Recently widowed and increasingly lonely, Roswell's life had arrived at the point when he felt he needed a tattoo. His ideal image was that of a bat featured on an 18th-century bowl in the Victoria and Albert Museum, but strangely, on a visit to the museum, he encountered a woman called Sarah, who was compelled by the same bat. What did it mean?

Will and Izzy are forced to flee from Zzyk's army. After months away from Alberta, they fly their sailing ship into BC thinking that they would be safe there. Bad mistake! Izzy is captured. All Will has to do to save her life is turn himself in for a free brain-band fitting appointment. That's what happens when you wear a Zorro costume to a dance.Ryan Butler is a lazy, selfish individual. At 14 years old he would rather sit in his room playing computer games than put any effort into achieving the grades he is capable of at school. Deep down he is actually quite sensitive, but he puts on a brash façade to ensure he maintains his popularity. He has known his neighbour, Daisy, all his life, but since starting secondary school he has avoided her as all the other kids think she's a bit strange.Through a series of dreams, during which the same man keeps cropping up, Ryan discovers that he has the staggering ability to contact other people in the waking world and influence their thoughts. He soon finds out that Daisy also shares this gift, along with two other kids from his school. Sophie is the object of Ryan's affection, a constant overachiever who accepts his friendship because her numerous gifts are met with resentment among her other classmates. Billy is her twin brother, whose arrogance leads him to constant conflict with Ryan, and whom Sophie can't stand the sight of. Together they enrol at the Academy – a facility established to maintain order within the sleeping world, and inhabited by a bizarre group of dreamers. The man Ryan kept seeing, Tristram, is a senior Dreamweaver and is charged with helping them to develop their skills. They soon discover that the Academy is engaged in a bitter struggle with a mercenary group, led by the enigmatic Rasputin, who use their skills to manipulate the minds of powerful businessmen and world leaders to fulfil the designs of the highest bidder. Their Dreamweaving lessons provide an enjoyable diversion from school life, which is often fickle and cruel, but then Sophie goes missing in a dream and Tristram heads off to find her. The others recklessly choose to follow, and events take a gruesome twist when they finally locate Sophie and discover that the world around them is a terrifying distortion of reality, and one that they cannot readily wake up from.

Join Hurm, Runt and Father Mephistophiles as they struggle to save the hamlet of Yendour from a marauding dragon.Originally published in Andromeda Spaceways #6.Another Throw of the Dice is the story of a group of individuals from different corners of the world who take a chance on a new life, as aid workers, on an un-named Pacific Island in the 1980s. Morganti skilfully unmasks them, as, pitted against the vicissitudes of island life, the forces of nature and the sinister nuclear presence in the region, they wrestle with the ghosts of lives past, bond together, embrace new lives, forge new relationships, part, depart and finally reunite at another time, in another place. It is a story of love, loss, hope, forgiveness and acceptance, told with humour, sensitivity and style..Mary Clare Morganti has a vast vocabulary and she is not afraid to use it, nor does she shy away from the complex sentence, so her writing is nuanced and fluid. She knows, too, when to hold back and when to give full reign to her talent for description. Her characters are clearly, but lightly, drawn and they speak for themselves while the bush, the sea, the island sunsets and the ravaging cyclone are boldly and lavishly painted.'Another Throw of the Dice transported me to another country, with a fascinating company of fellow travellers. It made me laugh and it made me cry. It’s a damn good read'. (Travelstripe.com)

When the aging conductor of an up and coming young orchestra is murdered, Detective Sean McGill is called in to investigate and encounters a confusing morass of dead ends, questionable motives and bizarre orchestral politics. A mystery novella.When the aging conductor of an up-and-coming young orchestra is murdered, Detective Sean McGill is called in to investigate and encounters a confusing morass of dead ends, questionable motives and bizarre orchestral politics. A mystery novella.

This is the frank journal of a six week tour of South America from Buenos Aires, around the horn to Valparaíso, Easter Island and Peru, chronicling the good the bad and the insane of the southern continent.In six weeks the author and his wife, both experienced adventure travelers, toured the lower two thirds of South America making calls in Argentina, Chile with a side trip to Easter Island and Peru. Dining, sights, people, politics, pitfalls misfortune and craziness are recounted in concise detail. The author shares travel tips learned the hard way and what should have been avoided at all costs.

