Nathaniel S. Rounds’ newest chapbook by Fowlpox Press, And Your Dreams Will Be Made into Songs that Sell Burgers and Cars, starts full of the pleasure of watching a story, and its strife, unfold pell-mell (as if in a lunatic sidecar)as it draws you into the emotional complexity of the poet’s seemingly simple experimental style.--N. A’Yara SteinNathaniel S. Rounds’ newest chapbook by Fowlpox Press, And Your Dreams Will Be Made into Songs that Sell Burgers and Cars, starts full of the pleasure of watching a story, and its strife, unfold pell-mell (as if in a lunatic sidecar)as it draws you into the emotional complexity of the poet’s seemingly simple experimental style.Splicing together sometimes seemingly disconnected people, fractured, Rounds gets everything all mixed up: the poems and their characters are inhabited by a disturbing and representative feature of a world in cages, a world where even a microtone of sorrow or regret are absent and where there is little to no hint of refuge from the quotidian evils of desire inflicted upon us. Rounds piques my curiosity from the start with “Chicken Nugget Cup Cake” and “the morphine working its magic on her broken back”. By the time I get to the lines “Chivalry isn’t dead/It’s just in remission…It’s just a coat we sometimes shed /To avoid the heat,” I believe in the ethos Rounds has created.I praise Rounds for eschewing convention and for sucking up his “unaccounted sorrow” and having the will to run his own race, giving us all a good run for our money.--N. A’Yara Stein is a nominee for the 2011 Pushcart Prize, was a finalist in the 2011 National Poetry Series, and was nominated twice for the 2010 Pushcart Prize; she holds an MFA from the University of Arkansas and is a grant recipient of the Michigan Art Council and the Arkansas Arts Council, among other honors. The former editor of the arts quarterly Gypsy Blood Review, she’s recently published in Verse Wisconsin, The Mayo Review, Ping Pong: The Journal of the Henry Miller Library, The San Pedro Poetry Review, The Delinquent (UK), among others. She teaches at Purdue North Central and lives near Chicago with her sons. Views: 724
Tad Williams is a master of fantasy tales, long and short. Diary of a Dragon is an example of the latter: a clever, heavily illustrated tale, appearing as a SubPress eBook for the first time anywhere. Views: 724
John Phillips had it all, a loving family and a successful business. But, he was about to lose everything. He is given the opportunity to evaluate his life, and a second chance at life. Will he make the right decision?This is a collection of 25 poems by James Bickle. The poetry discusses profound issues with insight, James does not shy away from brutally honest social commentary. Poems included are: The Ego, The Manager, Those who win, Seven Billion, Why does God allow suffering, Local Countryside, New Year, Cool, Escapism, You're not allowed, Social Housing, Christmas Day, The Entrepreneur, A week in the life, The Conversation, Fairground Day, Requiem, World War 2 Pilot, Resident Patient, The Garden, Winter Walk, Decisions, Inner Conflict, Earth and Heaven. Collected Poems will take you on an enjoyable spiritual and philosophical journey. Views: 724
From the balcony of his house, Mike Haines can see the quiet, commonplace beauty of the Holliday farm. But what he remembers is the little sister of his high school girlfriend, Dusty who grew up there. As a teen, Dusty had gone off the rails but when she was a kid, she was sweet, she was funny and she had a special bond with Mike. But after high school, she took off and Mike never saw her again.
Then tragedy strikes Dusty's family, she comes back into town and Mike thinks she hasn't changed back to the sweet, funny girl he knew but instead continued to be selfish and thoughtless, leaving her family alone to deal with their mourning. So he seeks her out and confronts her in an effort to understand what went wrong and to force her to sort herself out.
He finds out quickly he's wrong about Dusty Holliday. Very wrong. And right after Mike discovers that, the bond they had years before snaps back into place in ways he would never suspect.
But Mike Haines had a bad marriage then he played games of the heart for a good woman. And lost. In order to protect himself and his kids, he's cautious, he's careful to read the signs and he's not interested in finding a woman he has to fix.
