Six hundred years after his death, SFC Grant Justice is re-animated by a team of scientists. Grant awakens to a civilization that has abolished war. A civilization that has outlawed violence and cherishes Peace above all else. A civilization that has been enslaved by an alien race called the Minith. Grant is humankind’s final hope against the alien menace. He must be… the Peace Warrior.It’s the mid-21st century when Sergeant First Class Grant Justice is killed during an ambush on an enemy tank column. Six hundred years later, his body is retrieved from the frozen, arctic lake where he perished. Re-animated by a team of scientists, Grant awakens to a civilization that has abolished war. A civilization that has outlawed violence and cherishes Peace above all else. A civilization that has been enslaved by an alien race called the Minith. Grant is humankind’s final hope against the alien menace. He must be… the Peace Warrior.

Bert struggles with the recent loss of his wife Mira. On the morning of his first day back to work, he discovers that the salt in an ordinary salt shaker Mira stole on their honeymoon contains her memories of their time together.Bert struggles with the recent loss of his wife Mira. On the morning of his first day back to work, he discovers that the salt in an ordinary salt shaker Mira stole on their honeymoon contains her memories of their time together. “The Memory of a Salt Shaker” first appeared November 2011 in issue 15 of Up The Staircase Quarterly and was nominated for the 2012 Million Writers Award.Cover designed by Sabine KraussPhoto by Robyn Oliver

A beautiful nightmare. It was her that stopped him. Stopped his fall. Held him to his feet as surely as if he had been nailed to the ground with metal stakes. Stopped the inevitable. And so too was it her that made him move again. One last thing to do, one last thing.When dismembered bodies start to appear in New York City, the search for a serial killer begins. Leading the hunt is Gabriel de Sade, a tough Manhattan detective. What should be a straightforward murder investigation escalates when yet more dismembered bodies are found. A very sick, psychotic murderer is loose on the streets of the city. Yet the case is to become more complicated than he could imagine. The nightmare is just beginning for de Sade, a Delta Force veteran of Afghanistan.The FBI are also hunting for the serial killer and their evidence points to a Russian Mafiya baron, Grigory Gordieva. The pursuit leads Gabriel to Moscow with an FBI partner, Special Agent Faith Ward. They find themselves pitted against political interference from both American and Russian governments. Yet when they ask for help from the Moscow Militia de Sade finds them both corrupt and on the Mafiya payroll.Their only assistance comes from an unexpected quarter, a Russian Orthodox Bishop. With his help, de Sade reaches the heart of the Gordieva’s Mafiya operations. The Russian retaliates by kidnapping Faith Ward. With only a discredited Militia detective to help him, he takes on the Moscow Mafiya. De Sade adapts his Delta Force tactics to wage a secret war on the Moscow streets. The action builds to a climax that is shattering and extraordinary.

Prequel to Book One of The Gifted Series A story about a young lady with the goal of living a normal life, despite having an uncontrollable gift, being hunted by the government, and falling in love with the man that almost took her life.Prequel to Book One of The Gifted Series Lily East is different from other people and has been since her birth. The government has been trying to recruit her, wanting to use her uncontrollable gift to their advantage. After years of evading, Lily finally gives into her "civic duty" and helps the government solve cases gone cold. Her life outside of being a special agent is far from normal. And as if that isn't enough, she finds herself falling in love with the man who almost killed her. This is life, as she sees it. Coming soon, in Book One of The Gifted Series, you will learn the whole story, and how Lily's powers came to be. I hope you'll enjoy this novella until then.

After years abroad, Robert, Duke of Dovedale, has returned to England to avenge the murder of his mentor. To uncover the murderer's identity, he must infiltrate the infamous and secret Hellfire Club. But the duke has no idea that an even more difficult challenge awaits him - in a romantic-minded young lady.

