A scifi short story.Something is seriously wrong with Parvati's baby.When she'd dreamt about the moment she'd meet her daughter, as she had so many times over the past nine months, the last thing she imagined was that it would be half machine...On her journey around the lost forest, Opa meets a stork with a clipboard, a lost explorer, a polar bear...oh and a sloth but we won’t mention the sloth...or what it says...Will Opa be the same without her spots? Why does Opa get mistaken for a bat? This is no ordinary tale of animals in a forest. This is a quite unusual tale from The Lost Forest! Views: 744
Jeff takes a walk on Christmas day to celebrate life, but something lies in wait within the tangled snow covered trees, something that will changes a variety of lives view of Christmas forever. Based on a true storyExploring the concepts of love, acceptance, and finding comfort, this LGBT collection features three short stories: Walled In, The End of Vacation, and Dragons Don’t Have Mustaches. Walled In: A naïve gay man helps his partner build a brick wall and realizes, upon its completion, they forgot to add a door. This story takes place in an alternate universe. The End of Vacation: A young adult, American tourist meets a charming Frenchman on his way to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Dragons Don’t Have Mustaches: An ignorant family struggles to understand the transgendered, youngest child. Views: 744
When the dangerous and powerful sorcerer, Edar Moncrief, trips over a body and discovers a priceless artifact, he thinks that he's stumbled on the opportunity of a lifetime. Instead, it will bring him face-to-face with dark horrors and one of the most feared men in the world: an Arbiter.From the author of Elegy comes this brand new novelette set in the dark fantasy world of Eisengoth!Edar Moncrief: sorcerer and scholar extraordinaire. To the outside world, he is a peddler of love potions and wart remover – after all, one has to make a living. Behind closed doors, he is a dangerous and powerful sorcerer specializing in the laws and function of the mysterious energy known as manna.When he trips over a body in the streets of Elenia, he discovers that the corpse belongs to none other than an Arbiter, the mysterious wielders of the crystal swords rarely seen in his part of the world. The loss of life is his gain, though, when he finds the opportunity to examine the most precious and rare artifact in the world: the Arbiter’s heartblade.To his misfortune, that same opportunity brings him face-to-face with the spectre of death. Another Arbiter, D’Arden Tal, has found him, and believes he is responsible for the killing. Edar’s only hope is to find and catch a murderer in the streets of the most decadent and deadly city in the Old Kingdoms, before Tal declares him responsible and kills him instead…From the author of Elegy and The Corpse King comes this brand new novelette set in the dark fantasy world called Eisengoth, where dark and terrible things fill the night, and only the Arbiters possess the power to drive back the horrors that threaten to consume the world. Views: 744
Seventeen-year-old Olivia Black has a rare birth defect known as Psyche Sans Soma, or PSS. Instead of a right hand made of flesh and blood, she was born with a hand made of ethereal energy.
How does Olivia handle being the girl with the ghost hand? Well, she's a little bit morbid and a whole lot snarky.
Her mother thinks her obsession with death, black clothing, and the local cemetery is a bid for attention. But when Marcus, the new guy in Olivia's calculus class, stares at her like she's a freak, Olivia doesn't like it. And when her hand goes rogue, doing things she never imagined possible, Olivia finds herself running for her life with Marcus from a group of men bent on taking the power of her hand for their own nefarious purposes.
