Two short stories.Urban Exploration.An abandoned Victorian mental asylum, derelict for decades, sits in the middle of the English countryside. Three people set out to explore.The Curse of Chillingham Castle.Over from America on their first European holiday, tourists Mark and Susie take a detour to one of England's most haunted castles.15000 words approx.This collection consists of two short stories.Urban ExplorationAn abandoned Victorian mental asylum, derelict for decades, sits in the middle of the English countryside. Three University graduates decide to explore the decaying ruin one summer day. A week later, one of them returns for a second visit. Will this trip go as planned?The Curse of Chillingham CastleChillingham Castle is one of the most haunted places in England, with a long and bloody past. Over from America on their first European holiday, tourists Mark and Susie take a detour to the atmospheric castle. It was a decision that they would later regret. Life for them will never be quite the same again.Together, the stories come to about 15000 words long. Just long enough to fit nicely in to a couple of lunch breaks! Views: 396
A bidding war for his services interrupts Nero Wolfe's attempts to solve the case of the businessman who died in his love nest--a case in which the police seem oddly uninterested. Views: 396
Les symptômes assemblés créent des figures saisies par la symptomatologie. La symptomatologie permet de construire des tableaux, les tableaux cliniques. M.F.In The Fourth Man, Brian Parker explores one of the most powerful mental health issues we can all face - repressed trauma. Four men go to lunch, but for one of them, a benign conversation resurrects an inner turmoil for which he has never forgiven himself. It raises the question of how do we move on? How do we let go of the past, and our guilt, yet still remember someone with the warmth and respect we had for them while they were still alive? Views: 396
Rob was a normal guy living a normal life in the Zombie Apocalypse. And then he met an undead Mexican woman who changed everything.This is the eighth story in the series. A new story will be released each week during the final months of 2011 and early 2012.Joe suspected his wife was having an affair. The consequences of his actions led to hungry pigs, an elaborate plan and surprising results.This short story mixes elements of jealousy, horror and old-fashioned revenge to serve up a dish best served cold. Views: 396
Welcome to Silvery Earth, where the Magical Races reign. Meet a Fajrulo and a Sila, and the Humans who cross their path... a short story.After their peaceful village, Riverbell, is raided by the foul monstrous skex, brothers Logan and Corbin Walker find themselves caught in a race against time, desperate to warn the capitol before the dangerous skex arrive to wreak the same havoc upon the unsuspecting people of Fal. Never could they imagine, that this would only be the very beginning of their unforgettable journey, when Logan is suddenly exiled from the kingdom for a crime he did not commit. On the run, doggedly avoiding his own brother, sent to pursue the wanted criminal, can Logan Walker possibly hope to stay free long enough to unravel the Secrets of the Elders? And So the Fourth Age of Acadia begins... The World of Acadia Ages long past, forced to abandon the surface, mankind descended inside the core of their planet, fleeing an impending xenocide at the hands of the mighty Jotnar invaders and settling a new homeland among the deep forests in the wide caverns of Vanidriell, under the light of the Great Crystal Baetylus. Views: 396
Daniel Stillman's Life: 42 Facebook friends 18 Cell phone contacts 6 Twitter followers 4 blog subscribers Now a category five storm is about to take this all away. And replace it with a neighbor he's never met. Views: 396
Logan Jennings is a loving father, husband, and dog-owner. A mild-mannered, freelance photographer, by all appearances, he leads the perfect life.What’s his secret?He’s an obsessive, ritualistic serial killer...except he doesn’t know it.Logan would like to meet you. Will you oblige him?"Blood Spatter" is a 3,000 word short story.A small collection of short stories/mini novellas of romance, relationships and what ifs, from contemporary to historic to fantasy. Views: 395
Greg Mortenson has built a global reputation as a selfless humanitarian and children’s crusader, and he’s been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He is also not what he appears to be. As acclaimed author Jon Krakauer discovered, Mortenson has not only fabricated substantial parts of his bestselling books Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, but has also misused millions of dollars donated by unsuspecting admirers like Krakauer himself.
