A love story set in Renaissance Kosovo. Amid the turbulant times of the Turkish invasions of Europe and the Inquisition, two people seek toovercome thier past and seek a new future.Lyssandra, a prostitute and Witch, seeks to find love with a displaced Irish Noble who is mourning for the death of his wife and children. During their tenure, they meet and fight the bandits, vampires and dragons which are common in that part of the world.Set among the turbulant times when the Ottoman Empire sought to conquer SE Europe, these stories constiturte the first and last in the series.

Johnny Wainwright is a bush pilot repo man in South Central Alaska. One September afternoon he flies Alaska State troopers to a remote island in Prince William Sound on a routine case of domestic violence. But the troopers disappear, thick fog rolls in and things get strange. Add to the mix a peculiar lodge owner, a flirtatious cover girl model and gunfire. Mayhem and madness follow.“They say there's a million ways to make a living. For me there's only one. I fly airplanes. Small airplanes in remote Alaska. Sometimes I even get paid. It isn't much of a living but I get by. Man and machine battling the elements in the final frontier. It's the only life I want to live.”Johnny Wainwright is a bush pilot repo man in South Central Alaska. One September afternoon he flies Alaska State troopers to a remote island in Prince William Sound on a routine case of domestic violence. But the troopers disappear, thick fog rolls in and things get strange. Add to the mix a peculiar lodge owner, a flirtatious cover girl model and gunfire. There must be an easier way to barely make a living. In this sequel to Jim Craig's first Alaskan novel, North to Disaster, you'll be reacquainted with Johnny's quirky cohorts, old flames from the Yukon Bar and the infamous Alaskan weather. If you like adventures with twists and turns, buckle up for a ride into the off the wall world of Johnny Wainwright and the bizarre bush pilot lifestyle unique to Alaska.

Science fiction

Boy meets girl, girl and boy like each other, but they are little busy being kidnapped...Is it safe to rob a bank with a couple of guys your gal met at a bar? Is it a better idea to trust your gal, when you also met her at a bar? Maybe yes, maybe no. But when the going gets tough, the tough get tougher. Or, at least, they start to have a little fun. Right?Sometimes brutal, sometimes comic--there's little to be said for second chances, and even less for second guesses. For one man, though, it's really all about the thrill of the chase, the taste of adrenaline...and the smell of smoking rubber.Eau de Smoking Rubber is approximately 800 words.

When Rod and Marge Applewhite decide to expand their horizons by joining the Mahjong Club at the community centre, nothing can prepare them, or their new acquaintances, for the avalanche of social disgraces which follow!When Rod and Marge Applewhite decide to expand their horizons by joining the Mahjong Club at the community centre, nothing can prepare them, or their new acquaintances, for the avalanche of social disgraces which follow!This fourth short story from Brian Parker looks at what can happen when a young woman with healthy cleavage and a low cut dress sits opposite a man who can't keep his focus on the job at hand!

Renowned Shakespearean scholar Dr. Marshall Emerson whose specialty was the bard’s The Tempest returns decades after his death, when McMaster University library and bookstore staff begin producing replica versions of the text on a newly acquired Espresso Book Machine. (Short story: 6000 words)Renowned Shakespearean scholar Dr. Marshall Emerson whose specialty was the bard’s The Tempest could never be spotted walking the grounds of McMaster University without the precious 1861 folio edition of Shakespeare’s works clutched in his hands.Decades after his death, when McMaster University library and bookstore staff begin producing replica versions of the text on a newly acquired Espresso Book Machine, Emerson, who was also known as Professor Prospero, returns, intent to put a stop to this “desecration” of his precious text.This short story of approximately 6000 words originally appeared in the book CAMPUS CHILLS (2009) and was written by McMaster Graduate Kimberly Foottit and Mark Leslie, whose alter ego ran the Espresso Book Machine at the McMaster bookstore from 2008 until 2011.

