Dead in the Water
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From Bram Stoker Award–winning author Nancy Holder comes a chilling novel of horror on the sea. This is how it will be when you drown. . . .
At a sun-washed dock in Long Beach, California, the creaky freighter, Morris, loaded with brightly colored boxcars, takes on passengers. Among the vacationers: a disgruntled yuppie couple, a child stricken by cancer, a woman searching for her lost husband, and a female cop packing a .38 and bitter memories of a boy who drowned before her eyes.
In seas of love and blood they will drown, one at a time. And for their company, they will have those who have drowned before them—and those who have received a message in a bottle. . . .
Praise for Dead in the Water
“Dead in the Water is saturated with brooding, claustrophobic, hallucinatory menace. Nancy Holder’s vivid voice and sharp characterization make it all real. I’m never going on a boat again!”—Poppy Z. Brite
“Dead in the Water is an involving and truly frightening book. This is the kind of horror that gets underneath your skin and works its way into your soul. Real terror . . . for those daring enough to take the trip. I enjoyed it immensely.”—Rick Hautala
“Nancy Holder proves why she’s an award-winning author. Eerie—effective—excellent! A chilling combination of Lifeboat, Ship of Fools, and John Carpenter’s The Fog, Dead in the Water keeps you treading water with every page, gasping for breath, sucking you under. A nightmare cruise into black waters and terrifying depths.”—Lisa Cantrell
“I’d feel safer in the water with Jaws.”—Brian Lumley
“A nasty tale well told, infused with the eerily surreal quality of fevered nightmares. Discovering Nancy Holder is like finding a vein of true horror gold.”—Cheri Scotch
“Man the lifeboats. Don your life jacket. Nancy Holder takes you on a cruise you won’t soon forget. Scary stuff.”—Maxine O’Callaghan
“I couldn’t put it down! A whale of a tale. A page-turner—the first sentence will hook you and what follows will reel you in. Dead in the Water is fast-paced and exciting, mysterious and spooky!”—Chris Curry
“Nancy Holder enshrouds fascinating characters within a chilling atmosphere and creates a relentless tale of terror at sea. Holder is one of my favorite writers.”—Elizabeth Massie
Nancy Holder
USA TODAY bestselling author Nancy Holder is thrilled to be back at Harlequin/Silhouette where she sold her first two novels many years ago (for a young-adult line that no longer exists.) In answer to recent queries, yes, she is "that" Nancy Holder, who wrote for Bantam Loveswept, and also Laurel Chandler. She wrote thirteen category and women's fiction single titles before writing two erotic horror novels with her coauthor, Melanie Tem, and a solo horror novel titled Dead in the Water, which received a Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association.
Soon after that, Nancy was asked to write an original novel based on the TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and working with other writers and solo, she has wound up writing more Buffy and Angel material (including show guides) than any other writer. She has written for Buffy since the show went on the air, and her latest Buffy effort is on the stands now. She has also written tie-in books for Smallville, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Highlander and other "universes."
She also writes a lot of young adult and children's fiction, sometimes under various "house" names. She loves retold fairy tales, and has worked on those as well.
Nancy has lived in San Diego for most of her adult life, and is a doting mother to her daughter. The Holder women recently sold their first collaborative effort, a short story about Lightning the Mouse, to an anthology. Lightning is a brown mouse that belongs to her daughter. They also have two cats, Kittnen Snow and David.
Nancy is a Jazzercise devotee and also studies yoga. She dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Germany, but a number of injuries sidelined her. She figure that's just as well - she's very happy with being a freelance writer.
Nancy is a charter member of both RWA and HWA (the Horror Writers Association). She also belongs to the IAMTW, the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers; and Persephone, which is an organisation for women horror writers. She attends a lot of science fiction and fantasy cons. She learned about the Silhouette Bombshell line at a fantasy convention from a friend of hers who used to write scripts for Xena.
Nancy also teaches at the University of California San Diego through the Extension department, and has also taught at the Maui Writers Retreat and in other venues. She is delighted to report that several of her students have gone on to great publishing success, which is just as thrilling to her as selling something herself. You can check for classes if you're local at www.nancyholder.com. You can also email her through the web site. Please feel free to "snail mail" her (including a self-addressed, stamped envelope, please) at: Nancy Holder, P.O. Box 26384, San Diego, CA 92196, USA.
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