Grace Dillon was a champion figure skater until she moved to Thunder Point to escape the ruthless world of fame and competition. And though she's proud of the quiet, self-sufficient life she's created running a successful flower shop, she knows something is missing. Her life could use a little excitement.
In a community where there are few eligible singles, high school teacher Troy Headly appoints himself Grace's fun coach. When he suggests a little companionship with no strings attached, Grace is eager to take him up on his offer, and the two enjoy…getting to know each other.
But things get complicated when Grace's past catches up with her, and she knows that's not what Troy signed up for. Faced with losing her, Troy realizes Grace is more than just a friend with benefits. He's determined to help her fight for the life she always wished for but never believed she could have—and maybe they can find real love along the way. Views: 345
This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic, timeless works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them. Views: 345
Erica Marsden's son, an artist, has been imprisoned for homicidal negligence. In a state of grief, Erica cuts off all ties to family and friends, and retreats to a quiet hamlet on the south-east coast near the prison where he is serving his sentence.There, in a rundown shack, she obsesses over creating a labyrinth by the ocean. To build it—to find a way out of her quandary—Erica will need the help of strangers. And that will require her to trust, and to reckon with her past.The Labyrinth is a hypnotic story of guilt and denial, of the fraught relationship between parents and children, that is also a meditation on how art can both be ruthlessly destructive and restore sanity. It shows Amanda Lohrey to be at the peak of her powers.Amanda Lohrey lives in Tasmania and writes fiction and non-fiction. She has taught Politics at the University of Tasmania and Writing and Textual Studies at the University of Technology Sydney and the University... Views: 345
In the tradition of Bem Le Hunte's acclaimed novels, The Seduction of Silence and There, Where the Pepper Grows, this is a spiritual and emotional journey like no other – a richly realised and hugely entertaining story that straddles cultures, continents and generations.An encounter with Elephants with Headlights is a collision between east and west, modernity and tradition – between driverless cars and ancient lore – and a world that needs revolutionary reappraisal. In this world, Savitri, named after a Goddess, refuses outright to marry anyone. Her brother, Neel is intent on marrying an Australian girl called Mae, much to the displeasure of their mother, Tota, and father, Siddarth. But do they have the power to command love or destiny? Only the family astrologer, Arunji, knows, yet his truth is tempered by obligations to the family that transformed his life.Characters we come to love and care for teeter on the brink of a radically altered future, leaving... Views: 345
Ruby Oliver is 15 and has a shrink. She knows it’s unusual, but give her a break—she’s had a rough 10 days. In the past 10 days she:*
lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list),
lost her best friend (Kim),
lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket),
did something suspicious with a boy (#10),
did something advanced with a boy (#15),
had an argument with a boy (#14),
drank her first beer (someone handed it to her),
got caught by her mom (ag!),
had a panic attack (scary),
lost a lacrosse game (she’s the goalie),
failed a math test (she’ll make it up),
hurt Meghan’s feelings (even though they aren’t really friends),
became a social outcast (no one to sit with at lunch)
and had graffiti written about her in the girls’ bathroom (who knows what was in the boys’!?!). *
But don’t worry—Ruby lives to tell the tale. And make more lists. Views: 345
As Matilda Warner reminisces back over her long life she remembers her wedding day, the day her life was made complete. She knows that true happiness is not found in a jeweller's glass case, nor is it found in the bottom of a gift wrapped box. For Matilda, her Nirvana was found in the look of unconditional love and passion on her beloved's face.Everyone in the quiet little nursing home has their perfect, blissful moment of happiness to accompany them into their twilight years. And for Matilda, hers is her wedding day. The wonderful day that she finally got to be with her beloved. Under a glorious Australian summer sky she married the love of her life, despite the prejudice and narrow-mindedness of the small country town gossips. Views: 344
what if you had the power to shoot beams of power out of your hands? Skyrid was just an autistic boy until Cithians attacked his hometown, Siraka. Unknown to Skyrid, there is power inside him just waiting to come out. What will happen when his power is released? And, will Siraka ever be return to it's former glory?The moon is falling. The shift is tearing apart the transportation infrastructure, and the population is stricken with "moon sickness" - literal lunacy.Charlotte, Lawton, and Fisk are friends. They met in a writing workshop when the news of the moon's fall was only mentioned on the late-night conspiracy shows. While lunar cults pray for the intense celestial coitus of Luna's impact with Earth, all Fisk wants is Charlotte.MOON SICK is a surreal short story by Aniko Carmean, author of MIXED MEDIA and STOLEN CLIMATEs. Views: 344