NEWLY DESIGNED COVER FOR 2015 Views: 744
A woman disguises herself as a Parisian courtesan, and with a bottle of illegal Absinthe and the thirst for retribution guiding her, seduces a French artist by asking him to make her body his greatest work to date...but will it be the last one he ever creates...?Jasmine is back in the third book in the Fury Girl Chronicles and this adventure is testing her to the bottom of her furry soul. This time Jeff's in trouble. Jeff's past catches up with him and now he's facing a decision: a stint in the Pit for who knows how long or the black door.When she hears that Jeff is off on assignment, Jasmine is determined not to be left out of the fun, but would be more fun to go rescue him or watch him twist. What's to stop her from doing both? A huge mistake, a haunting and an indecisive demon stand in her way, so what's a Fury to do?If you're Jasmine, you win and you do it Furry, uhm, Fury style. Views: 742
A collection of tales by a variety of authors.A collection of tales by a variety of authors.Stories include:Winter Blues by Maria SavvaSkins by Jess C. ScottWhisperer by Jaleta CleggThe Wars Within by Jaime McDougallThe Old Bookshop by Julie Elizabeth PowellScale of a Dragon by J. Michael RadcliffeCounting Blessings Along the Horseshoe Canyon by Sharon E. CathcartEve & Ian’s New Love Life by Cynthia Meyers-HansonLaundry Day by Stacy JubaThe Day the Lights Went Out by Cliff Ball Views: 741
Houses have pasts. But they also have futures. Not every tragedy is yet to occur. Not every haunting is spiritual.Originally written for my Patreons for Halloween 2014, this story was released on 21/01/15 to celebrate an Official Short Story Day, which doesn't actually exist, after the author misread a statement by writer Cara Ellison, so that's a whole thing. Views: 741
Daisi Malone lives in the Presidio building in Sydney Australia. It's a strange place with vampires, faerie psychologists and ghosts also residing there. In the fourth story of the series, Daisi and her friends investigate a strange plague of shoes which leads to a confrontation with sensitive jugglers and shadows in the local cemetery.The fourth story in the Vampire Across the Hall series. Daisi Malone is back and getting into trouble again. Hundreds of shoes are strewn randomly on the streets of Newtown and Daisi, Madden, Eliza, Mark and Anna investigate. Their research leads them to a weird group of jugglers and spooky shadows at the local cemetery. Vampires? Faeries? Ghosts or other supernatural beings? And what do the exspellers have to do with it? Views: 740
Part Four of Hillbilly Jungle ends the tale of regular people caught up in the nature of a battle between a Godling and very powerful angry vengeance seeking spirit.THE FIRST RIVETING ENTRY IN THE DYSTOPIAN ODYSSEY: THE CITIZENS OF OBLIVION.2081. Heaven on earth was made. 2228. Paradise falls. These are the lives of those who woke heaven.Citizen 1 - Cecilia Abandonato has come to the 'City of Paradise' to fulfill a dream - to start a life free of the past. Offered a job as a Rig Driver, Cecilia is given riches and opportunities she never could have imagined. It isn't long, however, before Cecilia sees a city very different from the one in her dream. She sees a city on the verge of a terrible plague. She sees a 'utopia' filled with unrest. She sees that there is only one way to achieve what she wants. She must face her past.>>> An immersing epistolary tragedy about society, technology and the human heartWhen Blade Runner meets Flowers from Algernon, you get In Dreams: The Logs of Subject 0001-A. Just take it from the readers:"In Dreams: The Logs of Subject 0001-A is...exciting and compelling...This is a great look at the possibilities of the future when technology has advanced but man’s basic humanity has not. This interesting story grabs and holds reader attention. " - Melinda Hills for Readers' Favorite˃˃˃ The Citizens of Oblivion SeriesIn Dreams is the first entry in the dystopian series, The Citizens of Oblivion, the chronicle of the 9 lives that come together to change 'the City of Paradise' forever. With each book designed to be its own stand alone tale, the series can be read in any order. Together, the series chronicles the impending doom of paradise and the single event that brings it - the Easter Square Incident.GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY Views: 738
Living a normal life, three friends have that life taken from them when the Red Horde invades their empire and its cities. Burning people as offerings to their Gods, the three run, trying to seek shelter in the north only to discover they were not born to run. Meeting a stranger on the road north seeking shelter is only the first step in learning their true identities and how to save their world.This book contains a selection of Haiku and other poems organised broadly by topic. Some are based on direct observation of the natural world, others are more philosophic in nature, some may be described as social commentary and some may even be described as humorous. The author was recently published in the Spring edition of the World Haiku Review. Views: 738
