This collection contains four stories of animals, trees, hunters and folkloreJason and Valerie wanted a nice, leisurely vacation, visiting Jason’s brother in Virginia, but Mother Nature intervened, delivering a hellacious snowstorm to the region. With their transportation plans thwarted, the travelers find themselves on a deserted road in the middle of the night, a blizzard raging all around them, and a suspicious stranger has joined their midst. To Jason, the newcomer seems a little off. He might just be a run-of-the-mill drunk, but Jason senses something else—a streak of sadism seems to emanate from him. Little does Jason know, the stranger is the least of their worries. There’s something else out here in the woods, a creature that purrs as it feasts on human flesh, an abomination lurking in the snow, hidden in the darkness. But even if Jason and Valerie manage to survive, there’s one more surprise waiting for them, with a revelation that will test their very humanity. Views: 462
Seems like a cash deposit, an unlimited expense account, and a mark he doesn’t even have to kill would make for a pretty good day…but then it’s never a good day to be PeeDee3. His client, his mark, and the gigantic nudge he’s been saddled with are Pachydwerps, the most manipulative species in the galaxy, and each of them has their own agenda. This is going to be a painful molt.PeeDee3, Season 1, Episode 6One of the wealthiest beings in the universe’s darling daughter is missing and he’s hired PeeDee3 to find her and he doesn’t even have to kill her. Looks like a good day to be an intergalactic, insectiod assassin…but then it’s never a good day to be PeeDee3. Seems his current client, his mark, and the gigantic nudge he’s been saddled with are all Pachydwerps, one of the universes’ most manipulative species, and each of them has their own agenda. Nestled between these strategizing goliaths and his paycheck floats a Radioactive Lunar Jellyfish brandishing a switchblaster, an upturned collar, and a bad attitude. Maybe the bug’s discounted the advantages of having a brain once too often. Views: 462
Echoes of the past...echoes of the future. Honoré Lechasseur can see the threads that bind the two together, however when he and Emily Blandish find themselves outside the imposing tower-block headquarters of Dragon Industry, both can sense something is wrong. There are ghosts in the building, and images and echoes of all times pervade the structure. But what is behind this massive contradiction in time, and can Honoré and Emily figure it out before they become trapped themselves? Part mystery, part detective story, part dark fantasy, part science fiction...original adventures in time and space. Views: 462
Explore the true anatomy of horror through these 13 tales of despair and terror written by the author of the original short story "Psychosis."Explore the true anatomy of horror through these 13 tales of despair and terror written by the author of the original short story "Psychosis."PsychosisThe BonewalkerThe Fire of the Soul"Come Closer"ScribblingsThe LodgeCorrespondenceStrangers in a GraveyardThe Lonely GraveThe BasementErosionStrange ThingsThe Seven Horsemen of the ApocalypseApproximately 32,000 words. Views: 462
One warming winter afternoon, Will skis with his brother to a secluded and sleepy hamlet, encountering more of the past than the present.excerpt:All right then, said Will. He gripped his poles harder and pushed down on them, anchoring himself as he slid his skis back and forth to loosen them in the snow. When he was ready he sucked in a deep breath and pushed off the little ledge.The run came at him fast; he bent his knees only a little until past the ramp towards the bottom of the hill he crouched into a low tuck, the poles up under his arms and trailing behind like vestigial wings. The momentum from the hill took him all the way to a fence at the far edge of the field at the bottom. To the left stood a tarpaper shack with a windowpane of dull tin with a dark hole where a smokestack had once been. A driveway went down a steep slope behind the last house to the road opposite the shack. Another house of mustard stucco stood directly ahead. He turned to wait for his brother who just then pushed off from the top of the hill and followed, going around the ramp close by the concrete projection. He came across the field and then the two of them stood quiet and watched as a purple snow machine followed down the slope and cut a wide turn, leaving a trail in the snow before going back up the hill. Views: 462
Lydia works hard at Bagby Hall to keep her father, an ailing tenant, from the poorhouse. She is racked with guilt as she has to watch her friend, Georgette, being abused by Lord and Lady Bagby. Lydia longs to aid Georgette as she fears her life may be in danger - but how? The arrival of the mysterious doctor, Samuel Speer, adds to her dilemma as Lydia's concern for her friend grows. Views: 462