Camillus is eager to win the war at any cost and is willing to deal in forbidden magic to ensure it. Even at the risk of losing the war the council of elders refuses to allow anyone to exercise in the forbidden magic. They note the rage and anger filling Camillus and regretfully suspend the honored wizard from wartime. Outraged by the suspension he decides to aid in the war regardless.Camillus is eager to win the war at any cost and is willing to deal in forbidden magic to ensure it. Even at the risk of losing the war the council of elders refuses to allow anyone to exercise in the forbidden magic. They note the rage and anger filling Camillus and regretfully suspend the honored wizard from wartime. Outraged by the suspension he decides to aid in the war regardless. His first attempt nearly costs him his life as well as changes it completely. This is a short story prequel to a longer fantasy series to come.

Nine months after the same sex marriage of retirees FBI senior investigator Charlotte Diamond and movie box-office actress Brenda Brandon/Boynton (See the eighth in the Charlotte Diamond Mystery Series, Horrid Honeymoon) the two are putting on a Christmas program at the Curtain Call retirement home for movie folks. The Christmas concert is intended to bring together the townspeople of the riversidA special Christmas Mystery gift from Olivia Stowe.Nine months after the same sex marriage of retirees FBI senior investigator Charlotte Diamond and movie box-office actress Brenda Brandon/Boynton (See the eighth in the Charlotte Diamond Mystery Series, Horrid Honeymoon) the two are putting on a Christmas program at the Curtain Call retirement home for movie folks. The Christmas concert is intended to bring together the townspeople of the riverside village of Hopewell, Maryland, and the residents of the new retirement home, which has become a major part of the town. Efforts at melding the two communities aren’t looking like they will be successful, though.The plot thickens when the Christmas program’s lead actress, Cassandra Carlisle, who fancies herself as competition for Brenda Brandon for the queen of the movies spotlight, mysteriously disappears at night in a snow storm and another resident of the home declares that she has been murdered by her visiting son.Charlotte and Brenda’s canines, Sam the husky and Rocket the boxer, take charge to try to save the day.

Sherlock Holmes meets the world of magic! When magic invaded a world on the brink of its industrial revolution, the Inquisitors were formed to keep the magic at bay. Inquisitor Simon Whitlock is sent to the frozen tundra to investigate a report of werewolves. Though skeptical, he quickly learns that the werewolves aren’t the only magical threat to the kingdom.In a world of science, magic is an abomination.Magic is an abomination. It spread from the Rift, a great chasm hundreds of miles long that nearly split the southern continent in two. The Rift was a portal, a gateway between their world of science and the mythological world of magic. On the northern continent of Ocker, King Godwin declared that no magical monstrosity would be allowed within their borders. The Royal Inquisitors were formed to investigate reports of mystical occurrences and, should they be found, to destroy them. Inquisitor Simon Whitlock knows his responsibilities all too well. Along with the apothecary, Luthor Strong, they’ve spent two years inquiring into such reports of magical abominations, though they’ve discovered far more charlatans than true magical creatures. When assigned to investigate Haversham and its reports of werewolves, Simon remains unconvinced that the rumors are true. What he discovers in the frozen little hamlet is that the werewolves are far more real than he believed; yet they’re hardly the most dangerous monster in the city.

Imagine the Lord of the Rings meets Harry Potter and they go back to the future. Based on the Arthurian legend and the ancient folklore myth of the sorcerer's apprentice.Synopsis: The endless hordes of Hollywood tourists in the late 1940's are easy marks for a con-man magician like Harry Merlinsky. He knows how to sucker the rubes and flash the ol' hamster-outta-the-fedora every now and then, to baffle 'em and dazzle 'em. But he didn't expect a naive fan like Jake, who wants to learn Harry's Old Knowledge - "real" magic. Harry's archenemy obliterates Jake's girlfriend, forcing Jake to become a wizard, just to stay alive. Will Jake use his newfound powers for vengeance? The timeless myth of the Sorcerer's Apprentice unfolds against the backdrop of the Magic Castle and the Hollywoodland sign.Lineage: 12th-century folklore myths begat The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, which begat a tone poem by composer Paul Dukás, which begat Disney's Fantasia, which inspired Merlinsky, a magical action-adventure. [Completed before the Nicolas Cage film was released.]Quarterfinalist in these competitions: American Zoetrope, Writers Network.

