They say I'm one of them. That I'm special. Different. A threat to the Gov's plans. A Xi. They say that's why I got captured. All I can wonder is how I ended up here.All Bleu Dalton has ever wanted since the Day of Evanescence is for things to go back to the way they were before the Seven Nations became One and Carl Dickens became dictator. After the publication of Dickens' "Tri-Life: Be Successful" book, people of the New Nation started surviving according to the rules in the book, causing international chaos that Bleu believes she only sees; until one day when Bleu is mysteriously captured and the truth about her world and its fate becomes clearer than she could have ever imagined.

Christmas is approaching, and Kelly and her two teenage best friends have received a four-day vacation package at a luxurious ski resort. Kelly’s family owns the resort, and her identity is discovered by one of the guests at the hotel. While the girls are having fun, a stranger plots to kidnap Kelly and hold her for ransom. Will her faith in God be enough to help her to survive?Christmas is approaching, and Kelly and her two teenage best friends have received a four-day vacation package at a luxurious ski resort. Kelly’s family owns the resort, and her identity is discovered by one of the guests at the hotel. While the girls are having fun, a stranger plots to kidnap Kelly and hold her for ransom. As Kelly’s faith is tested, she must trust the one person who can help her to escape. Will her faith in God be enough to help her to survive?

The Captain is put on trial for crimes that have not been committed yet. From the courtroom he watches what will happen in the future.After being drawn into a prison ship the crew is frozen in time while the Captain is put on trial for crimes which have been been committed yet. He watches a holographic image of three Cadets and how one of the Cadets gets into trouble on a planet called Tarrago. A planet that has two races of beings. The evens which are green in colour and the odds who are blue. The odds are servants to the evens but trouble is brewing as they do not intend to be servants much longer.

Let’s bring the summer back with its fun and intrigues. Let’s tell a tale of love in a summer season… lets continue our story of Tyler Smiths.With Mavis back to give Tyler love lectures and Eric not around to check the potency in those lectures, Tyler has got no option than to put on the characters of the love lecture—Mr Superman and Jack; the lover boy. All because of who? Vanessa!...Let’s bring the summer back with its fun and intrigues. Let’s tell a tale of love in a summer season… lets continue our story of Tyler Smiths.With Mavis back to give Tyler love lectures and Eric not around to check the potency in those lectures, Tyler has got no option than to put on the characters of the love lecture—Mr Superman and Jack; the lover boy. All because of who? Vanessa! Surprised? Well, Glen is out of town leaving Vanessa heartbroken—as it seems in the beginning. Reluctantly but desperately and inevitably—since Tyler and Vanessa is now working in the same pub—Tyler became the Mr. Superman, saving Vanessa from her heartbrokenness. On the verge of putting on Jack the lover boy character, crisis began as Jason, the son of a rich business tycoon fell in love with Vanessa… and it seems Vanessa is interested until Glen came back ready to claim his love back again…I don’t know what happened next… and don’t ask me! Find out yourself!!! But what I’m sure of is this; you are going to be thrilled throughout this book because you’d be left to face some illusions yourself… how? Not what you’re thinking is going to happen!Be careful of this character in this book named Sophia. Don’t interact with her if you’re keeping a secret because you’re going to divulge it all… don’t say I didn’t warn you!!!

Ariel is a young woman with everything - her life is progressing well, she is a Class A university student, but, she has held a candle for many years for her beloved late grandmother Marni. A twist of fate plunges Ariel into an experience she will never forget, where she will discover the meaning of THE GRANDMOTHER'S MESSAGE.Blind giants run amok, voracious Weendigo who eat everything in sight, the horned one riding on a dragon-cat, characters from Ojibwa mythology come to life, a dark shaman, the Corrupted Horde, and a blight on the World Under the Flesh and the World of the Flesh. What's a young fiddler to do?Sixteen year old Ojibwa Rene DeClaire is disillusioned and alienated from the modern world in which she lives. She would rather play her fiddle, inhabiting the backwood of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, practicing the old ways and learning to be a shaman like her Grandma Rena. Her older brother Stephen lives in the forest, hiding from the government and the Eater of Souls. Her mother Judy worries about her children and their inability to compromise with the dominant civilization. But Grandma Rena knows how important it is that the siblings and their mother find the right path. She has dedicated her remaining days to helping all three of them open their eyes.Soon the younger DeClaires will find themselves in the World Under the Flesh, locked into a merciless battle to save the Heart of the Wilderness and the Land Between the Sky Waters from the Horde, the Blight and a powerful and corrupted shaman known as the Ogimauh. Along the way, they will have many adventures, joined by other characters first introduced in the Tales of da Yoopernatural, as well as new friends of myth and legend. They will find this struggle for the World Under the Flesh is also a struggle to awaken the world from which they came, the World of the Flesh.And it all revolves around the Heart of the Wilderness, a magical fiddle, and a fiddlestick.

