there are forces acting against him despite of his authoritative position.....but there is some bright light as a result of that force......A tell tale story of friendship and admiration, which fascinates you as you move on.....!!!The first serial in the complete six-part series!Tasha Taylor was an average woman with an above-average waistline, but one night all that (except the waistline) changes when she's attacked in the laundry room. Her savior is a large shadow with glowing golden eyes, and her new enemies are a group of hanky-wearing thugs who want to go through her to get at her hero. Now she has to juggle assassination attempts, crooked cops, the attentions of her reclusive apartment manager, Greg Garrison, and a growing desire for cut meats.Can she keeper herself alive long enough to find out who saved her? What does the gang really want with her? Will she ever have time to use that Thigh Master?

A Bryn Mak Morn story.Bryn Mak Morn, under an alias, is forced to watch one of her countrywomen crucified. The Roman consul taunts her during the execution, and barbarian Pict queen Bryn swears dark revenge, enough to horrify her fellows. She seeks a Door into the underworld, so she can make Titia Sulla suffer, by the arts of R’lyeh and the Ring of Dagon.A Gender Switch Adventure.It is January, 1943, in Tunisia during World War 2. Captain Drew Matthews is sent on a mission behind enemy lines to secure vital information. He is ambushed but is able to escape. Joining a group of American soldiers, led by Corporal Dane Shaw, refugees from the recent battle, they make their way across the desert to the city of Sfax, where Drew is to meet with the mysterious ‘Monsieur Gascoigne’. They stumble across a small group of Arabs and Germans guarding a halftrack filled with treasure looted from murdered Jews and rescue their prisoner, the beautiful Frenchwoman Angelique DuBois. While driving to Sfax, Dane shares his Christian faith with his companions while trying to avoid a group of Arab raiders. Dane relies on God to direct his life while proving himself a wise and outstanding commander with ferocious fighting skills. While Dane and his men fight off the Arab bandits, Drew and Angelique enter Sfax for their meeting only to be met with a number of very unwelcome surprises. Escaping by a series of fortunate circumstances, which leads them to believe that there may be something to Dane’s God, they return to camp only to run into more trouble. Zabronski, one of the American soldiers, filled with lust for the treasure and for Angelique, subverts the other soldiers, kidnaps Drew and Angelique and wounds Dane. Forcing Drew to reveal where the treasure is hidden, they are met by the Germans and Arab bandits who have joined forces and tracked them down. Drew and Angelique are rescued by Dane, and in a wild night ride across the desert, pursued by vengeful Germans and Arabs, they attempt to reach the American lines before dawn. Will they make it, and will Angelique solve the dilemma of which man she loves and which god she will serve?

The only thing fifteen-year-old Melinda has been thinking about ever since she found out that she was betrothed to a man twice her age was how to escape the madness of the cult she had been trapped in. But not without trying to rescue Caleb, a boy who has the fading aura of an angel...TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK...DO NOT BREAK THE CHAINTime for Melinda is fast running out. Time for her to make her escape. And time to make a daring rescue.The only thing fifteen-year-old Melinda has been thinking about ever since she found out that she was betrothed to a man twice her age was how to escape the madness of the cult she had been trapped in. But escape seems easier said than done, especially since Melinda is being kept under the watchful eyes of her Uncle, an Aunt who never seems to sleep, and the Elders.Melinda has the unique ability to see things no one can, like Angels and, once one Halloween, a demon. Her power also allows her to see a boy named Caleb, who isn't really a boy but has the fading aura of an Angel, get captured by the Elders. Kept in chains and tortured, Caleb’s agonizing cries are a constant reminder of why she must get as far away from the cult as she can. She must escape, and soon, but not without trying to rescue Caleb.Does Melinda have the power to not only save herself, but to save Caleb? And if she can save him, has she saved an angel… or a demon?If you wish to read more, download now!BONUS FOR YOU AT THE END OF THE BOOK!EXCERPT“What’s with the angel, anyway?” Gabe asks, watching her as she smooths the jagged fringe of her hair.“You can see them, too?” That’s the other reason she likes him so much. When she told him that she could see them, he didn’t automatically say that she was crazy, like so many other people did. He merely nodded, and listened. He didn’t believe her, not then. But he does now.“No, but I kinda assumed, after what happened last night,” he says, leaving the sentence unfinished. He leaves the bathroom . She keeps snipping, concentrating on keeping her hand steady.“Um, Melinda?”“Yeah?”“Where is he?”She feels a lump form in her throat, and fights back a wave of nausea as she goes to confirm what she’s inexplicably terrified about: the bed where Caleb was curled up on is empty. The silvery aura, the wall of flames—she doesn’t exactly believe in being able to see the future, but right now, she has a very bad feeling that something terrible is going to happen.Other Books in the Series:2 - The Darkling3 - Chains of Darkness4 - The Child of LightDownload and discover why readers are raving about ELENA SNOWFIELD.Scroll up and get the book now!