The Painfully Perfects targeted Delilah. When she could no longer tolerate their heartless attacks, she escaped to the island where she met Jack. The island, feared by the town because of its dark history. When they follow Delilah to the island to test her, Delilah falls victim to one girl’s jealous rage. Jack decides to save Delilah the only way he can think of; by making her Aberrant.In 1961, the town of Echo was like any other small town: peaceful, remote, and safe. The picturesque island near the town was a favorite place for the local teenagers until something sinister moved in and they started disappearing. The search party sent to the island to find the judge’s daughter and her friends never returned. As fire engulfed the island, their empty boats drifted back to shore. The town was abandoned and the truth remained hidden.Fifty years later the town had become home to newcomers. One of them was Delilah Dale, a student at Echo high, and her workaholic parents.The Painfully Perfects, Echo High’s It crowd, tormented Delilah. When she could no longer tolerate their heartless attacks, she escaped to the island where she met Jack. The island, feared by the town, became Delilah’s refuge.When The Perfects followed Delilah to the island to test her, Delilah fell victim to one girl’s jealous rage. Not wanting to lose the girl he loved, Jack decided to save Delilah the only way he could think of; by making her Aberrant.Delilah’s new-found strength and understanding bring with them a fresh confidence and rage. It is time for The Perfects to pay; after all, what goes around, comes around. Views: 462
Mulla Nasrudin is the starring character in a vast number of amusing tales told in regions all over the world, particularly in countries in or near the Middle East. Each tale depicts Nasrudin in a different situation, and through his viewpoint they humorously reveal commentary and lessons on various life themes.Chauvinistic Adam Hodson, has the experience to remember when his new rented house catches fire and he is moved into a house of liberal, female nudists. As he struggles fully adapt, it is not just Adam who has to learn, as the girls have to adjust to his own foibles, weaknesses, and those of his violent, racist friend.Join Sarah, the sharp-witted primary school teacher, Tabitha, the pregnant girl and Natalie, the assertive Operations Manager as they get a conservative Adam to embrace their lifestyle while hiding secrets from others. The book is divided into around 75 small scenes to make it ideal for short journeys or where the reader is likely to be interrupted. This is a romantic story although it does contain some mature language and discretion is advised. Views: 462
Issue #2 of B0t. A fanzine. For fans.Jay Leicester (pronounced "Lester") is a retired airline pilot, retired because he could not stand the bureaucratic web the government spun over the aviation industry, and partly because anyone with the price of a bus ticket could fly on the airlines which resulted in overbooking, overcrowding, and near chaos on every route. Raised in a family of Judges and police officers, the only thing he knew to fall back on was the law. Opening his own private investigation business was a natural evolution, especially since he had trouble with authority, and could work outside the constraints of legalese. Handling mostly aviation related cases, recovery of stolen aircraft, investigating drug-hauling pilots, and helping set up corporate aviation departments kept him busy.In Blind Overlook we find Leicester doing a favor for an attorney friend and taking a case far removed from aviation. It involves something he knows nothing about, the art world. A beautiful, but enigmatic young woman who owns an art gallery in New Orleans hires him to travel to Maine where a body has been found fitting the description of her brother and partner in the gallery. He has not been heard from and the young lady grows concerned as he was traveling with four hundred and fifty thousand dollars in cash with which to buy a collection of work by an artist named, Rockwell Kent. Delving into this situation leads Leicester straight into a confrontation with the most powerful Mafia figure in the United States, a local detective, a police sergeant, local fishermen, and a friendly, but suspicious waitress at a local caf . The entire populace of the small community seems involved in the murder, the missing brother and his money. Maine coastal locals and offshore islands provide a unique setting for a powerful work reminiscent of Ross MacDonald or John D. McDonald. Character driven and plot oriented, this is a must read for the serious Mystery/Thriller 'aficionado.'There are a total of 10 ebooks in the Jay Leicester Mysteries Series by JC Simmons:Blood on the VineBlind OverlookSome People Die QuickIcy Blue DescentThe Electra FilePopping the ShineFour Nines FineThe Underground LadyAkel DamaThe Candela of Cancri Views: 462
In the middle of a stifling heat wave, why would an artist intent on committing suicide turn his air conditioning off before taking his life? That’s the question troubling Detectives Steve Carella and Bert Kling until more personal—and deadly—questions threaten to tear Kling’s life apart. Certain his wife, Augusta, is cheating on him, Kling sets out on a course from which there is no turning back. Meanwhile a dangerous killer from his past begins a similar path destined to end in retribution. As Carella’s case of the mysterious suicide unravels, Kling’s personal life explodes in pain and violence. An Ed McBain classic, this installment of his famed 87th Precinct series is a triple threat as the three storylines weave together with relentless momentum, culminating in a shattering climax that tears open the heart of one of the precinct’s finest.Amazon.com ReviewStephen King and Nelson DeMille on Ed McBain I think Evan Hunter, known by that name or as Ed McBain, was one of the most influential writers of the postwar generation. He was the first writer to successfully merge realism with genre fiction, and by so doing I think he may actually have created the kind of popular fiction that drove the best-seller lists and lit up the American imagination in the years 1960 to 2000. Books as disparate as The New Centurions, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, The