OKAY, here’s what I can say about this series: whoa.
Two scenes came to me in a dream: one of two young adults on a beach, confessing attraction to one another (and one of them is noted to have bright eyes that the other can’t resist); another of massive logs falling upon one another to bar exit from a forest, and loud gongs sounding off at their arrival.
Now, while I didn’t choose to use the gongs, both of these scenes were prominent in helping me create this crazy, gruesome tale of a group of college students who were roped up in a disgusting scheme of shipping kids off to an island to teach them a lesson.
I’m not sure where my decision to feature this as a post-pandemic story came in, but I remember thinking post-pandemic, post-apocalyptic had a nice ring to it. A paranormal, post-pandemic, post-apocalytpic horror—quite a mouthful, yeah?
The details about the two characters I’d dreamt of I kept as accurate to my dream as possible; she was dark-skinned with icy blonde hair (dyed) and bright eyes; he was tall, muscular, jock-like, with golden eyes and also with darker skin. I was a bit nervous about writing POC characters, I’ll admit; but I think I portrayed them to the best of my ability, and I enjoyed writing in Kera’s (the young woman) voice. In the second novel, that I’ve titled ISLAND ILLUSIONS, I’ll be writing in the young man’s (Miles) voice—and I just recently got the epiphany I needed to start fleshing out the plot.
This wasn’t my first round at writing horror, but I feel like all my other attempts truly helped me for this one. It’s a novel on the shorter side, but it’s fast-paced and keeps you guessing, and—oh yeah, you know me, it ends in a cliffhanger!
Please mind your triggers when reading this series, as it contains gore, explicit language, trauma, violence, and some sexual situations.
This series is EXCLUSIVE to Wattpad—if you see this or are reading it on ANY OTHER PLATFORM, please note that it is stolen/pirated, and inform me at once. Thank you.
PARADISE PARADOX // BOOK ONE – BLURB
Sneaking into a campus party shouldn’t lead to expulsion, should it?
Colleges across the U.S. have been on alert because of rioters who all but rendered the American Ivy League universities extinct, after the end of the COVID pandemic in twenty-twenty-five. After their destruction, smaller subsidiaries of those Ivy Leagues have been thriving, thanks to donations and government grants.
In twenty-twenty-nine, Junior student Kera Mitchell learns the hard way that it’s actually a minor crime to crash a party on campus–it’s an invasion of private property. At her university, Valence, there are still severe punishments in place for disrespect to any structures on site. Kera finds out that though she won’t be expelled for her party-crashing, she did break a serious rule, and she’ll have to pay for it.
Along with the party-throwers, hot golden boy Miles, and drug-dealing douche Vick, she’s given a punishment none of them expected: they’re sent to an unknown, tropical island to learn how to control their erratic behaviors. Like a brainwashing vacation against violence, sex, drugs, and alcohol. Except Kera shouldn’t be there–she’s as docile as they come, and has never been rowdy and rebellious in her life. Wrong place, wrong time?
The island has many secrets, some of which Kera and Miles will stumble upon inadvertently, and that will change the course of the rest of their lives. Will they leave the island unscathed? Will they leave it… at all?
Read it FOR FREE HERE
ISLAND ILLUSIONS // BOOK TWO – BLURB
Getting off a remote, untraceable island dominated by twisted “gods” shouldn’t be a problem, should it?
Miles & Kera have cut ties—against Kera’s wishes—and Miles has returned to the “camp” where he and the others have set up; but there’s a lot he’s not telling his fellow captives on the island. He has no intention of sitting back and obeying these supposed gods who rule the place, and wants to figure out exactly what they are, where they came from, and why they think they can force half a dozen college students into doing their sick bidding.
Along with surprising allies, he’ll discover secrets he was never meant to, and have to navigate the treacherous forest separating him from his salvation too many times to count—only to find himself in more danger with every new piece of information he stumbles upon.
Will Miles get off this island? Can he get off this island? And is there any hope of saving the others—Kera included?
Read it FOR FREE HERE
(being uploaded weekly)
Author Stephanie Rose 