by Dan Thompson
The door creaked open. Slowly. Abbey plunged herself to the ground and pretended to be asleep. She didn’t even hear him enter the room. It was the snapping of the cage that jolted her attention. Abbey peered out from her foetal position to see Rheanne forced to stand. It was a sad sight to behold; a girl who didn’t resist or fight back. She had accepted her fate and welcomed death with open arms.
Abbey wanted to scream for her, thrash about as if doing so would make what was going to happen next that more atrocious. Abbey’s skin throbbed, and yet she remained silent. All she did was observe. Rheanne’s expressionless face was also thin, wearing the clear markings of someone who had given up hope long ago.
Stefan on the other hand wore a maniacal grin and it grew wider and more psychotic as he thrust it in Abbey’s direction. Abbey knew she should have looked away, but the monster’s gaze was sadistically hypnotic, like everything he did was but a show for everyone else to behold, Stefan obviously got off from the parade he had orchestrated.
The door had remained open throughout, its key left lodged in the lock. Abbey wanted Rheanne to burst away, to slam the door behind her and run to get help.
Sadly, Rheanne only had one thing in mind: death.
The door closed quietly, but Abbey was quick to realise that Stefan had failed to lock it. She had been given a lifeline, and she had every intention of taking it.
What is NA?
NA, or ‘new adult’ is a relatively new genre of literature. I have seen it coined as ‘bridging the gap’ between young adult (teenage) and adult books, which I think sums it up perfectly. It is almost an older YA category, which fits a broader market audience. I, myself, enjoy reading young adult titles and therefore I think it became necessary for this new genre to be created.
In my own experience, I have come across many adults who turn their noses up at YA novels, thinking themselves too mature and grownup for those kinds of books. Oh, how they are missing out! But NA books tend to focus more on the growing adult behaviour of post-teenage protagonists. It is no longer about their first crush or first kiss and more about their first serious relationship. It deals with deeper sexual behaviour and experiences. It deals with life after school, where the main character takes their first steps in the big, bad, wide open world.
Of course NA is a broad term and it can be split up into subgenres, such as every other main category. You can have NA romance, NA thriller, NA horror, NA fantasy … and the list goes on.
Many people misjudge NA as books with more sex in them, and that couldn’t be further than the truth. Sexual identity and coming of age connotations are most certainly a part of NA books, but on the whole, the NA audience are much more in tune with character depth and multiple story arcs. They can have books exploring side stories before they return to the main plot again. And of course, more darker and more ‘adult’ themes can be explored too.
Abuse and kidnap are two important themes in the first third of Here Lies Love, and if you’ve read the book, you’ll know that some scenes simply aren’t suitable for the younger YA audience, which can be as young as thirteen. Now of course there are always the exception to the rule, but a thirteen year old may not be able to deal emotionally with a scene of sexual abuse, and to be honest, they shouldn’t be able to. Being introduced to that type of subject only desensitises them later on.
The rape scene in this book is never meant to glorify the act. It is there to shock. An adult or more aptly, a new adult will certainly be shocked by the events, but will have the maturity to handle the scenario for what it is and how it fits into the plot.
NA is a genre on the rise, and if you are open minded, you may just fall in love with this category of book.
Dear My Learned Friend,
Please accept my apologies in the delay of this correspondence. I simply have been too immersed in our research that I quite frankly forgot to come up and breath. I’ve worked through the tiredness, through the headaches and through the distractions and I can say with much enthusiasm that the hunger is still there.
Not that we have much choice. With our world changing so suddenly, we as scientists are being relied upon to create a fix-it to the darkness that looms our way like a permanent thunder cloud above our fragile, little heads.
I am pleased to say that we have made progress with my theory; the scientific breakthrough we’ve been after is just within our reach, I know it! I can feel it – the butterflies ricocheting inside my stomach certainly proves the excitement of our discovery.
As you very well know, the answer to our problem must reside in nature – true nature. Resources, electricity, gas – all redundant when the sun can no longer penetrate the Emerson asteroid belt. We know that we will be thrown into an everlasting darkness.
The answer lies in bioluminescence, it just has to. I have been researching extensively the genetic makeup of Artic krill and fireflies. When the enzyme ‘Luciferase’ reacts with its compound element of Luciferin and oxidises, bioluminescence is the out product. We’ve known that for years. What if we can find some way of literally blowing that chemical process up on a global scale to create a long-lasting, natural light source?
My thoughts lie with the satellites that orbit our planet. By using the bioluminescence and the satellites as screens, we could beam the glow into a spherical formation that will cover most of the Earth. Of course there will be patches it cannot reach, but that is something that we’ll have to cross at a later date, do you not agree?
