A professional problem solver, Ginny Mallard can’t resist a call for help. And try as he may, Seattle bartender Teddy Tonica is powerless to resist a challenge. They may not agree on much—Teddy prefers bar cat Mistress Penny, while Gin’s shar-pei, Georgie, is her constant companion—but these friendly rivals make perfect sleuthing partners.When Gin learns that the shelter where she adopted Georgie is being ripped off by a thief, she’s determined to find out what kind of lowlife would steal from a place devoted to rescuing dogs and cats. Gin and Teddy plan to rattle a few cages and save the animals from losing their home.But when a body is discovered, and nearly everyone is lying, Gin and Tonica discover that it takes more than talk to nab a killer. Sometimes the best way to solve a crime is to bring on the big dogs—or dog and cat, as the case may be. Views: 611
In a far distant future, when art is dead and beauty is gone from the world, one man sets out to change everything. He is an artist, the last of his kind, and he is trying to save the world. He is the Dragon Maker.This is a 3000 word fantasy short story.Jackson Davison has long wanted to prove the existence of Imps among the other Faerie Folk but hasn't had the right opportunity. Until now, Halloween 2013. This is the second of shorts stories about the IPMA and their adventures. Squirm as Agent Davison tries to learn the truth behind the nature of Imps and other "unseen" faeries and creatures. Written for children and adolescents, but definitely not for the weak of heart. Be prepared to stay awake all night. Views: 611
Beaumaris of York has many secrets. No human can know that he’s an immortal Darkyn assigned to Knight’s Realm, the Kyn stronghold disguised as a medieval theme park. And none of his brethren can discover that he’s a half-breed, rescued from slavery as a child. Lately Beau has been yearning for action—and he’s about to find it with his new mission. Brilliant archaeologist Dr. Alys Stuart is infamous for her extraordinary theories—especially those concerning the mysterious Knights Templar—and she is unaware that her research is funded by the Kyn coffers. When the Kyn sends a vexingly good-looking man to assist—and protect—her, she doesn’t expect the surge of attraction she feels for him. When a powerful Templar artifact surfaces, Alys and Beau must trust each other enough to stop mankind’s greed for immortality from sparking a war between mortals and Kyn that will destroy the world. Views: 611
A small collection of stories about judgment, vengeance, inspiration, inter-connectedness, and devotion. With each tale, the reader is challenged to consider new ideas or perspectives. There are twists, surprises, lovable and detestable characters, epiphanies, and revelations that will stay with the reader long after the reading is done.This is the second in a series of haiku on the four seasons. It follows "5 Winter Haiku." Views: 611
"For the first time in one volume, a collection of Shirley Jackson's scariest stories, with a foreword by PEN/Hemingway Award winner Ottessa Moshfegh After the publication of her short story "The Lottery" in the New Yorker in 1948 received an unprecedented amount of attention, Shirley Jackson was quickly established as a master horror storyteller. This collection of classic and newly reprinted stories provides readers with more of her unsettling, dark tales, including the "The Possibility of Evil" and "The Summer People." In these deliciously dark stories, the daily commute turns into a nightmarish game of hide and seek, the loving wife hides homicidal thoughts and the concerned citizen might just be an infamous serial killer. In the haunting world of Shirley Jackson, nothing is as it seems and nowhere is safe, from the city streets to the crumbling country pile, and from the small-town apartment to the dark, dark woods. There's something sinister in suburbia. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators"-- Views: 611
This story focuses on an agency whose only purpose is to offer apologies—for a fee—on behalf of its clients. This seemingly insignificant service leads us into an examination of sin, guilt, and the often irrational demands of society. A kaleidoscope of minor nuisances and major grievances, this novel heralds a new comic voice in Korean letters. Views: 611
Harriet Phillecky is a rare part elf, part siren and wanted by neither race. Not that she really cares. A successful news photographer turned paranormal investigator, she now has a 'family' of friends that includes ogres who constantly raid her refrigerator and take over her TV, and a dragon who drinks far too much for his own good. But when the only elvan relative she has any contact with asks her to investigate the disappearance of a siren, she finds herself unable to refuse. All too quickly the disappearance becomes murder, relatives come out of the woodwork, and a man she'd much rather forget steps back into her life. Harri wants nothing more than to run—especially when the evidence beats a path to the doors of those who'd long ago abandoned her. But when the life she's created for herself comes under threat, Harri has little choice but to hunt down a killer—before everything she holds dear is destroyed. Views: 611
Anne finds herself at odds with a suitor who doesn't understand her personality. On one of her rides she finds a place of peace and another delightful surprise. Read the story to find out how the triangle evolves and how dear dogs are to her and she to them.In May of 1969, riots break out on the campus of UC Berkley. Four young protestors, bloodied and beaten by the police and National Guardsmen, escape the bay area and travel the side roads to their homes in the nation’s heartland. Feeling as out of place in America’s militant society as weeds in a green suburban lawn, they christen their small band the Dandelions. In March of 2003, the U.S. Government embarks upon another undeclared and destructive war, this time in Iraq. The aging Dandelions return to the streets of Berkeley and San Francisco to protest this unlawful military adventure which is sure to cost the lives of thousands more young Americans. As they retrace their original route, the Dandelions discover the side roads no longer exist, but that a friendship forged in the quest for peace and justice does. Views: 611
