Canadian superspies Agent Diamond and Charming Guy are back, fighting against insipid literature in this new short story. No holiday cliché is safe! This book is a free download and it is intended as a 2014 holiday gift for one and all. Apologies in advance to those who knit.Tales of the Arcane is a monthly collection of short stories by those with a love for the art of story craft - both amateur and professional writers. The Tales will be mainly themed in the genre of the supernatural, though will cover a host of genres with changing short stories; or the continuation of longer stories as told in a serial chapter format.These works have been created by members of an online community, The Arcane Light, and endeavors to promote the written word and story-crafting by giving those wanting to develop their own writing style an outlet for their creativity.In this issue:Untitled:A short story of a pianist's reacquaintance with his lost lover.Silken Whispers - Casefile: The ButterflyThe ladies of Silken Whispers Artefact Recovery Agency undertake a new job in the South PacificMr. Tydings Casefile;A brief introduction of Mr. Tydings views on the secret world of shadows. Views: 963
Eight years ago, Scott and Gaby shared one very special night. Not wanting to ruin their friendship, they didn't take things further...but neither of them has forgotten.
When Scott’s friends stage an intervention to make him realize that his fiancé, Victoria, is all wrong for him, he takes time to evaluate his life. He’s earned a big promotion and just bought his dream car, but those things are just superficial. The one time he was truly happy, was with Gaby.
Gaby is in a good place in her life. She loves her job, has the best friends and family a girl could ask for, and is dating a sweet and sexy guy, but she’s never stopped thinking about that night with Scott.
Eager to find happiness again, Scott makes a plan to win Gaby’s heart during a weekend getaway, but she doesn’t want to be his rebound girl. Will 42 hours be enough to convince Gaby that it's finally their time for love?
This story is meant for readers 18 and older.
Series Reading Order:
8 Weeks - Free
21 Days - $0.99
42 Hours
15 Minutes
10 Years
3 Seconds
7 Months Views: 962
From the poisoned rivers, barren wells, and clear-cut forests, to the hundreds of thousands of farmers who have committed suicide to escape punishing debt, to the hundreds of millions of people who live on less than two dollars a day, there are ghosts nearly everywhere you look in India. India is a nation of 1.2 billion, but the country’s 100 richest people own assets equivalent to one-fourth of India’s gross domestic product.
Capitalism: A Ghost Story examines the dark side of democracy in contemporary India, and shows how the demands of globalized capitalism has subjugated billions of people to the highest and most intense forms of racism and exploitation. Views: 962
New York Times bestselling author Karin Slaughter is acclaimed for her novels of heart-stopping suspense, edge-of-your-seat intrigue, and richly imagined characters. And when Slaughter created detective Will Trent she broke the mold. While displaying an uncanny knack for reading people, solving puzzles, and cracking cases at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Detective Trent navigates the varied relationships with the women in his life: vice cop Angie Polaski, supervisor Amanda Wagner, partner Faith Mitchell, and Dr. Sara Linton. This gripping eBook bundle contains seven novels in the Will Trent series, including:
TRIPTYCH
FRACTURED
UNDONE
BROKEN
FALLEN
CRIMINAL
UNSEEN
Also includes the eBook novellas Snatched and Busted as well as a preview of Karin Slaughter’s highly anticipated thriller Cop Town!
