"The world feels oddly strained, like a line pulled too taunt and apt to snap, smashing everything in its path." Master Mechanic Mari and Mage Alain have survived every attempt to stop them, but their enemies are determined to kill Mari, the only one who can save her world from a storm of destruction. As armies begin to gather and cities seethe with tension, Mari, Alain, and their friends must prepare to confront the storm in the place it first appeared: the broken kingdom of Tiae. The dangers facing them demand perilous raids, tough battles, and more than a little piracy. Beating the Mechanics Guild and the Mage Guild that have controlled the world of Dematr for centuries will require an unprecedented alliance under Mari's command of rebellious Mechanics, Mages, and common folk who know that together they can change the world, but separately they will all lose.

In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha’ik and her followers prepare for the long-prophesied uprising known as the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in size and savagery, this maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust will embroil the Malazan Empire in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known, shaping destinies and giving birth to legends.

Kari Haldis is a true warrior with no equal.The Great War is over and it is time for she and her companions to return home.It is a return journey that she does not relish. When she stumbles upon a man, Aoalrikr Torvald, in the Black Woods, her encounter with the brave warrior will adjust her perspective on life forever.He is the one her father expected, but is Kari brave enough to accept her fate?Book One - The Legacy Series -The year is 1878, and the setting is Paris, France. It’s a place of privilege and comfort for the rich, but one of heartache and struggle for the poor. Upon the death of her father, a young girl named Suzette Rousseau, is thrown from the comforts of middle-class life into the terror of homelessness on the streets of Paris. Without family or friends, she struggles to survive in a city whose rich believes she’s nothing more than the scum of the earth that should be eradicated from society. Her journey takes her from the charity houses of St. Vincent de Paul, to the grueling life of a laundress, where she lives in squalor and filth. When her plight becomes unbearable, she is drawn like a fly into the enticing web of a sly spider, who offers her a life of luxury, comfort, and food -- but it will cost her a price. The mistress of the most famous brothel in all of France vies for Suzette’s virtue. Blackmailed into a life of prostitution, her virginity is sold to a handsome English Lord. His jaded character is put to the test, when he meets his purchase and begins to fall in love with her innocence. The Price of Innocence sets the stage for a life-long romance between a man and woman separated by class and circumstances. It's the first book in a series of three, entitled The Legacy Series. The newly released book two, The Price of Deception, is available now for those who care to discover the outcome of Suzette's decision and Robert's search for love.

Life will never be the same for Ananka Fishbein after she ventures into an enormous sinkhole near her New York City apartment. A million rats, delinquent Girl Scouts out for revenge, and a secret city below the streets of Manhattan combine in this remarkable novel about a darker side of New York City you have only just begun to know about…

In the lands of the True Game, your lifelong identity will emerge as you play. Prince or Sorcerer, Armiger or Tragamor, Demon or Doyen... Which will it be?

Paige Andrews has led a life that got off track a long time ago, to the point that she doesn't know how she got there and is unsure how to get out. In the meantime, once a week, she allows herself a fantasy and writes a letter to her fake husband who is away on business.She mails them to a fake address and doesn't give them another thought, until she receives a response.From the author of the Topper McMullen Series:The Trinity MurdersSun, Surf, SuicideThis is the first short story in a planned collection of 8-12 short stories centering around the Dead Letter Office.Paige Andrews has led a life that got off track a long time ago, to the point that she doesn't know how she got there and is unsure how to get out. In the meantime, once a week, she allows herself a fantasy and writes a letter to her fake husband who is away on business.She mails them to a fake address and doesn't give them another thought, until she receives a response. A tale of loss, understanding and redemption, Hope on a Paige is a 6500 word short story that will catch you by surprise.

The Land of Faerie is calling. There are places unknown, magic lures you in and love spands lifetimes. Don't resist. It's in the blood...Evangeline is a short story prequel to Ever Shade.The Land of Faerie is calling. There are places unknown, magic lures you in and love spands lifetimes. Don't resist. It's in the blood...Evangeline is a short story prequel to Ever Shade.Books available in this series:The Withering PalaceEvangelineEver Shade Ever FireEver WinterThe CursedEver WrathHistory of FireWithout ArmorEver Dead

Wendy Stroud is afraid that her mother's abusive boyfriend will hurt the members of her family. She wants him to go away forever, but she can't make him do so on her own. So she decides to ask a friend of her uncle for help. And all she has to do is recite a magic spell. This is a short story.Wendy Stroud fears for her family. Eric, her mother's new boyfriend, has a fearful temper, which gets worse when he drinks. He regularly beats her mother, he hits her on occasion, and he sent her Uncle Timothy to the hospital. He even killed her pet Siamese cat.Wendy wants him to go away and never come back, but she can't do it on her own. Her Uncle had told her about a friend who could help, but Eric beat him almost to death before he could ask.Wendy cannot wait until he recovers, if he ever does. Who knows what Eric might do in the meantime? She decides to contact her Uncle's friend herself. Fortunately, he had told her how to do it.All she has to do is recite a magic spell out of one of his books....

