Life in the Frontier Worlds can be brutal and cruel, but humanity presses on in the endless need to survive. In these Archives you will find snapshots of the people that make up the universe of the Avarice Dynasty. Few of them are champions and even fewer heroes; they are simply men and women trying to make a living anyway they can. Contains: Siitral Speedster, Endgame, Vagabonds and Torch AngelsWelcome to the Frontier Worlds! On the far side of the Milky Way Galaxy a super-cluster of stars proved capable of supporting the Journeymen who escaped Old Earth. The Barons are in control here but they leave the majority of ruling to the Alpha Cartels, who in turn leave day-to-day governing to the sector and planetary governor-generals. Life can be brutal and cruel, but humanity presses on in the endless need to survive. Here and there champions arise to brighten the darkness, whether through art, science, or simple good deeds.In these Archives you will find snapshots of the people that make up the universe of the Avarice Dynasty. Few of them are champions and even fewer heroes; they are simply men and women trying to make a living anyway they can.These are their stories.Series One contains the following short stories: Siitral Speedster, Endgame, Vagabonds and Torch Angels. Each is a self-contained story that adds flavor and depth to the Avarice Dynasty universe. Views: 500
In this humorous short story, a trip to the pawn shop sends Bob Hanks on an unexpected adventure.A devastating fire has swept through the forest above the ridge, killing Tir’s pack and leaving him captive in the hands of strangers. One of these strangers, Palva the Gatherer, was expecting his arrival; a prophecy warned her of an approaching disaster heralded by the appearance of a swollen orange moon. Palva’s secrecy and cold resolve does not put Tir at ease, but he is determined to create a new life for himself.Meanwhile, in a nearby forest, the renegade wolf Alanki plays both sides of the old game of Hunter and Hunted. Abandoned as a pup for the birth defect of being born a runt, she was taken in by a herd of deer who hold a tremendous respect for the old tales as passed down by designated storytellers. The deer give Alanki her name, A-Lankhi, because she is the daughter of the predator; there is a legend in the herd that any acts of kindness done for their natural enemy will be repaid in kind, when the herd is threatened with destruction.Tensions come to a head as Tir’s new pack begins to hunt the deer and Palva’s fire moon waxes in the sky. Alanki jumps to defend her foster family, but is disturbed to discover the extent of her own brutality. Tir fights to earn and maintain his place in a strange pack where unknown outsiders are mistrusted—for good reasons—and Palva struggles to sort through the threads and knots of resurrected old crimes that threaten to strangle everything she knows. But amidst all the fear and chaos, one thing is clear to all sides: self-preservation may drive some creatures to do terrible things, but most will stop at nothing to protect those that they love. Views: 500
Everlost, the limbo land of dead children, is at war. Nick the “Chocolate Ogre” wants to help the children of Everlost reach the light at the end of the tunnel. Mary Hightower, self-proclaimed queen of lost children and dangerous fanatic, is determined to keep Everlost’s children trapped within its limbo for all eternity. Traveling in the memory of the Hindenburg, Mary is spreading her propaganda and attracting Afterlights to her cause at a frightening speed. Meanwhile, Allie the Outcast travels home to seek out her parents, along with Mikey, who was once the terrifying monster the McGill. Allie is tempted by the seductive thrill of skinjacking the living, until she discovers the shocking truth about skinjackers. Views: 500
“I am Morning Toill, the daughter of, Geth—the last of his powerful children. Today the Thieves Guild pilot will come to see me, just as I have dreamed--my dreams are always true. He is the one they will call Lazarus, but he will not accept it when I tell him so. The tale of Thad Cochran begins here with me, and I will show him what is coming." Thus begins The Guild Saga.“I am Morning Toill, the daughter of, Geth—the last of his powerful children. Today the Thieves Guild pilot will come to see me, just as I have dreamed--my dreams are always true. He is the one they will call Lazarus, but he will not accept it when I tell him so. The tale of Thad Cochran begins here with me, and I will show him what is coming. A bloodthirsty one he will one day be, and not even his love for Maggie Thorn will keep him forever on the path of peace. One day soon, the Thieves Guild pilot will face his destiny…at a faraway place called, the North Ridge. There the avenger will confront the dreamer, and only the spirits know which one will prevail.”Thus begins The Guild Saga which continues in The Wonk Decelerator, The Late Great Benjamin Bale and The Return of the Crimson Witch. Views: 500
