A collection of complete first chapters of 12 different novels by award-winning author Melissa BowersockIt was upon a mighty river’s crescent where the last surviving remnants of Witchkind struggled for supremacy of their future. But before any wars could be fought, these witches first needed to survive the convergence of two massive storms, each holding ramifications of their own.One storm had been swirling across the warm coastal waters of their newly founded land, building strength as it did, one of fierce wind and deepening water - while the other had been following a great river southwards, tracing its course in search of his own identity, a storm of regenerating flesh and self-binding bones, and one with the ability to drag the fates of all the future along whichever path he chose.So as the swamp fills with water, three witches shall begin their silent battle for this new power, and thus the future… but not all of them will be able to escape that flood with their lives.

Science Fiction short story.Krin Tlento finds herself on the run from the bulls of the barendi herd she was hunting. Her radio sabotaged, she has but one option: to face death with honor, as befits one of the People of Tlar, with her fangs in the throat of a barendi bull.In the unlikely event she should survive, her second priority is to retake her ship from the mutineers who left her to die.A story of twins whose father had a disgraced childhood. In his endless quest to achieve success, he fell in love with a lady who later dumped him due to poverty and at that time, she was pregnant. But as fate will have it, he became a bestseller and made a fortune.Yet somewhere, the story is unsweet, as his kids have exact resemblance with his wife, a reflection he might find difficult to bear. Now the kids named Facebook and Twitter Curtis are now writing a series titled "Daddy Please".Hope you read and become a part of their life. As they are still yet to ever know their daddy.

The air and sunlight are borrowed, the surface is unstable, and the people are – inventive. Welcome to Neptune Road.Welcome to Neptune- where the air and sunlight are borrowed, the surface is unstable, and the people are - inventive. In this first collection, we meet many of the central characters - and they meet each other. Sam Brubeck arrives on Neptune having ditched Earth and under suspicion for the murder of his mother. He meets the crew of an improvised vessel called the Tumbleweed, and finds that remaining anonymous on Neptune is going to be tougher than he thought. Add in a nine-year-old orphan roboticist, a cyborg with a telly for a head and an attitude, and an agent with an intriguing identity, plus a lot of tangled history - and technology, all on an unstable planet - and here we go.This is Radio Neptune reminding you, each new day is a chance to go out and do something worth putting on the radio.

A young college student is framed by his boss for malfunctioning microchips; a field he specializes in. He soon finds out the secret motive behind the curtain and works to not only bring the people responsible to justice, but also win the girl of his dreams.Have you ever had a roller coaster type of day, where you finally hack into the network of the large corporation in order to meet the cute security lady, however on the way back from finally not getting arrested, you find out your boss is trying to frame you for putting faulty microchips into 185 patients at the DMC, just as your depression meds are wearing off? This is the first five pages. It only gets stranger from here. Including guest appearances by Geoffrey Fieger (please don't tell him.)

Captain Strength, ally of Blackstar and Greenpants and all-around decent human being, was once just an ordinary citizen. A horrible accident would change an altruistic young man's life forever, but would ultimately lead to him having the power to take on the forces of evil and other bad stuff.Book 7 in The Littlest Missionary Series finds Jael learning an important lesson about the word 'No'. She seems to hear it all the time, but why isn't she allowed to tell her mommy and daddy 'No'? It's frustrating, and Jael must find out what the Bible has to say and when she CAN use the word at the right time. It's a powerful word! Can she figure it out?

In the thrilling second book of the Magnificent 12 series, Mack MacAvoy is challenged by his spectral mentor, Grimluk--who only appears in the shiny chrome pipes of bathrooms. Mack must find the ancient ones, the great forgotten forces. Some will help; some not so much. But above all-- Learn the ways of Vargran Assemble the twelve Go to the nine dragons of Daidu. Go to the Egge rocks. Beware of . . . the trap. Time is short The wicked Pale Queen's three-thousand-year banishment ends in thirty-five days, and she will be free to destroy the world. It's up to Mack to stop her return. But what do all of Grimluk's clues mean? Can Mack achieve everything he must do without getting killed by the evil Risky--and escape the trap? "The Magnificent 12: The Trap" is another fast-paced episode in bestselling author Michael Grant's hilarious fantasy-adventure series.

