Rebecca was a child like any other, living in the times we all recognise as our own. Rebecca was also a child from a time none of us can recognise as our own. Through horror and haunting, Rebecca and Rebecca become one...only to perpetuate the cycle of horror.“The Haeven Collection” is a series of four short stories set in semi modern times. Only through genre are the stories in any way connected and each one has a beginning, a middle and an end. The stories give the reader and inside look at the world that each of the characters live in and comes from as well as a look at how they interact with said world and each other in the individual stories.The Haeven Child-When a witty and temperamental young witch is forced into a situation not of her making and beyond her control, she must traverse the terrible waters of family life and child rearing.Kitten-Running away from home sounds like a good idea, but not when you’re and Skin Changer with major daddy issues and a dead mother. An adolescent Skin Changer runs away from home with her mother’s skin after she dies, her father is looking for her and he is not happy.150-One hundred fifty years is a long time to be with someone you hate, especially if that person is your sire and he controls your very life. A “young” vampire is stuck with the creature that changed him into a monster of the night and his rebellious attitude will not be tolerated.Diner-A diner is such as non-threatening place. However, when a meeting between to associates is cut short because of a joke, the other two men try to keep it together and take the intrusion with grace and poise.

Set in the Greek city-state of Priene in 650 B.C., this fascinating murder mystery opens with Bias, the protagonist, being stalked by a murderer at the sacred grounds of the Panionion, the religious and political center of the Ionic League. As Bias crouches at the back of a cave, he recalls the events of the previous weeks which led him to his predicament.Set in the Greek city-state of Priene in 650 B.C., this fascinating murder mystery opens with Bias, the protagonist, being stalked by a murderer at the sacred grounds of the Panionion, the religious and political center of the Ionic League.As Bias crouches at the back of a cave, he recalls the events of the previous weeks which led him to his predicament.A minor priest, Bias assists at the opening of the Panionic Games by securing the blessing of Priene’s reigning deity, Poseidon. But while the games are being blessed, Priene’s best athlete is poisoned and dies in Bias’s arms. The citizens perceive Bias to be infected by the "miasma of death" and he is challenged with the responsibility of finding the killer. Told with wit and authentic period color, this is an unusual mystery that readers will remember for its convincing plot and unique historic atmosphere.

Werik Meets the Sky, is a short story about the siege of Gurneyhill Castle by the tunnel dwelling burrowers or roama people. It is set in the world of Archea. The humans and their allies within the Trade Sea Alliance must defend themselves from the primitive but innumerable burrowers; interested only in seizing the meeting points of ley-lines - the powerful ley-nexus, source of arcane energies.Werik Meets the Sky, is a short story about the siege of Gurneyhill Castle by the tunnel dwelling burrowers or roama people. It is set in the world of Archea, a moonless volcanic planet inhabited by native reptiles and numerous stranded species from other worlds, carried there by arcane forces. These intelligent species must vie for control of their new home and this leads to constant battle, chaos and conflict. The humans and their allies within the Trade Sea Alliance must defend themselves from dozens of alien neighbours who seek to rob them of land and resources. Now a new threat has poured forth from the crust of Archea itself, the primitive but innumerable burrowers; interested only in seizing the meeting points of ley-lines. Each power-filled ley-nexus holds arcane power that is Archea’s ultimate resource. The old and forgotten castle at Gurneyhill guards a pair of great ley-nexus and is deep inside alliance territory, far from threat. Or so it was thought.

As wendy houses go, Sis’s isn’t anything special. But all her friends have vanished and, last time I saw them, they were all heading towards that weird little house. Now it’s full of dolls, dolls with her missing friends’ names. And I’m sure I still hear them singing that irritating skipping song! So how about I just take a peek in here and – oh oh, maybe that wasn’t such a great idea…Following his involvement in a car accident, Daniel Graham wakes up in the land of Eden. He barely manages to crawl out from the wreckage, before he is ruthlessly hunted down by a dragon and its blood-thirsty rider. He is rescued by the Guardians of Lost Souls, a group of knights sent by the archangel, Uriel, to protect him. Now, they must journey together to the ruins of an ancient city, in search of the magical gateway that would take him back home.