This month we have a few trips into the surreal, with a workplace fight, a shape-shifting shopper, and an unidentified no-longer-flying object. There are plenty of great ideas and storylines to enjoy, so have a seat in the shade and get started.A retired MLB pitcher finds love and redemption via a hurled can of humble soup. Refusing to obey signals cost him his career, once--but this time--a beanball is exactly what's called for, and the signs all make sense. Making a hero often requires a "zero" to balance the equation. Seeing life from both sides of the fence, the protagonist reconciles his past, finds humility, and creates a new beginning. This story isn't about about baseball, though it makes significant commentary on contemporary status, thereof, and incisively nails what's wrong with the sport...where greed has driven it awry. This narrative is primarily about what's truly important in life--what's solidly pure and what's vacuously hollow--what's important when looming largely in front of us, but insignificant in the rear-view mirror with distance applied. Dreams and aspirations loudly drive us when young, while wisdom softly chuckles from the quiet perch of maturity. Each has its time and purpose.

Some are born great, some have greatness thrust upon them, others seek the receipt of greatness in the hopes of returning it for something a little less save the worldy. Susan doesn't know how to save a world, especially one she has just been magically transported to, no one seems to want to listen to her though and she soon finds herself wishing destiny had called someone else.Like many Susan is a little lost, unfortunately the world doesn't seem to pull the car over so she can make up her mind about which direction to head in. Stuck in a dead end job she didn't want in the first place she wishes to be anywhere else doing anything else. Through no fault of her own she finds herself in the world of Mach B'alif, tasked with saving their entire world from its dark ruler, and today was supposed to be just another day of filing.These are the opening chapters to Susan's tale of prophecy and power struggles, destiny and denial and one lost girl trying to find her way home with no intent on being anyone's chosen savior.

In a treasured storybook, an invincible – or so he would’ve liked to think – hero faces challenges beyond his narrative...Ca 2,280 words. _____________________________________________________________Erik Boman is a writer from Oxford. He is the author of "Short Cuts" and was awarded the A.M. Heath literary prize in 2011.Sixteen year old Ricky Chavez is in trouble. Suspended from school, he has to face his older brother and legal guardian, Frank. Trouble is, Frank meets him with a belt. Bruised and depressed, Ricky drags himself to his evening job. His co-worker, Maria de Leon, reaches out to him, and he falls in love. Trouble is, she belongs to a gang. Being in love with Maria means hanging around Locos 18, her gang. Trouble is, that means ditching school and ending up with a report card full of C's, D's, and an F. But a bad report card is the least of Ricky's troubles. Maria's gang, Locos 18, comes in conflict with another gang, Westside Raza, when a Locos girl flirts with a Westside boy. When he beats her up, Locos goes looking for him. In the violent showdown, Ricky recognizes the conseequences of his association with Maria and Locos 18. He's left with a decision. Trouble is, he doesn't like either one.

Ekaterina wants to be taken seriously by the men of her village, so she sets out to hunt the greatest prey of all, the legendary Firebird. On the way she encounters three strangers who give her the gifts she needs- for a price. This short novella, inspired by Slavic folklore, also includes the short stories British Gods and Saturday's Child.This book features three complete stories and one poem from Strange Matters, a collection of short fantasy stories by Bret Allen.About the Firebird:Ekaterina wants to be taken seriously by the men of her village, so she sets out to hunt the greatest prey of all, the legendary Firebird. On the way she encounters three strangers who give her the gifts she needs- for a price.This short novella, inspired by Slavic folklore, is a symbolic fable about the importance of choosing wisely and keeping sight of the things that truly matter.About British Gods:Two strange figures watch the violence of the London riots unfold and do what they can to help, as only forgotten gods can.A humble nod to my favourite author, Neil Gaiman. This short story is based on British folklore in the modern-day style of American Gods.About Thornback:A poem about the humble hedgehog, seen through my eyes.About Saturday’s Child:Henri discovers that his afterlife is going to be even more dangerous than his first life, when he meets a predatory and beautiful stranger.This very short story is set in the world of ‘Sleepwalkers’, a setting of my own creation. In this case, I give a glimpse of the plight of a newly deceased spirit.Feel free to read these stories before checking out the full collection- Strange Matters- 20 stories and poems of fantasy, myth and magic!These stories contain some mature themes.

