Kory M Shrum

ALLi Author Member

Location: United States of America (the)

Genres: Thriller, Fantasy/SciFi/Speculative, Crime, Other Poetry, Horror

Skills: Press/Media Interview, Reading/Literary Event, Self-publishing Workshop/Training, Speaking Engagement/Lecture, Writing Workshop

Kory M. Shrum is author of the bestselling Shadows in the Water and Dying for a Living series. She has loved books and words all her life. She reads almost every genre you can think of, but when she writes, she writes science fiction, fantasy, and thrillers, or often something that’s all of the above. 


She can usually be found under thick blankets with snacks.The kettle is almost always on.


When she’s not eating, reading, writing, or indulging in her true calling as a stay-at-home dog mom, she loves to plan her next adventure. (Travel.)

She lives in Michigan with her equally bookish wife, Kim, and their rescue pug, Charley.

Learn more at korymshrum.com.

Kory M Shrum's books

Shadows in the Water: A Lou Thorne Thriller (Shadows in the Water #1)

Meet Louie Thorne. They didn't kill her--and they'll soon regret it.

When DEA agent Jack Thorne's house is stormed by vengeful drug lords, both he and his wife are shot dead. Only his daughter Louie survives--by using a terrifying power that defies reason.

Piecing together a life in his absence, Louie embraces her gift and her rage under the force of a single need: revenge.

She will destroy the men that took her family. No matter the cost, no matter how many bullets, she won't stop until justice has been well and truly served.

Under the Bones: A Lou Thorne Thriller (Shadows in the Water #2)

Enemies make the best allies.

Louie Thorne is good at only one thing. Killing. She knows peace only when she kills and this relentless thirst drives her to hunt the world's worst crime lords. But when her cancer-stricken aunt makes a dying wish, Louie is torn between her own dark nature and a promise made to the only family she has left.

Enter Konstantine, bastard son of the crime lord who killed Louie's family, and now the leader of the Ravengers--a ruthless crime faction from Florence's underworld. He didn't rise to power without making enemies and now one of those enemies has made Konstantine the most hunted man alive. Konstantine's only hope of reclaiming his throne is to trust the woman who wants him dead...

Danse Macabre: A Lou Thorne Thriller (Shadows in the Water #3)

Is it still revenge if you kill the innocent?

Fast, furious, and with an iron will—Louie Thorne is the woman they fear. Crime lords the world over go to great lengths to escape her retribution. But with her terrifying gift and relentless drive, there is nowhere in the world they can hide.

For Lou it’s personal. When her father was murdered by drug lords, Lou survived not only because of her supernatural ability to be anywhere at any time, but because she found a reason to live: revenge. She vowed to destroy those who carelessly destroyed the lives of others.

Yet Lou’s freedom to exact these plans lies in her anonymity. She kills without repercussions because she is little more than a ghost haunting the dark underbelly of the world.

Until a young reporter desperate for the story of a lifetime starts to unravel the mystery of Louie Thorne and threatens to expose Lou to the light…

Carnival: A Lou Thorne Thriller (Shadows in the Water #4)

It takes a killer to stop a killer.

Retired DEA agent Robert King has a thriving PI business in New Orleans--and one promise to keep. He must help his niece, Louie, use her supernatural abilities to rid the world of monsters, without becoming a monster herself.

But King plays by the rules of law and order, and Louie does not.

So when Louie discovers a serial killer who is actively hunting a young woman, King knows he has only one chance to keep his promise to his dead wife. He must convince Louie to take the man alive and seek justice for the families he's already destroyed.

Melandra Durand has worked hard for the life she has. As the owner of an occult shop in the French Quarter, her days were filled with palm readings and souvenir sales until an unorthodox PI moved in next door. It doesn't help that King employs a dangerous young woman who attracts dangerous company--jeopardizing both Mel's safety and sanity.

Then Mel's husband is released from prison, and the real nightmare begins.

More than one woman's life is on the line and the clock is ticking...

Dying Day (Dying for a Living #7)

She was the hero. Now she is the enemy.

Jesse Sullivan has defeated her father and saved the world from his dark machinations. But as the beloved face of The Unified Church, his death has made him a martyr and now his murderer is public enemy number one.

But it isn't the countless government agencies and freelance assassins who want Jesse's head that she should fear. It is the powerful entity who's come to reclaim the world she has stolen from him.

Dying Day is the seventh and final book in the Dying for a Living series. You do not have to read the books in order to enjoy them, but it is highly recommended.

Scroll up and one-click the riveting conclusion to the Dying for a Living series and find out how Jesse Sullivan's story ends.

Dying Breath (Dying for a Living #6)

I always knew I was going to die. I just didn't know it was going to be today.

Maisie Caldwell knows she won't live to see her seventeenth birthday. Her mother and sister are locked in a war over the world, and Maisie is stuck between them. She must decide if she will join her sister Jesse's cause and save the world, even if that means betraying her mother.