A three-man crew is drifting through space when a small meteoroid collides with their ship.All Jet wanted was a Gift, certainly not the responsibility that would come with it—the prophesied powers that would hurl him against Hell’s invasion. In a world where everyone is given special powers by their LORD, there was one among them that wasn’t: Jet Burner. Believed to be shunned by their God, he certainly wouldn’t have banked on anything worthwhile from his life. He was sadly mistaken. For it was his destiny to discover this Gift that would save the world he knows, but once his true nature and his planet’s hidden past are revealed, so too are instincts better left buried. Now Jet must restrain his new-found blood-lust and walk the path towards the Apocalypse.

In an era of rapid technological advancements, where man has cracked the human genome and scientists worldwide are making daily breakthroughs, the ethical boundaries of science are once again in question – Is man playing God?Special Agent Edmunds fights against rogue scientists to prevent a chicken Apocalypse.In an era of rapid technological advancements, where man has cracked the human genome and scientists worldwide are making daily breakthroughs, the ethical boundaries of science are once again in question – Is man playing God?A passionate scientist has taken drastic measure to protect his research - but are his motives genuine? When vials containing the secret go missing, questions are raised - could this see the human race removed from their position as the dominant species on earth?One man, Special Agent Edmunds, holds the key to preventing a disaster of cataclysmic proportions and maintaining the balance of life as we know it.

Should a gal ever accept a date with a man how admits he will try to seduce her? That's all I'll tell you. Click the blue below to see why. Here it suffices to say that the story is short and free. Why read a summary when with little more effort you can read the whole thing? If you can't spare a moment more, you shouldn't be wasting time reading fiction anyway. Go back to work!"One can not judge a book by its cover." So we are told. But a cover is usually the only thing a reader has to base a judgment on. Smashwords tries to aid readers by providing summaries, one short, one long, for each book it distributes. For non-fiction this works well. But this, it seems to me, defeats the whole purpose of fiction. After all, one reads a story to find out what will happen. It’s the uncommon twists and turns that make a story interesting. But if a summary has told all this beforehand, what fun is to be had in the reading? Therefore, no summary of the present short story is given. It's short and it’s free! So read the whole thing and see if you like it. I ask you to do this because I think it is the best book judging method. To find fiction you like you must first read around enough to learn something of the style and stories of different authors. Then you can judge books, not by their cover, but by the your opinion of the writer. I'd like to help you do this. The present short story is one of several which I will make available free at Smashwords. Read a few (or all of them) and decide if you like them. It won't cost you a dime. If you like them, you can then purchase some of my not free (but still inexpensive) longer stories. All these stories are of one particular kind. To reflect this similarity all have the same cover picture, the Kitty & Rose shown above. So after you’ve read a few, you can, in fact, judge them by their cover. The common theme of the Kitty & Rose stories is human sexuality. This is not unusual. Most fiction concerns sex in one way or another; ranging from romances so sedate and demure an extraterrestrial could never know sex is at the root of everything described, to erotica so unrestricted even an extraterrestrial might blush. Kitty & Rose stories are in the middle of this range. All deal with human sexuality, but none do so explicitly. Rather, they are seemly. The dictionary gives three meanings for seemly: Attractive or agreeably fashioned; Decorous or conventionally proper; and Appropriate or suited to its purpose. With respect to appropriateness, seemly sex stories range from the humorous to the inspirational, but all concern human sexuality. So they are clearly appropriate. These stories are also seemly in the decorous and conventionally proper sense. For, while they treat sex candidly, they do not do so graphically. There is nothing pornographic nor erotic in any seemly sex story. Of course, different persons’ opinions about this may differ. A few consider frank pornography decorous. At the opposite extreme are those like the abbot of the monastery where the great biologist Gregor Mendel did his epochal research. This abbot thought Mendel’s studies were decidedly indecorous because they involved the sex of pea plants! Finally, there is the principal sense of seemly, attractive and agreeably fashioned. Like every author I exert my every effort and ability trying to make these stories seemly in this regard. But like every author, I must await your determination of the degree of my success. Since both of us will be pleased if you find them attractively seemly, I very much hope you do.Happy reading!BobbyBP:.S. This is Kitty & Rose free short story 14, uploaded 3-8-17.

