When Kimberly finds a magic sword, she is taken away from Earth and her abusive father to a world called Auviarra, a place she thought her grandfather had invented.Striving to become the kind of hero she has always read about, Kimberly soon discovers a growing darkness inside, a darkness that is being cultivated by the evil creatures she is hunting. Will she stay human, or succumb to the magic?Kimberly is at a loss when her grandfather passes away unexpectedly. Left at the mercy of an abusive father, she is forced to watch as her grandfather's legacy is demolished, piece by piece before her eyes.The one thing her father cannot touch, however, are the stories of Auviarra, the magical world that made her grandfather's books famous. When Kimberly discovers a magical blade that shouldn't even exist, she is whisked away to a land of heroes and villains. Taken in by a band of misfits, she tries to measure up to the stories she loved so much.However, something has followed her to Auviarra, a shadow from her grandfather's past. In the process of hunting it down, she soon discovers that she's inherited something other than a magical blade, something that will threaten to undo who she is. Views: 335
Death takes no holidays.So small it can't be seen with the naked eye.So deadly it can wipe out millions in minutes.If you breathe it, you're already dead...A daring daylight prison break at a top security federal penitentiary frees the infamous "20th hijacker," the only 9/11 terrorist to miss his flight that September morning. It seems Mustafa Mohammed's been hiding a toxic secret right under the noses of federal authorities. Soon, hundreds start dying throughout the country; the CDC classifies the virus responsible as "UNKNOWN."Luckily, Dr. Harold W. Smith always knows the most effective treatment for what ails America, and dispatches Remo Williams and his mentor, the magnificent Chiun, to administer the cure. But this time, the usual prescription might not be strong enough.Remo wants to destroy the bio-weapon. The antiwar crowd wants to steal it, the Iranians want to duplicate it, and poor little Mustafa just wants to use it to obliterate an... Views: 335
All Rio wants to do over Christmas break is forget about the boy who got her sent to boarding school in the first place. So what's a girl to do when he winds up working at her favorite bookstore-slash-cafe on Christmas Eve?This 5,590-word short story is 36 pages long.DEATH IS NOT AN ALIBI.There are laws that even the dead must obey: no hijacking the bodies of the living, no possessing the dead… and never speak of the Dark.It’s the job of police exorcist Arphallo Sirus and his murdered partner, Sam Trent, to enforce these laws. No one ever said working the Dead Beat was easy, but now it’s become nearly impossible as the ghosts and the living alike tear the worlds apart in search of answers to the mysteries of life, death and what lies beyond.The Dead Beat is a short story serial. This is the first of three volumes.1. The Restless and the Wicked2. Death Do Us Part3. Dressing Down4. Sealed by Night5. Blood in the Water6. Save the Date7. Taking Prisoners8. Drink Deep9. The Death of Arphallo Sirus Views: 334
The entire school's talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh. After all, Kaylee's no ordinary high-school junior. She's a banshee—she screams when someone dies.
But the next scream might be for Kaylee.
Yeah—it's a shock to her, too. So to distract herself, Kaylee's going to save every girl in school. Because that hot new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend's needy ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren't quite human, either.
But Kaylee's borrowed lifeline is nearing its end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her life.
