a collection of short fiction by Corey Mesler: more information can be found at www.kuboapress.wordpress.comFashion student Lacey Weston is desperate to leave the city and go home to Jumbuck Springs. Her three older brothers are adamant she’s not. They made a death bed promise to their mother that Lacey would stay the distance at design school and Ethan, the oldest, takes this responsibility very seriously. But Lacey is deeply homesick and determined not to be dissuaded again. She’s also impulsive enough to try anything – even faking a pregnancy.Ex-cop turned mechanic, Cooper Grainger – one of Ethan’s oldest friends – agrees to watch out for Lacey in the city even though he has a history with her he’d rather forget. How hard could it be, right? But a couple of years later, Coop is over pulling Lacey out of scrapes and cleaning up her messes as she tries to outrun her grief and sense of dislocation. He takes her back to Jumbuck Springs so she can persuade her brothers to let her come home. But things don’t go according to plan. Before Coop knows it Lacey’s pregnant and he’s putting his hand up as the fake baby daddy, filling in for the town mechanic and moving in with her at the local pub.Lacey is thrilled to have won a reprieve but nothing about the situation sits well with Coop. Least of all having sweet little Lacey Weston as his new roomie…

Charlotte Baskerville, designer of small dog clothing, is asked if her Russian dog trainer will play Santa at the last minute. As she struggles to get him ready, an elf costume and other Chihuahua couture disappear from her workshop. This is a stand-alone story that features characters from the full-length mystery, 'Chihuahua of the Baskervilles,' published by St. Martin's Press.Obsessive and driven by nightmares, Ava Baio is uprooted from her Chicago home after the untimely and tragic death of her loving mother. Alone for the first time in her life, at a new school in a new town, Ava finds herself sorting through unfamiliar and unsettling feelings with a secretive yet beautiful boy, Ari. After an unconventional start to their relationship, Ava becomes intensely absorbed by her love for Ari, and with his help and the help of his family, she discovers who she really is – a Fate descended from Atropos. She learns that the Greek mythology she grew up reading is not truly a myth after all and that she is the key in an ancient war- the only weapon her new family has to survive.Will she be able to separate her heart from her destiny? Is she willing to kill to protect those she loves?

Lisa and David divorce, and on rebound, Graham seduces Lisa, then dumps her. A now insecure Lisa enters clandestine relationships with Jacob, a younger man and Ryan, a one night stand. Can Lisa stop her one night stand trait to have a mature relationship? Can she deal with heartbreak and open her heart to find the right man for her? Who is the right man for Lisa?Lisa and David divorce, and on rebound, Graham seduces Lisa, then dumps her. A now insecure Lisa enters clandestine relationships with Jacob, a younger man and Ryan, a one night stand. This makes Lisa's son Hugh, seek refuge with a religious group. In desperation, Lisa turns to friends she trusts totally - Ruth, Hope & Trish. Unknown to Lisa, Hope has an affair with Graham while Graham is still going out with Lisa, falls pregnant and gives birth to Kimberly. After Graham and Lisa split, Hope also splits with Graham and goes after Lisa's new younger boyfriend Jacob. Matters come to a head when Lisa discovers the betrayal and in her attempt to deal with it, coming as it does on top of exhaustion and emotional distress, (because of looking out for her terminally ill sister) Lisa suffers a temporary breakdown which is wrongly construed as attempted suicide by the church people. This makes the church people more determined to separate Hugh from Lisa. Now Lisa has to carefully navigate single parenthood to get back her son's trust. Lisa's nagging mother comes into the fray purporting to look out for her divorced daughter, to instead, cause mayhem and confusion. Can Lisa stop her one night stand trait? Is she able to have a reasonable and mature relationship with her ex husband? Can Lisa accept and deal with the pain of a heartbreak and open her heart to find the right man for herself?Who is the right man for Lisa? Is it the married man? Or the young lover? Or the one night stand or her ex husband?

**Smitten (a novella) is Part I of the Book Zerrin by Patria L. DunnWaterville, Maine is exactly where Alana Cassidy never expected to end up. Just across the river from Winslow, the town she grew up in, it is where she is now forced to call home. Placed in a horrible foster home, with equally horrible foster parents, the death of her mother and father five years ago was only the beginning of the nightmare her life has become. All she wanted was out of the life she hadn’t wanted, and the opportunity just presented itself, sooner than the eighteenth birthday she’d been looking forward to. Jonas of Altonia: former guard of the King’s court, banned from his home, injured and dying he waited out his fate, hidden under a forgotten dock deep in the woods behind the Pernickle’s farm. He hadn’t wanted to be saved, but she’d heard his song, planting a seed that took root the second she dragged him free of what would have been a fresh water grave. He’d expected her to be frightened by his kind…it was in all the stories. It was forbidden for Merman to show themselves to human kind, and yet, she hadn’t tried to kill him. It hadn’t been his intention to take her from her world, back into his, but she had nothing to lose, and he had everything to gain. Smitten by his essence, and desperate to get away from it all, Alana can’t see past the ocean’s call within his eyes. She needs a way out, and he just might be it. **Smitten (a novella) is Part I of the Book Zerrin by Patria L. Dunn

When Stacey sits for the two Brooke kids, she can't help noticing that their dad is a very cute single father, and the perfect match for her single mom.

