This book contains Amazing Stories - OMR (One Minute Read.) Each story is less than 500 words. These stories were written by me while attending Pomona Writers Group for year 2011.Each week at the Pomona Writer's Group, the facilitator selects a title for each member to write in under 500 words.These stories are read to the other members of the group.These are the stories I've written and read to the other members.Hope you like them.

This two act stage-play is an English translation and stage adaptation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 1774 novella "Die Leiden des jungen Werthers". It was first published in the April 2004 issue of "Ygdrasil: A Journal of the Poetic Arts" (online, Ottawa, Canada. K. Gerken [ed]). There are no fees to perform this play so long as all actors have a legally obtained copy.This two act stage-play is an English translation and stage adaptation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 1774 novella "Die Leiden des jungen Werthers". It was submitted as the creative work component (30%) of the author's Master of Creative Arts thesis at the University of Melbourne entitled "Faithfully yours: Werther for the English-language stage" in September 2003 (receiving an overall grade of first class honours). This play was first published in the April 2004 issue of "Ygdrasil: A Journal of the Poetic Arts" (online, Ottawa, Canada. K. Gerken [ed]). There are no fees to perform this play so long as all actors have a legally obtained copy.

Amid the Recesses: A Short Story Collection of Fear explores primal human fear with stories of tragic loss, murder, psychological torment, the afterlife, mental perversion, hidden evils and dark taboo. The short story anthology shows us that the greatest fear is that within ourselves.Amid the recesses, darkness reigns. In "Humansville," a small town in Missouri is visited by an outsider. Fate stirs him into the hands of a most unusual family and evil permits itself to a seat at the table. In "Black and White," a disease that some see as a blessing is instead a curse, opening the dark shroud of our world to things meant to be unseen. "The Eastern Tunnel" brings to question the fate of our simplest actions and the how both violent and subtle the passage of one world to the next may be. "The Horse, The Elephant & The Lion" follows a despairing mother like a thick shadow, wading with her through the tragedy and terror of her dreadful loss. "Chasing Crows" wipes away the oily obscurity of depression to show that hope comes in unlikely forms. "At the Bottom" documents Eddie, buried beneath his guilt manifested and reveals beneath the filth of his pain the truth of his sickness. "Memoirs of Jacob Bright, Ten Days Haunted" submerges us into madness that can only be satiated with timely blood. "Of Love and Death" convulses our spirit with shattered love and loss and exposes how death is no match for true love. "Binky" captures our worst of fears—the threat to a child and how from the maw of darkness can come a warning that changes everything. "Soup" settles unfinished business in the town of Humansville and twists and turns into unexpected and sudden endings. Finally, the macabre "The Widow, I" reanimates vengeance and brings it viciously to the doorstep of a supposed killer. In Amid the Recesses: A Short Story Collection of Fear, spirits bound by the depth of our deepest fears entwine around the finger of terrible fate.

The Spell and the Scythe is the second novel in the enchanting Merrydian's Gate series. Having unwittingly awoken the evil and powerful Agrona, Violet must take responsibility for the repercussions of her actions. Aided by the cantankerous Merrydian, Violet must find a way to save the people of Falinn Galdur. The question is, how far is Violet willing to go to put right her wrongs?Falinn Galdur has been plunged into oppression and the threat of a war which could bring its inhabitants to their knees, the witch Agrona has arisen. Violet Knight, heir to Merrydian the world’s most powerful wizard, finds herself in an unconceivably difficult position. Having unwittingly awoken the witch she must master the magic within to fight the forces of evil that conspire against her in an attempt to steal her heart.Merrydian knows that Violet is too inexperienced and that Agrona’s power is too great. The only solution Merrydian can find is a spell. A spell that will increase Violet’s magical ability, giving her a fighting chance against Agrona but that spell is also a hex. Not only will the spell curse Violet but the three essential ingredients to perform the spell are protected by dangerous creatures not easily overcome by a teenage girl and her elderly wizard ancestor. Just how far is Violet willing to go in order to right her wrongs, free the people of Falinn Galdur and stop Agrona before she can turn her attention toward the rest of the world.

