Perched upon a cliff under the white of the moon, Isaac sits patiently waiting for his wife. What Isaac doesn't know is that this time she'll be bringing more than just her spectral touch.Mayenta has returned once again to the land with no recollection of where she had gone. All she knew was, every time she returned to the vale, she returned lying in the same spot underneath a dogwood tree growing high upon Honor Mountain--and, as usual, she returned naked. What did it mean that she left Paigorya without warning? Where did she go? WHY did she go? And, most importantly, who was she?The Dogwood Tree eBook short story includes a free excerpt from Laurie Y. Elrod's novel, Blackridge-Book One of the So'ladiun. Views: 288
We are not alone. It is inconceivable to think that no other life exists in the vastness of interstellar space. In 1977 NASA sent Voyager with a sampling of art, science and thought out into the cosmos. But what would an alien have made of these snapshots of Earth? How would our thought and music be interpreted and how might these gifts have influenced the evolution of an alien civilisation?Now, more than a century later Voyager 2 is lost, fifty billion kilometers deep in interstellar space and a deadly menace is threatening the future of humanity. An asteroid the size of an ocean liner is on collision course with Planet Earth. A ship has been despatched to intercept and redirect. But unbeknown to Oceania Base, KOTUKU II has been crippled by an event that has killed its captain and disabled the ship. Drifting in deep space out of touch with Earth, the crew has given up hope of rescue when they discover the ship is being sucked into the gravity of a strange grey planet. Apathy is set aside. They must restart their derelict ship or be drawn to a fiery death.The desert planet bears a strong resemblance to Earth. The inhabitants speak French and English. Their scholars are familiar with the sciences and philosophies of Planet Earth, notably the game of cricket and everyone knows the lyrics of ‘Johnny-B-Goode.’ The new arrivals are welcomed in some quarters. Steve, the first mate pursues a way to bring his dead captain back to life while Mohammed the ship’s cook becomes guru to the receptive ears of the Khadees Cricket Club. Meanwhile desert fires are burning. Hordes of fanatic acolytes are mobilising to annihilate the aliens. It becomes a race against time to repair the ship and escape before the jihad arrives. But even if the crew does manage to get their ailing craft airborne, can they complete their mission to save Planet Earth from the asteroid’s deadly attack? Views: 287
An excerpt from the Introduction: A natural pause appears to have come in the career of Mr. H .G. Wells. After so many years of travelling up and down through time and space, familiarizing himself with all the various parts of the solar system and presenting himself imaginatively at all the various geological epochs, from the Stone Age to the end of the world, he has for good and all domesticated himself in his own planet and point of time. This gradual process of slowing down, so to speak, had been evident from the moment of his first appearance. The most obvious fact about his romances of science, considered as a series, is that each one more nearly approached the epoch in which we live, and the realities of this epoch. From the year A.D. 802, 701, witnessed in his first romance by the Time Traveller, we found ourselves at last in the presence of a decade only so remote as that of the war which has now befallen Europe. A similar tendency in his novels has been equally marked. The possibilities of science and socialism have received a diminishing attention relatively beside the possibilities of human reaction to science and socialism. It is individual men and women, and the motives and personalities of individual men and women, which now concern him. Still retaining the entire planet as the playground of his ideas, still upholding science and socialism as his essential heroes, he has been driven by experience to approach these things through human nature as it is. In a recent essay he has told us not to expect any more dramatic novelties: for the present at any rate our business must be to make science and socialism feel at home. Whether or not this may stand as a general diagnosis of our epoch, it is a remarkable confession with regard to his own place in it. For it signifies nothing less than that he has reached the limit of his own circle of ideas and finished his own pioneering, and that his work for the future will be to relate the discoveries of his youth with human experience. He is no longer a "new voice"; his work belongs, for good or ill, to history and literature, and he presents himself from this time forward as a humanist. Views: 287
