Skelmersdale has always been a testing ground for pilot schemes.Nathaniel Myra innocently visits to investigate how the latest trial is going, but discovers that all is not as it seems in the quiet, dull town...The holidays can be overwhelming for anyone, but Zoey is ready to explode when Maurice, her closet-monster roommate, takes celebrations to the extreme. When Zoey ducks out for a little fresh air, she finds a boy with a big problem -- a problem only a mythical creature can have and only Zoey can solve.This story also appears in the short story collection, Transmonstrified.Hidden Holidays takes place between Monster Haven book two, Pooka in My Pantry, and book three, Fairies in My Fireplace. Views: 360
Nobody alive knew how the feud between Storn and Hammefell had begun, but that didn't stop the fighting. When Storn's men burned Hammerfell's castle, his infant twin sons were separated, and each grew up thinking himself the rightful Duke of Hammerfell. Conn, raised in the mountains by his father's paxman, continued to fight the Storns. Alastair grew up with his mother in Thendara and planned to marry his cousin Floria. But when Conn came to Thendara to seek King Aiden's help and the twins encountered each other, it changed all their lives. Views: 360
As Jessie prepares to graduate and move forward with a degree in Paranormal Psychology, his haunting past rears its ugly head and weaves him through the web of time until he must question absolutely everything about his current reality."Where am I?" said Jessie. "Botany, Mrs. Turner's class. Does it ring a bell? Light your bulb?" asked Jude. Whatever happened I must have hit my head really hard, Jessie thought. Laying his head on his desk, he tried to remember what he had been doing last, searching for something, the answer to the riddle. He looked down at his desk to see if he could find any clues. There was a botany book on top of the tan colored desk, a pencil, a white sheet of paper containing past notes on the flowers. Mrs. Turner was going on about finals as well as extra credit. Ah! That's right! Jude and I had done a project together on the symbolism of flowers, but why would that be important?Jude interrupted Jessie's concentration. "I thought you said you were going to the lake this weekend? Your grandfather always said we could have the graduation party there." "This weekend," Jessie stammered. “What day is it?" "Monday. Don’t you remember anything from the past twenty-four hours? It's our finals week. Everyone is graduating. You said you'd go check the place out, make sure it's ready. How long has it been since your grandfather has been gone, Jess? Two years now?" Jess sighed, finally remembering the deal he’d made. Jess was going to see what was going on, if the house needed a bit of tidying up before having friends there. It seemed like he was in a time warp. How did he get back from the mansion to his botany class? Views: 360
Zombies plague the landscape, wreaking havoc on the remaining uninfected. At twenty, I should be worrying about final exams and spring break. Instead, I'm sharpening blades and loading guns. My family hides out away from the settlements, deep in the Rocky Mountains. We raid stores and trade to settlements.Lucky for us I have a secret, I’m a necromancer.My name is Anya and this is my story.Zombies plague the apocalyptic landscape, insatiable and wreaking havoc on the remaining uninfected. Settlements desperately hold out, fighting for the last remnants of civilization while striving for a return to normalcy.At twenty years old, I should be worrying about final exams and where I’m going for spring break. Instead, I’m sharpening blades and loading guns.My family chooses to make its home away from the settlements, deep in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. We raid stores across the state, gathering supplies which we in turn trade to the settlements.It’s a simple, but dangerous, existence and biters haunt us every step of the way.Lucky for us, I have a secret . . . I’m a necromancer.My name is Anya Donovan and this is my survival story. Views: 360
In 2006, Robert Silverberg published In the Beginning, a generous selection of stories from the early, developmental stages of his distinguished sixty-year career. Fast-paced, energetic, and unabashedly pulp-like in their origins and ambitions, those stories proved to be an unexpected gift to Silverberg’s many readers. That gift continues with Early Days, a second volume of apprentice fiction as wide-ranging and enjoyable as the first.
Early Days collects seventeen impossible to find stories from the years 1956 to 1958, supplemented by a fascinating introduction and extensive notes on the creation and publication history of each story. Together, these non-fiction pieces constitute both an episodic memoir and an affectionate history of an era when pulp magazines still dominated the SF marketplace.
Without exception, each of the stories in Early Days offers honest, unpretentious entertainment. The astonishingly prolific Silverberg may have had a bit to learn back then, but he had an innate understanding of narrative that shines through every one of these tales. The stories range in tone from the grimly dystopian future of “The Inquisitor” to the playful “Space Is the Place,” in which a maintenance technician from Crawford IX experiences comic culture shock during a mandatory vacation on Earth. “Rescue Mission” revolves around the telepathic connection between two interplanetary intelligence agents. “Housemaid No. 103” provides a humorous glimpse into the romantic difficulties of a far future matinee idol. “Harwood’s Vortex” combines a mad scientist, alien invaders, and the possible end of life as we know it into a single colorful narrative.
