Widower Jack Tremaine can no longer run his farm while trying to manage a household and raise his young daughter. He needs help, so he advertises for a mail order bride. Scared to fall in love again, Jack promises to provide for Anna but never to love her.Anna Ryan thought when she answered an ad for a mail order bride that it would finally be her chance at happiness. When Jack tells her that he wants a marriage in name-only, Anna is devastated. She realizes she will never have a husband who loves her or children of her own.Anna agrees to Jack's terms but can't help but fall in love with him, his mischievous daughter and her new life in Sweet Creek, Colorado. Will Jack ever return her feelings or will true happiness for Anna always be just out of reach? Views: 466
Fun? Maybe not so much! In this sci-fi/fantasy short story, hapless home-owner Ed Rumsfeld is attacked by mutant man-eating insects. Thus begins a FREE series that will chronicle an increasingly unstable world in which nasty natural, technological and mythical forces are unleashed in response to climate change and other human induced problems.Fun? Maybe not so much! In this initial short story of a planned FREE fantasy/sci-fi series, hapless Virginia home-owner Ed Rumsfeld is attacked in his own front-yard by mutant man-eating insects. Thus begins a series of short stories and/or novellas that following completion will also then be merged into an epic novel that chronicles an increasingly unstable world in which nasty natural, technological and mythical forces are unleashed by climate change and other human induced problems. So what's 'fun' about global warming/climate change? If you’re a glass-is-half-full kind of person maybe global warming and other human-induced disasters aren’t really ALL bad, maybe they’re also opportunities: chances for mankind to further make a mess of things surely, but also opportunities for adventure, surprise, and (Maybe, maybe not!) triumph! Will humans survive? At this point even the author doesn't know; follow this gradually emerging series to find out! Views: 466
"Ted, Ted, come quickly, I think we did something bad!"..... So begins another day in the lives of best fur-friends, Teddy and Roo; Ted, who wants nothing more than to be a Good Dog, and Roo, who, despite the best of intentions, attracts trouble like dirt. For these two, life in suburbia is anything but dull. A short children's story that will resonate with anyone who's ever owned dogs!"Ted, Ted, come quickly, I think we did something bad!"..... And so begins another day in the lives of best fur-friends, Teddy and Roo; Ted, who wants nothing more than to be a Good Dog, and Roo, who, despite the best of intentions, attracts trouble like dirt. Whether it's tyranical tortoises, midnight soirees under the stars or death-defying leaps from cars, for these two, life in suburbia is anything but dull. A short children's story that will resonate with anyone who's ever owned dogs. Views: 466
Can an invisible librarian and a hunky blind deejay find happiness while eluding hired killers in a Florida wilderness? Miranda and Shepard must answer the question - for better or worse - in Iris Chacon's romantic-comedic novel, Finding Miranda. (See the review at OnlineBookClub.org.)Miranda Ogilvy is accustomed to being invisible. Sometimes people actually see her, but they forget her almost immediately. It’s not a bad life for a ghost, but Miranda is not a ghost. She’s a librarian.The problem may be that Miranda lives in a big, busy city. So when her aunt dies suddenly and leaves Miranda a century-old cottage forty miles beyond the middle of nowhere, Miranda makes the life-changing move from Miami to Minokee.Moving doesn’t solve the problem, however; people still don’t notice Miranda. The only two people who seem all too aware of her are a handsome neighbor (way out of her league) and the man who murdered her aunt (too late to move back to Miami?).Shepard Krausse is a late-night radio talk show host, but it isn’t because he “has a face for radio,” as the saying goes. In fact, Shepard is such a hunk that the little old ladies in his tiny Minokee community set their clocks every day in order to be on their front porches sipping coffee and watching through binoculars as he takes his morning run. Shep waves to the ladies (Psst! Bernice, yer droolin; on yer apron.), but he has never seen them. Shep has been blind since birth. His best friend (and guide dog), Dave, goes everywhere with him, including on the morning run. (Shepard’s the cute one; Dave’s the smart one.)Shepard’s radio