In the depths of Hell lies Envy Town, where a certain demon named Murmer spends his days waiting to hungrily feast upon the souls of the damned. Upon meeting a child that he believes is there by mistake, his interest in the human world is rekindled.A jewelry store clerk is devoured by a mass of flesh-eating worms.It’s just another heist for WILLIE “THE WORM” PITTS and his gang. There is a strong suspicion that the police cannot control crime in the city. The entire department is on edge. Against this backdrop of crime gone wild, STAN POCAROBA, a K-9 police officer, keeps his unit of dogs ready to go and emotionally attached like a close-knit family. One night, Stan and his K-9 Unit corner Willie in a university lab. During the gun fight, test tubes explode in Stan's face. His blood absorbs the fossilized cells of a prehistoric raptor. Stan soon learns that he is able to transform into a raptor with all the powers of the fabled hunter, but not without a few drawbacks. His transformation is a work-in-progress including the pitfalls and dangers of a disjointed life in an unforgiving world. In order to escape the lab, Willie takes a lab research chemist, JUANITA, as hostage. She is also the only person capable of unlocking the mystery of Stan's condition. Stan needs to hurry if he wants to save Juanita. But, the police mistake a transformed Stan for one of the criminals and a dragnet is set up for his capture.Time is running out. Willie buries Juanita in a coffin with a 48-hour air supply, adding a snake and a mouse to keep her company. He demands $10 million from the city or he will let Juanita die. Can Stan control his transformations enough to find Juanita? Will he be captured by his own police department? And how will the dogs cope with a prehistoric raptor as their commander?“Raptor Cop” is a non-stop, action/adventure roller coaster ride---with all the exciting twists and turns!

Imagine going about your daily life observing and walking past different people not knowing if that one face could be the last one you see.Each of the short stories explore this with emotion and courage. Prepare to open your awareness and think about that face your mind never traced.This is a fictional book but can be seen as a reality for a lot of people.I hope that the reader will be able to relate to some of these life experiences.I would invite you to think about the different emotions that are evoked whilst paying particular attention to the actual conclusion as it was this real life experience that the concept for this book was derived.EnjoyMark A. Cherrington.

A collection of varied short stories that range from a fictional account of Byron's prisoner of Chillon, a totalitarian allegory set within a factory, a conceptualized description of baseball, a daring robbery caper in an historic Scottish castle, a futuristic advancement of Dante's Comedy, and a whimsical skit in an English club.When Sara left home for school that morning, she had no way of knowing that by the end of the day she would lose her earthly life, and would ascend to the Afterlands, a parallel world full of magic, excitement and danger. Sara was a Whyte ascendant, the first to ascend for over a thousand years and she was soon to discover that the people of the Afterlands believed her to be the Whyte foretold of in a prophecy, the Whyte in whose hands would rest the fate of their world. The Afterlands are part of a world where two forms of human life exist, mortal humans (the natives), and the ascendants. The Ascendants are magical, immortal beings whose life cycle takes them backwards and forwards between Terra Coram (Earth) and the Afterlands. When their earthly human form dies then their spirit vapor ascends again to the Afterlands taking on their ancient magical form once more. For over a thousand years, since the Great Dragon War and the death of the infamous Lord Ka the Afterlands had been in a state of relative peace, despite there being great prejudice and inequality between the casts (races). Three of the four casts still remained; the Golds, the Bloods and the Muds. The ancient and powerfully magical Whyte cast, were no more, the race having been wiped out by Lord Ka during the war. The Prophecy of Eldwyn the Whyte however, predicts that should the Afterlands ever again be threatened, then a Whyte would ascend once more.This is the story of how Sara, now known as Rose of the Whyte, adjusts to her fascinating and magical new life, makes friends and very quickly learns that she must seek out the incantatio, a powerful magic spell, in order to rescue the people of the Afterlands from Lord Ka, the Djinn of Erebus and their terrifying fire casting winged army of Afreet.Ascension of the Whyte is a tale of magic, evil, intrigue, injustice, dragons, friendship and courage, where the newly formed bodies of young ascendants become the vessels for magical, wise and ancient souls.Ascension of the Whyte is the first story of The Afterland Chronicles series.What readers are saying....“I haven’t been this excited about a book since I first read Harry Potter”“Intriguing, full of action and mystery it really makes you want to turn the pages, over and over again.”“Karen Wrighton has created a new exciting and fresh fantasy world, which rivals those of the great classics.”

