Novels
How far will one person go for family?
Ex-airforce pilot Ricky Winger and his brother-in-law Ted stumble across an underground people trafficking racket at an abandoned airfield in Phoenix, run by a ruthless Mexican cartel. When they kill Ted, Ricky infiltrates the cartel’s ranks hell-bent on retribution. Now the cartel has kidnapped his sister and mother for ransom, and the only way to keep them alive is to unlock an age-old family secret to find a stash of money hidden in far-off Australia during a WWII plane crash. Ricky’s only chance to find the money is to re-build the rocky relationship with his estranged father, an agoraphobic war veteran living reclusively in the Australian bush, who holds the secret to its location.
Sassy, risk-taking undercover detective Sol Ramirez has only ever had one agenda as she climbed the U.S. police ranks – to track down the men who gunned down her parents and trafficked her into child prostitution. With her own personal agenda to avenge her parents’ deaths, can she keep her promise to Ricky to keep his family safe while he is away or will the cartel carry out their threat to send Ricky’s family home to him in pieces?
By all appearances, Jade Sheffield has it all; a successful law career, intelligence, beauty… but a shadowy side of her personality has always lurked behind the facade, threatening to eclipse her otherwise conventional life. When she falls for high profile Gold Coast surgeon, Angelo Morley, she becomes tangled in the web of his deceit and shady underworld dealings. Discovering his only interest is to use her as a pawn in his latest scam, her yearning for revenge tips her even further into a snare of unpremeditated murder and panic driven self-preservation. But her crime is discovered by the person closest to her. Can she kill a second time in cold blood to protect herself – and risk losing herself to the darkness forever?
Moving between the glitter strip of the Gold Coast and the beautiful surroundings of Far North Queensland, this psychological thriller delves into the spiralling demise that anger and revenge can wreak on the personality.
Revenge is indeed a strong motivator. But when coupled with what is arguably the worst of the deadly sins: greed, the resultant mixture is an explosive concoction. In Lea Scott’s Eclipsed, not only are the elements blended but the fuse is set and lit.
Ian Jay, Author/Book Reviewer/Radio Announcer
Australia’s most infamous murdering bushranger, Ned Kelly, has been dead for more than 100 years since he was hanged in Old Melbourne Goal. Now it seems he’s back from the dead – and he can’t stop killing!
He starts with the four youths who stole his skull from the museum as part of a teenage prank. They’re grown men now, and one by one they’re picked off and ‘hanged by the neck until dead’, just as Kelly was.
Felicity Simons, the one girl in on the teenage prank, is now a history lecturer at Australia’s oldest university. When warning messages from Kelly start to appear she embarks on a quest to grant his dying wish, hoping to put mad Ned’s spirit to rest. But has Ned Kelly returned, or is there a real killer out there? As the police begin to hunt the killer, Felicity soon discovers she could be his next victim…
Taking a well-known Australian legend and creating a whodunit is a refreshing concept. Lea weaves the plot well, describes the situations with skill and embeds enough red herrings to keep you guessing all the way.
Ian Jay ‘Saturday Read’ ABC Radio
It’s a well-plotted story… Lea Scott skillfully sets up one suspect after another, to keep the pages turning… It’s one of those books that would be worth a second reading by writing students, just to study how Lea Scott does it.
Simon Sandell, ‘Readersvoice.com’
Anthologies
Lea brings you her inaugural collection of fate-inspired tales and poetry set to engage your emotions.
A wannabe serial killer looking for attention is blamed for a crime he didn’t commit…an orphan discovers freedom in retribution…love and new cures are found in unexpected places…
These and many other scintillating stories will move you through laughter and tears, then send shivers down your spine.
Got Game? is an anthology of short stories for those who love to smash buttons, control a joystick, toss dice or strategise moves. Be you pro or noob, these stories by Australian authors will entertain and immerse. Are you ready to play?
Lea's story 'Final Play' is told through the sentient perspective of Cluedo, as the game goes online and battles to expose the age-old murder of its favourite player. The elements of mystery, magical realism and anthropomorphism make for an intriguing and heart-felt story that will draw in audiences.
The administrator of a community Facebook group knows many of the townsfolk's secrets. But which one of them had enough at stake to murder her?
Lea Scott tries her hand at a 'cosy' mystery in this new anthology from RWR, with her story 'Calamity in the Community'.
Australian writers, rookies and seasoned, join together to plot murder and other despicable crimes in this collection of short stories and poetry. Foreword by award-winning thriller author Jack Heath.
Doors are a gateway into another space or world. Sometimes they present opportunities, other times barriers, in some cases they're forbidden. Forbidden Doors is the perfect theme for this genre fiction anthology – a collection of fantasy, sci-fi, romance, crime, historical fiction and supernatural short stories from established and emerging Australian authors.
Lea's short story 'Open and Shut' steps through a metaphorical door into the past as police detective Rachael Johnson searches for her missing twin sister Ruby. A dark story with a hint of magical realism that leads to an unexptected ending.
WORKS IN PROGRESS
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EBB AND FLOW
a novel
Renowned gothic artist, Flow Brunton has just fallen head over heels for country boy Jonah Hurst, and moved with her 4-year old daughter Charlie to his hinterland estate overlooking a huge lagoon, despite having vowed to never return to the country, which triggers frequent flashbacks to her abusive upbringing and near-drowning as a child.
When Flow returns home from her exhibition in the city to discover Charlie missing, she blames her friend Ebb for keeping her back for last drinks. Nobody knows about Ebb, or why Flow is suddenly haunted by visions of Charlie drowning in the nearby murky lagoon – alongside an eerie recollection of her late father’s voice the night her daughter disappeared.
Are these echoes of her own childhood abuse, or something more sinister?
Ebb and Flow long-listed in the 2018 Richell Prize for Emerging Authors and the 2019 Adaptable competition with Screen Qld and Qld Writers Centre.
It is currently in re-write and editing phase.
Watch this space!
The next RWR anthology 'Splashes of Romance' is currently in production.
Lea's story 'The Wilderness Cure' features an environmental lawyer fighting an unscrupulous development company, while trying to fight her growing feelings for the developer's son.
Lighthouses: beautiful, mysterious, dangerous, remote – the perfect setting for this genre fiction anthology – a collection of fantasy, sci-fi, romance, crime, historical fiction, dystopian and paranormal short stories from established and emerging Australian authors.
Lighthouse is a unique multi-genre collection of short stories from LORIKEET INK that celebrate lighthouses. From sci-fi and fantasy to romance and crime – and everything in between – Lighthouse features exciting voices from emerging and established Australian writers including Lea Scott's crime inspired story 'The Caretakers'.
Chilling short stories of gruesome murders and clever crimes. With determined detectives, cunning crooks and amateur sleuths, this book has such a range of variety, there's sure to be mystery to suit you.
Authors include some of Australia's best-selling writers alongside emerging new talent.
Includes Lea Scott's story 'The One that Didn't Get Away' which is a revised version of a story that listed for the UK Fish short story prize.
The Rainforest Writing Retreat presents its latest anthology: Ghosts and Graves.
Haunting stories that will linger long after the lights are turned out, this collection of spine-chillers include a mix of seasoned authors with emerging talent.
Read them on your commute to work, during your lunch break... or late at night... if you dare!
Includes pieces from award-wining global best-seller, Anna Campbell, The 'man in black' and ghost tour guide, Jack Simm and many, many more including Lea Scott's ghostly tale 'Shelby's Destiny'.