a  smug grin and a chuckle. Buttoning his jeans up, leaving me overwhelmingly  frustrated. 

I follow him down to the front  door. “Touché, Mr Boss man,” I murmur. He picks up his jacket and shrugs it on, stretching it over his strong broad shoulders, and grins at me. I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck. “I love you too, Ollie.”

He looks into my face, cupping it  with his hands, like a delicate flower. “You’re so damn beautiful, sweet cheeks.”

I flush under his praise. “Shut up!”  A giggle escapes. “I’m far from beautiful, but I guess that’s all in
the eye of  the beholder isn’t it?”

“Well this beholder  thinks you’re gorgeous.” He smiles.

I can’t  help but smile back. “Well I think the same of the beholder.”

He sniggers and kisses me. I change the subject, I hate being the center of attention. “Yes, we’re still going out tonight. Caitlyn is really looking forward to us meeting her new boyfriend, Will.” 

My half-sister Caitlyn  finally seems serious over a man. Therefore, I am not about to miss the opportunity to meet the lucky guy. I lean in for another kiss, pushing myself against Oliver’s hard chest, my full breasts press against him.  
 

I don’t think I will ever tire of kissing this man. 

His hands move round  to cup my buttocks and hoist me up on to my tiptoes.

 “Get a room!” Rachael - my best  friend and annoying flat-mate - looks up from the sofa with a scowl. Rachael is  not a morning person, and she hates the whole romance thing.  

And she has the worst timing ever.   

Oliver leans over and plants another  hard kiss on my mouth. “We have, but it’s so much more fun to ruin your Monday  morning with some good, old fashioned romance. I know how much you love that  mushy stuff.” He grins and winks at me, before turning to leave. “I love you,  sweet cheeks.” He blows me a kiss and shuts the door behind him.

“Love you, Ollie.” I shout after him.

“Mumbo jumbo more like,” Rachael mutters, sinking back down on the sofa with a frown.

*                      
*                     
*

“Are you ready to go  yet, Mia?” Rachael shouts down the hallway. “Seriously, stop primping yourself.”

I can hear her still muttering  something, but choose to ignore it. Once the caffeine hits home, she’ll be her  happy-go-lucky self again. 

“Yep, I’m  coming.” I slip my pumps on, grab my art satchel, and head down the hallway. I  trip over some shoes outside Rachael’s door on the way and peer into her room.  The curtains are still drawn, and the bed unmade. “Damn it, Rachael. You need to  sort your room out, it’s a mess. And I am not primping myself, thank you very  much. It’s this damn hair.” I flick my long dark waves away from my face.  

Rachael twists a short dark lock of her pixie haircut between her fingers. “Chop it off then, and stop making me late.”

Aaah yes, Rachael total timekeeper. The polar opposite of myself. I roll my eyes at her.

“And there’s nothing wrong with my room.  It’s arty and creative.”

“It’s a mess, how  can you say there’s nothing wrong with it? How do you even find anything in  there?” I slip on my jacket.
  
“Whatever, Mum.  Anyway,” she continues, “looks as if lover boy forgot his lunch.” She nods over  to Oliver’s lunch sitting on the counter top.  

“He can grab something over there can’t he?”  she says, shoving some toast in her mouth.

I  shrug. “No, I doubt it. There’s nothing over there but the house and the old  servant’s quarters, and I can’t see him getting an invite for tea and crumpets  can you?” I mentally kick myself. 

Now  I’m making judgements before meeting someone; it must be catching.

I drop my purse and phone in  my satchel and pick up his lunch box. “I better take it to him.”

She raises an eyebrow at me. “There’s  no way that you’re going to get time today, not with the new brats starting at  college, and all the staff meetings we have.” She shoves her feet into red  trainers, which clash magnificently with her blue tights.

“You are a sight to behold my girl,”  I laugh. Sometimes I think I should have been the history teacher, and she  should have been the wacky art teacher.

She  looks down at herself with a grin. “What?” 

“Anyway, I’ve got some free time this morning between meetings. The professor  spoke to me at last week’s staff meeting. He wants me to start work on a  painting for the new reception area.”

I pick  up my car keys, finally ready to go. “So I may need to go out and do a little  ‘ahem’ research.”
I whisper to my now co-conspirator and grin.

“Aaaah, so a little trip over to the  Island isn’t going to do you any harm then, eh? See, I knew you had a naughty  bone in you somewhere.” She smirks and slips a thick headband on her head on our  way out of the apartment. 
  
She links her arm  through mine and we continue down the hallway. “I heard that the guy moving in  over there is a rich billionaire who’s running from the mob.” She  laughs.

