Jessa Mayes was looking forward to her senior year. As the potential captain of her volleyball team and dating the star football player, her picture-perfect life couldn't have gotten any better. That was until Lane Rhyer came back into town. Everything she had planned for her last year was thrown out the window when word spread that Lane wasn't just back in town, but he was back in her life.Jessa Mayes was looking forward to her senior year. As the potential captain of her volleyball team and dating the star football player, her picture-perfect life couldn't have gotten any better. That was until Lane Rhyer came back into town. Everything she had planned for her last year was thrown out the window when word spread that Lane wasn't just back in town, but he was back in her life. Would these two ex-best friends be able to get over their past and find some kind of future together? Find out in this short and sweet read by Katherine May.

Bilingual English/Spanish. Best friends Carlos and Jacob are on the same soccer team. They are playing their last game of the season but are having a few problems. Their coach tells them about their super soccer shoes, and how they can help them win the game. What are the super soccer shoes and what is their secret?Nate Bray and Cady Steward were an average eighteen year old couple. They juggled their time between enjoying each others company and enjoying the company of their friends Mike, Cera, and Taylor. But one disrupted summer solstice party and militant ambush later, everything changed. Now, with Cady and Cera taken hostage by these mysterious terrorists, Nate and the remaining group must work against time as well as their own shortcomings to ensure they save their friends and survive the night. And maybe they'll have a decent epiphany along the way...maybe.

Ken and Steve reluctantly give up their lawnmowing duties for a weekend of fishing, booze and male bonding. Unfortunately the fish aren't biting, supplies are running low and worst of all ... the beer just ran out.Then, without warning, an alien colony ship arrives in orbit, and that's when Ken's problems REALLY start.A 4000 word short story by the author of the Hal Spacejock series.'Potatoes to Gold' is a short story set in the late 1890s, during the West Australian gold rush, and offers an insight into the living conditions that outback pioneering families endured. The story is told from the perspective of a bright, young girl, Cathleen Sophia, who reveals her love of the outback and her devotion to her grandmother, Bridget. And her fear of having to leave them both. Throughout this piece of historical fiction, Bridget's story is also revealed which tells of an Irish girl who is sent to Australia at the age of twelve and spends the remainder of her life adapting to the loss and hardship her new home presents. Her joy and hope and reason for living lie in her granddaughter, Cathleen Sophia, but what happens when inevitable circumstances force yet another change.'Potatoes to Gold' is inspired by the author's great great-grandmother who was sent to Australia from Ireland at the age of twelve. She died in 1898 in Cue, Western Australia.

Conner Kressley and Bruce Knight bring you a free preview series for three different books in one. We give you the first five chapters of The Breakers Code and Bell Watkins and The Mistrunners in addition to the first three chapters of The Hourmaker.www.sweetpotatopublishing.comBack in the day, I used to have a favorite show. I can't remember what channel it was on or what the name of it was, but the entire thing was just about showing movie trailers. A guy would come on, give you a snippet of information about an upcoming movie (Which I'm sure no one ever listened to), and then the trailer would come on.My dad caught me watching it one day and, when I explained to him that there was no show; that the coming attractions were the show, he told me that that was "just about the stupidest thing he'd ever heard".I knew he was wrong though. I knew that there were a lot of people like me, who'd gladly give 30 minutes of their lives a week to catch up on what was coming to the local theaters. I never understood the people who'd talk through the previews at the movies. Trailers were great. They got you pumped up. They got you salivating for what you knew was coming. They gave you a peek at the great entertainment coming your way, and let you dip your toe into a world that you would soon be able to dive into headfirst. So, here at Sweet Potato Publishing, we wanted to give you guys the sort of experience that we love so much at the movies. Below are tastes of some of the world’s we have in store for you.First Up:Cresta Karr has been struggling to put her life back together after the sudden death of her father. But, for a city girl like her, moving to the middle of nowhere, Georgia hasn't made it easy. Lucky for her, Owen, the cutest guy she's ever seen is there to help soften the blow.While trying to get up the nerve to tell him she likes him, Cresta inadvertently learns that Owen is harboring a secret that threatens to pull the entire world down around them. Turns out he's been watching Cresta, and his reasons for doing it will shake Cresta, and the future of the world, to their core.Next:Bell Watkins is your typical teenage guy, except of course, for the fact that he's famous. A tabloid staple because of his grandfather's book series, he's less than thrilled with his celebrity status. When his grandfather dies, he learns that the mystical world of his grandfather's books might not be so imaginary after all.When he's attacked by a mysterious creature and saved by a kickass (and pretty cute) warrior woman, Bell finds himself lost in a world that strangely resembles the stories he's ran from his entire life.And Then:Winston Cobb used to be the most popular guy in school. He had it all; a beautiful girlfriend, invitations to the most killer parties, and half the country's scouts drooling over his basketball skills. Unfortunately, an ill-advised joyride smashed his ankle, put his basketball dreams to rest, and catapulted him to the bottom of the social ladder.One night, while revisiting the site of the accident, Winston sees the girl he swore pulled him out of his burning car and saved his life; the girl no one else believed existed. Determined to prove that she is indeed real and that everything that happened that night wasn't his fault, Winston is pulled into a time hopping adventure where he learns that the past isn't always worth repeating.So there you have it. Three worlds we can’t wait for you to sink your teeth into. Read a bit. See what you like.Thanks so much for your interest. We appreciate you more than you know.Conner & BruceSweet Potato Publishing

