After years of being wide, I recently made the decision to put all of my full length novels back into the Kindle Unlimited program. So if you happen to have a KU subscription and have been on the fence about reading any of my books, or checking out any of my new releases, now is your chance to read my entire catalog of novels – for FREE – with your KU subscription through Amazon.

Don’t waste another minute waiting for a book to go on sale. Run – don’t walk – to Amazon and download your favorite today.

---

What’s New on the Horizon?

Coming January 2024 – Blood Kiss, a Fallen From Grace Novel

When Sapphire finds herself abducted from the safety of her home under the cover of darkness, she braces herself for a fate worse than death. What she awoke to was a nightmare so bizarre, the prospect of becoming a plaything for the rich and powerful paled in comparison to the terrors that awaited her at the hands of Raven Black, the enigmatic vampire coven master who is determined to possess her – mind, body, and soul.

In a world where darkness and decadence reign, Raven offers refuge to those fallen from grace – the vampires which the kindred society had excommunicated from their ranks. Within the confines of his malevolent realm, Sapphire’s very existence teeters on the brink of a cruel abyss.

As she navigates her new reality, she finds herself in a battle for her soul. Despite Raven’s cold and brutal ways, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him, her desires entangled with a vampire whose allure defies all logic. As she slips further into Raven’s world, she finds becoming his captive plaything is merely the tip of the iceberg in his sinister plans. With every day she finds herself stepping deeper into the darkness, uncovering more secrets, more desires, and more horrors in the shadows.

Would she continue to hold out hope that someone would rescue her? Or would she finally surrender to the desire eating away at her resolve, giving in to the sliver of love that she finds blooming within her heart?

---

Never miss another update. Join the Supernatural World of Nicola C. Matthews for news, updates, new releases, sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes information, and so much more.

---

“You will find I can be cruel when the situation calls for it, but loving as well. The other members of this family are not so kind…” – Raven Black, from Blood Kiss, a Fallen From Grace novel.

Fun fact time! As many know, the vampire known as Stealth from the Before the Sun Rises universe was coined after our beloved The Vampire Don. But did you know that Don also inspired the character of Raven Black? In fact, Raven Black is the polar opposite of the vampire Stealth. When I first created the Raven character, his entire demeanor was based off of a single line from The Vampire Don Henrie during the filming of Mad, Mad House. Specifically, and I’m loosely quoting, when he said “I can be cruel, but I can be loving, too.”

(Disclaimer: it’s been 20 years since the show aired and I can’t find the exact quote, so I’m going purely off of what I remember him saying)

That line struck a chord with me, and was the basis for creating these two dynamic, polar opposite characters – Raven Black, the one who was cruel, egotistical, and violent, and the vampire Stealth who was the loving, honorable, noble vampire who never lost his humanity or his love for this world and the people in it he was entrusted to keep safe.

Whether it’s the one you love, or the one you love to hate, I’ve been truly blessed to have been able to bring these two characters to life over the past fifteen years. I’m sure these two have many more adventures ahead of them. In the meantime, catch up on all the supernatural drama that has happened inside the Before the Sun Rises universe, and keep an eye out for Blood Kiss, a Fallen From Grace novel, releasing early 2024.

---

Did you know?

If you were one of the lucky ones to read “The Devil’s Slave” before it was unpublished, you’ll no doubt know why this has been one of my readers’ favorite stories. But did you know the MC from that story, Raven Black, is the same Raven Black that showed up about half way through Blood Rising, a Fallen From Grace novel? And if you always wished there was more to Raven and Sapphire’s story, then your wish is being granted! Blood Kiss, a Fallen From Grace novel, is the completely remastered and extended full length novel. Blood Kiss is scheduled to release early 2024.

The long wait is over! Oblivion, Beneath the Veil Book 1, will be available October 31st. Preorder links will be posted to all social media as soon as they become available. Now, for the moment everyone has waited for, it’s cover reveal time!

For over a century, the mysterious Shield of Humanity has stood defunct, it’s crimes against the paranormal kindred world all but a distance memory. But in the realm of vampire nobility, someone is targeting members of the royal families. The vicious slayings send shockwaves through the community, and it has The High Council on edge. Needing answers, they dispatch their elite detectives, the vampire Stealth and his shapeshifting metahuman partner, Annaleigh Shade, to unravel the dark mystery surrounding the murders.

