The parrot Neptune sails the high seas with the pirate Captain Snatchit. Then the pirate ship sinks - and Captain Snatchit decides to take over Parrot Island.With thrills, spills and laughs, it's pirates versus parrots in these three stories about Neptune. Beware of bad pirate language!Three short chapter books in one volume tell the story of Neptune, the pirate's parrot, who sails the high seas with Captain Snatchit and his crew. Then the pirate ship, the Seaslug, sinks and he flies away to find a new home.In "The Pirate's Parrot", Neptune discovers a green island. It's a parrots' paradise until Captain Snatchit lands there too. When the pirates start chopping down trees, the parrots decide to get rid of them. But how? Neptune holds the key...In "Captain Snatchit's Revenge", the Captain finds out he was tricked. He vows to catch that pesky parrot Neptune!In "The Wreck of the Seaslug", Captain Snatchit salvages his old ship and sets up his pirate base on Parrot Island. This is going to need the parrots' most ingenious plan yet...With thrills, spills, laughs and plenty of bad pirate language, these stories are ideal for reading aloud, or for more confident readers to enjoy on their own.

A young prince of Wessex is captured by Viking raiders. He and his friends manage to escape captivity in Denmark, and begin an epic journey to Norway and then Sweden. The rest of the story is loosely based on the Primary Russian Chronicles. There, they join a Viking expedition to conquer Novgorod, and, within a year, they travel down the mighty Dnieper river to settle in Kiev.Ambrose, Prince of Wessex; Trader of Kiev, is a story set during the time of the Viking invasions of Europe and Russia. The story chronicles the life of Ambrose, a bastard Saxon Prince of England, and elder brother to Alfred the Great. Ambrose and his companion, Phillip, are caught and enslaved during a Viking raid on his homeland. They are taken to Frisia and then to Denmark, where they meet a Byzantine slave, Polonius. Ambrose and Polonius are fortunate enough to have kind masters, but Phillip is first abused and then condemned to a terrible death. In order to save the life of his faithful companion, Ambrose must flee both his master and his first love. The three escaped slaves flee north by boat to Norway, where they land and recover from their arduous journey. Before the snow closes the high passes, however, they trek overland to Sweden and the land of the Rus. A letter from Ambrose's former master assures a surprising welcome there, but they must once again flee when pursuing Danish ships make port. Sneaking away in the night, they manage to join an expedition of Rus tribesmen who are on their way to take over the Slav city of Novgorod. The three comrades build a trading post there, appoint a factor, and then take the opportunity to move south with another expedition sailing down the Dnieper River with the intention of colonizing the Slav town of Kiev. On the main trade route to the Byzantine empire, the Viking conquerors of Kiev start to organize both Vikings and Slavs into a federation of tribesmen. The area, just north of the open steppes, is terribly vulnerable to attacks from powerful nomad tribes that roam the steppes to the east and the south. After settling in Kiev, Polonius marries Kuralla, the Slav chief's daughter whom Ambrose saved from a terrible death. Kiev is perfectly suited to control the trade from the north to the fabled city of Constantinople, and the friends work hard to establish a secure base for their Swedish sponsor, Gunnar of the Rus. Within a year of arriving, the new settlers find themselves fighting the Pechenegs, a fierce Steppe nation that is, itself, being forced from its traditional territory. Thanks to the mobility offered by the Viking ships, the Slav and Viking allies are able to hold back the savage raiders. Polonius acts as a military advisor, and his ideas allow the Vikings to attack the Pechenegs at their most vulnerable point. With their cavalry decimated by the stubborn river people and their own enemies catching up to them, the Pechenegs flee across the Dnieper and move west. With the Rus leaders now firmly in control of Kiev and much of the Dnieper River Valley, the dead are buried and reconstruction begins. The Rus have come to stay, and, after long and exciting travels, Ambrose, Phillip and Polonius have found an adopted home.

Kara has one burning desire. To free her mother from slavery. But after Kara's father spurns her from his estate, brutally thrusting her into a world rife with creeping evil and dark magic, she must find a new home for safety. And she does.At a traveling carnival, where the only work she can get is as a pickpocket, luring crowds into shows and then stealing from them.Kara has one burning desire. To free her mother from slavery. But after Kara's father spurns her from his estate, brutally thrusting her into a world rife with creeping evil and dark magic, she must find a new home for safety. And she does.At a traveling carnival, where the only work she can get is as a pickpocket, luring crowds into shows and then stealing from them. But under the bright lights and gaudy masks hide dangers far worse than Kara ever thought possible. How will she free her mother and keep herself alive?Spurned is the first book in 'The Hither and Nigh Carnival' series. It is written by R. Moses, author of 'The Last Savior Trilogy.'

