An incapacitated student gets more than he bargained for when curiosity leads him to join an online self help community. At first the members of The Room welcome him with open arms, but things take a turn for the deadly when one of them confesses to a murder...He had two problems: a broken leg and terminal boredom. The long days and nights alone in his flat after an accident lead an incapactitated young student to renounce his aversion to the internet and take his first tentative steps into the world wide web.Before long, he finds himself entering a new kind of social network: an online self-help community called simply 'The Room'. The experience of eavesdropping on the lives of others quickly becomes addictive, and the members of The Room seem welcoming enough.But then something changes: a man called Bryan confesses to a murder. It could be a fantasy, or a sick joke, but it's not. And the terror doesn't stay online for long... The Room is a tale of murder in the age of social networking. A dark psychological thriller of curiosity and killing that has been called a Rear Window for the Facebook generation.Short story length: 4000 words approx.Also includes as a bonus feature the first chapter of Gavin Bell's full-length thriller: Halfway to Hell. Views: 736
The Naked Heat Anthology by Jess C Scott is a collection of incubus and succubus stories. Naked Heat: Walkthrough is a freebie mini compilation. In this promotional eBook, Jess talks about the themes and inspirations behind her incubus/succubus themed project. GENRE: Education (Reference / Commentary) * * * LENGTH: 5,500 Words * * * By author/artist/non-conformist, Jess C ScottSummary: The Naked Heat Anthology by Jess C Scott is a collection of incubus and succubus stories.Naked Heat: Walkthrough is a freebie mini compilation.In this promotional eBook, Jess talks about the themes and inspirations behind her incubus/succubus themed project.Genre: Education (Reference / Commentary)Length: 5,500 WordsP.S. Jess's brand of paranormal fiction tends to be quite complex/spiritual, since there's lots of ground to cover! The focus is on the story, not romantic/erotic fluff.* * *Table of Contents:I. IntroductionII. Excerpts + Commentaries on:1. The Devilin Fey (Incubus)2. SVEN (Incubus)3. Tongue-Tied (Succubus)4. Kylie (Succubus)5. Tempt (Guest Post)III. Naked Heat Anthology* * *Reviews:"Dear Jess, I just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed your writing: your writing reflects something genuine, something real, about our generation that few writers have had the talent or the courage to uncover. Thank you." -- Reader/Customer Email, 2010"[The Devilin Fey] was erotic without being pornographic, emotional without being sappy, spiritual without being preachy…just enjoyable reading. Kudos to Jess C Scott." -- Paul G. / Amazon review (unsolicited), July 2010"Just read Real Love Versus Romance...loved the ideas & compilation of ideas...great!! :) i agreed with many of the points of how romance has been commercialized for effect instead of portraying the actual depth of true romance...i roll my eyes at what is considered "love stories" nowadays...even being a guy (haha), i can appreciate a story that portrays real love & shows depth in what romance is (means)..." -- P.H. / Chesapeake, OH, April 2012* * *Excerpt [Introduction]:. . .Incubi and succubi are fascinating paranormal beings. For those of you unfamiliar with the terms, here's a quick definition: * Incubus: An evil spirit supposed to descend upon and have sexual intercourse with women as they sleep.* Succubus: A female demon fabled to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men.All of us experience love, sex, and romance to some degree or other, with the relationships we're involved in throughout the course of our lives. There are certain elements which tend to feature in stories in the occult and folklore/mythology genre. There are usually some kind of rituals involved, and perhaps some sorcery in which a person can engage the "demons" in the story (which brings to mind TV shows like Charmed). I might explore those situations in future, though I left them out in this initial collection of incubus and succubus stories. I wanted to ground the stories in a contemporary and realistic setting. I find it captivating when I wake up some mornings feeling a sense of 'hauntedness', like as if I couldn't tell for sure whether the strangers in my dreams at night were people and events that had really occurred in real life. . .* * *Author Bio:Jess is an author/artist/non-conformist who’s dedicated to writing original stories that are both meaningful and entertaining.Most of Jess’s work is fueled by an intense drive to inspire others to favor social/spiritual values over shallow values. Visit her website for free samples and more! Views: 736
