Kale is part of the darkness that seeks to corrupt mortals and Ariel is part of the light at the end of the tunnel. They are at odds; their duty to tip the scales in their favor. But sometimes, there’s more to duty than what you know. Sometimes, there’s a greater purpose. And sometimes…It involves love.A short love story about the angels and devils that sit on our shoulders and whisper in our ears.Kale is part of the darkness that seeks to corrupt mortals and Ariel is part of the light at the end of the tunnel. They are at odds; their duty to tip the scales in their favor. But sometimes, there’s more to duty than what you know. Sometimes, there’s a greater purpose. And sometimes…It involves love.

Joseph wants a new life, he wants to go to college and make something of himself. But when his mother develops cancer and his disabled brother gets involved with the local drug dealers he has to put everything on hold. Now with a widening circle of his friends in danger Joe must race to put the pieces together before it is too late.Romantic comedy with an Irish lilt (part 1 of a 3-part serial)… The year is 1975. The place is Ramhaillim Manor, a whimsical old mansion (which may or may not be haunted) on the west coast of Ireland. The girl is Sharon O’Shaughnessy, an Irish-American spitfire who has just inherited Ramhaillim from her Great-Aunt Deirdre – or half of it anyway, as Sharon discovers when she reaches Ireland and meets Rory Egan, the handsome Irishman who has inherited the other half of the house. This could be a good thing, because Sharon loves horses, and Rory is a horse breeder. Except Rory is also full of blarney, Sharon is quite sure. He’s an incorrigible rascal, and a smart girl shouldn’t believe a word he says. Sharon, of course, is a smart girl. You’ll never find her falling under the man’s roguish spell. Or will you?

Ten YA authors have come together to explore the impact the appearance of a comet can have on a life, a relationship… or an entire world.From the beginning of time, the mysteries of the night sky have captivated humanity. Our ancestors foretold the future through the phases of the moon, worshiped the countless stars, and feared the comets that streaked across the sky before disappearing back into darkness. Now, ten YA authors have come together to explore the impact the appearance of a comet can have on a life, a relationship… or an entire world.Anthology Includes:'Shadow' by Sarah Dalton. When Mary visits her Aunt Izzy's remote seaside bungalow, past and present collide. She soon realises a dark shadow hangs over her childhood memories, leaving her a task she would rather not complete... A haunting ghost story that explores the delicate relationships between women. Part of the 'Mary Hades' series. ‘The Sleeping Goddess’ by Zoe Cannon. On the eve of a once-in-a-thousand-years celestial event, the last surviving priestess must decide whether to obey her goddess and destroy an entire race… or follow her heart and let her own people die.‘Before the Pageant’ by Susan Fodor. In a dystopian city where appearances are everything, Ambrose Addams spends all her time striving to be number one. With classical beauty, the hottest boyfriend in Tealé, and the most sought after position in the city, Ambrose should be happy; things rarely go the way they should. One fortuitous exchange will not only change her priorities, but the whole course of her life. ‘Comet Cotillion (A Celestial Mini-Wave)’ by Sutton Shields. Marina Valentine spends her days in The Helena Hambourg House for Maladies, where each hour presents a new fight for survival. Life in an institution isn’t exactly ideal, but for Marina, nothing could be more dangerous than being caught in the middle of a vicious scheme cooked up by the evil Head Hoodooess, Madame Helena. Now, Marina and her quirky friends must find a way to escape before everything that makes them special is taken away forever. ‘Comet Cotillion’ is a short, fun-filled prequel to the events occurring in The Merworld Water Wars series by Sutton Shields. ‘The Shadow Keepers’ by Anya Allyn. At the terrifying moment that seven-year-old Molly discovers her mother dead, she sees a stranger standing in the room: a teenage girl. The girl holds a shocking secret. A new story from The Dark Carousel series.‘Tragic Magic’ by Jamie Campbell. A stalking ex-boyfriend is one thing. When he is a demon, it’s a whole new ballgame. Lacey would like to think she is an average teenager, except the witch is anything but. In order to get rid of her crazed ex, she must draw on all her powers to vanquish him forever.‘The Greenhouse Gas’ by Ariele Sieling. Galya wakes up to the flash of a falling comet, and discovers that her escape pod is floating in a graveyard of spaceships. Confused and scared, she and her brother set out to search the destroyed ships for signs of their father... or any life at all. This story retells Hansel and Gretel is set in outer space.‘Project #45’ by Marijon Braden. The Brightness wasn’t the end of the world, but it might as well have been. Now, Amy and her family are trying to rebuild their lives, trying to return to some kind of normalcy, all the time wondering…why did it happen? How? And when will it happen again? And a million years (Miles? Worlds?) away, the answer is so simple…‘Moon Warrior’ by H.S. Stone. Separated from her tribe after a sand dragon attack, Luna finds herself alone with no food or shelter. She must cross a desert wasteland to find her people again, but when she loses their trail, she discovers that her warrior instincts may not be enough to save her.‘Love Me or Love Me Not’ by Katie Hayoz. Six months ago, Star’s parents left her with a disturbing secret, one she's guarded despite everything. But as the comet she’s been observing grows brighter and brighter in the sky, the consequences of keeping that secret come to light. A tragic story exploring sanity, love, and the quest for fulfillment.