Witness Leonard Burbridge, a quiet man, a man who likes to keep himself to himself, a man with a hobby. But, in a dystopian future where the Teevee is the opiate of the masses and where the Guardians and the State Police clamp down ruthlessly on all forms of dissent and subversion, even the most innocent of pastimes can bring a man into conflict with the authorities.THE HEALING PLACE Clare NonhebelSYNOPSISFranz Kane has invested time, money and energy into setting up The Healing Place, a state-of-the-art building with superb facilities, offering an impressive range of holistic therapies and mind-enriching courses to city-dwellers eager to escape the stresses of life.Running such an enterprise has stresses of its own, and not only lighter-hearted errors such as locating Primal Scream Therapy in the next room to Silent Meditation; some serious concerns are beginning to surface. Although Franz promotes inclusive acceptance of every person and every shade of belief, barring religion and obvious cults, there are few people he genuinely trusts. Now two of them - his girlfriend Ella and the psychic, Sharma, a mainstay of The Healing Place - have some challenging questions for Franz.Cracks are beginning to appear in the fabric of the building, and in the persona of Franz himself. He experiences first an outburst of rage against a local vicar, then fear of a sinister stranger who mirrors Franz's own dismissal of moral imperatives, and finally a near-violent impulse against Ella, newly pregnant with his baby.Despite Ella's and Sharma's warnings and encouragement, Franz clings to his image as 'the man with no yesterday,' avoiding every question about his past. But when Sharma takes time out from The Healing Place - in response to a request from local police to help find two kidnapped boys - circumstances begin to force Franz to face himself and his own history.When he makes a sudden decision to go to Ireland, he invites Ella to come with him, on the condition that she asks no questions of him. Trusting his integrity but struggling with fears for Franz and for the future of their unborn Ella begins to find some answers when they visit a convent nursing home where a frail and elderly Catholic priest is dying.But just as they both begin to uncover the past, the future is jeopardised: The Healing Place faces its own baptism of fire, apparently an arson attack by someone who wishes Franz harm.Sharma, who challenged Franz to stop pretending to accept every version of truth as equally valid and to confront his own beliefs and prejudices, is struggling to remain calm as he moves nearer to discovering what has happened to the abducted children. His own children, meanwhile, who had been taken abroad when their mother left him are returning home with an overwhelming need of their own - to be their father's main priority.Reviewing his own priorities, and more aware now of his motivation for founding The Healing Place, Franz has to confront the question of whether the remedies it offers are actually healing anyone.An unexpected source of enlightenment turns up in the form of childhood friend, Patrick, now working in London, who has been looking for Franz under his original name, and a young doctor, Jake. Their shared vision for a new project begins to absorb Franz as well, if he can learn to trust again and work with them as a team.Patrick, who grew up with Franz and knows his extraordinary history, and Ella who until recently only knew him in his recent role as director of The Healing Place, hold between them the key to Franz's own healing.But before they can all move forward, there are still two frightened children to be found, and in the process of standing in for Sharma in one of his classes, Franz begins to understand something of the strange path that Sharma himself has chosen and the hazards he is going through in tracing the abducted boys.At the same time, the vicar and the sinister figure both move into the spotlight and will each make their indelible imprint on the future of The Healing Place, on Franz and Ella and the generation to come.