Silverberg, of course, would evolve into one of the genuine masters of the genre, and this retrospective collection of early work offers invaluable insights into his development. Silverberg himself calls Early Days “an affectionate tribute to my hardworking self of more than half a century ago.” It is all of that and more. Anyone with an interest in Silverberg’s career, or in the history and evolution of modern science fiction, needs to read this book. They may not write ‘em like this anymore, but once upon a time they did. And looking back has never been so much fun. Views: 360
There’s a magnetic attraction when a happy-go-lucky gig worker agrees to a fake relationship with a rich, uptight New Yorker in this steamy romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young. Star Shine Meadows is all about freedom, thanks to the hippie parents who raised her. Juggling her jobs as a professional costume character actor and a line sitter, she believes in no expectations, no stressful ambitions, and no-strings-attached relationships. So when she meets a birthday girl’s grumpy uncle while working a princess party, she can’t help but needle him. She’ll never see him again, and honestly, he's pretty hot. Rafe Whitman may be a veterinarian with a great bedside manner, but that doesn’t mean his patience extends to anyone with opposable thumbs. His family will not stop nagging him about finding “the one,” so when he runs into obnoxiously cheery Star again, he makes her an offer: He’ll... Views: 360
This time, beauty is the beast. And she wants prince charming dead. At eighteen, Keira is a formidable dragon hunter bent on finding her parents' killer—a forest dragon she once helped escape her mother's laboratory. Biggest mistake of her life. Now, Keira pours her thirst for revenge into her mother's life-long mission: figuring out what a forest dragon's poison is . . . so she can destroy the murderers for good. But Keira's plan begins to unravel when she takes on a life debt to a forest dragon in order to save her brother. Trapped behind enemy lines, Keira's assumptions about dragons are turned upside down, and she must confront the possibility that everything she knows about dragons is wrong. As she gets closer to discovering the forest dragon's poison, she must decide if the price of this knowledge is worth the sacrifice. In this not-quite fairy tale, what the "princess" needs most is a change of heart. But... Views: 359
The stunning conclusion to the epic Pellinor series—four books telling an extraordinary tale of another world.
The Singing follows the separate journeys of Maerad and Cadvan, and their brother Hem, as they desperately seek each other in an increasingly battle-torn land. The Black Army is moving north and Maerad has a mighty confrontation with the Landrost to save Innail. All the Seven Kingdoms are being threatened with defeat. Yet Maerad and Hem hold the key to the mysterious Singing and only in releasing the music of the Elidhu together may the Nameless One be defeated.
Can brother and sister find each other in time to fight the Nameless One, and are they strong enough to defeat him? Views: 359
Feng Shui - With knowledge and wisdom ch'i can be used for beneficial and fortuitous practice.But there are some for whom ch'i is used for a darker purpose . . .Wildlife biologist Chase Armstrong and Montana rancher's daughter Kit Daniels find themselves in the center of a battle between US military forces and intelligent dinosaurs returning to earth after 65 million years in space. Fighting for their lives and the future of humanity, Kit and Chase may find romance--if they live long enough! Great adventure reading for all ages and both genders. Views: 359
Sarah has been an angel all year, and Santa still didn't bring her exactly what she wanted! This is the final straw. She decides to send one more letter to Santa: to tell him she is suing him! What will Saint Nick do?'Sarah Sues Santa' is the delightfully festive Christmas tale from P.J. Leonard, author of Kickstarter campaign success 'Tick' and 'Kami'.From P.J. Leonard, author of Kickstarter campaign success 'Tick' and 'Kami' comes this delightfully festive and thought-provoking Christmas Tale: 'Sarah Sues Santa'.Sarah Pebbleton has been an angel all year, and Santa still didn't bring her exactly what she wanted! This is the final straw. She decides to send one more letter to Santa: to tell him she'll be suing him. What happens next sets Sarah off on a journey to three very different houses where Christmas is celebrated very differently, and she learns the most important lessons of her life about the Christmas spirit and fairness...'Sarah Sues Santa' is inspired by P.J. Leonard's love for the season, and is offered for FREE as a Christmas gift to you! Views: 359
World Fantasy Award-winning author of *The Onion Girl*
The city of Newford could be any contemporary North American city...except that magic lurks in its music, in its art, in the shadows of its grittiest streets, where mythic beings walk disguised. And its people are like you and me, each looking for a bit of magic to shape their lives and transform their fate.
Here are a bluesman hiding from the devil; a Buffalo Man at the edge of death; a murderous ghost looking for revenge; a wolf man on his first blind date; and many more. We're reunited with Jilly, Geordie, Sophie, the Crow Girls, and other characters whose lives have become part of the great Newford myth. And beyond Newford's streets, de Lint takes us to the pastoral hills north of the city, where magic and music have a flavor different but powerful still. Views: 359
Saira has been trained from birth for this: to battle one of the Great Ones and retrieve that precious prize. But Rajani is old and clever, and like the Great Rocs before her, she is wise to the ways of thieves.A fantasy short story.Saira has been trained from birth for this: to battle one of the Great Ones and retrieve that precious prize. But Rajani is old and clever, and like the Great Rocs before her, she is wise to the ways of thieves. A fantasy short story."Clawbinder" was first published on Short-Story.Me! and is now available for the first time as an individual eBook. It also includes a short preview of the upcoming novelette "Night Feeders", a supernatural western. Views: 359
