Smart Dog

Amy Prochenko has spent most of fifth grade avoiding both the bully Katilyn Walker, whose bark is as bad as her bite, and Sean Gorman, the only kid less popular than Amy. As if life isn't hard enough, along comes Sherlock. After escaping from a research laboratory, all Sherlock wants is to be an ordinary dog. But Sherlock is anything but normal: he can talk. And when he asks Amy for help, she says yes. But Amy may have bitten off more than she can chew! Soon she finds herself tangled up in dangerous schemes and hanging out with people she never would have before. For the first time, thanks to Sherlock, Amy's popular! Even better, Sherlock is the best friend she's wanted. But Amy's not sure she can save him. Will this dog ever have his day?
Views: 721

The Mother

As a child of the temple, Alandra's goal is simple: to please the Mothers who raised her. When sent on a mission, she knows she must obey without question, no matter who is to be punished or how. Until the face of a victim brings back memories she didn't know she'd lost, and changes everything.In a world where only those of noble birth are invited to join the elite Griffin Riders, orphan Neb is destined for a life of drudgery. His path changes when he steals the disobedient young griffin Balkind in an attempt to prove that you don't need noble blood to become a hero. Join "The Griffin's Boy" on the adventure of a lifetime as he encounters girls for the very first time, learns the meaning of friendship and battles evil forces for his very soul.
Views: 721

In Extremis

This is a short story. Job would preach his sermons with a powerful voice that echoed throughout the church. All would stop and make their way to the sanctuary to hear and hope. Hope ... was all they had left. The undead horde outside would pound upon the barred church doors when Father Job addressed the congregation. It had made Claire wonder if it was too late for salvation.This is the story of what happens when a character begins to talk back to the author . . . not a good plan in the long run! (Watch out for those Woodle Pooves!)Authors often say their characters make the decisions in the stories. However, in the end, we all know who's really in charge, right?
Views: 720

Sell Me a Gun

A young man walks into a gun store, curious to learn how easy or difficult it is to buy a firearm. The experience turns out to be very different to what he was expecting. Set in apartheid South Africa in the 1970s, this darkly humorous short story will entertain both the gun enthusiast and the anti-gun lobbyist alike.“Things go right all the time, Hank. Just not for the right people.”Henry Ludlow is a man being crushed by the humdrum of modern life. His will is eroded as the world takes its toll on one little man.Set in a typical Melbourne setting, Henry's story is an allegorical tale of depression and the struggle to live up to the expectations of his work, his marriage and family.
Views: 720

Speaks the Nightbird

Judgment of the Witch The Carolinas, 1699: The citizens of Fount Royal believe a witch has cursed their town with inexplicable tragedies ? and they demand that beautiful widow Rachel Howarth be tried and executed for witchcraft. Presiding over the trial is traveling magistrate Isaac Woodward, aided by his astute young clerk, Matthew Corbett. Believing in Rachel's innocence, Matthew will soon confront the true evil at work in Fount Royal. . . . Evil Unveiled After hearing damning testimony, magistrate Woodward sentences the accused witch to death by burning. Desperate to exonerate the woman he has come to love, Matthew begins his own investigation among the townspeople. Piecing together the truth, he has no choice but to vanquish a force more malevolent than witchcraft in order to save his beloved Rachel and free Fount Royal from the menace claiming innocent lives.
Views: 720

The Eyes of Mictlan Origins: Dalton

Old West judge Dalton Freely makes a Faustian bargain to take revenge against the outlaws who murdered his family and left him for dead.Old West judge Dalton Freely awakes under a scorching desert sun in a pool of blood-soaked dirt, a noose around his neck, his arms bound behind his back. He turns his gaze upward to find the bodies of his wife and children hanging from a tree. Only then does he begin to recall the horror of the previous evening when a gang of outlaws murdered his family. On the verge of death himself, Dalton desperately drags his broken body back toward civilization, a single thought on his mind: revenge."Dalton" is part of "The Eyes of Mictlan Origins" series, a collection of free short stories excerpted from the dark fantasy novel, "The Eyes of Mictlan."
Views: 720

Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso

A man awakens in a vast desolate wasteland without memory of who he is or how he got there. As he begins remembering, a sobering thought occurs to him: might this be hell?A man awakens in a vast desolate wasteland without memory of who he is or how he got there. As he begins remembering, a sobering thought occurs to him: might this be hell? In his travels he recalls the days leading up to his being here, the visions of a black-robed figure encroaching ever nearer, day after day. He chances upon a woman. As they cope with the probability of this being hell, they learn of a stunning coincidence too great to not possess meaning: she is the little sister of the girl he secretly loved in high school, Anna, his best friend of four years whom he never confessed his love to. They purpose to reach a distant mountain ridge to see what’s on the other side. Could it somehow be redemption? Or are they doomed to suffer an eternity in hell?
Views: 720

The Stonemason and Other Tales

How does the stonemason make such perfect statues?Will the girl of young Thomas' dreams find the gift he left for her?What does the strange creature on the deserted planet want from Captain Anderson?These and other questions are explored in The Stonemason and Other Tales. Four stories of the disturbing and the macabre that will take you into the darkest nights and coldest tombs you can fathom.Two homes in the mountainsSnowed in for winter’s keep;A river in between them,A rope tight o’er the deep.A mother and her daughter,A father and his son,A cottage and a cabin,A story yet unspunBut time did freeze a tin canDangling from that ropeA messenger from days gone by,Echoing long lost hope.Until a cold November daySaw decades fall away;Young hands inscribed a folded scrap,A missive sent to say…_________________So begins the plucky correspondence of Timothy and Genevieve, two children about to uncover a story long-buried... one filled with love, with loss, and with hope. An enchanting Christmas story laced with joy, God's healing hand in the broken places of life weaves through each letter passed over the river in that tin-can strung from the rusted pulley. Enter into a simpler time in this petite tale, written to be just long enough to tuck into a stolen moment as you rest your feet and quiet your heart in the bustle of a busy season.
Views: 719

Because of Ellison

When I was nineteen years old, I lived for sex, drugs and a good party. I had it all—good looks, a fast car and a hot girlfriend. Nothing in life was more important. That was, until I met Ellison James... Since the moment I first saw her she was a raging bull; tackling me in the mud and throwing out insults as fast as her tongue could form the sound. She was snarky She was rude And she pissed me off like no other woman could. I lived beside her for a summer and in the three months that I walked by her side... She opened my eyes She changed my life And she made me a better man.
Views: 719

Heart's a Mess

Violet is a woman on a mission to get her life in order. Or she was supposed to be. Sleeping with her smokin' hot new boss, however, definitely counts as a mistake. One she has no intention of repeating. Bar owner Alex has finally got his libido back following a crushing divorce. No way is he letting the curvaceous object of his lustful affections get away. They can have a relationship without it spilling over into the workplace. Of course they can. Because he most certainly won't be putting his hands on her in the back office, and getting busy in the storage room is definitely out... Violet may be reluctant to repeat the past—but she's not the only one on a mission.
Views: 719

Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances

Multiple award winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman returns to dazzle, captivate, haunt, and entertain with this third collection of short fiction following Smoke and Mirrors and Fragile Things--which includes a never-before published American Gods story, "Black Dog," written exclusively for this volume. In this new anthology, Neil Gaiman pierces the veil of reality to reveal the enigmatic, shadowy world that lies beneath. Trigger Warning includes previously published pieces of short fiction--stories, verse, and a very special Doctor Who story that was written for the fiftieth anniversary of the beloved series in 2013--as well "Black Dog," a new tale that revisits the world of American Gods, exclusive to this collection. Trigger Warning explores the masks we all wear and the people we are beneath them to reveal our vulnerabilities and our truest selves. Here is a rich cornucopia of horror and ghosts stories, science fiction and fairy tales, fabulism and poetry that explore the realm of experience and emotion. In "Adventure Story"--a thematic companion to The Ocean at the End of the Lane--Gaiman ponders death and the way people take their stories with them when they die. His social media experience "A Calendar of Tales" are short takes inspired by replies to fan tweets about the months of the year--stories of pirates and the March winds, an igloo made of books, and a Mother's Day card that portends disturbances in the universe. Gaiman offers his own ingenious spin on Sherlock Holmes in his award-nominated mystery tale "The Case of Death and Honey". And "Click-Clack the Rattlebag" explains the creaks and clatter we hear when we're all alone in the darkness. A sophisticated writer whose creative genius is unparalleled, Gaiman entrances with his literary alchemy, transporting us deep into the realm of imagination, where the fantastical becomes real and the everyday incandescent. Full of wonder and terror, surprises and amusements, Trigger Warning is a treasury of delights that engage the mind, stir the heart, and shake the soul from one of the most unique and popular literary artists of our day.
Views: 719