Step into a parallel universe where snails are the hot item to bet on at the track and frogs are the great goalkeepers. Unfortunately, even great goalkeepers are no match for illustrious and selfish soccer club owners. Will the club survive or risk ruin at the hands of disengaged owners or will they sell to the chinese laundry man.Step into the parallel universe of the planet The Ar where nothing is as it should be. Snails are the hot item to bet on at the track and frogs are the great soccer goalkeepers. However, set amidst the backdrop of fun and light-hearted snail races and frog goalies are two illustrious and selfish soccer club owners who are forced to endure another season at the helm of a nonperforming soccer club. How is the club to reach Nirvana when all the owners want to do is sell and be done?

When Jayden's best friend drowns just days before her 18th birthday, she believes her world would never be the same. Little did she know what was to follow would throw her into a world of the supernatural, magic, danger, intrigue, and the discovery of a destiny that was far beyond her years of understanding.Carnival Of Souls Special Collector's Edition (The Originals - Book One)In the summer of 2005 Markosia Enterprises released this rare square sized comic book exclusively at the San Diego Comic Con. This Special Collector's Edition book launched a Carnival Of Souls Series... and opened the gates, to what would become an international sensation.Synopsis:The story begins with a trip to a carnival, then quickly turns, taking you spinning on a wild ride into the jungle of the mind! Young Jazan is the sole survivor of a plane crash. When he wakes upon the shoreline, he begins to see the colorful characters from the carnival. Fasten your seat belt and pull the safety bar down. Enter The Carnival!

Lilies is a story of the dead and the living, in a city at war where it is hard to tell one from the other, and where the men who carry the lilies commit the strangest of murders and kill the already dead.Lilies was chosen for the Best New Horror anthology and recommended for the British Fantasy Society's Best Short Story."Alex thought of his grandfather, of the way that the river at home curved between the fields and shone secret and silver in the light of the moon, of the trains full of soldiers that rattled off up into the hills towards the mud and the fear, and of the dead that walked the city."Lilies is a story of the dead and the living, in a city at war where it is hard to tell one from the other, and where the men who carry the lilies commit the strangest of murders and kill the already dead.Lilies was chosen for Stephen Jones' Best New Horror anthology and recommended for the British Fantasy Society's Best Short Story. Iain's short fiction has been reprinted in anthologies, won awards, and been the basis for a novel shortlisted for the UK Crime Writers' Association's Debut Dagger award."Iain Rowan is both a meticulous and a passionate writer, and these stories showcase his ample talent wonderfully well. You owe it to yourself to discover Rowan's fiction if you haven't already had the pleasure." (Jeff Vandermeer, author of Finch, Shriek:An Afterword, City of Saints and Madmen; two-time winner of the World Fantasy Award)

Nick Jemand wants a quiet life, but on a plane from Bristol to Newcastle he ends up sitting next to a loud, belligerent drunk.This new short story from the bestselling author of Gull Rock is an amusing, touching story for anyone who has judged a book by its cover ...A new short story from the bestselling author of Gull Rock:Nick Jemand could be any one of us. He's a normal person on a plane from Bristol to Newcastle who wants a quiet, uneventful flight, but he ends up sitting next to a loud, belligerent drunk.However to his surprise, he grows to like the man on the short flight and when they touch down in the north-east he feels like he's saying goodbye to an old friend.This short story is a taster for the full-length e-book, Meaningless by RR Gordon.

