Wow, it's already Volume 3 of TIW shorts! The third collection of totally pointless exactly 500 Challenge and exactly 200 Weekend Quickie word nonsense (plus a few collaborations and extra TIW things) to entertain you while doing whatever you do when reading.Wow, it's already Volume 3 of TIW shorts! The third collection of totally pointless exactly 500 Challenge and exactly 200 Weekend Quickie word nonsense (plus a few collaborations and extra TIW things) to entertain you while doing whatever you do when reading. For myself, it was a long and exciting half year in The Iron Writer. It has become a part of my life now, this TIW phenomenon, every week waiting for the next group of elements to hit the site and dwelling on the story which could link them all together in the style of my choice. It's thanks to this challenge that I can say I never suffer from writer's block - touch wood. In this third volume, I have also included some collaborations and TIW ‘experiments’, such as the Genre Mash Up from Miranda Hawley and impromptu relays which mainly involve a new and highly talented young TIW writer, Mathew W. Weaver , complete in a suit of armour – he is the Iron Writer Protection Program, his identity is a secret. Other writers include Neal Sayatovich, Jordan Bel , and Tony Jaeger. I'd like to thank these writers for writing their words and allowing me to publish them.In mentioning, I also cut the 10 worder 4 element challenge story "He tutted as she stood there in a mini skirt." (Challenge 45) down to a 'zhong', a form made famous by Ernest Hemingway, "He tutted as she smiled, naked."To finish, in Volume 2, I separated the Weekly Challenges from the Weekend Quickies though now I see that some continuity of ideas was lost and so everything in Volume 3 is in chronological order to show the development…if there was one.I hope you enjoy these short snippets just as much as I enjoyed writing them, and thanks again to Brian and all the other Iron Writers for allowing me into their community…I wouldn’t. If you are 'up to the Challenge', then go to...The Iron Writer dot com Views: 775
Having a good family friend as your headmaster might sound ideal, but for Luke Brownlow it just makes life even more complicated...In with the wrong crowd at school, Luke is falling behind in his work. His parents take drastic action: banning him from seeing his friends and making him go to a new school.Luke avoids his family over the summer by spending time with their neighbour, Ned Kelly. He decides to get expelled from his new school but changes his mind when he discovers that his new headmaster is none other than the neighbour he has been getting to know and respect.An enemy within the school and a runaway girl outside it make it harder for Luke to stay out of trouble with Ned than he'd hoped: by the end of the school year it looks like he'll be expelled after all. Views: 774
Bonnie Turkle, multimedia historian for the Kentucky Commission of Tourism, is dispatched to Mud Creek, a tiny eastern Kentucky town, with few prospects but many oddballs, to rescue important artifacts from McBride’s Music Hall. Now fallen beyond disrepair, McBride’s was once a jewel of the early American music scene, an intersection of the country-western and rhythm and blues circuits. The former owner’s grandson, Will McBride, who also happens to be Mud Creek’s esteemed mayor, would like nothing more than to see the place bull-dozed in favor of a factory that will provide much-needed jobs to his citizens. But Bonnie finds evidence of a legendary musical event at the music hall and her plans to turn it into a museum put Mud Creek’s economic future at risk – not to mention the growing flirtation between the two of them. If Will and Bonnie can’t find common ground, the town’s past and future will be lost. Views: 774
Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a boating holiday on the Thames between Kingston and Oxford. The book was initially intended to be a serious travel guide, with accounts of local history along the route, but the humorous elements took over to the point where the serious and somewhat sentimental passages seem a distraction to the comic novel. One of the most praised things about Three Men in a Boat is how undated it appears to modern readers – the jokes seem fresh and witty even today. The three men are based on Jerome himself and two real-life friends, George Wingrave (who would become a senior manager at Barclays Bank) and Carl Hentschel (the founder of a London printing business, called Harris in the book), with whom J. often took boating trips. The dog, Montmorency, is entirely fictional but, "as Jerome admits, developed out of that area of inner consciousness which, in all Englishmen, contains an element of the dog." The trip is a typical boating holiday of the time in a Thames camping skiff. This was just after commercial boat traffic on the Upper Thames had died out, replaced by the 1880s craze for boating as a leisure activity. Views: 773