Then he learns what happened to Dusty and he thinks she needs to be fixed. He swings, he misses and in this new game of hearts, for Dusty, Mike just got strike three. Views: 724
Winner of the 2012 Crypticon Seattle Writing Contest - Gail's life is not a tragic story of a young beauty lead astray or a heartbreaking tale of how an innocent girl and her brushes with the cruel reality of the world.Winner of the 2012 Crypticon Seattle Writing Contest - Gail's life is not a tragic story of a young beauty lead astray or a heartbreaking tale of how an innocent girl and her brushes with the cruel reality of the world. It is only a series of bad decisions and worse relationships, mixed with low self-esteem and an inability to plan for the future. What happens when her path crosses with that of Frank and Steve, a duo with agendas of their own and a frightening history behind them? Views: 724
Jake Lonestar is a student attending Amarillo High School in Texas. Jake wishes he were just a normal American teen but Jake's adolescence is far from normal due to an incident in his youth that left Jake with supernatural powers: with a single touch Jake causes electronic devices to morph into murderous robotic machinery. When Jake encounters an android his touch causes her to develop free will.Seventeen-year-old Jake Lonestar is a student attending Amarillo High School in Texas. Jake wishes he were just a normal American teen with a lot of friends and maybe even a cute girlfriend. But Jake’s adolescence is far from normal due to a incident in his youth that left Jake with supernatural powers: with a single touch, Jake causes everyday electronic devices to morph into murderous robotic machinery. Because of this, Jake has earned a reputation with his classmates; they see him as a freak.When aliens abduct Jake’s family from the Lonestar Ranch, an eccentric adult toy inventor named Dr. Valery Dax appears. She claims to be Jake’s aunt and takes him to New York City with her. Dr. Valery wants Jake to join the Samurai Superheroes Force (the SSF for short) and partner up with smartass hacker and veteran superhero, Mr. Suit. Dr. Valery has equipped the SSF with genetically engineered warhorses and living-metal swords in order to combat the newest threat in New York’s underworld- cyborgs. But when Jake is still not impressed, Dr. Valery sets one of her sex droids to “persuade” him.However, with Jake’s power, one touch to the android and she ends up evolving: developing free will, a wicked personality, a foul mouth and a serious chain-smoking problem! Strangely enough, Jake finds this all pretty hot. Can a perverted, lazy coward like Jake Lonestar really become a superhero? Find out as Jake Lonestar battles cyborgs, befriends quirky aliens, seduces androids and tries to find the courage to live up to his new superhero name: Cowboy Samurai. Views: 724
Three scientists play God and give life to an experiment. Things go wrong. Who will get out alive?Dr. Henry Carter is called into work at the Endeavour Science Facility after his colleagues spot a problem with one of their experiments. Chiefly, that it is *working*. The experiment comes to life and rampages through the lab, while Carter and his partners attempt to stop it - and get out alive. Views: 723
Lara's friendship matchmaking days are over now that she has an Official Best Friend (OBF) in Tanya. But when when a new boy named Majur transfers to their grade and outplays Chris Martin, the school bully, on the soccer field, Chris's rule is suddenly over. Now alone and unable to make friends on his own, Chris turns to Lara Zany who can't resist the challenge. Finding Chris a friend isn't her only challenge-Lara must balance her new friendship with Tany and Emily, plus make sure Majur, a refugee from Sudan, fits in. Lara Zany has her work cut out for her in this charming sequel about finding true friends despite big differences. Views: 723
Prepare to be bombarded by laughter!!!!! The Awesome Tales of Awesomeness is a hilarious, witty collection of children's stories. From a dragon who turns from his evil ways to open up a chicken joint to a burglar robbing a safe, only to find a stash of nachos inside, these stories will definately make you laugh out loud! This book is a must-read for all ages!An assassin foiled, a wicked step-brother beaten at his own game, Growing pains of the young and old, a woman’s desperate attempt to escape an undesirable relationship, a man’s struggle with a relationship lost, a not so victorious battle with a big fish, a lineman’s war duty, and a poignant mermaid’s tale. In this collection of short stories there’s something for everyone, including romance, suspense, comedy, history, drama and fantasy, showcasing eleven of Bluewood Publishing’s established authors and offering a taste of their creative delights to tempt the reader’s appetite. Views: 723
