When a woman vanished in Adelard Odd’s room, the resultant scandal closed the asylum at Quartersoake permanently. In 1925, nearly twenty years after Odd’s death, Lewis Spender and Roger North are willing to brave the room’s evil reputation in order to discover the truth.In this novel by W.S. Lacey, appalling things happen to wonderful people and at least one person goes in want of an umbrella.The first in a series of stories about the darker side of the life of fairies.

Dinosaurs do still roam the earth; they're loose in Crater Lake National Park...and they're smart and hungry.Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer GriffithAn ancient predator has been reborn in the caves beneath Crater Lake…and it’s hungry.Ex-cop Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for eight years and he likes his park and his life the way it’s been. Safe. Tranquil. Predictable. But he’s about to be tested in so many ways. First the earthquakes begin…people begin to go missing…then there’s some mysterious water creature that’s taken up residence in the caves below Crater Lake and it’s not only growing in size, it’s aggressive and cunning…and very hungry. And it’s decided it likes human beings. To eat.And it can come up onto land.So Henry, with the help of his wife, Ann; a young paleontologist named Justin; and a band of brave men, must not only protect his park and his people from the monster but somehow find where it lives and destroy it…before it can kill again. ***

Dr. Felicity Hamilton-Smith desperately needs a change of scene so she signs up for a ten-day bike ride around Victoria. The last thing she expects is to run slap-bang into her former fiancé. For her, the past is over and best left behind, or so she thinks. The last time Dr. Drew Baxter saw Felicity was when he broke her heart. Now, seeing her again is breaking his.Dr. Felicity Hamilton-Smith desperately needs a change of scene so she signs up for a ten-day bike ride around Victoria. The last thing she expects is to run slap-bang into her former fiancé. For her, the past is over and best left behind, or so she thinks. The last time Dr. Drew Baxter saw Felicity was when he broke her heart when he left to serve in Afghanistan. Now, seeing her again, is breaking his.

An ordinary boy, Ryan, is unwillingly sent on an adventure that puts the fate of the world in his hands.The magistrates rush to Goodman Asher's cabin. For Asher's daughter has warned her village that her father's obsession with the mirror tempts wicked magic. Rumors and fables have lured Goodman Asher off of the good path, and so the magistrates rush towards their neighbor's cabin to plead with Goodman Asher to relent from his folly. They will give Goodman Asher a choice, an opportunity, before putting that cabin and its master to flame.

After an incident at home, Arianna and her brothers move to her dad's house states away and the strangeness only increases. "Normal" takes on a whole different meaning as Arianna is left to wonder when will things settle down in her life again? And is she going completely crazy or are these "coincidences" she keeps noticing actually linked together?At the end of Arianna's Junior year of high school her life is thrown into disarray. After an incident at home, she and her brothers move to her dad's house states away and the strangeness only increases. "Normal" takes on a whole different meaning as Arianna is left to wonder when will things settle down in her life again? And is she going completely crazy or are these "coincidences" she keeps noticing actually linked together?Find out in book 1 of Arianna's Tale: The Beginning.

A hostile frozen planet. A bunch of colonists have to survive on scarce resources and watch their every step to stay alive. They'll never have children and never see Earth again - that's the contract they've signed. When every connection to normal life is broken, can you still remain human?Remember what they say about revenge?They were once on a jury together, forty years ago, when a man was executed for killing his wife. Now three of the four are dead, amid personal vendettas and accusations of pornography, and the last man standing is arrested for the murders. It’s up to Sasha Stace QC to secure his conviction. But the case is circumstantial, the trial sensational, and nothing is as it seems. In her fight for justice, Sasha embarks on a course that imperils her life and endangers those she loves. Best Served Cold is a fast-moving and gripping legal thriller with more twists than the rope that strangles its victims. Be warned.

