Stop what you're doing. Look around. Is this it? Snap out of it. Check your watch. Get back to work. Do not attempt to be different. Blend in. Buy something. The cycle must continue ... or does it? One man has broken free. Join him in his search for enlightenment, inner peace, and a really good pair of trousers.Stop what you're doing. Look around. Is this it? Snap out of it. Check your watch. Get back to work. Do not attempt to be different. Blend in. Buy something. The cycle must continue ... or does it?One man has broken free. Join him in his search for enlightenment, inner peace, and a really good pair of trousers. Witness his struggle to remain innocent in a world gone mad. Thrill to his rebellion against common sense. Laugh at his playful disregard for convention. Cry as layer after layer of modern life is peeled away like an onion.That man's name is Anthony Zen. Write that name down - that's "Zen" with a "Z". Now get back to work. Act normal. Check your watch. Do not attract attention. Buy something. Look both ways. Listen. No one is watching. Now is your chance. Diverge from the norm. Enter the wild world of "The Surreal Adventures of Anthony Zen". Escape. Laugh. Wonder. Check your watch. Sleep well and dream."The Surreal Adventures of Anthony Zen" is now available as a FREE eBook serial. Be sure to join us every two weeks for a thrilling episode!"Reminded me of ‘Rhinoceros’ - Ionesco."-- Colette Stevenson"Your stories reminded me of a cross between Lewis Carroll and Richard Brautigan" -- Larry Logan SATIRE - THE JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY SATIRE"North American authors, with the exception of a few (Kurt Vonnegut Jr., et al.), have very little sense of the absurd, something you’ve been cultivating, I think."-- C.F. Kennedy DRIFT/NECESSARY PRESS"We like the character and the writing." -- The Editors BLOOD AND APHORISMS"I enjoyed reading all four of your submissions [including the Anthony Zen stories 'Anthony Has Some Fun' and 'Another Day at Work']. You obviously have a well-developed sense of humor." -- Lisa B. Neuberger AMAZING STORIES"I [found] your Anthony Zen stories funny. In fact, I really enjoyed them. You obviously have a flair for nonsense, and a knack for turning cliches on their heads. The ability to find comic potential in the everyday mundanities of life is pretty rare, and the stuff that good comic writers are made of. I think it's obvious you have this same type of funny bone." -- Tim Bowling FLASH MAGAZINE

Download this short story for free.Thulani grows up in a South African village and all he wants to do is play soccer. When a scout from the big city arrives, Thulani doesn't pay much attention to the visitor and is far more interested in a special girl at school. If you liked Thulani's story, check out the youth booksGang of Losers is a coming-of-age drama set in the summer of 1983.Sixteen-year-old Theo Hanlon's main interests are drinking, girls, clothes, and most importantly playing the drums. He dreams of stardom, and can’t believe his luck when he is asked to drum for a local band on the verge of signing a record deal. But when he gets sacked in unceremonious circumstances, Theo starts a chain of events that sees him step from behind the drum kit and into the spotlight. Gang of Losers is a heartfelt and offbeat novel that captures the excitement of growing up and experiencing the intoxicating lure of music, sex, alcohol and independence for the first time.

Tales of the Arcane is a monthly collection of short stories by those with a love for the art of story craft. The Tales are mainly themed in the genre of the supernatural, though will cover a host of genres with changing short stories; or the continuation of longer stories as told in a serial chapter format.In this issue:- Untitled:- Silken Whispers: The Butterfly- Mr. Tydings' CasefileTales of the Arcane is a monthly collection of short stories by those with a love for the art of story craft - both amateur and professional writers. The Tales will be mainly themed in the genre of the supernatural, though will cover a host of genres with changing short stories; or the continuation of longer stories as told in a serial chapter format.These works have been created by members of an online community, The Arcane Light, and endeavors to promote the written word and story-crafting by giving those wanting to develop their own writing style an outlet for their creativity.In this issue:Untitled:A short story of a pianist's reacquaintance with his lost lover.Silken Whispers - Casefile: The ButterflyThe ladies of Silken Whispers Artefact Recovery Agency undertake a new job in the South PacificMr. Tydings Casefile;A brief introduction of Mr. Tydings views on the secret world of shadows.