Crush, Pound, and the field agents of the D.A.M. must face off against the demon Drakthos and his evil twin witches in the fifth installment of the ongoing series!!It has been twenty long years since the Dark Shogun’s victory at the Great War. After the war, everyone expected peace. Everyone wanted peace. But in the twenty years since the war there has been only fear and uncertainty and oppression. The Shogun, with the approval of Emperor Yozei, has outlawed the Samurai class and the public display of swords. He has outlawed the use of Ninja and the practice of Ninjutsu. He has outlawed the Kensei order, the legendary Sword Saints of Japan. After the Kensei surrendered, he began systematically dismantling the great Samurai clans. The Shogun's army would be the only military force. The Ninja clans retreated to their secret mountain villages. The great Samurai clans chose to fight. They were crushed. The Shogun's army is too massive. Too ruthless. The Dark Shogun now rules the country with absolute power. Some say he is invincible. Some say he is a God. Only a handful of Samurai clans remain. Only a handful of Kensei warriors remain. But not for long…

Daniel Ford's inner voice one again goes unheeded and from there the situation spins out of control. Before long his screaming, roaring fans invade the scene and outright havoc ensues. Pleas for assistance dispatch aid in quieting the chaos. Troops arrive. Operations succeed and fail. Problem solved? There's no telling what might happen when technology breaks down. Plant tongue firmly in cheek.Pat has been exploring the South Sea island of Vitua when he gets a day off. He goes fishing with his girlfriend, the lovely Hinatea from another island, who is an expert at all kinds of fishing. She decides he is the perfect bait to catch a giant octopus. Pat disagrees.A short story with some of the heroes from In Search of Spice, with the Princess Asmara in charge.Culture clash is explored, not just between East and West, but between East and East. This story takes you back five hundred years to the lives and beliefs of the people who lived in the South Seas.

Eight years ago, John was haunted by the clown. A despicable clown that only he could see. It took everything from him then, but he managed to escape before it could take him too. Eight years later, as he sits at the café on the corner, it returns. Unknown to space and time and others' eyes, it has come to make John choose to give up his life or uselessly run from something he can't defeat.As John runs from the hollow gaze of the ever-nearing clown, he is forced to question his importance to the clown and his very own sanity. He frantically searches for answers while knowingly sacrificing friends and loves to the demon, hoping to finally be rid of the monster that refuses to let him live in peace. He knows he's no one special, living a monotone life full of routine, but yet the clown only visible to him seems to desire him above all. This leaves John to wonder if it's possible to find a way to be rid of his foe or give up his benign existence so that the clown can finally have what it wants.

A short fiction sampler. Each story is a quick and economical read - seven or fewer pages in length.In releasing this short-fiction sampler, I'm sharing my Southern roots.The American writer and literary critic Alfred Kazin once said, "The South has produced writers as the Dark Ages produced saints," and I believe there's truth in his words, for the writers who fired my imagination when I was growing up all hailed from down South.Each story is a quick and economical read - seven or fewer pages in length - and was inspired by true events.

Michael's morning commute was made more bearable with the purchase of his new book - a collection of short stories that allowed the reader insights into the mind of the authors. But, as Michael read, the similarities between his life and the story became clearer. Lines blurred and where fact ended and fiction started was not so certain...narratorAUSTRALIA Volume Three is a collection of more than 210 poems and short stories from more than 90 emerging and established Australian writers which were published on the narratorAUSTRALIA blog during the period 1 May to 31 October 2013. Contributors are: Alexander Gardiner, Alexander Ryan-Jones, Alexandra Plummer, Alexandra Smithers, Andris Heks, Ann Pigott, Ariette Singer, Armin Boko, Athena Zaknic, Beau Porter, Ben McCaskill, Bob Edgar, Connie Howell, Craig Stanton, Crystal Lee, David Anderson, David Jenkins, David Keegan, David Newman, DavidVee , Deborah Stanbridge, Demelza, Douglas Radcliffe, Emma Hall, Emma-Lee Scott, Esther Campion, Fayroze Lutta, Felicity Lynch, Graham Sparks, Gregory Tome, Heather Jensen, Henry Johnston, Hettie Ashwin, Sammy , Irene Assumpter, Irina Dimitric, James Craib, Jane Russell, Jean Bundesen, Jennie Cumming, Jenny Kathopoulis, Jessica Soul, JH Mancy, JL Warren, Joanna Rain, Joemass, John Arvan, John Ross, Jordan Black, Judith Bruton, Judith La Porte, Julie Martin, Ken Ward, Kerry Karamaroudis, Kylie Abecca, Lauren David, Leonie Bingham, Fantail, Lynn Nickols, Marilyn Linn, Mark Fowler, Mark Govier, Mary Krone, Michele Fermanis-Winward, Mitchell Walker, Mubarak Hameed, Evelyn MD, Paul Humphreys, Peter Goodwin, Rachel Branscombe, RL, Robert Murphy, Robertas, Robyn Chaffey, Ruchi Khare, Ruth Withers, Sallie Ramsay, Sarah Baker, Sarah Clay, Shane Smithers, Shannon Todd, Shirley Burgess, Stephanie Adamopoulos, Subroto Pant, Susan Kay, Thomas Gibbs, Virginia Gow, Vita Monica, Wendy Vitols, Whitney McIntosh and Winsome Smith.