In a dimension where dragons in human form roam, a darker species struggles to come to light. They are the chaos. They have no morals. They taint whatever they touch. Austin, a halfling, isn't going to submit to the fear they cast. She isn't going down without a fight. She'll learn the ways of their species, she'll learn how to defend herself, and she'll learn how to make a mean cup of tea..In a dimension where dragons in human form roam, a darker species struggles to come to light. They are the chaos. They are spiteful. They have no morals. They taint whatever they touch.Seventeen years ago, a halfling was born in the human world. An abomination. Her parents were killed for committing such a crime, but Austin was kidnapped and taken in by one of them. She grew up as chaos dragons do, despite somehow remaining pure of their filth. She was, of course, rescued by the brightest minds of the opposing force. She was hidden in the human world until she would posses the power needed to defend herself.Except months before that time would come, the chaos have found her again. In order to protect her, she is brought to their home world--Affelil. In the famous stronghold, she is safe. No chaos in their right mind would dare infiltrate the city's walls, but chaos dragons aren't exactly known for their sanity.Her best friend, in love but friendzoned, plays the role of a knight in shining armor to slay the dragons that would ever dare harm her, but Austin doesn't need a knight nor prince. She isn't a damsel in distress, and her Once Upon A Time Kidnapper knows this. She's caught in her kidnapper's game, a game where she is his prize.Still, Austin isn't going down without a fight. She will learn the ways of their kind, how to defend herself, and along the way, she'll learn how to make a mean cup of tea. She is evolving. She is adapting. Still, there's a war brewing inside her; her human and dragon blood is fighting, ideals fighting against tradition. Like the chaos, her human side is fighting to be heard.

It's October 17, 1987, and there have been three murders in Dallas that night. The owner of a troubled thrift and his mistress are found in their condo with their throats cut and a woman is asphyxiated in her home along with her eleven dogs. Paula ends up defending the man accused of the double homiced and Stan is shocked to find out he has been appointed the executor over the old ladies' estate.This story begins on the infamous Black Monday, October 19, 1987. As the stock market is taking a nosedive and banks and S&L's are falling left and right, Stan is asked by the CIA to help an operative unravel an IRS garnishment and ends up caught in a fire-fight between the CIA and the FBI.His day grows more complicated still as he receives the surprising news that he has been named as the executor of the estate of one Lottie West, who has died in suspicious circumstances and who--Stan soon discovers--has been hiding priceless art treasures stolen during World War II.So the last thing Stan needs is a visit from his law partner, Paula Waters, who tells him she wants to defend the man accused of killing the chairman of one of Dallas' troubled thrifts. And it's only Monday...

A monster from Cassandra's past has come back to haunt her. The monster, Thing, has done unspeakable things to Cassandra, things that have affected her well into adulthood. Plagued by violent and horrific dreams Cassandra seeks the help of therapist Zakiyyah. Can Zakiyyah save Cassandra from Thing and herself, or is it already too late?Growing up Cassandra wasn’t afraid of the monster in her closet or the thing under her bed. Growing up Cassandra was afraid of Thing, her very own flesh and blood monster. Thing did unspeakable things to Cassandra, things that affect her well into adulthood. Cassandra’s life starts to spiral out of control when she begins to have dreams about killing Thing. Afraid of what she may become Cassandra seeks the help of therapist Zakiyyah. Can Zakiyyah save Cassandra from Thing and herself, or is it already too late?

Mitchell is the ultimate bully. In fact, he’s pretty much ruining Austin’s life. So, when the bully needs to be rescued, will Austin save him and face his worst fear at the same time? What would you do? This fast-paced adventure will have you wondering which is worse - to be the 'bully' or the 'bullied'!Austin is just a normal adolescent boy, trying to fit in and be popular, when his worst enemy shows up at his school. Mitchell is one of those automatically popular kids, and for some reason he is intent on making Austin’s life as miserable as possible. He succeeds. But, when they embark on a field trip to the Florida Keys, the true meaning of courage and heroism is revealed. This exciting, action packed novel delves deeper into what is really going on inside the minds of the bully and the bullied, and the outcome may surprise you.

