A Life Without Water

Richard Franklin has left his Midwestern roots behind to live on the coast of Maine with his family. But in the autumn of the year 2000, he must return to his Illinois birthplace on a sorrowful journey. His wife Michelle has been killed in New England by a hit-and-run driver who is never found, so back home he comes with her cremated remains, to fulfill a final wish and on her birthday scatter her ashes in the park along the river in Blackwater Valley—simply Blackwater Val to locals—the small town where they both grew up and fell in love. With him he brings his six-year-old daughter Katie who still grieves for her lost mother: Katie, who can sometimes guess who’s going to be on the phone before it rings. Who can stop all the clocks in the house, and break up clouds in the sky with her mind, and heal sicknesses, and who sometimes sees things that aren’t there...people who are no longer alive. All gifts she inherited from her mother. Only something isn’t quite right in the Val. Sinkholes are opening up, revealing the plague pits the sleepy hamlet was built over in the 1830s, when malaria and cholera outbreaks ran riot. Mysterious bird and fish die-offs begin to occur, and Katie can see ghosts of the dead gathering all around. But what she can’t see is the charred, centuries-old malevolence which has been waiting for her, and wants her for its very own. Or the pale Sallow Man who haunts the town’s nighttime streets...or the river witch—another Blackwater Val, of sorts—each of whom will be drawn one by one into the nightmarish bloodletting about to take place. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Ava Marino, a girl filled with passion to make enough money for her brother's treatment back in Italy, travels to Monaco to find the perfect job—anything that would pay her enough for her to survive. On a cold night, she comes in contact with a man known for being ruthless, rich, and handsome. They meet, and an arrangement is made almost immediately that would satisfy both ends. As she agrees to be this man’s bride for two years for a sum of money that would not only set her up for life back in Italy but also take care of her brother's health for the rest of his life, grudgingly she agrees to this arrangement, pulling her into his world of old money, danger, social class, revenge, and even a budding romance. She has to choose between remaining in this new world or leaving it all behind to start anew.

When Charlotte Page first met Leo Westbrook, she was a shy, skinny teenager on the verge of becoming a woman. The moment the naked, chiseled Adonis mistakenly walked into her room, she was lovestruck. Leo was perfect in her eyes, and he proved it by helping create a billion-dollar business with Charlotte's brother. Even before he became a billionaire, Leo always had women throwing themselves at him. But the only woman he really wanted was the one he couldn’t have. Because Charlotte was his best friend and business partner’s little sister, he couldn’t afford to let her get too close. Yet he found himself unable to resist her. With each passing day, her charms threatened to overcome his defenses. After a decade of being his friend's blushing, stuttering little sister, the man of Charlotte's dreams finally noticed her. After one tropical kiss and a night of passion, her fantasy finally seemed to be coming true. However, when a lie from Leo's past caught up with him, it prompted her to question everything she thought she knew about the man she loves. Leo always knew that being with Charlotte wasn’t meant to be. Even if she could forgive him for his decade-long deception, he knew it would be better for her if he walked away. Yet sometimes, love is stronger than lies. Will Charlotte and Leo find a way to be together, or will they be left with nothing but memories of their waterfall kisses?

Alyanna Samantha Anderson, as one of Anderson's princesses, used to get what she wanted. She thought her life was close to perfection since she could get everything she wanted. She never had a boyfriend, and that's why when she met someone who really intrigued her interest, she ignored all the red flags and still fell for him. Enrico Lorenzo De Guzman, Enzo, to his close friends, was never the type of a person that you will see socializing outside their circle. He's fine being alone, actually. He can last a day without talking to anyone... but not with her. He kept his feelings longer than he could remember because he knew he's not her type. But can they really ignore the feelings they're both keeping? Can they let this once in a lifetime chance slip because they think they should not be together?