Repulsive Barry plans to make himself handsome by facing a firing squad, bus driver Bert wakes from a coma to discover he can miraculously speak every language on the planet and a rampaging werewolf puts the wind up a hapless pirate crew.Acclaimed humorist Iain Pattison has been entertaining readers on both sides of the Atlantic for more than 15 years with satire stories that have won prize after prize, appeared in magazines and anthologies, and been broadcast on the UK’s most prestigious speech radio station, BBC Radio 4.In this second Quintessentially Quirky collection of Iain's best offbeat tales, you'll find a Preston bus driver who emerges from a coma to find he can speak every language on the planet, a hideous man who thinks facing a firing squad will make him a babe-magnet, a disgruntled wife scheming to sacrifice her husband to a slavering zombie horde, and a rebellious artist whose latest work deserves its headline-grabbing tag of "criminally controversial".From the droll and slapstick to the surreal and silly, this unconventional compilation is guaranteed to raise smiles - and demonstrates why Iain is acknowledged as a master of comedy's wickedly witty and unexpected. And an extra treat:We don't think movie DVDs should have the monopoly in offering bonus features, so we're delighted to include a guest story by one of Iain's favourite authors, Chloe Banks, who investigates what happens when the earth runs out of miracles in The Missing Signs and Wonders. Views: 772
When half–wolf shifter Frankie Newman receives an e-mail from a family member she didn’t know existed, a secret is revealed: as a child, Frankie witnessed her father killing her mother…and then himself. Frankie was torn from her pack by her mother’s human relatives, and the trauma was erased from her memory. Realizing that she’s been lied to her entire life, she’s never felt more alone. Until she catches the scent of an old friend—warmly familiar and intoxicating.
Trick Hardy, enforcer of the Phoenix Pack, can sense the rush of mutual attraction when he sees Frankie again. He knows immediately that she’s his true mate. But he also knows that, given her fragile state, he needs to tread with care—no matter how fierce his surging desires.
As aroused as Frankie is by Trick’s darkly dominant air and simmering desire, her priority right now is her past—not her future, no matter how tempting. But as more secrets emerge and Frankie’s life is threatened, Trick must do everything he can to keep her close and safe. After all, it’s their destiny. Views: 771
Albert Birnbaum was once one of the biggest political talk show hosts around, but these days hes watching his career enter a death spiral. A stranger offers a solution to his woes, promising to put him back on top. Its everything Birnbaum wants, but is there a catch? And does Birnbaum actually care if there is? Views: 770
A delightful romp through the early career of Mike, a talented sportsman. The evocation of public school life and the codes of honor belonging to school, family, and the game are conveyed with P.G. Wodehouse's customary wit and brilliance.
[Librarian Note: The book Mike contains this book as the first half, and Mike and Psmith as the second half.] Views: 767
Some stories end happily ever after, yet in places where reality thins, insanity thrives, and darkness lurks, there are no happily ever afters, just Dead Ends.Some stories end happily ever after, yet in places where reality thins, insanity thrives, and unimaginable monsters live, there are no happily ever afters, just Dead Ends. Introducing the City of West Creek, this series takes you through stories of the macabre, where darkness is at home, and evil is king.The stories within this collection include: Creeping Death, Blood Letting, Crickets, Tall Trees, The Harvest Moon, The Hunters, Looped, The Barking, and SequaWord count including afterword: over thirty five thousandIncludes terrifying situations, descriptions of violence and gore, and such mature themes. Views: 767
Newly married to novelist Rosie M. Banks, Bingo bucks the current trend by being extremely happy, although he does tend to lose his shirt on various horses. This collection of wonderfully funny stories features a cast of outrageous characters. Views: 764
Maggie O'Brien is thrilled when she lands a starring role on the Digital Vampire Network's hottest soap opera, As the Vampire Turns. Doesn't hurt that her leading man is Don Orlando de Corazon, the greatest lover in the vampire world! But who is Don Orlando really? Nobody knows, not even Don Orlando. As the couple sets out in search of his mysterious past, "home for the holidays" takes on a new meaning when the recently-turned vamp discovers his own Christmas miracle. Views: 764