In this first novelette of the Magnetron Chronicles series, eccentric Nineteenth Century inventor Phineas J. Magnetron reveals his association with the secretive Hogalum Society. When his mentor and Society founder Dr. Hogalum dies, Phineas embarks on a daring and improbable caper to bring the good doctor's greatest dream to fruition posthumously, thus unearthing a haunting and compelling mystery.Phineas Magnetron is an eccentric Nineteenth Century inventor and former Union soldier whose war injury has unaccountably bestowed upon him a strange gift he doesn't completely understand. No stranger to peril and derring-do, Phineas is asked to join a secret organization of crime fighting adventurers by none other than Society founder, Dr. Yngve Hogalum.Traveling the globe in their Luftigel electric airship, Phineas Magnetron and his Hogalum brothers encounter mistrustful policemen, mentally ill criminals, wood-craving aliens, a witch doctor, a mad oracle, and a cross-dressing female matador, among many others. However, this "steam dream team" always manages to triumph over impossible odds and improbable obstacles as they preserve order in a disorderly world—with all the Steam Age weird science they can muster.The Magnetron Chronicles is a serialized steampunk tale re-envisioning the future of generations past with all the breathless melodrama and tumult of that Victorian-era pulp fiction staple, the "penny dreadful." The narrative harks back to the grandiose style of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, but gently satirized with a sprinkling of purposeful anachronisms, double entendres, tongue-in-cheek inventions, and droll Twainian humor. Adapted from "The Secret Journals of Phineas J. Magnetron," a web serial characterized by short chapters with cliffhanger endings, the story builds chapter by chapter, volume by volume, as quirky new characters join the fray and perplexing new mysteries and situations arise.The Magnetron Chronicles is a planned 12-volume series of novelette-length volumes. In this first novelette of the series The Magnetron Chronicles, we are introduced to Phineas J. Magnetron, an eccentric Nineteenth Century inventor blessed with a strange gift he doesn't completely understand. As a former soldier and current member of the Hogalum Society, an inscrutable secret organization of crime fighting adventurers, Phineas is no stranger to peril and derring-do. But when the Society founder dies, Phineas embarks on a daring and improbable caper to bring the good doctor's greatest dream to fruition posthumously. In the process, he not only horrifies his Society brothers, but unearths a haunting and compelling mystery.

Billy Crump is the local stable boy. Fed up with mucking out horses, he sneaks into the wizard's lab, concocts a potion using all the rare and expensive ingredients, and somehow ends up with a talking book. His first thought? Sell the book ... and say goodbye to horse muck forever!A 5000 word fantasy/comedy storyBilly Crump is the local stable boy. Fed up with mucking out horses, he sneaks into the wizard's lab, concocts a potion using all the rare and expensive ingredients, and somehow ends up with a talking book. His first thought? Sell the book ... and say goodbye to horse muck forever!A 5000 word fantasy/comedy story--"Who's there? What's talkin'?"The book fluttered. "Who do you think, you two-legged disaster zone?""A talkin' book?" Emotions ran over Billy's face like drops of food dye in a goldfish bowl. Surprise was followed by bafflement, bafflement by comprehension and comprehension by cunning. "I could sell you," he said under his breath. "I could sell you an' then I wouldn't have to muck out no more stables.""Sell me?" squeaked the book. "You don't even own me!"

When a lightening bolt strikes a young lady pregnant with twins, the DNA of her unborn fuse together to give rise to a new kind of superhuman! Adam Powerhouse is born with extraordinary strength, intelligence, and even a few surprises. As he grows up, Adam is confronted with choices that form his path toward superhero or super-villain. Join the adventure and guide Adam into the future!When a lightening bolt strikes a young lady pregnant with twins, the DNA of her unborn fuse together to give rise to a new kind of superhuman! Adam Powerhouse is born with extraordinary strength, intelligence, and even a few surprises. As he grows up, Adam is confronted with choices that form his path toward superhero or super-villain. Join the adventure and guide Adam into the future!Episode One begins with a taste of Adam's adventures crime fighting once he is a little older, then returns to the beginning of Adam's story and his birth. The reader is introduced to Adam's extraordinary abilities, his love for sports, and his crazy inventions. Adam is soon making friends who fit his unique niche and they are poised for further adventures through a rock and roll band!