When you work more than 100 hours in a week how would you stay away during your fifth night of graveyard shifts?For generations, the colonists of Dia Nova heard stories of a previous failed attempt to colonize the planet. According to Earth, that entire expedition failed with the loss of all colony ships, and half a million colonists. And the reason for that loss was a failure to remain in close contact with Earth. Theo Paxton, and the rest of the Dia Nova residents, had always seen this story as yet another piece of Earth propaganda.Now, in the waning days of their war of independence, Commander Paxton is sent to rescue a team of scientists who disappeared on the planet’s moon. When he arrives with his own team, he discovers a crash site and a single survivor. That survivor acts strangely, and then leads him to a discovery that has the potential to change the colony forever. Views: 736
A riveting novel that explores the high price of success in the life of one woman—the first female president of a lauded ivy league institution—and her hold upon her self-identity in the face of personal and professional demons, from Joyce Carol Oates, author of the New York Times bestseller A Widow’s Story
Mudgirl is a child abandoned by her mother in the silty flats of the Black Snake River. Cast aside, Mudgirl survives by an accident of fate—or destiny. After her rescue, the well-meaning couple who adopt Mudgirl quarantine her poisonous history behind the barrier of their middle-class values, seemingly sealing it off forever. But the bulwark of the present proves surprisingly vulnerable to the agents of the past.
Meredith “M.R.” Neukirchen is the first woman president of an Ivy League university. Her commitment to her career and moral fervor for her role are all-consuming. Involved with a secret lover whose feelings for her are teasingly undefined, and concerned with the intensifying crisis of the American political climate as the United States edges toward war with Iraq, M.R. is confronted with challenges to her leadership that test her in ways she could not have anticipated. The fierce idealism and intelligence that delivered her from a more conventional life in her upstate New York hometown now threaten to undo her.
A reckless trip upstate thrusts M.R. Neukirchen into an unexpected psychic collision with Mudgirl and the life M.R. believes she has left behind. A powerful exploration of the enduring claims of the past, Mudwoman is at once a psychic ghost story and an intimate portrait of a woman cracking the glass ceiling at enormous personal cost, which explores the tension between childhood and adulthood, the real and the imagined, and the “public” and “private” in the life of a highly complex contemporary woman. Views: 736
When Doug lost his only grandson in Afghanistan from a terrorist I.E.D., it was unbearable for him. Michael had been like a son to him and his grief led him on his own personal war to hunt down the 35 suspected terrorist cells in America. Follow as he hunts them down and does his best to destroy them.In the fifth book of the series, family loyalties are put to the test; Eric and Travis fret over Tanner, while Eric’s girlfriend Dana proves Sam and Jenny’s youngest hasn't fallen far from the tree. Mitch’s tenure in Iraq continues as Chelsea marries, then receives the shock of her life.As the recession hits America, the Cassels and Smiths are faced with further joys and dilemmas; Will and Bethany give Sam and Jenny their first grandchild, but Eric is torn by his love for an injured young woman. Jenny’s aches grow worse, but help for her illness soothes Rachel’s heart. David finds Rachel’s new boyfriend lacking, but when a cousin’s life is on the line, David’s reckless nature triggers a crisis.Events in Iraq add to the melancholy, but as a family gathers for various holidays, love is paramount. Then hearts are broken when one man’s revenge explodes. Will Arkendale ever be the same? Views: 736
"I thought back, remembering the time we spent together. Since the beginning, even though we couldn’t speak to each other, we still loved one another. All we were doing was just finding words for our love." A flash fiction about the meeting of aliens, and the love a man and a woman feel but cannot describe in words.Murder was never so refined… When her holiday on the coast of Cornwall takes a deadly turn, it is up to Drucilla Winterbourne to uncover the dangerous secrets the inhabitants of Blackridge House will do anything to conceal. But can a proper young lady from London society comprehend the dark motives of a killer? Accomplished In Murder is part of a series of historical mystery novellas featuring intrepid Victorian heroines up to their bustles in crime. These works are only loosely connected and can be read in any order. Length: 17,000 word novella (roughly equivalent to 70 pages of a paperback) Views: 735