A collection of original poetry by Katharine Thorpe, author of the blog "littleinkblot." The poems were written over a nine-year span and reflect both memories of that time and the author's first attempts at using poetry to capture those memories. Including both free verse and traditional pieces, the poems range from silly to meditative and include "flight," "17," and "A Christmas Sonnet."Jake Ramsey watched his parents get murdered when he was a boy. Shortly afterward he was recruited to work for Black Brick, a covert government organization. After Jake survives a shootout while protecting the corrupt executive of a powerful and well connected government contractor, his suspicions grow that the covert government organization he works for has been subverted by somebody who doesn’t have the country’s best interest at heart. The deeper he digs the more he fears he has been lied to about everything, including the details around the deaths of his parents. Jake doesn't know who to believe as he searches for answers, dodges bullets, and is framed for a train bombing. He soon finds himself fighting against the very organization he believed to be on the right side of the law. If you enjoy thrillers with twists and turns, this book is for you. Pick up your copy today!

"An epic journey of a lifetime." That's what three young individuals from three different corners of the world have dreamed about. They were destined for greatness since the moment they were born. But what if they don't want it? What if they're not ready? What if their desires no longer align with the prophecy?"An epic journey of a lifetime." That's what three young individuals from three different corners of the world have dreamed about. They were destined for greatness since the moment they were born. But what if they don't want it? What if they're not ready? What if their desires no longer align with the prophecy?The problem is, they have no choice. The star has appeared. Their destiny has already begun to unfold. It's not the send-off that they've been dreaming of. Forced out. Banished. Raided. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Now they must discover who they really are while embarking on the most exciting journey of their lives. One star. One impossible task. One chance to save the world they love.

Susie Edwards found out at an early age how looks can be an advantage if you do something wrong. It all started with small things like the family pet. One day when Susie was out walking the dog, she wanted to see if she could get away with killing the dog. Susie took the dog about twenty feet in front of the edge of a cliff and watched her dog go over the edge to its death.Susie Edwards found out at an early age how looks can be an advantage if you do something wrong. It all started with small things like the family pet. One day when Susie was out walking the dog, she wanted to see if she could get away with killing the dog. Susie took the dog about twenty feet in front of the edge of a cliff deep within the woods in back of her house and threw a stick and told the dog to go fetch it. The dog did as asked and went over the edge of the cliff to its death. Susie thought this was really cool, but Susie didn't realize killing things isn't such a cool thing to do. Susie was such a likeable person who had many friends, but Susie was getting pretty bored with their company and never forgot about the rush she got when she watched her dog run off the edge of the cliff to its death. Susie was ready to test the waters of death on her friends. Susie invited three of her closest friends over for a sleep over.

Red Riding Hood meets the wolf again. He decides to start his dinner with the old woman who lives in the forest. However, this is no ordinary woman but the forest fairy who, having taken the form of a ewe, challenges the wolf. Frustrated by the defiance of the ewe, the wolf flees to the big city where he meets the ewe again. What follows is very exciting and so ... so heart-breaking.The story is taking place in a magic forest. Little Red Riding Hood is three years older since her adventure with the big bad wolf. She is picking flowers again when she has an unexpected meeting with an old woman who needs help with her nails. Red Riding Hood offers to help but has to go back home to get a pair of scissors and liquid soap.On her way back Red Riding Hood comes face to face with a big bad wolf. Perhaps he is the brother of the one who almost devoured Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. Although Red Riding Hood is fearless, she unwittingly reveals to the wolf where the old woman’s hut is.Poor wolf! He believes that the old woman is an easy prey. But instead of the old woman the wolf finds a ewe in the hut. “All the better”, he thinks to himself. But the ewe is not daunted by the threats of the wolf. Actually, the wolf is frustrated by the ewe who threatens him with “If you eat me, the woodcutter will be very angry. He will find you, catch you, tie you up, put you in a cage and release you in the big city.” The wolf is so frustrated by his failed attempts to eat the ewe that he runs to the village to buy a lot of presents for Riding Hood.When the wolf returns to the hut to eat the ewe, he finds the ewe knitting a pair of white gloves from her own wool. The wolf is delighted and at the same time determined to eat her. But he needs to know why the ewe threatened him with the woodcutter releasing him in the big city. She invites the wolf to sit next to her on a couch and watch a documentary about the bit city.But this documentary makes the wolf abandon his plans to eat the ewe and to want to go to the big city which for him looks like a “goldmine” or a “meatmine”.When the wolf leaves, the ewe takes her real form. She is a fairy. But she has to leave the magic forest and go to the big city, too.The big bad wolf and the fairy meet again, this time in the big city. Oh, this is an exciting meeting, beyond imagination and with an unexpected ending.