Godfather, Black Sunday, and The Shining all owe a debt to Evan Hunter, who taught a whole generation of baby boomers how to write stories that were not only entertaining but that truthfully reflected the times and the culture. He will be remembered for bringing the so-called "police procedural" into the modern age, but he did so much more than that. And he was one hell of a nice man. --*Stephen King Way back in the mid-1970s, when I was a new writer and police series were very big, my editor asked me to do a series called Joe Ryker, NYPD. I had no idea how to write a police detective novel, but the editor handed me a stack of books and said, "These are the 87th Precinct novels by Ed McBain. Read them and you'll know everything you need to know about police novels." After I read the first book--which I think was Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man--I was hooked, and I read every Ed McBain I could get my hands on. Then I sat down and wrote my own detective novel, The Sniper, featuring Joe Ryker. My series never reached the heights of the 87th Precinct series, but by reading those classic masterpieces, I learned all I needed to know about urban crime and how detectives think and act. And I had a hell of a time learning from the master. Years later, when I actually got to meet Ed McBain/Evan Hunter, I told him this story, and he said, "I would have liked it better if my books inspired you to become a detective instead of becoming my competition." Evan and I became friends, and I was privileged to know him and honored to be in his company. I remain indebted to him for his good advice over the years. But most of all, I thank him for hundreds of hours of great reading. --Nelson DeMille*To read about how Ed McBain influenced other mystery and thriller writers, visit our Perspectives on McBain page.For a complete selection of 87th Precinct novels available for Kindle, visit our Ed McBain's 87th Precinct Booklist.About the AuthorEd McBain was one of the pen names of successful and prolific crime fiction author Evan Hunter (1926 – 2005). Debuting in 1956, the popular 87th Precinct is one of the longest running crime series ever published, featuring over fifty novels, and is hailed as “one of the great literary accomplishments of the last half-century.” McBain was awarded the Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement in 1986 by the Mystery Writers of America and was the first American to receive the Cartier Diamond Dagger award from the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain. Views: 461
Trace spent the first year of the zombie apocalypse just figuring out how to stay alive. He's spending the second year trying to figure out what keeps zombies alive.This is the tenth story in the series and the final release for year 2011. Come back mid-January 2012 for more stories in the Cities of the Dead zombie apocalypse anthology.The Endeavor is a colony ship from Earth, and she's in trouble. Caught in the massive gravity well of a black hole, the ship is just barely managing to keep itself from being pulled in. In fact, the ship would have been pulled in long ago if it wasn't for a Coven of witches on board led by Munji. When things take a turn for the worse for the ship and its passengers, Munji must save them all.Also Included in Space and Waste, Anthology #1 (ISBN 9781476008561) and Anthology #3 (ISBN 9781476122038) Views: 461
Martin awakes naked on the shores of a silent and hungry world. He has no memory of how he got there, no memory of anything beyond his name. Now he must journey through the Eating Wastes in which the very land he walks on tries to consume him. His only hope of escape are massive gateways that call to him to enter, all he has to do is make it to one. The journey will test both his will and flesh.Martin awakes naked on the shores of a silent and hungry world. He has no memory of how he got there, no memory of anything beyond his name. Now he must journey through the Eating Wastes in which the very land he walks on tries to consume him. His only hope of escape are massive gateways that call to him to enter, all he has to do is make it to one. The journey will test both his will and flesh as nightmarish creatures stalk his every move, wanting to claim him for their own.*THE RED MAN is a 9000 word short story. Views: 461
Indulge in a lyrical, sensual feast. Karin Cox's eloquent poems will linger with you for days, reminding you of the beauty of language and the nostalgia of days gone by. Ranging in topic from whimsy to love poems to erotica, to an examination of nationality and what it means to be human, this collection features something for every lover of the written word.If the poet's job is to provide a reflection of an entire world in a single teardrop, Karin Cox's haunting anthology, "Growth", does so admirably. This collection of her finest poems—some previously published in anthologies around the world, others new; some rhyming, some free form—delivers beautiful sentiments, melancholy moments and some delightfully lyrical figurative language, all the while charting the poet's personal growth over several years.While introspective, Karin's work avoids self-obsession by interspersing political and broader global themes with the personal. What results is a whimsical anthology that brings to mind the challenges of just being human and fitting into a world that sometimes feels like a tight squeeze. A must-read for lovers of the English language and a wonderful gift for poetry aficionados, "Growth" will continue to bloom in the reader's mind long after the last page has been turned. Views: 461
