Stone Cold by Karina Kantas
A hostel in a secluded part of Scotland. The residents start dropping like flies.
Billy knows who the murderer is.
Shane knows he's next to die.
Buy it from Amazon UK | Amazon US
Karina Kantas
Karina Kantas originates from the UK, but now resides in Greece.
She has over thirty publications in numerous electronic magazines and printed journals, as well as a three urban thrillers novels, In Times of Violence, Lawless Justice and Huntress. She has also published a flash and short story collection called Heads & Tales and a YA supernatural thriller called Stone Cold.
When her imagination is working over time, she writes thought provoking/dark flash fiction.
Her new novel, Road Rage is in the hands of literary agents and she's presently working on a MI5 thriller called Broken Chains.
Time for a short excerpt!
One moment, Billy was on her way to the bathroom, the next she was standing outside the hostel covered in mud. She couldn’t remember having a shower, let alone going outside.
Why on earth would I go outside in my pajamas, barefooted? Billy wondered bewilderedly.
The iced chill of the air stabbed through her clothes like daggers. She’d never felt so cold before. She was about to make her way back, only after taking one step, she stopped. A sharp pain pierced the bottom of her left foot. When she lifted it up to have a look, she was surprised to see the sole bleeding.
“How on earth did that happen?” She said aloud.
Billy limped her way back to the hostel, but stopped when she reached the front door.
If I walk through the main entrance I’ll have the supervisors and Professor Brian on my case, and I don’t particularly want to answer their questions.
The last thing Billy wanted was for everyone to know about her sleepwalking escapades, if that was what it was. So she decided to enter from the back. Luckily, her dorm was not far from the backdoor.
It appeared that everyone was asleep, and she managed to creep past without waking anyone. Carefully sitting on the edge of her bed, she lifted her foot up to have a closer look.
“Where have you been?” Susan whispered loudly, making Billy jump. “Jesus what happened to you?”
“Ssh, I don’t want to wake the others,” Billy answered. “Listen can you swipe some dressings and antiseptic and meet me in the bathroom in five minutes? Don’t tell anyone, okay?”
“Sure,” Susan agreed and climbed out of bed.
Billy grabbed clean nightwear and then limped to the bathroom. She noticed her toiletries lying on the floor under the bathroom mirror. As she bent down to retrieve them, she caught a glimpse of her reflection and couldn’t understand how she’d gotten into such a state. Dried mud covered her pajamas and most of her hair. Maybe I decided to have a mud bath instead, she laughed at her joke.
Billy took a quick shower and reflected on her dilemma.
So far, only Susan knows about the incident. I hope it stays that way. I can’t get it straight in my own head, let alone having to explain it to anyone else. How am I supposed to explain why I was outside in the first place without sounding nuts? I’m glad Susan knows, though, as I really need her help.
Dressed in clean nightwear, Billy waited patiently for Susan, and giggled when she turned up minutes later with her hands full of medicants.
“What did you do, raid the first aid box?” Billy laughed.
“Well, I didn’t know what you’d need,” Susan replied uncomfortably. Dying to know what had happened, she held her tongue until Billy finished cleaning and dressing the foot.
“So, where have you been?" Susan asked impatiently.
“Don’t laugh, but I was sleepwalking,” Billy said.
“You couldn’t have been sleepwalking; you haven’t been to bed yet.”
“I know. I fell asleep in the bathroom.” Billy smiled falsely
“No!” Susan laughed.
“I guess all the hard work and fresh air has finally caught up with me. I’m totally shattered.”
Billy was relieved that her explanation had worked. Actually, Susan had quite a giggle at her expense. Luckily, she didn’t question her any further.
Billy got through a restful night without anyone else finding out about her little escapade, and in a couple of days, she totally forgot about the incident. That was, until it happened again. In fact, it happened twice.
The second time she found herself huddled in a corner of a small broom cupboard. Again she had no recollection of how she got there, especially as the last thing she remembered, she was sitting down at the dinner table eating and drinking with the others. Imagine her surprise and fear, to suddenly discover being in a dark cupboard as though no time had passed at all. That episode freaked her out. Billy wanted to ask someone if she said or did anything strange at dinner, but of course she didn’t dare to inquire.
