Vampin Box SetAt the first induction to the group the facilitator handed out:‘Helpful Hints For Creative Writers’. ‘To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong’. Among other things were - keep writing – don’t edit on the run – when the inspiration stops and the pen rests that is the time to edit and rewrite. This is sound advice for any writer and finally words of wisdom:Practice, Practice, PracticeEnjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy. I hope you enjoy reading these stories. Views: 806
Featuring Sutton Mercer before her tragic death, this stand-alone digital original novella from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sara Shepard is an exciting, must-read companion to the Lying Game series. Back when she was alive, Sutton kept a million secrets. But how she got together with Thayer is her juiciest one of all. . . . It's the summer before junior year and Sutton Mercer and her friends rule Hollier High. Then Thayer Vega returns home from soccer camp. In two short months he's gone from being her best friend's scrawny younger brother to a hot soccer god with a major ego—and a bone to pick with the Lying Game girls. To bring him back down to earth, Sutton's friends convince her to string Thayer along so she can publicly reject him. But as she gets to know the real Thayer, Sutton starts to wonder: Is flirting with Thayer still just a game to her? Or is the queen of the Lying Game lying . . . to herself? Views: 806
This is a small collection of poems, poems that both bend and analyze reality, poems that aim to break open the imagination.Thor and his life long friend Balder venture into the realm of the Frost Giants. There they discover a place long hidden from the world of men. a place of mystery, intrigue, and tragedy, when secrets of the past are revealed that, unknown to Thor, will set him on the path of his destiny. Views: 806
On a rainy night, a man in a desperate hurry nearly hits another. He swerves, saving the other man's life, but consequently totals his own car. Luckily, the other's car is nearby and he is happy to give the other a ride, but soon enough, strange events begin to happen, both in and out of the car, and suspicions begin to grow between the two.Scarecrows have a creepy mystique about them. They’re lifeless, yet resemble us. Despite their positive utility (I assume they do keep birds from eating crops though I haven’t observed a scarecrow long enough to really know firsthand), a person will usually stumble upon one that appears neglected, tattered and worn. They’re often spotted from afar in lonely, desolate, out-of-the-way places and their eyes seem to follow passersby. Did its head turn, too, or was it just that its head and neck have loosened from its stranglehold upon the post it was hung from? Their bodies are often discovered unnaturally twisted -- victimized by the elements, birds or other hungry, curious animals. Doesn’t it sometimes look that like they tried to wriggle free?Coming across a scarecrow can really help bring out the imagination! Imagine being lost or stranded with no sign of civilization around and coming across a scarecrow whose better days are far behind him. It almost looks desperate, hanging up there, angry, with nothing to lose. Patiently waiting to escape, life can’t get much worse than a scarecrow’s version of being nailed to a post eerily resembling a crucifix. The buzzing of insects and the brushing together of the wheat and corn in the swaying wind are the only sounds you hear for miles. You are more than aware that you are alone and as vulnerable as that poor bag of twisted, tormented, human straw staring down at you.You approach cautiously, then its sunken eyes suddenly open, and it comes alive. Anger lights up his suddenly human eyes. The expression on its face turns into a twisted smile. You step back, dumbfounded, as the scarecrow tears itself from its cross with one thing on its mind -- revenge. Halloween and Indian folklore can definitely make for an interesting combination! Views: 806
A young Confederate soldier, Lucas Burkette, lies on the battlefield. Struck by a Union soldier's musket round before firing a single shot, he is left paralyzed. It's here that he tries to cope with his impending death.A young Confederate soldier, Lucas Burkette, lies on the battlefield. Struck by a Union soldier's musket round before firing a single shot, he is left paralyzed. It's here that he tries to cope with his impending death.Fighting a mental battle with himself through the stages of grief, he learns what it means to die, but more importantly, he learns what it means to live. Views: 806