A widow reminisces about her husband and his strange hobby.All Jet wanted was a Gift, certainly not the responsibility that would come with it—the prophesied powers that would hurl him against Hell’s invasion. In a world where everyone is given special powers by their LORD, there was one among them that wasn’t: Jet Burner. Believed to be shunned by their God, he certainly wouldn’t have banked on anything worthwhile from his life. He was sadly mistaken. For it was his destiny to discover this Gift that would save the world he knows, but once his true nature and his planet’s hidden past are revealed, so too are instincts better left buried. Now Jet must restrain his new-found blood-lust and walk the path towards the Apocalypse.

Steve can't wait for the carnival to come to town. He drags his sister to see the creature they brought as the main event - a ghost called Herobrine. But it all goes horribly wrong as Herobrine escapes. Steve realizes he has a connection to Herobrine - but what could it be? Steve and his sister must set off to a journey that takes them to the capital city and to the Nether to find out more.GENRE: Children’s Adventure(An Unofficial Minecraft Book for Kids Ages 9 -12)Book 1: The Angry GhostSteve can't wait for the carnival to come to town. Excited, he drags his sister to see the creature they brought as the main event - a ghost called Herobrine. But it all goes horribly wrong as Herobrine escapes. Steve realizes he has a connection to Herobrine - but what could it be? Steve and his sister must set off to a journey that takes them to the capital city and to the Nether to find out more.Author’s Note: This short story is for your reading pleasure. The characters in this "Minecraft Adventure Series" such as Steve, Endermen or Herobrine...etc are based on the Minecraft Game coming from Minecraft ®/TM & © 2009-2013 Mojang / Notch

Twenty-three years after the death of the greatest metallomancer the world had ever known, a new era of resonance had since seen its dawn at the end of Miles Emmerson's life. The new threat to posterity lies in the hands of villains with a vision, a world without resonance. Pinnacle, the criminal organization hell-bent toward this end, will stop at nothing to see that future realized.Twenty-three years after the death of the greatest metallomancer the world had ever known, a new era of resonance had since seen its dawn at the end of Miles Emmerson's life. The new threat to posterity lies in the hands of villains with a vision, a world without resonance. Pinnacle, the criminal organization hell-bent toward this end, will stop at nothing to see that future realized. Enter Caleb Jonhson, A.K.A. Stone Keep.

"You know, I like to pretend like I'm in a cartoon.""A cartoon?"He looked back and forth between me and the road ahead as he continued. "Yeah, like I'm in one of those crazy violent video games, or a James Bond movie, or a crazy violent James Bond video game... Or, to categorize all of that... a cartoon."John Mortenson is a highly intelligent but poor student at an Ivy League university. One day, when he returns to his dorm, he sees a note taped up to his door. It's an invitation to a philosophical discussion. Participants will be paid! Being in dire need of funds and a lover of philosophy, he decides to go. This may turn out to be the worst decision he's ever made.(This story was inspired by the true story of Ted Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, and the mind control experiments he was subjected to as a young Harvard student.)

Ella gets passed over for a promotion to lead her department after thirteen long years at her company. Instead, Melanie gets the job. Not only is she new and incompetent, but Ella discovers an even darker secret. Melanie is a demon who thrives off of the misery of others. In this new nightmare, Ella struggles with the evil plaguing her life.Ella gets passed over for a promotion to lead her department after thirteen long years at her company. Instead, Melanie gets the job. Not only is she new and incompetent, but Ella discovers an even darker secret. Melanie is a demon who thrives off of the misery of others. In this new nightmare, Ella struggles with the evil plaguing her life. Can she find the strength and courage to defeat the threat to her world?

Bits of fiction, sometimes in poetic form, mostly written for sharing in coffee shops and bars.These poems were initially shared at open-mic readings in bar rooms and coffee shops. The bulk of the work was written specifically for performance purposes. A few poems were written with publication in mind, but even those usually ended up being revised into spoken-word pieces in the end. These are the pieces that were written, read aloud, rewritten again and again. The proven crowd pleasers. The poems in this ebook are also available in paperback under the title, Lines to Voice, at Amazon.com.

From #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer, OFF THE PAGE is a tender and appealing YA novel filled with romance, humor, and adventure. Delilah and Oliver shouldn’t be together. But they are together. And just as they’re getting used to the possibility that happily ever after may really, truly be theirs, the universe sends them a message they can’t ignore: they won’t be allowed to rewrite their story. Delilah and Oliver must decide how much they’re willing to risk for love and what it takes to have a happy ending in a world where the greatest adventures happen off the page.   “Off the Page is just so sweet and magical. In high school, I would have given ANYTHING to crawl inside one of my favorite books to escape the real world. I wish!”—SARAH DESSEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Saint Anything

Annie Proulx has written some of the most original and brilliant short stories in contemporary literature, and for many readers and reviewers, Brokeback Mountain is her masterpiece. Brokeback Mountain was originally published in The New Yorker. It won the National Magazine Award. It also won an O. Henry Prize. Included in this volume is Annie Proulx's haunting story about the difficult, dangerous love affair between a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy. Also included is the celebrated screenplay for the major motion picture "Brokeback Mountain," written by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. All three writers have contributed essays on the process of adapting this critically acclaimed story for film.

