A science fiction short story. In the midst of a civil war, May reflects on the love of his life, a love that may be lost.In Zombie Resurrection (Episode #3 of the Tale of Tom Zombie series) Tom Dexter, a.k.a. Tom Zombie, found himself in the darkened, stifling confines of a tractor trailer truck full of zombies for several days. He was teetering on the brink of dehydration, madness, boredom, and exhaustion, but one of the few things that helped his mind survive the ordeal was to converse with his fellow passengers. Un-dead and uninterested as they were, Tom spoke to them just the same. Presented here is one conversation, albeit one sided, that he had that you won’t find in Zombie Resurrection. Consider this vignette an “author’s extra” for all the loyal readers of the series.

Blurb HalloweenHalloween is special for all kids and adults who still have a little kid left in them. I’m knocking on the door of seven decades of enjoying Halloween. I lived in a small town where a haunted house sat waiting for a foolish person to enter. I never did. I’m smarter than that; are you?This new edition of a classic story contains Charles Sheldon's original writing, with some passages sensitively abridged to allow his powerful story to come through for modern readers. Nothing in the storyline has been changed.A homeless man staggers into a wealthy church and upsets the congregation. A week later he is dead. This causes the Rev. Henry Maxwell to issue a startling challenge to his congregation and to himself -- whatever you do in life over the next twelve months, ask yourself this question before making any decision: "What would Jesus do?"The local newspaper editor, a novelist, a wealthy young woman who has inherited a million dollars, her friend who has been offered a professional singing career, the superintendent of the railroad workshops, a leading city merchant and others take up the challenge. But how will it all work out when things don't go as expected?A bishop gives up his comfortable lifestyle -- and finds his life threatened in the city slums. The story is timeless. A great read, and a challenge to every Christian today.Abridged by Chris Wright. Chris is the author of over thirty books, starting with young fiction for an English Christian publisher in 1966. He has written both fiction and non-fiction, mostly with a Christian theme, for a variety of publishers. Chris is married with three grownup children, and lives in the West Country of England where he is a home group leader with his local church. His website is: www.rocky-island.com.

Another IPMA (Institute for the Preservation of Magical Artifacts) Halloween short story featuring the Goblin Queen. It adds a little to the back story of the queen in connection to Troll Brother books 2-4. How far will she go to build her cache of weapons she is building to prepare her plans for the trolls and their human friends?The story of hunting brothers, Jon and Don, as they explorer the domain of the faerie folk in the Western Rocky mountains. What vile plans does the queen of the goblins have for the humans and their weapons? This story is a short side plot that adds to the overall mythology of the Mountain Trolls and Goblins of the IPMA fantasy series, Troll Brother. It hints at events to take place in Troll Brother 2, 3 and 4.

Tenet and Scarab have built a life in Ogden. They've become members of the community and work hard to pay back the Celtists for giving them sanctuary. Then all at once, the peace and serenity they have grown to love is lost as their old lives finally catch up to them. With everything at stake, Tenet must find the strength to finally face his worst enemy and settle the old score once and for all.Six years after the Ogden Septad offered Tenet and Scarab sanctuary in their small mountain village, life for the Lornes is peaceful and calm. The pains and trials of their old life faded away into days of hard but rewarding work as members of a community. Tucked away in their comfortable cabin, it gets easier and easier for the Lornes to ignore the past and build a future. They could almost believe the rest of the world didn't exist outside the comforting protection of the forest.And then all at once, Tenet's new life crumbles as his past finally catches up with him. Not only does he lose everything he loves, but the lives of everyone in his new nation about are thrust into chaos with the threat of war. With the help of the Ogden warriors and a few old friends along the way, Tenet must find the strength to finally face his worst enemy and settle the score once and for all.

A disillusioned diplomat is lost between his morals in an Afghan town.A writer and a commuter meet in this thrilling short story.After reading The Commuter you will never look at your fellow passengers the same way again…The Commuter first appeared in Death Toll 2: Hard Targets (2013) - A powerful, pulse-pounding, crime thriller anthology that brings together nine exceptional authors: Stephen Leather, Matt Hilton, Alex Shaw, JH Bográn, Stephen Edger, Liam Saville, Harlan Wolff, Milton Gray and Scott Lewis.This is the first time that The Commuter has been offered as a stand-alone short, and it also includes a bonus preview of Liam’s first Sam Ryan novella, Predator Strike. Liam Saville is an Australian writer, and author of the military crime novellas, Predator Strike and Resolute Action.

