A collection of five short stories, 'Snapshots' lets us discover brief and sometimes even magical moments in different lives. Courage and love, hope and despair - everything life is made of.The stories included are:# Braving The Storm# Try The Door, John# Despairing Hope# Live# The Glass In Between - Or The Wonderful Freedom Of Delivering Pizzas.BONUSExcerpts from The Patroness NovelsAfter being held captive for over five billion years, Jongian decides to give up his fight for freedom. Realization takes over him, he is no longer who he was and no one may ever accept him in their life again. His pain and rage build when he comes upon the knowledge of this. Hating himself and the ones who have done this to him is all the emotions he can feel now. The blood of all the races rushing through his body gives him a more feral approach to everything. He does not want anyone to look at him, and he does not ever want to be touched. His mind is filled with blood and rage. Death is what he awaits for now. He welcomes it with open arms, as he watches in horror as others go through the torment as well.

When Serrel Hawthorne joined the Imperial Legion, the last thing he was expecting was to be selected for battlemage training. Now he and seven other misfits are going to have to learn how to weave the magical ether, and preferably not kill each other in the process. Of course, their gruff sergeant might just do that anyway, if they keep annoying him.Everyone has their reasons for joining the Imperial Legion. Some seek fame. Some are just running from something. You sign the scroll, take the Legion bronze, then you learn to hit things with a sword. But when Serrel Hawthorne joined the Imperial Legion, the last thing he was expecting was to be selected for battlemage training. Now he and seven other misfits are going to have to learn how to weave the magical ether, and preferably not kill each other in the process. Of course, their gruff sergeant might just do that anyway, if they keep annoying him.And the biggest threat any of them will have to face, is always going to be the one within themselves. Mages call it the Hollow. It is there, inside everyone, waiting to swallow them whole. It will kill you if you let it. But you have to climb out of it yourself.

This report is about more than just the 17 Blogging Blunders that most people make when it comes to blogging. And it’s about more than just making money blogging. I’ll cover that too, because there are millions to be made through blogging, if you do it right... The thing is, no matter what business you’re in, money is simply the byproduct of right-thinking combined with right-action.This report is about more than just the 17 Blogging Blunders that most people make when it comes to blogging. And it’s about more than just making money blogging. I’ll cover that too, because there are millions to be made through blogging, if you do it right... The thing is, no matter what business you’re in, money is simply the byproduct of right-thinking combined with right-action. After today, your “thinking” and, if you choose, your “action” will change completely. I promise you that. But before we get going, it’s super-important to understand that this report is REALLY about one thing: “NOT”... By that, I mean how “NOT” to think and what “NOT” to do if you want to really succeed online. And before I make my next statement, let me tell you - it may be a bit hard for you to accept when you first hear it... But you can’t truly make progress or succeed unless you’re open to accepting that I’m about to tell you. So, unless you can open your mind to something that might seem a bit far fetched at first, and trust what I’m about to tell you, you might as well STOP READING THIS REPORT RIGHT NOW. NOT EVERYONE IS READY FOR THE CONCEPT I´M ABOUT TO SHARE. COME BACK AND READ IT WHEN YOU ARE READY. The thing is, whether you know it or not, you’ve been a VICTIM. A victim of a dubious, nearly undetectable disease that has you and so many other people headed in the opposite direction of success online... Tell me this: What did you picture life being like when you first got the idea of trying to create income online? Did you see yourself hunched over a computer until the wee hours of the morning, night after night, ultimately spending LESS time, rather than MORE time with the people you love?

Some blind people have a seeing-eye dog that guides them. Claire is different. She has a seeing-eye human named Barry, and this is a story of how far he'll go to keep her happy.Estimated Read Time: 6,700 Words, 20-30 minutes. Some blind people have a seeing-eye dog that guides them. Claire is different. She has a seeing-eye human named Barry, and this is a story of how far he'll go to keep her happy.

From the acclaimed master of action and suspense. The all time classic. An airliner crashes in the polar ice-cap. In temperatures 40 degrees below zero, six men and four women survive. But for the members of a remote scientific research station who rescue them, there are some sinister questions to answer ? the first one being, who shot the pilot before the crash?

