Lu is an apothecary, trying to get along as an immigrant in Seashine. Her closest friend is an assassin named Silveo. When Silveo asks Lu to formulate a new poison, her involvement brings her into contact with an attractive pirate captain, as well was thugs and slavers in the belly of Seashine’s underground. As pressures build, Lu makes a mistake which may cost both she and Silveo their lives.Lu is an 18-year-old apothecary, trying to get along as an immigrant in the port city of Seashine. Her closest friend is a young assassin named Silveo. Lu doesn’t like to think about how Silveo makes his living, but she owes him her freedom, and she cares for him deeply. She also happens to be an excellent chemist with a knowledge of dangerous substances. When Silveo asks Lu to formulate a new poison, her involvement brings her into contact with a dangerously attractive pirate captain, as well as thugs and slavers in the belly of Seashine’s underground. As pressures build, Lu makes a mistake which may cost both she and Silveo their lives.“Chemistry” is a novelette from the world of Panamindorah, related to the Guild of the Cowry Catchers series. The story has some mild sexual references and innuendo. It is not intended for children. “Chemistry” is a stand-alone story that can be enjoyed without reading Cowry Catchers, but the story will have more meaning for fans of the series. “Chemistry” is also available along with other stories in: Secret Things – Short Stories from Panamindorah, Volume 2. Views: 880
'Still my fate: always to speak the truth, and only to be thought mad' Kassandra, daughter of Priam the king and Hecuba the priestess, twin sister to Paris and prophetess of Apollo, her visions dismissed as lunatic ravings, is powerless to avert the fall of Troy Views: 880
For all of Liz's life she was the perfect suburban housewife however her life is over. In death, as a ghost, she has the opportunity to be the women she always wanted to be. And most of all, be that women with another women-ghost. Is this pure luck or an existential crisis waiting to happen? Paranormal | Ghost | F/F | PG | RomanceLiz’s burial was an anti-climatic memory. First, they put her corpse in a casket. Then a team of professional hole diggers dug a big hole. And, lastly, she was plopped into such hole. It was so much more an act of hygiene than anything spiritual. As a corpse, Liz was a cesspool of disease. The heart of all this was nothing other than anti-plague prevention. The day after her burial, Liz drifted around the graveyard. That post-corpse condition had a far more vague meaning. She had some ideas on corpsehood but she had no clue what this was. Ghosthood, she guessed, but what was that? Was it a vengeance thing or a friendly thing or what? Was the Big Man in the clouds just dicking around? The vast graveyard expanded outwards, for as far as she could see. She searched for something beyond the macabre, a pleasant something in her death. That’s when she bumped into Lilah. Lilah was the most beautiful thing Liz ever saw in death, and that is no insult to her. She was also the most beautiful thing Liz ever saw in life, but she never expected to spend infinity with her.As ghosts, Lilah and Liz lost all opacities and hues. They were floating thick outlines with nothing on the inside like empty coloring books. Even as a ghost, Lilah was a curly-q cutie. From her bouncing perm, plump cheeks, button nose, and notable ass, Lilah was like a spring. Death made her translucent, but she kept her bounce.In life, Lilah was the sweet, sexy neighbor that Liz's marriage kept her away from. Though they barely made it past the small talk zone, Liz found Lilah refreshing and energizing. She did hunger for intimacy, but never ventured. Her marriage couldn’t bare it. Liz's marriage used to be so important to her.But in death, Liz could express her affections. Finally. Lilah sung out Liz’s name as she glided closer.“I never thought you would be so enthusiastic to meet fresh fertilizer,” said Liz. “I can’t believe you are here! Liz, it has been seven months.” “Heh, yeah. I know.” Liz smirked. “I missed you. But I’m sure you seduced a living dead cutie as soon as you went ghost.” “No.” Lilah stared down at her foot’s shape. “I been alone for seven months.”“Jeez. Here I was, happy to not be alone and--” Liz bit down on her lower lip. Lilah’s heavy words were like a push back in the grave. “Fuck, I’m so sorry that you went through that.” “I’m actually okay.” Lilah nudged a curl behind her ear. “I mean, at least it’s you.”Liz petted Lilah's perm while bringing her closer. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Lilah's floating grin. It's weird how in life that would scare her, but in death it was something close to warmth. “I'm glad I can feel you.”Lilah's jaw snapped as she yawned, just like when she was alive. As she gripped Liz's hand, weightlessness pulsed through them.The moon ballooned into view. “I'm tired.” Lilah grinned as she let her go. She curled around a headstone and gestured towards Liz.She was so palpable. Lilah was alluring, even as an outline, lively even without life. She was Liz's hidden secret that she didn’t have to hide any longer.Liz curled around Lilah and breathed it all in. The rusty graves, deep mulch, and organic seeds of hope. Perhaps her life’s marriage was not her death’s responsibility. Views: 858
