Memory, Light & Medicine

Memories flood Mr. Voss as the man sits amid the winking lights of his treatment. Mr. Voss’ memories have been lost for years, and disease shrouds his mind with mist. Treatment composed of glimmer promises to restore Mr. Voss’ health, and his wife will give everything to help him return. But the children fear what the light might summon, and they hesitate to pay any of the light's cost.Elaine Voss looks upon her husband and prays that Thomas quickly returns to her. Disease has stolen her husband’s memory, so that Thomas fails to recognize the faces of his family. That disease seems especially cruel to Elaine, for her husband’s shoulders remain wide, his legs strong, and his face little wrinkled. Elaine puts her faith into the lights, and she sacrifices to pay whatever cost the sparkle requires to reunite with the man Elaine always believed Thomas to be.Vicki Voss looks upon her father as the lights dance upon him. She learned to carve her own path while the mist filled Thomas’ mind, and she wonders if a returned father would do her more harm than good. Like her mother, Vicki believes the therapy will heal her father, but she remains unsure if she desires a family reunion. Vicki fears Thomas will mock her aims and force her to remain silent and meek.Logan Voss drives through the night to return to his childhood home. Mother again contacts him with news that his father will soon walk out of the light. Yet Logan remains skeptical. He has often hurried home only to find that disease keeps it grip upon Thomas Voss’ mind. But Logan hurries home now with a different purpose; he is determined to convince his mother and sister to let their father drift forever away, believing a quiet death a better option than the monster Logan fears his family summons.
Views: 409

Fireteam Zed: First to Fight (The Chronicles of the Zombie War #1) Chapter One

Set in Fort Myers, Florida, this is the action-filled first chapter of the soon-to-be-released novel Fireteam Zed: First to Fight. Fireteam Zed: First to Fight follows the struggle of a U.S. Marine 4-man fireteam that is separated from the main force during a zombie outbreak.Private First Class Douglas 'Java' Belfountain and his fellow U.S. Marines have been separated from the rest of the company during the zombie outbreak. Struggling to stay alive and find their way to safety the four warriors must fight hordes of the infected and roving gangs of the uninfected.This is the action-filled first chapter of the soon-to-be-released novel Fireteam Zed: First to Fight.
Views: 399

Glass Desires

Fay appears at the corner of Fifth and Water whenever Adam suffers a recurrence of cancer. Her silver hair and spinning halos comfort Adam during his deepest suffering. Together, Adam and Fay visit fantastic worlds twirling in the snows of magical, glass globes. Adam knows he and Fay would be happy, if only Fay could see how her beloved Regent so cruelly toys with her sprite heart.Without Fay, Adam would have to face his sickness and mortality alone. Fay always visits Adam with a magical snowglobe whenever Adam's sickness lowers his spirits. Together, they travel to worlds filled with magic, music and color. Next to Fay, Adam looks upon worlds of which the rest of mankind cannot dream. He cherishes Fay for her comfort, and though he knows that each piece brings them one step closer to the cruel Regent, Adam helps Fay rediscover the shards of her splendorous mirror a king once gifted her. Adam knows that he has little influence over Fay's sentiments, and that in the end, he must trust his favorite sprite to learn for herself the truth of the Regent's intentions.
Views: 396

Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way

Greg Mortenson has built a global reputation as a selfless humanitarian and children’s crusader, and he’s been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He is also not what he appears to be. As acclaimed author Jon Krakauer discovered, Mortenson has not only fabricated substantial parts of his bestselling books Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, but has also misused millions of dollars donated by unsuspecting admirers like Krakauer himself. This is the tragic tale of good intentions gone very wrong.
Views: 395

Mr Dog and the Kitten Catastrophe

A brand new young fiction series by TV broadcaster and intrepid explorer Ben Fogle, inspired by his real-life animal experiences... Co-written with best-selling children's author Steve Cole. When Mr Dog meets a reckless young wildcat called Angus in the woods he soon makes an important discovery – a whole group of exotic animals are being held in captivity. Mr Dog wants to help them – but will Angus charge in and turn a rescue into a kitten catastrophe?
Views: 395

Beyond The Hero's Chamber

Pure Fantasy Adventure that takes off from the very first page! 7000+ readers have spoken about how this story grabbed them, pulled them in and transported them to a place that isn't just creative, it's pure imagination. You'll be moving at a fast pace along an epic journey that can only be described as incredible. Everything you're looking for in a "can't put it down" weekend read is right here.This is NOT a stand-alone story. Beyond The Hero’s Chamber is the continuation of The Hero’s Chamber. If you didn’t read The Hero’s Chamber, just go online and do a quick search. It’s a wonderful story that thousands of people have enjoyed for years. You’ll find the eBook available in every downloadable format on smashwords.com.If you’ve already read the The Hero’s Chamber, welcome back! You’re in for a real treat.
Views: 386