Some of the professors at the university have questioned the temperature reduction when the sun does disappear. I’m afraid that is more your area of expertise than mine, but if memory serves me correctly, I feel like it is something we shouldn’t be overly concerned about. Geothermal energy from within the earth’s core will remain constant even when the Emerson does block out the sun. As the rocks burn and decay, the radiation will rise through the various layers beneath us and convert into a heat source. You will however, need to reassure me of this.
I eagerly await your response and theories. I must get back now and look into recording living examples of the bioluminescence and artificially creating a device that can recycle the catalyst process.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Elijah Malcolm,
Head Professor and Research Scientist at the University of Lincoln
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The annual Culling ceremony is a day every coming-of-age novice looks forward to within the Primeval Coven. It’s the start to being initiated into the Night Watchmen, humankind’s protectors, and it’s the long-awaited day when novices discover if they’re a Hunter or a Witch.
But this day is not a happy one for Faye Middleton. Not when she’s known her whole life that she’s a Defect and is about to face banishment in front of her fellow novices. She’s forced to attend the Culling with little hope for her future, but what she discovers about herself is far worse than she could’ve imagined. And far more dangerous.
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Candace Knoebel is the award winning author of the Born in Flames trilogy.
When Eve is rescued from a horrific coach crash by her teachers, she is shocked to discover they possess super strength and speed. But what happens next is even more harrowing.
In the aftermath of the crash she discovers that everyone in her life from neighbours, doctors, dentists, teachers, shop keepers and even her family and friends are actually super strength Guardians sent to protect her. They all have one thing in common, a single minded ferocity that she must be kept alive at all costs.
However, she is surrounded by secrets and lies. Those in the know deny all knowledge of what happened that fateful night. Everyone else carries on as normal, seemingly unaware of the new strange world that she has stumbled against.
With the help of Seth, her best friend, Eve discovers the prophecies surrounding her true identity and the super strength she too holds. With her Guardians pledged to protect her, her closest friends ready to die for her, her own hopes and dreams are put on hold whilst she battles to control the amazing powers she has been bestowed with.
But those that seek to destroy her move ever closer. Will the Guardians be enough to protect her when so many are prepared to stop at nothing to see her dead? And will she be strong enough to fulfil her destiny when the time comes?
About the Author
Dan lives in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire (England) with his young daughter and his shabby dog, Skye.
He is the Author of the charity poetry book Life is all but a vast array of Colours and phobia Novella The Caseworker's Memoirs. A YA Fantasy entitled The Black Petal will be available soon. Here Lies Love is his first foray into the NA and Dystopian genres.
A lover of YA and fantasy fiction, you can often find him writing on his blog, writing book reviews and connecting online with other writer-type people and interviewing authors. Dan grew up reading Enid Blyton's The Famous Five series, secretly coming up with his own inventive adventures, and R.L Stine's The Goosebump series, before turning to the works of Philip Pullman, Eoin Colfer and Marcus Sedgwick and slipping away into alternate realities. He also loves a good Historical Thriller too. Deborah Harkness, Danielle Trussoni and Dianne Gray are some of his favourite authors who write for adults.
Social Media
Why not join me online and come and say hi? You can find me at the following places.
Website: http://danthompsonauthor.com
Facebook: facebook.com/theblackpetal
Twitter: twitter.com/dan_pentagram
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If you fancy getting in touch privately I’d be happy to receive an email or letter. If you give an email address or postal address, I guarantee you’ll get a response*.
Email me at: [email protected]
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Table of Contents
Here Lies Love
For all my writing buddies:
Also by Dan ThompsonAdult Novels:The Caseworker’s MemoirsTeenage/YA Novels:
Praise for Dan Thompson
This book contains scenes not suitable for younger readers. Themes of violence, sexual abuse and suic...
“Where there is love, there is life.”-Mahatma Ghandi
Chapter One. A Sad World
Chapter Two. Escape is FutileT
Chapter Three. ViolatedI
Chapter Four. Just Deserts T
Chapter Five. Cigarettes BurnT
Chapter Six. Shelter
Chapter Seven. Curiosity Kills the Cat
Chapter Eight. The Blue Haze
Chapter Nine. Moonshine
Chapter Ten. The StarA
Chapter Eleven. The Chase
Chapter Twelve. The Journey HomeT
Chapter Thirteen. Daddy’s Little GirlT
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Acknowledgements
Extras
Interview with the Author
Deleted Scene
What is NA?
What is NA?
Dear My Learned Friend,
T
If there is a hell, I think maybe this is it.
What if your destiny lay on the other side of death?
When Eve is rescued from a horrific coach crash by her teachers, she is shocked to discover they poss...
About the Author
Social Media