Tales of the Arcane is a monthly collection of short stories by those with a love for the art of story craft. The Tales are 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.In this issue:- The Beginning- The Organizers- Silken Whispers: The ButterflyTales 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:The Beginning:The story of an emerging power and a young man's imprisonment in a world he doesn't understand.The Organizers:A chance sensual dalliance turns supernaturally deadly. Silken Whispers - Casefile: The ButterflyThe continuation of July's chapters, as the ladies of Silken Whispers Artefact Recovery Agency undertake a new job in the South Pacific Views: 636
A lighthearted look at the lapses that come with aging—even for geniuses . . . Did you know that Albert Einstein once searched frantically for his misplaced train ticket because he couldn't remember where he was going? Or that Marilyn Monroe forgot the same line through fifty-two takes during the filming of Some Like it Hot? Can you believe that Marlon Brando had to have his lines written on another actor's forehead so he could get through a scene? If you have done something like this, don't despair, for you are among other greats like Lincoln, Beethoven, Newton, Toscanini, and a whole assortment of presidents, poets, philosophers, popes, and Nobel Prize winners. Old age isn't for wimps, nor is it for those without a sense of humor. The Big Book of Senior Moments is chock full of those small blunders, momentary lapses, and misplaced keys that happen to all of us. Humor might not help you remember your cat's name, but it will... Views: 636
Can bitter enemies find love?Haunted by visions, Calypso sets out to find the man who stalks her dreams. Calypso, an ageless fae, is convinced this man will enslave and torment her just like the one who held her long ago. Determined to track him down and kill him, she's prepared for anything, except for what she finds. The mortal male she encounters stirs embers she thought long dead, making her yearn for his touch.Lucien has always believed himself to be a mortal slave. The truth, however, is more than he's ever imagined. Born to a fae mother and a warlock father, he is a falock, a being of mixed blood hated by both races. And he's destined for greatness...if he can survive the Roman gladiators' games long enough to grow into his immortality.When the slim beauty rescues him from the depths of his prison, Lucien comes face to face with the truth of who and what he is. Determined to protect the woman who rescued him, he'll risk everything, including his chance at... Views: 635
Devin Lyle and Craig Rockwell are back, this time to a haunted castle in Ireland where a banshee may have gone wild—or maybe there's a much more rational explanation—one that involves a disgruntled heir, murder, and mayhem, all with that sexy light touch Heather Graham has turned into her trademark style. Views: 635
When Frank was caught in a gas attack in the Underground, he thought he was going to die, but the gas wasn't designed to kill.Instead it opened his eyes to a sinister conspiracy so huge in scale and terrifying in its implication, the government will stop at nothing to keep it hidden.It began with an explosion in the station.Frank was there. He heard the shooting and saw the police giving chase. He was caught up in a gas attack that put him in hospital.But the government deny everything.They say it was an accident.Frank knows they’re lying.The question is why?As Frank tries to uncover the truth of what happened, he discovers a mysterious and sinister conspiracy that is so huge in scale and terrifying in its implication, the government will stop at nothing to keep it hidden. Views: 635
From bestselling author Jon Krakauer, a stark, powerful, meticulously reported narrative about a series of sexual assaults at the University of Montana — stories that illuminate the human drama behind the national plague of campus rape
Missoula, Montana, is a typical college town, with a highly regarded state university, bucolic surroundings, a lively social scene, and an excellent football team — the Grizzlies — with a rabid fan base.
The Department of Justice investigated 350 sexual assaults reported to the Missoula police between January 2008 and May 2012. Few of these assaults were properly handled by either the university or local authorities. In this, Missoula is also typical.
A DOJ report released in December of 2014 estimates 110,000 women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four are raped each year. Krakauer’s devastating narrative of what happened in Missoula makes clear why rape is so prevalent on American campuses, and why rape victims are so reluctant to report assault.
Acquaintance rape is a crime like no other. Unlike burglary or embezzlement or any other felony, the victim often comes under more suspicion than the alleged perpetrator. This is especially true if the victim is sexually active; if she had been drinking prior to the assault — and if the man she accuses plays on a popular sports team. The vanishingly small but highly publicized incidents of false accusations are often used to dismiss her claims in the press. If the case goes to trial, the woman’s entire personal life becomes fair game for defense attorneys.
This brutal reality goes a long way towards explaining why acquaintance rape is the most underreported crime in America. In addition to physical trauma, its victims often suffer devastating psychological damage that leads to feelings of shame, emotional paralysis and stigmatization. PTSD rates for rape victims are estimated to be 50%, higher than soldiers returning from war.
In Missoula, Krakauer chronicles the searing experiences of several women in Missoula — the nights when they were raped; their fear and self-doubt in the aftermath; the way they were treated by the police, prosecutors, defense attorneys; the public vilification and private anguish; their bravery in pushing forward and what it cost them.