A beautiful plantation home in Georgia's Appalachian region bears witness to a horrific murder and hosts a bloodthirsty demon hell-bent on vengeance.This is the first translation into English of the verse drama Germanicus by the Afrikaans poet N.P. Van Wyk Louw. The work was based on the first three chapters of the Annales of the Roman historiographer Tacitus. After the death of Emperor Augustus, his successor Tiberius’ adopted son Germanicus recoils from the cruelty inherent in imperial rule. In the end he helplessly acquiesces, finally welcoming his own death as a means of escape from the burden of empire. The drama has been considered a highlight in Afrikaans literature since its publication in 1956. Its interest lies in its amazing sweep of words, Louw’s sense of history and his portrayal of the inevitability of the corruption inherent in power. Louw’s great monologues dominate the debates between his main protagonists. His poetic Afrikaans had a grand eloquence that swept his audience along in a torrent of densely-argued meaning. Such conciseness offered severe challenges to the translator. Claassen’s colloquial translation manages to capture both the essence of Louw’s dramatic dialogues and the rhythmic cadences of the original poetry. The translator provides a lengthy Introduction, aimed at both a classical and a theatre-going readership, explaining the historical background and discussing Louw’s interpretation of Tacitus’ narrative and the constraints under which a translator works. A brief overview of the contents of the drama’s eight scenes is followed by a select bibliography. Views: 735
The End of Slavery is a philosophical sci-fi thriller about a man who, inspired by his grandfather, fought the prejudices against autism to understand how he functioned from his own perspective. Over his adult life he had figured out much and he had many theories about more, but when he narrowly survived a terrorist attack his world became extreme and everything started to fall into place.An epic scifi short story telling the tale of betrayal and war.In a future where the human race barely survived extinction, 21-year-old Anerius Novengard is a member of an arcane military order of mages. He struggles to avoid falling prey to the dark elements which seek to ensnare him at every turn, being able to overcome their pull by the aid of his love interest and mentor. At the same time that a comet hazardously flies towards a peaceful space colony, he is given a special initiatory mission to protect a government official who had been the victim of several assassination attempts. What Anerius discovers during his mission will forever change his world, and that of those around him. This short read is for fans of space sagas and magic. Views: 735
A Cinderella who spends her nights as a wolf. A prince with a taste for blood.
Seventeen year old Cydney struggles against her werewolf nature, trying to keep everyone around her safe. No way will she risk exposing the beast at the prince's ball, no matter how her two cousins try to persuade her. As she attempts to carve out some semblance of a life, Cydney can't forget the boy she loved three summers ago - or what she did to him after losing control.
Turned into a vampire to save his life, the prince refuses to live up to his royal duties. He just wants to find the girl he loved and lost...the werewolf girl who bit him. But his father, the king, commands him to attend a ball where he must choose a wife. Can he find his Cinderella before he's forced to marry another? He doesn't even have her real name, much less a glass slipper. Views: 735
Four kids search for treasure in an evil house.Selected Short Stories Featuring Analog Memory collects fifteen of Nicolas Wilson's earlier short stories. These stories are dark, brooding, and entirely too intimate.Analog Memory contains:Uncanny Valley: A man forced to be a luddite in a robotic world, by medical necessity, ponders whether his new fling is human.Censlus: A census worker is murdered while doing his job.Seed: An old woman meets a familiar face in an unfamiliar setting.Faith Emmanuel: After a carjacking, a student finds himself financially at the mercy of a corrupt medical system.Family Business: A marital fight ensues after a husband involves his kids in a life of crime.Brickmouth: A buried vampire awakens.Laborious Love: A robotic engineer builds the perfect girlfriend, and the perfect relationship.Jesus Loves Me (Just Not That Way): A man wrestles with his sexuality.Unlucky At Math: An intellectual ruminates on his relationship.Fighting Mad: A soldier considers the toll that the military takes on Muslim soldiers.Cowgirl Up: A memorial for a stubborn woman's fight with cancer, and love of smoking.The Courage of Our Convictions: An old soldier examines the leavings of genocide.Medicine: A friend falls back into addiction.The Cost of Being Me: Some ruminations on the possibility of heaven, while dying.Randomly Accessed Memory: A head injury causes a man to lose his memory, throwing his life into chaos as he regresses to his last known lifestyles.Analog Memory: A former CIA operative has his memory reset in an unorthodox way, and deals with the glitches of the new technology. Views: 735