Like "The Hunger Games", Supernova is a dystopian story set in the bleak future and packed with nail biting, unrelenting suspense. Madrigal X1147's life has been stolen from her. The mysterious voice of Arthur in her head keeps her sane. Then comes the day of her destiny. She must accept who she was born to be or keep drowning in her life. Love. Danger. Prophesy. Will Madrigal survive?Although forbidden to read scrolls without permission, Catriona couldn’t help herself and approached the table. She glanced at the open door to the outside, looking for any sign of Sari. There was none.A Loss too Much to Endure. Magic wielded by experienced hands can sometimes lead to disappointment; in the hands of a novice, it can be devastating.Destiny Governed their Lives is a short story that ties into the Castle Keepers series. Many of the characters who appear in it also appear in Shadows in the Stone and Scattered Stones.Follow Diane Lynn McGyver into the Land of Ath-o’Lea and live the fantasy.

At seventeen Lily Culpepper was made a vampire. After ten years of living under the control of the vampire who made her she has lost all hope of regaining the life she once had. Lily is ready to complete her transformation into a vampire and give up her humanity until her first and only love comes back into her life. Matthias Sawyer reminds her of what it was like to be seventeen and in love.At seventeen Lily Culpepper was made a vampire. After ten years of living under the control of the vampire who made her she has lost all hope of regaining the life she once had. Lily is ready to complete her transformation into a vampire and give up her humanity until her first and only love comes back into her life. Matthias Sawyer reminds her of what it was like to be seventeen and in love. When Lily finds out that she has caught the attention of the notorious vampire Queen, Matthias is the only one she can turn to for help, but Lily soon realizes that after ten years Matthias’ life has also changed and she wonders if she can trust him. Lily realizes that she can no longer straddle two worlds; she has to choose between her life as a vampire or her human love.

Murder was never so refined… When her holiday on the coast of Cornwall takes a deadly turn, it is up to Drucilla Winterbourne to uncover the dangerous secrets the inhabitants of Blackridge House will do anything to conceal. But can a proper young lady from London society comprehend the dark motives of a killer?Murder was never so refined… When her holiday on the coast of Cornwall takes a deadly turn, it is up to Drucilla Winterbourne to uncover the dangerous secrets the inhabitants of Blackridge House will do anything to conceal. But can a proper young lady from London society comprehend the dark motives of a killer? Accomplished In Murder is part of a series of historical mystery novellas featuring intrepid Victorian heroines up to their bustles in crime. These works are only loosely connected and can be read in any order. Length: 17,000 word novella (roughly equivalent to 70 pages of a paperback)