Praise for Karin Slaughter and her Will Trent thrillers
“One of the best crime novelists in America.”—The Washington Post
“Crime fiction at its finest.”—Michael Connelly
“Slaughter writes with a razor. . . . Better than Cornwell can ever hope to be.”—The Plain Dealer
“Slaughter will have you on the edge of your seat.”—Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“Slaughter’s gift for building multilayered tension while deconstructing damaged personalities gives this thriller a nerve-wracking finish.”—USA Today*, on Triptych
“Heart-pounding . . . Trent and Mitchell, a pair of complex and deeply flawed heroes, will leave fans clamoring for the next installment.”—Publishers Weekly* (starred review), on Fractured
“A complicated spider web of secrets and tangles.”—Los Angeles Times*, on Undone
“Addictive . . . Slaughter is a terrific writer, and she keeps the emotional tension high throughout.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution*, on Broken
“An absolute master . . . Slaughter creates some wonderfully complex and mature female characters, a distinctive achievement in the world of thrillers.”—Chicago Tribune*, on Fallen
“[A] hold-on-to-your-hat, nail-biting story . . . What raises Slaughter way above the sensational is her wonderful way with characters.”—The Washington Post*, on Criminal
“No one writes like Slaughter.”—The Huffington Post, on Unseen Views: 962
The story of a man named John, who finds a wolf pup on a trip to Alaska and helps rescue it. The story of his life, how he meets his wife, Jane, and of his son, J.D.Oriel is a planet with a roof, a crusted atmospheric ceiling that falls in chunks like oversized snow. The snow is alive, the Ologists joke. It mimics life, but only out of the corner of your eye...or behind your back.Oriel is a far-flung world whose raw potential is contested, although not understood. A deliberately crashed spaceship throws the planet's atmosphere into turmoil, kick-starting an evolutionary process that accelerates out of control. There is indigenous life on Oriel but in a form unrecognised by man. Soon though this, along with man himself, is transmuted into a pastiche of Earth-like forms, people and buildings grown from the land itself in a matter of days, briefly flourishing before falling into conflict and decay. It is difficult to tell what is human and what mutant. A few surviving humans struggle to make sense of this new world, whilst others are drawn to Oriel in a hopeless search for answers, redemption and even lost love.In the end even reality itself is twisted. Views: 962
Charlie-bear is a nine-month-old who is living a nightmare--rather, he has a nightmare living inside his head, and in his bedroom. The doctors assure his parents it is colic and that he'll grow out of it, but his father, Sam, isn't convinced...and his mother, Faith, just wants to get some rest.Charles Michael Bryant--Charlie-bear to his parents--is nine months old and suffers from that age-old and worrisome condition known as colic. The doctors say he'll grow out of it. His father, Sam, wishes he would go ahead and do so...and his mother, Faith, just wants a good night's sleep. It isn't gas that is keeping Charlie-bear awake, nor is it heartburn, reflux or a wet diaper. Charlie-bear has drawn the attention of Wicked...a nasty, nightmarish character who moves as a shadow, speaks only in rhyme and steals the souls of children. He is a monster which uses his wicked talents to create more nightmares...like himself. As Charlie-bear's symptoms grow worse, his father begins to believe something else is wrong. Something a doctor cannot cure...and there's a crazy vagrant who shows up in Sam's driveway that might just prove him right. Views: 962
Award-winning author Juliet Marillier "weaves magic, mythology, and folklore into every sentence on the page" (The Book Smugglers). Now she begins an all-new and enchanting series that will transport readers to a magical vision of ancient Ireland...
In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she'll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help.
Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady Flidais. He knows her only from a portrait and sweetly poetic correspondence that have convinced him Flidais is his destined true love. But Oran discovers letters can lie. For although his intended exactly resembles her portrait, her brutality upon arrival proves she is nothing like the sensitive woman of the letters.