Fun Adventures are all that matters to Rudy and his three friends, Randy, Harry, and Jerry. This book is about the possibility of all the rabbit families not having enough food to last them through the whole winter and Rudy and he friends come up with a plan that may save the day, but the carrot farmer's new guard dog may stop them in their tracks...Let the adventure begin.Rudy Rabbit was born last spring the same time as his three friends, Randy, Harry, and Jerry. They love to play all day in their field where many other rabbit families also live. It has a carrot field next door and is surrounded by woods. Rudy and his friends find themselves in different situations all the time because they are always looking for something new to do. Each time they find something new to do, somehow it turns into a new Adventure. New rabbits are met, new things are learned, and sometimes they are even smarter than the adult rabbits that live there too.

Disguised as a boy, Ann Marie finds that a handsome boss is harder to ignore than the muscle aches from doing backbreaking work in a copper mine.Ann Marie Ward finds herself alone in the world after her father’s death. His adoration has become her downfall when she finds herself responsible for the bills and expenses he left behind. In the small town of Copper Basin Tennessee, there aren’t very many options. The isolated township is resistant to high ideas and change, so Ann Marie finds herself adopting her childhood nickname of Blaze, masquerading as a young boy, and working in the only productive trade in the area- the copper mines.Dirk Bergmann, educated in Germany and fostered by the mine owner of the area, has been instructed to move to the Copper Basin to see if he can increase copper production. He is looked upon as a foreigner and the locals do not welcome his newfangled concepts, especially one young man with an attitude problem and hygiene issues. A simple assignment escalates into a nightmare when dynamite is introduced to the old timers and an accident follows, injuring the boy.But things are not always as they seem. This is a sweet novella of approximately 20,000 words

"When we first met, I couldn’t help but think we were two sides of two different coins. We both had a fake side to us. A façade we put up to fit in. We each had our secrets. A side we kept from each other. Except I knew his darkest secret from the very beginning. I knew it from the first time we met." A flash fiction about a mind reader and a time traveller.I am Kurr. I am young at seven hundred seasons.I am not yet wed, I have caught no manchilds, and the mountain thinks me odd.But as with many things, when I sit to think on this I see that what is seen as odd is often seen through odd-seeing eyes and that is what I tell myself, that I am not so odd perhaps as the mountain thinks I am, and this I sometimes tell my father and sometimes tell his father and sometimes tell his father too who is over four thousand seasons old for we are an enduring race in more ways than one.My father’s name is Krull. His father’s name is Barr. His father’s name is Hirka and he is the wisest troll alive.I say this to them not to argue with my elders but to be true to what I see and how I understand things but they do not understand me or they disagree with me or maybe don’t even listen to me and instead look at me as if I wish to argue with my elders which is not such a good thing to do, and so they say nothing to me in return.They think me odd, I think.Mother agrees with the mountain and certainly thinks me odd. Trolls marry at five hundred seasons, she says, or sooner and prods me with her walking stick so hard it hurts or bats me with something near at hand a pan a ladle maybe or a broom so hard it hurts and then leaves me with my ribs or head still smarting and all this so fast I have no time to think of an answer before she looks more hurt than I do as she stomps out and away from me to have such a son that no one wants, ashamed she sometimes tells me that the whole mountain thinks me odd—she is very quick though with that walking stick or that broom, I think. Especially for her age.But on one thing I agree with her for I too believe she has a son no one wants for the shefolk of the mountain all think me odd as well and few will even talk to me. Fewer still (I can count them on my left thumb) have asked to dance with me at feast and none has ever held my hand. Most shefolk look at me as if I belong with the wolves.But that does not worry me so much. What worries me is that the mountain laughs at Mother behind her back for having such an odd son who no one wants. That is one thing I worry about and sit to think on often. That Mother is unhappy and that I am the reason.Father, he does not care, leave the boy be he says, he will marry soon enough but then he is not shefolk and no one will laugh behind his back unless he wishes himself married to the earth for Krull is our chief.I have caught no manchilds. That is odd for seven hundred seasons says Mother. By now any son of mine she says should have caught at least two, maybe three. Your father, she then almost always adds, had caught four manchilds at your age and she prods me again with her walking stick or something else close at hand, a broom or a ladle, so it hurts.Father, I think but never have time to finish thinking and then say before she stomps out again, reached my age before the roads grew wide and before the rail arrived when catching manchilds was not very hard. And, I add to myself, but would not tell her even if I had the time, of the four manchilds Krull caught I hear two died of fright when they first saw him and should not count as caughts for they must be alive when we boil them to count as caughts. Also, I think to myself but wouldn’t say that either, Father likes the hunt and I have no thirst for that.But now I must catch a manchild. I and a shefolk called Hulgur. We were the ones who chose the blue fetching stones.