Dissatisfied with the police investigation of his fathers murder, Elliot Forsman and partner Rivka Goldstein take on the case themselves. Elliot follows a trail of clues that point him toward an international pharmaceutical company. Just when the case looks like it might be solvable Ogrodnik enters the picture, and it all goes to hell.An old man is brutally murdered while out for his morning walk on Mount Royal.Dissatisfied with the police investigation, his son, Elliot Forsman, is compelled to leave his criminology professorship so he can focus his fledgling PI practice on finding his father’s killer. Elliot and his partner, former policewoman Rivka Goldstein, track down the killer only to find themselves caught in a web of corporate conspiracy and hired mercenaries where even the local police cannot be trusted. Hopelessly in over his head, Elliot abandons the case in an effort to prevent further harm to the people closest to him. Soon after, he stumbles across information that rocks the very foundation of his beliefs and he's forced to take up the investigation again. Knowing that he is outmatched, Elliot enlists a man from his past to help combat his adversaries, a man with a history of violence, who understands the deadly world that the mercenaries live in. Before justice can be served, Elliot must first save his partner from evil personified and overcome his own demons while doing so.

From the collection Dreamin’ Dreams; A humourous short story in 2,400 words.For years we blamed Pat Hurley - he was the one who told us about the cannibals.I was seven, going on eight and Pat was already eight, so he was the oldest and we believed him.The next day two men came to our house and the tall one bent down and gave a grin that showed a mouthful of enormous teeth ...‘I’ve traded my old enemies for just this one…’ The axe thundered home. ‘I miss the old ones.’Every man has a past, none more so than Draven Reinhardt. Abandoning his old life to settle down as a villager, he struggles to fit in, let alone hold down a job. When opportunity offers the much needed coin, Draven is torn between a promise and a purpose. But, what’s one last job if you’ve already got blood on your hands?‘From Man to Man’ is the story of how one man can change – or not – for the best. Prequel to the upcoming novel ‘It Began With Ashes’, the short (6400 words) introduces the reader to a world of suspense, intrigue, and action.BONUS MATERIAL:Exclusive preview chapter from ‘It Began With Ashes’.

Viviana de Eskelling was the last in the family line of the Norman Schelins. Her family had held Okeford for 200 years. A single woman (a woman sole) was disadvantaged in law. So around 1287 Viviana married Bartholomew Turberville, taking Okeford into the Turberville estates. (Thomas Hardy tweaked 'Turberville' into 'D'Urberville'.) In Okeford, villagers prepare for their lady’s wedding.After two hundred years of isolation, the colonists of Capicua, a fertile super-earth orbiting Gliese 667C, are suddenly faced with an unknown and hostile military force.Oblivious to the impending invasion, Toni Miura joins Capicua's decrepit armed forces in a bid to escape domestic troubles, aiming for the privilege of driving the Hammerhead, a bipedal mobile suit which is the epitome of his planet's ailing warrior spirit.With the arrival of the earthborn invaders, Toni's unqualified platoon, brimming with misfits and plagued by internal differences, is suddenly thrown into the midst of battle. Abandoned by their seniors in the course of their mission, Toni and the remnants of his unit become lost in a world which, owing to the nature of its orbit, suffers periodically from planet-wide hurricane conditions.So begins a race against time, where a handful of cadets will be forced to outmaneuver a pursuing enemy in the boondocks of a turbulent planet, all the while seeking to deliver an odd but important Bavarian prisoner-of-war to their headquarters."Comparisons to Heinlein's Starship Troopers are justified. Fans of hard Military Science Fiction, salute your new commander!" - D. B. Rose"Much better than expected! I can barely wait for the next installment. Very interesting world building, good extrapolation of current technological warfare!" - RAZVAN ANDREI

Based upon the lyrics and music of FuzzBot, Mike Chinakos, author of the Hollywood Cowboys Series, brings you a Gothic Steampunk short story set in the alternate history of a war gone terribly wrong.When Jonathan Rivers left his beloved Abigail behind, he never imagined the horrors that he would face in the American Civil War. Marching into Lexington, Jonathan must face not only the Confederate Army, but their German Mercenary Allies who command war machines of advanced science and overpowering destruction. With the odds against him, Jonathan pushes on in order to return to the arms of Abigail. But as he nears Lexington the war has taken a toll on his mind and spirit, and Jonathan begins to question his own sanity, and his own chances of surviving the seemingly endless Civil War.Based upon the lyrics and music of FuzzBot, Mike Chinakos, author of the Hollywood Cowboys Series, brings you a Gothic Steampunk short story set in the alternate history of a war gone terribly wrong.