Beth held captive in a prison as all seemed lost she gets saved by her Knight in shining armor.Attempting something new is always challenging. Writing a few books in last two years has given me the confidence to write something for the readers. Some of the books are liked by the readers more and some are liked less. That is quite natural. I did try to write few poems in my mother tongue when I was in school and college. Some of them were also published by local magazines. But somehow, I was never comfortable in writing poetry.In this book there are six poems, based mostly on conservation of water, enviroinment and maintenance of cleanliness. One poem is based on fall out of not constructing of toilets within the premises. However, the first poem is based on duty of a lower level police officer who had to stay overnight beside an unkown dead body submerged in sea shore.

In this world, only a few can dream. Steven meets an enigmatic young woman, who gives him the ability to dream vividly. As he begins to unravel the mystery and secrets behind these dreams, he realizes that there is a sinister force at work. Enter a world of chaos, dreams and love; where dreams and reality are more than they appear.Earth is doomed. Our Sun is becoming unstable and humanity needs to find a way to leave earth in large enough numbers to ensure our survival out among the stars.Significant advances in energy generation and the development of the Space Elevator allows mankind to establish bases on the Moon. Using material launched from the Moon, Humanity begins construction on two huge Generational-Style ships.Each ship is a pair of cylinders ten miles long and 1 mile in diameter connected at each end to form one complete ship. Many thousands of people will live and work aboard these huse ships for the many generations that it will take to reach the planets around neighboring stars.Follow the adventures of several people as they promote the project or fight against it. Who will ultimately win?

Leigha is a Creature of the Light and her kind is being hunted relentlessly by the Dark Siders. When her family is captured, she's told by the leader of the Dark Siders that no Lights remain free. There seems to be no hope for Leigha until she meets a handsome stranger working for the Dark Siders who says he can free her. Leigha has to trust him because she has a secret that could save her kind.Leigha is a fairy, a Creature of the Light, living in a world where her kind is hunted relentlessly by the Dark Siders. When her family is captured, Leigha is told by the leaders of the Dark Siders that all of the Creatures of the Light are now in prisons. There seems to be no hope for Leigha and her kind until Leigha meets a handsome stranger working for the Dark Siders. He says he can help her, but only if she can trust him. Leigha has no choice because she has a secret and if she doesn't get free there will be no hope left for anyone.

David Tanner arranges for the crew of the Waverunner to transport gold for the royal bank, the failure of which to deliver will land the crew in indentured servitude. However, the notorious pirate, Black Jack Mulligan, has caught word of the half million in gold that the they are carrying. Can David and the Waverunner's crew defeat Mulligan when outnumbered almost four to one?After a few false leads over the last month, Harley finally knows what's going on with her mum - and she's not happy about it. Nobody is. (Well, except for maybe two and a half people.) Never mind; there's lots to take her mind off the situation at home.Her medium-best friends have stars in their eyes over the school talent show ... if only they knew what kind of act they were doing! Meanwhile, there have been developments on the pet front, and the Hartley house already feels fit to burst.There's also a NEW new girl about town, who's literally into EVERYTHING. It's about enough to make a girl iron her head...Sequel to "Oops! Did I Forget I Don't Know You?"

When ten-year-old Peter moves into his grandfather’s creepy old mansion, bad, baaaaad things start to happen.Like finding a dead man in the garden patch.Who’s still alive.Peter must journey deep into the woods to discover the secret horror that has plagued his family for centuries…and now threatens to kill them all.The first book in the YA horror series, PETER AND THE MONSTERS!When ten-year-old Peter moves into his grandfather’s creepy old mansion, bad, baaaaad things start to happen.Like finding a dead man in the garden patch.Who’s still alive.With the help of the troublemaking kid next door, Peter journeys deep into the woods to discover the secret horror that has plagued his family for centuries…and now threatens to kill them all.The first book in the YA horror series, PETER AND THE MONSTERS!

There are moments within our lives that define us.In this short story we witness some of these events in the life of eight year old Temperance Levinthal, when she is forced to face school yard bullies, town gossips and a mother, devastated by circumstance.Temperance Levinthal is the main character in the novel, Legend Unleashed by M. Latimer-Ridley, which is set fourteen years after this story.“When an infamous criminal is unleashed from his prison, it has consequences for everyone in Carwick. Temperance Levinthal in particular…Temperance is satisfied with her ordinary life. Dealing with her eccentric, childlike parents is all the excitement she needs. That changes when Alastair Byron returns home.After a failed matchmaking attempt by her father, sparks fly between her and Alastair-just not the good kind.They are forced together though, when they are implicated in a grisly murder. Their search for the truth leads them to a secret world beneath Carwick, filled with werewolves, wizards and other magical faey.However, uncovering the truth is far more dangerous than they’d ever imagined.There are secrets within secrets.Even Alastair may be more than he seems…”

Cornwall, 1792-1793. Ross Poldark plunges into a speculative mining venture which threatens his financial security and his stormy marriage to Demelza. When the old attraction between Ross and Elizabeth begins to rekindle itself, Demelza retaliates by becoming dangerously involved with a Scottish cavalry officer.