Along the starway of infinity there are millions of planets just like Earth. We need not be concerned with them. There are however many billions more that are not like Earth – these represent the biggest threat to humankind.Along the starway of infinity there are millions of planets just like Earth. We need not be concerned with them. There are however many billions more that are not like Earth – these represent the biggest threat to humankind.A slow moving, fragile rudimentary craft from the United States pierced the murky atmosphere of Jupiter on July 4, 2016. Strange cries, shouts and howls were captured by the ships aural detectors. The voices, if indeed they were voices, were not made by carbon based lifeforms. The Space Agency quickly issued reports that derided the cries as nothing more than some sort of interference or radio static.The collective mind of Earthlings however, is beginning to grasp the concept of intelligent life that is not carbon based. Such lifeforms may not even appear to be lifeforms to the primitive brains of the homo-sapiens.

The humdrum life of Darcy Platt soon changes and the bookstore of her dreams becomes a portal to a place of magic where she finds herself relishing in a life of apparent simplicity. But there is something lurking beneath the glossy surface and all is not as it seems to be. And she soon finds out she isn't the only one keeping secrets.Darcy Platt is not living the life she had imagined she would be living. Her life is just OK – a mediocre job, a semi-stylish apartment, a loyal best friend, and one lovely dog. Going through the motions has become her normal. She does have a bad habit though – one that she finds gratifying but is embarrassed of. A habit that thrills her but is taboo for someone her age. She can't even say it out loud but she does it every day.Reading Teen Fiction.She knows she shouldn't but she does. It's an addiction - and she can't help it. She would give anything to be the heroine in the books she idolizes where the only things to worry about are choosing a date for the prom and getting an even tan. Why couldn't life be that easy? (Insert sad face).Then something happens that changes everything. Faced with an impossible choice, the bookstore of her dreams becomes a portal to a place of magic where Darcy finds herself relishing in a life of apparent simplicity. But there is something lurking beneath the glossy surface and all is not as it seems to be. And she soon finds out she isn't the only one keeping secrets.Immersed in a world full of enviable friends and sordid secrets, of complicated brothers and mini-dramas, of emotional episodes and meltdowns - Darcy soon learns that what she once adored may not be all it's cracked up to be. Is she happy? And what exactly defines happiness? Is this what she wanted all along? The grass may not be greener over there after all. Full of humor and heart, Page-Turner acts as a portent to the human soul. It's a coming of age story for those who have already come of age. You'll find yourself questioning your own motivations, for better or for worse.

Isabelle Lamberton loves her philandering father but loathes her long-suffering mother. Time blisters as the woman must care for the man who’d terrorized the City, killed her father, yet saved her life. “The Porter’s Muse” is a short story that tugs at the boundaries of difficult truths and a woman’s journey through these entanglements.On the scorching plains of the Zimbabwe Plateau a thrilling adventure is set in motion to prevent a catastrophic war between Boers, Zulus and British redcoats. Archaeologist Lazarus Longman is contacted by an agent of the British Empire and given an important mission; find the mythical gold mines of Great Zimbabwe before the Boers do and prevent revolution in Southern Africa.

