'The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.' So begins H. P. Lovecraft's essay Supernatural Horror in Literature," arguably the most important analysis of horror ever written. Yet while hordes of writers have created works based on Lovecraft's fiction, never before has an anthology taken its inspiration directly from the literary manifesto behind his entire mythos...until now. Like cultists poring over a forbidden tome, eighteen modern masters of horror have gathered here to engage with Lovecraft's treatise. Rather than responding with articles of their own, these authors have written new short stories inspired by intriguing quotes from the essay, offering their own whispers to the darkness. They tell of monsters and madmen, of our strange past and our weirder future, of terrors stalking the winter woods, the broiling desert, and eeriest of all, our bustling cities, our family homes. SALES POINTS... Views: 25
Sometimes a dare can go too far... As a veterinarian an exclusive Beverly Hills animal hospital, Jessica isn't easily impressed. She deals with famous faces every day. But she can't resist the chance of seeing her favorite band live at the Hollywood Bowl. When her friends from work dare her to go to the stage door before the show, she takes the dare, despite her misgivings. Kendall Jackson is jaded. A super star since his boy band phase, he's now one of the premier rock stars in the world. He's seen it all. But when the tiny, young beauty nearly gets trampled outside his concert, his natural sense of chivalry takes over. He decides to give his young fan the night of her life by letting her back stage. Little does he know, she's not as young and innocent as he thinks she is. When she takes him up on his offer, he's in for the night of his life. Excerpt: Kendall was staring at Jessica's body again. Her waist was so small he could span it with his hands. But above that and below it, nice juicy handfuls. She was saying something… he forced himself to pay attention. "Hmmm?" "I'm not so sure about this." "What's wrong?" They were standing on the tarmac, getting ready to board the private plane the hotel had sent for them. Jessica looked ready to bolt. "This is really crazy. I can't just go to Vegas. I have to work tomorrow." He frowned, trying to figure out how to convince her to come with him. She had to come now. He was counting on it. He had no idea how it had happened but he desperately didn't want the night to end. Not that he expected anything to happen necessarily... Well, nothing that his hormones were hoping for anyway. He was definitely going to get a kiss out of her. More than that. A lot more hopefully. He had to get his hands on that tight little body. But he could tell she wasn't the kind of girl who was going to just take her clothes off. He told himself he liked that about her. Even if it interfered with his baser desires. It had been four months since he broke up with Becca. He'd gone out with a few girls since then but nothing serious. Models mostly. He had other things on his mind other than sex. Usually that was the case. But not tonight. Right now he was trying to force himself to cool his jets. He didn't want to scare her off, did he? "Call in sick. You did get knocked in the head after all." He grinned at her, trying to put her at ease. To hide the fact that she was making him feel like a horny teenager for some wild reason. All he knew for sure was that he wanted to get this girl on the plane with him. Maybe that's what was throwing her off. "Look, we don't have to do anything. Let's just have fun." She smiled at him shyly. Jesus, the girl was sweet! He felt an overwhelming urge to protect her wash over him. She chewed her lip thoughtfully. He wanted to do that for her. God, her mouth was luscious… How had he thought she was a kid before? "Seriously. I mean, you are very cute but I'm not a raving sex maniac or anything, I promise." She laughed. Good. That was a good sign. "Okay." He grinned and grabbed his backpack. "I'll even let you borrow my toothbrush." She rolled her eyes at him. He kind of loved that she wasn't all that impressed by his status. She was definitely not putting him on a pedestal. On the other hand, he wouldn't mind putting her on one… much easier to get access to those insane curves she had. Down boy. He watched as she got checked in by the flight crew. Then she smiled at him. "Let's do this." Views: 25
Coroner Sévère has it all: a beautiful young wife, money, influence, and...secrets...Not only is a disease slowly crippling him, but his wife, Olivia, is also a former prostitute who used to serve the Chief Magistrate himself — a man with cruel appetites.When Sévère and Olivia begin to investigate the heinous crimes of Chief Magistrate Frost, more than the Coroner's career is at risk.Sévère might just end up at the gallows. Views: 25
The third instalment in the Ouroboros Series.Have you ever thought “just my luck!” after dropping your communication device for the third time in a week?
