A different kind of lighthearted science fiction story for epic fantasy fans. On a not so distant planet, a young, naive prince encounters reality and tries to prevent a war.This lighthearted parody is a unique book. Technically science fiction, it is almost an anti-fantasy, which pokes a fair, or perhaps an unfair amount of good-natured fun at the serious tone and dependence on magic common to many epic fantasy adventure genre novels. With its charming and truly likeable characters, witty, intelligent humor, and prose style blending humorous science fiction and epic fantasy elements, The Warden Threat is a delight. It is sure to appeal to readers of these genres who may be looking for something fresh and different.Prince Donald, the idealistic third son of the king of Westgrove, believes he may be the only one able to protect his country from an invasion spearheaded by an ancient and massive magical stone warrior known as the Warden of Mystic Defiance. Donald, unfortunately, is woefully unprepared. His only real understanding of such things comes from his reading of adventure stories. When he finds an ancient scroll he believes may allow him to take control of the mysterious Warden, he eagerly takes on the task. He dreams of saving the kingdom and becoming a hero like those in his epic adventure stories. To his dismay, his quest turns out to be nothing like he imagined. He finds the stories in his library seriously understate the complexities and hardships involved. He also soon realizes that the real world can be much more confusing than fictional ones, and that the hero is not necessarily predestined to save the day.

An anthology of short stories. A collection of tiny, flash fiction fantasy, horror, and dark tales of 1,000-8,000 words in length.Choices: A Short Story- The Reaper requires an answer to a question: what choice would you make?Rebirthed: A Short Story- Dreams of RebirthThe Lake: A Short Story- A ghost storyMourning: A Short Story- Mourning and regretsWraith: A Short Story- Anne is kidnapped by Wraith, and Lena must rescue her. But all three are wrapped in a web of selfishness, hatred, and cruelty- what will it take to redeem them all?

Winner of the Whitbread First Novel Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize and the David Higham Award.

Magi Master Julie Proctor gave the Magi of Witch Falls a very special gift for her first Christmas with us - a compilation of journal records written by some of the Magi that made the journey to greet and worship the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, after his birth in Bethlehem. The Magi Council is pleased to release this amazing little booklet to all Witch Falls Magi of the Light!Merry Christmas!In the far future, humans have abandoned a dying Earth and colonised planets on the edge of another galaxy. Once there, they discover this galaxy is teeming with various species of alien life that have created a huge galactic network of planets which the humans become part of. This is the story of a human who journeys from the outer colonies to the bustling, cosmopolitan centre of the galaxy to start a new life. After befriending a cheeky alien, he unwittingly becomes entangled in a web of crime and adventure far beyond his wildest imagination. Can he stay ahead of the people who are determined to hunt him down?

The final installment of award-wining poet Kevin Shlosberg's coming-of-age poetry arc "To Say This is the Way One Man Went." This chapbook rounds out the journey w/ reflection, contemplation, and humor.This is not center-justified poetry, if you know what I mean. Heavy on Imagery. Light on rhyme.Fun times Guaranteed!The final installment of award-wining poet Kevin Shlosberg's coming-of-age poetry arc "To Say This is the Way One Man Went." This chapbook rounds out the journey w/ reflection, contemplation, and humor.This is not center-justified poetry, if you know what I mean. Heavy on Imagery. Light on rhyme.20+ poems covering topics including (but not limited to): family, headaches, cats, monks, puppetry, books, fruit, pigeons, rocks, french fries and death!Fun times guaranteed!

Past decisions don't always stay in the past, and it isn't always your past that you have to worry about.What would I say if I could speak to them now? Perhaps these two poems , which are straight from my heart.I wish I had had the awareness of what they did for me when they were still here, but in my faith I believe they can see what I've now written.Please, feel free to ponder these free poems, and imagine what you would say to the people who raised you up. Enjoy, and let me know if you liked them.