Love and laughs in the fast lane! Contemporary romance with humor, heat, and high jinks (part 1 of a 4-part serial)… Sparks fly and incinerate into a bonfire when a hard-hitting billionaire, Tyler James, locks horns with the bewitching Molly Leigh. Before the smoke clears, Tyler must learn a powerful lesson. And Molly may discover that a hard man is good to find.Love and laughs in the fast lane! Contemporary romance with humor, heat, and high jinks (part 1 of a 4-part serial)… Billionaire Tyler James didn’t get where he is by playing nice. He’s a hard man, and proud of it. But Tyler has a hidden soft side that’s about to be exposed by three little boys and a beautiful Wiccan, the bewitching Molly Leigh. The boys are Tyler’s orphaned nephews, and he didn’t even know they existed until recently. Now that he does, Tyler wants those kids. A lot. But so does Molly. She is, after all, the one who’s been raising them. When the two adversaries lock horns over custody of the boys, the sparks fly and incinerate into a bonfire. Before the smoke clears, Tyler must learn a powerful lesson. And Molly may discover that a hard man is good to find.

She's perfect. He's not. She's the lead singer in a popular rock band. He's a tattoo artist. She's all perfect creases and fancy clothes. He's covered in prison ink. She's wealthy. He doesn't have a pot to piss in. She's good. He's bad. The question is -- Will she ever be good enough for him?

As a rebellious daughter of the sixties recalls the year her mother played baseball in 1947, two luminous stories begin to unfold in America's heartland, one lived and one imagined. . . .

A collection of three brand new short stories about characters young, old and in between. They are sons, brothers and fathers; good people, but they are human, and therefore flawed and ultimately misunderstood.A collection of three brand new short stories about characters young, old and in between. They are sons, brothers and fathers; good people, but they are human, and therefore flawed and ultimately misunderstood.Jeff Roulston, also known as Jeff The Writer, is a social service worker, coach and proud Torontonian. He is a graduate of Oakwood University, an Historically-Black College, where he studied communications, played varsity basketball and edited the Spreading Oak newspaper. His poetry, short stories, essays and articles have appeared in The Huntsville (Ala.) Times, Urbanology, HipHopCanada.com, Sway, OmitLimitation.com, BKNation.org and F-You: The Forgiveness Project. His 2013 poetry chapbook Toronto The Good and his first short story collection Second Chances And Other Short Stories are also available on Smashwords.

An Iraqi suicide bomber had taken his legs and an eye. Now, years later, as Mike Hurst enjoys a quiet life of retirement, he is accosted and put to sleep by an alien. When he awakens, he has his legs back and his eye. But he is no longer on the planet. When the alien tells him why he was kidnapped, he is quite skeptical. He is extremely reluctant to become the savior of all humanity.Saving the human race proves to be far more difficult than he could ever have imagined. Mike Hurst, a former Army Sergeant, is thrust into a role that should be handled by someone use to dealing with major military organizations and politicians.His new alien friend, Jonelle, is certain that he is more than capable, especially after he is upgraded with some very unique abilities. He is now able to communicate to other upgraded people, without speaking; and his mind can handle hundreds of complicated tasks simultaneously. Also, there is a great deal of self confidence to be had by possessing three times the strength of a normal human being.Mike knows that he must recruit good people. Jonelle urges him to pursue other old combat vets, who will be upgraded and brought into the warrior class. But Mike realizes, while that is important, perhaps of greater impact would be the recruitment of senior military leaders, such as an old General, whom he hated.He begins to build a staff, by kidnapping the old General, as well as one of his men from Iraq and his badly injured son and daughter-in-law. They would form the first members of his staff. Yet, in spite of small, awkward successes, he fears their progress is far too slow and nothing mankind can do will prevent the complete destruction of the human race.