With the strategic marriage imminent, Oran sees no way out of his dilemma. Word has spread that Blackthorn possesses a remarkable gift for solving knotty problems, so the prince asks her for help. To save Oran from his treacherous nuptials, Blackthorn and Grim will need all their resources: courage, ingenuity, leaps of deduction, and more than a little magic. Views: 961
The year is 2285 and the PCS Trident, one of Earth's heavy cruisers, is on her final voyage. On route, the Trident is viciously attack by Karakan battleships, forcing the ship to crash land on the planet of Aria Prime. Here they find medieval world filled with creatures and races of mythology, not all of whom are friendly. Can they survive?An Interstellar Tale of Survival…The year is 2285 and it has been ten years since the bloody interstellar war with the Karakan Empire. Earth and her allies enjoy the peace, and an interstellar migration to colonize the galaxy is under way.The PCS Trident, one of Earth’s heavy cruisers, is on her final voyage. The mission: transport equipment and colonists to the settlements on Alpha Ceres. On route, the Trident is viciously attack by Karakan battleships, disabling long range communications and faster than light drive. Stranded millions of miles from the nearest friendly outpost and without communications, all hoped seemed lost.Colonel Christopher Nash, commander of the Trident, makes the bold decision to navigate his crippled vessel to Aria Prime, the only habitable planet within range. Not much is known about Aria Prime, but probe data suggest a primitive planet inhabited by a people stuck in the medieval era. Once on the planet surface, the crew and colonists of the Trident begin a struggle for survival. Everything is in short supply, and much of the advanced technology of the 23rd century has been rendered useless. As physical labor replaces mechanization, unrest grows.Nash journeys to the nearest native settlement, where he befriends the diminutive tillers. Unfortunately, these people are under constant attack from a marauding race known as the drogs. Nash quickly puts an end to the drog’s looting, and offers the tillers protection in exchange for free trade and information on the local lands. The tillers agree, but will the offer be the catalyst which spawns a war in this medieval land?Chronicles of Aria Prime is an edge-of-your-seat Sci fi thriller that blends a multitude of science fiction genre. The adventure begins as a tale of interstellar travel, but quickly morphs into a space opera. Once on Aria Prime, the story takes on elements of sci fi fantasy, and post-apocalyptic survival. This fast-paced novella is the first in the Chronicles of Aria Prime serial. Views: 961
Lannon Sunshield and his friends have found a new home--the dreary, cursed tower known as Ollanhar where the Dark Watchmen once dwelt. They vow to restore and defend the ancient keep, even as an old enemy returns stronger than ever and creatures of darkness close in on them. Meanwhile, King Verlamer continues to expand his colossal, brutal empire, and Dremlock Kingdom remains his primary target.The Black Grouse is an English hero in Scotland, helping out where the Scottish can’t, mainly due to their love of barley based refreshments. With his team, not only does the Grouse perform well at the Highland games, but also in his mission. The villains are English too, a right mad duo, but are sorted out by the grouse and his friends. The real villain is a Scot, whose name, if you don’t read it properly, sounds like a fish Scotland is famous for (he has a thing about those ugly wind tower things).I tried to write it in a Scottish accent, so it hasn’t been spell checked, as that task would have sent whoever attempted it quite in need of a good stiff drink. Views: 961
Book Two of the Girls of Spindrift. From the New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic and My Sweet Audrina series, now Lifetime movies, continues a haunting new series featuring highly intelligent teenage girls who struggle to survive a specialized high school and find their place in a world that doesn't understand them. Such is the burden of being brilliant.Being gifted is not something Donna ever wanted. It's difficult enough to have a Latino father and Irish mother, and her genius only separates her even more from the other girls. They don't say it, but they blame her for everything that goes wrong, just because she's different. And on the precise day she tries her hardest to fit in, everything turns out a disaster. A fight breaks out, and somehow Donna ends up in the middle. It's not her fault, but it's her word against theirs, and this time, the other girls aren't going to stay quiet. The only solution might be to escape... Views: 960
A fascinating new novella in Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere, the universe shared by his Mistborn series and the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive.
Sixth of the Dusk, set in a never-before-seen world, showcases a society on the brink of technological change. On the deadly island of Patji, where birds grant people magical talents and predators can sense the thoughts of their prey, a solitary trapper discovers that the island is not the only thing out to kill him. When he begins to see his own corpse at every turn, does this spell danger for his entire culture?
A note from the publisher: For a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the creation of this novella, including brainstorming and workshopping session transcripts, the first draft, line-by-line edits, and an essay by Brandon, please see Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology.