show, “Sheep Counters with Shep and Dave,” caters to insomniacs whose paranoia and conspiracy theories are keeping them awake. People enjoy venting their rage on the air, and Shepard’s audience enjoys, in about equal numbers, either agreeing with or ridiculing his callers. Shep has a conspiracy theory of his own. He believes his uncle, the governor of the state of Florida, is corrupt in a big way, and may even be behind the murder of Shepard’s former neighbor, Phyllis Ogilvy.She is small, plain, and, of course, invisible. He is the size of a professional television wrestler and, of course, resembles Adonis. She squeaks by on a librarian’s salary, still wearing clothes she owned in high school. His matching outfits are laid out for him every morning by his chauffeur/valet. She has learned four languages by listening to CDs in her car. He speaks seven languages, which he learned while in boarding school in Switzerland. Her aunt was a small-town librarian and part-time birdwatcher. His uncle is the governor of Florida, and his mother acts like the Queen of England. Miranda attended a community college. Shepard has an Ivy League law degree. Not since the owl and the pussycat has there been a more unlikely pair.Now that Miranda has moved into Minokee, however, Shep and Dave are determined to protect their new neighbor from the bad guys. They just need to find out who or what the villains are. Miranda and Shep don’t know that soon, on a steamy Florida night, the city girl and the blind deejay will be running for their lives in the inky darkness of Little Cypress National Forest. Views: 465
In 1958 a small boy learns a little about England and cures a kerosene fridge....One Small Boy, is a series of very short stories that tell of a relationship that develops between two children in a world that is rapidly changing. Views: 465
God save me from making prophecies, because I am not qualified. Can I predict that Ebola virus not only finds its way to Europe and America, but also learns how to defeat the WHO protective suits protocols? Hey, who cares about Ebola? I fail to foresee that our Commander-in-Chief is going to introduce those new coffee-cup military salutes!Back in 2009, the beta-readers of Houston, 2030: The Year Zero asked me: Mike, are you sure this 'Meltdown' thingy of yours is going to happen? This year, two beta-readers asked independently: Mike, how do you know it will be called 'the Meltdown'? I have to admit, I have no idea how 'this thingy' is going to be called. Perhaps, 'the Meltdown'. Perhaps, 'GFC-3'. Or 'the Great Depression-2'. Or 'Peak Everything'. Further on, I have no idea if the 'Holy crap! This thingy is here!' event is going to happen exactly in 2016. In Eastern and Southern Europe, the energy crisis is presently on-going (my 'Houston, 2030: The Year Zero' has been a little bit of a prophecy, after all!) If we are very lucky, the energy system collapse in the United States will be delayed till the mid-twenties. Or it may come in 2015. How about tomorrow, after lunch?Perhaps, you are telling yourself the author is paranoid. Perhaps, I am. In such case, dear reader, pick a nice fantasy novel, with elves and goblins (yes, I like those too!) Your sword will be sharp and quick, your arrows will fly true and strong! And the Meltdown – Oh, holy crap! – will come totally unexpected. Views: 465
“Every single elf will disappear from the face of the earth.” Princess Carella reads this prophecy in the book of Arcanscape and knows that the Dark Queen will stop at nothing to make it come true. Carella travels with a group of missionaries across the land to offer her gift of healing and recruit other elven tribes to help join the war against the Dark Queen.“Every single elf will disappear from the face of the earth.” Princess Carella reads this prophecy in the book of Arcanscape and knows that the Dark Queen will stop at nothing to make it come true. Carella travels with a group of missionaries across the land to offer her gift of healing and recruit other elven tribes to help join the war against the Dark Queen. When Carella and her missionary group go missing, an old barbarian named Kelroar is hired by the village cleric Ricmorn to find them. But the Dark Queen has her own barbarian in the form of Tholan the Feared. Younger and quicker, Tholan readies to take the mantle from Kelroar as the fiercest fighter in the land. Marshaling her forces of Killtooths, a breed of vampire elves, the Dark Queen begins her siege on Carella's village as the two meet head on in a collision between darkness and the light. Views: 465