Timo is awakened when his ship receives an unexpected envoy...'Bigger Picture' is the seventh chapter of my cyber-fantasy 'To Walk the Path'. Here the story reaches out to touch the larger universe.'To Walk the Path' is the fourth (and final) installment in my epic cyber-fantasy series 'The Star Plague Journals'. Currently serialised here and on Deviant Art I'll be producing a collated edition of the finished work once it's complete. Watch this space.

On the planet of Endonsha, a traveler named Alita gets caught in the middle of deadly tension between two settlements. The woman of action will have to set aside her usual straightforward ways to play diplomat while keeping her traveling companion and guardian Axen - a dragon - out of trouble. But somehow, trouble always seems to find them...Welcome to Endonsha, a planet inhabited by many races of people filling its single landmass. Oh yeah, and there are dragons. And magic. You know. Alita is content with her life of travel, never staying in one place for long, mostly to avoid drawing attention to the fact that she has a rather unusual traveling companion and guardian: a dragon named Axen. But Alita gets caught in the middle of deadly tension between two settlements, forcing her to set aside her normal life and stay put until they come to a resolution which will allow her the freedom to move on. The longer she stays, the more unsettled she feels, sensing that she’s forgotten about something important. About some reason why she stays in motion. About something that could destroy her entire world.

An almost national boxing champion turned alcoholic in a dead-end job finds a sudden inspiration one day at work. His ensuing choices are wise at first, but circumstances are aligning that will suck him into the country's burgeoning drug trade.Richard Franklin Simmers, better known as Righty Rick, once had the world by a string. His vicious, unstoppable body blows in the ring had made more than one opponent look like a mouse fleeing an alley cat. The national championship was on its way, and Righty was understandably expected to trounce his hapless competitor and achieve wealth and fame at an early age.Fate had other ideas, and an untimely wrist injury cost him the match. His explosive reaction cost him his career.Never having been the bookish type, Righty took his place amongst the town’s hardworking folk at the lumberyard, working hellish hours under a hot sun by day and soaking his parched throat with beer and whiskey by night. Though he occasionally polished his knuckles on any bar patron foolish enough to doubt the veracity of his once-legendary skills, his glory days had vanished before they ever fully materialized.A decade later, a bolt of inspiration and self-disgust catch him off guard at work one day, and he forms an iron determination to somehow do something great with what is left of his life.Not long after, he crosses paths with a new substance that has hit Selegania’s store shelves: Smokeless Green. Infinitely more powerful than coffee, a quick sniff gives its user unspeakable energy and concentration.Having recently hopped on the wagon, Righty is leery of trading serfdom to booze for slavery to powder. But though he doesn’t know it, he has found the means to his greatness. And to great destruction.

Quinn O’Reilly is hearing whispers after losing the love of her life to cancer. She has to start believing in an afterlife as a battle begins for her beloved’s estate when she enters a world of ghosts, spirits and specters. Can the dead really reach out from the other side? Can Quinn open her mind enough to help her and her dead lover? Is it okay to commit a crime for a greater purpose?When you’re dead, you’re dead. That’s it. Nothing more. At least that’s what Quinn O’Reilly thinks. But then she starts hearing whispers after losing Matthew, the love of her life, to cancer. Quinn either has to start believing in an afterlife or admit that her own sanity is in jeopardy. As Matthew’s parents fight Quinn for his estate, threatening her with financial ruin, the voices intensify. To make the voices stop, Quinn enlists the help of a woman who communicates with the afterlife, the owner of a cemetery, and an odd professor of Egyptian studies. They enter a world of séances, grave digging, and spells from the ancient Book of the Dead. To help her do this, Quinn turns to Chaz, her gay best friend and assistant at work. He has been by her side from the beginning and as bizarre as Chaz believes this task is, he follows Quinn, Andjela, Chester and Mr. Princeton into the world of spirits, ghosts and specters. He just never knows what to wear. What’s appropriate attire for a séance or digging up a grave?What Quinn and the others must do to unravel the mystery of the whispers tests Quinn’s belief system in every way. Can the dead really reach out from the other side? Can Quinn open her mind enough to help her and her dead lover? And, is it okay to commit a crime for a greater purpose?

