A post-apoc short/novelette, from "Envisioning".A post-apoc short/novelette, from "Envisioning". A young angel finds her place in a broken land with broken dreams. Sometimes, the truth hurts more than it enlightens. Views: 756
WHEN VIKTOR AND ROMULUS, two peasant boys, dig into their town’s strange past, they awaken the wrath of a mysterious overlord. Their struggle to survive is an explosion of adventure, mystery, and magic. A perilous journey awaits... Winner of 'OUTSTANDING FICTION' at the 2013 S. California Writers Conference.WHEN VIKTOR AND ROMULUS, two peasant boys, dig into their town’s strange past, they awaken the wrath of a mysterious overlord. As the blood brothers struggle to survive, their search for answers takes them through gambling parlors, fortune-teller dens, and moonlit forests full of monsters and men alike. But even with the help of their friends, can they escape the dark experiments that their foe is creating in Staryi Castle? ** THE SILENT DEAL is an explosive mix of mystery, adventure, and magic, whose wide cast includes gypsies, gamblers, fire-jugglers, and thieves. The Card Game awaits… ** WINNER of 'Outstanding Fiction' at the 2013 California Writers Con. Views: 756
For centuries magical beings have hidden in the darkness, waiting. Long ago an ancient race hid a powerful weapon on Earth, and now word has spread that it’s on the verge of being found.For centuries magical beings have hidden in the darkness.Long ago an ancient race hid a powerful weapon on Earth, and now word has spread that it’s on the verge of being found.Its Summer 2045, and twin sisters; Grasiella and Tatiana Najera have no idea that their family holds a dark secret. It’s not until after they arrive at their grandmother’s home on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai that they discover they will have to keep a magical war from irrupting, and somehow keep peace between a Race that is ready to step out into the light. Views: 756
After global devastation, the last remnants of Earth sent a handful of colonists of a distant terraformed world to give humanity one last, desperate chance. Unable to provide the technology required for an advanced civilization, the founders instilled in the colonists a strict code of conduct and gave them a few precious imprinting devices: glass helmets that contain all of Earth's scientific knowledge.
Once in a generation, the heir to the province of Laal begins the arduous training required to survive the imprinting of the Glass Helm and acquire the knowledge of the lost Earth. But Leland de Laal, the youngest son of one of Agatsu's greatest leaders, has climbed the forbidden rock spire where the Helm is kept and donned it, unaware that its knowledge has a terrible price. To an unprepared mind, it brings madness, agony, and even death. Views: 756
17-year-old Tull has loved horses ever since he can remember but as the son of a single mum with more pressing things to pay for than riding lessons he’s never got closer than stroking them over the fence. Until one day a chance encounter with the most unlikely of girls opens the door to his dream. The question is, is it still the same dream? And is he tough enough to prove he’s worth living it?Most of the poems in Aerial Muse were written in the sky -- on commercial airline flights. A few other poems are populated with birds, real or imagined. But these poems are less about transportation than they are about transformation and transcendence. Often the poems themselves take flight -- imagination lifting from the ground of everyday details into wild, blue wonder. Acclaimed poet Naomi Shihab Nye summarized this poetry collection with a single word: "glorious." Views: 756
In the kingdom of Naretia, a vision sparks the beginning of treachery and war. A dark god, Dantet, sets forth his army to kill his only son so that he might syphon his powers and walk mortal soil again. The wizard Olórin must save him to save the kingdom, but Dantet is not the only one who wants his son deadOlórin’s adopted son, Aramus, is a creature unlike any in the kingdom of Naretia. He is feared by all, and holds a darkness inside that is said will end all life by his eighteenth birthday. Olórin must scour the kingdom for godly ingredients to make a potion for Aramus that will save them all. He is hoping his son’s human side will prevail over the rising darkness within him, for long enough to outrun their enemies. But Aramus’s real father, the dark God Dantet, desires his son’s powers so he might, once again, walk on mortal soil. His legion of dark creatures follow Olórin and Aramus at every turn, trying to kill them. Dantet’s army, however, is not the only one wanting Aramus dead. Something, or someone, changes fate’s hand. Neither Dantet, nor Olórin, can see the terrible future that threatens them all. Even the traitors within the wizard caste are blind to what is coming. But it is coming. Views: 756
Olympia Octavia Penelope Smith hates her name. Of course, changing it to something else is out of the question, but no one said anything about nicknames. So one morning, Olivia sets out to find a nickname. What she ends up with and who provides it is the most surprising thing of all.Six-year-old Olympia Octavia Penelope Smith hates her name - all three of them. Of course, finding something else would require an okay by her mom and dad, and that's not something they are likely to support. But nothing can stop her from finding a nickname. So one morning, Olivia sets out to find one. Something short, easy-to-remember, and just right for her. Join Olympia as she visits neighborhood friends in her search for the perfect nickname. This is an "Anytime" story for children because it isn't just for reading at bedtime, but it's great for any time. Views: 756
When Geniver Loxley lost her daughter at birth eight years ago, her world stopped… and never fully started again. Mothers with strollers still make her flinch; her love of writing has turned into a half-hearted teaching career; and she and her husband, Art, have slipped into the kind of rut that seems inescapable.