The White Little Bird, a funny, witty, full of imagination and supremely whimsical, but an undercurrent of loneliness and sadness runs through it, giving it depth. This book from 1902 introduces the first appearance of Peter Pan who is to be found wandering London's Kensington Gardens at night. However, this only takes up a very few chapters in the book. The rest being the story told by a man about his relationship with a little boy David and his mother.

When Fortune McCall is asked to look into possible arsons of tenement buildings in the worst part of Sovereign City, Fortune gives the duty to his cousin Tracy Scott. As brick and steel burn around her, Tracy confronts corruption, deceit, and a madness most heated.From the waterways of Sovereign City and the explosive imagination of author Derrick Ferguson comes a Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series of digital singles featuring characters from Ferguson's The Adventures of Fortune McCall! Tales of Fortune is a recurring series of stand alone tales that will spotlight the team of friends that work side by side with Fortune McCall in his sanctioned crusade to save Sovereign City from its criminal element. From the decks of McCall's floating casino, The Heart of Fortune, to the darkest parts of Sovereign itself, the men and women who support McCall in his fight against evil now shine on their own in Tales of Fortune!The debut story in this series, For Violent Fires that Soon Burn Out, focuses on Tracy Scott, McCall's cousin and probably the second most dangerous person on the Heart of Fortune. When McCall is asked by the head of a local organization to look into possible arsons of tenement buildings in the worst part of Sovereign, Fortune gives the duty to Tracy. With her own prejudices as well very negative feelings about playing detective, Tracy takes to the streets of the city to learn who is striking out at Sovereign's poor and helpless. As brick and steel burn around her, Tracy finds herself confronting corruption, deceit, and a madness most heated. For Violent Fires that Soon Burn Out, the first digital single in Derrick Ferguson's Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series- The Tales of Fortune! From Pro Se Productions.

The Prince of Ravens has known nothing but privilege and power - until the day an attempt is made on his life. Now he must flee across the Empire he once helped to rule, searching for answers and running from those who would have him silenced forever. He, the Seventh Child and prophesied Lord of Death, has been Exiled, and the Empire will stop at nothing to keep him from his destiny.The Prince of Ravens has vanished. Word spreads quickly from the Fortress of the Empress, through the dark streets of Lucien, and to the far corners of the Empire of Ages. The Children are summoned to the Fortress, and the people talk in muffled whispers, if they dare to talk at all, of secret plots and ancient prophecies. Some say the Prince was murdered, others that he was kidnapped; but underneath it all runs a darker word, one full of terrifying possibility:Exile.Rumor begets rumor, and soon the whisper of truth is lost in the swirling winds of growing fear. For the Prince of Ravens is the prophesied Lord of Death, and on his shoulders rests the fate of the Empire.

The old camera I bought one Sunday from the flea market was much more than I had hoped for. It came with a treasure, a record of disturbing events of the past that not even its former owner was aware of...On September 20, the zombie virus was released into the dense population of transients on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. It spread like unstoppable wildfire in all directions, decimating everything in its path for six full weeks before outside measures were taken to cleanse the scourge. This story takes place in that final time. Told through the eyes of a native Angelino, it offers a unique perspective to the events as they unfolded and to the aftermath of the virus. When it comes to safely navigating 747's Edgar Reynolds is a consummate professional. It's his personal life that's in shambles after a string of affairs he couldn't be bothered to hide. None of that matters to him the morning he wakes up to discover he's smack dead in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Now what's important is that he survives long enough to hijack a plane from LAX and flee the end of the world.