Meet Abigail Hunter, an investigative journalist. Join her as she interviews a vampire, ghost, werewolf and a witch. Proving once and for all that these creatures of legend really do exist.Every day, thousands of people board an airplane without a second thought. Their minds are full of where they’ve been and their destination. However, sometimes, life has different plans.Flight 437 is such a story. On a flight from Paris, France to New York City, the crew and passengers find themselves trapped on a flight none of them expected. As events unfold, they soon realize they are no longer on the planned flight, but are now, in fact, headed to an unknown destination.

Outside the Palace Walls is quick tale of a king and the chasm between sheltered royalty and the reality of his kingdom.A 13 year old boy of the Yoruba ethnic group of what used to be South Western Nigeria gets caught in the intriguing world of changes sweeping the political landscape in his native Yoruba state, which in itself, is a fragment of the Nigerian state broken up by coups, corruption and ethnic disputes. The raging storm of political antecedents forces the boy to take a philosophical yet seemingly childish entry into the world of his nation's cultural, social and political landscape. With historical information supplied by the few adults around him, scholarly storytellers who believe that history and past incidents are the best predictors of future incidents, he is forced to take the role of a rising younger generation whose heroic actions can clean the past mistakes of the men made by the nation’s corrupt political class, he puts down his thoughts and experiences through a whirlwind of events. His story forms the trigger that eventually establishes a new system of government in a state where democracy is considered a failure. What will you see if you look at the political landscape through the eyes of a child?Will these responsibilities become the initiation of a good man made by the politics played around him or be the birth of a new generation of men carrying the genes of the old class.

Neil Gatlin’s bad choices and worse luck only multiply—even when he tries to make good. Will the deciphering skills he learned as a boy rescue him or lead to greater danger?Neil Gatlin’s bad choices and worse luck only multiply—even when he tries to make good. Used to failure, and on the verge of fatherhood, Neil desperately wants to succeed. Instead, his bad choices trap him between both sides of the law. As Neil flees from police he stumbles upon a murder and must choose between doing right or escaping.Soon, his life is in a downward spiral into greater danger than even he thought possible. Now he’s in a fight for his life trying to decipher clues to the hidden truth before others’ lies and deception entangle him for good.Will the deciphering skills he learned as a boy rescue him or lead to greater danger?

A new story about Rumpelstiltskin. An ordinary man has an extraordinary day. As the waters rise, the paranormal threatens. Personal conflicts are never forgotten when the war is remembered.These are just some of the stories and poems that you will find in this book. Many of them are set in and around Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea on the south coast of England, UK.St Leonards Writers are a group of enthusiastic members who have been meeting weekly since 2007 for lectures, workshops, creative exercises, writing practice, discussions and constructive criticism, and to help one another create the best possible writing. We also perform at festivals and local events in and around St Leonards-on-Sea and Hastings, UK.Spindrift contains stories and poems that include the paranormal, the historical, the urban, the comic and the tragic. We have given our imaginations free rein and let loose a wide variety of ideas and characters to delight and entertain.We hope you enjoy them.

Dr. Francis Dexter arrives in London intending to atone for wrongs committed by his former self, Herbert West. A chance meeting in a pub leads to disturbing revelations by a veteran of the Great War, and forces Dexter to relive a terrible journey in the black region between death and life. (Herbert West Series supplement 4)The War of the Ages ended nearly twenty years ago in the realm of Zalarion but the seeds of evil had already been sowed and finally begun to bare their poisonous fruit. The taint of darkness seeped into the great stone walls of the elfin kingdom of Galdyria and taken root within the home of heroes who pushed back the onslaught of the Dreth Knaught Legion. The darkest days had come but none was worse than the kingdom’s beloved prince Daellien Shaaldrowbane being accused of an unspeakable act that forced him to send his earth born wife and children back to the earth realm while he tried to clear his name. His family tried to lead a normal life in the earth realm but the taint had finally caught up with them after fate brought a mysterious cloaked stranger to their home one summer night. The secret past that Daellien and his wife tried so desperately to hide from their children for years will finally be brought to light ironically through an instrument of darkness which leads to an epic journey filled with non-stop adventure and even darker revelations.

"A taut, sensual thriller that grips from the first page. Elena Michales is at once sublime and sympathetic, a modern heroine who shows that real women bite back." -Karin Slaughter, The New York Times Elena Michaels is back-and she has company. Lending a mission of vampires, demons, shamans, and witches, Elena is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who is well on his way to amassing a private collection of supernaturals. He plans to harness their powers for himself-even if it means killing them. For Elena, kidnapped and imprisoned deep underground, unable to tell her friends from her enemies, choosing the right allies is a matter of life and death.