Jamie Quinn is shot and left for dead by three men hunting an escaped slave. He crosses the state of Missouri and finds himself riding first with Jennison’s Jayhawkers and then with Bolin’s bushwackers. He saves one of the men he has been chasing from being sold downriver and, brings down a corrupt plantation owner.Jamie Quinn is shot and left for dead by three men hunting an escaped slave. After being nursed back to health by a squaw on the Otoe Reservation, he crosses the state of Missouri and finds himself riding first with Jennison’s Jayhawkers and then with Bolin’s bushwackers. He saves one of the men he has been chasing from being sold downriver and, with the help of a female Union spy, brings down a corrupt plantation owner. The story is set against the chaos of Missouri—one of the border states that refused to commit to either side during the Civil War. It traces Quinn’s odyssey from Kansas City to St.Louis and examines the devastating effects the war had on its citizens: The bonds and boundaries of trust in the social order are gone. Families and communities are destroyed; revenge and retaliation replace the rule of law; graft and corruption becomes its currency. Nothing is what it seems and the moral universe is in turmoil. Guerrillas ride roughshod across the landscape wearing any uniform that suits them. A black slave hunts a white runaway. Union soldiers capture fugitive slaves and their commanding officer trades them for horses. Union generals trade contraband with plantation owners to buy arms in Mexico. It is the women in Quinn’s war who make a difference. There are the Oto battlefield nurse who heals him, the teacher who becomes a spy after her husband is executed in front of his family, the two prostitutes, one a white fugitive and the other a black runaway, who form their own relationship and work to protect each other.

(Short Story, Sci-Fi, Alien Invasion) Everything is going fine for Anaximander, until one day he awakens to find that his home is being overrun by an alien force.Prequel to Ascent of the Fallen, Book I of the Chronicles. Set almost a decade before, Lord Fallondon Breck is a young knight searching for glory and purpose in the Kingdom of Heaven. After campaigns near Jerusalem he is stationed along the pilgrim road in Syria and tasked with an important mission: find and stop an unknown killer crucifying those traveling to Antioch.Fallondon's company of knights are dispatched to Ghmam, a remote village in the hills near Tishreen. Before he can do anything about his errand, he must face his most challenging trial: winning over the villagers, their proud leader, his resourceful son, and his beautiful daughter. Little does Fallondon know that the spiritual forces of darkness are already set against him.This prequel novella tells the tale of how crusader knight Lord Fallondon Breck met his love, won his spurs, and faced down evil. It's a blend of Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker-inspired spiritual warfare combined with the action and adventure of Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood, and The 13th Warrior. If you enjoy Christian fantasy mixed with military-inspired action and 12th century historical fiction, you'll love this! Join Lord Fallondon Breck and his knights as they challenge evil and seek to recover their most precious reward: their own hearts.Favorite beta reader comment: "I didn't put it down it was that good. Finished in one sitting!"

Irene had the most beautiful dream ever. She soon realized that it was more than a dream; much, much more. She discovered that she had been entrusted with a powerful pearl, which could spread peace, love and understanding to all those around her.Irene had the most beautiful dream ever. She soon realized that it was more than a dream; much, much more. She discovered that she had been entrusted with a powerful pearl, which could spread peace, love and understanding to all those around her. She soon realizes that it is better to share the pearl's power with others, and not keep it to herself. This story is a feel good story for young readers and adults alike.

Major Marlowe Kana has just been found guilty of treason against the United American State! Every Feed on the Net has been covering the events of her trial, and two questions remain to be answered: What will happen to MK, and what will the nation watch now that the Next Top Soldier Hall-of-Famer and star most-watched Feed in history is locked away? The answer shocks the nation to its core.It's 51 years after the Second American Civil War. The 40 million citizens of the United American State are aghast to find that their biggest celebrity, Major Marlowe Kana of the Imagen Military and Security Division (MilSec), has just been found guilty of treason. Every Feed on the Net has been covering the events of her trial, and two questions remain to be answered: What will happen to MK, and what will the nation watch now that the Next Top Soldier Hall-of-Famer (and star of the most-watched Feed in history) is locked away? The answer comes almost immediately and shakes the country to its core. This eBook contains Book 1, Volume 1 (chapters 1-10) for easy reading in your reading platform of choice. Read new chapters of the Marlowe Kana series for free at the website -- a new chapter is published every Monday!