A kingdom ruled by Aria, Queen of Dragons is attacked and defeated by Dark Wizards. After one thousand years the Dragons fight back.Stephen loves visiting the cemetery. It is the perfect place to find danger in the quiet hamlet of Amblewood. There's something about being surrounded by the dead that gives Stephen a strange buzz. Dead bodies he can deal with...but when an angry, murdering ghost appears in the cemetery, his opinion of the dead changes, his buzz firmly pushed aside by fear. Stephen's first reaction is to run, but with the appearance of the ghost, Stephen and his friends unearth a map, one that could change his life. Will the map bring Stephen fortune or will it put him and his friends in peril?

A very funny, light-hearted fictional diary/blog, seen through the eyes of misfit twenty-something Simon Broom. After starting a microbiology course, Simon lands a English teaching job in Shanghai, China, and heads off on a life-changing adventure with quirky girlfriend Julie Bucket. The story covers eight months in the young couple's lives as they struggle to find themselves in an alien culture.A very funny, light-hearted fictional diary/blog, seen through the eyes of misfit twenty-something Simon Broom. After starting a microbiology course, Simon lands a English teaching job in Shanghai, China, and heads off on a life-changing adventure with quirky girlfriend Julie Bucket. The story covers eight months in the young couple's lives, as they interact with other expat teachers and strive to understand each other, and themselves, in an alien culture.READER REVIEWS:This is absolutely and utterly hilarious! I am very picky about my humor; most of what passes for it is witless and dumb. Yours is of the smart observational kind, and wickedly funny. (Andi Brown, ‘Animal Cracker’).What madness! Is getting a job in China really that easy? Wonderfully escapist stuff with a plenty of smile-raising moments. On my watchlist as we speak. (Simon Marks, ‘That English Weirdo’).I like it! An easy read for when you need cheering up or when relaxing by a pool. (Claire Lyman, ‘Inevitable’).A la Adrian Mole - a really humorous foray into teaching. (Sarah Churchill, UK).This is an extremely funny story. I like the diary idea. Each day listed and noted, and yet it’s not so tedious as I began to think it might be. Your voice is good, and its light hearted and humorous. There’s a wonderful friend-like quality to it, and I have to admit I found myself reading more than I first expected to. It is well written and very easy to read, and packed with lots of fun. This is my kind of book. I give it 6 stars (Ruby Middleton, ‘Will Ryan’). I’m a huge travel writing fan so I was excited to read this and you didn’t disappoint. The very first paragraph you had me laughing and knowing I was in for an entertaining read (with the part about Julie holding your head underwater and the cockroaches). Is that for real about being questioned for impersonating William and Kate?? Hilarious! They’re not so good at taking a joke are they, the old royal family. Oh sh*t, don't tell them I called them old ok. Thanks for making me laugh, just the kind of travel writing I like! 6 stars. Tammy.

After her parents were brutally murdered, Hailey tries to live hidden from all. When Hailey met Robert she knew there was something more than just 'boy meets girl.' They both try to find the murderers of her parents but end up in horrible consequences. Read to find out more.After her parents were brutally murdered, Hailey tries to live a normal life like a normal teenager; only she doesn't want to be noticed. She was content with hiding in the shadows not being seen by lurking eyes. Until one day things randomly start to change when she gets noticed. When Hailey met Robert she knew there was something more than just 'boy meets girl.' They had something mysteriously hidden between them and neither of them knew what it was. With Robert's help, Hailey tries to find out who killed her parents. She ends up getting herself in a bit of trouble. There is no way out. Find out how Hailey and Robert meet their end.

Serial killer, Sid Niles, is on the hunt again. His next target has all the desirable traits of his past victims: young, beautiful, and female. Little does he know that she is about to turn the tables on him and cause his world to come crumbling down.In 2036, true artificial intelligence bots (Taibots) live in society and form relationships with humans; they behave like humans in every aspect. However, Olivia thinks Taibots are just a piece of machinery and have no understanding of what they are talking about. In other words, she doesn’t believe artificial consciousness is possible. But things get complicated after Toby enters her life. Despite the fact he seems like a Taibot, Olivia is certain Toby has human consciousness.On the eve of the sixth mass extinction, resulting from anthropogenic climate change, is artificial consciousness the answer to keeping human consciousness—the apex of 4.5 billion years of evolution—sustained in a universe without humans? Is Olivia able to find out why Toby so resembles her boyfriend who died five years earlier? How would the world deal with the imminent global wipe-out?It’s a fast-paced adventure that entails philosophical discussions about consciousness, love, life, the future of humanity and the universe.