A Broken Fate, the second novel in The Beautiful Fate Series, dives further into Ava and Ari’s nail-bitter of a story and adds even more suspense, mystery, romance and thrills. This series is impossible for any reader to resist.Coping with the traumatic experiences Ava endured with the Kakos is more challenging than she ever imagined it to be. She finds herself struggling to remember the details of her time kept away with Damien Kakos and when the memories assault her mind, she is plagued with crippling fear. There is something in the back of Ava’s thoughts screaming at her, telling her that the fight with the devil’s brood has not yet ended.Newly married, Ava and Ari deal with issues involving trust, honesty and faith in one another and as they plot their course for a new life together, they discover that their individual wants and needs don’t exactly match. Ari’s promises to Ava begin to break. Some of the Alexander’s family secrets are revealed and Ava realizes that she needs to keep her friends close, and her enemies even closer.A Broken Fate, the second novel in The Beautiful Fate Series, dives further into Ava and Ari’s nail-bitter of a story and adds even more suspense, mystery, romance and thrills. This series is impossible for any reader to resist.

A dream is something that you must go after, and never give up on. DReam chose to follow her seams no matter what obstacles she faced during the way.The story centers around a lost girl who only outlet is music. Her talents she keeps hidden because she stays to herself. Left to be raised by her grandmother. She is teased by other relatives. There is a contest for writers and producers looking for new talent. She wants to enter but is mis informed about the qualifications to do so. After realizing she was mis informed she sets out to win the contest no matter what it takes.

Short story about a woman and her two companions who live at a hotel for transients.Introducing Advanced Smash Repairs.Spillage is the first tale in a quirky six-part series about a smash repair business that knows too much. Craig runs a small workshop, and with the help of his staff – lead mechanic Pavel, apprentice Clint and the enigmatic test driver Boris – he fixes cars in unconventional ways, and in the process ends up solving a few mysteries along the way. A damaged and mysterious BMW and an over-enthusiastic ex-customer challenge Craig’s patience and skill in a tough week at Advanced Smash Repairs "Spillage was a great short read with excellent, believable characters." "A brave change of pace that just . . . worked. And worked well." "The smell of oil, grease and fun from the cars and the garage workshop got me hooked. A great read."

A gifted boy faces the ultimate question of whether or not he can kill in order to save his loved ones.From #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author comes a heart-pounding adventure of love, loyalty, and survival.A gifted 7-year-old boy and his teen siblings are ripped from their peaceful lives—kidnapped by a sinister organization determined to get back at their father. But when their plane crashes an ocean away in the bear-infested jungles of South China, the mysterious motive behind their abduction is the least of their problems, and they must lever every ounce of their courage and wits to survive the wilds and escape the ruthless drug lord who is hot on their heels. Can a gifted child learn to kill in order to save his loved ones?An “international thriller with soul.” Ideal reading for fans of Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler, James Rollins, Brad Thor, Dan Brown, Matthew Reilly, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, and Vince Flynn.Important Note: This 130-page novella features the characters and continuing story from the #1 Bestselling “Brainrush” Thriller series. It is a complete story unto itself, compiled from books four and five of the series, “Brainchild” and “Smoke & Mirrors.” If you’ve read those full-length novels, then you’ve already read most of the contents of this novella.

Fifteen year old Tim discovers an abandoned alien base(Timtown). It’s run by an ancient computer that relinquishes all of its powers to Tim who becomes concerned about the danger of the advanced technology falling into the wrong hands and ultimately destroys it.Tim lives in a town, surrounded by mountains, that is destroyed by a huge earthquake. Tim sees a strange light coming from the mountains and heads there. Some bad men pursue, and then shoot him. Tim has a strange experience before he looses consciousness and dies. Tim reawakens in an abandoned alien base, still run by a computer, Mr. V.(voice). Mr. V heals Tim and brings him back to life. Mr.V. offers to help Tim’s quadriplegic brother Arty who was crippled when his fighter jet was shot down. Tim brings a group of people, including Jeremy, an autistic child, along with Arty into the base; they name the base Timtown. Arty replaces his crippled body with a mechanical one, then wants to take over. Tim starts referring to Arty as Clank. Clank is annoyed by Jeremy’s meaningless gibberish. Clank suckers the government into an altercation, but the President decides to be prudent, because they have no idea what they are dealing with. Tim proposes that the base be declared a sovereign state and offers to buy the government out, but the military wants the base and will stop at nothing to get it. Tim is surprised when Jeremy’s autism connects with the base computer. Clank sets a trap for Tim and feels sure that he has succeeded in illuminating him, but Clank finds out that Tim and Jeremy have tricked him. Tim and Jeremy confine Clank, then offer him a deal. There is a Deep Space Probe inside Timtown and Clank agrees to leave on it or be destroyed with the base.