Dan Sherman goes from a History Teacher to a Space Guardian in one day. He is transformed into one of the most powerful beings in the Multiverse.Dan Sherman had to take early retirement through bereavement. He started to have lucid dreams about a tall man who was beckoning him go to a certain place. He soon realized that this wasn't an everyday event. It was to be the start of a once in a lifetime chance to be a Space Guardian. How will he cope with powerful entities who will try to destroy him at turn?

Memories are visions of a past unfulfilled. When time is spent creating reasons to remain in the past we cheat ourselves of the present. Walk in the light of the new day’s sun and find closure for those ends not tied tight. The memories left behind will not disappear they’ll just make the narrative more interesting.Memories are visions of a past left unfulfilled. When time is spent creating reasons to remain in the past, with those memories, we cheat ourselves of the present. Time slowly erodes opportunity as we wear a path from then to now, constantly furrowing a gap between what is and what might be. The reasons why a childhood trauma keeps calling you back or the tug of a melancholy heart from the one that got away or the man who sacrificed his life protecting you, all seemingly tie the present to the past. What happens when the connection is broken and the tired path is finally treaded no more? Walk in the light of the new day’s sun and find closure for those ends not tied tight. The memories left behind will not disappear they’ll just make the narrative more interesting.

The Steel Dragon is out-of-sight! The mighty Steel Dragon is dyno-mite! Make yo' wish and make it right! In the end you gonna fight! Word. ~Eighties rap pose~We've all been to Haunted House Attractions on Halloween that have people made up to be scary looking to scare us even though it is all fake, and we know it, but we don't care we just want to be scared. Meet Henry Adams he loves going to haunted attractions, but was getting bored and not scared anymore, so he decided he was going to make his own Haunted attraction that would be to die for literally. Henry wanted to be the envy of all Halloween attractions and he is going to do it in a deadly way. Henry knew if he was going to pull this off it had to be done in a big way. Halloween was just a couple months away, and he had to think of something special to do that would alleviate his loneliness in the dilapidated Mansion out in the country where he was living all alone. Then out of the blue he said, "I know just the perfect thing to do this Halloween, and that would be to turn my mansion into a real life Haunted Mansion, but this has to be the real thing not just a bunch of props. That night as Henry was daydreaming about what to do on his couch he wasn't about to doze off because if he did he probably would forget. Henry immediately got off the couch, and turned on the light, and got a piece of paper to write down his thoughts, and act on them in the morning. After about an hour, and nonstop writing Henry finally passed out on the couch with a beer in one hand, and the paper he was writing down his thoughts on was lying on his chest. The beer Henry had in his hand dropped to the floor spilling everywhere, but Henry was fast asleep and didn't hear a thing.Morning finally arrived and Henry awoke to the sunlight beaming through the living room window. Henry wiped his eyes and grabbed his paper full of ideas then stepped down off the couch into a pool of beer getting his socks soaking wet. Henry said, "I must have really been out of it last night." Then he went over to the kitchen to get a towel and clean up the spilled beer. He made himself some breakfast and sat at the kitchen table going over his ideas. When he was through eating his breakfast he got on his clothes, and took his to do list with him then got in his car eager to get the things he needed to turn his Mansion into a real life Haunted Mansion.Henry went into town to the Halloween store for a fog machine to give his yard the kind of look that you would see in scary movies. He also got things from the Halloween store such as spooky music, strobe lights, black lights and cob webs. Henry was excited to see his fantasy unfolding right in front of him.