Ellen Gulden leaves her life as a successful New York journalist, to return home and care for her mother Kate diagnosed with cancer. In the short time they have left, the relationship between mother and daughter - tender, awkward and revealing - deepens, and Ellen is forced to confront painful truths about her adored father. After Kate's death, Ellen goes from devoted daughter to prime suspect, accused of the mercy killing.

European waters are rife with mighty naval battles - not least the renowned Battle of Amalfi of 1527. Yet for Andrea Doria, the Admiral of the King of France, he soon learns that the battles he confronts are not confined to sea alone. The House of Dorian is plagued with conflict, both within and without, and Andrea finds that he has very real enemies in his midst.

In an alternate-world Los Angeles, prosecutor/psychic Lee Enfield and her partner, Gelert, investigate the murder of an elf. They soon reveal a deadly network of ties among organized crime, multinational corporations, and planetary governments of the Seven Worlds--all working together on the "ethnic cleansing" of elves from the alternate world of Alfheim. Original.

At empire's end war is not all hell. Mocker finds old friends in the halls of death, and Nepanthe new lovers in the fields of blood and bone. The war-child wields the sword of truth: the Star Rider's dread secret is at last revealed. And so it ends. Though "end" is but a wizard-word for new beginnings.

A Relatross Treaty sector Governor was the last thing the Turon bureaucrats wanted, and why one was needed. They thought "The Great Boar" would reject their choice of advocate in his family and repudiate the treaty. Where had the methods they used come from? The Treaty of Relatross was the most carefully-worded treaty ever written. "The team Destiny created" was defined in what it didn't say.A Relatross Treaty sector Governor was the last thing the Turon bureaucrats wanted, and why one was needed. They thought "The Great Boar" would reject their choice of advocate in his family and repudiate the treaty. The bureaucrats weren't smart enough to have come up with the methods they'd used to hide the oppression on their world. Where had they come from? The Treaty of Relatross was the most carefully-worded treaty ever written. "The team Destiny created" was defined in what it didn't say.Why were the bureaucrats running for Yarrow sector. The emperor of the empire that didn't rule was sworn to protect the sector. He sent his cousin, the Relatross governor to learn what was happening there. The answer was horror and a desperate race to save the people of nine worlds.

A Memoir by a Former newsman On the final months Of President Lyndon B. Johnson's White House When Carter joined the speech-writing staff in February, 1968, it was presumed that LBJ would seek re-election. Some of the old writing team were opting out and Carter was deemed as a replacement. It was a landmark year of upheaval across America and in the White House with some lighter moments.Uncharted Frontier returns with our February-March 2014 issue! This is an Open Themed issue, so you will find creative works of all kinds within these pages. Richard Lawrence continues his incredible Merlin Saga!First time appearances by: Maurice R. Beaulieu III with his story, The Last Library in the WorldChristopher Barnes with his poem, Fun Not FairHolly Day with her story, Sam The RatJames Field with his story, Sluggish Bullet

A Science Fiction Fantasy answering the age old question of who am I? Lara had always wondered about her place in the world . Her disillusionment at finding the answer led her on a trail half way across the world and beyond discovering long lost secrets and loves. As she unravelled the truth, her identity and destiny became clear.It’s been a year since the initial outbreak of the zombie apocalypse, and for the survivors in the suburbs of Philadelphia, everything is about to change. When a mysterious man shows up at the gate of their safe zone, proclaiming to have “a product of vital interest and importance”, more than a few residents wanted answers, including Connor. Venturing to the nearby Chemcorp facility, survivors throughout the region gather and are introduced to a chemist named Abe Morrow . . . and to a product that would change everything.

A short story originally included in 'The Year in Ink Anthology' vol. 4, 'June Gloom and Golden Sand' tells the tale of a man returning to Coronado, California after 15 years and trying to find something he lost in the course of those years. He tries to recapture his hope. He tries to recapture his life.One look was all it took for Neal. One look before she was gone and he was too. Then one day he follows her home and that is only the beginning of the journey that makes him question everything about the nature of his love, life and even reality. Bewilder is the first in a series of interweaving Short Stories called 'Diamonds'. A mosaic of ideas and themes dealing with fantasy, reality, love, death, redemption and joy.

Romance. 29340 words long. First published in 2011

She's suffered the very worst of betrayals. And now Sarah's facing a divorce she never expected. With Christmas round the corner, what better time to re-evaluate her life? As she reconsiders every choice she's made, she starts to wonder if her life was so perfect after all. This winter, lose yourself in Sarah's world of unmade decisions, lost friends and old flames...

Almost a Wedding (A Left at the Altar Novella)

Hemlock has retreated back into the shadows of the Warrens, content, for a time, to gather her strength. But she knows a new enemy is returning to the City: a titan of the past with an ambition to rule with an iron hand. When rogue wizards move against the eastern mountains, it becomes clear that DuLoc's campaign has begun--even if the man himself has not yet arrived.Hemlock has retreated back into the shadows of the Warrens, content, for a time, to gather her strength. But she knows a new enemy is returning to the City: a titan of the past with an ambition to rule with an iron hand. When rogue wizards move against the eastern mountains, it becomes clear that DuLoc's campaign has begun--even if the man himself has not yet arrived. Gwineval marshals the forces of the City to resist DuLoc's plans, but Hemlock feels she must take a different path. She makes a decision to forgo the initial campaign to pursue what she hopes will be a greater boon. But she doesn't anticipate another dark presence standing between her and her goals. She must face this unanticipated foe in order to advance her plans to save the City.