A girl goes for a long walk and ends up getting lost--which is highly unusual. Bewildering, in fact. Given where she lives, walking is really all there is to do. So how could she have possibly gotten lost? "Well, even fluent speakers make grammatical mistakes. And even fluent walkers take wrong turns some times." Or so she tells herself for comfort.Little does the girl know!A girl goes for a long walk and ends up getting lost--which is highly unusual. Bewildering, in fact. Given where she lives, walking is really all there is to do. So how could she have possibly gotten lost? "Well, even fluent speakers make grammatical mistakes. And even fluent walkers take wrong turns some times." Or so she tells herself for comfort.Little does the girl know! Little does she know how very far away she wandered from home!Little does she know in order to get back, she'll have to rely on the foulest, nastiest, meanest and bickering-est Gnome who's ever been.

Through the Swirling Cloud is a Christian book for young adults or anyone who enjoys young adult fiction. Six-year-old Callie stumbles onto the swirling tunnel and accidentally travels through space and time. Join her for a fun-filled trip!Through the Swirling Cloud is a Christian book for young adults or anyone who enjoys young adult fiction. Callie Berkinoff stumbled onto the swirling tunnel accidentally. She was only six at the time of the discovery of her ability to travel through space and time in mere seconds. It was not the result of mystical practices or the utilization of cosmic knowledge that gave her the ability. It was powered by the voltage of her own emotions that led her to some unexpected destinations. Travel with her as you read this book of adventure.

This is a poem book, with themes ranging from drugs, to climate change, to the struggle to escape the class warfare that society induces.What will you do when the creepers come?Summer is coming! Things are beginning to thaw in the ice cube field to the north. When a villager of the Snow-Block-Wall deserts, Nerderd Spark must intervene. The villager warns of creepers coming to life as the world becomes warmer. Nerderd calls it madness and sends the villager back to the wall to stand vigil.Meanwhile, Nerderd’s sons have found a modified pair of wolves that continue to produce one wolf for each Spark child. He fears having to explain why he has brought six wolves home to his wife, but she has news of her own -- the Arm of the King, her brother-in-law has died under suspicious circumstances in King’s Squatting.Far to the south of Nerderd’s holdfast, the daughter of the old king will not wed her barbaric suitor. She will make up her own mind about whom to marry, thank you very much, and her brother will just have to learn to live with the consequences.//Note to parents. This is a mild-mannered parody. It contains nothing inappropriate. We encourage parents to read this and all books to know what your child is reading. The scariest thing it contains are creepers, although come to think about it, creepers are pretty darn scary. It is recommended for ages 9 and up.//

In simple, mesmerizing prose, Hermann Hesse's *Journey to the East* tells of a journey both geographic and spiritual. H.H., a German choirmaster, is invited on an expedition with the League, a secret society whose members include Paul Klee, Mozart, and Albertus Magnus. The participants traverse both space and time, encountering Noah's Ark in Zurich and Don Quixote at Bremgarten. The pilgrims' ultimate destination is the East, the "Home of the Light," where they expect to find spiritual renewal. Yet the harmony that ruled at the outset of the trip soon degenerates into open conflict. Each traveler finds the rest of the group intolerable and heads off in his own direction, with H.H. bitterly blaming the others for the failure of the journey. It is only long after the trip, while poring over records in the League archives, that H.H. discovers his own role in the dissolution of the group, and the ominous significance of the journey itself.

Tiny and Mirabeau haven't worked together before, but are pushed together by Marguerite on a mission for Lucian Argeneau. They must slip out of the Valentine's Day wedding of several pairs of family members to transport a package safely away from Lionius, a rogue vampire no-fanger, constantly causing mayhem and slaughter. Tiny McGraw is used to investigating alongside women, as he usually works with his business partner Jackie. As an ex-linebacker he's used to being the muscle in the operation. Unfortunately, when you play or work with the vampire's you suddenly become the weak link in the chain. Mirabeau La Roche has a tragic past where she lost her whole family to the greed and betrayal of a favorite uncle during the Massacres of St. Bartholomew. Saved by Lucian Argeneau from the same fate as her family, she's been an honorary member of the Argeneau family ever since, taken in and cared for by Marguerite, and as an enforcer for Lucian. The mission sounds simple, to deliver a package undetected to Port Henry, only the package turns out to be a teenage girl named Stephanie, recently turned in an assault by the no-fangers and rescued by the Argeneau famil. Her partner on the mission is Tiny McGraw, who she knows little about, except the fact that Marguerite Argeneau set them up for the mission together, and where Marguerite goes, life-mate couples seem to appear in her wake.

