Charlie has lots of ideas. Need something to go sky high? Ah-ha! The zinger-winger! Need to launch a cheese popper into soup? The amazing popper-upper! But the zinger-winger zings more than wings and the popper-upper plops. Charlie isn't allowed to invent for a week. Meanwhile, the afterschool invention fair is coming up. He needs time to make something special. Good thing he has his friends and Mr. Redfern, another inventor, to help him out.

Reluctant successor to the throne of Romitu, Jesca is unable to pass it on to any of her fiercely loyal Generals. She faces a bitter insurgency that won't end. Incredibly powerful magic that has made the gods her enemy. And a prophecy of the end of the world. With no solution to the succession in sight, she must face and solve these problems herself.Jesca, reluctant Queen of the Second Empire of Romitu, holds the throne posthumously bequeathed to her. Her predecessor, the brilliant and charismatic general who refounded the Empire strongly recommended five year reigns, passed on to non-blood successors. In the five years Jesca has held it, the resurgent Empire has bogged down in partisan conflicts with her opponents doggedly holding out against all odds and common sense. Romitu's mastery of vastly powerful ancient magic has brought many solutions, but also many problems. Her mages debate the ethical questions on how to use it, their gods consider it blasphemous rivalry, and the enigmatic Grey Elves claim it holds the key to either the world's destruction or salvation. None of Jesca's fiercely loyal Generals will accept the throne from her, and she must find the strength within herself to carry on and find the path to peace between her people, her gods, and her conscience.

In this witty and enthralling saga of revolutionary South America, Carlos Fuentes explores the period of profound upheaval he calls" the romantic time." His hero, Baltasar Bustos, the son of a wealthy landowner, kidnaps the baby of a prominent judge, replacing it with the black baby of a prostitute. When he catches sight of the baby's mother, though, he falls instatnly in love with her and sets off on an anguished journey to repent his act and win her love.

This is the first short story in 5 Perfect Days, the companion novella to 25 Perfect Days. It's 2039 and times are tough, the President has claimed the country needs controlling. Walt Jaworski, a dedicated Controlling Force Agent, is the man they call upon.From best-selling author Stephen England comes NIGHTSHADE, a new stand-alone short story in the Shadow Warriors series, predating the events of Pandora's Grave by several years."He wasn't supposed to be here. None of them were. That wasn't unusual--he'd spent well over ten years of his life going places he wasn't supposed to go, doing things he wasn't supposed to do. "CIA paramilitary operations officer Harry Nichols had brought his team to Ciudad del Este for a single purpose: eliminating Jean-Claude Manet, aka Ramzi bin Abdullah, the former head of al-Qaeda operations in Europe.It was supposed to be simple. But there's nothing simple about killing a man.

This short story is a fictional account inspired by real people encountered by the author during his own stay in the mental health ward. Eva's Story portrays a woman suffering from clinical depression, and some of the choices she and her husband must face--and the consequences they must live with.CRANSOF, STAR CLUSTER 24:A top secret techno facility falls prey to a sudden terrorist attack. But the attackers are no ordinary ones.The spectrum’s worst fear has been realised: this is the return of its most ancient, deadly threat … a threat that has lain suppressed for millennia. The return of the ones they call as mystics.FARNOR, THE OUTER SPECTRUM:Elderly master Mantra feels a sudden disturbance within him. One that signals towards a grave threat ahead for their entire realm… SACROGON, STAR CLUSTER 32:For two years now, Ion has lived a reclusive existence, keeping to himself … carrying the scars of a greatly dark past. But now, as chaos begins to stir in the spectrum, Ion’s life twists overnight, and he is thrust into a perilous new world. A world where good and evil clash with catastrophic proportions … while the fate of the entire realm hangs in the balance.As his life changes overnight in the face of this grave new threat, Ion must muster the courage to put away his inner woes and give himself over to a greater cause … and confront the demons of his past along the way.

A solitary Captain & his AI ship roam the depths of space charting new places and meeting new life forms.In a deadly game where chance counts has his luck finally run out?Angelina Marsh can find nothing in her life to inspire her. She cares little for her school work, and does not take any interest in the things most that girls her age do. Then she meets a strange-looking man in the town centre selling magazines to passers-by, and her perspective on life takes an unexpected turn. But can this man really be who he says he is, and if so, what does this mean for Angelina and the world she takes such a bleak view of? Only an open mind will allow her to find the answer.