No Mercy: "In my experience, those who beg for mercy seldom deserve it." Sgt Major Crane says to Billy. But how do other people react when someone begs for mercy? No Mercy is a short story leading Crane through several twists and turns, until he uncovers the truth.There are four mystery stories in this collection and excerpts from the Sgt Major Crane novels. "Mercilessly well written"No Mercy: "In my experience, those who beg for mercy seldom deserve it. But it's not my place to judge. That's up to a court martial or civilian court." Sgt Major Crane says to Billy. But how do other people react when someone begs for mercy? No Mercy is a short story leading Crane through several twists and turns, until he uncovers the truth.There are four mystery stories in this collection and excerpts from the Sgt Major Crane novels Steps to Heaven, 40 Days 40 Nights and Violation. "Mercilessly well written. Wendy Cartmell's frank, vivid writing is completely unapologetic - that makes it all the more gripping." Jade Varden

Death is only the beginning in this fast-paced, science fantasy novella. Caught in the fray of treachery and deceit, Dia Thorpe must unravel the mysteries of her past before her past unintentionally stabs her in the back. She is hurled into a peril fraught journey of incredible discoveries and evil twists. An interplanetary adventure to learn who she is, all the while avoiding the wrath of a God.Death is only the beginning in this fast-paced, science fantasy novella. Caught in the fray of treachery and deceit, Dia Thorpe must unravel the mysteries of her past before her past unintentionally stabs her in the back. She is hurled into a peril fraught journey of incredible discoveries and evil twists. An interplanetary adventure to learn who she is, all the while avoiding the wrath of a God; a logic-bound being, driven by the will to end all suffering. Quickly.Who saved her from imprisonment on Earth? Why? What explained her ability to heal? Did answers to Dia's questions lie in the beautiful city of Avalon?This is a fiction novella of 23,000 words and is part 1 in the Silvaera’s Spire series.Extract:“It’s ready.” Said Kant, who had been busying himself behind a panel in the far corner. “Are you ready?” Dia hadn’t even considered this. The importance of seeing Daniel again was paramount. She looked down at her sword in its sheath and her almost impenetrable outfit, then across to the gun which was now hanging from a loop on her skirt. “I am ready.” She finally replied, her voice calm but serious.Kant wordlessly shifted closer to Dia and clasped her hand. A moment later the room and everything in existence had simply gone, including Dia herself. She could neither feel nor sense.Then Kant was there, she could feel him. Then she could see green light. It was overwhelming at first, but after a few seconds, Dia’s eyes adjusted to the brightness and the green focused into individual objects. There were great trees, vines, bushes and long grasses in all directions but one; to Dia’s side there was a path cutting its way through the jungle. She knew where this led. She remembered it now. It was a path created by herself and Daniel long ago, before peace had become war. Before Ssus. She felt comforted somewhat by the sights before her and the familiar smells of foliage. Beckoning Kant to follow, she began to follow the path through the undergrowth.They walked onwards for some time. It wasn’t a difficult walk as the path somehow prevented itself from becoming overgrown. When they came to rivers or great chasms, there were bridges which seemed far too sophisticated for the area. Once, the path took them directly through a mountain, the underground passageway lit by white-flamed torches which apparently never burned out.