Would you brush your teeth if it was your last day alive?In this 10,000 word short story a man searching for flowers for his daughter's birthday boquet stumbles on the rarest flower of all, yet what he finds calls into question everything from his day to day life to the very existance of his soul.short stories, flash fiction, anecdotes, poetry and quotations. Ideal for travelling or relaxing on holiday. Easy to read.

In the first story... Useless... Unwanted... Unloved... When those closest to you see you only as a useless crippled child with no hope of a future, where do you find the strength to prove them wrong? No one believed in Cara-AabiLynn, not even her own father and the woman who raised her. Born with a stunted arm and leg, those who she loved the most saw her as worthless and withheld their love...In the first story...Useless... Unwanted... Unloved...When those closest to you see you only as a useless crippled child with no hope of a future, where do you find the strength to prove them wrong?No one believed in Cara-AabiLynn, not even her own father and the woman who raised her. Born with a stunted arm and leg, those who she loved the most saw her as worthless and withheld their love from her. Given to a cruel man to cover her father's gambling debt, Cara's life of uncertainty became one of certain hardship and despair.Based on the Dragon Rite short story series.In the first story, candidates assemble to participate in the Dragon Rite, a ceremony to bond with a dragon hatchling.Cara has a chance to break free of her harsh life and bond with one of the dragon hatchlings, only if fate will allow her.AabiLynn's Dragon Rite Series:#0 AabiLynn's Dragon Rite: Dragon's Brood - Egg Hatchlings' Ritual - Prequel Teaser#1 AabiLynn's Dragon Rite: Break Dawn Riders -Those Who Are Chosen And Those Who Are Cast Off#2 AabiLynn's Dragon Rite: Esspell, Dragon's Sorcery- Might Of Swords, Might Of Magic

You ever thought about applying for a job you see in the paper. Ever wonder what psycho might be lurking behind the innocent words. A bloody thrill ride into a world of murder and madness. Leave sanity at the door. You've just walked into something you won't survive.It’s Volume 4 of TIW shorts! The fourth collection and possibly the last of totally pointless exactly 500 Challenge and exactly 200 Weekend Quickie flash fiction stories/scenes word nonsense (plus a few specials, relays, newsflashes from the TIW blog and collaborations) to entertain you while doing whatever you do when reading. For myself, it was a long and tricky half year in The Iron Writer. Through troubles and difficulties, there was always the TIW Challenge waiting for me.I hope you enjoy these short snippets just as much as I enjoyed writing them, and thanks again to Brian and all the other Iron Writers for allowing me into their community…I wouldn’t.

Part 2 of a serial.Moriarty Jackson heads to Kuroyama Junior High School and prepares to take on the toughest class in town in his pursuit of the stolen alphabet cards.Part 2 of the ABCs.Moriarty Jackson heads to Kuroyama Junior High School and prepares to take on the toughest class in town in his pursuit of the stolen alphabet cards. He's certain he'll find what he seeks there and save the day for the lovely Miss Takahashi- but could things really be that easy?

It is the autumn of 1864 and Richmond is surrounded on three sides by Union troops. This time the Yankees are not going away.Things become desperate for the O'Toole family, including thirteen year-old Ryan and eleven year-old Matthew, when they help a young freeman and his father escape from the city and the people of Richmond turn against them. Then they too must escape north to freedom.It is the autumn of 1864 in Richmond, Virginia. The great and glorious capitol of the Confederacy is surrounded on three sides by Union troops. This time the Yankees are not going away.Thirteen year-old Ryan and eleven year-old Matthew O’Toole, having moved from Boston to Richmond with their father, mother and big sister only a little more than three years earlier, find themselves in a dangerous predicament. As the war rages on around Richmond and it looks as if finally the Union might prevail, some of their southern friends turn against them. The two boys are considered "dirty Yankees" now and their loyalty is suspect. When the two boys help a freeman and his son to escape Richmond, the situation only becomes worse for the O’Toole family until they too must abandon their home and begin a danger-filled flight to the north and freedom.

