Demelza Carlton's Blog, page 43

Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller – Seven #SexySnippets – Part 4

Hardly the ideal start to a happy relationship:

His breathing slowed, but it felt forced, the muscles in his legs tense beneath my back. Thighs as taut as a fully laden clothes line.

He wouldn’t look at me as he mumbled something, half under his breath, that sounded like, “Sorry,” before he turned away to stare out the window.

“Let me go, you bastard!” I blared, feeling satisfaction as his hands shot up in scared surrender.

I tensed, testing each muscle for readiness as I prayed I could do enough damage to make him let me go.

I launched my body at him, clawed fingers first, reaching for his face. I wanted to scratch his eyes out.

Seven snippets from Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller for The Nuthouse Scribblers Sexy Snippets.

If you’d like more than just a taste, there’s a reading of this chapter on YouTube:

Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller – Seven #SexySnippets – Part 3

Tantalising hints of what happened to her as Caitlin floats in her coma:

The sibilance of sound as his voice spoke in endless waves. Sentences ebbed and flowed in the dark – always the same ones with slight variations.

“So sorry…”

“I’ll keep you safe, Caitlin. I swear…”

“She’s all I have left. Please…”

“Should’ve grabbed you before she did and run…”

“Sorry. Caitlin, I’m so sorry.”

Seven snippets from Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller for The Nuthouse Scribblers: Sexy Snippets.

If you’d like more than just a taste, there’s a reading of this chapter on YouTube:

Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller – Seven #SexySnippets – Part 2

Waking up in hospital, Caitlin finally meets her rescuer:

“And now in breaking news, Caitlin Lockyer has been found. In the early hours of this morning, a man discovered her body dumped on a south-west beach…”

He promised to protect me. I don’t even know his name.

I heard his voice. I finally saw his face clearly as he pushed past an orderly to enter the room. The face of the man who killed another in an effort to protect me, before the police shot him…

Seven sentences from Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller for The Nuthouse Scribblers: Sexy Snippets.

If you’d like more than just a taste, there’s a reading of this chapter on YouTube:

Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller – Seven #SexySnippets – Part 1

The start of Caitlin’s kidnapping…and all the darkness that followed:

Don’t get into cars with strangers.

So stupid to think I was strong enough to resist.

But I never dreamed it would happen to me.

Her laughter dragged my eyes from the ordinary street scene.

“My friend wants to ask you something,” she said. Cracking open the car’s back door, she jerked her head in the direction of the car’s interior.

I could barely see his face, just his eyes.

Seven sentences from Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller for The Nuthouse Scribblers: Sexy Snippets.

If you’d like more than just a taste, there’s a reading of this chapter on YouTube:

 

25 books for less than a buck – 99c sale

All the books below are on sale for only 99c for the 14th September 2013 – all you have to do is click on the cover and it’ll take you to where you can buy the book for less than a dollar. Every single one is 99c…so cheap it’s scary.

Always check the price before you click – some of the books are on sale earlier or longer than others, while some will go back to their normal price. Time zones can be tricky things…

Water and Fire – Another Seven #SexySnippets

Things are starting to heat up in Albany Regional Hospital, with Aidan saying a few things he shouldn’t:

 

“Belinda, can you help me with something in the office?” Aidan asked.

I followed Aidan back to the duty doctor’s office and he shut the door as soon as I’d joined him inside.

“You took over my Emergency Department and had it running smooth as satin or melted chocolate in about fifteen minutes. How can I repay you?” His eyes held both admiration and desperation.

Satin or melted chocolate? Unusual examples for smoothness or a hospital.

 

Seven sentences from Water and Fire for The Nuthouse Scribblers: Sexy Snippets.

 

Water and Fire is available from Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Diesel, Kobo and Smashwords.

Official Book Trailer – Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller

Evil should never be necessary. Except when it is.

“And now in breaking news, Caitlin Lockyer has been found. In the early hours of this morning, a man discovered her body dumped on a south-west beach. A police spokesperson would not confirm whether the girl known as the Absent Angel is alive or dead…”

They called her an angel.

No one thought to ask what kind.

Burning for retribution, now she’ll stop at nothing.

Can it truly be evil when it feels so good?

 

The official book trailer features music from the lovely Julia Henning as well as my own voiceover, of course – including my best attempt at an evil laugh. I think I only managed wicked, though, instead of true evil.

 

 

Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller is available from Amazon and Smashwords.

Release Day – Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller

After nineteen years, the necessary evil behind the nightmares has been revealed…Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller was released on 30 August 2013.

Originally the first (and only) book in the Nightmares Trilogy, Necessary Evil has matured and finally been published to accompany Nightmares of Caitlin Lockyer.

Dark, disturbing and definitely scary – Caitlin knows the worst monsters are human. With all the talk of death and angels, it’s hard to believe she’s alive. Yet she survived to tell her story of nightmares, necessary evil and…things no one needs to know.

Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller is available from Amazon and Smashwords.

Evil should never be necessary. Except when it is.

“And now in breaking news, Caitlin Lockyer has been found. In the early hours of this morning, a man discovered her body dumped on a south-west beach. A police spokesperson would not confirm whether the girl known as the Absent Angel is alive or dead…”

Let me know when you work it out, won’t you? I don’t feel dead…

When I find out who’s responsible, I’m going to hunt them down and kill them slowly.

Recovering after abduction and rape, Caitlin emerges from the darkness, burning for revenge.

But the media and the man who rescued her consider Caitlin an angel.

An avenging angel, perhaps. One who’ll stop at nothing to ensure her own safety.

What means more to her – recovery or retribution?

Can it truly be evil when it feels so good?