This is the story of two ordinary humans living ordinary lives half a world apart, until they day they were chosen by the Gods to fight a battle for the fate of their world. One Avatar fights for the Light and one Avatar fights for the Darkness, and both learn wielding the power of a god is not what they thought it would be.Kimberly Jordan never meant to hurt anyone.But once a DNA test reveals her longtime boyfriend, Damien, is her half-brother, plus she finds out she’s pregnant, she will go to any length to hide her horrible secret. Unfortunately for Kent Davenport, he’s the perfect fall guy for her plan, having recently revealed his love for her. But unfortunately for Kimberly, dirty little secrets always come out.A Tangled Web is the first book in the Dangerous Secrets series—a series of unrelated stories involving interracial romances with one other thing in common: one or more of the main characters has a secret so big, it threatens to derail, or even destroy, their most important relationships, their personal character, or their entire lives.The secrets are ‘dirty.’ Scandalous. Taboo.Secrets anyone would be wise to remain tight-lipped on.But in these tales, one way or another, that horrible secret gets out.Let the fallout begin.

For centuries, Gods and Creatures of the Damned have walked amongst mortals. Unbeknownst of the myth known to mortals, the Creatures of the Damned live in a realm cloaked inside their own, called Pearu. But when the dethroned Queen creates chaos in the mortal world, the Gods banish the Creatures of the Damned back to Pearu, sealing the Gates.For centuries, Gods and Creatures of the Damned have walked amongst mortals. Unbeknownst of the myth known to mortals, the Creatures of the Damned live in a realm cloaked inside their own, called Pearu. But when the dethroned Queen creates chaos in the mortal world, the Gods banish the Creatures of the Damned back to Pearu, sealing the Gates.Aristaeus is a Hell Demon from Pearu, and a Prince. An agreement between the King of Pearu and the Gods, has allowed him to roam the mortal world as a Reaper, capturing souls. The only problem is being a Reaper has left the Hell Demon with unfathomable feelings for mortals that are not fit for his kind. All Aristaeus wants is to stop the feelings and do his job, while not capturing the unwanted attention from the Gods. But when the dethroned Queen suddenly reappears, mayhem strikes.The King declares war against the Gods, the dethroned Queen just may be harboring an orb that could destroy the world of Pearu, and Aristaeus is beginning to possess powers unknown of a Hell Demon. With the help of his best friend and the Goddess Astraea, Aristaeus must put a stop to the war and the dethroned Queen, while coming to terms with the fact that he may be something far more dangerous than that of a God and Demon.

Things have been going well on Horizon Station. Ava, Remi, and Vance have begun to turn the abandoned space station that they discovered into their home. But as much as they would like to forget the problems of the worlds and stations, those problems still exist right outside their walls. When pirates attack, they must learn how to survive in a hostile universe.In the distant future, humanity has spread across the stars. Habitable planets have been converted to agricultural purposes and the promise of liberation through space colonization has been forgotten. But even in a universe where people live like insects in hive-like space stations and trade conglomerates have replaced governments, there is hope.Things have been going well on Horizon Station. Ava, Remi, and Vance have begun to turn the abandoned space station that they discovered into their home. But as much as they would like to forget the problems of the worlds and stations, those problems still exist right outside their walls. When pirates attack, they must learn how to survive in a hostile universe.Fractal is the third story in the Horizon Station series, and although each story builds on the previous, they can be read and enjoyed in any order.

Ireland 192 AD:A pregnant refugee fleeing through the wilderness encounters a relentless predator. Only by drawing on all her courage and cunning can she hope to survive.Her dancing days are over. Her leg was destroyed in the car crash. It was all his fault! Or, at least as far as she's concerned. Kind of "guilty by association."She'd been classically trained in ballet. It was her life! Her life and her dream! And now...the dream is gone. The dream is gone!! THE DREAM IS GONE!!!Wait… she’s a Christian. Shouldn’t things be going a lot better? After all, didn’t she pray her way through the pursuing of this “ballet-dancing thing?” Were all those years of training a waste of time?! She was so sure she had God’s Blessing. What in the world happened?! Had God been toying with her?! Had He set her up just so He could break her down for some... "great spiritual lesson?!"Now what?! The only thing she knew was ballet. That was all she had in her "asset bank!"Can either the entrepreneur or the wood sculptor help her create a new dream? And, bring her a lifetime love?