Set in the time before King Arthur, this novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley brings the mesmerizing world of Avalon brilliantly to life with epic grandeur-telling the story of three remarkable women who alter the fortunes of Roman Britain as they fight to reclaim the magic and traditions of a once glorious past... Views: 854
Now that Carmen has almost recovered from her injuries caused by a car accident, Carmen and Ulrike can begin and enjoy their relationship in earnest. Taxi - Trials is the second book in the Taxi series.Now that Carmen has almost recovered from her injuries caused by a car accident, Carmen and Ulrike can begin and enjoy their relationship in earnest. On the occasion of Carmen’s mother’s birthday, Ulrike is about to meet Carmen’s family for the first time, including Carmen’s brother José, whose reckless driving, in Ulrike’s opinion, landed Carmen in hospital. Both women are rather apprehensive about this meeting, however, the afternoon with the family yields some unexpected results for both of them.Taxi - Trials is the second book in the Taxi series. Views: 847
1 of 5 Amen to Rot series. Waking up one morning to find yourself buried is bad enough. But to have amnesia, believe you may be hungry for human flesh, and find out that you’re a grotesque ugly creature, can be somewhat overwhelming. Journey with Amen as he discovers his world is inhabited by something that rot, and is confused to learn it also has an alien presence.This short story is Book One of the five part Amen to Rot series. Waking up one morning to find yourself buried is bad enough. But to have amnesia, believe you may be hungry for human flesh, and find out that you’re a grotesque ugly creature, can be somewhat overwhelming. Journey with Amen as he discovers his world is inhabited by something that rot, and is confused to learn it also has an alien presence.In this climatic end, we feel Amen's confusion, as he must decide whether he truly desires human flesh, or not. Views: 837
Lukas visits the grave of his mother and is forced to face the emotions that the experience brings up for him.Lukas visits the grave of his mother and is forced to face the emotions that the experience brings up for him.'And There An End, But Now They Rise Again' is a short story that delves into the heart of the human psyche and searches for the answers to one of life's biggest heartaches: The loss of a loved one. Views: 832
Misfit Declan- known as the local schizophrenic crazy man, has to break out of his cell in the psych ward to find his missing girlfriend. Piece of cake right?What would you do if the love of your life went missing? For misfit Declan, he'd do anything to find her. With the whole town thinking he's just the crazy man who talks to himself, he sets off alone to find his girlfriend. First, he has to break out of the psych hospital. Shouldn't be hard right? Views: 832
Historical Romantic Comedy… When Tabitha Jeffries helps another girl escape from an arranged marriage to Alan MacAllister, she never dreams she’ll end up wedded to the rogue herself. Worse, she never expects to fall in love with him! Now all she has to do is solve an old murder, prevent a new one, and save herself and Alan from a horrifying family legacy. There’s always something, isn’t there?Part 1 of a 4-part serialized novel…Once upon a time, in a far, strange land (1883 Texas, to be precise), there arrived from back East a beautiful and headstrong young princess…um, I mean a scientist…named Tabitha Jeffries. Hardly more than a girl really, but she had the courage of an Amazon and a heart as big as her intellect. To save another girl, named Gabrina, from an arranged marriage to this presumably wicked prince (well, a laird, anyway) called Alan MacAllister, Tabitha switches places with her. Expecting, naturally enough, that the awful Alan’s Highland Scots family (who just happen to live in a full-scale medieval castle) will release her the moment she confesses she’s not Gabrina. Only—and this is the annoying part—Alan’s family is actually more interested