Join Brad on his frantic quest to disable the space station's force field generator and save the world. See him team up with some unlikely companions - a swarm of little clockwork butterflies, a mechanical spider, and a girl with ADHD - as he tries to outsmart the Clockwork Mechanical. The Clockwork Mechanical is a middle grades children's book, ages 7 to 12.Eleven-year-old Brad Millner's got a problem. For starters, he's lost his memory. He can't even remember his own name. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he's stranded on a space station. A space station that’s going to crash into the earth in less than one hour and kill millions of people. That means Brad’s got less than an hour to disable the space station’s force field so that it burns up when it enters the earth’s atmosphere. The only catch is that a terrible Clockwork Mechanical – the living machine that is behind the diabolical plan to destroy the world – is out to get him. Join Brad on his frantic quest to disable the space station's force field generator and save the world. See him team up with some unlikely companions - a swarm of little clockwork butterflies, a mechanical spider, and a girl with ADHD - as he tries to outsmart the Clockwork Mechanical. The Clockwork Mechanical is a middle grades children's book, ages 7 to 12, and has 88 pages.

Roy Clawson awakens from a nightmare...or was it more than a dream? After his terror subsides, he reexamines his life in the small town of Fairview. Why doesn't he fit in? Will he discover the truth...or does he even want to know the truth?Roy Clawson awakens from a nightmare...or was it more than a dream? After his terror subsides, he reexamines his life in the small town of Fairview. Why doesn't he fit in? Why is he never invited to the strange meetings at the high school? Why does a bright light periodically appear from the direction of the high school? Who is Murdoch? What are his parents hiding from him? Can his girlfriend be trusted? Will he discover the truth...or does he even want to know the truth?

Halloween is coming and that means The Peeper Keeper is active again. Set in Lexington, Kentucky, the supernatural is at work and it’s driving a man to his breaking point. This fast-paced thriller pulls you in and features an ending that will have you checking to make sure your doors and windows are locked. Read at your own risk.Halloween is coming and that means The Peeper Keeper is active again. Set in Lexington, Kentucky, the supernatural is at work and it’s driving a man to his breaking point. Crimes from the past are resurfacing and this time regular Joe, John Roberts, may not be able to escape with his life. This fast-paced thriller pulls you in and features an ending that will have you checking to make sure your doors and windows are locked. Read at your own risk.

Welcome to Hotel Z, the best place to sample merchandise anywhere in town. We catch them fresh and don't keep them too long – that's the secret. But be careful, sometimes they bite!The Plastic Christmas Card is a quirky little ‘wodzeon’ Quick Flash story about creating Christmas happiness. But, what is happiness? This following ‘history’ took hours and hours of research in huge libraries and on the net. Wodzeon? That’s what sometimes happens when someone reads my stuff, they say ‘what’s he on?’... fresh air actually.Happiness’s root is an old Latin word ‘Hopiness’ meaning ‘to feel good’. It hailed from the hop plantations of Evesham i.e. hops (as in malt and) meaning ‘happy crop’, planted and tended originally by Latins. That’s because Latin people (originally French tin miners i.e. ‘La-Tin’) felt happy when they drank the liquid made with hops (and malt). That’s why at Christmas, the hopiest time of year is when people are at their happiest (or hopiest). All the dancing at Christmas is due to these sacred flowers that grow on countless bushes in Evesham, the organic mothers and fathers of Eveshams favourite dance, invented by actor and dancer and buddy of William Shakespeare, William Kemp (Kempe) The Evesham Hop, full of quirky skips and jumps. Evesham was named after the church managed to convince the world that the serpent tempted Eve to eat an apple, when really it helped her discover the magic of the hop; yes you’ve guessed it was actually a hop plant/bush the serpent was on/in and not the church’s apple tree which was a thought constructed Eve ‘Sham’. The serpent was a bit fed up (although it is impossible to tell when a serpent is fed up due to limitation of facial expressions) because it was a very mild Christmas (hence the nudity) and it fancied a few drinks while chilling on the branch, but needed someone to make it first from hops (and malt); the serpent was very wise and knew how to have a good time by making hop juice so it spoke instructions to Eve; God had taken the serpents arms away to save its liver, not to mention the livers of several local hedgehogs that also liked a drink, especially after eating a sticky slug. Adam was therefore the first man to get drunk and hop around dancing. How would Adam have got home from the garden? Easy! Eve would have driven him, and that is why when a woman drives a bloke home from the pub it is seen as natural, simply because it is. Christmas is so good because of that serpent. Kane and Abel were both the results of hopiness and man’s downfall was the hangover, making it hard to make a choice between bad and good ideas.Whisky is also good and the history of it could be called ‘The magic of Bar LEY’ a wine bar near a barley field where whisky was discovered. If the sign-writer had been rubbish and written Bar LEE, anybody called Lee would have felt honoured and gone for a discount, but whisky would have remained obscure.

