Over It (The Kiss Off #2) (30 page)

NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY

An 8,000 word novelette.

"Take me with you," he said. "Please?”

Can a friendship that lasts just an hour be completely perfect?

A year ago, Annie and Bree were best friends, then they graduated high school and it turns out a year is a long time.

When Annie shows up at her best friend's birthday hoping to slip back into the friendship that was, she discovers she's no longer a part of Bree's world and decides to slip out quietly without making a scene.

But a chance encounter on the way out means that sometimes you can find friendship when you least expect it.

Another short and sweet story from Sarah Billington

YOUNG ADULT CONTEMPORARY

Jess is at a party and girls and boys around her are locked together at the lips and hips. When did everyone grow up so fast? She's not sure she wants to, but her girl friend Carla points out a boy across the room with eyes only for Jess.

Life Was Easier When Boys Were Stupid won the Gippsland Award in 2009's Fellowship of Australian Writers Awards.

WHAT READERS SAY

“A fast, fun read that captures the insecurities and challenges that come with being a teenager. Billington has a strong, relatable voice--"I was just all out hideous. A great lump of hideousity."--and manages to add humor to a situation that might seem pretty daunting (but awfully familiar) to teen readers. For readers needing a quick pick-me-up, a chuckle, and reassurance that teens sometimes DO make good choices, LIFE WAS EASIER . . . will be a breath of fresh air.”

Erin Fry
, author of LOSING IT, Marshall Cavendish Children's Books.)

“
An immensely readable story that shows the advantages of not always going along with the crowd! Important advice for many during the ages of peer pressure! A great read!”

KRLM

HUMOR

Lisa was supposed to be pet sitting. Looking after a crab is easy, right? Unless you forget to feed it. And then you find it dead minutes before its owner is back in town.

There's something a bit different about this dead crab though.

WHAT READERS SAY:

“The frenetic hunt is hilarious. And I love the irony of the ending.

Sarah Billington is a creative storyteller whose tales will put a smile on your face...and maybe give you pause before you agree to pet-sit anything!”

Gail Handler

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Everyone expected that one day Amanda and Tom would get married. But tomorrow is his wedding day, and Amanda is not the bride. Short and sweet, The Ballerina & My Best Friend is the perfect story for those that enjoy romance but have limited time to invest in it.

WHAT READERS SAY:

“A heartfelt contemporary adult short story with an unexpected ending that I'm still savouring. It's amazing to see Sarah Billington switch up genres and be such a versatile writer. I very much look forward to seeing more of her work and diversity!”

Shirley Mar
r, author of Fury and Preloved, Black Dog Books

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE DARKER?

SHORT STORIES:

Dead Already

SLIPSTREAM / MEDIEVAL

Everyone is dying, and no one outside the village has any idea. Martine and Eli's father, the strongest, fittest man they knew lies dead inside as they paint a red cross on the door, marking yet another infected home.

In order to save the rest of the country from this lethal sickness, the village elders lock the gates. No one gets out.

So everybody will die.

Eli, however, won't accept this fate, but can he get out of the quarantine when guards will cut down anyone who tries? Can he get help in time or will this end up just another village wiped out of existence?

CRIME MYSTERY

In the small town of Carringwood, Doug and every other resident turn out to watch the drama as the Gabarski home burns down. Luckily Shana and the kids got out. And her husband Peter is mysteriously absent. Speculation runs rife through the town, why are arson investigators here? Did Peter do it? Why did he do it? But Doug wonders something else. If it wasn't Peter, who was it?

YOUNG ADULT SUPERNATURAL

In this short supernatural thriller from, when fifteen-year-old Alex is caught out in the secluded forest admiring the giant ancient tree set in a moss-covered clearing, she is sure Josh is pulling a prank on her.

Be careful of the witch's curse, he says. The tree has the power to kill you in the most horrible of ways.

Alex didn't believe him.

Maybe she should have.

HORROR/BLACK COMEDY

I, Zombie can't wait to eat the little girl.

The old man looks like he'd be a bit tough and gristly, and the teenage boy keeps waving that bat around, but the little girl, so rosy cheeked, so tender. Her heart beating so fast. He can’t wait to hold it, hot and wet in his hands, then rip it apart with his teeth. But he isn't the only zombie to find them.

He's got a fight on his hands, but with who, was unexpected.

WHAT READERS SAY:

"Well done you. I write feature movies (horror, rom-com, sci-fi etc), have won 3 film awards, and thought every angle in the zombie genre had been explored. I was wrong, you have proven such in an original and hilarious way. To have the story run from the point of view of the zombie makes this a pleasure to read, and gives hope to the future of the horror genre. Keep doing what you do."

Vinnie Cleghorne

"This is dark and wonderfully creepy! I love your writing style, very clean, compelling and top notch"

Heather McCorkle

SUSPENSE THRILLER

Angela waits, hiding in the dark of a house, her satchel packed and ready, her bloody clothes discarded on the floor. If Luc doesn't arrive soon, she knows they'll find her.

The Runaway is a short story that will keep you guessing.

WHAT READERS SAY:

“
VERY intriguing. This is an extremely short story but the writing is delightful and the tension is set up from beginning to end. It's the kind of psychological mind-f*** that leaves you wondering...”

Heather Marie Adkins, author of The Temple, Heaven Below and more