The Voices

Being a mute used to be simple before all the craziness started. I just can't talk and that's who I am. Mum has learned to accept that and I guess so have I. Everything was just fine in my high school in Shanghai. I had finally made it to year twelve and even though I was in China, I was actually being treated as a human being despite my disability. Things were definitely not perfect but I would give anything to go back to that, like it was before. I heard my first voice that year, right at the beginning of year 12. I didn’t really have any real friends, but I was used to it and before the voices started, I was fine with that. But it all changed when I first heard them. The voices inside their heads started then and my life was never the same. They weren't just thinking about school or they girls or guys they were into, no they were thinking about doing things, doing horrible things to each other and I was the only one that knew how messed up they really were.

I was just about to drink a soup meant to supplement my pregnancy, a frantic voice suddenly called out. "Mommy, don't drink it! It's an abortion drug. Someone's trying to harm you!" Startled, my hand jerked, and I knocked the soup over. My husband's cousin teared up, her voice choking, "B-But I cooked that soup myself as an apology…" I didn't pay her any heed, only checking the contents of the medicinal soup. There was a large amount of poison in it, enough to not just harm the baby, but even make it impossible for me to ever conceive again! "Mommy, it was me! I protected you!" I caressed my pregnant belly, listening as the child inside told me that he was the incarnation of a lucky star, sent to bring me good fortune. Because of this, we even gave him the nickname Lucky. And sure enough, under his guidance, I helped my husband secure numerous contracts. The whole family was overjoyed. I grew to love him even more, consuming precious supplements as if they were free. Within just three months, my family's assets grew tenfold, while I grew thirty pounds. Just as I stuffed the roast pork into my mouth, I heard a weak, faint voice. "Mom, don't listen to him! He was switched into your womb, and he stole my good luck! "If you continue listening to him, he'll be the death of us both after he's born!" Confused, I stopped eating. Who was I to believe, when there were two voices within my womb?

I sighed again. "I understand. I'm sorry for using the tone I used before." I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. "Why didnt you tell me about your problem on day one? I would have spoken louder. I wou-" She shook her head. "That's not necessary." "Why isn't it?" "T-t-there's something about your voice," she stammered nervously as she gently tugged at her fingers. "My voice?" She nodded again. "It's hard to ignore." "I don't understand where you're going with this." "Your voice," she looked down as a light blush stained her cheeks, "is the only voice that I can hear perfectly." ~ Alexia Dawson is a partially deaf woman who struggles to fit in with the other staff at her workplace. Being heterochromic as well, she is the main target for gossip and this makes her very insecure. One night, she is humiliated during a party by one of her coworkers and leaves the building in tears. In the parking lot, she meets a stranger who listens to her troubles and this man later turns out to be the boss' son who happens to be taking over the company the following week! As these two come together in this beautiful romance, a jealous younger brother and ex fiancée get thrown into the mix! What will become of this pair of lovers?

Late at night, when I think I'm alone, I feel his breath on the side of my face, and I know--he's watching me. Ever since I moved into this ancient mansion to take care of my sick aunt, I've been experiencing strange things. When I discover she has a boarder, a mysterious, sexy artist who lives on the third floor, I think some of that is explained. The bumps in the night. The whispers from the shadows. But once Dalton and I are properly introduced, the strange occurrences don't stop. If anything, they are amplified. When I close my eyes at night, it's his face I see. It's his hands I feel. It's his lips I taste. The more I get to know him, the more I realize I don't know him at all. Dalton's not the kind of man that buys a woman flowers and makes her feel all warm and fuzzy. No, he's the kind of man your mama would tell you to run from. Cold. Dangerous. Complex. And now that he wants me, I learn he is more than that. Possessive. Controlling. Diabolical. I should leave this place before it's too late, but I know I can't. Whatever it is that's sunk it's fangs into him, it has me, too. He has me, too. For better or worse. 'Til death... Whispers of the Devil is a dark romance which some readers may find disturbing. Proceed with caution.

For ages, the harmless, resting form and grave of five sisters—a beautiful, tidy house has stayed silent, and undisturbed. Suddenly, this house is broken into by outlaws. There are set out conditions for humans to reside within this house, but unaware of the consequences if the rules are broken, and the powers that reside within the house, these outlaws cause further damage, thereby awakening the sleeping powers within the house. These powers, hungry, itchy, and thirsty, feast on these men and regain their strength. As they release themselves, and find their way out into the world, their new assignment becomes finding, stalking, and hunting those who buried them in here, locked them inside the house, and eventually turned them into the house, and their tone to man is one man deems unfair.

This is a poignant and sensory rich coming of age story set in the vibrant, bustling heart of Lagos. It follows Tobi, a young boy trapped behind a barrier of selective muteness, whose internal world is a vivid "library of stories" that he cannot vocalize. ​The narrative explores the transformative power of art and the deep, ancestral bond between Tobi and his Grandpa. When Grandpa gifts him a set of professional art supplies and the secret name Soji ("The One Who Wakes the World"), Tobi finds a new medium for his voice. By transforming a weathered neighborhood shed into a massive, multi textured mural blending brilliant acrylics with the rich fabrics of his heritage. Tobi finally bridges the gap between his silent exterior and his thunderous spirit. Ultimately, the story is a celebration of finding one's "truth," proving that silence isn't a prison when you have the courage to let your colors shout.