To celebrate The Sum of Your Flesh turning one on Saturday (and the fact that I snagged an international Bookbub deal today) you can grab it for only 99p/99c if you're in the UK, US, Canada, or Australia.
I'm so very proud of this story with its themes of persecution, loneliness, atonement, and how the sins of the past taint every generation. It tested me to the point where I was convinced that I'd never be able to bring all the threads full circle, but the reviews speak for themselves. Stories are tricky beasts to create for authors: they tease, then hide, spin the promise of 'what if', then scurry away. But when they deliver, boy, do they deliver!
Haven Ford arrives in the small village of Mortimer West on the back of a troubled voicemail asking for his help. But the baggage he carries is far more than the rucksack slung over his shoulder.
Rafferty Henderson has lived his whole life in the gatehouse cottage at the edge of the woods. It’s a safe space for a boy with strange eating habits, until his brother’s death sends his whole world spiralling into a twisted nest of persecution and unanswered questions.
Meredith Evans is a woman returning to her roots, but this is no cosy revisit. This is a return to lay the nightmare of her childhood to rest. Or, at least, to gain a better understanding of it.
When graves start to collapse in the cemetery and the whispers from the villagers become accusations against Rafferty, Haven finds himself in the midst of an unfolding horror with its seeds firmly planted in the past—a past that will take him down with it, a past that wants to drown him.
For beneath this village lies a terrible secret. A secret that refuses to die. A secret discarded over a hundred years ago by the sole survivor of a doomed Arctic voyage, a man whose blood flows in Rafferty Henderson’s veins.
"Author Beverley Lee delivers a thrilling slab of creeping dread, compelling characters, a dash of gore, and a touch of Lovecraftian horror, all nestled in a perfect small village setting. Briskly paced and masterfully told, this tale of buried secrets and repressed hungers had this reader turning the pages to find out what happens to the flawed Haven, haunted Meredith, and cursed Rafferty. A rich, engaging blend of horror, mystery, and heart" -Tim McGregor, author of Wasps in the Ice Cream
And on the back of my last newsletter and the poll results, I’m going to keep Nighttide for my solo dark fiction only. But I’d love it if those of you who clicked the ‘I’m here for anything you write’ button would join
and I over on for all things to do with the A Conclave of Crimson queer vampire romance universe!Until next time ~
Beverley
xx
Always here for you! 🖤
You are truly appreciated, Vicky! ❤️