We are reminded of the philosophers'questioning if life is actually a dream or as Edgar Allen Poe has sobeautifully written "a dream within a dream".My suggestion is that you walk and laugh with author down his bizarrepath and see the world in all its strangeness.Reviewed by Joan McNerneySurrealist Chapbook “Reproachable Optimists” from Nathaniel S. RoundsFrom the French, surrealism means beyond realism. Surrealism stemsfrom the 20th-century literary and artistic movement attempting toexpress the workings of the subconscious. It is characterized byfantastic imagery and strange juxtaposition of subject matter. Freefrom the conscious control of reason and convention, surrealism isdedicated to expressing the imagination as revealed in dreams. Ourperception of reality is colored by the subconscious and surrealistsseek to exploit this.In his collection entitled Reproachable Optimists, the authorNathaniel S. Rounds presents the absurd by plunging deeply into aworld of mismatched thinking and incongruous ideas. This weird worldis familiar. We have only to listen to a single evening newscast toknow the unreality of reality.In the poem Peace Work, he shows the futility of many occupations. Inour time, tasks have been cut up into units for efficiency hence theterm "piece work" has evolved. Then we have the silly notion thatgreen bananas will improve digestion in old people. Even the smellwill enhance bowel movements. How many times have we heard expertsproclaim special foods are good or bad for us? Or, perhaps we shouldembrace certain miracle treatments? Several months later, we find allthis advice contradicted. Black skinned bananas are for those inmourning. This shows the employer cares. Our banks want to "serve" us,hospitals have the "compassion to cure", insurance companies are "onour side". Sound familiar?The last poem Somnambulist presents us with a sleep walk. Indeed muchof the collection has a unreal dream-like quality to it. It is a roadonly seen by the dreamer. Without prelude or warning, flowers beds aretransformed into light bulbs. We are reminded of the philosophers'questioning if life is actually a dream or as Edgar Allen Poe has sobeautifully written "a dream within a dream".My suggestion is that you walk and laugh with author down his bizarrepath and see the world in all its strangeness.Reviewed by Joan McNerneyJoan McNerney’s poetry has been included in numerous literarymagazines such as Seven Circle Press, Dinner with the Muse, Blueline,63 channels, Spectrum, and three Bright Spring Press Anthologies. Herlatest title is Having Lunch with the Sky, A.P.D., Albany, New York.--

Englishman Michael J. Thompson served in Vietnam during 1968. He had his own ideas of jungle training, fighting and warfare that he had learnt while serving in other conflicts around the world. Where they had worked well and saved many lives. His golden rule was 'To see but not be seen, and eat nothing red'.This novel is about Englishman Michael J. Thompson. Who joined the Australian Army so he could serve in Vietnam during 1968. There were only a few British who got to fight in Vietnam of war and Michael was one of them. Michael had his own ideas of jungle training, fighting and warfare that he had learnt during other conflicts of war. Where they had worked well and saved many lives. Always wanting to help others survive in a hostile environment. Where your next step could kill you if you walked into a bobby trap or ambush. His ideas on cross border patrols where later to be adopted by other western countries. His special teams were at their best on information gathering patrols. His golden rule was 'To see but not be seen, and eat nothing red'.

Daryl Cobb awakes to find that he's trapped in a white room with no windows and only one door to the outside world. With no explanation as to how he got here or why, he must deal with bizarre happenings as they're literally handed to him by an unseen, white-gloved host.Author Lauren Jefferson set out to write something completely different, and she achieved that by combining a handful of bizarre suggestions for objects and scenarios intended for inclusion, given to her by Twitter followers.'Small White Room' follows a man and his surrealist captivity... but is it the room holding him hostage or something more?

A collection of the second set of twenty updates from the serial fantasy fiction "Enzi's Irregulars" as part of a weekly writing challenge. This tale follows the adventures of five unusual mercenaries as the Fifth Goblinoid War begins to cause problems across the world of Doulairen.A collection of the second set of twenty updates from the serial fantasy fiction "Enzi's Irregulars" as part of a weekly writing challenge. This tale follows the adventures of five unusual mercenaries as the Fifth Goblinoid War begins to cause problems across the world of Doulairen.The stakes are higher, the adventures more difficult. Can five inhuman creatures actually do good things in a world that will not accept them?Raw and unedited, this series was updated weekly for 80 continuous unbroken weeks. No edits or tweaks were allowed, the author had to complete a narrative taking any potential past writing mistakes into consideration, trying to avoid writing himself into a corner. This series gives a taste of the author's voice and the fantasy world of Doulairen.

The villainous and vindictive Vampire is back and ready to sink her teeth into a piping hot dish of revenge! Will our diminutive defender be able to thwart her insidious plot?We have an obligation to ourselves to be honest and true to ourselves and our readers. If we fail to do this, we shall rise no higher. If we rise no higher, then what are we?