Anything. Views: 334
In this legal thriller short story, a group of criminal justice practitioners gamble on the jury's verdict. The dramatic ending will shock readers...In this legal thriller short story, a group of criminal justice practitioners gamble on the jury's verdict. The dramatic ending will shock readers...PRAISE FOR R. BARRI FLOWERS:"A police procedure of the highest order, mixing equal parts Sue Grafton and Jeffrey Deaver with a sprinkling of Patricia Cornwall at her best MURDER IN MAUI is Hawaii 5-0 sharpened to a dark edge beneath the brilliant sunshine." — Jon Land, internationally acclaimed, bestselling author of Strong Justice on MURDER IN MAUI"Flowers delivers the goods. An exotic setting, winning characters, and realistic procedural details make MURDER IN MAUI a sure hit with crime-fiction readers." — Bill Crider, Edgar Award winner and bestselling author of Murder in the Air on MURDER IN MAUI"It gets no better than this! R. Barri Flowers has written another thriller guaranteed to hold onto its readers! It was so gripping that I forgot to breathe a couple of times!" — Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews on DARK STREETS OF WHITECHAPEL“Flowers once again has written a page-turner legal thriller that begins with a bang and rapidly moves along to its final page. He has filled the novel with believable characters and situations.” — Midwest Book Review on STATE'S EVIDENCE“Justice Served is a model of crime fiction.... Flowers may be a new voice in modern mystery writing, but he is already one of its best voices.” — Statesman Journal on JUSTICE SERVED Views: 334
A short story about a chance encounter with the devil.DARK HOLLOW CREEK/RETURN TO DARK HOLLOW CREEKThe surprising twists of the story come alive when a bus load of strangers are stranded in a snow storm and take lodge in an abandoned inn. While there, their lives begin to unravel as the storms moves on. The strangers intertwine with their own problems touching the lives of the others which create a surprising finish in their snowbound prison. Finally, they are set free and are on their way to go on with their lives. But, they have made a vow to each other to return to Dark Hollow in ten years for a reunion. FALSE WITNESSA judge picks up a prostitute hitchhiking in Mississippi. He had killed his wife and has her in the trunk of the car. He hires the prostitute to be a false witness to cover up his wife’s murder. The judge has everything worked out with his money and influence. All the prostitute has do is lie. Will it work? He seems to think so. What about you? All she has to do is just lie.DOUBLE TROUBLEWhen Tommy has an affair with another woman and she ends up pregnant, his wife Kimberly is haunted by his infidelity which later on leads to divorce. Revenge may seem sweet at times, but it can be bitter. When Tommy finds out that Kimberly is going to inherit some big money, he doesn’t want a share he wants it all. He then creates a plan to have her stalked, scared and murdered if that what it takes. He hires a set of twins to get the job done. (Double Trouble), do I need to say anymore. In the end, you will find an impressive conclusion which may be rewarding.ON THE CORNER OF PERRY STREETOn the Corner of Perry Street is a little different type of story. On the corner of Perry Street is a bus stop. Throughout the story, all different kinds of people catch the bus there. The bus stop is the only one in town and it is headed out of town. The bus riders who come that way have a lot to say as they wait for the bus.BRIDGE OVER MCKINLEY COUNTY RIVERA young couple and a child’s life are determined on the McKinley Bridge. Their lives will be changed forever by a man with a jealous rage and a lot of anger in his heart. Lives are turned around and changed forever through an incident that just happened. We all have done wrong. We all pay for our wrongs, but it is sad to say innocent players will suffer. Whether we know or believe it, our lives touch the lives of others sometimes without us knowing it. Views: 334
Chloe Preston has the perfect teenage life: great friends and an ideal boyfriend. But perfect never stays that way. One night, Chloe’s life is shattered, and all she can hope for is that the memory will fade like a bad dream. But secret truths are dangerous, and Chloe discovers that keeping things hidden causes more harm than good—especially when the nightmare is real and comes back for more.Chloe Preston has the perfect teenage life: great friends, a full social calendar, and the ideal boyfriend. But perfect never stays that way. One night, Chloe’s life is shattered, and all she can hope for is that the memory will fade like a bad dream. But secret truths are dangerous, and Chloe discovers that keeping things hidden causes more harm than good—especially when the nightmare is real and comes back for more. Will Chloe find the strength to face the truth, or will she remain a victim of her own fears? Insightful and compelling, author Kimberly Blackadar’s Nothing but Trouble after Midnight is an unprecedented battle between true love and ill-fated circumstance. Views: 334
