Countdown: A Joe Ledger Prequel Short Story to Patient Zero "I didn't plan to kill anyone. I wasn't totally against the idea, either. Sometimes things just fall that way, and either you roll with it or it rolls over you. Letting the bad guys win isn't how I roll." Meet Joe Ledger, Baltimore PD, attached to a Homeland task force… who's about to get a serious promotion.

Supermom Breaks a Nail is a humorous account of one modern mother trying to navigate her way through the avalanche of child-rearing advice as best she can.What happens when a perfectly content, married woman adds children to her orderly world? Chaos and self-doubt reign. The myth of Motherhood and the reality of it are two very different things. Author Kristen Thomas Easley makes it her mission to understand how far apart the two are in her book, Supermom Breaks a Nail.This satirical look at raising children today never tells the reader what to do nor what to think, only occasionally to admit that motherhood is not all it’s cracked up to be. Supermom Breaks a Nail is a humorous account of one modern mother trying to navigate her way through the avalanche of child-rearing advice as best she can. As she faces mother-in-laws, mothers’ groups, seemingly perfect other mothers, she strives for a balance between the standards placed upon her and the simple joy she finds in her not-so-perfect family. “Sometimes motherhood is more about trusting one’s own instincts than subscribing to the actions of others – and always have a bottle of wine at the ready,” says the author.

This collector's edition of Rabindranath Tagore's Novels in English translation brings together the writer's best known novels in 2 omnibus volumes. The first volume features three novels: Chokher Bali, Ghaire Baire and Yogayog- and 2 novellas: Chaturanga and Malancha.

A Space Merchant's Tale is the story of Thomas Verch Angharad, the galaxies greatest space merchant and his genetically enhanced talking cat Peaches. A Shotgun Wedding is the story of star fighter pilot Will Snipes, and his unlucky encounter with the superstitious Turner clan.A Space Merchant's Tale is the story of Thomas Verch Angharad, the galaxies greatest space merchant and his genetically enhanced talking cat Peaches. Their continuing adventures to deliver cargo, avoid pirates, maybe fall in love, and find that elusive best tasting fish in the galaxy. A Shotgun Wedding is the story of star fighter pilot Will Snipes, his dearest friend Taita Collins and how on vacation on a very superstitious planet Will is being forced to marry a local backwoods girl.

Miss Lydia Fairbanks is the newest teacher at Inner City Junior High School, the deadliest school in the state. While the school principal believes she won't last a day, Miss Fairbanks quickly surprises everyone by not only surviving in the midst of her killer students, but actually thriving in the classroom. But even someone as weak and small as Miss Fairbanks can harbor secrets from the past ...Frail, timid Miss Lydia Fairbanks is the newest teacher at Inner City Junior High School, the deadliest school in the state. While the school principal believes she won't last a day, Miss Fairbanks quickly surprises everyone by not only surviving in the midst of her killer students, but actually thriving in the classroom. But even someone as weak and small as Miss Fairbanks can harbor troubling secrets from the past, which threaten to destroy her …

Albert Mullard's family, living in a small Southern town in the final years of the 19th Century, strike it rich when pure spring water begins bubbling up in their backyard. Albert and his sister, Jenny, are less interested in the implications of sudden wealth, happy enough that the cursed ants are drowned and their old dog Liberty has something cool to drink.“I didn’t discover the plot to murder me until it was too late. I never saw it coming.” –Regina RothSince she was a child, fifteen year old Regina Roth has been the victim of disturbing reoccurring nightmares of a house, and a murder. In the summer of her sixteenth birthday Regina leaves her posh life in New York for her mother’s hometown in Texas to bury her mysterious grandmother. Life takes a tumultuous turn for Regina the moment she arrives in Lee. Regina discovers the small town of Lee is literally the scene of her nightmares. Haunted by a vengeful ghost and the lies told by her parents, Regina has no choice but to accept her new life in Lee. After a shocking incident leaves her shaken with fright, Regina is forced to discover the secret behind her dreams. With the help of Linguistics professor, Dr. William Greer, Regina uncovers the horrifying answer.Regina is a terrifying tale of the horrors that lie inside our loved ones and the lengths they go to hide their secrets. And a plan created long ago by an evil family is finally set into motion.