Zombie City: Episode 1

Shane moved to San Francisco to write. Now he's trapped in a dead-end job--cleaning up after startup hipsters who dress like artists but think like yuppies--and not writing at all. When Shane decides to leave the City and start over, a horrific infection breaks out amongst the hipsters, plunging San Francisco into a nightmare of cannibalism and murder. San Francisco is dead. Welcome to Zombie CityWhat would you do if all the hipsters turned into zombies?Shane moved to San Francisco to write, following in the steps of his Beat Generation heroes. Twelve years later he's pushing thirty, flirting with alcoholism, and not writing at all. His life revolves around his dead-end job as a janitor at a tech startup, cleaning up after work-obsessed hipsters who dress like artists but think like yuppies. On the day Shane realizes he needs to get out of the City or give up on being a writer, a horrific infection breaks out amongst the startup workers, plunging San Francisco into a nightmare of cannibalism and murder.San Francisco is dying. Welcome to Zombie City.
Views: 718

Gfantis vs the Guest Monsters

G-Fan's own mascot monster Gfantis takes on monster let to them by best giant monster authors in the world including. Jeremy Robinson, Matthew Dennion, Timothy Price, Eric S. Brown and many more!Gfantis the Prince of the Monster’s and the mascot of the world’s longest running kaiju fanzine G-FAN faces off against the greatest and most powerful monsters from the world of kaiju novels and comics. Gfantis has destroyed every kaiju he has faced in the pages of G-FAN magazine but will even he be able to overcome the likes of: Jeremy Robinson’s Nemesis, Matthew Dennion’s Atomic Rex, Chimera, and the ROCS, Timothy Price’s The Duke and Zargatron, Christopher Martinez and Jonathan Clode’s Dorugan, Wayne Smith and Frank Parr’s Irokus, Eric S. Brown’s Zombie Kaiju Tyler Sowles and Scott Schmidt’s Durontus, K.H. Koehler’s Raiju, Todd Tennant and Mike Bogue’s King Komodo, Zach Cole’s Marugrah, Keith Foster’s Kodoja, Skip Peel’s Itara and many more!!The greatest kaiju authors and artists in the world have lent their monsters to G-Fan magazine! Dare to read the carnage that occurs when Gfantis crosses paths with the Guest Kaiju!
Views: 718

The Scarlet Gospels

The Scarlet Gospels takes readers back many years to the early days of two of Barker's most iconic characters in a battle of good and evil as old as time: The long-beleaguered detective Harry D'Amour, investigator of all supernatural, magical, and malevolent crimes faces off against his formidable, and intensely evil rival, Pinhead, the priest of hell. Barker devotees have been waiting for The Scarlet Gospels with bated breath for years, and it's everything they've begged for and more. Bloody, terrifying, and brilliantly complex, fans and newcomers alike will not be disappointed by the epic, visionary tale that is The Scarlet Gospels. Barker's horror will make your worst nightmares seem like bedtime stories. The Gospels are coming. Are you ready?
Views: 718

Others

'It sounded easy. Find a missing kid. Eighteen years old. Only he was dead. Died at birth. So why was his mother so sure he was still alive? Alive and calling for help. The assignment took me to Hell. And that's where I'd come from, only I didn't know it at the time. Matter of fact, there were a lot of things I didn't know about myself. I just thought I was different, not the kind you'd expect to be a private investigator. But I was wrong. Like I'd been wrong for most of my uncharmed life. Because I was more than that. And the answers were coming, coming fast and they scared me shitless. Murder, mutilation, depravity and horrors that almost OTHERS at Perfect Rest and every thought I had about life itself changed. It's a story you might hate. Because it's too close to the real truth. And it might frighten you so badly you will never sleep in an unlit room again. But it'll make you think. I promise you that. I only hope it won't make you think too much. Because that's when the nightmares will begin. Yeah, that's when everything will change. Your choice.'
Views: 718