But then a stranger shows up on their doorstep, telling Gen the very thing she’s always wanted to hear: that her daughter Beth was not stillborn, but was taken away as a healthy infant and is still out there, somewhere, waiting to be found. It’s insane, unbelievable. But why would anyone make that up? A fissure suddenly opens up in Gen’s carefully reconstructed life, letting in a flood of unanswerable questions. Where is Beth now? Why is Art so reluctant to get involved? To save his wife from further hurt? Or is it something more sinister? And who can she trust to help her?
Ignoring the warnings of her husband and friends, Gen begins to delve into the dark corners of her past, hopeful she’ll find a clue to her daughter’s whereabouts. But hope quickly turns into fear and paranoia, as she realizes that finding the answers might open the door to something even worse than not knowing. A truth that could steal everything she holds close – even her own life. Views: 756
Zachary Pill isn’t human and is angry that no one bothered to tell him that. After his father disappears and his uncle abandons him to live with a bizarre family friend, he learns that two supernatural creatures are desperate to capture him…and that doesn’t include the vicious bats, flying snakes or the terrifying yellow-eyed creature that hangs by its talons outside his bedroom window.Zachary Pill isn’t human and is angry that no one bothered to tell him that. After his father disappears and his uncle abandons him to live with a bizarre family friend, he learns that not one but two supernatural creatures are desperate to capture him…and that doesn’t include the vicious bats, flying snakes or the terrifying yellow-eyed creature that hangs by its talons outside his bedroom window. From the moment he touches his first magic wand, Zachary Pill is destined to follow in his mysterious family’s footsteps. It’s unfortunate that most of them are dead.First book in the Zachary Pill series. Ages 8 and up. 252 pages. Views: 756
After finding the first of six legendary crowns, Trundle the lamplighter thought he could finally return to his quiet life in Port Shiverstones. But Esmeralda has other ideas. A princess with a talent for magic and mischief, she is determined to continue their quest to find the five other crowns, and to use them to unite the Sundered Lands once and for all.
Accompanied by their new friend, Jack Nimble the bard, Trundle and Esmeralda sail to new lands in search of Esmeralda’s wise old aunt. Will the mysterious Aunt Millie give them the clues they need to find the next treasure? Or are they walking straight into a trap? Views: 756
Forget Netflix and chill…campfire and thrill. The second book set in the Camp Firefly Falls world with stories so hot, you can roast marshmallows on your ereader.
Meet Miguel Castillo and Seraphina Worth. Two advertising office enemies sent to a corporate retreat at a sleep-away summer camp to work out their differences. With strict orders to come back with whatever trophies and ribbons are awarded for best team or come back unemployed, they are stunned to find out their boss sent them the to wrong camp session. Instead of corporate team building, they are signed up for Rediscover Your Marital Intimacy week.
She thinks he’s unpredictable, unreliable, and unstable. He thinks she’s stuffy, stilted, and square. They can barely work together and now they have to pretend to be married for a week at summer camp—sharing a cabin with one bed, doing tantric yoga, and thwarting the advances of a couple interested in a wife swap.