Following a gruesome trail of dismembered bodies from the shadowy alleyways of Louisiana to the dusty roads of Texas, they are desperate to apprehend the relentless killer before another royal falls prey. 

But everything is not what it seems. Their cunning foe always seems to be one step ahead. With every step, the duo uncovers a web of lies, vendettas, and conspiracies. Can Stealth and Annaleigh uncover the malevolent force responsible for the grisly slayings? Or will more royals fall victim before they uncover the truth?

Behind every shadow lurks sinister secrets. The stakes have never been higher as the bloodthirsty assassin taunts The High Council, leaving death and destruction in its wake. The bodies are piling up, and the clock is ticking in this thrilling paranormal mystery.

A zombie horror short by Nicola C. Matthews. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.

“Come on, move already!” I mumbled under my breath as I honked the horn of my four-year-old SUV.

It was Thursday morning, and I was already running late to work. As I sat in the traffic jam that hadn’t moved in nearly half an hour, I realized the honking of my horn was useless. I sighed, trying not to let my frustration get the better of me. I knew better than to take the 520 today, but it was the fastest route to work. Or it was under normal circumstances. For whatever reason, today the traffic seemed denser than usual.

I fought the urge to bang my head against the steering wheel. A few cars ahead of me, a man shuffled down the side of the road. I rolled my eyes.

“Seriously? It’s not even eight in the morning and already the crack heads are out in full force,” I said as I honked my horn again. He stumbled onto the road, weaving aimlessly through the vehicles that were still at a standstill on the interstate.

The driver in the small sedan in front of me rolled down his window. “Hey, buddy! You okay?” he called as the guy came closer.

“Yeah, just cracked out of his mind,” I muttered to myself. I couldn’t figure out why the guy in the sedan would bother with this guy. His clothes were dirty and torn, with a dark stain along the front that looked like motor oil. I frowned as I noticed the stain growing on his shirt, dripping down onto the road. I leaned up in my seat to get a better look. That’s when my eyes moved up to his head, gasping as I saw the jagged tear in the side of the man’s throat. That wasn’t oil on his shirt. It was blood.

“What the hell?” I said to no one as I opened my car door and stood up, watching the man intently.

The man in the sedan did the same, taking a few steps toward the obviously injured man.

“Is he okay?” I called out, but neither the driver of the sedan nor the other man paid me any attention as the driver suddenly let out a yelp of surprise as the man lunged for him.

The two men fell back against the car, the driver screaming as the man ripped into his throat. I gasped, my stomach churning as I watched the driver slump over and fall to the ground, his voice little more than a gurgle as his hand clutched at the gapping wound that looked a lot like the one his attacker had.

I took a few steps toward them. I stopped as the man fell onto the driver, biting and clawing into his flesh as he ripped out huge chunks. Somewhere, someone else was screaming.

That’s when I saw more of them. Across the highway, small groups of people were climbing over the concrete divider and spilling into oncoming traffic on the other side of the interstate. Cars were screeching to a halt, some slamming into each other in rear-end collisions. Others, those much more unfortunate, plowed over some of them. The wandering people paid no attention to the surrounding carnage. They just kept walking with stiff, awkward gaits. Their arms hung limply at their sides.

What was going on? My first thought was a terrorist attack. A biological weapon, maybe? But as I looked around at the spreading chaos, I realized it was much bigger than that. Where there had been just a handful of stumbling people, there were now more than a hundred of them, all making their way down the embankment on both sides of the interstate.

Another scream, this one only a few feet away, brought my attention back to my surroundings. I watched in horror as one of the staggering people slammed his body against the passenger window of the car behind me. The woman inside screamed again as she tried to roll up her window. But the man clawed at the glass, leaving bloody streaks as he made low gurgling noises. His upper torso was covered in fresh blood. His eyes were white, glazed over, like those of a corpse. The skin of his face, what wasn’t covered in bite marks, was ashen, almost gray.

My body jerked as I took in my surroundings. These … things … were coming from all over the place. More than a hundred of them now, all of them attacking anyone who was dumb enough to get out of their vehicles and approach them to help the hapless souls.

I swallowed. This couldn’t be happening. There was no way what I was witnessing was what kept running through my mind. Walking corpses? It was ridiculous. But there was no denying what I was watching right before my own eyes. Even if there was a logical explanation, I wasn’t waiting around to figure out what it was.

