Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "romantic-thriller"
Those Crimes of Passion
Seven years ago, I published my first novel Those Crimes of Passion.
A labour of love, it was written over a decade ago, in between studying for my GSCE’s and A Levels. I was becoming rapidly disillusioned with school and the education system in general. I wanted to write, to be creative, to immerse myself in subjects that interested me. Looking back over my final two years in school, I can only remember enjoying Religion & Philosophy, some History topics and the single creative writing project in English. I would often be seen taking walks around the school grounds by my Biology teacher; he would berate me for not studying the subject, but my mind was elsewhere. I was with Jennifer and Jonathan, coming up against organised crime, police corruption, sadistic predators and trials of the heart.
When I left school, I approached a few publishing agents, receiving rejections and a handwritten response advising one agency had recently been wound down. I saw RJ Ellory speak at my local library – hearing the number of submissions he made before obtaining a publishing deal was staggering. It was something I couldn’t support at the time, while I struggled in other ways. I was no longer writing.
Through voluntary work and starting work at a training company, I began to talk about my passion again and the novel I had completed. I was introduced to self-publishing through a colleague who published her self-help book and I wondered if I could do the same with fiction. I returned to the Crimes of Passion draft and began editing. A recent acquisition by the company I worked for brought with it graphics design tools, while I worked with an artistic friend on the cover design. I began formatting, crafting the synopsis, rediscovering my dream. I’d still collected ideas in the intervening years and was beginning work on new projects again.
I became obsessive about editing and proof-reading the retitled Those Crimes of Passion manuscript. Overcoming the anxiety and feelings of inadequacy to finally publish was difficult, but I pushed through it. I remember when I received the first copy of my first book in the post – a truly surreal and emotional moment. Those Crimes of Passion was published on August 13th, 2012. I received some fantastic support and feedback, which remains special to me to this day.
Now, seven years later, working on new projects, with two other books already published, it remains a defining moment in my life.
_______
We are all capable of the most unimaginable things. But many of us never find out what they are.
A school is locked in an atmosphere of unease and suspicion, and a young woman is brutally raped by a dangerous assailant. But events are soon to spiral out of control for Jennifer Kraystone and her friend Jonathan Baker. Caught in a web of crime and corruption, they are finding they can truly trust no one, while finally embracing the feelings they have denied themselves for so long.
But as their lives rip apart, can their growing passion protect them through all they must face, or will it ultimately threaten to corrupt their relationship with tragedy?
_______
Read on for a sample below:
Prologue
Dark shadows coiled tightly around the little light eyes could find, as fingers of ice caressed every inch of bare flesh. He’d have sworn it was set to be warmer than this, after the unusually bright and shiny day they’d had. But he supposed it was now winter – at least, that’s what this night marked; the beginning, though it was now an excuse for complete debauchery. But that was the way he liked it. He took a final drag and stamped out the cigarette in the gravel, a quiet wisp of smoke rising from the sodden ground.
As he turned to head back inside, he felt he was being watched. He looked out into the darkness, and something from the not-so-distant past seemed to return to the forefront of his mind, and he smiled to himself. An old friend whispered in his ear. It was as if he was back. It was time again. Nearly time anyhow. He took one last look at the desolate darkness before disappearing back inside.
As he went in, the figure hidden in the bushes moved uncomfortably, before emerging from their prickly cover. The blood coursed to his crotch, the aching, straining pleasure becoming almost too much to bear in his tight trousers. But that only made it all the more interesting. He crept to the window, gingerly looking inside to see his adversary moving across the dance floor. He was desperate to get inside, spying out his prey sat at the bar, bare legs entwined around each other; almost tighter and tighter, like a vice. That’s how it would feel. For both of them.
He shrank quickly back as two people headed for the door, laughing merrily. Their macabre costumes did nothing to deter their obvious attraction. Had they been anyone else they’d have disappeared already tonight, however these two seemed to be afraid of something. It only worked in his favour - he’d always be the first to go there. He shrank back into the bushes as they appeared outside.
“Nat is clearly completely off her face now,” the girl said, standing close to her male companion.
“You know Simeon’s still got the hots for her.”
“And how about you?” she giggled playfully. “Who have you got the hots for?”
“I don’t think I need to answer that.”
“Why not?”