The Lone Ranger, Research and Recreation

I have a problem. I’ve never shot or killed anyone.

Under normal circumstances, for normal people, this wouldn’t be a problem, yet while I was writing Nightmares of Caitlin Lockyer and its sequel, Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller, it was for me.

I realised I needed to do more research – of a very different kind.

You see, the problem wasn’t just that I wasn’t a murderer. I’d never fired a weapon before. I’d never handled a gun at all. No, water pistols don’t count.

Given the very strict gun laws in Western Australia and my personal preference not to kill people, the best way to rectify the situation was to go to a shooting range. The Lone Ranger Shooting Complex in Perth.

Actually, when I reached the industrial area where the Complex is, I diccovered not only an absence of Johnny Depp but that I’d mistaken the name. It wasn’t the Lone Ranger at all – it was the Lone Ranges. I was there for the shooting and not the name, so I quickly recovered from my disappointment as I realised I was spoilt for weapon choice.

It’s a hard decision when my usual weapon of choice is a shoe – and I’m pretty deadly with it, when it comes to red-back spiders!

Luckily, there were a number of shooting enthusiasts there who were happy to advise me on the best weapons to try for my first time shooting. They all assured me with a knowing smile that once I’d tried shooting, I’d be addicted for life.

I smiled and thanked them – before selecting two semi-automatics to try. A Browning and a Ruger 9mm.

Safety glasses and hearing protection on, I proceeded to load the bullets into the Browning’s cartridge. Backwards. A kindly staff member helped me fix that and I was soon ready to shoot things.

Targets, not people.

A few rounds with the Browning and I found that even a semi-automatic has recoil. I was really glad I hadn’t chosen a rifle or something bigger. The acrid smoke and the noise made the whole complex surreal. I could easily visualise a gun battle in Caitlin’s house, for I imagined it would be the same as the indoor shooting complex.

With people shooting at people, not targets, of course.

I didn’t like the Browning much, but I had so many rounds left over. Luckily, I’d brought a friend with me – a man who shares a name with one of the villains in Nightmares and Necessary Evil, by a strange coincidence. He was more than happy to use up my spare rounds. Together, turned that target into a slice of Swiss cheese – holes everywhere.

Deciding it was time to move up a bit, I requested the Ruger 9mm – which I’d never seen. When the staff member brought me the gun, I thought it was a joke. It looked too big – like something out of a movie. I didn’t know how a petite woman could handle such a weapon. Hell, I didn’t know how I’d handle such a weapon.

I loaded it up and took aim. The damn thing jammed.

Twenty minutes of assistance from a staff member and the jamming issue was solved. I pegged up a new target, ran it out to a decent distance and took aim.

Louder. Heavier recoil that jarred all the way up my shoulder into my spine. A small cloud of acrid smoke that set me coughing and choking. And I hit the star in the middle of the target.

While I caught my breath, my friend made good use of the remaining rounds. But my first shot was still the best.

My throat still sore and my shoulders aching, I led the way back to the counter.

“So how was it?” the enthusiastic lady at the counter asked with a smile.

I shrugged. “I got my research done and I’ve chosen a weapon for my character.”

“When are you coming back again?” she asked, her smile wider still.

I politely told her I wouldn’t be – as my research was complete. I now know what weapons my characters are armed with.

I didn’t dare tell her that I prefer cuddling snakes and swimming with sharks. Of course, that might partly have been because I had a sore throat from inhaling too much gun-smoke.

Besides, learning I have decent aim with a big gun probably isn’t the best skill to build on. I think I’ll stick to writing.

Media Release: Whisky, Whales and Love – West Australian Style

Wild whales, kamikaze kangaroos that try to kill her and strange stories about the Nannup Tiger slinking south for the winter…a normal day in the life of Belinda, a fictional student midwife at Albany Regional Hospital in Western Australia.

West Australian author Demelza Carlton’s latest book, Water and Fire, tells Belinda’s story amid the scenic Great Southern town of Albany.

“In a departure from my Ocean’s Gift series and my Nightmares trilogy, the character of Belinda really fascinates me,” Demelza said. “She’s a passionate nurse whose own baby was stillborn. Instead of seeking help for her sorrow, she throws herself into saving other women’s babies from a similar fate.”

Originally a short story written for the Watty Awards, an international writers’ competition in Canada, Demelza decided there was more to Water and Fire – and Belinda and Aidan, the main characters.

Drawing on her experience in the health sector, Demelza crafted a story set against the backdrop of Albany – including the whales, the local restaurants and the distillery. Braving seasickness in a heavy swell to capture photos of humpback whales in Albany waters, she researched the town thoroughly, using her photos and video in video trailers for the book.

“I think the food was the most fun, really. After spending most of the day on a boat, then hiking around Stony Hill, the Gap and the Natural Bridge lugging my camera gear, I decided to finish up with restaurant research. Trying to work out where Aidan would invite Belinda to dinner, I wandered into the White Star Hotel – while live local band Limerick was playing. Looking at my serve of hot shark fillets, I knew exactly where he’d take her.”

“The whisky was the easiest decision. With a local distillery, when the whisky connoisseur doctor opened a bottle, it had to be Limeburners. I only hope the staff at the Great Southern Distillery don’t mind my use of artistic license – placing their head distiller in danger and turning their ethanol fire into a more traditional wood-burning one.”

This is Demelza’s fourth book. Her previous titles include Ocean’s Gift and Ocean’s Infiltrator, part of the mermaid Ocean’s Gift series, and Nightmares of Caitlin Lockyer, the first book in her thriller trilogy.

Demelza Carlton’s books are published by Lost Plot Press. Water and Fire and all of her previous titles are available through global retailer Amazon.