Tribal leaders in opposition to the government, the corruption of occupation, society torn apart by shifting political loyalties... this is the background to one woman's powerful story. A Persian Requiem is a powerful and evocative novel. Set in the southern Persian town of Shiraz in the last years of World War II, when the British army occupied the south of Persia, the novel chronicles the life of Zari, a traditional, anxious and superstitious woman whose husband, Yusef, is an idealistic feudal landlord. The occupying army upsets the balance of traditional life and throws the local people into conflict. Yusef is anxious to protect those who depend upon him and will stop at nothing to do so. His brother, on the other hand, thinks nothing of exploiting his kinsmen to further his own political ambitions. Thus a web of political intrigue and hostilities is created, which slowly destroys families. In the background, tribal leaders are in open rebellion against the government, and a picture of a society torn apart by unrest emerges. In the midst of this turbulence, normal life carries on in the beautiful courtyard of Zari's house, in the rituals she imposes upon herself and in her attempt to keep the family safe from external events. But the corruption engendered by occupation is pervasive - some try to profit as much as possible from it, others look towards communism for hope, whilst yet others resort to opium. Finally even Zari's attempts to maintain normal family life are shattered as disaster strikes. An immensely moving story, A Persian Requiem is also a powerful indictment of the corrupting effects of colonization. A Persian Requiem (first published in 1969 in Iran under the title Savushun), was the first novel written by an Iranian woman and, sixteen reprints and half a million copies later, it remains the most widely read Persian novel. In Iran it has helped shape the ideas and attitudes of a generation in its revelation of the factors that contributed to the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Simin Daneshvar's A Persian Requiem ... goes a long way towards deepening our understanding of Islam and the events leading up to the 1979 Revolution ... The central characters adroitly reflect different Persian attitudes of the time, attitudes that were eventually to harden into support for either the Ayatollah and his Islamic fundamentalism or, alternatively, for the corrupting Westernisation of the Shah. The value of the book lies in its ability to present these emergent struggles in human terms, in the day-to-day realities of small-town life ... Complex and delicately crafted, this subtle and ironic book unites reader and writer in the knowledge that human weakness, fanaticism, love and terror are not confined to any one creed. The Financial Times A Persian Requiem is not just a great Iranian novel, but a world classic. The Independent on Sunday ... it would be no exaggeration to say that all of Iranian life is there. Spare Rib For an English reader, there is almost an embarrassment of new settings, themes and ideas ... Under the guise of something resembling a family saga - although the period covered is only a few months - A Persian Requiem teaches many lessons about a society little understood in the West. Rachel Billington, The Tablet This very human novel avoids ideological cant while revealing complex political insights, particularly in light of the 1979 Iranian revolution. Publishers Weekly A Persian Requiem, originally published [in Iran] in 1969, was a first novel by Iran's first woman novelist. It has seen sixteen reprints, sold over half a million copies, and achieved the status of a classic, literally shaping the ideas of a generation. Yet when asked about the specific appeal of the novel, most readers are at a loss to pinpoint a single Views: 736
The Naked Heat Anthology by Jess C Scott is a collection of incubus and succubus stories. Naked Heat: Walkthrough is a freebie mini compilation. In this promotional eBook, Jess talks about the themes and inspirations behind her incubus/succubus themed project. GENRE: Education (Reference / Commentary) * * * LENGTH: 5,500 Words * * * By author/artist/non-conformist, Jess C ScottSummary: The Naked Heat Anthology by Jess C Scott is a collection of incubus and succubus stories.Naked Heat: Walkthrough is a freebie mini compilation.In this promotional eBook, Jess talks about the themes and inspirations behind her incubus/succubus themed project.Genre: Education (Reference / Commentary)Length: 5,500 WordsP.S. Jess's brand of paranormal fiction tends to be quite complex/spiritual, since there's lots of ground to cover! The focus is on the story, not romantic/erotic fluff.* * *Table of Contents:I. IntroductionII. Excerpts + Commentaries on:1. The Devilin Fey (Incubus)2. SVEN (Incubus)3. Tongue-Tied (Succubus)4. Kylie (Succubus)5. Tempt (Guest Post)III. Naked Heat Anthology* * *Reviews:"Dear Jess, I just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed your writing: your writing reflects something genuine, something real, about our generation that few writers have had the talent or the courage to uncover. Thank you." -- Reader/Customer Email, 2010"[The Devilin Fey] was erotic without being pornographic, emotional without being sappy, spiritual without being preachy…just enjoyable reading. Kudos to Jess C Scott." -- Paul G. / Amazon review (unsolicited), July 2010"Just read Real Love Versus Romance...loved the ideas & compilation of ideas...great!! :) i agreed with many of the points of how romance has been commercialized for effect instead of portraying the actual depth of true romance...i roll my eyes at what is considered "love stories" nowadays...even being a guy (haha), i can appreciate a story that portrays real love & shows depth in what romance is (means)..." -- P.H. / Chesapeake, OH, April 2012* * *Excerpt [Introduction]:. . .Incubi and succubi are fascinating paranormal beings. For those of you unfamiliar with the terms, here's a quick definition: * Incubus: An evil spirit supposed to descend upon and have sexual intercourse with women as they sleep.