“You know.”
“No. I don’t.”
“Yes you do, you little minx.” She broke down in a fit of giggles, staggering slightly, and he grasped her, their bodies clashing comfortably. Her giggling abruptly stopped, as she looked up at him.
“You know what?” she said, her face getting closer to his.
“What?” He stared at her slightly parted lips, his own moving closer.
“Jen!” The girl in the doorway seemed unaware of what was happening.
“What is it Rox?”
“Just need to talk to you for a bit. Do you mind Jonathan?”
He paused, the look in his eyes saying he minded very much, but he slowly shook his head. The girl in his arms looked at him, the glistening blue crystals apologising as she was yanked away. Jonathan soon followed them back inside.
Having been reluctant to breathe, the figure began to emerge from the bushes, just as his adversary appeared, as if from nowhere.
“What are you doing here?”
“Nothing,” came the hoarse reply.
“You know I thought it was you when I was having a fag earlier.” He neared him, a hint of menace in his posture. “You won’t do it you know. You never could. You lack my assertiveness, my charm, my…magnetism.”
He simply turned from him and disappeared into the night. Give it time, then he’d show him. Rage burned in his heart, and he thought of those unassuming, pretty little things he’d watched through the window. With all their short dresses and prim little bodies bursting out in a carnal delight. One day they would feel his wrath. And still he felt the moaning ache in his trousers.
Still stood by the open door, his adversary lit another cigarette, quickly puffing on it before stamping it out. Droplets of rain fell on him, and he felt a chill wind on the open neck of his shirt. Retreating inside, he bumped into an attractive brunette and grinned to himself.
“Natasha,” he whispered. “You alright?”
She looked up at him, her eyes huge and drugged. She murmured something and stumbled forward, her head resting on his chest, and she laughed quietly. He tilted her head up towards his, and she moved closer to him. He covered her open mouth fully, his tongue roughly passing her lips, her feeble drunken kiss responding to him automatically. As he withdrew, she still seemed completely unaware, and sank into a nearby chair.
He walked off toward the toilets, catching the eye of the blond stood by the door. He glanced around the room and saw Jennifer at a table; drink in her hand. She tilted her head and took a long sip. It wouldn’t be long now. He entered a cubicle and undid his trousers, closing the cubicle door. He looked down at the girl on her knees, pushing her head toward him as he leant back against the cubicle partition.
“What a night,” he muttered, as she pulled back from him, her wide eyes looking up at him, her mouth wet. He zipped himself up and opened the cubicle door, dragging her to her feet before returning to the dance floor, the heavy sound of disco filling his eardrums. Glancing around, he saw his prey leaving the group of girls she was dancing with and disappear to find a seat. He found her and sat down beside her.
“Fancy a dance Jen?”
She shook her head, suddenly feeling quite dizzy. Her mouth was dry, and she swallowed uncomfortably, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She began to stand up, not quite sure of where she wanted to go - before she was suddenly on the ground, aware of people gathering around her, someone calling her name. The lights danced in front of her glazing eyes, the music pounding inside her head. She could feel herself slipping away, disappearing in a haze of blackness.
_______
Continue reading with:
Amazon Kindle
Apple Books
Rakuten Kobo
Barnes & Noble NOOK
Also available in multiple formats on Amazon and Lulu.com.
A labour of love, it was written over a decade ago, in between studying for my GSCE’s and A Levels. I was becoming rapidly disillusioned with school and the education system in general. I wanted to write, to be creative, to immerse myself in subjects that interested me. Looking back over my final two years in school, I can only remember enjoying Religion & Philosophy, some History topics and the single creative writing project in English. I would often be seen taking walks around the school grounds by my Biology teacher; he would berate me for not studying the subject, but my mind was elsewhere. I was with Jennifer and Jonathan, coming up against organised crime, police corruption, sadistic predators and trials of the heart.
When I left school, I approached a few publishing agents, receiving rejections and a handwritten response advising one agency had recently been wound down. I saw RJ Ellory speak at my local library – hearing the number of submissions he made before obtaining a publishing deal was staggering. It was something I couldn’t support at the time, while I struggled in other ways. I was no longer writing.