If an immensely wealthy eccentric chose you out of the blue to become his new companion, would you accept? Thurgood Truman would. On the island of Atlantia, Thurgood Truman has been chosen to accompany Mr. Dawsley, a strange and reclusive, yet exceptionally wealthy man, around the island as he attempts to be more like the common man.If an immensely wealthy eccentric chose you out of the blue to become his new companion, would you accept? Thurgood Truman would. On the island of Atlantia, Thurgood Truman has been chosen to accompany Mr. Dawsley, a strange and reclusive, yet exceptionally wealthy man, around the island as he attempts to be more like the common man. What ensues is a tale of unlikely friendships, tempestuous romances, tragic rivalries, and a celebration of life itself.

Waylines is a magazine of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror. Our goal is to capture the "bang" in speculative fiction - that mindbending, wow factor. Issue 6 features interviews with Wesley Chu and film maker David Karlak, with stories by Anaea Lay and Andrew S. Williams.Waylines is a magazine of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror. Our goal is to capture the "bang" in speculative fiction - that mindbending, wow factor. Issue 6 features interviews with Wesley Chu and film maker David Karlak, with the following stories:1 Anaea Lay takes us on a walk on the dark side in, “A Long Fuse to a Slow Detonation” -- a journey into the mind of a woman skirting the edge of sanity.2 Andrew S.Williams goes to the opposite end of the spectrum with a whimsical tale of a computer tech and his struggle with customer complaints for the X-7000 Teleporter in, “Best Regards.”

Never take off the mask that hides your deepest truthsBut what if you did, what would you find beneath the ruins?There is a place full of shame and hatredWhere people hide their torn facesThey cower behind masks and close themselves offAnd they're told not to come out no matter the scoffNo matter the torment, no matter the pain, Taking off your mask will admit that you're vain. Never take off the mask that hides your deepest truthsBut what if you did, what would you find beneath the ruins?Someone is following Becca ReedHe wants her on the Dark ClanAnd he says things... Things that don't make sense. Things that are making BeccaReach insanity. But what is insanity In a world full of it?

Santa Claus takes up the challenge when a girl asks him for a star for Christmas, employing a few tricks up his red and white sleeve to get the job done. Can he make the girl's Christmas her best ever yet? A free of charge, Christmas themed short story, totalling 1600 words.Santa Claus takes up the challenge when a girl asks him for a star for Christmas, employing a few tricks up his red and white sleeve to get the job done. Can he make the girl's Christmas her best ever yet?A free of charge, Christmas themed short story, totalling 1600 words.

A robot endlessly navigating a snowy wilderness in search of people who aren't there. Two lovers trying to feel good about not having children. A girl and her siblings listening to their grandmother's old stories during a storm. An artist responding to questions about his comeback after a coma. A futuristic train circumnavigating the globe, hiding from the sun. AKRASIA is a longform poetic work.A robot endlessly navigating a snowy wilderness in search of people who aren't there. Two lovers trying to feel good about not having children. A girl and her siblings listening to their grandmother's old stories during a storm. An artist responding to questions about his comeback after a coma. A futuristic train circumnavigating the globe, hiding from the sun. AKRASIA is a longform poetic work somewhat reminiscent of T.S. Eliot's "Waste Land". Various narratives loop together like interlinked Moebius strips, obeying a logic not unlike that of a David Lynch movie or a David Bowie concept album.

Youth usually is linked with limitless dreams and unbound potential. A worry free time where no obstacles are insurmountable. Indeed, nothing can stop Tim and Moira as they prepare to start their lives after high school graduation, except perhaps a prank gone horribly wrong, an untimely death or two, and the patient workings of a vengeful spirit.I pray that this message is heard. Excuse me if my speech is hard to decipher. My name is John Laman. I am a thirty-three year old scientist, and a convicted criminal. But I am innocent of the crimes that they say I committed. I know it sounds like an especially bad cliché, but it is the truth. I am telling you this now while I still can, because in a matter of minutes my mind will be elsewhere...Dr. John Laman is the inventor of The Bubble, the most sophisticated criminal rehabilitation technology ever invented. Never, in his wildest nightmares, did he dream he would be its first prisoner.Inside The Bubble is a short story of 3000 words, from the author of the bestselling Emma Holden suspense mystery trilogy and standalone mystery, Someone to Save You.