As much as Johnny tries to run from it, fate always manages to catch up to him, and this time, one day after his graduation from Oxford, fate throws a yellow rubber ducky into his life in a strange attempt to help him refocus his decisions and reroute his future. Will Johnny attempt to trust fate and accept its guiding hand, or will he drudge up the past and try running from it again?At the end of his coursework at Oxford, Johnny reaches a point in his life where he does not know what more to do or where else to go. Sure, he has plenty of options, but with those options comes an endless chain of questions and decisions to make, and his mind locks up when he has to participate in too much of either. Even as he takes the Tube to anywhere, he wonders if he's in control of his future, or if fate is pulling his strings. There have been plenty of moments in his life when he thought fate had smiled on him, especially the night he'd met Claire, but those moments just showed him that it was all one big tease and the future's real plan was to pull the rug out from under his feet.The day after graduation, Johnny figures he should start pulling his own strings, so he considers speaking to a life coach to help him plan out his destiny. As he rides the train back to London, however, he discovers one new trick up fate's sleeve, and it comes in the form of a yellow rubber ducky he finds on the floor under his seat. On this duck is a flash drive full of stories from people who have no connection to each other save for the one factor that they had carried the duck around during a brief season of adventure. The drive also contains an instruction: “To anyone who finds this, please take this rubber ducky wherever you go. At any point you should experience something great, I beg of you, write it down and attach it to the duck. Then, leave it for the next body to find. When the seventh individual writes his experience, keep the duck and publish the letters for all to see.” Johnny can already see the hand of fate trying to pull him back under its spell. But he takes the bait. He takes the duck with him.Six people have already written their stories. Johnny is the seventh and final person to take the duck on a new adventure and share it with the world. But how does one live through a story worthy of closing out the duck's epic journey? How much of Johnny's path does fate still influence? And why does the rubber duck seem so familiar to him?

Tom Spencer had found a woman who made him thrill like no other and he knew how lucky he was to have her. Fate, like a sandblaster, erased it all searing it away from his tight grip. In order to rectify what was taken from him, Tom would develop the machine that would allow him to send a message through time.Author Greg Norgaard (Savage Noir) adds his imagination and tales of action and adventure to Pro Se Productions’ Pro Se Single Shot Signature line with his own writer’s imprint- From the Pen of Greg Norgaard. Norgaard showcases his versatile story telling in the imprint’s debut stand alone short story- Change the Past.Tom Spencer had found a woman who made him thrill like no other and he knew how lucky he was to have her. Fate, like a sandblaster, erased it all searing it away from his tight grip. In order to rectify what was taken from him, Tom would develop the machine that would allow him to send a message through time. And with that once in a lifetime call, Tom could reach into the past in an attempt to save his future. But first, he must overcome the nefarious spies who wish to make the machine their own if he is to send that message in his desperate attempt to Change The Past!Change The Past- the first digital single short story From the Pen of Greg Norgaard from Pro Se Productions.

The Moving Skeletons is a short story by Alan Chains rich in dark humor.MINECRAFT - BATTLE OF THE LEGENDSWanna see some nail biting, pulse racing action!! Don't wait. Grab this book!!This is the ultimate saga where 'Minecraft Ninja' & 'Minecraft Agent' series merge together. It is one of the rarest adventure that happened in the world of Minecraft.Get ready for jaw dropping, exhilarating, fast paced story with enough twist & turns to keep you interested till the end and on top of that this is just the beginning!!

Lucifer challenges a clueless optimist named Pilgrim to build Hellelujahland, a theme park to scare souls straight to hell. One small problem: Pilgrim spreads comfort and joy everywhere he goes, and happiness means bad news in hell. Download the free short story to celebrate the paperback release of the parent novel Raising Hell and sample the Smashwords eBook edition.When the Lord Almighty demands that Lucifer return Pilgrim, a clueless optimist sent to hell by accident, Lucifer devises a scheme to lock his soul away forever. His plan? An anti-faith theme park called Hellelujahland with life-threatening roller coasters and soul-sucking water rides.Lucifer assigns Pilgrim the task of building the park, believing his complicity will stain his soul. Author Phillip T. Stephens adds this short story, The Hellelujah Trail, to celebrate the paperback release of the parent novel Raising Hell and introduce readers to the Smashwords editions of Raising Hell and it's partner novella, The Worst Noel.

When Mortimer Moose tries to fly with Santa Claus on Christmas Eve he is met with prejudice. He has to overcome this, and is faced with a dilemma in which he has to make the correct decision in order to make his dream come true.Mortimer Moose wants to fly with Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. He gets his chance when one of Santa's reindeer is injured, and a contest is held to find a replacement. Mortimer tries to enter, but it is restricted to reindeer. When Mortimer's friends try to make him look like a reindeer, and are unsuccessful he has to overcome prejudice In order to achieve his goal.