This is a sampler of four of my short stories. Please leave a review if you like it.If you like them, I have other books available online. These include:The Eight Hour Hell - a paranormal action thrillerEmergency Protocol Nine - a collection of science fiction, fantasy and horror short storiesEcocide - an ecological sci-fi thrillerRichard Ross, joiner, part-time local football referee, ordinary man, is about to get a shock.It’s time to meet the relatives. But guess what? They’re all dead. Even worse, they are his past lives and all share the same soul - his!With help from his Strange Relations, an angel named Joe, and Roberta (Australopithecus Robustus), Richard has to learn the last lesson of life so all will be allowed to journey towards the Light. Richard is the last of a very long line and everyone’s last chance.One small problem though; Richard is in a coma and time is fast running out.

Amanda Watson, a private detective, is as dedicated to her work as one can be. It is not just a job for her but her passion to find the missing clues and pieces to solve the mysteries presented to her. There may be hurdles in her way but she has always believed that if one is determined enough, one can even reach beyond the skies.There was a time when writing a short story was an art form. The novella reigned queen and “novels” were published in serial form. Books were expensive back then, but the printing of pamphlets was cheap enough to mass-produce. Many of our most beloved classic authors flourished under these circumstances.What was old is new again. Today, the ability to read in digital format is becoming ubiquitous. eReaders are more affordable and other devices such as smart phones are now commonly used as readers, too. However, books in eFormat are steadily becoming more expensive. Perhaps it is time to walk in the footsteps of the masters. Go to Sleepy Little Baby is the second short story in the Odd Socks series of “ePamphlets.” Lilah is what some would generously call, “unbalanced.” She’s reliant on routine and little orange pills to maintain control. Compliance is mandatory and the scales slip precariously when life’s reality interrupts.

A widow starts a new life in a small quaint town full of quirky characters and in renovating her new home finds “scraps of paper” that make her suspect two children and a woman went missing from the house...30 years ago. Are they just missing or were they murdered? In trying to solve the mystery she and her ex-homicide detective friend put themselves in grave danger.Scraps of Paper-Revised Author’s Edition by Kathryn Meyer GriffithAbigail Sutton’s beloved husband walks out one night, doesn’t return, and two years later is found dead, a victim of a long ago crime. It’s made her sympathetic to the missing and their families.Starting her new life, Abigail moves to small town and buys a fixer-upper house left empty when old Edna Summers died. Once it was also home to Edna’s younger sister, Emily, and her two children, Jenny and Christopher, who, people believe, drove away one night, thirty years ago, and just never came back.But in renovating the house Abigail finds scraps of paper hidden behind baseboards and tucked beneath the porch that hint the three could have been victims of foul play.Then she finds their graves hidden in the woods behind the house and with the help of eccentric townspeople and ex-homicide detective, Frank Lester, she discovers the three were murdered. Then she and Frank try to uncover who killed them and why…but in the process awaken the ire of the murderer. ***

After recovering memories of the man he was before, Seth has a new found hatred for the Queen. It's his drive that propels Starr and the others forward, especially as she has gone soft with the new knowledge of the woman she was before.After recovering memories of the man he was before, Seth has a new found hatred for the Queen. It's his drive that propels Starr and the others forward, especially as she has gone soft with the new knowledge of the woman she was before.In this installment, follow Starr as she comes face to face with the biggest threat to the world: a former version of her self.This is number 17 in the Vampin Book Series.