The Hero's Chamber

Pure Fantasy Adventure that takes off from the very first page! 7000+ readers have spoken about how this story grabbed them, pulled them in and transported them to a place that isn't just creative, it's pure imagination. You'll be moving at a fast pace along an epic journey that can only be described as incredible. Everything you're looking for in a "can't put it down" weekend read is right here.Pure Fantasy Adventure that takes off from the very first page! 7000+ readers have spoken about how this story grabbed them, pulled them in and transported them to a place that isn't just creative, it's pure imagination. You'll be moving at a fast pace along an epic journey that can only be described as incredible. Everything you're looking for in a "can't put it down" weekend read is right here.This book was written after having an epiphany. I literally woke up from a dream and began writing. This story is appropriate for any reader age 9 and above. You'll find no gratuitous violence, foul language or nightmarish scenes. What you will discover on these pages is an adventure unlike anything I had ever dreamed about before; a fantasy tale worthy of reading aloud and a cast of characters that could only have come from deep within a creative mind.In The Hero's Chamber, two young men take a reluctant journey to find something that hasn't existed in thousands of years. Their guide may not be trustworthy, their fate is almost certain death but without this effort, their world, the original Earth, will die. Our adventurers are led by a young woman who must remain unseen, she is forbidden to speak and yet without her, there can be no success. Join this unforgettable group as they struggle through an epic journey that none of them expected, none of them asked for and none of them may survive.
Views: 372

Stars of the Shoemaker

The day's greatest athletes wear the green and gold sneakers crafted by the Shoemaker. Spectators cheer as the most revered sporting records fall to the men and women sporting the Shoemaker's trademark shoes of green and gold. And now, the Shoemaker brings a new sneaker to market, one that promises to turn any wearer into a superstar, no matter one's level of talent or dedication.Sports agent Blake Tuttle represents many of the day's greatest superstars of the diamond, court and field. Blake's skills at the negotiation table earn him the respect of the athletic world, and Blake takes pride in his ability to discover hidden talent. So he finds it difficult to believe the Shoemaker when that tycoon of the sporting world tells Blake that his new sneaker is enough to make any man or woman plucked from the street an overnight legend on any playing field. Blake admires those athletes he represents, and so he bets the Shoemaker that it is the athlete, and not the equipment, spectators admire when they witness the winning of championships and the breaking of records. The Shoemaker and Blake pluck an unknown player from anonymity; and after fitting a new pair of green and gold sneakers upon that aging athlete's feet, take their seats in the arena to gauge the reach of a simple pair of green and gold sneakers
Views: 360

The Dusty Dead's Revenge

Albino and ugly Maggie Turner vows to avenge her brothers. The village of Dry Acre does nothing to bring her brothers' murderers to justice. Even Maggie's father does little to stop the killing of his sons. So Maggie shapes the symbols of her family's dark magics in the dust, and in doing so, releases a swarm of wrath that sentences her to ever onward step a dark and blighted path.Maggie Turner is a daughter of a bone-shaker, and thus her family knows a nomadic existence. The settlement of Dry Acre shuns the ugly, albino Maggie and her brothers for the dark arts it is rumored their father practices. Rancher Randolph Harlington murders four of seven Turner brothers, and Maggie can only curse as Dry Acre does nothing to protect her surviving family. So Maggie turns to the only power that might protect her brothers, tracing strange geometries in the dust that pulsate with a wicked magic when her only friends ask for her help. Maggie summons the swarm, and the arriving blight forces her father to unleash the most terrible of his powers and sets Maggie upon a bone-shaker's path. The dead Turner brothers will have their revenge, and even the deadliest of gunslingers tremble as darkness chokes Dry Acre.
Views: 349

Empty Urns Launched Into Stars

Paul Seton and Marshall Lincoln are unique dealers in the Singularity. With a little wealth and a lot of faith, clients in Paul and Marshall's office may circumvent death by painlessly uploading their souls into the machine. Paul and Marshall's freedom and sanity are thrown into jeopardy when a tycoon's ambition to ride the Singularity to the stars threatens to expose the Singularity's secrets.The Singularity offers comfort to those suffering from terminal disease, to those exhausted from battling incurable cancer. Through the Singularity, lost loved ones tell the surviving lonely that death is indeed but a doorway, that heaven truly waits beyond the veil separating the living and the dead. Paul and Marshall are happy to offer their services of the Singularity, for though they may not offer their clients the complete truth, they in the end provide comfort and peace. Only the services that Paul and Marshall so careful safeguard begin slipping through their fingers when a tycoon expresses his wish to employ the Singularity to create immortal star-travelers. When the tycoon suggests his own daughter should be the first emissary to the stars, Paul and Marshall must choose between the Singularity or murder.
Views: 344