I grabbed my keys out of the ignition and popped the hatch of my SUV. I grabbed my emergency go-bag , suddenly thankful for my neurotic preparedness. People were abandoning their cars now, fleeing the highway on foot to escape the escalating violence. I knew I couldn’t stay here either. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I joined the panicked masses cramming onto the shoulder to get away.

Police sirens wailed in the distance but were largely drowned out by screams as the infected, or whatever they were, attacked anyone who got close enough. They moved with that twitchy, jerking gait, fresh blood smeared around their mouths. Some of them were missing limbs, while others were trailing their entrails behind them like long, dank sausages. Their bites and scratches spread the infection like wildfire.

I forced my way through the teeming crowd, narrowly avoiding the grasping hands of the infected. My progress was slow as more and more people joined the group, everyone pushing their way through the crowd in their desperation. A thunderous explosion rocked the highway, opening up a hole in the crowd. An overturned tanker truck erupted into a fireball, sending bodies and debris flying. The shockwave knocked me to the ground, but I staggered back to my feet and kept pushing through.

My ears rang with the screams of agony, those pleading for help, the sound of metal scraping metal as more and more vehicles rammed into each other as the crowds of both the living and unliving flooded the roads. My eyes took in the chaos, but my brain refused to accept what was happening. There was just one thought running through my mind. Just get home. I had to get home, back to my wife and my daughter, who were still tucked safely in their bed when I had left the house barely an hour ago.

By the time I made it down an embankment to the suburban streets below, the entire city was plunging into anarchy. People ran wildly through the streets. Gunshots rang out, mixing with the shrill sounds of sirens, the screams of civilians as they were gunned down or attacked. And beneath it all, the low moaning of the dead and the rustling of their feet as they dragged their corpses through the streets.

I kept running, unsure where I was going, just trying to get away from the epicenter. The neighborhood I found myself in seemed quieter, though deserted cars clogged the streets. I started trying doorknobs, looking for an empty house I could hole up in. I had to get off the street before more infected arrived. I had to call my wife, make sure she took Anna and got into the basement before it was too late.

Finally, I found a small house whose front door pushed open at my touch. I slipped inside, locking the door behind me. The place was tidy but had signs of a hasty departure – jackets still on hooks by the door, dirty dishes on the kitchen counter. I did a quick sweep to make sure it was empty. Sure there was nothing lurking in the shadows, I sighed as I pushed the curtain back to peek through the large window of the living room.

The street outside was empty, but I could hear the distant screams and gunshots getting closer. A sudden sharp noise brought my attention around to the television that had been left on and was broadcasting an emergency news report with aerial footage of the city. Infected citizens were everywhere, their sheer numbers overwhelming any resistance. The mayor was urging everyone to remain calm, as he promised the National Guard was on the way. But the terror in his eyes told the true story. The city was already lost. And I knew that without a doubt.

What had started this? It didn’t matter. Our town was relatively small compared to something like New York. What was going on in other towns? Was this localized? What if this was happening all over the country? What if the infected that were in our town made their way to other cities? Nowhere would be safe. This was the beginning of the end.

My hands were shaking as I stepped away from the window. I had to pull myself together and start planning my next move. I took a deep breath and started taking stock of what I had. My go-bag, a bit of food in the kitchen, a sturdy house with a metal front door. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. I knew more infected would come, but somehow I had to get back to my family.

The human race was facing extinction and the fight for survival started now. I was determined to do whatever it took to survive. To find my family. To stay alive.

Blood rains down on the streets of Anaka City.

For over a century, the mysterious Shield of Humanity has stood defunct, it’s crimes against the kindred world all but a distance memory. Now someone is targeting members of the vampire royal families, and the vicious slayings have The Council on edge. They dispatch their elite detective, the vampire Stealth and his shapeshifting metahuman partner, Annaleigh Shade, to unravel the dark mystery surrounding the murders.

Following a gruesome trail of dismembered bodies from the shadowy alleyways of Louisiana to the dusty roads of Texas, they are desperate to apprehend the relentless killer before another royal falls prey. 

But everything is not what it seems. Their cunning foe always seems to be one step ahead. Can Stealth and Annaleigh uncover the malevolent force responsible for the grisly slayings? Or will more royals fall victim before they uncover the truth?

Behind every shadow lurks sinister secrets. The stakes have never been higher as the bloodthirsty assassin taunts The Council, leaving death and destruction in its wake. The bodies are piling up, and the clock is ticking in this thrilling paranormal mystery.

Coming late 2023