* Succubus: A female demon fabled to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men.All of us experience love, sex, and romance to some degree or other, with the relationships we're involved in throughout the course of our lives. There are certain elements which tend to feature in stories in the occult and folklore/mythology genre. There are usually some kind of rituals involved, and perhaps some sorcery in which a person can engage the "demons" in the story (which brings to mind TV shows like Charmed). I might explore those situations in future, though I left them out in this initial collection of incubus and succubus stories. I wanted to ground the stories in a contemporary and realistic setting. I find it captivating when I wake up some mornings feeling a sense of 'hauntedness', like as if I couldn't tell for sure whether the strangers in my dreams at night were people and events that had really occurred in real life. . .* * *Author Bio:Jess is an author/artist/non-conformist who’s dedicated to writing original stories that are both meaningful and entertaining.Most of Jess’s work is fueled by an intense drive to inspire others to favor social/spiritual values over shallow values. Visit her website for free samples and more! Views: 736
Set in the bohemian café society of Paris at the turn of the nineteenth century, Maugham's exploration of hypnotism and the occult was inspired by the sinister black magician Aleister Crowley. At the start of this compulsive gothic horror story, Arthur and his beautiful, innocent fiancée Margaret look forward to an idyllic life together, until they encounter the mesmerising and repulsive Oliver Haddo... Views: 736
When he hears some noises in his attic Alec finds he's got a serious bat problem... and ends up having to visit the old man known as Hunchy for help.Now includes an Urdu translation of Inchoate.InchoateSet in prehistoric North America, this tells the story of how a delinquent time traveler calls the first Board Meeting in History and inadvertently incurs the wrath of all his bosses. He is put on trial but is he all he seems?Henry's CarIn this hilarious sci-fi story, a Royal Time Traveler from the 16th Century develops a taste and talent for for stock-car racing.Ordo Lupus and the Temple GateWhy is a notorious religious cult of assassins keeping him alive?His teenage daughter is viciously murdered in Lyon by a long-forgotten biblical monster. A former WWII MI6 agent, our hero is suspected of her murder by the police and his divorcing wife.With supernatural powers of foresight he goes on the run to clear his name. He has only one friend - a historian and member of the modern Knights Hospitaller but with his help he embarks on a white-knuckle ride to salvation.In Paris a witch servant of the mysterious Catholic assassin sect Concilium Putus Visum seduces him during his quest for the secret weapon of the Cathars. If he can solve a puzzling set of clues to find the weapon, he might kill the monster and save his marriage.But why do the assassins and the monster seem to be protecting him?Lovers of Dan Brown's evocative mix of mystery and history will love this Occult Thriller - a dark and powerful tale.Too Bright the SunA man afraid of his own soul!Seeking revenge for the death of a friend ten long years ago, Major Jake Nanden has pursued his own personal demons with an almost religious fervour through life and through battle.He is a soldier so highly decorated that his fame reaches far beyond the desolate moon Io where he is stationed. His victories in the Jupiter Wars are hollow though, for he is a man scared of his own soul.His life seems to be a trap from which he cannot escape. His is the Replicant Company, and replicants are despised by all.Likened to a cross between Blade Runner and Paths of Glory, you simply must read this beautifully constructed, intensely dark and powerful Science Fiction tale-with-a-twist if you love Phillip K. Dick and Isaac Asimov.Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate - from the author:I had been pursuing a theological interest in the Cathars; first though reading a number of books by Henry Lincoln and later an interest in Monségur and the Rennes-le-Château, near where the lost treasure of the Cathars is said to be hidden. The Cathars were an ancient sect who came to prominence and were ruthlessly persecuted by the Catholics in the 1300s, mainly in and around the Languedoc Region of France. They believed that the Christian god was really Rex Mundi, or 'God of Earth.'The second theme I wanted to get into my novel was the gothic. The themes of blood, death, eroticism, sex and transcendence are all things that I desire in a good novel. My influences were Kate Bush, The Mission, Lord Byron, John Keats (The Eve of St. Agnes is a particularly favourite poem of mine) and to some extent Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Sex and death are the themes that everyone seems attracted to.A year before I started this work, I read both Dan Brown and Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. These books were certainly an influence on me. Like him I have been fascinated for many years by the rumour or myth that Mary went to France and that Jesus had a descendant. Like him and many others, I speculate that the Cathars did in fact smuggle a great treasure out of Monségur castle, under the noses of the Royalist besiegers. I couldn't resist a climax to my novel that took place in one of the world's greatest Gothic masterpieces. But you will have to read the novel to find out where ...Grab your copy today! Views: 736