A little science fiction, a bit of fantasy, plenty of humor, and some really shocking horror. These are tales to suit any mood. All stories in this book were previously published in on-line or print publications. The author is re-issuing the stories since an editor somewhere liked them enough to publish them in the first place.Fish Story - Science FictionThe Vision - Paranormal/HorrorChilpequin 22 Miles – Fantasy/HumorHeather’s Pain - SuspenseThe Delegate - Science FictionThe Country Faire - Literary HorrorIf You Could See Her - RomanceThe Cursed Valley – FantasyBig Bessie’s Place - HumorThe Hunter - HorrorA Visit to Potter's Field - Fantasy/HumorExtraordinary Rendition - Literary RealismJonathan Swift Finds Nemo - Alternate HistoryA Grab Bag of Drabbles – Humor

Forces driven by market frenzy and the explosion of Internet technologies created phenomenal wealth in virtual money. At the same time inconceivably large sums of money were derived from crime and drugs with criminal organisations laundering their ill gotten gains via the world’s banking and financial institutions. Virtual reality was never so real and never so ephemeral as on offshore islands."...an incredible feat of literature: a genuine page-turner..." "...an amazing book...the underlying narrative voice and tone is very consistent all the way through...a very good yarn.""...outrageous and bawdy verse novel...shocking, hilarious and sometimes unsettling...""I felt the eyes of Imti Mentoo watching my every move. And you know what? I kind of liked it." - customer reviews of God The Banana on Amazon.When the bright young graduate Benjamin Bremmer arrives in the mysterious tropical island republic of Amanga, he is seeking some purpose to his life. Volunteering at an orphanage in the poverty-ridden capital city, Ben meets and falls in love with Teri, a beautiful but pious fellow worker. The couple journey bravely into the remote heart of this forbidding country, but unbeknownst to Ben the evil local deity Imti Mentoo has already decided his purpose. This is the first of the three-part satirical epic sonnet sequence, God The Banana.

A detailed breakdown of the video game “Skullgirls” presented as a report card, in which different aspects of the game receive different weights toward its total grade.New Author, Michael Liesch, picks apart the pros and cons of purchasing the video game "Skullgirls." In a detailed review, Michael analyses the gameplay, interface, style, story, and more about an original intellectual property that made waves when it hit gaming consoles' downloadable title stores.

In this book for young readers, Felix learns about the DreamWorld from his mother: a place where you can do anything and go anywhere. With a child's eye for the absurd, he explores this land with his best friends, a robot and a dinosaur.In this book for young readers, Felix learns about the DreamWorld from his mother: a place where you can do anything and go anywhere. With a child's eye for the absurd, he explores this land with his best friends, a robot named Hobart and a dinosaur named Drusus. Felix and his friends fight a dragon, meet a unicorn, and learn that the DreamWorld offers surprises Felix could never have imagined while awake.

A lonely young man finds his world turned upside down after rescuing a beautiful alien girl with an AI implant. When more of her sisters arrive he soon finds that living out an anime scenario in the real world is not what he had dreamed. Soon he learns the entire world is under threat and they take it upon themselves to act.Fantasy science fiction Suitable for mature teens or adultsA lonely young man finds his world turned upside down after rescuing a biod in the form of a beautiful alien girl with an AI implant. Aidan soon discovers that living out an anime scenario in the real world is not what he had dreamed. When more of her sisters arrive he learns the entire world is under threat from one of their kind who was held in a lab on earth for over a century. Together they decide to take it upon themselves to save the space city as well as the Earth.Fantasy science fiction Suitable for mature teens or adults

(10,000 words)Luke is a single widower with a pet cat. He is just shy of retirement and about to take the ride of a lifetime on a train headed west. He is prepared for two weeks of adventure. When a pause to take leak during a run turns into more than a quick stop, his plans change dramatically. Luke quickly discovers he doesn’t have to venture far from home for the adventure of a lifetime.This is a 10,000 word short story, approximately 1/5 the length of a novel)Luke is a single widower with a pet cat. He is just shy of retirement and about to take the ride of a lifetime on a train headed west. He is prepared for two weeks of adventure. When a pause to take leak during a run turns into more than a quick stop, his plans change dramatically. Luke quickly discovers he doesn’t have to venture far from home for the adventure of a lifetime.