Do you believe that opposite attracts each other? Meet the bitchiest girl in town, Devyn Amelie Corazon. She is a mess, rule breaker, and doesn't give a damn on everything. She hates everyone, except a one guy. Cosmo Klaus Buenaventura is the perfect example of a perfectionist. He wants everything to go on his way so he's working hard for every thing that he wants. Including his dreams and goals. Destiny played its part on their life, they met, they fell in love, and they fall apart, and who knows if love will conquer the hatred that they feel towards each other? Will they be just a once in a lifetime in each other's life or will they spend the rest of their life in each other's arms?

The Mer people are supposed to stay far away from humans. But Angel Tritone—technically a mermaid princess—is obsessed with them. A scientist and sociologist in her own world, she’s determined to convince humans to stop polluting her ocean home. But when a shark attack forces her to escape to a boat, she discovers just how enchanting humans can be. Especially one particularly sexy specimen and his delightful six-year-old son. After growing up in a family of carnies and cons, all Logan Harding wants is a normal life. Ordinary. Boring even. But the naked woman he finds sleeping on his boat is anything but ordinary. The executive of a Florida sea park already has his hands full learning to be a father to the son he never knew he had. The last thing he needs in his life is a deliciously tempting but obviously crazy woman, especially one claiming to have amnesia.With her tail dried into perfect, oh-so-shapely human-looking legs, and the relationship heating up, Logan has no idea of Angel’s true identity. Her presence eases his relationship with his newfound son, but the secret Angel’s keeping could endanger them all. When he discovers the truth, will Logan throw her back in the sea or realize he may have made the catch of a lifetime?

Jack Saunders wanted one last hurrah before taking the mantle of DS Oil & Gas, the billion-dollar company that his father founded. His friend, Owen, let him borrow his mansion on a tropical island so that he could throw a final party before “marrying” the business that would dominate the rest of his life. He brought his secretary, Brandy, hoping that he could kindle a relationship that would last through the long days and nights of running a company. However, while the party was great, the gold digging woman he brought was not, and Jack resigned himself to a lifetime of loneliness. That was until he took a walk down the beach and met her. A woman who didn’t recognize him from the tabloids and only saw him, the man behind the money. Of all the women Jack had ever met, there was nobody like Emma LaRue. With one pretend marriage ceremony, she would change his life forever, and become the only one he ever wanted to give his saltwater kisses to. This novella is the first half of Saltwater Kisses written from Jack’s point-of-view, with a few bonus scenes thrown in as well.

Sonia, tagged as the family Blac sheep because of her not inheriting her mother's beauty and her father's intelligence like her younger sister. Tormented at any opportunity by her influential brother and popular sister. Lost her boyfriend and job through her siblings manipulation. Feeling like her life has come to an end she was rescued by Jayden, the most popular billionaire who recently lost his wife leaving two kids to his care. News have it that he's crippled because he makes use of wheelchair but how is he able to torment her on the bed every night? What happens when their marriage of inconvenience takes a different direction?

A tragic misunderstanding that ruined a promising love story…. When Darla gets kicked out of the Gomez Mansion, a place she worked as a maid, she is devastated but even more hurt when she finds out that it was her beloved that had her kicked out, Daniel Gomez. Overcome with grief and fear for her unborn child's safety, Darla fled the city. Daniel, perplexed by her sudden disappearance, searched far and wide for her, but to no avail. Five years passed, and Darla rebuilt her life as a successful voiceover artist and brand influencer. Returning to the city with her daughter, Raya, she is determined to move forward, but Daniel is resolute in his pursuit. This time, he will never let her go and is ready to make her his… for a lifetime.

Victoria Lindsey's life is turned upside down when her father, Senator Lindsey, arranges for her to marry Stefan Zoric, a wealthy and handsome young man. Initially, Stefan makes it clear that the marriage is only for show, but as they spend more time together, they begin to develop real feelings for each other. However, their happiness is short-lived as Victoria discovers that Stefan's family is involved in some shady business with the help of her father. Can she expose their evil acts? At the expense of what? Will Stefan support her?