52 poems about life, love, death, history, and the beings we share the planet with.Metal Fatigue is an anthology of stories relating to prison, incarceration, hopelessness and hope. These are largely first person accounts of survival behind bars and give a visceral look at what it means to do time. The stories present a critical look at the prison system and the stats for those held behind bars. A child lost to the system, a father’s plea for reconnection.EXCERPT:Jimmy passed his eighteenth birthday locked inside a cold, stinky cell in the obsolete old city jail. The toilet obviously didn’t work, an issue probably for several years… running.He thoughtfully reflected on his dry-humor pun. Besides, no one locked up ever flushes the motherfucking john. Never. Revoltingly putrid fecal matter, left in desperation by prisoners with nowhere else to go, overflowed and formed a vile puddle at a low spot in the frigid concrete floor. The prison smelled like shit. Smelled worse than shit. His own more recent addition was beginning to decay.If Jimmy had been home for his birthday, no doubt his father would’ve treated him to a steak dinner at The Outback; and perhaps a ballgame at the stadium afterword. Instead, Jimmy celebrated with foul-tasting water—grey water reprocessed from sewer waste—and several slices of stale bread upon which a near-microscopic dab of something resembling peanut-butter could be found sticking near the center—if one studied it closely, of course. The rancid bread was always stale in this place, just like the air, thick with mildew and the smell of unwashed bodies. It all mixed with the reeking toilet to produce an odor more disgusting than sweaty armpit pubes set on a smoldering fire.Tonight, for the most part, a stifling quiet lingered throughout the cellblock. The only sounds being the incidental shout of a guard, the muffled moan from a prisoner, or the occasional fart from either. Every so often, a cell door clanked open, followed by scuffling noises signaling a new prisoner’s arrival.Two weeks forever, he’d sat there in solitary now. But he still wasn’t so desperate as other prisoners on the cellblock who would actually shit themselves just for a laugh. Two weeks plus three lonely days, he reminded himself, marking off another day on the wall with the sharp edge of a small stone, chipped away from a section of rotting-old concrete. He made the mark with an awkward jab of his left hand. His right arm hung broken, suspended in a dirty sling he’d torn from an old rag.Sinking down onto the cold concrete slab that served as a bed, Jimmy leaned his head against the wall and shut his eyes. He figured it might be nine o’clock… or thereabout, although he really couldn’t be sure. Maybe ten. His watch had disappeared on intake at R&D receiving the first day, along with all his other personal effects… confiscated for “purposes of security” by the prison R&D guards. Problem was, they’d never listed his expensive Rolex watch on that property receipt they’d forced him to sign under the threat of tossing him in solitary stripped naked.Any questions about time, or anything, for that matter, brought only taunts and trouble from the guards. Especially the big one called ‘Boiler Bob’—so named by the prisoners for those angry-looking boils in evidence on the back and both sides of his incredibly thick neck.“What’s time to a prison roach?” Boiler Bob would mock, his furry broken teeth bared in a cruel laugh. “Hah, I know! I bet you’re impatient for your next fine meal… is that it?” Invariably he and the other guards goaded the prisoners about the food: food so foul even the cockroaches all passed around it in wide arcs.

After reading a few outstanding books on Taoist immortals over the years in the midst of other things, I had just moved to a new place with access to a backyard. I ended up getting myself an alchemy starter kit at Home Depot, and started communicating with the universe; I met the sun and moon, and developed a ritual, “clever and lofty”, and I’ve explained it here.After reading a few outstanding books on Taoist immortals over the years in the midst of other things, I had just moved to a new place with access to a backyard. I ended up getting myself an alchemy starter kit at Home Depot, and started communicating with the universe; I met the sun and moon, and developed a ritual, “clever and lofty”, and I’ve explained it here.Ge Hong, and Han Xiangzi: they let you make your own theories as you go through their various stories; they make no effort to preach but you end up making connections between what methods the various people used and how effective and powerful their transformation was, and you might want to be creative after that study and go invent your own method, after they’ve made you such an expert on what works, supposedly.You come up with your own theory on how you might go about this wild pursuit of “living as long as heaven and earth”, like it's a game, let's see who's ritual is most effective, whose liturgy attracts the attention and beneficence of the heaven.Taoism is a very do-it-yourself religion, the old ways only a learning trove of what might work, what's worked for others, while you twist and turn in the Way and speculate on the universe for yourself; a ritual, they said, need only be clever and lofty; there’s no pope of Taoism sending out letters of ex communication for false beliefs, or for heretical actions; they pretty much encourage that stuff.I set aside the “Ge Hong” ideas about alchemy for a few years, but then just recently I read Han Xiangzi, and I started speculating again. Fortunately this speculation led me not to consume poisons like Ge Hong’s characters, but to set up a tripod, a communication between heaven and earth. I invented my own little Taoist immortalism plot, a plan where I am initiating a 101 year study, clinical trial for mankind and the universe around him, plangence of the dark cores study, levels and depths of human kindness study, and magical Taoist ritual for the gathering, storage, and ritualistic release of chi, cosmic energy.It’s Chan or Zen Buddhism, it’s Taoist alchemy, it's Aztec Nagualism, it's an astrology updated to the modern age of cosmology and astrophysics, where all those things intersect.So I've invented an irrational little religious ritual for myself, and presented it here - a River-of- Heaven open-topped ferry-ride, all mystery and wonder.