Harris Palmer is an assistant director of security at a lab where scientists made contact with the dream sphere and accidentally brought something back: A sinister gunfighter and his sorceress bride, leaving the fate of the world up to a corporate security agent who never really liked his job in the first place.Harris Palmer is the assistant director of security at a laboratory where scientists have succeeded in making contact with something in the dream sphere, or more specifically, accidentally brought something back. Having touched one of the darker places of the place where people dream, a sinister gunfighter and his sorceress bride have returned to our world, leaving the fate of the world up to a corporate security agent who never really liked his job in the first place. This is a novella and comes from the much larger book, Darkened Passages. This story runs about 40 pages. Views: 500
An ancient city is unearthed at a archaeological dig in Africa, seemingly the oldest in human history. The latest in imaging technology revealed structures and streets deep underground. Nothing, though, could detect the repercussions once all was unearthed.Jodie Hamilton is a psychic consultant for police department. Yet despite all the help she had given, the police will not listen to her when victims of a killer are telling her the location of a killer. So in order to the get police to listen to her, she sneaks onto the killer's hideout, a long forgotten ran down junkyard, to get some photographs as proof. But things do not go great as the killer does not like people sneaking onto his hideout.. Views: 500
A Chronicles of St Mary's short story that is sure to entertain. If you love Jasper Fforde or Ben Aaronovitch, you won't be able to resist Jodi Taylor.**Includes bonus St Mary's escapades Desiccated Water and Markham and the Anal Probing and original introductions from the author**When Did You Last See Your Father?'Max, your father is here. He's come to take Matthew away'Have you ever wondered what would happen if Max's husband met Max's father? What would Leon do? They're normally a fairly amiable bunch, but this is the story of what to expect if St Mary's doesn't like someone. As in, really doesn't like someone. Warning: contains a unit-wide criminal enterprise, a great deal of illegal activity and a sad misuse of public resources. All the things a father will do to protect his family. It is also a story of revenge. Because this is payback - St Mary's... Views: 500
The Guardians is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Irving E. Cox is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Irving E. Cox then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. Views: 499
Eighteen-year-old Kali McAlister enters her steam-powered "dogless sled" in a race, intending to win the thousand-dollar prize and escape remote Moose Hollow forever. The problem? Fortune seekers and airship pirates are after her for the secret to flash gold, her late father's alchemical masterpiece. An 18,000-word steampunk novella.Eighteen-year-old Kali McAlister enters her steam-powered "dogless sled" in a race, intending to win the thousand-dollar prize and escape remote Moose Hollow forever. The problem? Fortune seekers and airship pirates are after her for the secret to flash gold, her late father's alchemical masterpiece. With a hand-modified rifle and a pocketful of home-made smoke bombs, Kali wouldn't normally hide from a confrontation, but taking on a whole airship single-handedly is a daunting task. Unfortunately, the other racers won't assist her--they're too busy scheming ways to sabotage her unorthodox sled.When a sword-slinging stranger shows up, wanting to hire on as her protector, she's sure he has ulterior motives, but he's the only one interested in helping her. The question is...why?Details: An 18,000-word steampunk novella set in the Klondike during the Gold Rush. Views: 499
An anthology of speculative fiction stories, dealing with the theme of Waste.A Gunfighter finds himself going head to head with a dragon in the Wasteland. Two modern day sorceresses discover the price for wasting love. A priest and a demon discuss wasted faith. A young man wastes the truth about the disappearance of his brother. A wannabe rock-star wastes his foresight in an encounter with a man from Mars. After God is declared dead, a man wastes a trip to church. Business partners struggle to make a living in the Wasteland. A hunter finds something too good to waste. A protector's trust is wasted on a cowardly lover. And a man at the end of the world wastes his life for an old, childhood dream.From Waste to Waste the sparks of hope flicker where they should sputter and die, defiant to the last; yet in the core of even stalwart hearts Waste lies in wait. Views: 499
In THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE, Lady Glynis suffered great horrors at the hands of her evil vampire master, Count Vlad Dracula, and vowed she would one day escape him. In THE VENGEANCE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE, Glynis learns to embrace the title of Countess Dracula as she sets into motion her plans to seek revenge on those who betrayed Glynis and her family to Dracula and to reunite with the man she loves. Despite her ambitions, it soon becomes quite apparent that her life continues to be overshadowed by the ominous presence of Vlad Dracula. Set in the 1820s against the lush gothic backdrop of Buda, Hungary, the tale of one vampire bride’s quest for love, revenge, and the right to determine her own way in life is a sweeping saga that will enthrall any reader who loves the beautiful, deadly vampires of old. Views: 499
Few are blessed with the burden of foresight. Few could feel the wind changing, or see the skies darkening; a storm was brewing. For centuries, those with magic and those without lived together in relative peace. Alas, all good things must eventually come to an end. I know there is much you believe true, more you believe untrue. Travel the world and uncover the truths that hide in History's ShadowEngland: circa 1310 A.D. Few are blessed with the burden of foresight. Few could feel the wind changing, or see the skies darkening; a storm was brewing.For centuries, those with magic and those without lived together in relative peace. Alas, all good things must eventually come to an end. Twelve sorcerers, condemned to centuries of slumber, would soon awaken. During a time of religious reign, their awakening would be the catalyst that turned man against magic forever.So would begin the witch hunt, the slaughtering of magical creatures once awed. Some would perish; most would hide. Others would build an army in retaliation and the world would be at full out war. All this, with the threat of a dark cult hellbent on resurrecting the one being that should not be resurrected ever looming. Indeed, dark times lie ahead.It has been said: “A man does not become great by having it easy; it is adversity that pushes him to greatness.” If that were true, then Tahir and his companions had enough adversity to become some of the greatest people ever to live. This is their story. Views: 499
Librarian Note: Alternate Cover Edition for ASIN: B00EZ5R78O.
NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR, ELLE CASEY, brings readers the romantic suspense novel DON’T MAKE ME BEAUTIFUL.
This story was inspired by true events. If you liked the movie "Sleeping With the Enemy", then you might like this story too.
No one knew a woman lived there or that she even existed. A monster, living in darkness...
At twenty-two, Nicole doesn't even look human anymore. The beast made sure of that. So she hides. A monster, consigned to a life of fear and solitude. This is all she deserves, she is quite sure of that. And then one day out of the blue, the autographed baseball caught by Brian Jensen at the latest Marlins game enters her prison and manages to turn her world completely upside down.
Temptation comes in the form of pity at first, and then perhaps something more. Does she dare to believe the things she's told, that this is not the life she was meant to live? That being a monster is not her forever-fate? And will she be willing to risk everything, to reach out and accept the helping hands around her and share her deepest, darkest secrets? She knows only too well that hands can hurt. Finding out whether they can also heal is a risky proposition, especially when the beast is still out there. Looking for her.
Content warning: Violence, foul language, and adult situations. Not meant for younger readers.
A note from Elle about this book: A really long time ago, I read an article in a newspaper or a magazine (I haven’t been able to locate the original) about a woman who was so badly beaten over a long period of time, she couldn’t leave her house. I thought about that woman a lot over the years and about what her thoughts might have been, her fears, her reality … and this book was my attempt to both exorcise those thoughts from my brain and also shed some light on a subject —domestic violence— that I feel should never be left in darkness. Views: 499