Be careful what you wish for … you might get more than you ever imagined.I am fifteen years old today! July 19, 2010! My name is Izzabela Jayne Gonzales. I have two sometimes wonderful sisters, Jazamine Nicole and Jacilyne Aubree. I have a brother, Rementon Kolt. My mom is Jacklyne Nicole Gonzales. My father is Benito Paco Gonzales. Today my mother is planning my ‘surprise’ party, that Jazamine ‘accidently’ told me about. Rementon is the only one that has told me happy birthday today. When Jacilyne heard him tell me happy birthday she shouted it, but she really forgot. Oh well she’s only 13. I’m 16. Jazamine is 17. Rementon is 18. Mom is 35, Dad is 36. Kayde, Rementon’s college roommate walked in with this girl wrapped around him. She barely had any clothes on! God I’m jealous Kayde is drop dead sexy, the things I’d do with him! Views: 723
Part three of the series, containing material from the end of winter '12.Terrorist. Patriot. Take your pick. In the ruins of the United States travels Dustin Parker and his brother, trying to cross the country to get to safety. A revolution decimated the country seven years ago and forced Dustin from his home. Nowhere is safe, a truth he learns very quickly. The revolutionary Hyenas and the remnants of the American government scrounge through debris and ravaged cities to find Dustin- to find him because of a secret he keeps from both sides. One is meant to protect him. The other would see him executed. But the only question on Dustin’s mind is in regards to which will find him first. Views: 723
The perfect marriage was about to take place until the groom stops for breakfast at a Chinese restaurant.The perfect marriage was about to take place until the groom stops for breakfast at a Chinese restaurant. Something happens there that entangles the would be newlyweds and a private eye in a web of mistrust and trouble. What is the outcome of this fateful day? Views: 723
What's it like to live in perpetual fear that everything you do will harm yourself or those you love? That's the question those who struggle with OCD face every day. This is the story of someone so overwhelmed by the trappings of his mind that he starts down the path of suicide, the ultimate sin. But in attempting to take his own life something strange happens: He learns maybe he's worth saving.In this novelette, an anonymous author failing in his struggle with OCD begins the dark task of composing a suicide note to justify his exit from the world.In a story that reads part stream of conscious, part introspection, and part catharsis, the author's journey in writing the note encapsulates that long look in the mirror so many of us are afraid to take. Views: 723
"A Sense of Place" is a collection of short poems inspired by places around the world. The table of contents is arranged alphabetically by countries and cities that inspired the works, but often there is a certain intertextuality at play as a poem about Thailand might hold Canadian content, or a poem about the Dubai sand, recalls a woman’s skin from Bangkok.From Bangkok to Barcelona, from London to Laos, from Singapore to Switzerland, this global perspective of ideas inspired by places is as broad in form as it is in content: A grasshopper in the Peloponnese reminds the speaker of a sweltering summer in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada. Paris inspires a ditty about brief love affair, and nothing more. The confines of Singapore make the speaker reminisce about the lack of confines in Bangkok. A lonely Canadian working at a resort in Verbier, Switzerland, brings forth a locals’ view of the expat worker. Views: 722
Audrey schemes to escape from slavery at Lord Richard's castle. But the cruel knight Geoffrey keeps a close watch on her every move. Set in the Dark Ages of Engla-lond, the "Last Tales of Mercia" are ten short stories featuring real historical figures and characters from the "Sons of Mercia" series. Though strongly connected to the series and each other, they can be read independently.A romantic comedy set in a Sci-Fi background, Super Born is the first in a book series that follows the journey of a single mom who develops super powers in her thirties. She goes from dealing with the PTA to dealing with the FBI overnight. If adapting to this change is not enough, she must learn to balance her know life to the seductive new freedom her powers offer. How to use the powers without jeopardizing her daughter and her family? If the rules of man no longer apply to you, what is right and what is wrong? Add to that her discovery that there are more women like her and that they are hunted by those who would use their powers, and she has a confusing blend that makes her wonder if she wants the powers at all.A quirky scientist develops a complex theory as to the source of the power of the Super Born women and contracts with an investigative journalist to help him find them. Before long the journalist becomes enamored with the single mom, known now as the B.I.B., and carries on the search for his own reasons. The women's powers do not go unnoticed by the local politicians and the mob who search for them as well.Alliances form and break leading to a climatic battle of all the forces involved Views: 722