Trouble is, the one thing they both excel at is marketing. And the more they sell themselves as the perfect married couple, the harder it to remember it’s an ad campaign and not a love match. Views: 755
Something powerful is stirring in the darkness. Something so ancient that even creatures who've been alive for hundreds of years have long since discounted this new threat as nothing more than myth.A chance encounter offers up a possible link to Geoffrey's past, but this time, saving the girl may very well cost Geoffrey his soul.Something powerful is stirring in the darkness. Something so ancient that even creatures who've been alive for hundreds of years have long since discounted this new threat as nothing more than myth.Geoffrey knows even less than most about this rising menace. His memories were all violently ripped away from him, leaving nothing of his past but dreams containing haunting glimpses of a beautiful girl.A chance encounter offers up a possible link to his past, but forces beyond his control are threatening to push him into the middle of a conflict that could sweep away everything, and everyone he’s been fighting so hard to protect.This time, saving the girl may very well cost Geoffrey his soul.Publisher's Note: The Greater Darkness is a dark YA Urban Fantasy book, and is one possible entry point into the books that make up the Reflections Universe. The Reflections Universe is a series featuring vampires, shape shifters, werewolves and more, which has been written so that it can be safely enjoyed by teens and adults alike. The Greater Darkness is followed by A Darkness Mirrored.The Reflections Universe: Some stories are too full epic vampire goodness to fit into just one book! Views: 755
Three boys, three talismans, one destiny. In this page-turning trilogy, Cinda Williams Chima explores what it means to be different, what's worth fighting for, and what's worth dying for
**THE WARRIOR HEIR
* Jack lives an unremarkable life in Trinity, Ohio. Only his daily medicine and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from other teenagers at his high school. Until one day, Jack skips his medicine and finds himself stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. He feels incredible until he nearly kills another player on the soccer field.
Soon, Jack learns the startling truth: he is Weirlind, part of a magical underground society of wizards, warriors, and enchantors. Weir's mighty, feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose determine power through The Game, a modern-day gladiator battle in which warriors from each house fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir. But Jack finds out that he's not just another member of Weirlind-he's one of the last warriors-and both houses are scouting for a player.
**THE WIZARD HEIR
Sixteen-year-old Seph McCauley has spent the past three years getting kicked out of one exclusive private school after another. Unfortunately it's not his attitude that's the problem. It's the trail of magical accidents-lately, disasters-that follow in his wake. Seph is a wizard, orphaned and untrained--and now that the only person who could protect him has died, his powers are escalating out of control.
At the Havens, a secluded boys' school in Maine, Seph meets headmaster Gregory Leicester, who promises to initiate him into his order of wizards. But Seph soon learns that training comes at a steep cost, and that Leicester plans to use his students' powers to serve his own malicious agenda. This wizard war is one that Seph may not have the strength to survive.
THE DRAGON HEIR
The covenant that was meant to keep the wizard wars at bay has been stolen, and Trinity must prepare for attack. Jason Haley finds himself excluded from the action until he finds the Dragonheart. The opal stone seems to sing to his very soul, but Trinity's guardians seize it after they realize its powers. Madison Moss feels the beating heart of the opal, too. The desire for it surges through her, but Maddie also has a secret. Ever since absorbing the magical blow that was meant to kill Seph, she's been leaking dark powers. Trinity's enemies believe they can use her to get to the Dragonheart and they'll use anyone she cares about to make her steal the stone for them.
Moral compasses spin out of control as a final battle storms through what was once a sanctuary for the gifted. With so much to lose, what will Jason and Maddie be willing to fight for -- and what will they sacrifice? Views: 755
Twelve-year-old Molly and her ten-year-old brother, Michael, have never liked their seven-year-old stepsister, Heather. Ever since their parents got married, she's made Molly and Michael's life miserable. Now their parents have moved them all to the country to live in a house that used to be a church, with a cemetery in the backyard. If that's not bad enough, Heather starts talking to a ghost named Helen and warning Molly and Michael that Helen is coming for them. Molly feels certain Heather is in some kind of danger, but every time she tries to help, Heather twists things around to get her into trouble. It seems as if things can't get any worse.
But they do -- when Helen comes. Views: 755
Maura O'Connell, 15, and her brother, Patrick, 12, escape Ireland's brutal poverty with only the belongings in their bundles and tickets for ocean passage. Sir Laurence Kirkle, 11, flees a life of privilege to seek justice. When fate brings them ogether, the three join forces in a daring scheme that may lead to freedom and glory...or dire consequences. Views: 755