The Planets Are for the Prosperous

Overpopulation has ruined the Earth. Housing stacks dot the landscape, surrounded by piles of discarded rubble. Yet the newly discovered, habitable planets in the cosmos provide hope, and the lottery offices provide a chance for those in the housing stacks to ascend into the stars. Only, the game is rigged, and all the treasure found in the stars will be wasted so long as the lottery entertains.Becky Chen works with a broken heart. She wears a surveyor’s uniform, sent by the lottery offices to scout for habitable planets capable of providing a new home for Earth’s masses. It’s a job she does not love, for she knows that the settlers who follow in her trail will trample whatever splendor she discovers in those stars.Winston Clayton prays for a chance to ascend into the heavens. He calls the stale and stinking air of a housing stack home, and he anxiously waits each month to hear if the lottery chooses his apartment tower as the next winning stack to be transported to a new world of fresh air and uncluttered fields.Mary Lopez rides a shuddering settler’s rig down through the atmosphere of Wildberry. She knows she is a prosperous person, and that the planets are reserved for independent and strong characters such as herself. The lottery has supplied her with shelter and with tools, and Mary is confident that the weapon she smuggles into the contest will give her the advantage needed to survive and thrive.The pulsating creatures native to an alien world will become swept up in the schemes of the affluent and the fights of the desperate. Their wings can supply any desired scene to those settlers arriving upon Wildberry, if only the men and women who chase to that new, alien world can recognize the grace already occupying their new home.
Views: 337

Twin Spirit

Lily is a primitive spirit trapped on Earth, and has been from the day she was born, nine years ago and counting. She can’t smell, taste, touch or be heard. Lily wants to experience such sensations. But most of all, she wants her human sister – dead.Lily is a primitive spirit trapped on Earth, and has been from the day she was born, nine years ago and counting. She can’t smell, taste, touch or be heard. Lily wants to experience such sensations. But most of all, she wants her human sister – dead.Rose discovers her twin sibling in a forest, bathed in moonlight. She and Lily are transported to the afterlife, three billion light years away, within a galaxy called Domino.On the planet Kiian, the twins go in search of their mother, the key to transforming Lily into a fully formed spirit. However, humans and primitives are not welcome in Domino. Fearless creatures called the Govern seek out the twins to remove them from the afterlife and, in turn, from each other.
Views: 306

A Hero of Ticonderoga

This book was originally published prior to 1923, and represents a reproduction of an important historical work, maintaining the same format as the original work. While some publishers have opted to apply OCR (optical character recognition) technology to the process, we believe this leads to sub-optimal results (frequent typographical errors, strange characters and confusing formatting) and does not adequately preserve the historical character of the original artifact. We believe this work is culturally important in its original archival form. While we strive to adequately clean and digitally enhance the original work, there are occasionally instances where imperfections such as blurred or missing pages, poor pictures or errant marks may have been introduced due to either the quality of the original work or the scanning process itself. Despite these occasional imperfections, we have brought it back into print as part of our ongoing global book preservation commitment, providing customers with access to the best possible historical reprints. We appreciate your understanding of these occasional imperfections, and sincerely hope you enjoy seeing the book in a format as close as possible to that intended by the original publisher.
Views: 294

Plastic Tulips

The town of Portis doesn't fault Sophie Carter for gunning down Samantha Tosh in the local grocery store. Knowing that a copy of a younger, more beautiful you walked the streets around your home would drive anyone to murder. Nor was Samantha a person. She was only a synthetic, and Franklin Tosh should've known better than to think a clone could substitute for a human wife.Sophie Carter shakes after killing Samantha Tosh in the produce aisle of Diekemper's Grocery and Goods. She bakes cookies for town functions. Everyone in the community loves her like a grandmother. Sophie had never believed murder could germinate inside her. Yet she gunned down Samantha Tosh between the onions and avocados without hesitating. Franklin Tosh should not have ordered a clone made to match the young Sophie Carter he had fallen in love with so many lost years before. Sophie might have broken Franklin's heart so long ago, but she did not deserve to be haunted by that synthetic person whose never-aging beauty reminded Sophie of what she had once been. So Sophie Carter trembles as the world descends upon her small community of Portis, determined to decide if a synthetic's blood should be valued as much as any woman or man's.
Views: 276

Guarded Keepsakes

Jay Logan's fortune takes a turn for the better when he purchases the old Turner manse for a bargain. For Jay knows that the decaying Turner home, and its outbuildings in the surrounding acreage, brims with antiques that promise to put more than a little gold into his pocket. Only, Jay learns too late that so many collectibles have been gathered about that old, forgotten home for a reason.Jay Logan is an avid collector of the old and rare. From vintage toys to custom furniture, there is little that escapes Jay's attention so long as it is old. Jay pounces on opportunity when the decaying home of the Turner family is set before the auction block, and he purchases the estate, complete with all of the antiques that crowd the inner rooms, for a bargain. For the Turners were never known as a friendly kind, and many a rumor had been whispered about the lifestyle that family practiced behind all the scrap iron and car carcasses they gathered upon the yard. It seems no one wants to call that Turner manse home no matter the bargain. And so Jay Logan travels to his new estate with an empty trailer waiting to haul antique treasures back home, unaware that one last collector keeps his eye on all the keepsakes heaped upon the old Turner family's property.
Views: 267