Jesse needs to find her father's body and finish him before he can resurrect. If she succeeds she will save millions, if not billions, of lives. But first, Jesse must defeat the woman protecting him. Maisie's decision will make or break all they've worked so hard to protect.

Worth Dying For (Dying for a Living #5)

With enough power coursing through your veins, it's hard to remember whose side you're on.

Jesse Sullivan's father commands a dark and terrible army under the guise of beloved church leader. Jesse and her friends must hide deep undercover for fear of arrest or murder by his faithful followers. Their every move brings risk of discovery.

And when your enemy can control minds and teleport at will, there isn't a single place in the world where you can hide...

Worth Dying For is the fifth book in the "smart, imaginative, and insanely addictive" urban fantasy series. The books do not have to be read in order, but the author recommends it!

Dying Light (Dying for a Living #4)

What doesn't kill you always tries again.

In the wake of her handler's death, Jesse has never felt more alone. If she has any hope of defeating her sadistic, murdering father, Caldwell, she needs allies.

In her quest to forge alliances, Jesse goes to Chicago, Caldwell's very own stronghold. But in this attempt to take the fight to her father's door, Jesse learns his secret.

And it changes everything.

Now that she knows the truth, Jesse must decide if she has the strength to follow through with her brutal plan to save the world--even if it means letting good people die...

Dying Light is the fourth novel in the "smart, imaginative, and insanely addictive" Dying for a Living series. You do not have to read the series in order to enjoy it, but it is highly recommended.

Dying for Her: A Companion Novel (Dying for a Living #3)

He only has one shot to make it right.

James T. Brinkley was discharged from the military after a fatal mistake changed his life--and took another.

As an agent, Brinkley has devoted his life to protecting the vulnerable while trying to atone for his sins. At the center of his quest for redemption lies Jesse Sullivan, a young woman whose future depends on the decisions he makes now. One wrong move and he'll deliver her right into the hands of the sadist killer who hunts her.



Is Jesse his one chance at redemption? Or the lasting regret he takes to the grave...

Called "smart, imaginative, and insanely addictive!" Read this contemporary fantasy series unlike any other.

This is the companion novel to the Dying for a Living series. It *can* be skipped, but the author recommends reading it between novels Dying by the Hour and Dying Light.

Dying by the Hour (Dying for a Living #2)

Fame, fortune, a pulse--you can't have everything.

Jesse Sullivan and Ally Gallagher are famous thanks to their recent kidnapping and brush with death. They have scars, but they're breathing, and that's more than the other victims can say.

Yet while they try to settle back into their routine, saving lives through Jesse's rare ability, neither can quite shake the feeling that the danger hasn't truly passed. Then another death replacement agent goes missing, and Jesse may be the only one who can find her.

But is the agent really another victim? Or is she the trap that will get them killed?

Dying by the Hour is the Amazon bestselling sequel to Dying for a Living, a "unique" and "totally original" supernatural thriller. You do not have to read the books in order to enjoy them, but it is highly recommended.

Dying for a Living (Dying for a Living #1)

And you thought dying once would be hard...

On the morning before her 67th death, it is business as usual for agent Jesse Sullivan: meet with the mortician, counsel soon-to-be-dead clients, and have coffee while reading the latest regeneration theory. Jesse dies for a living, literally. Because of a neurological disorder, she is one of the population's rare 2% who can serve as a death surrogate, dying so others don't have to.

Although each death replacement is different, the result is the same: a life is saved, and Jesse resurrects days later with sore muscles, new scars, and another hole in her memory. But when Jesse is murdered and becomes the sole suspect in a federal investigation, more than her freedom and sanity are at stake. She must catch the killer herself--or die trying.

Dying for a Living is the first book in Kory M. Shrum's gripping urban fantasy series. If you like page-turning action, tough as nails heroines, and perfectly-paced suspense, then you'll love this "hilarious" and "supernaturally fantastic" ride.

Read the series with 700 five-star reviews! A contemporary fantasy series unlike any other.

Welcome to Castle Cove

Always wanted an urban fantasy you could control? Here is your chance.

A young woman is dumped by her fiancé of three years. Longing for a new life, she takes a job in Castle Cove, a seemingly perfect town nestled between beautiful pine forests and the sea. Only Castle Cove isn’t what it seems.

Each choice you make as you read this interactive novel will reveal Castle Cove’s secrets and dark history. But beware: you can find adventure, power, romance or monsters within these pages.

Choose carefully, or else…

Scroll up to one-click your copy today!

*This is a choice-path novel, allowing you to guide the direction of the story. However, there is also an "Author's Choice" in the back if you would like to read the book without choice.*

Night Tide: A Castle Cove Novel (Welcome to Castle Cove #2)

Always wanted an urban fantasy novel you could control? Here is your chance.