in a bride, period, than they are in a specific bride… “Gabby or Tabby, ’tis such a wee dif’rence”… In other words, they keep her—fussing and fuming, kicking, clawing, biting, punching and screaming, notwithstanding.And Alan himself, who turns out to have wanted Gabrina even less than Gabrina wanted him, decides that he does want Gabrina’s replacement. He decides this on first sight, in fact. And one can scarcely blame him, because that first sight was a lulu. It was the sight of said replacement—who had just escaped a tower by way of a tree that snagged off most of her clothes on the climb down—leaping wildly out of that tree in her unmentionables. Very interesting. Something to make a man stop and think. Catching her in his arms, Alan thinks he may be in love.Numerous battles and embraces, some bloodcurdling adventures, and an emotional triathlon later, Tabitha is beginning to think the same thing. Now all she has to do is solve a ten year old murder, prevent a new one, and save herself and Alan from a horrifying family legacy. There’s always something, isn’t there? Views: 831
When Jassenah har Sulh arrives in the Wraeththu town of Jesith to train magically with the famous hienama Ysobi, he's unprepared for the effect this har will have on him. Ysobi opens Jassenah's mind to the potential that hara can reach for and in doing so, also opens his heart. Just as it seems Jassenah has achieved his heart's desire, a new student arrives, in the form of Gesaril, a damaged young creature with mysteries lurking in his past. The magic of both the unseen world and that of harish emotions conspire to destroy Jassenah's idyllic life, until he feels he's forced to stoop to equally cruel methods to salvage his happiness. But at what cost? The Hienama is a rich and deeply erotic tale of the Wraeththu, set in the magical land of Alba Sulh. This is not a story of great leaders who affect the destiny of all, but simply that of hara who live on the land and in the wake of human passing are trying to establish communities. They strive to cast off human limitations but sometimes this task proves difficult, especially when it involves matters of the heart, when all the dark anxieties and jealousy of their previous human condition can rise to torment them. This story is the first in a series of Wraeththu novellas planned by Storm Constantine, involving the hermaphrodite race who comes to replace humanity, first explored in her seminal trilogies: The Wraeththu Chronicles and The Wraeththu Histories. Views: 829
A royal prince and warrior of the Deep, it is Seree's duty to protect the ten seas—and save his errant siblings from themselves. When he learns that his sister Lana has become the latest victim to impulse and a terrible curse, he sets off to save her, anticipating nothing more than the usual difficulties that come from dealing with humans ...A royal prince and warrior of the Deep, it is Seree's duty to protect the ten seas—and save his errant siblings from themselves. When he learns that his sister Lana has become the latest victim to impulse and a terrible curse, he sets off to save her, anticipating nothing more than the usual difficulties that come from dealing with humans … Views: 827
Sam is a labourer, and like most working men, he doesn’t like to talk that much. If he does, it’s shouting instructions on the job or talking shit with his mates about sport, cars, women and dirty jokes. But there’s a lot going on in Sam’s head - about his job, his girlfriend, and his stagnant life - that he doesn’t share with anyone.When might vermin be ...velcome?It can be a bear if you're in the first group to test equipment- and you've got to do it on an important mission, What is it about going on vacation? Is it the new faces, new places? Or might it be something else altogether?It's so peaceful; so routine, all alone on Mars...until you discover that you're not alone afterall...All these and more are in this the third companion book to the popular podcast Smoke and Mirrors. Smoke and Mirrors Dark Days; Darker Nights. Tune in at www.smoke-and-mirrors.us- every Friday evening at 9 or listen whenever you wish, because it's a podcast.Smoke and Mirrors "broadcasts" stories that might appear on the Twilight Zone if it were still on the air, and we are seeking new authors especially; new voices and new ideas Views: 827