A sleepy retirement destination with sleepy retirees…or was it? A string of cleverly orchestrated unsolved robberies were accumulating that were almost too well executed. They were precisely performed like a well rehearsed play. In fact, exactly like a well rehearsed play.Three Roommates.Two Guys.One Love.For Lexi, dodging her roommates' attempt to land her the guy of her dreams isn't easy, especially since those roommates are goofball Travis and Sexy-as-sin Nathan.When yet another blind date turns into a disastrous nightmare, all bets are off.Now Lexi must decide if it’s worth it to pretend not to crave the love of her life, knowing, in the end, it could destroy what they already have, or keep on fooling everyone. Views: 334
A father reconnects with his son on a trip to the lake, resurrecting more than just memories.excerpt:We leave the car and strip behind it. The boy turns shyly away, exposing the pearly white purity of his bare bottom. Safe from view, I enjoy the transitory thrill of standing naked in the world. Before slipping my trunks on, I look beyond the far side of the wired enclosure, remembering a place, now possessed by a cottage, where my father and mother and brother and I once long ago camped in a trailer. As we approach the gate again, I look beyond it, down the length of interlinked wire, towards the dwindling end of beach where my father always set the barbecue grill, away from children carelessly running about. I close my eyes and imagine him still standing there on a sandy crescent of shoreline, enclosed by the now becalmed water and a green profusion of cattails.A cool draft coming off the lake causes me to wonder if we have come too late. The possibility prompts the remembrance of another past summer day when the water proved too cold to go in. As I stood with my toes at the waterline looking out, a tall gangly girl my own age, with skin of shiny ebony and hair kinky black, approached holding in both hands a half-empty bottle of Fresca. Having little experience with unfamiliar girls, even less with black ones, I found her an interesting challenge. My eyes continually drew away from her face to her hair, woven into pigtails tied off at the ends with bits of red yarn. I particularly liked the way she talked, which imparted a slight trill to the words she spoke. But my every gambit to capture her interest failed until, replying, “Tosh,” to a bold hypothetical I expressed in an attempt to impress her, (that swimming would be far more comfortable if only a small piece of sun were to fall in the lake and warm it,) she turned away and went back to sit on the blanket next to her mother, who listened, smiling, holding a cigarette motionless to her lips, while between finishing sips of her Fresca the girl related what I’d said. Views: 334
The world's first Open Setting License-work, "Solitudes and Silence" is a fantasy novella that tells the story of Waimbrill the Soulclaine, a beloved outcast, respected yet feared. He grows distant and eccentric as he cleaves the dead and gains their angst and pain. Trying to do good despite the neutrality of his church, Waimbrill cares for a quiet young orphan while a monster terrorizes the land.“Solitudes and Silence” is the world’s first Open Setting Licensed novel. The OSL allows anyone to re-use the setting in their own works. It is the story of Waimbrill, a soulcleaver, a beloved outcast, respected yet feared among his countrymen. He grows distant and eccentric as he cleaves the dead and gains their angst and pain. Trying to do good despite the neutrality of his church, Waimbrill cares for a quiet young orphan while a monster terrorizes the land. Together, the two must venture into murky waters where danger teems, and a monster waits for them in the deepest, darkest reaches of the world. Views: 334
A sweeping, propulsive, darkly humorous new novel by the best-selling author of Snow Falling on Cedars: a story of destiny, desire, and destruction that reimagines Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex for our own era.
In Seattle in 1962, Walter Cousins, a mild-mannered actuary—“a guy who weighs risk for a living”—takes a risk of his own, and makes the biggest error of his life. He sleeps with Diane Burroughs, the sexy, not-quite-legal British au pair who’s taking care of his children for the summer. Diane gets pregnant and leaves their baby on a doorstep, but not before turning the tables on Walter and setting in motion a tragedy of epic proportions. Their orphaned child, adopted by an adoring family and named Edward Aaron King, grows up to become a billionaire Internet tycoon and an international celebrity—the “King of Search”—who unknowingly, but inexorably, hurtles through life toward a fate he may have no power to shape.
An instant classic—David Guterson’s most daring and dazzling novel yet—that brings a contemporary urgency to one of the greatest stories of all time.
This eBook edition includes a Reading Group Guide. Views: 334
