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The Apprentice Assassin: Book 1 The Virgin and the Scorpion
Mandy Clark is thirteen years old. She is the unwanted child of her abusive alcoholic and drug addict mother. She spends most nights locked out of her house and sleeps in a derelict skateboard park. She desperately wants to make a better life for herself, but the shadow of her mother is difficult to shake off. One cold and rainy night she meets Amy, a mysterious, tall, beautiful and rich stranger who changes her multiple personas as often as her underwear. They start a unlikely friendship, each leaning on the other for the support and companionship that is missing from their own lives. Amy has more secrets behind her aliases than she cares to share, but inevitably their two worlds collide...
385 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 6, 2023
1 person want to read
About the author
Chris Devine
13 books29 followersChris Devine is a project manager implementing high performance computing systems to universities and research establishments throughout the UK. He has devoured science fiction novels for as long as he can remember: from E. C. Eliott and Hugh Walters as a child, to Larry Niven, Robert Heinlein, A E van Vogt and Isaac Asimov as a teenager and Elizabeth Moon and so many others as an adult.
He published his first novel, The Archer’s Paradox, in 2014 although the germ of the idea was born in a daydream decades before when he was eleven years old. What started as a short story to fill the evenings on a long contract away from home, took on a life of its own and became the Travis Fletcher Chronicles which eventually spanned four books. It still provides embryonic ideas for spin offs and sequels and there are two half written novellas in the pipeline.
Although science fiction is his first love, he believes in letting the story take him where it needs to go, rather than pulling it in a direction you want to go, just like real life. Sometimes you end up on a different path to the one you thought you were on. Petra’s Story, therefore sits more in the mystery / psychological thriller section of the bookshelf, although there is still a sci-fi element. As with Travis Fletcher, Petra Connell is flawed, out of her depth and afraid of failing, and there is always Chris’ dark sense of humour lurking in the background.
Writing a book is a daunting prospect, daring to publish it is just scary. If Chris’ literary ramblings persuades one more person that they have a story that needs telling, then he will consider that a success.
He published his first novel, The Archer’s Paradox, in 2014 although the germ of the idea was born in a daydream decades before when he was eleven years old. What started as a short story to fill the evenings on a long contract away from home, took on a life of its own and became the Travis Fletcher Chronicles which eventually spanned four books. It still provides embryonic ideas for spin offs and sequels and there are two half written novellas in the pipeline.
Although science fiction is his first love, he believes in letting the story take him where it needs to go, rather than pulling it in a direction you want to go, just like real life. Sometimes you end up on a different path to the one you thought you were on. Petra’s Story, therefore sits more in the mystery / psychological thriller section of the bookshelf, although there is still a sci-fi element. As with Travis Fletcher, Petra Connell is flawed, out of her depth and afraid of failing, and there is always Chris’ dark sense of humour lurking in the background.
Writing a book is a daunting prospect, daring to publish it is just scary. If Chris’ literary ramblings persuades one more person that they have a story that needs telling, then he will consider that a success.
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