When she suddenly becomes a Stray, Kara is forced to flee the relative safety of GateWide in order to avoid becoming a slave to the cruel Sovereign. Hunted deep into the wilds by the Sovereign's Enforcers, Kara must find a way to survive, relying only on her own scarce knowledge of the decimated wilderness outside the settlement's walls.AFTER THE FALL is the prequel to THE NARROW GATE. Centuries after the Fall, the world is a different place than it used to be... When she suddenly becomes a Stray, Kara is forced to flee the relative safety of GateWide in order to avoid becoming a slave to the cruel Sovereign. Hunted deep into the wilds by the Sovereign's Enforcers, Kara must find a way to survive, relying only on her own scarce knowledge of the decimated wilderness outside the settlement's walls. Surrounded by mutated creatures in an unfamiliar environment, Kara soon realizes that many of the things that she thought she knew about the wilderness had been based on lies that had been taught to all the people of GateWide. Why have the people of the settlement been misled and how will she find the truth with only one small clue to guide her?

Redneck P.I. Twila Taunton is bored--until her cousin calls and tells her there's a gator in the kids' playground at the small, country town's school.It's a quiet day at the Redneck Detective Agency and Twila Taunton is just sitting chewing the fat with her receptionist, LaMercy Howard.A phone call comes in. It's Twila's cousin, Ena."You'll never guess what's going on at the school," she says. "There's a gator in the kids' playground.""So did they call Deputy Billy-Bob?" Twila says."They can't get him, he's out of town.""Okay. I'll go over there and see what I can do," Twila says. She picks up her keys. Her dog, Scratch is at her heels as she takes the porch steps two at a time and heads for her truck...

Judachew, the singing mouse, goes shopping with his friend Riley at a large department store in town. The sight of a mouse in the store has strange and comical effects on the customers and the workers. Riley's greatest fear is that the store manager, her grandmother, will find out she brought a mouse to Boscov's Department store.Judachew, the singing mouse, goes shopping with his friend Riley at a large department store in town. The sight of a mouse in the store has strange and comical effects on the customers and the workers. Riley's greatest fear is that the store manager, her grandmother, will find out she brought a mouse to Boscov's Department store. This book is also available in paperback from CreateSpace and Amazon. https://www.createspace.com/4156527

Disaster struck when twin sisters Jennifer and Melissa Salazar went hiking with their grandmother on their sixth birthday. Melissa fell off a cliff above Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe and died. Eight years later, 14-year-old Jennifer asks Detective Owen McKenna to investigate. McKenna uncovers a long-buried secret that is still causing murders, and he realizes that Jennifer is to be the next victim...The "HVZA: Hudson Valley Zombie Apocalypse" novels have created a terrifying world where a mysterious parasite has turned ordinary people into killers and cannibals. This short story begins at the onset of the infection, at the region's largest shopping mall, the Palisades Center in West Nyack, NY. Follow the lives of several people as they attend the sale, only to come face to face with their worst nightmares. Some will survive, and some will die, but no one will ever be the same.

In a world where the dead run and bite... they better stay dead!Episode 1: A kid, John, is running to get away from his zombie father.A woman, Luanne, will do anything to surviveA police officer, Derek, will try to keep people aliveThey find that in the land of the dead, you must cover yourself from the living tooYOU CAN NOW BUY THE WHOLE ARC ONE : Search for "Better Stay Dead Arc One"YOU CAN NOW BUY THE WHOLE ARC ONE : Search for "Better Stay Dead Arc One: John Cries as Reapers Rise"In a world where the dead run and bite... they better stay dead!"we get a well written prose, brilliant real characters that are developing nicely and the stirrings of what appears a fast paced exciting plot.", AnathemaDevice "I think Better Stay Dead by Dave Callahan might be the best thing to keep us waiting!", Ben Johnson Episode 1: A kid, John, is running to get away from his zombie father.A woman, Luanne, will do anything to survive. A police officer, Derek, will try to keep people alive. Alec Bonowicz has the strongest survival card in miles. They find that in the land of the dead, you must cover yourself from the living too. Episode List: Better Stay Dead 1: John's ShoutBetter Stay Dead 2: First BloodBetter Stay Dead 3: Recon Mission My AssBetter Stay Dead 4: The Reapers and the PartyBetter Stay Dead 5: Guns and Grudges