Former Black Sun operative, Kaird, hired Deacon 90 to smuggle his family to Utapau 7 before the Galactic Empire expropriated the Nedij star system. Deacon is forced to land the Burned Cloak on Utapau instead by the Empire. After they escape to the Lehon System via hyperspace, the Cloak crew find themselves in an ancient space-intrigue!Art is power, Music is magic, And no one is what they seem. When powerful and charismatic painter Lord Malrec brings newly-unemployed music teacher Alannys Gale to Ravanmark, it seems to be the answer to her prayers. Ravanmark is a fantasy world where music is magic, where the gods are the Greek Muses, and where an ancient sword of fabled power awaits a legendary hero. It's like a beautiful fairy tale. But it keeps trying to kill her. Lord Malrec has plans for her...plans that may not be as noble as they appear. An instant, strange connection with the Crown Prince only makes her life more complicated, as she struggles to deal with voices in her head besides her own--and her heart is pulling her in completely inappropriate directions. Everyone from the queen to the peasants around the Great Palace want her dead, and it's hard to imagine a worse way to start a romance. Power plays and politics surround her from the first breath she draws there. And it looks like the biggest player of all...may be her. In a land with magic whose true power is shrouded in the mists of time, an ordinary woman must save the world...to save herself.

Tom, Dick, and Harry need help rescuing a princess, and Todd happened to be on his back porch.Todd has cancer and is about to give up on life – until three inept aliens abduct him because they think he can be an action movie star. Now Todd has to save an intergalactic queen from a bloodthirsty military, and his only allies are three aliens called Tom, Dick, and Harry.

They say there are more rats in New York City than people. What they don't tell you... is those are just the scouts.This short story is about an android who like a human is on a quest to discover if he has a spirit and soul. The android is a metaphor for any human being who has ever asked do I have a spirit? Do I have a soul? And what is the difference between the two? At its core, the android asks what constitutes a human being? There is a whole universe waiting and it's there inside of you.This short story is intended for readers who have an enquiring nature who enjoy imaginative, creative ideas. This short story is from 'I, Human Part Two An Android's Soul'

I don’t even remember hitting the ground. I remember the hyper drive cutting out and I remember the jet engines failing as I tried to land this old crate. But I don’t remember the damn thing hitting the surface of the planet. I suppose that’s what I get for stealing it in the first place. But I just couldn’t work for those jerks for another second.I don’t even remember hitting the ground. I remember the hyper drive cutting out and I remember the jet engines failing as I tried to land this old crate. But I don’t remember the damn thing hitting the surface of the planet. I suppose that’s what I get for stealing it in the first place. But I just couldn’t work for those jerks for another second. I open my eyes to be met with a belting headache. One so bad it feels like I’ve been out on the drink last night, and I’ve had a very good time. Shame that isn’t true. I’m starting to wish this had all been a dream. My back hurts like I’ve snapped every one of my vertebrae on the way to the floor and all of my muscles are burning in pain.

Few know that dreams are actually a way into other worlds. This, Daniel finds out on the night of his 19th birthday when he visits a strange world called Endërland, inhabited by people, mermaids & wingmen. His arrival will trigger events that threaten the end of Endërland, and it’s fate now hangs on the outcome of the quest he has to embark on with the help of his friends and the one he loves.Daniel and Sam live worlds apart, but share more than the same birthday. Sam can never sleep, while Daniel has never had a dream. On the eve of his 19th birthday that will all change. In his first dream he visits a strange world called Endërland, inhabited by people, mermaids and wingmen and where evil is seemingly absent. His arrival there however sets in motion a chain of events that threaten to destroy this new world, unless Daniel manages to succeed with the quest he now has to embark on with the help of a merboy, a wingman, a beautiful girl and her twin brother. Sam’s own journey will lead her in a similar direction and adventures, while she sets to find the truth behind her unusual insomnia.

Sometimes curses have surprising side effects. Sometimes these side effects are surprisingly useful. Princess Lorelai was cursed to fall into a deep sleep on her twenty-first birthday, only to be awoken by true love’s kiss. Until then she’s going to take advantage of her immunity to magic to kick ass, take names, and rescue her friend.Sometimes curses have surprising side effects. Sometimes these side effects are surprisingly useful. Princess Lorelai was cursed to fall into a deep sleep on her twenty-first birthday, only to be awoken by true love’s kiss. Until then she’s going to take advantage of her immunity to magic to kick ass, take names, and rescue her friend.When Lorelai's friend Honi is kidnapped, it is up to her and her girlfriend-slash- bodyguard to rescue him. Again.

‘Psychs 1st’ is a spin off from the 'Psychs series' that tells the story of young Hassan, a guy with eight ghosts connected to him by the tragic event of his birth. He decided to visit the United States in an effort to put closure to 7 of the ghosts by visiting their families and give them letters with a fake story of how he got them, only to discover that he is there to do more than that.‘Psychs 1st’ is a spin off from the 'Psychs series' that tells the story of young Hassan, a guy with eight ghosts connected to him by the tragic event of his birth. He decided to visit the United States in an effort to put closure to 7 of the ghosts who are connected to him by visiting their families and give them letters with a fake story of how he got those letters, only to discover that he is there to do more than that, and probably to try and survive.