Some of them went to the police. Some declined to go to the police, or to press charges, but sought redress from the university, which has its own, non-criminal judicial process when a student is accused of rape. In two cases the police agreed to press charges and the district attorney agreed to prosecute. One case led to a conviction; one to an acquittal. Those women courageous enough to press charges or to speak publicly about their experiences were attacked in the media, on Grizzly football fan sites, and/or to their faces. The university expelled three of the accused rapists, but one was reinstated by state officials in a secret proceeding. One district attorney testified for an alleged rapist at his university hearing. She later left the prosecutor’s office and successfully defended the Grizzlies’ star quarterback in his rape trial. The horror of being raped, in each woman’s case, was magnified by the mechanics of the justice system and the reaction of the community.
Krakauer’s dispassionate, carefully documented account of what these women endured cuts through the abstract ideological debate about campus rape. College-age women are not raped because they are promiscuous, or drunk, or send mixed signals, or feel guilty about casual sex, or seek attention. They are the victims of a terrible crime and deserving of compassion from society and fairness from a justice system that is clearly broken. Views: 635
Melissa and Anna’s gap year in Paris is nearing its end and Anna is desperate for one last adventure before heading back home. A journey into the Catacombs would be the perfect last thrill. Melissa is terrified and can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is going to happen… Is she worried about nothing, or will the subterranean maze become their worst nightmare?Melissa and Anna’s gap year in Paris is nearing its end and Anna is desperate for one last adventure before heading back home. A journey into the Catacombs, a vast underground network of tunnels and caves, would be the perfect last thrill. Melissa is terrified and can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is going to happen… Is she worried about nothing, or will the subterranean maze become their worst nightmare? Views: 635
Shannon Clarke raised a family and worked waterfront jobs in America's oldest seaport. Her childhood dream to become a sea captain is revived when her long-lost seafaring uncle Patrick visits with a salty tale of their maritime family ancestry of pirates and privateers. Views: 635
**Sisterhood in all its drama, hilarity and tears is at the heart of *New York Times* bestselling author Kristan Higgins's thoroughly captivating new novel, featuring the wit and romance that readers have come to expect from the much-loved creator of the Blue Heron series...**
Wedding-dress designer Jenny Tate understands the happily-ever-after business, yet somehow she's still involved in her ex-husband's life. In fact, Owen's new wife may—inexplicably—be Jenny's new best friend. Sensing this, well, relationship isn't helping her move on, Jenny trades the Manhattan skyline for her hometown up the Hudson, where she'll be able to bask in her sister Rachel's picture-perfect family life…and hopefully make one of her own.
Her timing couldn't be more perfect, since Rachel will need her younger sister. Her idyllic marriage has just fallen to pieces in spectacular fashion after she discovers her husband sexting with one of his colleagues. Second chances aren't in Rachel's nature, but the desire for an intact family has her rethinking her stance on adultery, much to Jenny's surprise. Rachel points to their parents' "perfect" marriage as a shining example, but to protect her sister Jenny may have to tarnish that memory—and their relationship—and reveal a secret about their family she's been keeping since childhood.
During this summer of secrets and lies, temptation and revelation, Jenny and Rachel will rely on each other to find the humor in their personal catastrophes, the joy in their triumphs…and the strength to keep hanging on. Views: 635
38 poems under 100 words. These poems appear in Pointed Sentences (BlazeVOX 2012), Incompetent Translations and Inept Haiku (Cerevana Barva Press 2013), The Lice of Christ (MadHat Press 2014), and Blasphemer (Lit Fest Press 2015).38 Poems Under 100 Words 1. Excommunicado 2. Bone Density 3. Nan Sequiter 4. Not That Kind of Pain 5. Chapel Access 6. A Journey of Seven Thousand Miles 7. The Lost Boys 8. Prowl Car 9. Self Alaska 10. Pain 11. Son of Uncle Sam 12. Cranshaw on a Boat 13. The Rest Nowhere 14. Bees in the Eaves 15. Pink 16. The Death of Sherwood Anderson 17. Precipice of Questions 18. The Tapeworm of Selfish Mammon Eats All the Goodwill in the World 19. Julia 20. A Piece of Him 21. Ratatouille 22. Before the Door 23. Parabola Tango 24. Sermon of Lilac 25. In My Hometown 26. Black Squirrel Poem 27. Not Enough Sin to Go Around 28. Anthropometamorphism 29. Villon, Stop Following Me Around 30. Abraham 31. Bare Ruined Palace 32. Holy Week 33. Peterson Park 34. Mad Love 35. The Separation 36. Kicking Out the Enjambs 37. Not a Villanelle 38. He Holds an Expired Visa and a Monday Grudge These poems appear in Pointed Sentences (BlazeVOX 2012), Incompetent Translations and Inept Haiku (Cerevana Barva Press 2013), The Lice of Christ (MadHat Press 2014), and Blasphemer (Lit Fest Press 2015). Views: 635
