Mari Biella

"I was living in a world of monsters, and the darkness brought death on its wings."Ghosts, vampires, werewolves and zombies... all of these, and more, can be found in Pietra and Other Horrors, a chilling collection of five short stories.Pietra When a mortally-ill traveller arrives in Venice, he finds the city in the grip of terror. A string of inexplicable deaths and disappearances have caused a wave of panic, and the authorities have no idea who - or what - is responsible. These events pale into insignificance, though, when he encounters a mysterious woman one night. Pietra is beautiful, intriguing and secretive, and he longs to know more about her. He soon becomes aware, however, that a malign being has singled him out for attention - and that Pietra might not be all that she seems.The Song of the Sea An ancient horror is lurking just off the picturesque Cornish coast.The Lord of the Crossroads A photojournalist on assignment in Haiti is plunged into a world of darkness, magic and Voodoo.Summer An old house is haunted... but is a ghost or one of the human residents responsible?When the Wolves Ran When terror comes to a quiet village, it is left to a doctor to do battle with a savage beast.Pietra and Other Horrors is best read after dark... if you dare.

"She would know what she had lost. She would mourn the loss of his love, and regret the day she'd earned his hate. He'd pay her back with interest, and she would never be able to outrun his revenge."Bachelor Daniel Touchwood's life is normal, even humdrum. He lives in a small town, teaches English at a local school, and spends his free time immersed in books. Occasionally lonely, but never really unhappy, he sees no reason why things should ever be different.Everything changes, however, when Daniel finds two young runaways hiding in his cellar one evening. Twins Imogen and Leo are appealing, enchanting even, and it isn't long before Daniel finds himself being drawn ever closer to Imogen. As he soon begins to suspect, however, the twins are hiding are dark secret...A story about love and skeletons in cupboards, Loving Imogen explores the nature of desire and the poisonous power of concealment. Three short stories, The Song of the Sea, Summer and Fragile Things, are included in this book.

England, 1897. When botanist Lawrence Fairweather returns to his lonely Fenland home after an extended trip to Europe, he hopes for a time of peace and tranquillity. The Fairweathers are a family in need of healing, having experienced a tragedy that has left Lawrence's wife Julia immersed in grief and their daughter Hazel unable to speak.As Fairweather soon finds out, however, Halfway House is not the peaceful place it once was. Its lonely rooms and empty halls are thick with shadows and secrets, while the surrounding Fen crawls with menace. Julia and Hazel both seem to sense something gathering beneath the surface calm, and even Fairweather finds his rationalism challenged by a series of inexplicable events. But are the Fairweathers haunted by their own memories, or by something altogether more sinister?A traditional haunted house story set in the Victorian Age, THE QUICKENING explores the boundaries between perception and reality, religion and science, and truth and mystery. Praise for THE QUICKENING: ' An] absorbing psychological, supernatural, highly atmospheric thriller.' - Author Dennis Hamley'An elegant, entertaining and very scary piece of writing - somewhere between a traditional country house haunting and a psychological thriller, with elements of both.' - Author Catherine Czerkawska'An excellent, disturbing and absorbing read.