On Christmas day, a man sits, contemplating his life and how the things outside, the indescribable horrors, will soon break through his defences. But this is of no concern to him, for his now miserable life and the hand of fate that has forced him to commit an act so terrible, weigh constantly on his mind.Short horror/Sci-fi (ish) story. Please read and review.Artwork: Robert Thomas StricklandOn Christmas day, a man sits, contemplating his life and how the things outside, the indescribable horrors, will soon break through his defences. But this is of no concern to him, for his now miserable life and the hand of fate that has forced him to commit an act so terrible, weigh constantly on his mind.Short horror/Sci-fi (ish) story. Please read and review.The artwork for the story was provided by my brother "Robert Thomas Strickland". You can view more of his artistic scribblings on deviantart if you search for strick67. Views: 465
In the dark, when you hear a rustling… wait a minute. Didn’t I say that last time? Let me try again. Beware the night, for it holds many evil things that exist only in nightmares. I’ve seen things that will make your heart stop, things that will turn you white—cliché, I know. That howl that you hear in the distance, isn’t a coyote or a wolf. Don’t fret, because I am the one who will save you.In the dark, when you hear a rustling… wait a minute. Didn’t I say that last time? Let me try again. Beware the night, for it holds many evil things that exist only in nightmares. I’ve seen things that will make your heart stop, things that will turn you white—cliché, I know. That howl that you hear in the distance, isn’t a coyote or a wolf. Don’t fret, because I am the one who will save you. I’m Wes Parker: Monster Hunter.My job, or calling, is to hunt the monsters that try to prey on you every night. Usually they stay in small packs or keep to themselves but things have changed. They’re gathering, preparing for something big. I don’t know what it is but I fear whatever it may be, even I won’t be able to stop it.I’m going to say right now that if you haven’t read Volume One yet, then you’ll be really lost. So turn back and Search for Wes Parker: Monster Hunter Volume One. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Well, maybe you will be. In that case to hell with you.This book is a collection of short stories that were originally posted on my blog. You can visit there, cjpikebooks.wordpress.com, for more hunting. Views: 465
Shy, intellectual, and living in rural Oregon, Triinu Hoffman just doesn't fit in. She does her best to hide behind her dyed hair and black wardrobe, but it's hard to ignore the bullying of Pip Weston and Principal Pinn. It's even harder to ignore the allure of other girls. As Triinu tumbles headlong into first love and teenage independence, she realizes that the differences that make her a target are also the differences that can set her free. With everyone in town taking sides in the battle for equal rights in Oregon, Triinu must stand up for herself, learn what it is to love and have her heart broken, and become her own woman. Views: 465
Nancy Turner burst onto the literary scene with her hugely popular novels These Is My Words, Sarah's Quilt, and The Star Garden. Now, Turner has written the novel she was born to write, this exciting and heartfelt story of a woman struggling to find herself during the tumultuous years preceding the American Revolution.
The year is 1729, and Resolute Talbot and her siblings are captured by pirates, taken from their family in Jamaica, and brought to the New World. Resolute and her sister are sold into slavery in colonial New England and taught the trade of spinning and weaving. When Resolute finds herself alone in Lexington, Massachusetts, she struggles to find her way in a society that is quick to judge a young woman without a family. As the seeds of rebellion against England grow, Resolute is torn between following the rules and breaking free. Resolute's talent at the loom places her at the center of an incredible web of secrecy that helped drive the American Revolution. Heart-wrenching, brilliantly written, and packed to the brim with adventure, My Name is Resolute is destined to be an instant classic. Views: 465
Fox Laswell has always thought of Lindsey Kimberlin as a sister, but after he kisses her one night that thought quickly flies right out the door. Now he sees a woman before him—a woman that he wants and needs. He always thought he would mate to another shifter, yet Mother Nature it seems have other plans for him. Views: 465