Short stories of love, loss, betrayal and feelings beyond our control. Words inspired on those dark moments when we believed our thoughts could not be more contradictory. A must read for a broken heart.Professor Charlie Douglas is at it again, sleuthing when he should be working on his classes and papers. After his successes in Murder at the Break and Murder in the Dorm, he's now working with a new homicide detective and hoping to impress her. Kate, Charlie's wife, is also getting involved. The chef at the University Faculty Club has been killed. The problem is that Charlie can't figure out why. He has suspects, but no motive. Perhaps this time he won't be of any use to the police, and that would be hard to take.

If the dead started to rise and attack the living, would you go running around with a shotgun, blowing off undead heads? Or would you just try to get on with life, as best you can?Refuge: Tales from a Zombie Apocalypse collects seven short stories about normal people living in extraordinary times - without the action-movie clichés. 23,825 wordsBLOGS‘I can honestly say that I am the most laziest person you could ever find. I never attempted to do anything meticulous, nor muster the energy to get something done.’CURSES OF TIME‘The idea was to write something that had a fresh take on what people knew to be Time Travel. It came to me after one scrapped idea to another and then through numerous rewrites and changes in the overall plot.’CONTINUMENTAL‘To create such an extensive universe of brave new marvels and wonders, it would not be the same without its own form of intrinsic qualities ... its own identity.’PRIME WORLDS‘From Earth to Anselopha, an Alliance between the Prime Worlds were formed to enforce Law and Order. Bureaus were put in place to aid each of the worlds of the Continuverse.’MATTER-FABRIC‘With its nature laid bare, ready to be taken unwillingly by force without Bearers. Time will not last forever and with no hope of guidance, time’s endangered nature will come to an end.’OF THINGS TO COME‘In the light of the coming Master, there are those who will stop at nothing to ensure that he is taken down, so that they can command their own rule – Who will take the Seat?’

In Summer 2015 the Liberties Festival Dublin held its very first flash fiction competition. Writers were asked for their best short short works on the theme ‘Liberties’ - both the concept of liberties and the Liberties area of Dublin, Ireland. This collection showcases the finest entries received as well as the winning entries by Mark Jenkins and Gary J Byrnes.In Summer 2015 the Liberties Festival Dublin held its very first flash fiction competition. Writers were asked for their best short short works on the theme ‘Liberties’ - both the concept of liberties and the Liberties area of Dublin, Ireland. This collection showcases the finest entries received as well as the winning entries by Mark Jenkins and Gary J Byrnes.The area known as The Liberties is the south-west part of Dublin’s inner city – approximately west of Aungier Street and south of the River Liffey – predominately in Dublin 8. Steeped in history, its name originated with the arrival in the 12th century of the Anglo-Normans who titled jurisdictions united to the city but outside the boundaries of its walls as ‘Liberties’. Two of the most important were the Liberty of St. Sepulchre (under the Archbishop of Dublin) and the Liberty of Thomas Court and Donore (under the Abbey of St. Thomas, later the Earl of Meath’s Liberty). For supporting the ruler, these Liberties received privileges such as freedom from various taxes. Today’s Liberties area is made up of these two ancient Liberties.