Bartender Reese is asked to use her special abilities to investigate a murder in Castle Cove.

But is it murder or bad luck? After all, Castle Cove teens have a peculiar rite of passage. On their eighteenth birthday, they must swim 800 feet from Hunter's Beach to Heart’s Rock, under the watchful gaze of the moon. It’s a dangerous feat in nighttime waters.

And if the sirens guarding the cove catch swimmers in their territory, the price for sparing their life is very high indeed.

But in the course of her investigation, Reese suspects the sirens aren’t the real problem. An older, darker magic is in town…

This is a choice-path novel allowing you to decide the direction of the story. However, there is also an "Author's Choice" version in the back of the book that allows you to forgo choice if you prefer.

*This book does contain explicit sex. However, those choices are clearly labeled and can be avoided by selecting another path*

Shadows in the Water Series: A Lou Thorne Thriller Bundle (Books 1, 2 and 3)

This box set includes the first three novels in the Shadows in the Water series: Shadows in the Water, Under the Bones, and Danse Macabre.

Meet Louie Thorne. They didn't kill her--and they'll soon regret it.

When DEA agent Jack Thorne's house is stormed by vengeful drug lords, both he and his wife are shot dead. Only his daughter Louie survives--by using a terrifying power that defies reason.

Piecing together a life in his absence, Louie embraces her gift and her rage under the force of a single need: revenge.

She will destroy the men that took her family. No matter the cost, no matter how many bullets, she won't stop until justice has been well and truly served.

And this is only the beginning. Find the first 3 books in this original new series, with heart-pounding suspense and surprising twists. Scroll up and one-click your copy today!

Dying for a Living Boxset: The Complete Series Books 1-7

This complete boxset includes all seven of the bestselling Dying for a Living novels: Dying for a Living, Dying by the Hour, Dying for Her: A Companion Novel, Dying Light, Worth Dying For, Dying Breath and Dying Day.

On the morning before her 67th death, it is business as usual for agent Jesse Sullivan: meet with the mortician, counsel soon-to-be-dead clients, and have coffee while reading the latest regeneration theory. Jesse dies for a living, literally. Because of a neurological disorder, she is one of the population's rare 2% who can serve as a death surrogate, dying so others don't have to.

Although each death replacement is different, the result is the same: a life is saved, and Jesse resurrects days later with sore muscles, new scars, and another hole in her memory. But when Jesse is murdered and becomes the sole suspect in a federal investigation, more than her freedom and sanity are at stake. She must catch the killer herself--or die trying.

And that was only the beginning...

Called "smart, imaginative, and insanely addictive" by New York Times bestseller Darynda Jones, this series is perfect for readers looking for a "unique" and "totally original" experience. Read the complete series today.

While this complete box set is available as ebook only, the individual novels are also available in paperback and audiobook format.

Dying for a Living Boxset Vol 2: Books 4-7 of Dying for a Living Series

Read the series with 700 five-star reviews! A contemporary fantasy series unlike any other. Don’t believe us? Download a free sample and see for yourself!

The Dying for a Living Boxset Vol. 2 includes Dying Light, Worth Dying For, Dying Breath, and Dying Day (Books 4-7) in the Dying for a Living series. If you like "supernatural thrill-rides" and a quirky team that can't be beat, you'll love this series.

Jesse Sullivan’s father is a sadistic murder with plans to rule the world. Given his ability to control minds and teleport at will, it seems his dark vision is coming to fruition. All that stands in his way is Jesse.

Yet no matter how badly he has hurt her and the ones she loves, Jesse can’t seem to forget he is her father. She must somehow forget the man she remembers from her childhood and see him for the monster he truly is.

And she almost can…until he offers her the one thing she can’t refuse.

Dying for a Living Boxset Vol 1: Books 1-3 Dying for a Living Series

This boxset includes the first three novels in the Jesse Sullivan series: award-winning novel, Dying for a Living, Amazon bestseller, Dying by the Hour, and their companion novel, Dying for Her.

Called "smart, imaginative, and insanely addictive" by New York Times bestseller Darynda Jones, this urban fantasy will thrill even the most diehard urban fantasy fans.

On the morning before her 67th death, it is business as usual for agent Jesse Sullivan: meet with the mortician, counsel soon-to-be-dead clients, and have coffee while reading the latest regeneration theory. Jesse dies for a living, literally. Because of a neurological disorder, she is one of the population's rare 2% who can serve as a death surrogate, dying so others don't have to.

Although each death replacement is different, the result is the same: a life is saved, and Jesse resurrects days later with sore muscles, new scars, and another hole in her memory. But when Jesse is murdered and becomes the sole suspect in a federal investigation, more than her freedom and sanity are at stake. She must catch the killer herself--or die trying.

And that was only the beginning...

Loading...