It was the first weeks of winter and Bostwick the dragon knew that he was missing something. Something unusual was going on in the village at the foot of the mountain and he had to discover what it was. Along with his dragon pal Mortimer, Bostwick manages to save the villagers from a terrible disaster and at the same time discover the meaning of Christmas and “peace on earth, good will to all."Fellow dragons Bostwick and Mortimer live in a cave on top of a mountain overlooking the nearby village. Although they love their home on the mountain’s peak, Bostwick grows more curious about the villagers below as they began to prepare for Christmas. He sneaks into the village at night to investigate the situation but leaves more puzzled than ever about Christmas and what it means.But as the eve of Christmas arrives, so does a storm. And with a deadly avalanche looming, the entire village and all its inhabitants are now in grave danger. With a disaster of mythical proportions approaching, only two mythical beasts have the power to stop it, save Christmas, and discover for themselves and the village what “peace on earth, good will to all” really means.

" General Madad allows his troops to rape the women and girls of a small village on Wednesdays and Jimmy & team are hired to go kill him.Rape Day Wednesday is an action – adventure love story. General Madid is about to receive a visit from his worst nightmare – Jimmy West. Dear Air Rescue I am Jackie Cots, a nurse for an International Medical Rescue in Somalia. I am writing this letter on behalf of Aisha Hulow, a Somalia woman who lives in the Village of Coato. The lady wants me to tell you about the death of Mary Johnson, who was attacked by soldiers in her medical clinic, repeatedly raped, then shot and left for dead. When the soldiers left, Aisha dragged Mary into her hut where she died several hours later in her arms. Her dying words were to tell Jimmy West, that she still loved him and had never forgotten him. Please find attached a one dollar bill. The lady insists on me sending you the only thing of wealth, she owns. She hopes that you can help her hire someone who can save her little village from these soldiers. It appears that every Wednesday morning, a Renegade General Madid allows his soldiers to come into the village and rape all the women and girls as a treat for loyalty.Please pass on this letter to Jimmy West. Yours truly,Jackie Cots for Aisha Hulow

Amber treasured her Navajo heritage. Until now, she had never left her home on the reservation in the Four Corners. The only reason she was standing on this South Korean moonlit shore was to honor her father's last wishes. She had brought his ashes here to commemorate her Code-Talking grandfather. A man who had left for the Korean War and never returned home.Shash Hayou had been lost in action..Amber treasured her Navajo heritage. Until now, she had never left her home on the reservation in the Four Corners. The only reason she was standing on this South Korean moonlit shore was to honor her father's last wishes. She had brought his ashes here to commemorate her Code-Talking grandfather. A man who had left for the Korean War and never returned home.Shash Hayou had been lost in action along with his best friend, Charlie Atene.But Charlie was alive. And the more Amber discovers, the more she questions everything she once held as true. * * *The Counterfeit Lighthouse is book one in the Navajo Footsteps in Korea series. Lisa's novellas are written without explicit intimacy or violence. As such they are suitable for teens and up. Half of all proceeds from this series benefits battered women's shelters.

We traveled with the Woodsmall Sisters as they each came to age. Now for the first time, they are brought together in a heart-warming Christmas novella. Will changing traditions bring more grief then joy this Christmas season? Or will the Woodsmall sisters be able to embrace compromise?We traveled with the Woodsmall Sisters as they each came to age. Now for the first time, they are brought together in a heart-warming Christmas novella. Will changing traditions bring more grief then joy this Christmas season? Or will the Woodsmall sisters be able to embrace compromise? "Changing Traditions" is a stand-alone novella that follows the series "The Diaries of the Woodsmall Sisters" by Rachel E Rittenhouse.