*A hard body. A dangerous past. Meet Mr. February.* Reality-TV star and reformed bad boy Spencer Dean doesn’t trust women. Not after his fiancée, Brooke, left him at the altar five years ago, breaking his heart and hardening his soul. Now, Brooke is close to a deal for her own show that will launch with the remodel of a popular Austin bar. The problem? The network insists that Spencer step in as her partner. He’s tried to forget her—but he can’t deny that he still wants her. More than that, he wants to punish her. And so he agrees, but only on terms that are provocative, demanding, and wildly sensual. It’s the perfect set-up for extracting revenge. But he doesn’t expect to fall for Brooke all over again… Revenge never looked so hot. ***Hold On Tight* is part of a binge read series by *New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly,* and #1 International bestselling author of the million copy Stark series, J. Kenner. Each novel in the series is a STANDALONE romance with a guaranteed HEA! But even so, you won’t want to miss any in the series. Because then you can answer the question… ** *Who’s Your Man of the Month?* ** When a group of fiercely determined friends realize their beloved hang-out is in danger of closing, they take matters into their own hands to bring back customers lost to a competing bar. Fighting fire with a heat of their own, they double down with the broad shoulders, six-pack abs, and bare chests of dozens of hot, local guys who they cajole, prod, and coerce into auditioning for a Man of the Month calendar. But it’s not just the fate of the bar that’s at stake. Because as things heat up, each of the men meets his match in this sexy, flirty, and compelling binge-read romance series of twelve novels releasing every other week from *New York Times* bestselling author J. Kenner. “With each novel featuring a favorite romance trope—beauty and the beast, billionaire bad boys, friends to lovers, second chance romance, secret baby, and more—this series hits the heart and soul of romance.” — *New York Times* bestselling author Carly Phillips Complete Title List: Down On Me Hold On Tight Need You Now Start Me Up Get It On In Your Eyes Turn Me On Shake It Up All Night Long In Too Deep Light My Fire Walk The Line And don’t miss *Bar Bites: A Man of the Month Cookbook* by J. Kenner and Suzanne M. Johnson, featuring recipes, slices of life, and all new scenes and short stories!

Would you die for the one you love? Nixon Abandonato made his choice. And now he has to pay the price. Tracey is the love of his life, but being with him has made her a target of his family's enemies. The only way to keep Trace alive is convince the world she means nothing to him. Trace Rooks has fallen irrevocably in love with the son of her family's sworn rival, and she knows in her bones nothing can tear them apart. Until Nix suddenly pushes her away and into the arms of his best friend... But Trace isn't ready to give up on a future with Nix--and if he won't fight for them, she will. In the end, a sacrifice must be made. A life for a life. For what better way to cover a multitude of sins than with the blood of a sinner . . .

Mike Rouger isn't looking for love. He decided long ago that he would rather stay single than get mixed up with a woman again. Then Kathleen Mullings comes back into his life with her teenage son and changes everything. What happens when a man set in his ways meets a sassy woman who knows what she wants? Mix in the Mayson clan and the Christmas season and you’re sure to enjoy the ride of Second Chance Holiday.

In Civil War–era Florida, a woman suspected of witchcraft reawakens a tired doctor’s heart Julian McKenzie, a surgeon and makeshift colonel, is at the end of his rope. He’s trapped deep in the South with his Rebel platoon, and their supplies and morale are running low. But while fleeing from an attack, he finds salvation in a most unusual form: a run-down plantation. Inside, widow Rhiannon Tremaine, a Union sympathizer, practices what the locals describe as witchcraft. In reality, Rhiannon is a gifted healer and medic. Still, she does have a bit of magic in her.  In the fifth book of her Florida Civil War series, bestselling author Heather Graham evokes a treacherous world of divided loyalties. Rhiannon has the gift of second sight, and while she used to welcome her visions, now her dreams only give her pain. In Julian, though, she may have found someone to change them . . . if the war doesn’t conspire to rip the two apart. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Heather Graham, including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.