A celebration of people of all kind and their pursue for the lost wonder years of infancy. These are poems that evaluate human life in and outside a city lost in its own creation.'When Dawn Arises' reunites some of my best works so far. A celebration of people of all kind and their pursue for the lost wonder years of infancy. These are poems who evaluate human life in and outside a city lost in its own creation.---(Poems written between February and March 2015)

A group of neighborhood kids fear the Tootheater, a boogeyman who comes for them if they don't leave their baby teeth on a manhole cover by the overpass at the edge of town. When one of their friends goes missing and the others have to go find him, they discover an evil even deeper and darker than they imagined.Once Upon A Falling star, is a book consisting of five fairytales echoing the magic of the Brothers Grimm, with a modern twist. Based on the adventure and stories of Princess Sara, and Prince Khalid. The stories read easily, with underlying philosophies of good over coming evil, the importance of dreams, wishes and kindness. A delightful, entertaining read targeted at young children. Can be considered the third volume in the collection of "Once Upon A" fairytales.

At first Guillem discards the rumor that the new president has other plans for the country and is never going to leave his new found position and its power. However, he will very soon be involved in an event that will secure the new president's power for life, where in a demonstration of power he will show his legions of mindless followers and instil fear in those that dare oppose him.As it happens in any democracy, a new president had been elected, only that this time the new president was a mentally unbalanced ex policeman, the leader of a failed coup to a previous government and someone who had spent a long time in jail. At first Guillem discards the rumor that the new president has other plans for the country and is never going to leave his new found position and its power. However, he will very soon be involved in an event that will secure the new president's power for life, where in a demonstration of power he will show his legions of mindless followers, instil fear in the heart of those that dare oppose him and without his knowledge, it will start a power struggle deep within occult societies, societies that have always controlled the most powerful and wealthiest members of society. Thrown in the middle of the conflict, will Guillem be able to survive? Will he be able to stop the conflicts within the occult societies from destroying him and his friends? Will he be able to stop the plans of the new president and restore the country's democracy?

A few poems written in the past couple of years, but haven't been published until nowCourage. Compassion. A warm light for all to follow. In a world where playing games on cell phones give people superpowers like flying or teleporting, twelve-year-old Leon can shine light from his hands which is the least useful superpower of the nine. But when he discovers his real ability, he turns his world upside down chasing more and more power. Not only is that devastating for his family, but he also destroys his friendship with his best friend, and then discovers that his real ability is tricking him into following a sinister power. He’ll have to give up everything that made him popular in order to do what’s right.

Laura's Shorts is a random collection of unrelated short stories. Many were prepared in response to prompts or criteria of competitions, all were prepared for the sheer joy of storytelling.Sam wins the lottery and asks Natali to marry him and run away to see all the hidden beauty the world has to offer. He wants her by his side through all the great and secret adventures he can dream of with his new wealth. She denies his proposal so he goes it alone, only to return fifty years later. that's when the story truly begins.

The first adventure of Greg Samson, The Origami Man!A chance meeting with a fantastic piece of alien technology...An ascent into a galaxy saturated with intelligent life...The discovery of a war profiteer whose actions threaten all life, everywhere...And the understanding that nothing ever stays the same.Just because we haven’t made contact doesn’t mean we’re alone. Just because we know some things doesn’t mean we’re smart. And just because we feel safe doesn’t mean we are. Nothing in Gregory Samson’s life could have prepared him for the shock of waking up with a sentient alien warship growing out of his neck, but that life is over now. In his new one, Greg will have to find a way to balance budding romance and a dead-end job with the reality of a galaxy united in a million year-old war against a race of genocidal insects, all while asking himself the most terrifying question any millennial can ever face: Is it finally time to leave home?