A follow-up to The Ages of Chaos omnibus, Thunderlord is a brand-new novel of the genre-bending Darkover universe, expanded by Marion Zimmer Bradley's collaborator Deborah J. Ross. Far in Darkover's past, the Ages of Chaos were a time of constant warfare, when immensely powerful psychic weapons ravaged the land and slaughtered entire armies. Perhaps none was more dangerous and unpredictable than the mental Gift to sense--and control--thunderstorms. When the realm of Aldaran and their Scathfell cousins came to blows, that Gift turned the tide of battle, and Aldaran prevailed. A generation later, the heir to Scathfell, Gwynn, has grown up in the shadow of that conflict, his life shaped by the loss of his entire family. Now he plots his revenge for his family’s humiliating defeat by seeking to marry a woman who carries the storm control Gift, so that his sons will be able to wield the terrible power of storms against Aldaran. Since childhood, Kyria has been able to sense approaching storms. She had never expected to marry a rich man; independent and athletic, she defied tradition by donning her brother’s castoff clothing and trapping small game to keep her family from starvation. When Gwynn’s emissary arrives with a marriage proposal that will secure her family’s financial future, she agrees. Along with her younger sister as her companion, she sets out for Scathfell, where she will be formally wed. During their passage through rugged mountains, a blizzard drives them to seek shelter in a traveler’s hut, where they meet Edric, the young heir to Aldaran. Edric has inherited the storm control, but he has never dared to use it. His whole life, he has been warned against the consequences, not just to his enemies but to everyone he loves. Now, disguised as an ordinary traveler, he journeys home after years of study, disciplining himself to control his powers. When he meets Kyria, he senses the presence of the same storm power, but unschooled and dormant. They know each other only as Edric and Kyria--for under shelter truth, all identities are concealed--and are drawn to one another. Thus begins the saga of two kingdoms, divided by bitter history and present-day suspicions, one armed with devastating power and the other determined to overcome it, no matter what the price. Can their love and resourcefulness overcome even the overwhelming power of a Thunderlord?

Jordan Buchanan is thrilled that her brother and best friend are tying the knot. The wedding is a lavish affair-for the marriage of Dylan Buchanan and Kate MacKenna is no ordinary occasion. It represents the joining of two family dynasties. The ceremony and reception proceed without a hitch-until a crasher appears claiming to be a MacKenna guest. The disheveled and eccentric professor of medieval history warns that there's "bad blood" between the couple's clans, stemming from an ancient feud that originated in Scotland, and involving the Buchanan theft of a coveted MacKenna treasure. Jordan has always led a cautious life and has used her intelligence and reason to become a successful businesswoman. So she is intrigued but skeptical of the professor's claims that the feud has been kept alive by the grave injustices the Buchanans have perpetrated over the centuries. But when Noah Clayborne, a close family friend and a man who has never let a good time or a pretty girl pass him by, accuses Jordan of being trapped in her comfort zone, she determines to prove him wrong and sets out on a spontaneous adventure to the small, dusty town of Serenity, Texas, to judge the professor's research for herself. Maneuvering through a close-knit community in which everyone knows everyone else's business, Jordan never anticipates the danger and intrigue that lie in her path, nor the threat that will shadow her back to Boston, where even in familiar surroundings, her life is at risk. A powerful thug who rules by fear, a man who harbors a simmering secret, and an unexpected romance that pierces all defenses-beloved author Julie Garwood weaves these dazzling elements into a brilliant novel of romantic suspense. Shadow Dance is a searing tango of passion and peril. "From the Hardcover edition."