I roll my eyes at her. People have  been speculating for weeks over who the mysterious new owner is going to be. We  haven’t had any new people move into our little town for quite some time.  Certainly no one interesting or rich enough to purchase the mansion over on the  Island. 

We make our way down in the elevator  to the car park, only meeting Mrs Dorset- the crazy old
woman from no.45 along  the way. 

I unlock the car before we reach  it. “I’m driving,” Rachael says matter of factly, and moves for the driver’s  seat. “I can’t stand your driving Miss Daisy crap, Mia. Seriously, I don’t know  how lover boy puts up with it.” She holds out her hand, waiting impatiently for  the keys.

“Fine,” I grumble and walk to the passenger side. “Will you stop calling him that?” I throw the keys over the roof  to her and climb in. “And he basically just never lets me drive. Like
anywhere-  kind of like you really!” I scowl.

“That’s  because your driving is terrible. And slow. Really, really slow. And no, I’m  going to continue to call him that for as long as I know that it irritates him.  You know how much I love to annoy him.” She grins wickedly at me.

As we pull out of the underground garage,  Rachael waits for a car to pass. It’s sleek and black, I’ve no idea what type it  is, but damn it looks expensive. A man is sitting in the back, staring straight  ahead of him, shouting into his phone. I have to admit, his profile looks hot;  even with the frown that he wears.

“Wooooo,  mama!” She whistles loudly out of her open window.

“Rach, have you no shame?”

She turns to look at me. “Are you  serious? A gorgeous hunk of a man has just driven past us - scratch that - been  driven past us by his chauffeur, in his very expensive and very posh looking  car. And I’m not even allowed to whistle at him!” Her voice rises in indignation.

A laugh escapes my lips. “No,  Rach- big shocker for you, but that’s classed as rude. And it’s
embarrassing,  not to mention that he might have heard you.”

“Get a grip, Mia. He couldn’t have heard me.” She pulls out on to the road and  continues driving. “Could he?” She wiggles her eyebrows at me. I notice her  keeping a watchful eye out for the black car as we drive, but I ignore her. I  wonder if the man in the car is the new owner on the Island. It’s more than  likely. No one around here would be able to afford such a luxurious car.  
 
My thoughts drift back to Oliver, and what  he had said earlier about ‘silly little rich boys.’ Well, he had one thing  right. He was clearly rich. However, that was no boy in the car. He was all man.

*                      
*                     
*

Mr   Breckt.
 

“What do you mean you haven’t filled the pantry yet?” I scowl out of the window, the streets passing by in a blur. I listen half-heartedly to the voice on the other end of the phone.

“I’ll be there soon-  I don’t want excuses. I want results. How hard can it be to fill a goddamn  pantry?”

The voice continues to mumble  excuses at me.

How has it come to this?  How have I ended up in this drab little town?

I scowl harder, pulling a hand  through my hair.

“Blah, blah, blah. These are  all excuses, and I’ve heard them all before. I do not want you to think- I want  you to do.” 

My eyes wash over a woman  standing on the corner of the street ready to cross. “Pull over!” I bark out to  my driver. He looks nervously in the rear-view mirror and pulls the car to the  curb. My driver gets out and opens my door and I slip my phone into my pocket  without finishing the call. I step out on to the pavement in one fluid movement.  The woman stands wide-eyed watching me, her mouth open in a silent ‘o’. It is  hard not to stare at me of course… I know that. I am tall, dark and handsome …  the typical cliché. Yet I am so much more than just that.

I smile at her. “Hello, beautiful.  Could I trouble you for a quick word?” 

Corny, and yet…

The woman comes over to  the car without faltering. Smiling shyly at me and I give her my most dazzling stare and sexy smile.

… it works every time.

“I am new in town, and need someone to show me around. Perhaps you would be free to assist me?” I reach up and pull my fingers through the long auburn locks around her face. She shivers at my touch, a blush rising in her cheeks.

“I’m erm, well… I’m just on my way to work actually.”  

I smile at her again, my eyes focusing in on  hers. “Come on, beautiful. Show me around. Show me the sights. A beautiful woman  like you must know some great places around here.” I lean in further, my shadow  falling across her face and she gulps loudly.

I sigh, my body so close to hers that my breath washes over her.  

“Well, I guess I can just phone in sick or  something.” She shrugs.

I guide her to my car  - ever the gentleman – and help her in first and then I let the driver shut the  door behind me.

“So, beautiful. What’s your name?”

“Kate.” She giggles.

“Well, beautiful Kate. My name is  Robert Breckt.” My arm drapes over the tops of her shoulders and I pull my phone  back out of my pocket.