Dr. John Laman is the inventor of The Bubble, the most sophisticated criminal rehabilitation technology ever invented. Never, in his wildest nightmares, did he dream he would be its first prisoner. Inside The Bubble is a short story of 3000 words, from the author of the bestselling Emma Holden suspense mystery trilogy and standalone mystery, Someone to Save You.I pray that this message is heard. Excuse me if my speech is hard to decipher. My name is John Laman. I am a thirty-three year old scientist, and a convicted criminal. But I am innocent of the crimes that they say I committed. I know it sounds like an especially bad cliché, but it is the truth. I am telling you this now while I still can, because in a matter of minutes my mind will be elsewhere...Dr. John Laman is the inventor of The Bubble, the most sophisticated criminal rehabilitation technology ever invented. Never, in his wildest nightmares, did he dream he would be its first prisoner.Inside The Bubble is a short story of 3000 words, from the author of the bestselling Emma Holden suspense mystery trilogy and standalone mystery, Someone to Save You.

Within these sixteen short stories you will travel into another dimension - a dimension of the mind. A journey into a fantastic realm where imagination knows no bounds. Where dreams and reality make strange bedfellows and logic and madness fight for the blanket. That's the signpost up ahead— your next stop, Neurotica!Bring a pot of absurdity to a boil then add liberal doses of humour, two cups surrealism, and a pinch of mystery. Mix thoroughly. Separate into sixteen portions, cool to room temperature, sit back and enjoy as a man discovers that the girl of his dreams is definitely not as she appears. A wayward angel stiffs someone for a restaurant bill. Canada is governed by an agreeable and popular polymorphous blob that cannot see, hear, or speak. An innocent man awakens in a courtroom to find himself on trial for spurning a young woman. A guilty man is awakened and handed a package that he ignores at his own peril.Within these sixteen short stories you will travel into another dimension - a dimension of the mind. A journey into a fantastic realm where imagination knows no bounds. Where dreams and reality make strange bedfellows and logic and madness fight for the blanket. That's the signpost up ahead— your next stop, Neurotica!"A symphonic blitzkrieg of fictions that defy categorization. The tales in this deceptively simple collection are carefully sculpted attacks against reader's expectations. Madness, irony, and dark surrealism presented more convincingly than logic, [Neurotica] makes the reader question experience at the very same time that it inspires laughter, dread, and a good, healthy injection of revelation in a world grown numb with recycled wisdom. Never preaching, Straughan's work is all about the joy of story. And isn't that what we really want?"-- William P. Simmons PROJECT PULP"I like the cleanness, point of factness and absurdity of your style. You write as though nothing could be more logical than the illogical events you describe. I have grown to have considerable affection for your naive narrator."-- Tim Lander NANAIMO PUBLISHERS CO-OP"The writing throughout 'Neurotica' is clean and precise, which effectively counters/compliments the fantastic elements of the prose. If you like your fiction soaked in the unusual, look into Straughan’s enigmatic world."-- Matthew Firth BLACK CAT 115"Overall, Straughan has put together an entertaining body of work where his sense of the absurd shines."-- Todd H.C. Fischer IMELOD"Each story has a Twilight Zone quality to it, often ending with a punch line that hit me like a cream pie in the face. Straughan is a writer committed to disseminating his unique vision and it's clear that, with each new anthology he produces, his work gets stronger and more engaging, and I enjoy watching that growth. Kadath Press offers you a rare glimpse into the mind of one of Canada's most interesting surrealist literary talents. Don't miss out on the opportunity!"-- S.R. Duncan RAIN CITY REVIEW"With a healthy sense of the absurd, Straughan's stories reflect our modern predicament and without question represent some of the best writing I've come across in years. Reading the tales included in 'Neurotica Volume II' made me remember the wonders to be found in Gogol's 'The Nose', and Dostoevski's 'Dream of a Ridiculous Man'. Straughan's stories are unique to our common every-day experience, and deserve a larger audience. If you're looking for something different to read this summer, I suggest you give it a try."-- C.F. Kennedy BIBLIOFANTASIAC/NECESSARY PRESS"Neurotica is full of surprising moments, and its absurd and funny style is a refreshing departure from a lot of other work that takes itself too seriously."-- Jennifer LoveGrove WORD