An old local legend makes me suspect that the angels of Viana do Castelo are not splitting the souls of the newly dead as mandated by law. This is the story of my attempt to discover and stop them.Heaven, Purgatory and Hell, the three realms of the afterlife. Agents from each side try to manipulate Man, making it do things it wouldn't normally do, to influence its final destination. All to get more souls and gain an advantage in the Eternal War.I can't accept it. It isn't fair for the place of eternal rest (or torment) of a person to be determined by what a third party led it to do. And I fight to prevent it.An old local legend makes me suspect that the angels of Viana do Castelo are not splitting the souls of the newly dead as mandated by law. This is the story of my attempt to discover and stop them.This is one of the short stories included in the anthology "The Saga of Me - Divine Justice" by the same author. You can find it in all major eBook retailers.

Not only are other's grass always greener, another's spouse is also often sexier. 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 free Kitty & Rose short story #11, uploaded 2-28-17.

Cara is so ugly, mirrors would rather break than show her reflection. Not even her own parents can deny her ugliness, and nothing can make up for the cruelty of her schoolmates. Tormented and tortured by the shallow people of Flock's Rest, Cara's life is miserable. Then Cara receives a shimmering note from some exotic place suggesting that there's more to her than meets the eye. Cara wonders if her destiny has something to do with her recurring dreams of a beautiful green valley where the people are so accepting, her ugliness doesn't matter. Soon, Cara discovers that her valley of dreams is real. It's a place where the ugliest of ducklings can become swans. A swan, however, can have a serious taste for revenge . . . deadly revenge.

Brace yourself for a thrilling high-seas adventure and dare to set sail for the "Isle of Fire." ""A great explosion rocked the crowded harbor. Flaming debris screamed into the sky and then rained down into the burning water below. The ferocious blaze engulfed ship after ship expanding the circle of destruction in mere heartbeats. The fire rain had been unleashed."" As Cat s memory returns, he realizes that he has lived two very different lives: One as the son of the ruthless Bartholomew Thorne; the other as the recipient of friendship and kindness from Declan Ross and the crew of the Robert Bruce. Now Cat must choose whether to return to the ways of his notorious father and join the evil Merchant, or defy the Merchant and risk his life to save his friends. The best-selling "Isle of Swords" adventure continues in "Isle of Fire" as ancient mariners rise from legend and cut an all-too-real swath of destruction across the Atlantic. The newly formed Wolf Fleet scours the Caribbean, hunting the pirates they once called comrades. And in the pitiless winds of a monstrous hurricane, whole fleets will be blasted apart and devoured."

Readers of I Am Number Four, The Maze Runner, and Legend will love this exciting new adventure series by the co-creator of the groundbreaking television show Twin Peaks, with its unique combination of mystery, heart-pounding action, and the supernatural. Will West is careful to live life under the radar. At his parents' insistence, he's made sure to get mediocre grades and to stay in the middle of the pack on his cross-country team. Then Will slips up, accidentally scoring off the charts on a nationwide exam. Now Will is being courted by an exclusive prep school . . . and followed by men driving black sedans. When Will suddenly loses his parents, he must flee to the school. There he begins to explore all that he's capable of--physical and mental feats that should be impossible--and learns that his abilities are connected to a struggle between titanic forces that has lasted for millennia.

I hugged my sisters and they fit against my sides like two jigsaw pieces that would never fit anywhere else. I couldn't imagine ever letting them go again, like releasing them would be to surrender the best parts of myself. Three sisters share a magical, unshakeable bond in this witty high-concept novel from the critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait! Around the time of their parents' divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood--powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose? April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds--everyone's but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they'll always have each other. Because there's one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.

This is the second in the series BIO OF A SPACE TYRANT, featuring the stages in the life of Hope Hubris, the Tyrant of Jupiter, and his beloved sister Spirit.

"I had lost something. Something dear to me but somehow, I feel that it is in this painting. I feel like I have been there, I feel like I know him" - A flash fiction about what two people have lost in a painting, and how they have found themselves together. A sequel to 'A Man in the Desert.'Princess Amara is the daughter of a king in Land Kingdom and faces difficulty living with her step-mother and step-sister Alena who treat her like a maidservant. She meets Prince Triton in one their family picnic trips and friendship is born between Triton and Amara. However, Alena likes the handsome Prince Triton, who will become the Princess of the Ocean Kingdom?