Queen Elizabeth I never ruled. England and Scotland never unified. It's 1841 and the two nations are once more at war. If 16-year-old English Princess Myrtle marries Scottish Prince James she can seal a truce. But the slightest misstep could throw the two countries back into war ... This glorious fusion of steampunk and alternate history introduces readers to the world of The Clockwork War.Queen Elizabeth I never ruled.England and Scotland never unified.It's 1841 the two countries are once more at war. 16-year-old English Princess Myrtle holds the fate of two nations in her hands. She can bring about a truce by marrying Scottish Prince James. Since he is just a boy of 14, she has two years to unlearn everything she thought she knew about Scotland and fall in love with the country that will be her home, and the boy destined to become her husband.The son of a Scottish Duke, Callum McAllister joins the court to teach Mrytle about Scotland and change her reluctant mind about her future. But when war has been simmering for centuries, two years is a long time. The smallest misstep could bring chaos and return the countries to war. Myrtle must tread carefully to ensure nothing goes wrong.This delightful steampunk story introduces readers to the world of the clockwork war, a glorious fusion of steampunk and alternate history.

Jeff Walker, a human from a Martian colony, is unwillingly transported to another universe through a wormhole, and finds himself in the middle of an intergalactic battle. He must join forces with a peaceful coalition of worlds to stop invading diabolical aliens from obtaining a death ray capable of destroying worlds. The key to his survival is deeply rooted in the human's own family's past.Jeff Walker, a human from a Martain colony, is unwillingly transported to another universe through a wormhole and crashes on a distant world, where he meets a race of peaceful amphibian-like beings. He discovers that a hostile race called the Tolarions have set up a base on the other side of their island. When they are threatened, Jeff steals a ship and leaves with two of the amphibians, Dormiton and Milgic, destroying the alien base, starting an intergalactic war. After their escape, they meet Zarcon, the leader of Belor, who is also a member of the Galactic Republic of Peaceful Civilizations, adversaries to the Tolarions. When Zarcon shows him a weapon capable of destroying worlds, his superior Riona accuses them of treason and being spies. Jeff must form unlikely alliances with beings unlike himself to find the truth of what's really going on. Little does he know that the deeper he digs into things, the more likely he is to find out about his own race's past and what really is the cause of the war. He and his small group of outlanders must somehow stop diabolical beings from obtaining the weapon and using it on every race in the galaxy.

Average college student, Patrick Wright, is chosen to be Shadow Star, the final member of the Star People. He is trained in the ways of the Star People while trying to keep up with his college course work. Life, as Shadow Star, is difficult. A mysterious new girlfriend may have the answers. Shadow Star must make choose to make the decisions which could determine the future of the universe.Average college student, Patrick Wright, discovers a cave and receives an ancient scroll after which his life will never be the same. He is chosen to be Shadow Star, the final member of the Star People. He is trained in the ways of the Star People while trying to keep up with his college course work. His teacher and mentor with his new talents must return home. The challenges of his new responsibilities make life, as a Shadow Star and as a college student, difficult. He finds a new girlfriend who just maybe the solution to more issues than he first realizes.After a pivotal dream, Patrick knows his life has changed forever and he might not survive the challenge of being Shadow Star.An intergalactic war has begun with Shadow Star as a key player. Patrick must choose as Shadow Star to make the decisions which could determine the future of the universe.Come along with Patrick as Shadow Star and discover the strength which lives deep inside each one of us.

**Madame X invites you to test the limits of control in this provocative new novel from* New York Times *bestselling author Jasinda Wilder.** *My name is Madame X. I’m the best at what I do. And you’d do well to follow my rules...* Hired to transform the uncultured, inept sons of the wealthy and powerful into decisive, confident men, Madame X is a master of the art of control. With a single glance she can cut you down to nothing, or make you feel like a king. But there is only one man who can claim her body—and her soul. Undone time and again by his exquisite dominance, X craves and fears his desire in equal measure. And while she longs for a different path, X has never known anything or anyone else—until now...

'Fast-moving and immensely readable ... a page turner from start to finish' - Maeve Binchy Alexander Kinross is remembered in his native Scotland only as a shiftless boilermaker's apprentice. But when he writes from Australia to summon his bride, his relatives realize he is now a man to be reckoned with. Arriving in Sydney after a difficult voyage, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Drummond meets her husband-to-be and discovers that he frightens and repels her. And, isolated in Alexander's great house, Elizabeth finds that marriage does not prompt her husband to enlighten her about his past life - nor his present one, in which his mistress, the sensuous, tough, outspoken Ruby Costevan, still plays a part...