This is the tragic tale of good intentions gone very wrong. Views: 395
Ex-con Ray Rhodes’ claim he was framed on weapons and drug charges is only the beginning when former cop Lucky Lucas is reluctantly dragged into an investigation as a family favor. Lucas quickly finds himself mixing with crooked cops, Chinese assassins, and a broken family with a disturbing and dangerous history that leads to blackmail and murder.Scar Tissue is the first novel in a projected series of detective/mysteries in the spirit of Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker. Robert “Lucky” Lucas, a fifty year old retired police Detective and widow from Southern California, has relocated in San Francisco to be near his son’s family. As a favor to his daughter-in-law Kathleen, Lucas reluctantly agrees to speak with Ray Rhodes, a childhood friend with prison record who has been arrested on weapons and drug charges, but adamantly proclaims his innocence. During his investigation, Lucas becomes convinced Rhodes is the victim of jealousy and crooked cops, and is trapped in the middle of a disturbing and dangerous family history, a history that will lead to murder and attempt on Lucas’ life. Mark Gummere lives in San Francisco, teaches classes in Cinema Studies, and is a former San Francisco Private Investigator. The second Lucky Lucas novel, The Damage, has just been released, and is also available on Smashwords as a downloadable ebook. The third Lucky Lucas Novel is underway. Views: 395
This is based on the original book, we had to make up a chapter for an English assignment.The Description is, Travis married Jane, and began being abusive to her, and in this short story Travis has tied Jane to the stove with his belt for trying to escape. Jane manages to get free and Travis wants to get her back at any cost.Little Jinny Blistov is a second tier gangster who arrives in the US in the unheated hold of an Aeroflot cargo plane. He meets, make enemies of, then friends with, the aristocratic Gwenny and Roger June of Charleston, South Carolina, America's most beautiful town. It isn't long before he convinces them to steal artifacts from warehouses of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. They get huge shipping containers of the stuff back home, at which point Stirg, a Russian billionaire and old adversary of theirs, objects. The two parties meet one evening out on the waters of Charleston harbor, and it isn't pretty. Views: 394
We are reminded of the philosophers'questioning if life is actually a dream or as Edgar Allen Poe has sobeautifully written "a dream within a dream".My suggestion is that you walk and laugh with author down his bizarrepath and see the world in all its strangeness.Reviewed by Joan McNerneySurrealist Chapbook “Reproachable Optimists” from Nathaniel S. RoundsFrom the French, surrealism means beyond realism. Surrealism stemsfrom the 20th-century literary and artistic movement attempting toexpress the workings of the subconscious. It is characterized byfantastic imagery and strange juxtaposition of subject matter. Freefrom the conscious control of reason and convention, surrealism isdedicated to expressing the imagination as revealed in dreams. Ourperception of reality is colored by the subconscious and surrealistsseek to exploit this.In his collection entitled Reproachable Optimists, the authorNathaniel S. Rounds presents the absurd by plunging deeply into aworld of mismatched thinking and incongruous ideas. This weird worldis familiar. We have only to listen to a single evening newscast toknow the unreality of reality.In the poem Peace Work, he shows the futility of many occupations. Inour time, tasks have been cut up into units for efficiency hence theterm "piece work" has evolved. Then we have the silly notion thatgreen bananas will improve digestion in old people. Even the smellwill enhance bowel movements. How many times have we heard expertsproclaim special foods are good or bad for us? Or, perhaps we shouldembrace certain miracle treatments? Several months later, we find allthis advice contradicted. Black skinned bananas are for those inmourning. This shows the employer cares. Our banks want to "serve" us,hospitals have the "compassion to cure", insurance companies are "onour side". Sound familiar?The last poem Somnambulist presents us with a sleep walk. Indeed muchof the collection has a unreal dream-like quality to it. It is a roadonly seen by the dreamer. Without prelude or warning, flowers beds aretransformed into light bulbs. We are reminded of the philosophers'questioning if life is actually a dream or as Edgar Allen Poe has sobeautifully written "a dream within a dream".My suggestion is that you walk and laugh with author down his bizarrepath and see the world in all its strangeness.Reviewed by Joan McNerneyJoan McNerney’s poetry has been included in numerous literarymagazines such as Seven Circle Press, Dinner with the Muse, Blueline,63 channels, Spectrum, and three Bright Spring Press Anthologies. Herlatest title is Having Lunch with the Sky, A.P.D., Albany, New York.-- Views: 394
