The free edition of Shane Rynhart's debut short story anthology. This edition contains nine short fantasy, horror and science fiction tales. There is also an extended, paid, edition with nineteen stories plus bonus content, available separately.Not Quite Normal - Free Edition is a collection of nine short supernatural tales from Shane Rynhart. The stories included are:The Helper (Part 1)RedNot Quite NormalThe Well of WisdomTomahawkClackingEndeavourMirrorsThe Helper (Part 2)If you enjoy these tales, please consider purchasing the full version of Not Quite Normal. It's paid, but reasonably priced, plus you'll recieve an additional ten stories plus some bonus content (and the author's sincerest gratification)! Views: 646
An unprecedented genetic mutation, an underground think tank, and an unscrupulous pharmaceutical company collide in this dazzling debut thriller.For one hundred and fifty-five days, Will Foster has been locked in medical quarantine without his consent. The doctors claim he is infected with a deadly virus, but this is a lie. Encoded in his DNA is a mutation that provides immunity from disease for all who possess it, source code that Vyrogen Pharmaceuticals aims to commercialize as a multi-billion-dollar gene therapy.Against all odds, Foster escapes his laboratory prison and steals a virulent strain of bubonic plague as insurance. To help him unravel the mystery inside him, Foster contacts the only person he can trust: a former lover and microbiologist living Vienna and the two become fugitives, hunted across the heart of Europe.Under the guise of averting a plague pandemic, Vryogen hires an elite, underground Think Tank to track down Foster. But the brilliant team...
An unprecedented genetic mutation, an underground think tank, and an unscrupulous pharmaceutical company collide in this dazzling debut thriller. For one hundred and fifty-five days, Will Foster has been locked in medical quarantine without his consent. The doctors claim he is infected with a deadly virus, but this is a lie. Encoded in his DNA is a mutation that provides immunity from disease for all who possess it, source code that Vyrogen Pharmaceuticals aims to commercialize as a multi-billion dollar gene therapy. Against all odds, Foster escapes his laboratory prison and steals a virulent strain of bubonic plague as insurance. To help him unravel the mystery inside him, Foster contacts the only person he can trust--a former lover and microbiologist living Vienna-- and the two become fugitives, hunted across the heart of Europe. Under the guise of averting a plague pandemic, Vryogen hires an elite, underground Think Tank to track down Foster. But when the team sets a trap for Foster, they discover they're not the only ones in the hunt. In a race against two deadly assassins, can the brilliant minds of the Think Tank unravel the truth before time runs out for their quarry? In a novel where conscience clashes with greed, loyalty with suspicion, and paranoia with reality, THE CALYPSO DIRECTIVE deftly explores the issues of genetic exploitation and piracy. Captivating, controversial, and courageous, Andrews debut is sure to thrill and leave you wondering what secrets are locked in your DNA. Views: 646
Fighting insurgents, something Capt. Keith Ridgely has done on a regular basis and has done so with the zeal of any patriotic solider, but after his latest mission in Zimbabwe, he gets reassigned to a place where careers go to die. With his prospects ruined, Ridgely must contemplate whether to remain in the armed forces or take the lucrative offer of becoming a hired gun.Fighting insurgents, something Capt. Keith Ridgely has done on a regular basis and has done so with the zeal of any patriotic solider, but after his latest mission in Zimbabwe, he gets reassigned to a place where careers go to die. With his prospects ruined, Ridgely must contemplate whether to remain in the armed forces or take the lucrative offer of becoming a hired gun. One path leads to loyalty, the other towards fortune. Only he can decide which way to choose.In this thrilling short-story prelude to For One’s Own Cause, follow Capt. Ridgely as he battles it out in the harsh terrains of southern Africa only to learn that he has to quit the army if he ever wants to see combat again. Views: 646
Something came with the rain. (a FREE short horror story)Something came with the rain one night to the town of New Leeds. Something dark that soaked into earth, the buildings, the people and gave birth to something darker. Cleaning out his basement, Hollis comes to learn this... and learn something has been born inside him as well. (a FREE short horror story) Views: 645
IN A DYING WORLD, GRIEF HAS A LIFE OF ITS OWN...With the collapse of ecosystems and the extinction of species comes the Grief: an unstoppable melancholia that ends in suicide. When Ruby's friend, mourning the loss of the Great Barrier Reef, succumbs to the Grief, the letters she leaves behind reveal the hidden world of the resurrected dead. The Tasmanian tiger, brought back from extinction in an isolated facility, is only the first... but rebirth is not always biological, and it comes with a price. As a scientist, Ruby resists the Grief by focusing her research on resilient jellyfish, but she can't avoid choosing which side she's on. How can she fight against the dead and the forces behind them when doing so risks her home, her life, and the entire biosphere? Views: 645
New York Times Book Review • Editors' ChoiceExcerpted in The New YorkerProfiled in The Los Angeles TimesPublishing for the centenary of her birth, Patricia Highsmith's diaries "offer the most complete picture ever published" of the canonical author (New York Times).Relegated to the genre of mystery during her lifetime, Patricia Highsmith is now recognized as one of "our greatest modernist writers" (Gore Vidal). Beloved by fans who were unaware of the real psychological turmoil behind her prose, the famously secretive Highsmith refused to authorize a biography, instead sequestering herself in her Switzerland home in her final years. Posthumously, her devoted editor Anna von Planta discovered her diaries and notebooks in 1995, tucked in a closet—with tantalizing instructions to be read.For years thereafter, von Planta meticulously culled from over eight thousand pages to help reveal the inscrutable figure... Views: 645
It's the end of the year as we know it, and you'll be feeling fine as you peruse this collection of "season's readings." Let It Snow! is packed to the rafters with thoughtful story gifts for you to unwrap from the comfort of your cozy reading chair. After all, there's snowplace like home for the holidays! Are you ready to branch out beyond the tree'd and true? Stay inside and read! Let It Snow!It's the end of the year as we know it, and you'll be feeling fine as you peruse this collection of "season's readings." Let It Snow! is packed to the rafters with thoughtful story gifts for you to unwrap from the comfort of your cozy reading chair. After all, there's snowplace like home for the holidays! Are you ready to branch out beyond the tree'd and true? Stay inside and read! Let It Snow!Let It Snow!Season's Readings for a Super-Cool Yule!Ten eclectic stories in off-beat holiday settingsA Laurents County Landfill Christmas, by Red TashSilent Night, by Jack WallenCrazed in Christmas City, by Jessica McHughA Manlove & Kickerdick Xmess, byAxel HowertonThe Snow Wolf's Gift, byTim TashA Serial Killer Christmas, by Mercedes YardleyOld Mexia Christmas Brew, by Claudia LefeveThe Pratty Who Saved Chrissmuss, by Marian AllenBelieve, by Connie Roberts-HuthHau'oli Hanukkah by T. Lee Harris Views: 645
In his final years, Egyptian Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz distilled his storyteller's art to its most essential level. Written with the compression and power of dreams, these poetic vignettes, originally collected in two books, The Dreams and Dreams of Departure, here combined in one volume for the first time.