Warning: The ’n’ word is used in this story for educational purposes, to illustrate the ugliness of racism.This poignant short story is part of a YA series telling the tales of so-called “military brats.”What readers are saying about OUT OF THE BLUE…“This is amazing!”AditiDankar“I’m dead. Literally dead. I love your writing so much. Please continue.”ebails32Warning: The ’n’ word is used in this story for educational purposes, to illustrate the ugliness of racism.This poignant short story is part of a YA series telling the tales of so-called “military brats.”What readers are saying about OUT OF THE BLUE…“This is amazing!”AditiDankar“I’m dead. Literally dead. I love your writing so much. Please continue.”ebails32“Fabulous story - so much left to be said and discovered in that small longing voice. Families are always a puzzle. You've given delicate fragile threads of beauty here.”tamojaOverview of Birdy…Meredith’s new best friend is a boy with the nickname “Birdy,” who seems smarter than the other kids. But why doesn’t her mother like him?More praise…“This story is beautifully written! I absolutely love it!”alexthymix“Very distinct and well thought out characters.”austinlugo“What a lovely story. You've captured all the interesting dynamics between the characters and I loved the way you've told the story. Short and sweet!”Jing_JingAn award-winning storyteller…WINNER of the Miami Fiction PrizeWINNER of the Associated Writing Programs Intro Journals Project AwardFINALIST for the Faulkner/Wisdom AwardA Wattpad FEATURED AUTHOR Recipient of a MAJOR GRANT from the Tacoma Arts CommissionYou might also like…Lisa Brunette’s powerful poetry collection, Broom of Anger.“I want to binge on every word.”Lisa HickeyCEO, The Good Men Project

Herman and Bijou braced themselves for the soccer-sized brass globe hurtling straight toward them. The heavy ball targeted the dogs as surely as a bowling ball heads for a two-pin spare. Sheer panic gripped Herman the German Schnauzer. He struggled against his fear more than any human enemy he'd ever faced.Readers quickly discover our born leader, Herman the German Schnauzer, is destined to shock the world. Enter Thomas Thomas, the man with two last names, who rescues Herman from an animal shelter. Due to a car accident, Herman receives a steel plate in his head that renders him able to speak "human." His serene life turns into a roller coaster ride jam-packed with intrigue and adventure.A famous talk show host saves Herman from the clutches of a ruthless dog-napper. Then the celebrity hides the dog--key witness to a crime--on her yacht. Herman meets a capable snow-white poodle, a new friend and ally. But the poodle becomes bate to snare the valuable talking dog. He faces his greatest fear during a back-stage battle with an old nemesis. In the end, Dog Justice prevails and Herman addresses the astonished public on live TV.

**A beautiful new hardcover package for the "exciting and gripping" (*Kirkus Reviews*) *New York Times* bestselling science fiction classic.** The desert planet Arrakis, called Dune, has been destroyed. The remnants of the Old Empire have been consumed by the violent matriarchal cult known as the Honored Matres. Only one faction remains a viable threat to their total conquest-the Bene Gesserit, heirs to Dune's power. Under the leadership of Mother Superior Darwi Odrade, the Bene Gesserit have colonized a green world on the planet Chapterhouse, and are turning it into a desert, mile by scorched mile. And once they've mastered breeding sandworms, the Sisterhood will control the production of the greatest commodity in the known galaxy-the spice Melange. But their true weapon remains a man who has lived countless lifetimes-a man who served under the God Emperor Paul Muad'Dib.