Cadet Nida Harper, a recruit to the United Galactic Coalition Academy, has – and worse. So imagine her surprise when she is detailed for a mission to the dark and mysterious planet Remus 12. Strange things are afoot on Remus 12, a dust-bowl which according to legend bursts to life once every five thousand years – with deadly consequences for the galaxy.
So join Nida as she deals, using all her accustomed style and flair, with the presence of a strange and uninvited guest in her own head, a commander who is convinced she’s the Coalition’s worst recruit in one thousand years, and an uncomfortably handsome Lieutenant Carson Blake.
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Bianca hated those Merrick boys. She wasn’t alone. They were nothing but trouble, but no one dared stand up to them. Look at one Merrick cross-eyed and before you knew it you were at war with the whole clan. She kept to herself and bit her tongue when they wrecked her diner on a regular schedule. It was a small price to pay to stay on Merricks’ good side.Braden Foster never was much good at keeping his opinions to himself. The leader of a nomadic band of bikers, Braden was accustomed to facing trouble head on, usually with fists. Occasionally with a crowbar. This policy didn’t win him many friends, but it rarely mattered. He never stuck in one place long enough to weather the consequences. That was before he came to the aid of a pretty lady restaurateur. He figured he’d at least earned a cup of coffee for his trouble, but when he stepped between the Merrick boys and Bianca’s diner, he lit a spark that threatened to burn the whole town to ashes. It was up to him to put it out. Bianca knew a gathering storm when she saw one. But which was more frightening: the storm between Braden and the Merricks, or the one brewing in her heart for a man arguably more dangerous than the Merricks themselves? Views: 25
In this explosive follow-up to This is a Dreadful Sentence, featuring Gina Gray and DCI Scott, a twelve-year-old girl is killed, pushed down the stairs at her home and beaten over the head with a golf club. Scott leads the investigation and finds himself crossing paths again with Gina, a university lecturer, linguistics expert, harassed daughter, mother and grandmother, and all-round know-all and busybody. Gina's daughter, Ellie, was the dead girl's teacher and when the police suspect her of involvement in the murder, Gina steps into the fray and launches her own parallel investigation. What she lacks in forensic evidence and IT wizardry she makes up for in linguistic acuteness, an extensive network of informants and sheer chutzpah. Scott is determined that she will be kept well away from the inquiry but a serious attempt on her life persuades him to work with her again and together they bring the case to a startling conclusion. Gina's view of the world is often comic but the... Views: 25
Betrayed after her father’s death, Rory Banks finds herself dancing on the Exos, a deep-space pleasure ship, with no way out of her nightmare. It’s a far cry from earning her keep as a mechanic on her father’s ship. Time is running out and within days she will be consigned to the pleasure rooms on board. So when a stranger breaks open her cage and offers her a way out, she grabs it and runs.Kal Marks and his brothers are space mercenaries and traders who have spent the past ten years searching for their younger sister. Their hunt has led them to the Exos and Rory, who they hope will have information. Once Rory’s told them all she knows they plan to let her go. But Kal never counted on wanting Rory or the ****** tension and scorching heat that blazes between them. What starts out as a simple mission soon become something much more complicated. Views: 25
USMC Captain Jason Scott comes home to find his entire family slaughtered by ravenous zombies. Berserk with rage, he kills every Godless one of them. As he stands over the bodies of the now truly dead, he realizes the Lord has a mission for him. He takes the battle to the evil minions of Satan, both living and undead, while scouting westward to recon the forces of the shadow government. Views: 25
All his life a man fights death, and then at last loses the fight, always having known he would. Loneliness is every man's portion, and failure. The man who seeks to escape from loneliness is a lunatic. The man who does not know that all is failure is a fool. The man who does not laugh at these things is a bore.Arak Vagramian, a handsome son of Armenian immigrants, contended with his small-town bar-tending job in Fresno, is one day spotted by a Hollywood filmmaker. Although at first he refuses to leave his hometown, job, family and friends, soon the splendour of Hollywood lifestyle lures him. Shortly after he becomes Rock Wagram—a Hollywood heart-throb and celebrity. But at the peak of his career he decides to enter the army and serve his country during the war. When in 1950 he attempts to resume his acting career he battles with the many challenges which the fast changing industry throws at him.Rock Wagram, first published in 1951, is an inspiring... Views: 25