These stories telescope epic tales into tersely haunting miniatures. A man finds his neighborhood has turned into a circus, but his joy turns to anger when he cannot escape it. An obscure writer finally achieves fame-through the epitaph on his grave. A group of friends telling jokes in an alley face the murderous revenge of an ancient Egyptian queen. Figures from Mahfouz's past-women he loved, men who inspired him, even fictional characters from his own novels-float through tales dreamed by a mind too fertile ever to rest, even in sleep.
Translated by Raymond Stock
From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 644
Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into his five-year-old life. Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school.
Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that.
In this fearless portrayal of a boy on the edge, highly acclaimed Printz Honor author A.S. King explores the desperate reality of a former child “star” who finally breaks free of his anger by creating possibilities he never knew he deserved. Views: 644
In this poignant short-story by writer Matthew Farrington, a woman comes to terms with her mother's rejection and the subsequent estrangement from her family while attempting to clean out the family's summer home. Tasked with cleaning out the house, Sarah slowly reads the last letter her mother wrote to her while examining their relationship against the backdrop of childhood summers.Dame Aylith the High Elf is a questing agent in the Ministry of the Eye and Ear. Adventurous by nature, she uses her prowess to serve and protect those who would live in peace. The dark elves of the Uncanny Court are exiles bent on war and vengeance. When a dark elf ambassador initiates a scheme that would entice the dwarves to neutrality, Aylith is tasked with assassinating him. Unfortunately, she must do so in the City of Peace, thus, she must be discreet. Aylith's problems worsen when her little sprite friend insists on helping. Views: 644
Poetry and stories about the mythical bird.A short horror story based on the Lovecraftian Necronomicon. Two academics thought they could unravel the secrets of this diabolical book but it destroyed them both. Views: 644
Time Didn't Heal All Wounds, and the Scars were About to be Ripped Open Stevenson When I'd moved from Homicide to the Cold Case Unit my friends headed, I'd thought it would be a new start. The minute my marriage fell apart, I'd lost my purpose. Years passed, and I hadn't found myself until I'd helped my friends catch a serial killer, but I'd also found friends and family. As I'd searched for a case among dusty boxes, a decades' old murder and missing person case caught my attention. The autopsy report sent me to the ME's office and the man I'd avoided for months. Doc Making death my job didn't allow for normal friends, but the dead needed an advocate, and it was the only purpose I'd known. Being a medical examiner was all I'd had for decades, and I didn't know what to do outside my job. I had a group of friends, all worked in law enforcement and forensics, but one thing was missing. Short, adorable middle-aged men... Views: 644
In December 2015, I started a free monthly competition challenging my blog visitors to provide me with prompts for me to choose my favourite and write their story in around 500 words. The three pieces published here are the winning prompts from the Dec 2015 / Jan 2016 competition, as well as those that came second and third. The prompts submitted can be found at the end of each story.In December 2015, I started a free monthly competition challenging my blog visitors to provide me with prompts for me to choose my favourite and write their story in around 500 words. The three pieces published here are the winning prompts submitted from 16th December to 15th January, as well as those that came second and third in that month. The prompts supplied can be found at the end of each story.The winning story, 'A Handle at One End, a Spout at the Other' features Danny and Penny, and is about two friends, a grandmother's will, a silver teapot and an abandoned shopping trolley stuck in the sand, one wheel running for its life but destined to never go anywhere other than the scrapyard if Mickey O’Flanagan got hold of it.The second-placed story, 'Don't Cry, Don't Cry', is of a couple, Mara and Jaime, skiing late in the season but making a pitstop of a Café Allongé and petit pain au chocolate, their encounter with a French family, and Mara trying to keep her composure.'Sweeping the Coast', the third-placed story, features Hugh, a disillusioned deutanope (he suffered with red-green colourblindness) whose escape to the coast doesn't go according to plan... not that he had one. Views: 643