Through voluntary work and starting work at a training company, I began to talk about my passion again and the novel I had completed. I was introduced to self-publishing through a colleague who published her self-help book and I wondered if I could do the same with fiction. I returned to the Crimes of Passion draft and began editing. A recent acquisition by the company I worked for brought with it graphics design tools, while I worked with an artistic friend on the cover design. I began formatting, crafting the synopsis, rediscovering my dream. I’d still collected ideas in the intervening years and was beginning work on new projects again.
I became obsessive about editing and proof-reading the retitled Those Crimes of Passion manuscript. Overcoming the anxiety and feelings of inadequacy to finally publish was difficult, but I pushed through it. I remember when I received the first copy of my first book in the post – a truly surreal and emotional moment. Those Crimes of Passion was published on August 13th, 2012. I received some fantastic support and feedback, which remains special to me to this day.
Now, seven years later, working on new projects, with two other books already published, it remains a defining moment in my life.
_______
We are all capable of the most unimaginable things. But many of us never find out what they are.
A school is locked in an atmosphere of unease and suspicion, and a young woman is brutally raped by a dangerous assailant. But events are soon to spiral out of control for Jennifer Kraystone and her friend Jonathan Baker. Caught in a web of crime and corruption, they are finding they can truly trust no one, while finally embracing the feelings they have denied themselves for so long.
But as their lives rip apart, can their growing passion protect them through all they must face, or will it ultimately threaten to corrupt their relationship with tragedy?
_______
Read on for a sample below:
Prologue
Dark shadows coiled tightly around the little light eyes could find, as fingers of ice caressed every inch of bare flesh. He’d have sworn it was set to be warmer than this, after the unusually bright and shiny day they’d had. But he supposed it was now winter – at least, that’s what this night marked; the beginning, though it was now an excuse for complete debauchery. But that was the way he liked it. He took a final drag and stamped out the cigarette in the gravel, a quiet wisp of smoke rising from the sodden ground.
As he turned to head back inside, he felt he was being watched. He looked out into the darkness, and something from the not-so-distant past seemed to return to the forefront of his mind, and he smiled to himself. An old friend whispered in his ear. It was as if he was back. It was time again. Nearly time anyhow. He took one last look at the desolate darkness before disappearing back inside.
As he went in, the figure hidden in the bushes moved uncomfortably, before emerging from their prickly cover. The blood coursed to his crotch, the aching, straining pleasure becoming almost too much to bear in his tight trousers. But that only made it all the more interesting. He crept to the window, gingerly looking inside to see his adversary moving across the dance floor. He was desperate to get inside, spying out his prey sat at the bar, bare legs entwined around each other; almost tighter and tighter, like a vice. That’s how it would feel. For both of them.
He shrank quickly back as two people headed for the door, laughing merrily. Their macabre costumes did nothing to deter their obvious attraction. Had they been anyone else they’d have disappeared already tonight, however these two seemed to be afraid of something. It only worked in his favour - he’d always be the first to go there. He shrank back into the bushes as they appeared outside.
“Nat is clearly completely off her face now,” the girl said, standing close to her male companion.
“You know Simeon’s still got the hots for her.”
“And how about you?” she giggled playfully. “Who have you got the hots for?”
“I don’t think I need to answer that.”
“Why not?”
“You know.”
“No. I don’t.”
“Yes you do, you little minx.” She broke down in a fit of giggles, staggering slightly, and he grasped her, their bodies clashing comfortably. Her giggling abruptly stopped, as she looked up at him.
“You know what?” she said, her face getting closer to his.
“What?” He stared at her slightly parted lips, his own moving closer.
“Jen!” The girl in the doorway seemed unaware of what was happening.
“What is it Rox?”
“Just need to talk to you for a bit. Do you mind Jonathan?”
He paused, the look in his eyes saying he minded very much, but he slowly shook his head. The girl in his arms looked at him, the glistening blue crystals apologising as she was yanked away. Jonathan soon followed them back inside.
Having been reluctant to breathe, the figure began to emerge from the bushes, just as his adversary appeared, as if from nowhere.
“What are you doing here?”
“Nothing,” came the hoarse reply.
“You know I thought it was you when I was having a fag earlier.” He neared him, a hint of menace in his posture. “You won’t do it you know. You never could. You lack my assertiveness, my charm, my…magnetism.”