The lass that nearly killed him is now in danger.Catriona MacKay is lying in her bed, sick, writing her last letter in agony. She does not know if she will still be alive when the words reach her dear friend Kaithira… Kaithria panics and, until she can meet Catriona herself, she asks from her brother, Caden Zahrah Keith, a man with a past as dark as one can have, to run to her aid.Caden and Catriona have met before, and Caden remembers very well the fierce girl that had once threatened to take his life with a sword! Now that he sees the lass so helpless, being a changed man, he vows to discover the illness that is killing her, and help her recover from it.While trying to solve the riddle, Caden realizes that strange things are taking place in the estate. Catriona’s condition might not be a simple illness and danger slithers in the shadows, making Caden unable to trust anyone. No matter how powerful, Caden knows that he can not save Catriona on his own. But, if he does not find a solution soon enough, he will never see the vigor and fire in her green eyes ever again… Views: 344
Hill Towns is a classic novel of remarkable emotional power, insight, and sensitivity from Anne Rivers Siddons, whose books live on the New York Times bestseller list and in the hearts of millions of her adoring fans. One of the acknowledged masters of contemporary Southern fiction—the author of such phenomenally popular works as Nora, Nora; Outer Banks, Islands; and Sweetwater Creek—Siddons carries the reader from the mountains of Tennessee to the breathtaking Tuscany countryside as she brilliantly chronicles the unraveling of a marriage. Pat Conroy (The Prince of Tides) says, "She ranks among the best of us," and Hill Towns is the proof. Views: 344
In space, a vengeful fleet waited.... Then the furred strangers arrived with a plan to save Earth\'s children. But the General wasn\'t sure if he could trust an ALIEN OFFER. Show Excerpt loading, and if the President says it\'s okay, then it\'s okay with me!" He stepped out onto the grass of his yard, and quashed a little shriek of conscience somewhere in the back of his mind. * * * * * Blinding lights pinned him in mid-stride. A familiar voice sprang out of the glare, "Here he is now viewers, General James Rothwell, commander of the western armies, and head of the Earth evacuation project. General, International-TV cameras have been waiting secretly in your yard for hours for your return." As his eyes adjusted, Rothwell distinguished a camera crew, their small portable instrument, and a young, smooth-talking announcer that he had seen several times on television. He forced the annoyance out of his eyes. This, he thought, is all I need. "What the general doesn\'t know," the announcer went on, "is that earlier this evening it was announced by Moscow Central that the computers had picked his son as one of the evacuees!" The shock was visible on 150,000,000 TV se Views: 344
Jake wakes up one morning to find he is suddenly twenty-five years old, the Yeerks rule the world, all the other Animorphs are either dead or Yeerk-infested, and he alone is left to fight. Views: 344
For years Martin has biked into the coastal hills to bask in solitude beside a remote pond. When a strange woman begins to visit 'his' refuge, Martin tries to scare her away ... but takes matters a step too far.For years Martin has biked into the coastal hills to bask in solitude beside a remote pond. When a strange woman begins to visit 'his' refuge, Martin tries to scare her away ... but takes matters a step too far. "Martin's Pond" was first published in the literary magazine Five Fingers Review, issue #20, in Spring 2003. Views: 344
Alicia's research decimated the world's population and now it has come back for her.Three hard-boiled stories that hark back to the days of Black Mask and Astounding Science Fiction. The first tale is a novella that introduces private dick Jay Dafoe. He’s in a dirty business, and cold hard cash has always made up for twinges his conscience might occasionally feel, or so he thought until he’s hired to find a missing daughter. How does the amoral Dafoe handle the horror he unwittingly becomes entwined with? The second story finds Dafoe doing what he thought was routine work for a lawyer. What he doesn’t know is that he is the final pawn in a tragedy that was thirty years in the making. Some sins, Dafoe finds out, can’t be forgiven.The third story is a study of a thug with a badge. Ben Andropov is a cop. The bosses are management, and the beat is the moon. Management wants order and doesn’t care how it’s kept. Andropov is a low-level enforcer of the status quo, having used his natural brutality to escape the drudgery and poverty of the everyday citizen. Seventeen years he’s been a cop, and it’s starting to take its toll. Solving a simple murder winds up inflicting more damage to what’s left of his crippled soul and there’s no way out.Cold Pulp Trio is hard-boiled noir. American as hollow point bullets. Views: 344
"By His Bootstraps" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein that plays with some of the inherent paradoxes that would be caused by time travel. It was originally published in the October 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction (US) under the pen name Anson MacDonald. Views: 344
