A truly eclectic offering of short stories ranging from humor and inspiration to darkness and terror, A World of Possibility presents the work of many authors in the group ASMSG, or Authors’ Social Media Support Group, and each author’s link is provided for your further review of their other work. We hope you enjoy the diversity, laugh, cry, shiver, or look behind you once or twice as you read.The Authors’ Social Media Support Group (ASMSG) is proud to present the 1st Authors of ASMSG Short Story Anthology under the title A World of Possibility. ASMSG represents a membership of authors throughout the globe, so we found the title of the book and its cover appropriate. Inside, you’ll find twenty-six stories of pain, pleasure, anger, despair, fear, love, hatred, passion, and hope. Stories of historic inspiration to the edge of current affairs. Stories that will occupy your thoughts when you turn the lights out, or dance on your mind as you arise with the sun. We hope you will enjoy them.A World of Possibility includes the following stories and their authors:THE JUMPER, by Alan HardyLEAVING SARAH, by Annmarie MilesTHE BALANCE, by Bob AtkinsonTHE GUN, by Brian Y. RogersMOONCUSSERS, by Carol CarrollGHOST INN, by Cynthia CollinsVACATION INTERRUPTED, by Debra ParmleyTHE PAINTING, by Diane Adams TaylorONCE MORE BACK, by Gay IngramLALA SALAAMA, by Iain ParkeCUFFED, by James J. MurrayUNDERGROUND, by Kenneth PuddicombeTHE FAMILY TRADITION, by Kirstin PulioffFLASHBACK, by Linda CovellaTHE WAYWARD PARCEL, by Mary MeddlemoreTHE BOX, by Michelle BrowneLEGACY, by Mike O’DonnellBABY, by Olga Núñez MiretREVENGE, by Peter Watson JenkinsTHE SEA TURTLE, by PJ PerrymanA DATE TO DIE FOR, by Rosary McQuestionA STEP IN TIME, by Susan HawthorneA COTTAGE AT MANITOU CROSSING, by Tannis LaidlawLITTLE BOY BLUE, by Tina TraverseRUTH, by Tom RyanTHE UNEDITED INTERVIEW WITH BRENFORD STEVENS, by Yelle HughesHappy reading, and we hope you enjoy! Views: 696
All she wants is to spend the day with her beloved husband. Instead she's going to spend it at the office, another day sacrificed to the toxic reign of The Bastard.A tongue-in-cheek short story examining the ruinous effects of work-life imbalance.Includes an excerpt from my novel Nothing Ventured.Listening to his grandfather's exciting travel tales, young Ralph dreams of becoming an adventurer himself some day... Bravely pushing the bounds of exploration. Venturing into uncharted territory. And going where no Westerner has gone before. However, as an adult, Ralph's imagination can sometimes get him into hot water. Get this light-hearted tale and delve into Ralph's heady world of adventure! Views: 696
"Reading the The Sultan of Monte Cristo is like meeting old friends who have not changed over time, a sense of pure delight. This book is a must read for all Alexander Dumas fans and also those who have a craving for complex plots and fabulous characterization.Though one can find Dumas' characters in this book, there are many new characters." Sporty Neha's review"For so many years, passionate fans of The Count of Monte Cristo have suffered a loss upon finishing Alexandre Dumas' last words. It is a grieving of sorts that has long been unmitigable... until now. The mysterious Holy Ghost Writer has penned "The Sultan of Monte Cristo" as a direct continuance of the story readers have long struggled against leaving behind. The adventure-laden journeys of Edmond Dantes continues in (Dumas') newly-honed role as investigative reporter who publishes his (original) book as part of (this) story. New life is breathed into those characters we all knew and loved (or loved to hate) in the original Count of Monte Cristo tale (what can now, finally, be referred to as Book 1). Haydee, the infamous Villeforts, and even Countess G are lifted from the stalemate of our beloved story and given new life, and readers will also be introduced to a host of colorful new characters (like the memorable Raymee) whose lives, loves, and circumstance flow comprehensively and effortlessly through the entire narrative. Amazingly, the prose so closely matches the mood, tone, pacing, and richness of environment of Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo that this feels like the natural continuance of those lives. The sequel manages to introduce such a microscopic view into the full-flesh world our colorful characters engage in that readers can't help being sucked in. We cannot help but run breathlessly alongside them throughout the journey, to imagine the consequences between their words, to ponder on their insights and their woe-filled courses of action. We stand next to Mercedes as she lives and breathes; we get that rare glimpse into the future of the characters that Alexandre Dumas himself surely intended. Through well-defined and multilayered plotlines, the story's laser-point pacing, and rich character building, this work lends the quagmire of adventures, missteps, and danger-filled mysteries a guarantee of unforeseen, adventurous turns and cathartic "a-ha" insights. The Holy Ghost Writer seems a literary time-traveller: the swiftness with which he carries us straight into the 1800s is mind-boggling and a rare feat even in the best historical fiction writing. Excellent novel, and highly recommended!" Peanut's review. Views: 696
Chapter 1 describes how the camp fends off one monster attack and then starts thinking about going into the Labyrinth to stop the monsters.The Organizing, a standalone supplement to the Living Needle series, is about Tom Wood, a man incapable of recognizing when something is strange because of a childhood swing set accident. Unfortunately, his boring job as a zero counter at multinational corporation FKM -- with its routines and comforting cubicle patterns -- is interrupted by the daisy growing out of his computer. Now the oblivious Tom must navigate the chaos around him -- roots growing from the floor, people turning into gold bugs, a cute dadaist named Hope Lesko-Van Heffenbeuler trying to get his attention -- as the whole building seems to be going through some sort of metamorphosis. Views: 696