When Inspector Cetin Ikmen is invited to a murder mystery evening at Istanbul's famous Pera Palas Hotel he finds himself embroiled in a deadly game of life imitating art. Halfway through the evening, one of the actors is found actually dead in the room where Agatha Christie used to stay when she was in Istanbul. Walking in the steps of the great, Ikmen experiences fear and hatred which have echoes deep in his own and his country's past.Review"Intriguing . . . all will appreciate the skill with which Nadel depicts the tensions underlying contemporary Turkish society as well as her ability to make each of her characters fully human." —Publishers Weekly on Arabesk"Add Inspector Ikmen and his motley crew to the growing list of outstanding fictional cops plying their trades across all parts of Europe and Asia, which have become hotbeds of police procedural excellence." —Booklist on Belshazzar's DaughterAbout the AuthorBarbara Nadel received the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger for Deadly Web. Other titles in the Inspector Ikmen mysteries series include Belshazzar's Daughter, Death by Design, and The Ottoman Cage. She is also the author of the Francis Hancock series. Views: 611
The relationship between man and horse on the Eurasian steppe gave rise to a succession of rich nomadic cultures. Among them were the Mongols of the thirteenth century – a small tribe, which, under the charismatic leadership of Genghis Khan, created the largest contiguous land empire in history. Inspired by the extraordinary life nomads still lead today, Tim Cope embarked on a journey that hadn't been successfully completed since those times: to travel on horseback across the entire length of the Eurasian steppe, from Karakorum, the ancient capital of Mongolia, through Kazakhstan, Russia, Crimea and the Ukraine to the Danube River in Hungary. From horse-riding novice to travelling three years and 10,000 kilometres on horseback, accompanied by his dog Tigon, Tim learnt to fend off wolves and would-be horse-thieves, and grapple with the extremes of the steppe as he crossed sub-zero plateaux, the scorching deserts of Kazakhstan and the high-mountain passes of the... Views: 611
Shanna and her fellow monster hunters travel to New Orleans to investigate the disappearance of several students from a local private school, leading them to a nearby haunted mansion. Returning so close to home drudges up memories that Krystal would rather forget, forcing her to confront the dark roots of her powers as local voodoo legends seem to come to life around her.Shanna and her fellow monster hunters travel to New Orleans to investigate the disappearance of several students from a local private school. Of the many leads, they focus on a mansion bordering the property that is rumored to be haunted, opting to spend their nights within its decrepit walls to record any paranormal activity.While she is excited to be included in the mission, returning so close to home drudges up memories that Krystal would rather forget, forcing her to confront the dark roots of her powers as local voodoo legends seem to come to life around her.Betrayal is still fresh for the hunters, and as Shanna tries to cope with recent events and lose herself in the new mystery that surrounds them, she finds that she has to step up her game when things go downhill fast, and is left to make hard choices that could cost her friends their lives. Views: 611
A Certain Number of Hypothetical Scenarios is a collection of sixty-two flash fiction stories written in a series of Julys between 2010 and 2013. Prepare to expose the inner workings of an illegal pixie dust operation, encounter various not-people personified, witness the assassination of a pet cat, and possibly be eaten by a grue.A Certain Number of Hypothetical Scenarios is a collection of sixty-two flash fiction stories written in a series of Julys between 2010 and 2013. Prepare to expose the inner workings of an illegal pixie dust operation, encounter various not-people personified, witness the assassination of a pet cat, and possibly be eaten by a grue.Each of these stories was picked from the many I've written for Flash Fiction Month, an annual event organised by a sinister multi-headed creature that lurks deep in the core of DeviantArt. The ancient hydra demands a short story be written in every day of July, lest its dark appetite goes unsatiated and its reptilian eyes turn to the surface world. Suffice it to say that each one of these almost 25,000 words has played a part in saving humanity from the end of all things. Views: 611
Magic happens when love is true.Lena thought she'd found a prince when Charles rescued her four-year-old half-brother from the waters of the Serpentine. A simple boating accident sparks romance, but the man of her dreams seems to be hiding something. They're both unemployed — times are hard — but there's something else he's not telling her.One night, Lena sneaks back into Hyde Park to find out if Charles is secretly camping in the park and gets the surprise of her life!How far is Lena willing to go to rescue the man she's fallen for? Views: 610
Stranded on an uninhabited planet, Jade's only hope is to survive long enough for colonists to arrive and send her home. But what if they're not coming?12,735 wordsTo visit humans, there are rules. Many rules. But Rex and Auden have learned them all. There is nothing they like better than going to town. As soon as the sun sets, they leave to play hide-and-go seek, pull pranks, and sing their favorite songs. Find out what else they do during their Monster Nights.(For ages 3-6) Views: 610