Five hundred years before Columbus, the Vikings discovered North America. That much is known. What they found there was not -- until now. This is the epic saga of a Viking's quest to find his son, one that will take him and his companions to the very edges of the known world, and beyond: to a land of exotic civilizations, ancient mystery, and unprecedented danger.Five hundred years before Columbus, the Vikings discovered North America. That much is known. What they found there was not -- until now. GOBLINS & VIKINGS IN AMERICA is the epic saga of Dvalinn the Riverraider and his quest to find his son, Framarr. It is a quest that will take him and his ragtag companions (escaping the law, thralldom, and the impossibility of love) to the very edges of the known world, and beyond: to a land of exotic civilizations, ancient mystery, and unprecedented danger. To survive, they will have to work together. To succeed, they will have to create history...Episode 1: "Fatherland"Length: 17,500 (~64 minutes)

Its truth forgotten in the mists of time, the old bridge harbors a lethal secret. Neither marble statues awakened for battle nor an ancient roadbed grown hungry, something darker and more primal haunts the stones and the wild river below. Kimmer knows the stories, but she doesn't know why the crumbling span feels so fraught with menace. Her way home lies across the ruin. Dare she take it?Its truth forgotten in the mists of time, the old bridge harbors a lethal secret. Neither marble statues awakened for battle nor an ancient roadbed grown hungry, something darker and more primal haunts the stones and the wild river below. Kimmer knows the stories, but she doesn't know why the crumbling span feels so fraught with menace. Her way home lies across the ruin. Dare she take it? Or will horror from the lost past rise up to claim her, when she does? PRAISE FOR J.M. NEY-GRIMM "...the world depicted is magical, but the people are very real." - Mary Anna Dunn, Smashwords review of Troll-magic "...left me craving more." - Paty Saternye, Amazon review of Sarvet's Wanderyar "She has an ethereal sort of quality to her writing which is extremely effective-all the more so because I can't pin down exactly why. It's almost mystical. This ephemeral tone is what sets her work apart from anything else I've read-it's absolutely unique, and absolutely engaging." - James J. Parsons, Speaking to the Eyes review of Perilous Chance "Her work compares favorably with Robin McKinley and Patricia McKillip ...I'm really pleased to have discovered her!" - Mira, Amazon review of Troll-magic PRAISE FOR CROSSING THE NAIAD "A quick, refreshing piece of literature. Like a cool sip of water after a grueling endurance marathon . . . It's swift and concise, but the prose is eloquent and deft, to the point, yet gracefully articulate . . . again I am enthralled with the completeness of the picture the author is painting. The world comes to life . . ." - Goodreads review EXCERPT FROM CROSSING THE NAIAD She stood looking across the bridge, feeling the cool breeze and . . . something wrong. The bridge was old - the leached stones worn by weather and time, a structure of ancient Silmaren. But that wasn't it. Something - sinister? - rose from its broken paving. A miasma of despair and defeat that had nothing to do with its gap-toothed balustrade, the holes in its surface giving wide views of the forested ravine and fast river below, or the crumbling statue of a toga-draped maiden from the past ages of the world. Kimmer hesitated. The new bridge, upstream and crossing low to the water rather than high from one steep brink to the other, was flooded and unsafe. Oga and Chedli and Deas - the goats - had balked. Likely they knew, and . . . only a fool would risk a span immersed in a swift current. But she had to get home somehow. ABOUT THE AUTHOR J.M. Ney-Grimm lives with her husband and children in Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She's learning about permaculture gardening and debunking popular myths about food. The rest of the time she reads Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, and Lois McMaster Bujold, plays boardgames like Settlers of Catan, rears her twins, and writes stories set in her troll-infested North-lands.

This month we get a second helping of Melina Turner's work with The Deathly-Roses Volume 1, Wisty finds out that all she believed to be true in her life is false and sets out to find her natural parents and who she truly is. The lines between enemy and friend become blurred and Wisty must decide on which side she stands.Pippa is very kind, but often forgets about herself. Unusually, she has some time off work, and decides to explore the fabulous world of online dating, whereupon she discovers that she is an utter failure at life.

'Null, a remote fishing village where boredom reins until two dogs decide to solve the problem of the Bunyip. Add a transvestite politician, a high school drop-out, mysterious deaths, and the ancestors of the village's founder - Terrence Null - facing a stark reality check, and you have a parody of life, 'To Kill a Bunyip'. An engaging tale culminating in a thrilling climax.Null, a remote fishing village where boredom reins until two dogs decide to solve the problem of the Bunyip. Add a transvestite politician, a high school drop-out, mysterious deaths, and the ancestors of the village's founder - Terrence Null - facing a stark reality check, and you have a parody of life, 'To Kill a Bunyip'. This is an engaging tale that probes the emotions and motives of many characters culminating in a thrilling climax at the Seafood Festival.This is book three of Hollow Log stories. Book one is The Justice of Null. Book two is Ocker Oscar. Terrence Null and his descendants in three stories in different genres; Satire written in Myth Fantasy and Alternative history. One wonders if Terrence Null did exist.