From the world's #1 bestselling writer—3 pulse-pounding novels in one book!THE FAMILY LAWYER with Robert Rotstein: Matthew Hovanes is living a parent's worst nightmare: his young daughter is accused of bullying another girl into suicide. But this loving father is also a skilled criminal defense attorney. And something here doesn't add up... NIGHT SNIPER with Christopher Charles: Cheryl Mabern is the NYPD's most brilliant detective—and the most damaged. Now she must confront her darkest fears to stop a calculating killer committing random murders.THE GOOD SISTER with Rachel Howzell Hall: Her beloved sister's cheating husband has been found dead. Now, Dani Lawrence must decide if she will help the investigation that could put her sister away...or obstruct it by any means necessary.

Out of the ashes of evil Chris and Cathy made such a loving home for their splendid children... Fourteen-year-old Jory was so handsome, so gentle. And Bart had such a dazzling imagination for a nine year old. Then the lights came on in the abandoned house next door. Soon the Old Lady in Black was there, watching their home with prying eyes, guarded by her strange old butler. Soon the shrouded woman had Bart over for cookies and ice cream and asked him to call her "Grandmother." And soon Bart's transformation began... A transformation that sprang from "the book of secrets" the gaunt old butler had given him... a transformation fed by the hint of terrible things about his mother and father... a transformation that led him into shocking acts of violence, self-destruction and perversity. And now while this little boy trembles on the edge of madness, his anguished parents, his helpless brother, an obsessed old woman and the vengeful, powerful butler await the climax to a horror that flowered in an attic long ago, a horror whose thorns are still wet with blood, still tipped with fire....

What if you could ask God anything? What would you ask? And how would He answer? Chelsea Chambers is on her own. After a public split from her NFL superstar husband, Chelsea takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Cafe, an old-fashioned coffee shop in dire need of reinvention. But when her courage, expert planning, and out-of-this-world cupcakes fail to pay the bills, this newly single mom finds herself desperate for help. Better yet, a miracle. Then a curious stranger lands at Chelsea's door, and with him, an even more curious string of events. Soon, customers are flocking to the Higher Grounds Cafe, and not just for the cupcakes and cappuccino. They've come for the internet connection to the divine. Now the cafe has become the go-to place for people in search of answers to life's biggest questions. When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask God a question of her own. Heaven answers in a most unexpected way.

The members of the Tribulation Force face their most dangerous challenges. Following the assassination of the Antichrist, some are murder suspects; others test the precarious line between subversion and being revealed. All over the news, reporters announce that Rayford Steele is Nicolae Carpathia's assassin, but Buck soon learns the truth. The world mourns the loss of a world leader until events at Nicolae's funeral bring all mourning to an end. A repackage of the seventh book in the "New York Times" best-selling Left Behind series.

Benjamin Alire Saenz's stories reveal how all borders--real, imagined, sexual, human, the line between dark and light, addict and straight--entangle those who live on either side. Take, for instance, the Kentucky Club on Avenida Juarez two blocks south of the Rio Grande. It's a touchstone for each of Saenz's stories. His characters walk by, they might go in for a drink or to score, or they might just stay there for a while and let their story be told. Saenz knows that the Kentucky Club, like special watering holes in all cities, is the contrary to borders. It welcomes Spanish and English, Mexicans and gringos, poor and rich, gay and straight, drug addicts and drunks, laughter and sadness, and even despair. It's a place of rich history and good drinks and cold beer and a long polished mahogany bar. Some days it smells like piss. "I'm going home to the other side." That's a strange statement, but you hear it all the time at the Kentucky Club. Benjamin Alire Saenz is a highly regarded writer of fiction, poetry, and children's literature. Like these stories, his writing crosses borders and lands in our collective psyche. "Poets & Writers Magazine "named him one of the fifty most inspiring writers in the world. He's been a finalist for the "Los Angeles Times "Book Prize and PEN Center's prestigious award for young adult fiction. Saenz is the chair of the creative writing department of University of Texas at El Paso.