Imagine you are reaching to take that amazing catch, you know you can't quite reach the ball, until you see the ball slowing down in the air. Time is slowing down just for you and now you can reach the ball and win the game for your team. What if time wasn't just slowing down every time you played but it was at school too. What would you with this ability and could you control it?Along the starway of infinity there are millions of planets just like Earth. We need not be concerned with them. There are however many billions more that are not like Earth – these represent the biggest threat to humankind.A slow moving, fragile rudimentary craft from the United States pierced the murky atmosphere of Jupiter on July 4, 2016. Strange cries, shouts and howls were captured by the ships aural detectors. The voices, if indeed they were voices, were not made by carbon based lifeforms. The Space Agency quickly issued reports that derided the cries as nothing more than some sort of interference or radio static.The collective mind of Earthlings however, is beginning to grasp the concept of intelligent life that is not carbon based. Such lifeforms may not even appear to be lifeforms to the primitive brains of the homo-sapiens.

Once in San Francisco, Agents 32 and 33 decide to take a trip to the curvy section of Vermont Street on Potrero Hill. Along the way a man tells them about a very unique game that was once played on the street. While walking back they find 'the one that got away' under a shrub. It's catch and release, though. Who will find it next? Another Psecret Psociety pshort pstory. Approximately 1600 words.Once in San Francisco, Agents 32 and 33 decide to take a trip to the curvy section of Vermont Street on Potrero Hill. Along the way a man tells them about a very unique game that was once played on the street. While walking back they find 'the one that got away' under a shrub. It's catch and release, though. Who will find it next? Another Psecret Psociety pshort pstory. Approximately 1600 words. Interesting Note: This little tale features the Mr. Malloy character - the same Mr. Malloy found in the novella Mysterieau of San Francisco.

Mind Flights: Fantastic Stories of the Imagination, Volume 2 is a collection of three short stories spanning science fiction and fantasy. In "Seconds", mankind faces horror the like of which would never be seen on Earth on a new world. In "Tear", the magic of the Divide is failing. If it goes, all the races will be in peril. In "Reaper" something insidious is unearthed, and it's hungry.Mind Flights: Fantastic Stories of the Imagination is a collection of three stories spanning the genres of science fiction and fantasy. In "Seconds", mankind faces tragedy on a scale that can wipe out the entire colonized planet, but one scientist holds the key to saving them all, if he can just figure out what that key is. In "The Tear of God", the magic of the Divide is failing, and if its protection isn't restored soon, hell will literally be released on earth. In "REAPER", mankind stumbles upon something on a new world, and ends up wishing they hadn't. Now, everyone's fate relies on a harvester who herself is now on the verge of death due to alien technology. Will she live? And what has this technology done to her? And finally, will she be in any shape to help if she does survive?

In each of these tales Margaret Atwood deftly illuminates the single instant that shapes a whole life: in a few brief pages we watch as characters progress from the vulnerabilities of adolescence through the passions of youth into the precarious complexities of middle age.  By superimposing the past on the present, Atwood paints interior landscapes shaped by time, regret, and life's lost chances, endowing even the banal with a sense of mystery.  Richly layered and disturbing, poignant at times and scathingly witty at others, the stories in *Wilderness Tips* take us into the strange and secret places of the heart and inform the familiar world in which we live with truths that cut to the bone. Contents: True trash -- Hairball -- Isis in darkness -- The bog man -- Death by landscape -- Uncles -- The age of lead -- Weight -- Wilderness tips -- Hack Wednesday.

Edgar Award-winner Harlan Coben brings us his most astonishing—and deeply personal—novel yet. And it all begins when Myron Bolitar's ex tells him he's a father ... of a dying thirteen-year-old boy. Myron never saw it coming. A surprise visit from an ex-girlfriend is unsettling enough. But Emily Downing's news brings him to his knees. Her son Jeremy is dying and needs a bone-marrow transplant—from a donor who has vanished without a trace. Then comes the real shocker: The boy is Myron's son, conceived the night before her wedding to another man. Staggered by the news, Myron plunges into a search for the missing donor. But finding him means cracking open a dark mystery that involves a broken family, a brutal kidnapping spree, and the FBI. Somewhere in the sordid mess is the donor who disappeared. And as doubts emerge about Jeremy's true paternity, a child vanishes, igniting a chain reaction of heartbreaking truth and chilling revelation. *From the Paperback edition.*