One man holds the fate of the human race in his hands, all he has to do is make the right choice.One man – alone. The human race is locked in a death struggle with Aliens possessing far superior technology. He has been captured while on a mission to ferret out the enemy’s weakness. Isolated in a small cell he is told by his captors that the future of his race depends on the choice that he will make in response to a single question. If he chooses correctly the human race will survive, if he chooses wrong the human race will be eradicated. A choice must be made; will it be the right one? Views: 763
After working a graveyard shift at Vitura Pharmaceuticals, Tomas' father disappears without a trace. Eager for answers, Tomas confronts Supervisor Bertrand, division head of the secretive corporation. Tomas gets answers all right; and it's those answers that put him on a course with destiny, international intrigue and...ZOMBIES. Where's his father? What are Vitura's plans?Are Zombies real?After working a graveyard shift at Vitura Pharmaceuticals, Tomas' father disappears without a trace. Eager for answers, Tomas confronts Supervisor Bertrand, division head of the secretive corporation. Tomas gets answers all right; and it's those answers that put him on a course with destiny, international intrigue and...ZOMBIES.What happened to his father?What are Vitura's plans?Are Zombies real?(Novella Length: 20,000 words/80 pages + 15 page bonus of Zombie Fever 2 : Outbreak)Find out these answers and more in this first installment of The Zombie Fever Series. Then hang on for hair-raising international zombie adventure:Zombie Fever 2: Outbreak (Available Now)It's a dream come true when Abigail and her best friend are cast in a new reality show. But it's a dream that turns into a nightmare, when Sebastian, the show's producer, decides to use the most recent zombie outbreak as the backdrop for the production. Mayhem and horror ensue as the show's cast is sent further and further into the quarantine zone. Meanwhile, Vitura is behind the outbreak and Tomas is doing his best to put a stop to their diabolical plans. But is he to late to save Abigail from the viral menace?Who will become infected with zombie fever? Who gets eaten by the zombie horde? And most importantly, who wins the million-dollar prize?Zombie Fever 3: Evolution (Available Now)The virus has spread to Singapore and is out of control, creating zombies that are faster, smarter and hungrier than ever!After helping Abigail and her teammates escape the quarantine zone, Tomas realizes that sending them into Singapore has inadvertently caused the worst zombie outbreak to date. To make matters worse, Tomas discovers that Abigail and her best friend are the only two people in the world inoculated with the cure. Tomas makes it his mission to rescue her, regardless of the millions of flesh-eating psychopaths rioting in the streets.However, Vitura is on to him. Supervisor Bertrand sends Jayden, a ruthless mercenary, to track down Tomas and Abigail and capture them...dead or alive. Praise for Zombie Fever 1: Origins5 out of 5 stars-"A chilling beginning for a zombie series." -Derrik Spence, Horror & Fear Review "I could swear someone was creeping outside my window after I read this!" 5 stars. -UbiquitousEarlOther 5 out of 5 star reviews:"5 awesome Stars! I'd already read Zombie Fever 2: Outbreak and wish I got a hold of this prequel first. It really prepares you for the zombie exploitation to come." -Jules Views: 761
Scientist Charles Neumann loses a leg in an industrial accident. It's not a tragedy. It's an opportunity. Charlie always thought his body could be better. He begins to explore a few ideas. To build parts. Better parts.
Prosthetist Lola Shanks loves a good artificial limb. In Charlie, she sees a man on his way to becoming artificial everything. But others see a madman. Or a product. Or a weapon.
A story for the age of pervasive technology, Machine Man is a gruesomely funny unraveling of one man's quest for ultimate self-improvement. Views: 761
Bo Dickinson is a girl with a wild reputation, a deadbeat dad, and a mama who’s not exactly sober most of the time. Everyone in town knows the Dickinsons are a bad lot, but Bo doesn’t care what anyone thinks.
Agnes Atwood has never gone on a date, never even stayed out past ten, and never broken any of her parents’ overbearing rules. Rules that are meant to protect their legally blind daughter—protect her from what, Agnes isn’t quite sure.
Despite everything, Bo and Agnes become best friends. And it’s the sort of friendship that runs truer and deeper than anything else.
So when Bo shows up in the middle of the night, with police sirens wailing in the distance, desperate to get out of town, Agnes doesn’t hesitate to take off with her. But running away and not getting caught will require stealing a car, tracking down Bo’s dad, staying ahead of the authorities, and—worst of all—confronting some ugly secrets. Views: 761
