An electronics enthusiast builds a satellite receiver that can receive deep space transmissions. He picks up a broadcast from outer space outlining an attack on Earth. The aliens could destroy Earth as easily as snuffing out a candle. What can be done to stop them?It’s autumn half-term and 12-year-old Lou Elliott and her friends Jack, also 12, and his younger siblings David and Emily are reunited at the Welsh holiday resort of Abersoch. After an eventful summer the children are not expecting anything untoward to happen this time, but that’s before they come across a strange, ramshackle old farmhouse while out walking across the moors not far from Abersoch. It’s the home of a lonely old lady in her 90s – and she’s at her wits’ end, certain it’s haunted. But is it, or is there a more rational explanation? Something Strange in the Cellar, first published on Smashwords in April 2013, is a wholesome, traditional-style short novel (just over 29,000 words), suitable for all ages from nine upwards, and is book 3 in the Lou Elliott Mystery Adventure Series by George Chedzoy. It comes after the full-length novels Smugglers at Whistling Sands and The Missing Treasure but it's ok to read it first. Views: 666
The epic story of Noah's Ark, retold from the perspective of Noah's sixteen-year-old granddaughter.The entire village knows Neima’s grandfather is a madman. For years the old man has prophesied that a great flood is coming, a flood disastrous enough to blot out the entire earth. He’s even built an enormous ark that he claims will allow his family to survive the deluge. But no one believes the ravings of a lunatic……until the rain starts. And doesn’t stop. Soon sixteen-year-old Neima finds her entire world transformed, her life and those of the people she loves in peril. Trapped on the ark with her grandfather Noah, the rest of her family, and a noisy, filthy, and hungry assortment of wild animals, will Neima find a way to survive?With lions, tigers, and bears oh my, elephants and flamingos too, along with rivalries and betrayals, a mysterious stowaway, and perhaps even an unexpected romance, FORTY DAYS is not your grandfather’s Noah’s Ark story.FORTY DAYS is approximately 45000 words, the length of a shorter novel, and is the first installment in a two-part epic story. It does contain a cliffhanger ending.Readers looking for a traditional, religiously oriented version of the Noah’s Ark story should be warned that FORTY DAYS may not appeal to them. The novel will, however, appeal to lovers of apocalyptic fiction, historical fiction, and romance, as well as anyone who’s ever dreamed of having a baby elephant as a pet. Views: 666
A Grantaburgh Short ~ A Melancholy Tale. A duel bourn of class divide results in a man waking alone in The Wilderness. A bullet in his temple and prostrate atop the corpses of The Ferryman’s Pit, he recalls the fate that dragged him there.A collection of five short science fiction stories.The Exchange - a strange gang of buyers prove to be much more than meets the eyeRaging Star - a genocidal killer is interrogated, revealing a hopeless fight for mankind's survivalEden - the daily fight for survival in the first extrasolar human colony, EdenThe Suit - a ground-breaking experiment goes as planned, even though no-one knows its real purpose until the very endYar's Plume - a man uniquely gifted to communicate with an alien entity across vast distances in real-time, retells his personal tale Views: 666
The rustic English village of Dunwich is slowly crumbling into the sea, but a rare tidal event promises to roll back the waves and reveal ancient ruins, buried treasures and the lost true crown of England. Three scholarly pilgrims have come to Dunwich for their own secret reasons, but as they gather at The Hidden Crown, the mysteries that summoned them begin to take on a life of their own, and the seashore offers a brief but shattering glimpse of the ultimate Other. Dreams and debates intertwine with nameless, sentient dread to form a daring deconstruction of the meaning and menace of Cthulhu. Views: 666
Whether the story of Gottfried Plattner is to be credited or not, is a pretty question in the value of evidence. On the one hand, we have seven witnesses—to be perfectly exact, we have six and a half pairs of eyes, and one undeniable fact; and on the other we have—what is it?—prejudice, common sense, the inertia of opinion. Never were there seven more honest-seeming witnesses; never was there a more undeniable fact than the inversion of Gottfried Plattner’s anatomical structure, and—never was there a more preposterous story than the one they have to tell! The most preposterous part of the story is the worthy Gottfried’s contribution (for I count him as one of the seven). Heaven forbid that I should be led into giving countenance to superstition by a passion for impartiality, and so come to share the fate of Eusapia’s patrons! Frankly, I believe there is something crooked about this business of Gottfried Plattner; but what that crooked factor is, I will admit as frankly, I do not know. I have been surprised at the credit accorded to the story in the[2] most unexpected and authoritative quarters. The fairest way to the reader, however, will be for me to tell it without further comment. Views: 666
In a new short novel by Diane Duane, three suburban Dublin teens are lured into mystery in the mists of Ireland...
Uchenna O'Connor lives a life like that of any other Dublin schoolgirl... until the horses arrive.
The unexplained appearance of a little herd of "tinker ponies" that no one will claim causes no particular stir among adults in the purpose-built suburb of Adamstown... but there are others who notice. Uchenna starts feeling responsible for the ponies that have suddenly turned up on just the other side of the wall separating her suburban home from the fields around Adamstown.
