From the author of The Stars Look Down and The Citadel, and the creator of Dr Finlay's Casebook A J Cronin was commissioned by The American Weekly to write a Christmas story for the December 21st issue in 1958. His vision for the story is described in his letter of acceptance: “It came to me very strongly that to achieve the highest and most profoundly touching results I should go back to the first Christmas of all and create a vivid reconstruction of the effects of the birth of the Child upon certain characters, notably the wife of the innkeeper where no room was found for Mary and Joseph. The title of the story would be The Innkeper’s Wife, for she, as I imagine her, is the central human character—a good and tender-hearted woman, childless herself, and bullied by an assertive and miserly husband.” Here now is the alternative story of Christmas, narrated with great skill, by the author of The Citadel, Hatter’s Castle and The Stars Look Down**

A spellbinding novel of two women connected across fifty years by art, love, betrayals, secrets, and motherhood. Lexie Sinclair is plotting an extraordinary life for herself. Hedged in by her parents' genteel country life, she plans her escape to London. There, she takes up with Innes Kent, a magazine editor who wears duck-egg blue ties and introduces her to the thrilling, underground world of bohemian, post-war Soho. She learns to be a reporter, to know art and artists, to embrace her life fully and with a deep love at the center of it. She creates many lives--all of them unconventional. And when she finds herself pregnant, she doesn't hesitate to have the baby on her own. Later, in present-day London, a young painter named Elina dizzily navigates the first weeks of motherhood. She doesn't recognize herself: she finds herself walking outside with no shoes; she goes to the restaurant for lunch at nine in the morning; she can't recall the small matter of giving birth. But for her boyfriend, Ted, fatherhood is calling up lost memories, with images he cannot place. As Ted's memories become more disconcerting and more frequent, it seems that something might connect these two stories-- these two women-- something that becomes all the more heartbreaking and beautiful as they all hurtle toward its revelation. Here Maggie O'Farrell brings us a spellbinding novel of two women connected across fifty years by art, love, betrayals, secrets, and motherhood. Like her acclaimed The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, it is a "breathtaking, heart-breaking creation." (The Washington Post Book World) and it is a gorgeous inquiry into the ways we make and unmake our lives, who we know ourselves to be, and how even our most accidental legacies connect us.

Following the revelation that Ebony is an angel, and Nathaneal’s narrow victory in battle with Prince Luca, the two are enjoying their newfound love. But Ebony’s friend Jordan is bitterly angry that he has lost the girl of his dreams. Then suddenly Prince Michael arrives to arrest Nathaneal for breaking Avena’s law when he revealed his powers on Earth in his bid to save Ebony from Luca. Nathaneal is forced to return to Avena without Ebony to stand trial. Jordan seizes the opportunity to plant doubt in Ebony’s mind about Nathaneal and her own angelic nature. Desperate to find out what has happened to her adoptive parents, Ebony is persuaded by Jordan to believe that new teacher Mr Xavier, who claims to be her uncle, can introduce her to her real father. Disaster inevitably follows and Ebony finds herself at the centre of another epic battle in the realm of Avena itself.

A thrilling new novella from the author of the Everneath series!Jack is trapped for eternity in the Tunnels while Nikki has managed to evade Cole's grasp . . . for now. But Cole is more desperate than ever to find answers about Nikki, his best chance for taking over the throne of the underworld. How did she survive the Feed? Can Cole find another Forfeit like her who can survive it too?Cole's quest leads him to the other side of the world, to a mysterious, dangerous society known as the Delphinians, whose price for information might be higher than Cole can pay—a price that could destroy Nikki. But when Cole attempts to steal the answers instead, his mission ends in disaster. Faced with centuries in a Delphinian dungeon, Cole is confronted with questions he's been too scared to ask himself: Is he really obsessed with the throne—or is he obsessed with Nikki? And can she really give him a new beginning as the Everneath's king . . . or will she instead bring about his tragic end?