“I have one.” I look  at her. “See, how hard was that? Now I want to see the pantry full in the next  forty-eight hours or there is going to be hell to pay.” I snap the phone shut.  The driver has turned on the tinted windows for my privacy and I look at the  woman next to me. The excitement of meeting a handsome stranger is finally  giving way to the faintest of fear. A frown puckers between her brown eyes.

“Do not worry, beautiful Kate. I need  to set things in order in my new home, and then you can show me all of the delights of this town.” I force a smile and she relaxes her shoulders.

Typical, and boring. Just like  all the rest.

“Where

IT'S BETTER TO DIE BY THE GUN, THAN DIE BY THE DEAD!

When the dead began to rise and kill, the government had to make a decision- whether right or wrong- they had to protect what little society was left. 

They built walls which kept the dead out, and the live in. Other towns quickly followed suit, forcing the dead to live in the desolation that they had created. Only the zombies aren’t alone either.
These lands are not only teeming with hungry zombies, but also with the very worst of what was once a civilised society.

Nina now lives in a world where all the rules have changed. Where those who don't cooperate are tossed over the wall and into hell, and the good are rewarded with a pitiful existence.

When Nina empathises with a young girl called Emily-Rose who’s about to be thrown over the wall, her life gets a whole lot worse. The leader of the town has rules which he will not break, even if it means blood and death for the unfortunate ones, and with this in mind Nina makes the decision to go with the Emily and protect her  at all costs. However, can a woman with no fighting abilities and a penchant for spending money on expensive clothes really keep them safe?

Nina must now fight the zombies which rule the free-lands, and find a safe zone that could be just a myth.

Scared, starved and on the run from everything, Nina has everything working against her survival... but she’s not quite ready to give up on life yet, not now she has someone to live for again. 
 
Her quick wit and snarky attitude might just keep her alive long enough to find some way to protect Emily-Rose. Maybe…

Odium is an upcoming release by Claire C Riley!

Five facts about you that people won’t know about you. Can you juggle? Ride a bike with no hands? Drink beer upside down? Something unusual… GO!

1. I was once licked by a cow!

2. I collect mugs.

3. My husband and I, met, bought a house, and got married in the space of about 18 months. When you know, you know ;0)

 4. I love old 80’s movies. One of my favorites being Rocky!

5. I studied sociology, Media studies and art at college.
 
Five facts about your newest book that people won’t know. Some background history on one of your characters maybe? Maybe it was going to be called something completely different to start out with? Is it the same genre it started out as?...

1.  Mia is a name that I originally had pegged for one of my daughters, but me and my husband could never agree. It seems I finally got to call a daughter Mia after all, even if she is just a character.

2. Limerence was originally going to be YA. It was set as the main characters being college students and not college teachers.

3. Delamere forest and The Island is a completely fictional place. The Island was an idea I came up with after watching The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and my doctors is called the Delamere medical
practice. I could never decide whether I wanted it to be based in America or England and  so I made it so that I never state where it actually is so that it fits comfortably wherever the reader wants.

4. Originally Mr. Breckt was very much like Damon for The Vampire Diaries. Cocky and cheeky, but after 20’000 words I decided his transformation to a broken man would be better if he was more calm and mysterious to start with. 

5. My favorite character is Donovan. He has a very sad background story which made me cry when I write it.
 
Five facts about your next book… Name, genre, expected date of release…

1. A lot of Nina’s humor is based on my own. Seriously, these are the kind of weird
thoughts that I think in times of crisis!

2. I came up with the idea for Odium when I was sat in church with my daughter.

3. I’ve always wanted to write a zombie book, though I actually have a very real fear of them, so the fear I used throughout the book is my own.

4. Most of the characters stories in the book are based on answers that my FB fans gave me. I asked if anyone wanted to fill in a survival questionnaire for a chance at having a character named after them and got a great response back. Of course everything and everyone is embellished upon, but a lot of the ‘plans’ are peoples very real and actual plans that they have in place.

5. My favorite character is Mikey. I think I have a very disturbing crush on him.

Three tips that you think might be useful for other authors… anything you want. It could be, to write a certain amount every day, only write after midnight and never get Gizmo wet (Sorry, that’s Gremlins not writers! My bad.) Maybe it’s some information that was given to you that has helped your process…

1. Do it! Don’t be afraid to try something new, but also, don’t be afraid to hear criticism.

2. Read, read and read. Read everything. Even if it isn’t your normal genre or your style of writing, you never know what story will sink it’s teeth into you.

3. If editing yourself, get as many people to look at it as possible. Everyone will miss something!