Teklas is a dump and Isa is desperate to get off planet as fast as possible and back into a real job. She finds herself running illicit portable poker machines to make money. It's either that or go back to stripping or the mines.So far she has been lucky and avoided the cops. When her friend Tara tampers with one of the machines see how her luck changes and why.Teklas is a dump and Isa is desperate to get off planet as fast as possible and back into a real job. She finds herself running illicit portable poker machines to make money. It's either that or go back to stripping or the mines.So far she has been lucky and avoided the cops. When her friend Tara tampers with one of the machines see how her luck changes and why.A story about destiny and probability.

After the weeding bells and the newlywed feelings come the mistrust and adultery.After getting married to her high school sweet heart and having two girls, Autumn is really feeling the pressure of being a stay at home mother. Everything falls apart when she finds out her husband is cheating on her and now her neighbor confesses to loving someone who has always been "right in front of him." Then to make things more messy she has her bitter friend who is going through a divorce in her ear.

The carousel is motionless, locked down for the winter. Then why do Zach and Becca feel caught in its swirl? When will this ride end? Where will it leave them?“A Bard Out of Time” is a long poem that centers on a bard singing songs and traveling from one village to another in a fantasy world. Spells, magical creatures, kings and queens, werewolves, and the like all make an appearance in this poem as he regales his audiences with the ballads he sings. The other poems in this collection are also fantasy-oriented, but they did not fit in with the plot / structure of “A Bard Out of Time” (most are not ballads) or were not reflective of the setting of that poem. Some of these poems cross over into the dark fantasy/horror genre (particularly the ones with demons in them), but others are playful or risqué.

Stories that run the gamut of emotions and genres, from outright horror to more subtle drama. With a recurring theme of Christmas.These stories run the gamut of emotions and genres, from outright horror to more subtle drama. With a recurring theme of Christmas, they present a multi-faceted viewpoint on the writer's take on the festive season.Once again, we stand before you to offer our work for your pleasure. The stories contained in this volume, as in the others, have been written for you to read. They may at turns excite you, terrify you or make you think; that is our goal as writers. In keeping with the season, we are pleased to present new author Lorraine Carey in this volume.

Curious to experience Earth’s pleasures, Holt d’Wyrden wanders from his own realm into the life of a divorced teacher. Rebel Aiden struggles to whip her farmhouse into marketable condition. When she finds a young, handsome stranger sleeping in a tree, her summer becomes more complicated. With a touch of elven magic, Holt woos the luscious redhead.Curious to experience Earth’s pleasures, Holt d’Wyrden wanders from his own realm into the life of a divorced teacher. Rebel Aiden struggles to whip her farmhouse into marketable condition. When she finds a young, handsome stranger sleeping in a tree, her summer becomes more complicated. With a touch of elven magic, Holt woos the luscious redhead. Will she ignore the apparent age gap and savor a summer of romance?

Sonny the Scoundrel must help Grandpap the wizard with Grandpap's newest money-making scheme—selling cats to a neighboring village with a vermin problem. Grandpap feeds a cat-grow potion to the cats in the expectation the cats will breed and grow at a rapid rate. But as the cats rid the village of mice and rats, a new problem develops—a plague of cats.Sonny the Scoundrel must help Grandpap the wizard with Grandpap's newest money-making scheme—selling cats to a neighboring village with a vermin problem. Grandpap feeds a cat-grow potion to the cats in the expectation the cats will breed and grow at a rapid rate. But as the cats rid the village of mice and rats, a new problem develops—a plague of cats. Now the angry villagers want Grandpap and Sonny to do something about the cats overrunning the village before any further plagues erupt. But it is already too late.