Captain Esmond Clyde-Dalton's adventure continues as he begins his search for a traitorous document linking many powerful Scottish nobles to the Jacobite cause. With James Stuart poised to cross to the Firth of Forth, will Clyde-Dalton be able to preserve the fragile Act of Union and save the woman he loves from unknown peril?Captain Esmond Clyde-Dalton is as shocked as the rest of the village of Markinch when English soldiers arrive to arrest Philomena Clunes and her father Magnus Clunes on charges of treason in the early spring of 1708. Esmond soon learns the truth of the Philomena’s entanglement with the Jacobite cause as he is commanded to find a copy of a treasonous Jacobite document outlining the Highland Lairds support for James Francis Stuart’s first invasion attempt. With Edinburgh on the brink of falling into enemy hands, Esmond desperately enlists the help of old foes from Markinch to keep Queen Anne safely on her throne. Along with new allies Esmond searches through the dangerous back alleys and glorious drawing rooms of Scotland’s capital. Esmond’s growing fears over whether he has been right to put his faith once again in his old commander is fuelled by the news James Francis Stuart has left the French coast. The old Pretender has enough French mercenaries and Scottish allies to take Edinburgh and most of the highlands. Esmond will face the ultimate choice, save the woman he loves, or find the identities of the men who would see the fall of the new United Kingdom.

I am a member of Pomona Writers Group which meet weekly. Our facilitator selects a topic for homework each week to write no more than 500 words. These topics are the stories I wrote during 2013. Hope you enjoy.Everybody has secret and everybody tells lie, but in case of Harry Wright these are both bigger than he had originally intended. What started out as a bit of fun, a distraction from his otherwise boring life that could come back and bite him on the ass if he isn’t careful. If being found isn’t enough there are other worries for Harry. First there's the disappearance of Emily Baxter a woman who seems to have no connection to Harry Wright, except that he's got the keys to her house. Then there's the mystery of why Harry is getting cheques from an insurance company that are intended for Emily Baxter. Has he done her in for the money or has he squirreled her away somewhere so that he can force more money out of her? Detective Inspector Peters certainly thinks that Harry Wright has killed Emily Baxter and is now fraudulently cashing her cheques. But if he has done so there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of a body, or even of a struggle at her house that seems to be as tidy and pristine as when she left. If she isn’t dead then where is she? And what has Harry Wright done with her?Revelations of Harry Wrights true identity could lead to the unlocking of this mystery, but will it lead to his downfall or to his imprisonment?

It seems like another slow, depressing day at Tony's Burgeria. But as awful as a normal workday is at the greasy fast-food joint, this one is about to become far worse—and more dangerous.The town of Shady Hollow admits to having only one fast food restaurant: the run-down run-of-the-mill small-town diner, Tony's Burgeria. And Johnny Bologna has accidentally donated the eight best years of his life to the joint, making them the eight worst, trading his youth and opportunity for a paltry paycheck, lousy companionship, and a boss who's never smiled.But some of those things are about to change—and perhaps not for the better—when there's a startling incident at Tony's Burgeria.

What to do with a farting dog, a mischievous sister, and a twelfth birthday? Miranda Rubio for sure has her hands full. Never a dull moment in this colorful and introspective story about growing up and realizing the warrior within yourself.Evan has a good job, good friends, and very little to worry about. In fact, none of the people who live in the village have much to worry about, really. When was it then, that the impulse to shake the tree became so pervasive? Was it really a sense of social responsibility? Was there really a debt owed to those who had no voice? Aren’t they the same people who don’t care enough to speak up? He has too much at stake to take overt risks or public positions on the proposals for new development projects, it is too hard to pluck the ones that will really hurt from the ones that are really needed. His position as a biologist with the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s endangered species division gives him an insight to the upcoming plans. He knows what’s coming, and he knows who is behind it - he just needs a champion to fight for the cause. The village is a tight knit group, they have known each other for along time, long enough to know each other well, long enough to know what each other is capable of, and what they are capable of tolerating. Evan knows very well what Desmond cares about, and what he doesn’t. He understands what his best friends want and what they feel obligated to do, and he understands the difference. But this time it may be worth pushing the line, it may be worth risking friendship for principle. What he needs is a fresh candidate, what they all need is someone who cares enough to step up. . . or someone who really doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks- that might work just as well. Since they don’t have the perfect candidate, they will have to create one. Goodenough for Government!A humorous and honest peek into the real lives and relationships of modern men, Boiled Frogs with Mock Toast is about taking the time to notice what is going on in the face of the overwhelming boredom of responsible living. It is the story of what happens when we squeeze leadership from reluctant friends, ask for them to express opinions that we know we will disagree with, and create expectations where they never existed. It is the story of those who care, and their influence on those who don’t.