What really concerned her was the third occasion where she misplaced time. She was standing over the sink washing plates and thinking of nothing in particular, when the next instant, she tasted a rusty, iron flavour inside her mouth that could only have been blood. When she pulled her hands out of the cold, soapy water, she noticed they were dyed with caked blood. Billy quickly wiped her mouth, but neither her teeth, nor lips were bleeding. She searched the bottom of the sink, but couldn’t find any broken pieces of china or sharp knives that could have cut her hands. In fact, Billy couldn’t find any evidence of any cuts at all. Hastily, she scrubbed off the blood and finished the washing up, almost in a daze as she tried to reason out what had happened. It was a mystery that couldn’t be solved by Billy alone; but she wasn’t about to involve anyone else, especially as she assumed the others were already questioning her sanity.
The night terrors continued, and on a couple of occasions, the other girls in the dorm woke her. Billy apologized profusely, blaming it on something she ate. Still, it never got to the stage where she was too scared to sleep. Although her dreams were traumatic, they were also strangely comfortable. It was as though another was sharing her experiences, and she was not alone.
Why on earth would I go outside in my pajamas, barefooted? Billy wondered bewilderedly.
The iced chill of the air stabbed through her clothes like daggers. She’d never felt so cold before. She was about to make her way back, only after taking one step, she stopped. A sharp pain pierced the bottom of her left foot. When she lifted it up to have a look, she was surprised to see the sole bleeding.
“How on earth did that happen?” She said aloud.
Billy limped her way back to the hostel, but stopped when she reached the front door.
If I walk through the main entrance I’ll have the supervisors and Professor Brian on my case, and I don’t particularly want to answer their questions.
The last thing Billy wanted was for everyone to know about her sleepwalking escapades, if that was what it was. So she decided to enter from the back. Luckily, her dorm was not far from the backdoor.
It appeared that everyone was asleep, and she managed to creep past without waking anyone. Carefully sitting on the edge of her bed, she lifted her foot up to have a closer look.
“Where have you been?” Susan whispered loudly, making Billy jump. “Jesus what happened to you?”
“Ssh, I don’t want to wake the others,” Billy answered. “Listen can you swipe some dressings and antiseptic and meet me in the bathroom in five minutes? Don’t tell anyone, okay?”
“Sure,” Susan agreed and climbed out of bed.
Billy grabbed clean nightwear and then limped to the bathroom. She noticed her toiletries lying on the floor under the bathroom mirror. As she bent down to retrieve them, she caught a glimpse of her reflection and couldn’t understand how she’d gotten into such a state. Dried mud covered her pajamas and most of her hair. Maybe I decided to have a mud bath instead, she laughed at her joke.
Billy took a quick shower and reflected on her dilemma.
So far, only Susan knows about the incident. I hope it stays that way. I can’t get it straight in my own head, let alone having to explain it to anyone else. How am I supposed to explain why I was outside in the first place without sounding nuts? I’m glad Susan knows, though, as I really need her help.
Dressed in clean nightwear, Billy waited patiently for Susan, and giggled when she turned up minutes later with her hands full of medicants.
“What did you do, raid the first aid box?” Billy laughed.
“Well, I didn’t know what you’d need,” Susan replied uncomfortably. Dying to know what had happened, she held her tongue until Billy finished cleaning and dressing the foot.
“So, where have you been?" Susan asked impatiently.
“Don’t laugh, but I was sleepwalking,” Billy said.
“You couldn’t have been sleepwalking; you haven’t been to bed yet.”
“I know. I fell asleep in the bathroom.” Billy smiled falsely
“No!” Susan laughed.
“I guess all the hard work and fresh air has finally caught up with me. I’m totally shattered.”
Billy was relieved that her explanation had worked. Actually, Susan had quite a giggle at her expense. Luckily, she didn’t question her any further.
Billy got through a restful night without anyone else finding out about her little escapade, and in a couple of days, she totally forgot about the incident. That was, until it happened again. In fact, it happened twice.
The second time she found herself huddled in a corner of a small broom cupboard. Again she had no recollection of how she got there, especially as the last thing she remembered, she was sitting down at the dinner table eating and drinking with the others. Imagine her surprise and fear, to suddenly discover being in a dark cupboard as though no time had passed at all. That episode freaked her out. Billy wanted to ask someone if she said or did anything strange at dinner, but of course she didn’t dare to inquire.