Another unique zombie tale from Lori R. Lopez, the author of "Heartbeat" and "The Lycaning", this time with Fruit Flies and two jaded strangers who learn that they are not as alone as they think.One of the themes of this story is to not wait for the world to be ending to start living. It's hot, and it's going to get a lot hotter when humans mutate into cannibalistic corpses. But that's not all; bugs are everywhere. In fact, bugs could be to blame in this worst-case scenario that may seem a bit close for comfort! Strap on your gas-mask while the pesticide flows. They're coming. Watch your back . . . and your front. Watch everything! Views: 287
On the island of Friday Harbor, magic is in the air—and destiny is a force too powerful to defy…
As the proprietor of a successful boutique hotel, Justine Hoffman has the life she has always wanted. But there is still something missing: Love. A spell was cast on Justine when she was born, with the result that she will never find her soul mate. But she is nothing if not determined and eventually Justine finds a way to break the enchantment—never dreaming of the dangerous complications that will follow… Views: 287
Ever been to a big college town on a football Saturday night? Loud drunks glut the streets, swaggering about in roaring, leering, laughing packs, like sailors on shore leave. These nights crackle with a dark energy born of incongruity; for beneath all that smiling and singing sprawls a bedrock of malice. Hard-partying College Heights swaps beer pong and karaoke for arson, murder, and cannibalism. Views: 287
Blaire Hayes enjoys a quiet life, spending her days as a CNA at the local nursing home and nights studying for exams. Jason Bryant created a nice life away from his hometown, putting distance between himself and the suffocating sadness of his father’s death. Together the two learn there are moments in life that hold within them all the power to break you...Blaire Hayes enjoys a quiet life, spending her days as a CNA at the local nursing home and nights studying for exams. She prefers things to be as uncomplicated as possible—but when her friends drag her to a party and she bumps into her high school crush, the path of Blaire’s life veers in an entirely different direction than what she had planned for herself. Jason Bryant created a nice life away from his hometown, putting distance between himself and the suffocating sadness of his father’s death. But when he finds out his grandfather’s health is deteriorating, he decides he must return home. Partying was not on his agenda while in town, but it’s how he bumps into Blaire Hayes—the girl he’d always thought of in high school as an unobtainable pass. Together the two learn there are moments in life that hold within them all the power to break you...*New Adult Contemporary Romance, Standalone* Views: 287
When Harriet's husband, Nick, throws in his safe, but boring job in order to set up a new business during the current recession, Harriet is distraught. More so when she realises Amanda, her and best friend Grace's old enemy from school is back in their lives. Amanda, it turns out, is Nick's new boss's wife and, because of her legal and language skills, will be accompanying Nick on his business trips to Italy. How will Nick not succumb to the ruthless charms of the utterly gorgeous Amanda once he's away from Yorkshire and in glamorous Milan? Knowing Nick is being seduced is bad enough, but when Grace falls madly in love with Sebastian, Amanda's precious, much younger son, it can only mean trouble ahead. Determined to fight for her man, Harriet's seduction techniques go into overdrive. Unfortunately she is hampered in her attempts by two bolshy teenagers, an increasingly eccentric mother and a job teaching horrible children. Not to mention something very strange going on at the... Views: 287
Scott Drake is alone in a hotel room and there is no escape. He can walk out at any time but there is no getting away from the past, from his guilt, from himself and the fear of losing someone that he loves all over again. ‘Fading Polaroids in Reverse’ is a series of snapshots of moments and memories in Scott’s life, and is the sixth short story in the ‘Diamonds’ Collection.‘Sarah was completely different to the women he'd known since his records started selling. She was real and that made her an exception to the boho posing and tragic gracelessness of everyone else. That was also what made missing her even more terrible. So, most of the time, he avoided thinking about her. It was much easier to silently destroy all the women who could never compare to her…’Scott Drake is alone in a hotel room and there is no escape. He can walk out at any time but there is no getting away from the past, from his guilt, from himself and the fear of losing someone that he loves all over again. ‘Fading Polaroids in Reverse’ is a series of snapshots of moments and memories in Scott’s life, and is the sixth short story in the ‘Diamonds’ Collection that also includes ‘Bewilder’, ‘Heart over Head over Heels’, ‘Bonfire Blues’, ‘Lily Green’, and ‘The Devil eats Coleslaw’. Views: 287