**In *City of the Lost*, a thrilling new eBook in six parts, *New York Times* and *Globe and Mail *bestselling author Kelley Armstrong delivers us to Rockton, a secret little town in the far north where the hunted go to hide. And where a hunter has now come to play. **A sadistic killer is loose in Rockton, and whip-smart detective Casey Butler is on the job. Meanwhile, her best friend, Diana, has fallen so far in with the wrong crowd that Isabel, the owner of the local bar and brothel, accuses Diana of “freelancing.” Then evidence of*another* horrific murder shocks the town. Casey feels herself ever more drawn to the difficult, brooding sheriff, Eric Dalton—until his startling confession turns her world upside down…

After three years, Jace Montgomery is still grieving over his fiancée Stacy's mysterious suicide. He hasn't been interested in another woman since her passing, and her family still blames him for her death. While flipping through one of her old paperbacks, Jace discovers a photo of a house stuck between the pages, bearing the cryptic message, "Ours again. Together forever. See you there." The note was dated the day before her death. Obsessed by the possibility of understanding Stacy's suicide, Jace seeks out the property - Priory House, a big brick fortress in Margate, England - and buys it. It doesn't take long to learn that the house is haunted by a headstrong and feisty ghost, Ann Stuart, whom he must tangle with if he's ever to solve the mystery. Ann died under circumstances similar to those of his late fiancée, and he has a hunch that there is a connection between the two. Through his own investigations and with the help of a beautiful foreign correspondent who is worn out by what she's seen in the world, Jace is forced to reconcile his fiancée's life and her death. What follows is a satisfying and seductive discovery of both time and love by one of America's favorite storytellers.

These three stories, set during the summer of 1940, draw on Italo Calvino’s memories of his own adolescence during the Second World War, too young to be forced to fight in Mussolini’s army but old enough to be conscripted into the Italian youth brigades. The callow narrator of these tales observes the mounting unease of a city girding itself for war, the looting of an occupied French town, and nighttime revels during a blackout. Appearing here in its first English translation, Into the War is one of Calvino’s only works of autobiographical fiction. It offers both a glimpse of this writer’s extraordinary life and a distilled dram of his wry, ingenious literary voice.

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Anne Tyler's *The Beginner's Goodbye.* "Without Anne Tyler, American fiction would be an immeasurably bleaker place." --NEWSDAY Evie Decker is a shy, slightly plump teenager, lonely and silent. But her quiet life is shattered when she hears the voice of Drumstrings Casey on the radio and becomes instantly attracted to him. She manages to meet him, bursting out of her lonely shell--and into the attentive gaze of the intangible man who becomes all too real....

A stand-alone  novel in the best-selling Man-Kzin War anthology series created by multiple New York Times best seller Larry Niven. A young man and his Kzin friend seek technological bounty on a forbidden planet while in a race with Kzin space pirates willing to kidnap and kill to make the treasure their own. A thrilling stand-alone novel addition to the long-running, popular Man-Kzin Wars series created by New York Times multiple best seller, Larry Niven. “Ah, the wealth o’ the treasure planet be beyond the dreams of Man or the hopes o’ Kzin!” On Wunderland, a generation after Liberation, memories of the bloody kzin conquest and Occupation have faded, and men and kzin live largely in peace. But the fabulous treasure of the kzin pirates, hidden on a distant world, remains a magnet for freebooters. Young Peter Cartwright and his kzinrett friend Marthar receive information and map from a most unlikely source and soon themselves fighting the most ruthless pirates in Known Space for an unimaginable prize. About the Man-Kzin War Series:“[The Man-Kzin Wars series is] excellent . . .gripping . . .and expands well on Larry Niven’s universe. . . .” –Locus**