DEM BONES GONNA RISE AGAIN With their neighborhood basketball court destroyed by vandalism, Ziggy, Rashawn, Jerome, and Rico don't know how they're going to spend summer vacation. Then Ziggy has a brilliant idea (Ziggy is always getting brilliant ideas) they can start a club, with secret meetings and code words and special treasures. And so the four friends become the Black Dinosaurs, with a terrific clubhouse they build in Ziggy's backyard. But when the boys try to hide their treasures, they're swept up in a mystery more intriguing -- and scary -- than anything they could have imagined. Who could have buried a box of bones behind their clubhouse? And why is old Mr. Greene lurking around late at night, singing "Dem bones gonna rise again"? Trust Ziggy to come up with a daring plan to find some answers.... DON'T MISS ANY OF THE EXCITING ADVENTURES OF THE BLACK DINOSAURS

Larry Niven’s bestselling Man-Kzin series continues! The kzin, formerly invincible conquerors of all they encountered, had a hard time dealing with their ignominious defeat by the leaf-eating humans. Some secretly hatched schemes for a rematch, others concentrated on gathering power within the kzin hierarchy, and some shamefully cooperated with the contemptible humans, though often for hidden motives. In war and in uneasy peace, kzin and humans continue their adventures with a  masterful addition to the Man-Kzin Wars shared universe created by Larry Niven. Stories by Jane Lindskold, Charles E. Gannon, Bud Sparhawk, and more.

One minute Sara's bored on vacation in Istanbul. The next, she's unearthed a flying carpet that cleverly drags her to the mysterious Island of the Djinn—or genies. By her side is Amesh, a hot boy she's starting to love but doesn't yet trust. When Amesh learns the secret of invoking djinn, he loses control. He swears he'll call upon only one djinn and make one wish. The plan sounds safe enough. But neither Sara nor Amesh are any match for the formidable monster that that swells before them. It hypnotizes Amesh, compelling him to steal Sara’s flying carpet—the ancient Carpet of Ka—and leave her stranded. Discovering the Carpet of Ka has sparked a new path for Sara, one that will lead her to battle creatures even deadlier than djinn. In this fight, Sara can save mankind, herself, or the boy she loves. Who will she be forced to sacrifice?

Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parents’ rules – especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father’s office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she's tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship. To better her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen’s sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill’s accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything – even Tristen’s love – just for the thrill of being… bad.

Suncoast Society Series book #60 (Contemporary BDSM, MMMF, HEA) Bob never dreamed he’d have a chance with Tilly once Landry entered her life. Now he’s faced with the chance of forever with not only Tilly, but Cris and Landry, too. He’s never wanted anything more, and will do anything to convince them he means it. Cris always knew Landry was sneaky, but this takes the cake. He enjoys watching the metaphorical chess game between Landry and Tilly. Meanwhile, he’s determined to forge his own bonds with Bob. Tilly knows Landry is an ethical sadist, but still isn’t sure why he’s so okay with adding Bob to their family. She can play the game as well as the sneaky sadist can. As Landry works to convince her this new world order won’t destroy their carefully balanced dynamic, she knows they have to get things right or risk not only their hearts being broken, but their daughter’s, too. Is this really perfection? Or is heartache hiding just out of sight?

Hailed upon its publication as "a classic for readers not yet born" (Philadelphia Inquirer), Birdy is an inventive, hypnotic novel about friendship and family, dreaming and surviving, love and war, madness and beauty, and, above all, "birdness." It tells the story of Al, a bold, hot-tempered boy whose goals in life are to life weights and pick up girls, and his strange friend Birdy, the skinny, tongue-tied perhaps genius who only wants to raise canaries and to fly. While fighting in World War II, they find their dreams become all too real—and their lives are changed forever. In Birdy, William Wharton crafts an unforgettable tale that suggests another notion of sanity in a world that is manifestly insane.

Szrapnel to osobista opowieść o wojnie widzianej oczami osiemnastoletniego żołnierza. Druga wojna światowa dla Williama Whartona jest pasmem udręk, w którym nie ma miejsca na bohaterstwo. Szrapnel to swojego rodzaju spowiedź autora, zbiór opowieści, którymi nigdy nie dzielił się nawet z najbliższymi. Opowieści śmiesznych, choć i tragicznych, zmuszających do zastanowienia się nad absurdalnością wojny. Wharton jak zwykle pisze ciepło, po ludzku, przemawiając prosto do serc czytelników. [wyd.Salamandra, 1996]

I believe in love at first sight... because I am a mother. Living a complete lie, holding on to a secret that could cost me the most important thing in my life was about to surface. I couldn’t breathe without Maddie. Maddie was my life. The saying about dying for your child is the absolute truth. The other things you would do are comparable to that of death. I know, I did those things. I did unthinkable things, all for Maddie. I continued the lie, the secrets with the one man who had no right. People say you always have options. That’s a lie. I had no choice. I did it all for her... for my Maddie. Adult content...Sex /adult language.