Corpses in town squares.A killer bent on terror.A reporter about to become part of the story.Wine Country becomes the backdrop for murder as young newspaper reporter Sandra Cordero gets caught up in the schemes of a serial killer.This serial, first published in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, features 16 Sonoma writers collaborating to produce one fast-paced thriller.Corpses in town squares.A killer bent on terror.A reporter about to become part of the story.Wine Country becomes the backdrop for murder as young newspaper reporter Sandra Cordero gets caught in the schemes of a serial killer. Does he kill just so he can send Sandra clues from the victims' cell phones? Detective Zach Brown is trying to learn the answer and to test whether Sandra may be the key to ending the murders.This serial, first published in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, features 16 Sonoma writers collaborating to produce one fast-paced thriller.Each chapter features a new voice and a new twist, from "Red Muumuu" set in posh Healdsburg, to "Scared of Noise," in which Sandra has just minutes to save a life. Views: 806
An orphaned boy is sent into exile in a cold winter. Desperate for food, he turns to a supernatural heirloom to fight off starvation, but survival may come with a price. A short story.Just because we haven’t made contact doesn’t mean we’re alone. Just because we know some things doesn’t mean we’re smart. And just because we feel safe doesn’t mean we are. Nothing in Gregory Samson’s life could have prepared him for the shock of waking up with a sentient alien warship growing out of his neck, but that life is over now. In his new one, Greg will have to find a way to balance budding romance and a dead-end job with the reality of a galaxy united in a million year-old war against a race of genocidal insects, all while asking himself the most terrifying question any millennial can ever face: Is it finally time to leave home? Views: 805
A mission to rescue POWs goes wrong, and then right, and secrets are revealed.Terra is shiftless --- a werewolf uncomfortable in her own animal skin. A decade after learning to squash her wolf and flee the repressive village where she grew up, the packless ache still gnaws at Terra's insides. But despite her yearnings, she struggles against being reeled back into her old life. To Terra's dismay, her father and half a dozen of his henchmen finally ambush her and demand her return. Yet they do offer one way out --- hunt down her nephew Keith, teach him to shift, and bring the youngster back into the fold in her place. Problem upon problem piles up as Terra strives to do her father's bidding. The female shifter has hidden from her wolf for so long that she finds herself unable to change back into canine form, and she also realizes that her nephew is too good-natured to survive for a minute walking in his grandfather's footsteps. Plus, there's an alpha standing in her way who's equal parts enticing and terrifying. Will Terra be able to relearn her werewolf abilities --- and overcome her morals --- before her father steals away her hard-earned independence? And as that tantalizing alpha reels her in closer and closer, the question becomes --- does she really want to stay away? Don't miss the first book in a series that has been described as a "good choice for Patricia Briggs fans." Wolf Rampant trilogy: 1. Shiftless 2. Pack Princess 3. Alpha Ascendant Views: 805
A frantic midnight phone call sparks one man's quest to find his daughter before SHE does.The ringing of the phone alarmed the sleeping man, and the frantic voice of his daughter sent chills through him as he learned the unthinkable: her mommy was trying to find her and kill her. After racing to his daughter's house, he sets out to carefully explore the vaulted mansion and locate his little girl before her mother, his ex-wife, does. She is mentally ill and a most powerful practitioner of ancient rites, leading to a deadly challenge. The man must trudge through the dark house in an effort to elude the woman and save the girl. Will he be successful and save his beloved Lexi, or will both of them fall under the blade of a mother who has gone crazy... Views: 805
A man named Nicholas Edwards lives in New Orleans renovating houses, doing honest work and making decent money at it. Between his family and his stamp collection, all his spare time is happily accounted for. Sometimes it's hard to remember that he used to kill people for a living. But when the nation's economy tanks, taking the construction business with it, all it takes is one phone call to drag him back into the game. It may say Nicholas Edwards on his driver's license and credit cards, but he's back to being the man he always was: Keller. Keller's work takes him to New York, the former home he hasn't dared revisit, where his target is the abbot of a midtown monastery. Another call puts him on a West Indies cruise, with several interesting fellow passengers-the government witness, the incandescent young woman keeping the witness company, and, sharing Keller's cabin, his wife, Julia. But the high drama comes in Cheyenne, where a recent widow is looking to sell her husband's stamp collection. . . Views: 805