When a tick gets infected by werewolf blood, things get a bit scary and more than a bit weird for Ryan and his little sister Carrie.A 3000 word short story by award-winning fantasy humor author Norm Cowie.Every housewife needs an alias. Donna Stone has one--and it happens to be government-sanctioned.Oh sure, you need to be ruthless to take on Russian mafia bosses, rogue dictators, and terrorists set on destroying the world. But it takes real killer instincts to survive suburbia. Try juggling the fifth grade phone tree during a shootout with skinhead arms dealers, or driving carpool while being chased by Chinese double agents.Donna’s life wasn’t always this complicated. Five years earlier she was just another woman with two preschoolers, a baby bump, and an adoring husband: Carl, with whom she lived happily ever after in a McMansion in the Orange County, California community of Hilldale. But Donna’s life was changed forever the night she delivered her baby: Carl’s car blew up on the way to the hospital.Turns out Carl was a “hard man”—an assassin—for the black ops organization known as Acme Industries. The hit on Carl was carried out by the Quorum, a terrorist cell he was tracking. The Quorum’s motto: “Show me the money.” Governments and corporations do as they’re told—or suffer bloody consequences.Carl left something behind that the Quorum wants badly. To protect herself and avenge Carl’s death, Donna joined Acme. Whereas her hostessing skills rival Martha Stewart’s, her marksmanship is second to none.A good thing, too, because the Quorum has planted a sleeper cell in Hilldale. For Donna, that’s too close for comfort. Will she be able to save her family before the Quorum blows up Los Angeles?Acme’s way of flushing out the Quorum is by “bringing Carl back from the dead.” But terrorism makes strange bedfellows--and brings new meaning to that old adage “Honey, I’m home…”*Not her real name."Adorable is not usually the word that comes to mind with a title like The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook, but it was just what I needed to pull me out of my reading doldrums. From the handy little homemaker/assassin tips at the beginning of each chapter to the thankless job of being a single parent with catty neighbors, this book hits all the right notes. Donna works for the good guys, Acme Industries, undercover by taking down drug lords and terrorists with a matter-0f-fact attitude while worrying about making it to her carpooling duties.Granted, the book ended with a hook that made me want to immediately get the next one, which is always a smart move and I was excited to see that there are actually 11 books in the series (including a prequel). I now want a week at the beach to read them all. Think Alias meets Desperate Housewives meets The Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Live a little, add some spice to your life, give this little book a try and give yourself a reason to smile. I know I did and now I’m completely smitten." -- Barbara Vey, BarbaraVey.com Views: 394
From starry night rituals to garden toad totems, discover the enchanting craft of the HedgeWitch.Transform your life with a little help from nature! Working in harmony with the earth's energy is the heart of the free-spirited, simple garden magick known as HedgeWitchery. This guidebook from the immensely popular Silver RavenWolf has everything a new HedgeWitch needs to connect in a personal way with nature's creative, life-affirming energy and use it in magick and spellwork.HedgeWitch features a fourteen-lesson, hands-on guide that you complete at your own pace, interacting with different aspects of nature in simple yet life-changing ways. The fourteen rituals, which can be done alone or with a group, culminate in an inspiring dedication ceremony.Along with a wealth of helpful hints on using HedgeWitch magick for love, health, and beauty, this guide presents tips and recipes for soap making, tea-leaf reading, butterfly garden magick, organically growing your own... Views: 394
When Carolyn's grown daughter tells her she needs to "get a life," Carolyn decides it's time to step out of her familiar routine as a single woman in San Francisco and escape to her mother's home in the Canary Islands. Since Carolyn's mother is celebrating her seventieth birthday, the timing of Carolyn's visit makes for a perfect surprise.
The surprise, however, is on Carolyn when she sees Bryan Spencer, her high school summer love. It's been seven years since Carolyn lost her husband, but ever since that tragic day, her life has grown smaller and closed in. The time has come for Carolyn to get her heart back. It takes the gentle affection of her mother and aunts, as well as the ministering beauty and song of the islands to draw Carolyn into the fullness of life. She is nudged along by a Flamenco dance lesson, a defining camel ride and the steady gaze of Bryan's intense blue-gray eyes.
Is it too late for Carolyn to trust Bryan? Can Carolyn believe that Bryan has turned into something more than the wild beach boy who stole her kisses so many years ago on a balmy Canary night?
Carolyn is reminded that Christopher Columbus set sail from the Canary Islands in 1492 on his voyage to discover the New World. Is she ready to set sail from these same islands to discover her new life? Views: 394