ChiarOscuro is an online fantasy series being published at https://chiaroscuroseries.wordpress.com/. In an alternate world where humanity survived an event which almost brought their extinction five millenia ago, the ancient power has returned and now a select few in this world, whether willingly or unwillingly, will play a role in keeping humanity's flame burning.ChiarOscuro Episode Four Welcome Back (Words 5,023).Koatsu & Skora are on a train towards the inner ring of the capital of Aludin and as they arrive closer old memories of their time back here are brought back only, their time being free may soon come to an end...SERIESChiarOscuro is an ongoing online fantasy series being published at https://chiaroscuroseries.wordpress.com/. Taking place in an alternate world where humanity is just discovering it's full potential after nearly being brought to extinction five millenia ago, the darkness that once threatened humanity has returned, seemingly with the intention to finish what they failed to do 5,000 years ago.ChiarOscuro is made up of 'Books' each one containing an Episode (these normally span a week or two) and a chapter is released throughout the duration of an episode. The official site will be the first place to find the newly released chapters at first, as well as extra pieces that delve deeper into the lore, world and characters of ChiarOscuro and once the Episode has concluded, it will be shortly be available as a single 'Book' to read in full.So follow a small select few in this time where the world's and humanity's certain is uncertain and travel with them to meet many different cultures, people, beliefs, customs through deserts, mountains, the city of nine walls and even the parts of the world the human eye cannot see...SERIES SUMMARYTaking place in a world where at the dawn of human civilisation, a catastrophe struck nearly bringing humanity to extinction and close to forever changing the world as we know it.They called them Demons, twisted, ruthless creatures with no seemingly other drive than to conquer all those weaker than them as they were the strongest and fittest and Earth seemed close to falling into the hands of these strange beings, who came to our world with no warning and legends speak of skies literally tearing open as Demons invaded our world.However, humanity as it always seems to do, fought back and though most of the people living at that time were forever lost, the Demons were defeated, the remaining leaving this world or scattered as they fled the humans only hours before they had been slaughtering mercilessly.It’s been 5,000 years since those events, though many dismiss the tale as legend and humanity has only recently started picking up again, there have been some strange reports recently across Aludin and with the mysterious Decabia to the east, the era of peace may soon be coming to the end and new heroes will have to answer the call to defend humanity’s flame once again, as they did so 5,000 years ago.

David Peatross is a man who has seen the best and worst that life has to offer. But when a jealous lover pushes him to his breaking point, he goes on the run. Tired of being hunted, he discovers a way to fight back, and is able to defeat those who would see him dead, but at the cost of himself. This is a short story in "The Chronicles of John Alkali".David Peatross is a man who has seen the best and worst that life has to offer. But when a jealous lover pushes him to his breaking point, he goes on the run. Tired of being hunted, he discovers a way to fight back, and is able to defeat those who would see him dead, but at the cost of himself.This is a short story in "The Chronicles of John Alkali".

The classic memoir of Africa, aviation, and adventure—the inspiration for Paula McLain’s Circling the Sun and “a bloody wonderful book” (Ernest Hemingway). Beryl Markham’s life story is a true epic. Not only did she set records and break barriers as a pilot, she shattered societal expectations, threw herself into torrid love affairs, survived desperate crash landings—and chronicled everything. A contemporary of Karen Blixen (better known as Isak Dinesen, the author of Out of Africa), Markham left an enduring memoir that soars with astounding candor and shimmering insights. A rebel from a young age, the British-born Markham was raised in Kenya’s unforgiving farmlands. She trained as a bush pilot at a time when most Africans had never seen a plane. In 1936, she accepted the ultimate challenge: to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west, a feat that fellow female aviator Amelia Earhart had completed in reverse just a few years before. Markham’s successes and her failures—and her deep, lifelong love of the “soul of Africa”—are all told here with wrenching honesty and agile wit. Hailed as “one of the greatest adventure books of all time” by Newsweek and “the sort of book that makes you think human beings can do anything” by the New York Times, West with the Night remains a powerful testament to one of the iconic lives of the twentieth century.

Everyone remembers the day the first cracks appeared in the Ubagane Empire. But Zhen Zhen's day was more eventful than most.No one takes a little sister's tale seriously. Not when grand political events are afoot with the Ubagane Empire. But Zhen Zhen knows what she saw, and what she had to do to escape.

NEWLY REVISED VERSION 4/2017"Quirky, insightful, witty!"Sometimes life gives you exactly what you do not want, precisely when you need it most. That’s how it was for Gideon. Not that he was guilty, at least not of rustling, but folks were pretty well set on hanging him anyway. Don’t get me wrong, Caswell Crossing is full of good people. Some would even call themselves upstanding citizens.Have you ever tried to change the minds of ‘good folks’ when they're half convinced the swift application of a rope will solve all their problems? Thing is, to Gideon, the prospect of being hung counted as a bothersome inconvenience. Maybe he was just too busy fending off the Rivers's attempts to help him to take notice of such things.Drinking water, deep breaths, standing upside down-- nothing will change the fact that life is full of hiccups. Gideon's life is more full than most. This story is Intelligent & insightful in a way that holds true, not only for its loosely American West setting, but for today's coffee drinking Joe as well. Told with a 'sitting beside you on the couch' feeling, this is a 'clean' read. Though 1st in the RIVERS series, titles can be read independently.