Going against Mary Hightower's wishes, Nick, "the chocolate ogre," is slowly trying to reach every kid in Everlost to hand each and every one a coin, which will release them from Everlost. Mikey McGill and Allie have joined a band of skinjackers who have more of an impact on the living world then any other inhabitant of Everlost. Except Mikey can't skinjack and Allie can - and there is a very good reason: Allie is not actually dead.

Discworld's only demonology hacker, Eric, is about to make life very difficult for the rest of Ankh-Morpork's denizens. This would-be Faust is very bad. . . at his work, that is. All he wants is to fulfill three little wishes:to live forever, to be master of the universe, and to have a stylin' hot babe. But Eric isn't even good at getting his own way. Instead of a powerful demon, he conjures, well, Rincewind, a wizard whose incompetence is matched only by Eric's. And as if that wasn't bad enough, that lovable travel accessory the Luggage has arrived, too. Accompanied by his best friends, there's only one thing Eric wishes now -- that he'd never been born!

R. Austin Freeman was a 20th century fiction author best known for detective mysteries. He went so far as to claim he invented the "inverted detective" genre, but regardless of what credit he deserves, his work continues to be read today.

Old Mr. Toad was acting strangely, and his behavior puzzled all the creatures of the Green Meadow. You see, he was in a hurry, and Old Mr. Toad NEVER hurried unless he was in danger. Where on earth could he be off to? To find out, Jimmy Skunk, Peter Cottontail, Unc' Billy Possum, and some other animals of the Green Forest secretly follow the old gentleman through the fields and woods as he makes his way to a very important engagement.Young readers will enjoy discovering Old Mr. Toad's destination in this delightful tale by master storyteller, Thornton W. Burgess. Set in the timeless fictional locale of the Green Forest and the Smiling Pool, this book transports today's youngsters to the same world of gentle breezes and lovable creatures that has delighted generations of children before then. There, they'll enjoy the warmth and whimsy of this tale while learning important lessons about nature, the environment, and the "lesser folk of fur and feathers."

A novel about the events in the life of a young girl in her grandfather's care, in the Swiss Alps.

After Selene's homeland falls to the Pari curse, she is forced to must contest for the throne by her insidious fiancé. When rivalries threaten to plunge the country into civil war, Selene must fight through magic and malice—her family's fate hangs in the balance.The Puppet Queen is a young adult fantasy retelling of Sleeping Beauty infused with the folklore of the Middle EastRun, run, run as fast as you can—and that is exactly what Selene does when she discovers that the curse set on her family and emirate, destining them to eternal slumber, is solely her fault. But pasts are not so easily left behind.On Selene’s eighteenth birthday, her emirate falls to the enchantment and her jilted fiancé, the conniving Lord Gwydion drags her home. While Selene clashes with her fiancé, the ailing Queen of Ghalain summons the emirs to contest for the throne. Each emir has a claim, but the crown holds special meaning for Selene: as queen, she would have the leverage necessary to oblige the Pari to lift the curse.In Ghalain’s capital, Selene stumbles into the labyrinthine mire that is court intrigue. When political rivalries threaten to plunge the country into civil war, Selene must fight through magic and malice to emerge victorious. Her family’s fate swings in the balance.

A young boy makes a wish on his favorite star. He wishes he had a friend to play with. That wish will change his life.Seventeen-year-old Alexis has visionary dreams that take her to Avalon, the realm of faeries.She discovers this other world is real, and it is where she was created. Switched at birth, Alexis is a changeling, simply disguised well to fit in with humans. Through a vision, she learns of her derailed heritage and about the day she was born, when the worst kind of evil killed her mother.This evil is now after Alexis, and a prophecy insists she is the only one who can stop it. As she plans the creature's demise, it spends its time terrorizing both humans and faeries. To complicate matters, Alexis falls dangerously in love with a depraved faery. One who is close to the evil she is trying to stop. She feels connected to both worlds, and also to both dark and light. Struggling with who she is while deciding how to fulfill the prophetic claims, Alexis must choose a sacrifice to stop this abomination -- be it human, fae ... or even herself.

This long-awaited sixth and final novel of the bestselling Civil War saga finds the war drawing to an end. Tia's work as guiding angel to Rebel soldiers attracts the affections of a Union soldier. Though Tia would never willingly marry a Yankee, their passion puts them in a compromising position.