Just as fire destroys wood but hardens steel, a child's autism diagnosis can either rip apart or strengthen a marriage. Calvin and Laura Wygant struggle to accept their son Todd's new diagnosis and to keep their marriage intact. This story, written by the mother of a child with autism, depicts both the heartache experienced by parents of a newly-diagnosed child and the hope that endures.Just as fire destroys wood but hardens steel, a child's diagnosis of autism can either rip apart or strengthen a marriage. Calvin and Laura Wygant struggle to come to terms with their son Todd's new diagnosis and to keep their marriage intact.This short story, written by the mother of a child with autism, depicts both the heartache experienced by parents of a newly-diagnosed child and the hope that endures. It is the author's goal that the tale should entertain, enlighten, and encourage both people who have family members on the spectrum and those who are simply curious about autism.The Fires of Autism includes a bonus story. The Not-So-Great Escape occurs about a year after the events in main story. This humorous vignette demonstrates what happens when one momentarily forgets how literally children with autism might interpret what one says; it is based on an incident that the author had with her own son.This is book one in the "Autism Chronicles" series.

Nicolette Shue has to start over after years of teenage rebellion led to jail-time. What she doesn’t anticipate is a foray into the unpredictable world of horse racing, with a fiery young jockey at her side.Fresh-out-of-jail miscreant, twenty-five year old Nicolette Shue returns to the Virginia ranch where she'd spent part of her childhood. She has her share of a life insurance payout, yet what stretches before her is a desolate future: her parents are dead, her siblings are away at boarding school, and she has no useful skills for employment. Her friend Mulder suggests horse racing and though Nicolette thinks it's a farfetched idea, she buys a horse anyway. She didn't count on Jockey Lydia Ferguson being part of the deal. Lydia is bold, quick-tempered, and reminds Nicolette of herself. Nicolette wants to restore order in her life, but when an old enemy from her past surfaces he is egged on by Lydia's taunts. Nicolette fears she has made another big mistake. Is it really worth the gamble to bet on a volatile jockey? Or to pour what little she has into an unproven horse? An even bigger challenge is masking the growing attraction she feels for Lydia. REBIRTH is an unfolding tale about self-emergence.

For six years, peace has reigned over the kingdom of Tredare. Lord Kern, the dark mage, is imprisoned in a magical tomb. Or so everyone thought – until one night when Kern appears and life in Tredare changes for the worst. Especially for innocent Maren, who may be the only one who can save the kingdom she loves before it's destroyed by a man bent on revenge.For six years, peace has reigned over the kingdom of Tredare. Lord Kern, the dark mage who murdered the king and queen eight years prior, is imprisoned in a magical tomb. Or so everyone thought – until one night when Kern appears during a ball at the royal castle, and life in Tredare changes for the worst. Especially for innocent Maren.Unbeknown to her, Maren’s father has a past history with Kern, and now she’s crossed Kern’s path, getting in the way of something he wants. Angry and boiling with dark magic, Kern vows to destroy those who dare defy him – including Maren, who protects the current King and Queen.Despite Maren’s best efforts, Kern lays siege to Tredare for three years. Years Maren spends plotting revenge on the man who’s determined to ruin Tredare.

A time travelling kitty finds itself at the heart of the darkest power plots, devious intrigues and sinister global conspiracies spanning across time and civilisations. Can a clueless adorable fur ball be a match against countless enemies and prevent the impending human extinctions and the inevitable planetary disaster? Can a helpless kitty be a match for all that?Pyramid 76. A research facility, studying one of the most fascinating creatures ever discovered in microbiology. Two scientists are eagerly delving into its secrets, but what will happen when one of them leaps to a dangerous conclusion? More specifically, the one conclusion the people funding the Pyramid facility don’t want anyone to make?