The short story "Seasons of Deception" introduces Beatrice Scott, the sleuth who appears in Kate McLachlan's mystery novel "Ten Little Lesbians." In "Seasons of Deception," Beatrice investigates the quick decline of her elderly gay neighbor after a suspicious woman moves in with him. Leigh, her lover, is unable to help, which is a mystery in itself.A sudden life threatening injury turns Nickie’s world on its ear, but not in a way she ever would have predicted. Nickie finds out that not only do shape-shifters exist, but she is one. The Kitsune are a race of shape-shifters that have been living in secret alongside humans for centuries. As Nickie struggles to master her newly discovered shape-shifting and the abilities it brings her, she learns that some of the people in her life are far more than she knew. Can Nickie handle all the changes headed her way on her own? Or does she have someone who can help her? Views: 826
Ten short stories of boys in different eras - sailing under Lord Nelson as a powder boy, travelling the east coast of Australia with a dog, father and son interactions, disability, rabbiting in the Depression, refugees - from Afghanistan to Australia,Ireland in St Kevin's time, selling pots and pans to gold diggers in the 1850s, being a tennnis ball boy in 2020 in Monte Carlo.I arrived in this Universe a while back.Initially, you understand, just to sightsee. You know, glide around a little, take in the milky ways and the dusty swirls, all these stars large and small, all these planets green and brown and blue, some with purple plains and sandy deserts, some with gray black mountains draped in trees some and capped in white others, some neither. Many frantic oceans, too, and many placid seas. All very varied and quite pleasing, I must say. Sightseeing.Drifting in for a closer look at some of these planets, I saw roads and wagons and gates and guards and many people, he called them.Drifting in closer still, I saw steady hands under furrowed brows brighten white canvas with color and warmth to capture trees and mountains, painting he called it.I heard symmetry of sound from throats and hands on strings, music he called it.And I saw many feet move in delicate delicious rhythm, dance he called it, and they seemed to enjoy it, these what he called people.And drifting closer still, I heard laments by lovers wronged, I saw seductions soft, and stark betrayals, brutal slayings and happy resurrections.I saw brother helping brother, sister leaving sister, son trusting father, daughter hating mother, or at least that is how he explained these odd happenings to me, my escort. Though, to be honest, I could not see the truth of these events for they had no pattern to them, not like those of their music or dance, he called them.So I turned to him and I asked, “What’s the point, then? Without a pattern?”“It’s hard to explain,” he answered. “And almost impossible to understand without one of those,” indicating a long display of sparkling shapes that looked just like what he called people but that didn’t move. He brought me down and closer.“What are they?” I asked.“They are called bodies,” he said. “You should try one.”We slowly drifted down the line of these shapely shapes all in glistening skin (still drying and cooling, he told me), until we came to the very end of the display where hung a firm and strong male, he called it, cooled and comely in his long white robe. “Touch it,” he suggested.I looked at him. A question. I once heard of these things. I heard there can be danger.“Trust me,” he said.So, perhaps unwisely, I trusted him, and I brushed against the bare, strong arm.On contact there was a shock a jolt a rush and then a screaming wind furiously inhaling and then a brief blackness and then I found myself inside this what he called a male and many things happened all at the same time, too fast, too many, too soon:Every one thing I saw, every blade of grass, every bird, every tree, every pebble—until then simply small pattern-less somethings to me—was absorbed by this body and once inside it each of these almost countless things spawned a response—a sea of responses. Each and every thing. I felt like a weather system. Storm everywhere. Views: 825
Min Ho Jun is the heir to his father's business, but there are those who believe he can't take on the job. His father decides to prepare him for the position and he is suddenly faced with the daunting task of winning over a board of directors as well as working with a man he doesn't trust.Min Ho Jun He is the heir to Hanje Group. When the three friends he trusts leave Seoul for a year, he is left to face the daunting task of leading Hanje Group alone. His father orders his Chief Executive, Young Jae to help him adjust but they clash at every turn.Young Jae KimHe works for Hanje Group. His job is to make sure that Min Ho's father gets what he wants. Until he is ordered to work with Min Ho, the spoiled rich brat from hell. Love finds these two men in the most unexpected of ways. That Dog, Young Jae is about a journey of growing up,making choices and holding on to love. Views: 818