A good old-fashioned shoot-out in the American West of the frontier days serves as the springboard for this hyperkinetic adventure in which gunslingers, led by Kim Carson, fight for galactic freedom. The Place of Dead Roads is the second novel in the trilogy with Cities of the Red Night and The Western Lands.

A major collection of Carver's short stories, including seven new stories written shortly before the author's death in 1988.

Eight short stories covering the range from mythical through fantasy to inter-dimensional, and more! Thought-provoking commentary on altruism, greed and politics. Witty, pithy and pointed, these stories will please many different tastes.Eight short stories covering the range from mythical through fantasy to inter-dimensional, and more! Thought-provoking commentary on altruism, greed and politics. Witty, pithy and pointed, these stories will please many different tastes. These previously unpublished stories include: Death and Taxes, Captive Audience, A Walk on the Wind, The Book of Fate, The Castle-O-Lantern, Catspaw, Hunting Licence, and Involunteer.

An evil scientist is imprisoning and torturing Jedi to find the secret behind the Force. She taps their emotions, monitors their actions . . . and then drains them of their blood. Qui-Gon Jinn is now her captive. Obi-Wan Kenobi is desperately searching for his Master. Meanwhile, Qui-Gon must match wits with one of the most dangerous enemies he has ever encountered. His survival depends on it.

After tragedy rocks her world, fifteen-year-old Willow Flynn tries to find her niche in the ever-cliquey high school world while dealing with her emotionally preoccupied mother, as well as a cute, but sickly boy who strives to mend her broken heart, while far away, on an island, in the middle of nowhere. But will he be able to, especially when his own existence remains so uncertain?After a tragic set of circumstances alters her life forever, Willow Flynn, named after the shady, weeping tree, finds herself transplanted, moving far away from the small Massachusetts town she grew up in. Willow loses her beloved father in an accident and she and her family have no choice but to accept her uncle’s charity by relocating to his summerhouse, off the coast of Maine, on an island, in the middle of nowhere.Fifteen-year-old Willow leaves behind her closest friends and must try to fit in and find her own niche in the ever-cliquey high school world and, at times, feels as isolated and alone as the small, remote island she now lived on.At the beginning of the school year, a sickly, but cute boy named Michael sends Willow the first of many cryptic notes during homeroom. He stares at Willow and gives her the creeps. Michael never returns to school after that, but Willow ends up connecting with the poetic and mysterious boy on-line where they strike up an unusual friendship.In the midst of the loud and chaotic lunchroom, Erica and Taylor, two best friends who grew up together on Pike’s Island, befriend Willow. Willow tries to connect with the pair, but things never fully click between them especially since Willow doesn’t thrive on hurtful gossip the way they do.On the other hand, the sassy and stuck-up Tessa Anderson, who prefers the company of male co-eds, sees a bit of herself in the new girl and promptly takes Willow under her wing. Tessa introduces Willow to the hottest and most popular senior boys and let’s her new little friend tag along to some of the coolest parties on the island where Willow ends up doing things she never would have imagined.As Willow tries to find her place and maneuver through the hallways and heartbreaks of her teenage years, the one thing she is certain of is that she will never open herself up again to love. She had already lost her father and couldn’t bear the thought of losing anyone else. But fate has a will of its own and Willow slowly begins to realize that she can’t keep her fragile heart guarded forever, even to a boy whose existence remains uncertain.

Fictional stories for children and adults in relation to Biblical events. They are written from the viewpoint of imaginary children, as they might have lived in and around the times of the various biblical people and stories.The narratives are meant to help make the intent of Bible stories more understandable to the minds and hearts of children, so they may comprehend the significance and the power of the Word of God more readily. These books are given away free. Please help me spread the news of my Christian Children's Stories - all I ask is that when you pass them on, that you send your friends here to my online page. This makes more "hits" for my online statistics. Thank you. Alice ~

It’s noble to comfort a grieving widow, but Marvin gave too much comfort. 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 the second Kitty & Rose free short story. It's upload date is 2-15-17.