Her growing concern for the hungry and seemingly abandoned horses leads Uchenna into hatching a benevolent plot to secretly take care of them, while she tries to discover who's brought them to her doorstep and why. But Uchenna little realizes the complications that will ensue when she draws two others into her plans: her best friend Emer -- an American transplant with a taste for rocking the boat -- and young Jimmy Garrity, a Traveler boy with a yen for higher math and a stubborn streak that drives him to try to beat the odds against his acceptance by "settled" people.
Together the three of them find themselves enmeshed in trouble in the neighborhood, at school, and even with the police, before the strange unseasonable autumn mist lifts enough for them to have a chance of discovering the truth behind the puzzle. But will the fragile new friendship that's growing in the mist survive the pressures and demands of the adults trying to pull them apart?... Views: 666
Young people chat about their daily life. Nothing complicated, just young people chatting with each other about life in general.Young people chat about their daily life. Nothing complicated, just young people chatting with each other about life in general. Young people learning how to mingle without being a social misfit. In this modern world of communicating non-verbally by texting and emailing, people, especially young people, are finding it harder and harder to communicate with face to face. Views: 666
Bright and shy, Ember Gillespie was sent away from her home and her family when she was little. Finally allowed to return at the age of sixteen, she is shocked to learn the reason her mother sent her away: she believes the town is inhabited by violent and meddlesome demons.Ember knows her mother is crazy. But as she gets to know some of the locals, she realizes she may also be right.Bright and shy, Ember Gillespie was sent away from her home and her family when she was little; her sister Thalia, always her mother's favorite, got to stay. She spent years earning the right to come back, and to make up for a transgression she never understood. When she finally gets home at the age of sixteen, the realization that her family doesn't want her there is nearly more than she can bear. Her grandmother has become senile, her mother is manic, and her sister is a brainwashed shadow of who she used to be. The only thing more shocking than their rejection is the reason they want her leave--Ember's mother believes that the town they live in is inhabited by demons, and that Ember is too weak to fend for herself.Ember knows her mother is crazy. But as she gets to know some of the locals, she also begins to believe she might be right. Views: 666
Issue 36 of Neon features the work of Paul Ebbs, Simon Collings, Michael Hemmingson, CJ Opperthauser, Amy Schreibman Walter, Dan Coxon, and Helen Addy. The cover image is by Sarah Katharina Kayß. There's time travel, mannequins, failed attempts at kindness, a haunting retreat to a cabin in the woods, and a trip on board the Anti-Titanic.This is a true accounting of one of my flying adventures over New England(US). All seemed right until all seemed wrong... Flying at night, over water, in clouds with heavy rain, is not a good time to lose engine power.Thankfully, I had Bob along.3k word, short story Views: 666
It's finally time for Jane to go outside! Remi soon realises that showing her the ropes is not as easy as he thought it would be when they find themselves in one hilarious scenario after another. Allison is back as well...and this time with an offer that can't be refused! And, a mysterious presence, yet to reveal themselves, seems to be tracking Jane.It's finally time for Jane to go outside! Remi soon realises that showing her the ropes is not as easy as he thought it would be when they find themselves in one hilarious scenario after another. Allison is back as well...and this time with an offer that can't be refused! And, a mysterious presence, yet to reveal themselves, seems to be tracking Jane. Will Jane choose the right outfits? Will Allison find out who Jane really is? Are they all going to go to dinner together? Find out in Jane 8086 Part Three! Views: 666
An imaginary walk through the Gospel of Mark with Jesus and the Disciples. NOTE: THIS VERSION INCLUDES THE BIBLE VERSESTake a walk through the Gospel of Mark. Stand on the bank of the Jordan and look down as John baptizes Jesus. Walk the dusty roads, wind down the cobble streets and climb the mountain paths as we get to know this man. Follow Him as he heals the sick, cures the leper and raises the dead. Be there at Calvary when He is crucified for our sins. Then praise His name as you learn that He is risen. Use your God given imagination and walk through the Gospel of Mark with me. Views: 665
Power. Possession. And red-hot passion…* *
The Billionaire’s Club: The wealthiest, most powerful men—not only in Chicago, but in the world. They are used to having whatever they want, whenever they want it.
Cade West may be richer than Midas but not even his vast wealth could save his young wife. Cade didn’t just grieve her loss; he was furious. What good is money if it can’t fix…everything? So when the utterly beautiful Ivy Summers boldly walks into his office asking him to donate to her cancer research foundation, he can’t decide whether to throw her out or wrap her up in his arms and never let go. All Cade knows is that he’s caught her scent and he has no intention of letting her walk out his door—even if he has to pay for the privilege. He makes Ivy an offer she can’t refuse: A game of strip poker for two million dollars. She can pretend all she wants, but Cade has awakened dark passions within her from the first time she saw him. Yes, he’s dark and tortured by his past. But if Ivy has the chance to have this man, all bets are off…
*Read all five * * Billionaire’s Club* e-novellas in this sensational series—and look for the full volume, OBSESSED BY HIM, in Winter 2014 from St. Martin’s Griffin.** Views: 665