As the old man’s hands pulled back the worn leather, Alman looked at what lay within. He reached out and touched the finest of steel. Embedded in the hilt, a perfect diamond.As the old man’s hands pulled back the worn leather, Alman looked at what lay within. He reached out and touched the finest of steel. Embedded in the hilt, a perfect diamond. Upon accepting the sword, Alman had to go where no one ever dare go before. He needs to pass mountains where some never return from. Will the fires keep him safe along the way and keep whatever is lurking in the shadows at bay? Will he live to save the others? His father’s Kingdom depended on him. What magic were they dealing with?Nicholis the king of Maramar regretted the words as soon as they left his lips. He knew his only son could be rebellious and now he knew that he would have to send men to keep him safe. The storm stayed steady and as the four of them walked into his great hall, he took one look at Madeline, the village girl he has taken in and knows who she would be perfect for. Views: 635
When Kenny and Nicky spot a glint of gold in the murky waters of Bacon Pond, they can't leave it alone. It means money, and money helps patch things up when you haven't got any. But sometimes it's better not to look too deep. Not when there are local gangsters involved, and tough questions about your own family's past. But Nicky can't help looking back. He knows it's a bad idea, and it could ruin everything. Can he save himself and his family, or will the secrets of the lake take them all down? Views: 635
The world, as we know it, has ended. Now one man must guide humanity through its bleakest hour. Reluctant superhero, Marine Sergeant Nathaniel Hogan…The Forever Man. A series of solar flares stopped the heart of our modern world, returning us to the DARK AGES. Now ‘they’ have appeared through a gateway in space. Orcs, goblins and their leaders – the Fair Folk. Are they here to help, or to conquer?The world, as we know it, has ended. One man stands resolute. A man who has been trained in the savage arts of war. A man who lives his life according to a creed. A simple man who wants none of the power thrust upon him. This man is Marine Sergeant Nathaniel Hogan, seconded to the American Embassy in London and, although he does not know it, he is – The Forever Man.The first pulse occurred in the old calendar year of 2022. A sequence of gigantic solar flares created a series of massive electromagnetic pulses that stopped the heart of our modern world and returned us to the DARK AGES. Tens of thousands died within the first few hours as airplanes fell from the skies, hospitals ceased to work and every form of modern transportation ground to a halt. Within days the death toll had reached the hundreds of thousands. Fires raged unchecked through the cities, water supplies ran out and survivors turn on each other as mob rule surpassed all else.And Nathaniel finds that he has been changed by the huge amounts of Gamma radiation in the solar flares. They have enhanced his natural abilities, giving him increased speed, strength and healing. Indefinitely extended his life span and enabling him to be able to draw on the power of the solar flares to create magik.But even The Forever Man was not prepared for what happened next, as the ongoing flares tore a hole in time and space, creating a gateway through which ‘they’ appeared. From the realms of fantasy came the orcs, the goblins and, leading them all – the Fair Folk. Were they here to help – or to conquer?Craig Zerf has gotten serious! This is the first in his MAMMOTH new Post Apocalyptic Fantasy series that covers hundreds of years of man's dystopian existence under the yoke of the Fair-Folk. Award winning author...Chosen by London Radio BBC 4 as the "YEAR'S BEST READ." New York Times Best Selling author Michael Marshal says, "Brutal and Uncompromising with unforgettable characters and real emotional punch.”SF CROWSNEST - Craig Zerf is inflated with invention and well endowed with wit. Views: 635
Has any individual been more influential in shaping Australia's culture than Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer AC? Kerry Packer: Tall Tales and True Stories is a collection of stories, gathered from people who knew the man, from those who have documented him, and from the folklore that inevitably surrounded him. In this fun, irrepressible collection, author Michael Stahl has delved into the world of the man who was instrumental in shaping Australia's media landscape. Views: 635
The Abigail Saltminder Adventures, 1: The Complex. Abigail Saltminder is a tough child of the precarious V-City streets. On a whim, she enlists in the Space Army, There she learns she is a 'Special' and joins an elite team. But not is all as it seems, and soon Abigail and Tom (another Special) are on the run. Animals, space ships, special powers, friendships, deadly enemies and Poppity-Pings!The first book of the The Abigail Saltminder Adventures series. There will be six books in total. They are short (about 20,000 words, so around 2 hours reading) and are fast paced, filled with family friendly action and adventure.Each book is a complete story, but they should be read in sequence as together, they form one epic, exciting redemptive tale. Book 1: The Complex.Abigail Saltminder is a tough child of the V-City streets, living a precarious hand to mouth existence. Almost on a whim, she enlists in the Space Army, known as the 'Sparmy.' There she learns she is a 'Special' and joins an elite team.But not is all as it seems, and soon Abigail and Tom (another Special) are on the run.Animals, space ships, special powers, friendships, deadly enemies and Poppity-Pings! Views: 635