A dark fantasy e-short of 4,200 words. 'On Blackened Wings' is one of the 12 stories of science fiction, fantasy and horror collected in Transient Tales Volume 2.A dark fantasy e-short of 4,200 words. 'On Blackened Wings' is one of the 12 stories of science fiction, fantasy and horror collected in Transient Tales Volume 2.Everyone called them bats. The word was inadequate by a dozen orders of magnitude, but there wasn’t a better one. Whatever they were--aliens, demons, creatures from some unknown hell--they weren’t bats. But maybe that was the closest approximation the mind could stand. Views: 696
Fifteen short stories, featuring Cinderella Shoes, Analog, Cast, and Traveled Time.Cinderella Shoes contains 15 short stories, including the titular story.Stiletto: An exotic dancer struggles to make a living after encountering a murder-in-progress on the job.Cast: The world is increasingly run by robots, which grow increasingly human.Analog: An ex-Air Force pilot subsists after a weapon disables all modern technology.Weakness: Sergeant Ruocco hanged himself.My Beloved's Eyes: We leave pieces of ourselves with our loved ones- sometimes literally. Reformatory: A juvenile delinquent and her roommate mature in the aftermath of a devastating assault.Capricorn: A man wrecks his life and chases fairy tales, while dealing with his young daughter's impending illness.Behav: Future terrorists recruit a past terrorist.Death Echoes: A detective communes with the dead to close their unsolved cases.Traveled Time: A man examines his life and choices, with the advent of time travel.Genetic Memory: A dog confronts his owner after gaining the ability to speak and reason.Darling, Wendy, M.A.: A girl saves her brothers from their abusive father by masquerading as a gang leader. From a 2009 series of shorts reexamining classic heroines.Eponine: Following her near-death in the streets of Paris, a young woman witnesses the birth of feminism and the industrialization of Europe. From a 2009 series of shorts reexamining classic heroines.Dorothy: Her fantasy was undoubtedly much happier than the reality of her injuries. From a 2009 series of shorts reexamining classic heroines.Cinderella Shoes: A man discovers a new side of himself after acquiring women's clothing. Views: 696
Mike Maltby has more time and money than he knows what to do with and nothing to do with it, until a young boy and a broken bicycle enter his life. Now for the first time since his wife died, Mike has a new focus. Now instead of taking and taking and taking, he is going to give something back.Gabriel is an iPod-totting archangel obsessed with crossword puzzles and human souls. God is the Creator of Everything who misquotes platitudes and who is set on destroying the world. You are a hot, large-breasted dear reader. Angels Don't Cry is a sacrilegiously satirical short story about divine disappointment and angelic hope. Views: 695
An anthology of poetry written by young widows and widowers.Climate change has brought an end to liberal democracy and ushered in a bureaucratic totalitarianism as a means of managing the dwindling resources of the planet. In 2054, everything is regulated, from the safety ratings of households to who can live with whom. Richard Croft, an adminocrat working with the Bureau of Parenting, Marriages and Dying, issues - amongst other things - parenting licenses. Claire Monet is a young woman, desperate to have a child before she is deemed too old: twenty-six being the maximum age at which a parenting license will be issued to a woman. When Richard and Claire meet it is deviousness that endures, not rules and regulations. The License is a short and light-hearted sketch of a world we may possibly face in the not-too-distant future: a world utterly shrouded in paperwork and bound by red tape, but where human nature - as we have always known it - still triumphs. Views: 695
A contemporary fantasy of mystery and death as American expats battle Japanese gods and monsters to retrieve an ancient artifact that can destroy the world.On Saturday afternoon, Nikki Delany thought, "George Wilson, in the kitchen, with a blender." By dinner, she had killed George and posted his gory murder to her blog. The next day, she put on her mourning clothes and went out to meet her best friend for lunch to discuss finding a replacement for her love interest.Nikki is a horror novelist. Her choice of career is dictated by an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that forces her to write stories of death and destruction. She can't control it, doesn't understand it, but can use it to make money anywhere in the world. Currently "anywhere" is in Japan, hiding from her mother who sees Nikki's OCD as proof she's mentally unstable. Nikki's fragile peace starts to fall apart when the police arrest her for the murder of an American expatriate. Someone killed him with a blender.Reality starts to unravel around Nikki. She's attacked by a raccoon in a business suit. After a series of blackouts, she’s accompanied by a boy that no one else can see, a boy who claims to be a god. Is she really being pursued by Japanese myths—or is she simply going insane?What Nikki does know for sure is that the bodies are piling up, her mother has arrived in Japan to lock her up for the rest of her life—and her novels always end with everyone dead. Views: 695