Eddie was eleven-years-old when he was hit by a car, wounding him and killing his sister.That’s when he first saw her.He was twenty-three when he had his second near-death experience. He saw her once more, overpowered by the demonic, destitute exterior that scarred his mind.Now he sees her when he’s awake. Everywhere he looks, every time he closes his eyes, she is there, making him weaker.Eddie was eleven-years-old when he was hit by a car, wounding him and killing his sister.That’s when he first saw her.He was twenty-three when he had his second near-death experience. He saw her once more, overpowered by the demonic, destitute exterior that scarred his mind.Now he sees her when he’s awake. Everywhere he looks, every time he closes his eyes, she is there, making him weaker. She has chosen him and he is yet to understand why.But finding out why could be the key to saving the soul of his dead sister...

Join the inner-workings of a sixteen year old boy, on his first day at college who has just witnessed the most beautiful girl crossing a road. A short story, or essay, or just plain nonsense, looking into young love.Strange Beginnings is a collection of short stories by Treesong. These five tales take place in the same contemporary science fiction and fantasy setting as the author’s first novel, Change. Although they all share a broad setting, each is an independent tale with a very different focus. There are several people who discover extraordinary new abilities; an android searching for her place in the world; playful fairies leading a young man into the woods; a secretive organization conducting an unusual test; and more. Each story relates in its own way to the theme of strange beginnings—and often strange endings.

A NEW JASON BOURNE NOVEL! On the eve of Russian General Boris Karpov's wedding, Jason Bourne receives an enigmatic message from his old friend and fellow spymaster. In Moscow, what should be a joyous occasion turns bloody and lethal. Now Bourne is the only one who can decipher Karpov's cryptogram. He discovers that Karpov was willing to betray his Sovereign to warn Bourne of a crippling disaster about to be visited on the world. Bourne has only four days to discover the nature of the disaster and stop it. The trail Karpov has been following leads Bourne to Cairo and the doorstep of Ivan Borz, the elusive international arms dealer infamous for hiding behind a never-ending series of false identities, a man Bourne has been hunting ever since he abducted former Treadstone director Soraya Moore and her two-year-old daughter, and brutally murdered her husband. In war-torn Syria and then Cyprus Bourne moves ever closer to discovering the astonishing truth,...

Life as a teenager is never easy. But for Natalee Murray, things have just gotten way more difficult. Bored with life, she can't wait to graduate high school and get out of town, especially considering the famous band members from AD2 suddenly start attending her school, making her once boring life, absolutely insane. It starts with a pen. A single brush of fingers, and she is captivated. But Alec and Demetri have a dark secret, one that could shatter their reputations and Natalee's heart. What do you do when one guy paints your life with color while the other infuses your soul with passion? How do you choose when your heart is divided? *This is a New Adult/Mature YA. Minor swearing and drug usage.

An irresistible bind-up edition of two fabulously fun, wonderfully witty adventure mysteries, from the bestselling author of the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Alexander McCall Smith, and with amazing illustrations by Kate Hindley throughout. Popcorn Pirates The greediest gang of grub-guzzling pirates ever to sail the high seas is after the Popcorn Islands' harvest. Can Lucy, Hermione and Sam stop them? The Bubblegum Tree The secret ingredient for Gopal's Best Pink Bubblegum has not been delivered for two months. Billy, Nicola and Mr Gopal are off to the jungle in a flying boat to solve the baffling mystery ...