A diverse collection of stories showcasing some of the best indie authors on the market. Filled with heart-warming romance, mysterious humor, sinister, supernatural thrills and tearful sorrow, this anthology has something for everyone. So snuggle up with a warm glass of mulled wine and join us for the festivities, while we lift your spirit, tickle your fancy and rattle your bones.A diverse collection of stories showcasing some of the best indie authors on the market. Filled with heart-warming romance, mysterious humor, sinister, supernatural thrills and tearful sorrow, this anthology has something for everyone. So snuggle up with a warm glass of mulled wine and join us for the festivities, while we lift your spirit, tickle your fancy and rattle your bones.Contributing Authors: Madhu Kalyan Mattaparthi, Sheryl Seal, Alan Hardy, William O'Brien, Sonya C. Dodd, Chris Raven, D.C Rogers, Peter John, Jim Murdoch, Greatest Poet Alive, Kristina Blasen, Shemeka Mitchell, Carolyn Bennett Views: 287
Death is following Nicholas as he climbs into the snowline where he finds relics from before the last great war, and has to make a choice what part he will play in the coming one.Manuel is a soccer phenom on the field and off the field a magician’s apprentice—an apprentice to a real magician, not a pull-the-rabbit-out-of-the-hat kind. This magician can knock things off the table from across the room using his mind. You see, the magician isn’t an ordinary human, and neither is Manuel.Lizzie has long since figured out where the presents under the Christmas tree come from, and she knows that tiny, winged ladies with wands don't really pay cash for baby teeth. Only little kids believe in fairies and elves. But Lizzie's world is about to be turned upside down. She is about to learn that the legends of old are not all make-believe. She is about to discover the ancient and powerful artifact that is her family legacy. And she is about to join the family business--a never-ending mission to remove from Earth all fugitive spirits.Manuel and Lizzie and live worlds apart, but a sorcerer with plans to rule the world needs something they each have, and he is hellbent upon getting what he wants. Views: 287
Lena Graham By Cecilia Selby Lowndes Views: 287
A story about a girl who lived, died, and met a guy… in that order.
Is it possible to find true love and happiness, while condemned to purgatory until the end of days?
Olivia Brennan wasn’t eager to find out. Working for a division of Purgatory and Associates, her job consisted of one headache after another, caused by the impatient souls waiting to move onto eternal paradise. After a hard day at work, she was most content to stay home, watching reruns or reading a book. Aside from a few friends occasionally forcing socialization, her afterlife was nothing special.
That all changed the moment Drake walked into her life. He was handsome, charming, and had a sadness behind his eyes she could relate to. It seemed that Fate had finally brought her a kindred spirit
…
But could Olivia move past her own dark regrets of the life she left behind or would falling for him demand the ultimate sacrifice—herself?
Views: 286
I'm crazy about Laura Levine's mystery series. Her books are so outrageously funny. —Joanne FlukeFreelance writer Jaine Austen has never been able to resist the siren call of an Eskimo Pie, just like she can't resist renewing her romance with Andrew, an old crush. With her bank account hitting new lows, she's also just agreed to write jokes for Dorcas, a stand-up comic who throws her pantyhose into the audience as a punch line. Not only is Dorcas's act a bomb, she is heckled by Vic, a gorgeous fellow comic. Naturally when Vic is murdered with Dorcas's pantyhose and that same Dorcas is standing over his dead body, the police arrest. . .Dorcas. They figure it's an open-and-shut case, although Jaine figures no killer can be that dumb. But when Jaine sets out to find the real culprit, she is distracted by one dating disaster after another with Andrew—and she may not see the dark side of comedy until she faces the business end of a gun and a cold, deadly grin. .... Views: 286