He simply turned from him and disappeared into the night. Give it time, then he’d show him. Rage burned in his heart, and he thought of those unassuming, pretty little things he’d watched through the window. With all their short dresses and prim little bodies bursting out in a carnal delight. One day they would feel his wrath. And still he felt the moaning ache in his trousers.
Still stood by the open door, his adversary lit another cigarette, quickly puffing on it before stamping it out. Droplets of rain fell on him, and he felt a chill wind on the open neck of his shirt. Retreating inside, he bumped into an attractive brunette and grinned to himself.
“Natasha,” he whispered. “You alright?”
She looked up at him, her eyes huge and drugged. She murmured something and stumbled forward, her head resting on his chest, and she laughed quietly. He tilted her head up towards his, and she moved closer to him. He covered her open mouth fully, his tongue roughly passing her lips, her feeble drunken kiss responding to him automatically. As he withdrew, she still seemed completely unaware, and sank into a nearby chair.
He walked off toward the toilets, catching the eye of the blond stood by the door. He glanced around the room and saw Jennifer at a table; drink in her hand. She tilted her head and took a long sip. It wouldn’t be long now. He entered a cubicle and undid his trousers, closing the cubicle door. He looked down at the girl on her knees, pushing her head toward him as he leant back against the cubicle partition.
“What a night,” he muttered, as she pulled back from him, her wide eyes looking up at him, her mouth wet. He zipped himself up and opened the cubicle door, dragging her to her feet before returning to the dance floor, the heavy sound of disco filling his eardrums. Glancing around, he saw his prey leaving the group of girls she was dancing with and disappear to find a seat. He found her and sat down beside her.
“Fancy a dance Jen?”
She shook her head, suddenly feeling quite dizzy. Her mouth was dry, and she swallowed uncomfortably, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She began to stand up, not quite sure of where she wanted to go - before she was suddenly on the ground, aware of people gathering around her, someone calling her name. The lights danced in front of her glazing eyes, the music pounding inside her head. She could feel herself slipping away, disappearing in a haze of blackness.
_______
Continue reading with:
Amazon Kindle
Apple Books
Rakuten Kobo
Barnes & Noble NOOK
Also available in multiple formats on Amazon and Lulu.com.
N.A. Preedy's The Dark Obsession - Review
The Dark Obsession by N.A PreedyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A romantic suspense thriller with a celestial twist.
Rosa meets Dale at the library, sparking an instant attraction that quickly bubbles into passion.
The following day, Rosa is offered a new job at a prestigious law firm, assisting senior partner Rafael Alcazar.
As Rosa's world shatters with the realisation Dale is not as he seems, leaving her and her entire family in danger, she finds herself under Rafael's protection; a vow he will stop at nothing to keep.
'The Dark Obsession' is the debut novel by N.A. Preedy. We meet law graduate Rosalie “Rosa” Lockwood, dreaming of finding love and preparing to embark on her career. Feisty and ambitious, and still possessing the naivety of youth that's both endearing and dangerous, she is astonished to find her dreams appear to be coming so quickly to fruition with her lover, Dale, and new boss, Rafael. Preedy cleverly subverts our expectations of these relationships in the early chapters. An intense connection of burning desire and affection that we believe may be a meeting of soul mates soon reveals itself as the superficial skin of manipulation, as Rosa falls victim to a narcissistic, obsessive stalker.
Rafael Alcazar is an intriguing and mysterious character, with power and influence that extends beyond his position as a prestigious private attorney. Unofficially assisting police with their enquiries, with apparent free access to police premises, he assigns himself supporter of grieving families and protector of the abused. The narrative is peppered with hints and clues that he is far more than he seems; intense and empassioned, his emotion for Rosa quickly becomes his defining focus, wishing to save her while battling his desire for her.
With a fast-paced plot, multiple twists and action sequences, the threat to Rosa and those around her increasing at every turn as her stalker becomes increasingly vile and volatile, the narrative dances with danger and romance, exploring the characters' flaws and hidden desires, flirting with Rosa and Raphael's need to consummate their relationship. But Rafael hides a secret, one that answers those mysterious questions and leaves us with many more as the final revelation plays out and we discover his true nature.
Thrilling and emotional, 'The Dark Obsession' is a suspenseful debut novel, leaving us excited to delve deeper into this world of ethereal justice.
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