What really concerned her was the third occasion where she misplaced time. She was standing over the sink washing plates and thinking of nothing in particular, when the next instant, she tasted a rusty, iron flavour inside her mouth that could only have been blood. When she pulled her hands out of the cold, soapy water, she noticed they were dyed with caked blood. Billy quickly wiped her mouth, but neither her teeth, nor lips were bleeding. She searched the bottom of the sink, but couldn’t find any broken pieces of china or sharp knives that could have cut her hands. In fact, Billy couldn’t find any evidence of any cuts at all. Hastily, she scrubbed off the blood and finished the washing up, almost in a daze as she tried to reason out what had happened. It was a mystery that couldn’t be solved by Billy alone; but she wasn’t about to involve anyone else, especially as she assumed the others were already questioning her sanity.
The night terrors continued, and on a couple of occasions, the other girls in the dorm woke her. Billy apologized profusely, blaming it on something she ate. Still, it never got to the stage where she was too scared to sleep. Although her dreams were traumatic, they were also strangely comfortable. It was as though another was sharing her experiences, and she was not alone.
And now, let's welcome Karina to the blog to join us for a short interview!
Hi
Karina, it’s lovely to have you on the blog today! Welcome!
For
starters, why not you tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not
many people know?
I’m an author of five books, four are independently published the other
is published traditionally. I live in Greece
What
made you want to become a writer?
I have a weird and vivid imagination. I have to get the ideas out of my
head or I just can’t sleep. Some were born for art, some to dance, some to
teach. I was born to write.
As
I understand, Stone Cole is a supernatural YA thriller. How did you come up
with the plot for it?
Most of the novella is based on my own experience as a teen; apart from
the murders and the supernatural element. I was able to get a lot of closure
writing this story. It was my way of getting finality from the years of being
bullied and intimidated at school.
Are
your characters based on real people, or did they all come entirely from your
imagination?
The characters from Stone Cold are based on people I have met or unfortunately
got to know. The names have been changed to protect the NOT so innocent.
Billy
couldn’t have been an easy character to write, given that she kind of guesses
who the killer is. How did you, in a way, “get into her head”?
Actually, she was very easy to write, as I was writing about my
emotions, my experiences. Of course I have never been possessed (at least I
don’t think I was) It was fun to write. I was able to play out my fantasies.
And
as for Shane, how could he have guessed that he was going to be the next to
die?
Well Shane was the last one standing. The last in the group of students
that were mean to her. He wasn’t stupid. He knew what was coming. And he knew
why?
Could
you tell us a bit about your book and why it is a must-read?
It’s a fast exciting novella. That will have you gripped from the first
page. Most will be able to relate to the characters and their experiences and
Billy is a very easy character to understand as her emotions are real.
What
do you love most about the writing process?
I love holding the finished product in my hand, to see the cover with
your name printed on it, is an awesome feeling. I feel sorry for the e-book
authors, that don’t get to experience that feeling. I love getting feedback
from my readers. To know my work is being enjoyed, is the only thing that keeps
me going.
And
of course, do you have a particular favorite character? I know an author will
love most if not all of the characters he/she creates, but I’m sure there must
be a favorite of yours! So who is it, and why?
In Stone Cold, it has to be Billy. She gets to play out her revenge
without any remorse, as she never learns the truth. My fav character in all my novels is Ice, from
Lawless Justice, (she my alter ego.) Ice is tough and smart and she gets to
lead a double life.
And now, just some little random questions!
Favorite
colour?
Black
Favorite
place?
The world is a pretty big place and I’ve not seen much of it. For
Christmas my fav place is with my family in the UK
and for Easter I wouldn’t want to be anywhere except Corfu Greece
Favorite
book?
Of all time: The Outsiders by S.E.Hinton.
From 2011: Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
So far this year: The Hunger games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Favorite
thing?
Spicy tomato soup with cheese on toast.
What
you do when you’re free:
I’m a mother of two young girls and I spend around 7hr s a day promoting
my five books. But when I do have any free time I love getting lost in a great
book.
Favorite
day?
Late at night when everyone is asleep and I get to watch what I want on
TV and to catch up with some reading.
Hmm,
I think that should be about it for today! It was a pleasure to have you on the
blog today! Wishing you all the best in your career! :D
It’s my pleasure and thank you for having me J
So yep, that's about it for today! I do hope you'll consider getting the book! :D
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