** Views: 960
The 1912 Waihi Strike tested the resolve of the worker, the town and the government. None could have forseen its devastating effects or the tragedy that would propel the strike into the annals of history. The story follows Archie and Mary struggling to find love against a turbulent industrial dispute. Battles were fought and lost, love won and lost, men died. The strike was never called off.At a time of worldwide revolt against an oppressed and exploited working class, the 1912 Waihi Strike tested the resolve of Mary and Archie, warring unions, the town and the government. None could have forseen the tragedy that would propel the strike into the annals of history.Mary grew up on the Hauraki gold fields having emigrated from Scotland with her family. As the daughter of a mine manager she enjoys a charmed life and teaches piano, sure that music would be the one thing that defines her.Archie Wright came to Waihi to be near his brother after his wife died in childbirth. With two small children to provide for he accepted a job as a stationary engine driver, a position well below the mine manager job he left in Ballarat.When the engine drivers form a separate union Archie does not join them and the action leads to the longest strike in New Zealand’s history.Amongst the turmoil Mary and Archie fight for the rights of the strikers, he as a union representative and she as a Scarlet Runner. But their message is not well received and the government clamps down heavily on the strikers by sending more and more police to the town as the strike drags on.Archie finds himself opposing his brother and Mary causes grievous upset by defying her father. Her family becomes the target of mischief making which has unintended and fatal consequences and which forces Mary to question her loyalties. Mary has a conviction that in her eyes equals that of her mother, Emily, who fought for temperance and won. Emily’s legacy sits heavily on Mary and she sees the strike as her platform for social change. She is a sponge for Archie’s socialist philosophy and with her Scarlet Runner accomplices ensures the aims of the strike gain sympathy from men and women alike. Views: 960
Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is There. Ever wonder if that was true? Discouraged by crushing circumstances Naomi and Ruth travel back to the land of Judah. They have lost everything in Moab, the land of the descendants of Lot. Watch their lives as El-Olam, the Everlasting God guides them by His sovereign grace in this miraculous story.My name is Boaz and I am related to two Kings. The first of course is my King Jesus. He is my Savior although I just met Him in person when I got here. Got where? Heaven of course. Yes, I am in Heaven with God my Redeemer. The other King is King David for he descended from my ancestral line. It is quite a story to tell you. A true story, a miraculous story. It is the story of a young lady named Ruth who decided against all odds to trust Jehovah. My part in the story comes later so let me introduce you to a fine godly woman named Naomi. She also plays quite a part in this story of how I became related to two Kings. Take a walk with Naomi, Ruth and I, through the book of Ruth. Take a walk verse by verse and watch as the God of Heaven reveals Himself in the details of our lives. Views: 960
ECPA 2015 Christian Book Award Finalist!
2014 finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards!
Evil, unchecked, is the prelude to genocide.
As the Nazi war machine rolls across Europe, young Jacob Weisz is forced to flee his beloved Germany and join an underground resistance group in Belgium. But when a rescue operation goes horribly wrong, Jacob finds himself trapped in a crowded cattle car headed to southern Poland.
Sentenced to hard labor in the Auschwitz labor camp, Jacob forms an unlikely alliance with Jean-Luc Leclerc, a former assistant pastor who was imprisoned for helping Jews. They've been chosen for one of the most daring and dangerous feats imaginable--escape from Auschwitz. With no regard for their own safety, they must make it to the West and alert the Allies to the awful truth of what is happening in Poland before Fascism overtakes all of Europe. The fate of millions hangs in the balance. Views: 959
Julia looks forward to the most exciting event of the year. As the countdown begins, her world fills with new friendships and surprises, especially when a very pretty girl unexpectedly joins her class and they become great friends. But without warning, the events that begin to unfold are not at all what Julia has anticipated. What is in store for Julia? What is the outcome of her worst day ever?Julia looks forward to the most exciting event of the year. As the countdown begins, her world fills with new friendships and surprises, especially when a very pretty girl unexpectedly joins her class and they become great friends. In addition, the cutest boy at school suddenly becomes a part of their group and Julia looks forward to the special occasion that they are all planning for. But without warning, the events that begin to unfold are not at all what Julia has anticipated. Is there a bully in their midst and is bullying going on around her?What is in store for Julia and what is the final outcome of her worst day ever? You are sure to love the first book in the Julia Jones series. It is fast paced and suspenseful and will captivate you from start to finish. A fantastic book for girls aged from 9 to 12. Views: 959