A huge alien spacecraft has landed on Manhattan Island, directly in Central Park. NYPD Swat Team Sergeant Harris, along with every other available police officer, and his team have been called just in case they may become necessary.Then the huge ship opens and the first wave of alien monsters are released with the sole intention of eating their way through every life form on planet Earth!A huge alien spacecraft has landed on Manhattan Island, directly in Central Park. NYPD Swat Team Sergeant Harris, along with every other available police officer, and his team have been called just in case they may become necessary.Then the huge ship opens and the first wave of alien monsters are released with the sole intention of eating their way through every life form on planet Earth!The Sergeant and his team are forced to fight their way to where their families are waiting and then attempt to flee the city while the huge ship spews wave after wave of fresh monsters into the city. Views: 805
On the morning of July 9th 2012, New York Times investigative reporter Andrew Stilman is jogging along the Hudson River when he feels a sudden, sharp pain in his lower back. He collapses in a pool of blood. When he regains consciousness, it's May 7th 2012—exactly two months earlier. From that moment on, Andrew has sixty days to uncover his murderer. Sixty days to find out who wants him dead and why. From New York City to Buenos Aires, Andrew embarks on a gripping race against time. By turns funny and heartrending, this page-turner builds up to a mind-blowing denouement. Views: 804
Fifteen-year-old Sara walks into the San Francisco Center for the Circus Arts determined to ignore the freaky things happening to her. She clings to her life as a foster kid successfully working the system as dreams, powers, and magical creatures drag her towards her destiny. Sometimes great things are thrust upon us. Sara just wishes it didn't include a new name, unicorns, and catching on fire.There should be a law, a Universal Rule, as to how much weirdness can happen to a person. Fifteen-year-old Sara walks into the San Francisco Center for the Circus Arts determined to ignore the freaky things happening to her. As powers she doesn't want and can't control overwhelm her, Sara must decide if she can trust the strangers who say they are her family ... descended from a common ancestor four thousand years ago. Sara clings to her contented and well-planned life as a foster kid, successfully working the system, as dreams, powers, and magical creatures drag her towards her destiny. When the ancient evil that killed her parents comes to San Francisco, Sara is forced to choose between her fears and her desire to protect those she loves. Sometimes great things are thrust upon us. Sara wishes this supposed 'greatness' didn't include a new name, unicorns, and catching on fire. Views: 804
The Primary 7's of Campie Primary School (Musselburgh, Scotland) have come together to create a fantastic collection of short stories. If you're interested in adventure, fantasy and imagination then be sure to read this epic book.WARNING! This is a Zed Lab Experiment!"The legacy" description: The death of Simona in a tragic accident in the summer of 2006, seems to have no other explanation that a trivial distraction to the guide. But her husband Roberto is not entirely convinced. After a terrible dream and a strange call, his suspicions are a below. You will indeed alive Erika, an old friend of the victim, who he says he is aware of his important secret. In reality Erika is aware of the minimum part of a terrible truth that has its roots in 1400, in a village of the modenese shocked by the mass at the stake of a woman accused of being a witch. Thanks to a last testimony that Simona had left fearing its own to be killed, and that Bob found himself with the help of Erika, her daughter Cristina discovers all the details of a absurd destiny, the inheritance that from the past came up to her and it threatens to destroy it. But, as her mother, she too will choose the path of rebellion. Views: 803
“Bread of Tears” is at once engaging and unsettling. It’s not a “one read and done” collection. On my first pass through Nathaniel S. Rounds’ work, I found myself wondering just what had happened to Rounds to make him create such disjointed, almost crestfallen characters and imagery.--Patrick StevensMy first clue into Rounds’ motivations came with some research into the title. The phrase “bread of tears” is taken from Psalm 80. The verses around it say the following:How long, Lord God Almighty, will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have made them drink tears by the bowlful. You have made us an object of derision to our neighbors, and our enemies mock us. It was then that I began to understand the subjects of Rounds’ poetry. They are not the subjects of love, objects of affection, or esteemed champions of victory that are the subjects of so many poems before. They are not even the hard-working, salt of the earth people whose praises are sung throughout the verses of Whitman and others like him. In a way, they are not subjects of anything. They are people so defeated by life that they are never mentioned at all.--Patrick Stevens Views: 803