An anthology of four flash fiction stories. One of fear, one of sentience, one of love, and one of death. (Includes bonus: first chapter of the science fiction novel RUFUS QUINCE: BOUNTY HUNTER - Dreams of a Fool.)The true events that inspired Goldilocks And The Three Bears! A NOVELETTE - also includes VIKING RESURRECTION Preview "Not all stories are passed on in sincerity. Some truths have remained untold; some have been spun but false. This one must now be woven in honesty's light, for it has been twisted through the generations since its inception. The childhood favourite tells of a spoilt little girl with hair of sunlight and three speaking animals, but this belies the darker threads of its reality. She was not just some little brat, and they were not mere animals. Children: sometimes the monsters are the ones that look just like you..." Views: 735
With college tuitions rising and student loans taking longer to pay off, a billionaire steps in and creates a contest. The prize for the 100 winners: student loans paid in full plus a trip around the world. Join us on this educational journey as we follow 10 of these winners. They have one final exam to take. They will learn that not all lessons in life can be taught from a book.With college tuitions rising and student loans taking longer to pay off, a billionaire steps in and creates a contest. The prize for the 100 winners: student loans paid in full plus a trip around the world. Join us on this educational journey as we follow 10 of these winners. They have one final exam to take. They will learn that not all lessons in life can be taught from a book.It also includes "Unforgettable", a short story written by one of the characters. Views: 735
Lenore hates Christmas. It was the season where her lust for blood began, where father Oliver led her on a path of killing and taking life-except he called it giving joy for the Holidays. She plans to kill her father and take back her life this Christmas Eve. However, Christmas has a few gifts planned for her that Lenore doesn’t count on…Lenore hates Christmas. It was the season where her lust for blood began, where father Oliver led her on a path of killing and taking life-except he called it giving joy for the Holidays. She has achieved some renown as a performance artist. What the art going public don’t know is that all of her “canvasses” die. She takes them all, the blood hunger Oliver woke in her all those years ago far too strong to ignore. Hoping to fool Oliver, she intercepts him in the street and leads him back to her apartment, hoping to once and for all give her father the ultimate Christmas gift and end his reign of terror forever. Lenore plans to kill her father and take back her life this Christmas Eve. However, Christmas has a few gifts planned for her that Lenore doesn’t count on and red, after all, is a colour of the Holidays… Views: 735
A masked ball, on a dark and stormy Halloween night, leads to the innocent and sheltered Annabelle finding the woman of her dreams with the seductive Trinity. But Annabelle gets more than she bargained for when her fantasy turns into a macabre nightmare.The Hunted is a Prequel Novella to the Blood Series Books starting with Blood of a Werewolf. As an added bonus the first ten and a half chapters of the first book are included with The Hunted. Devon and Blake have been running from hunters most of their adult lives. They're used to life on the run - so much so that they've got it down to a science. Meet our brother duo before they venture to California and meet up with their destinies in the shape of the O'Rielly sisters. Views: 734
Planet X91 the beginning is a sci-fi adventure series. Onboard shuttle number one in hyper sleep are Clay Silver 16, Florian Fawkes 15 Josh Quinn 12. They wake five minutes before they crash. The three have to be a team to survive. What dangers will they discover? Will they be rescued? One bad mistake and the newest human colony of three will be extinct. Two questions remain. Who did it and why?Clay, Florian and Josh make a pact to vote on everything they do. To guarantee Florian survives, her safety is put first. Every move they make has to be planned. The building they landed near turns out to be a spaceship. Reading the ledger on what species of animals were on board the craft the trio uncovers the secret of what had been in the cages. For twenty years the animals have roamed free. Now they are hungry for human blood. Abandoned and alone the three young adults have to fight to survive. Views: 734