A blind king at war with orcs and their half-dragon overlord faces the prospect of a war on two fronts he cannot win, but his insidious plan for victory may not turn out quite like he has planned.It is the far future and humanity has become stagnant. A device called the Interface enables all humans to link themselves to virtual realities and to download at whim any information that they might want. It is an existence devoted purely to leisure. But no one now remembers how to think for themselves. There is no need to learn or to gain knowledge. There is no striving for a better world, no need to improve oneself. No need to travel or work. Nothing changes, everything stays the same. That is, until Laurena Tyall asks the Interface a question that no one else has thought of asking for over two hundred years: what is it to learn? That one question changes her world forever and nothing will ever be the same again, or so she believes.

DARK LIBERATION is a cycle of 16 novels written over a period of forty years, from 1970 to 2010, with the theme that the key to the future of mankind lies within each individual, and not in some external salvator, be it religious or technological. While there is no need to read all of the novels, some overview of the cycle itself should deepen the reader's understanding of the novels they do read.DARK LIBERATION is a cycle of 16 novels written over a period of forty years, from 1970 to 2010. The fundamental theme of the cycle – which only became clear as the novels were written – is that the key to the future of mankind lies within each individual, and not in some external salvator, be it religious or technological. While this broad thematic stream runs through the cycle, the individual novels themselves are intended to stand alone – there is no requirement to read the works in sequence or even to read any more than those novels that take a reader’s interest. Obviously, though, some understanding of the main themes, and of the arrangement of the cycle in a series of subcycles, will help most readers increase their appreciation of whichever novels they read. For this reason, it would be worthwhile reading this short Introduction to the Dark Liberation cycle and the novels that comprise it.

To look askance suggests a questioning, sideways look at the world. Some of these twenty-five poems are lighthearted; others give expression to more serious moods. Either way, poems are best appreciated when read aloud. This is rhythmic, rhyming poetry.Insight into how we relate to our world and to one another is the theme of these twenty-five poems. The world is beautiful, but it requires us to face our common realities with courage and grace. A gentle sense of humor can be helpful, although some things are not funny. Painful truth is treated here with respect; however, it is probed with an honest eye. These thoughtful reflections are developed within the paradigm of faith and with trust in the divine plan.

When Emily and her friends get lost on Halloween night they have no idea what is in store for them, especially when the mystery of the Haunted Painting is revealed...The Vagary Tales are a collection of eight short stories that each follow a separate path on a wandering journey. Several genres are represented, so there is a story to appeal to almost anyone."What is Right" is a story about Christian, a young man who finds himself unable to recall his recent past. This puts him in danger when he discovers that remembering may cost him his life.​"The Man in Black" is my tribute to the great Johnny Cash. See how many song titles you can find in this short story about George, a prisoner in Folsom Prison.​​"Without a Trace" tells of the adventures of Todd and Charles who find a pair of underwear that turn the wearer invisible.​​"Three Gifts from the Queen" is an epic fantasy about a visit Lord Ranor makes to see the Queen. She presents to him three gifts: great and terrible gifts that Ranor wishes he hadn't received.​​"Cross Word" is a short story of a woman cursed with a cryptic message in her New York Times.​"Sweet Tea" is a story about a boy, and his dog, Barnard. Poor Barnard has post traumatic mowing syndrome. Lance asks his neighbor, Mr. Wegner, if he can help alleviate Barnard's psychosis.​​"The Grass is Greener" gives reason #52 why you shouldn't take your wife golfing.​Being a high-level assassin isn't all its cracked up to be. Just when you think you have it all--expensive suits, fast cars, weekends on a yacht, travel to exotic lands--everything you know comes crashing down around you. Jake Monday hates Mondays more than any other day of the week. This Monday will change his life forever. "Jake Monday" is an excerpt from my upcoming (2013) series.

Dedicated to my Youth is a collection of poems by a 20-year-old. It includes both expressive and narrative poems that lead you to a journey about dreams, disillusionment, loneliness, nostalgia, romance and confession.Dedicated to my Youth is a collection of poems by a 20-year-old. It includes both expressive and narrative poems about dreams, disillusionment, loneliness, nostalgia, romance, confession and etc. This is the first poetry collection written by me.

A short story about finding yourself and growing despite your experiences with death.Screaming Machinery are a power-trio from Manchester, playing gigs to rapturous crowds. But what their fans don't realise is that they are also mighty heroes, regularly saving the world with magic and sword.They are called upon again when Manchester comes under dire threat. Eighteen murders take place, each a node in a vast rune drawn across the city in blood. Something very large and powerful is coming through and it's up to Screaming Machinery to try and stop it ...