It is the day after the Dark Day when everything had stood still and a night had descended into town. Simply believing in one word was enough to keep him from harm and recognise that through even the worst of times, even in the darkest of days, there is always a glimmer of hope.Looking out from the cliff top the day after the dark event, the search for something to cling to goes on. The answer was there yesterday, does it still remain, through all the destruction that rained down? Belief in something small is often the biggest tool to carry and while others succumb to the night that falls in the middle of the day, hidden high at the top of the cliff could be the one thing that everyone is looking for.This was written a long time ago, back in 2001. It is about depression and in the darkest of times trying to cling on to hope, even when everything is hopeless, and inexplicably dark that you can feel no escape.

When Robyn (a famous author) decides to write her masterpiece, she’s amazed to find how fast the words are flowing onto the page. But when she visits a small town in Wales to get some inspiration, things take a turn for the worse. Will she finish ‘The Crickley Bay Chronicles’?Character Building is a short story, also available in the Grown By The Wicked Moon collection by Jessica Grace Coleman. When Robyn (a famous author) decides to write her masterpiece, she’s amazed to find how fast the words are flowing onto the page. But when she visits a small town in Wales to get some inspiration, things take a turn for the worse. Will she finish ‘The Crickley Bay Chronicles’? Or will her ambitions just be too big this time? Want a Free Book? How About Two? The first book in my Little Forest paranormal mystery series, The Former World, is available for free from Smashwords, so why not check it out now? If you sign up to my mailing list at www.jessicagracecoleman.com, you can also get the second in the series, Memento Mori, absolutely free, as well as the opportunity to hear about my new releases and exclusive Readers’ Group competitions. How’s that for a bargain?

"I stared her in the eye and decided not to hand it to her. She looked back at me with rage and anger, and I felt scared. But I knew it was for the best. I knew it would make it better for her." A flash fiction about memories.Solpadol is a story about self-destruction, drug dependency and unrequieted love. Taking place over the course of a single day, Carey returns to his Broken Polemic series with another semi-confessional, semi-fictional piece of work that works to blur the lines between fiction and reality. This time, love is the overwhelming theme of the narrative, with much of the day revolving around a single conversation between the unnamed protagonist and the woman he used to love. Solpadol is a real look at the aftermath of unrequieted love, and the damage it can leave on a person's soul.

Emily Burton’s powerful psychic empathy is driving her mad. She flees to New York in an effort to drown out the alien emotions of her small Wisconsin town with the white noise of Manhattan's millions. If that fails, she has her father’s gun. It's a simple plan, she just doesn't count on falling in love or encountering a serial killer with psy-powers of his own.Emily Burton has boundary issues.A powerful psychic empath, she feels the emotions of everyone around her as if they are her own… and it’s driving her mad. In a last-ditch effort to overwhelm her empathic senses, she flees small-town Wisconsin for Manhattan. There she’ll give her true self a week to emerge from the chaos. If that doesn’t work there’s always her father’s gun.Emily’s plan is simple enough—she just doesn’t count on falling in love. Tumbled into a growing romance with a handsome young man, her edges begin to come into focus. But all under the shadow of terror. A madman stalks the city, wielding his victims’ worst fears like a knife. The media call him the Phobia Killer and now he wants Emily. Emily Burton plunges into a labyrinth of humanity where she’ll either find herself, her life and her love, or the monster and death.Praise for EMPATHY by readers like you:"I loved this book: the plot, the characters, and especially the writing which was wonderful. Mr. Richmond writes beautifully and I found myself time and again noting a particular description or adjective or turn of phrase for its artistry. After I read it, I bought one for my daughter, and then another for my mother, and now my best friend's birthday is around the corner. . . I read at least a book a week, commonly mysteries, and this was better than many, many others I've bought. Very enjoyable; I read it quickly. I hope you enjoy it too. And I hope he publishes his next one soon because I'm waiting for it." --GD