New job, new life. Darren is full of hope, but what he doesn't plan on, is the audacity of a young woman who smashes her car into a tree, right in front of him, damn!All readers, I need your help! I'd love to turn this allegory into a full-blown novel, but I want to make sure it's one you would enjoy. So please take a look at the story so far, and help me create characters you can root for! Nicholas is my hero, but I need your feedback on how the story should develop from here!Let me know your thoughts! Something evil has arrived in the land East-of-the Rivers. Suddenly, what was once a quiet community of soft-spoken animals, who seldom locked their doors at night, find themselves double-bolting their burrows and venturing from their dens only when necessary. Fear seeps into their feathers and fur. Worry follows them daily.And this evil has a name: he is called The Ancient One.But what does he want? Why has he come to the land East-of-the-Rivers?Soon his purpose becomes clear: to claim the woods as his kingdom, and to make all who live there his loyal subjects. It is quite clear The Ancient One has not come in peace. He has come to wage war! And for those who resist? Madness! Mischief! Mayhem! Alas, Animalgeddon is on the horizon!Who will deliver the peace-loving animals from this terror? Who will rise up and lead the fight for freedom? Is any animal capable of such bravery? Does any animal possess such strength?Yes.His name is Nicholas Groundhog.And the rest becomes legend.**** Told in the tradition of Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Watership Down, NICHOLAS GROUNDHOG is an anamorphic allegory, which conveys the potential for a God-given heroism that exists in us all.

Why is the Empress suddenly so interested in the drylands north of the Empire? Eleanor and Daniel don't agree on much, but when they're sent to investigate strange happenings near the border between two foreign states, neither of them is really sure why they're there. Meanwhile at home, the rebels are causing chaos in the streets, whilst the Empress is grows ever more demanding of her citizens.Why is the Empress suddenly so interested in the drylands north of the Empire? Eleanor and Daniel don't agree on much, but when they're sent to investigate strange happenings near the border between two foreign states, neither of them is really sure why they're there. And things at home aren't making much more sense. The rebels are causing chaos in the streets, whilst the Empress is grows ever more demanding of her citizens - especially the skilled assassins of the Association.Revolution is the second Chronicles of Charanthe novel.

Story Sampler is a free sampling of stories found in my other collections that provide the reader with a broad cross-section of the types of stories I have published in these collections (mystery, science fiction, fantasy, mainstream, cross-genre).Story Sampler is a free sampling of stories found in my other collections. Five of the stories come from Have You Seen My Cat and Other Stories (a collection of mystery, science fiction, and cross-genre stories); seven come from Worms and Other Alien Encounters (science fiction stories about alien visitation on earth or stories set in space); three are from Last Rites . . . And Wrongs (a collection of poetry and mainstream stories involving death and destruction); and one light fantasy story from The Drunken Wizard's Playmates and Other Stories (a short novel with four bonus stories). Together, they provide the reader with a broad cross-section of the types of stories I have published in these collections.

Angels start to appear at random funerals, eulogizing the deceased for 10 years after millions disappeared from across the earth. During one funeral, an angel is the cause of a fatal event investigated by a priest, nun and former seminarian. Their investigation leads to a test of each of their beliefs, and answers to questions they never anticipated.Who would even begin to think that angels would indiscriminately present eulogies at random funeral services immediately after millions mysteriously disappear across the entire world? Funerals become must go to events; T.V, radio stations, and families, hold contests to fill guest seats for those wanting to attend the ceremonies of the deceased, hoping to catch a glimpse of a heavenly creature. Seats at county and city services for unidentified John and Jane Does are now full. For ten years this occurs. No one knew where or when one would appear, only that no one is able to take any photographs or video recordings when an angel does show; hand drawings, once completed, fade or disappear .Our story begins where an angel is the suspect of a fatal event during one such funeral In Los Angeles, killing all of the attendees, minus one survivor. Why? The Catholic Church dispatches a priest to work with a nun and a former seminary student who have extensive knowledge of angels try to determine what happened. The investigation will lead to a test of each of their beliefs, and answers to questions they never anticipated."Not all angels are the same."

In a world of orphans one girl holds the secret that will break the age barrier. But one shocking discovery changes everything leaving seventeen year old Pia questioning her past and hiding from her future. Lies, murder, betrayal and conspiracy thwart Pia at every turn as she seeks the truth before it's too late."Something is missing - I can no longer hear Karther singing. A loud grunt followed by a gargled cry sounds from outside and I run and jump off the shelf with Tomas following behind me. I run towards the dome looking for Karther but can’t see or hear him. I lean over the starboard side of the ship just in time to see a flash of metallic silver and a splash of blood-red water lap up against the ship".In a world of orphans one girl holds the secret that could break the age barrier...At nine, Pia cut the ropes her parents swung from. Left alone with her three year old brother, she becomes fiercely protective and self-sufficient to a fault. Eight years on, Pia is summoned to 'volunteer' as one of a ten person crew to seek out The Refuge, a rumoured sanctuary free of Age Sickness. The volunteers embark on a sea voyage and soon realise they are not the only cargo onboard. Early in the journey the vicious murder of one volunteer ignites suspicions among the crew and sparks a series of events that leads Pia to unravel dangerous truths. Unsure of who to trust and fighting her feelings for fellow 'volunteer' Tomas, Pia walks a fine line between truth and lies. One shocking discovery changes everything leaving Pia questioning her past and hiding from her future.