We always try to have a variety of genres represented on our site, but this month represents the best collection yet of epic fantasy with a personal touch, far-reaching science fiction with a practical bent, truly haunting psychological horror, and a few more speculative stories that don't fit well into a certain category.Fiction Vortex, let’s see …A fiction vortex is a tornado of stories that pick you up and hurl you through a barn to find enlightenment on the other side. It’s a whirlpool of fascinating tales so compelling that they suck you in, drag you down to the bottom of your mind, and drown you with incessant waves of glorious imagery and believable characters.Nope.A fiction vortex is an online speculative fiction magazine focused on publishing great science fiction and fantasy, and is run by incredibly attractive and intelligent people with great taste in literature and formidable writing prowess.Not that either. But we’re getting closer.Founded in the 277th year of the Takolatchni Dynasty, Fiction Vortex set out to encourage people to write and publish great speculative fiction. It sprang fully formed from the elbow of TWOS, retaining none of TWOS’s form but most of its spirit. And the patron god of writers, the insecure, the depressed, and the mentally ill regarded Fiction Vortex in his magic mirror of self-loathing and declared it good, insofar as something that gives writer’s undue hope can be declared good. Thereafter, he charged the Rear Admiral of the Galactic 5th Fleet to defend Fiction Vortex down to the last robot warrior.Now we’re talking.Take your pick. We don’t care how you characterize us or the site.Fiction Vortex focuses on publishing speculative fiction. That means science fiction and fantasy (with a light smattering of horror and a few other subgenres), be it light, heavy, deep, flighty, spaceflighty, cerebral, visceral, epic, or mundane. But mundane in a my-local-gas-station-has-elf-mechanics-but-it’s-not-really-a-big-deal-around-here kind of way. Got it?Basically, we want imaginative stories that are well written, but not full of supercilious floridity.There’s a long-standing belief that science fiction and fantasy stories aren’t as good as purely literary fare. We want you to prove that mindset wrong (not just wrong, but a steaming pile of griffin dung wrong) with every story we publish. It’s almost like we’re saying, “I do not bite my thumb at you, literary snobs, but I do bite my thumb,” but in a completely polite and non-confrontational way.We've got more great stories online, with a new story twice a week. Visit our website FictionVortex.com, follow us on Twitter: @FictionVortex, and like us on Facebook: FictionVortex.

This is the tale of an average modern city that slowly descends into madness when monsters start popping up in different parts of the city. The monsters are drawn to the city through some mysterious means, and the invasion is seen through the eyes of the various main characters of the story. They are connected in some mysterious way, and may even hold the key to stopping the bursts of monsters.CURSED CITY, CURSED BLOOD LINE SERIESIf you are a paranormal romance, mystery suspense and thriller fiction lover, than this short, enthrilling and suspenseful mystery short read is just your cup of tea. The story is so engrossing that you will fly through the pages in no time at all. If you are quiet short on reading time - this Cursed City, Cursed Blood Line Series was written with you in mind. This is the tale of an average modern city that slowly descends into madness when monsters start popping up in different parts of the city. The monsters are drawn to the city through some mysterious means, and the invasion is seen through the eyes of the various main characters of the story. They are connected in some mysterious way, and may even hold the key to stopping the bursts of monster incidents in the city. But what happens when some of them actually fall in love with the creatures that are ravaging the city? What will be the implications of these? Read the stories and find out!Book One: Gargoyle is the tale of Jack Scryer, a freelance writer who finds himself at the centre of a gargoyle attack on his home city. When gargoyles start to mysteriously pop out of nowhere all over the city, it sparks a lot of speculation and the gargoyles become an overnight sensation. However, when they start kidnapping children, Jack finds himself compelled to investigate the gargoyles and hopefully find a way to stop them. The city is caught in the grip of terror as the gargoyles continue to kidnap its young citizens. Things start to really become intense when Jack tries to directly stop one of them from kidnapping a child. This will lead to a series of events that will change Jack's life forever.Since we don't want to disappoint your reading experience by keeping you in suspense after reading Book One. You will be happy to know that Book Two: Zombies is yours for free as bonus ( inside the book) for supporting our career as indie authours.

Not all things who roam the night are dark, as the newly-turned werewolf Gwen Rogers is about to discover. Gwen finds herself a prisoner to the whims of William Fox, a man who both shelters and cages her. Her only breath of freedom comes when he enlists her help to capture the creatures of myths and legends that were inadvertently freed by her actions. Even as he teaches her hard lessons through her electrified collar, she finds her mind unwillingly bending towards a truce of sorts with her new life, and with him.