Amaliya wakes under the forest floor, disoriented, famished and confused. She digs out of the shallow grave and realizes she is hungry. . . . . . in a new, horrific, unimaginable way. . . Sating her great hunger, she discovers that she is now a vampire, the bloodthirsty creature of legend. She has no choice but to flee from her old life and travels across Texas. Her new hunger spurs her to leave a wake of death and blood behind her as she struggles with her new nature. All the while, her creator is watching. He is ancient, he is powerful, and what's worse is that he's a necromancer. He has the power to force the dead to do his bidding. Amaliya realizes she is but a pawn in a twisted game, and her only hope for survival is to seek out one of her own kind. But if Amaliya finds another vampire, will it mean her salvation. . . or her death?

Store clerks by day, innkeepers for the Magi by night! Twenty-year-olds Bob Himmel and Julie Beckerhof aren’t getting paid anything, but the thrills are there. If the inn isn’t sold out from under them, and if they can keep their guests alive—number seven on the list of innkeepers’ rules—they just might get married and settle into this.Brought to you by award-winning author, Molly Snow...Surla and Cathy have a HUGE secret!After spending hundreds of years as a 'familiar' to an abusive witch, Surla runs away to find freedom. But there's one catch! The Black Cats' Curse states she will have to switch bodies with the first lonesome soul to cross her path.Painfully shy Cathy Phillips can't muster the courage to ask hot water polo player, Craig Nelson, on a date. Neither can she stand up to the three biggest snobs at Washington High. What's a girl to do? Could switching lives with a sassy cat be the answer to her wishes?The "curse" of being "BeSwitched" may just be the most purr-fect secret these new best friends could ever have!

The world, as we know it, has ended. Now one man must guide humanity through its bleakest hour. Reluctant superhero, Marine Sergeant Nathaniel Hogan…The Forever Man. A series of solar flares stopped the heart of our modern world, returning us to the DARK AGES. Now ‘they’ have appeared through a gateway in space. Orcs, goblins and their leaders – the Fair Folk. Are they here to help, or to conquer?The world, as we know it, has ended. One man stands resolute. A man who has been trained in the savage arts of war. A man who lives his life according to a creed. A simple man who wants none of the power thrust upon him. This man is Marine Sergeant Nathaniel Hogan, seconded to the American Embassy in London and, although he does not know it, he is – The Forever Man.The first pulse occurred in the old calendar year of 2022. A sequence of gigantic solar flares created a series of massive electromagnetic pulses that stopped the heart of our modern world and returned us to the DARK AGES. Tens of thousands died within the first few hours as airplanes fell from the skies, hospitals ceased to work and every form of modern transportation ground to a halt. Within days the death toll had reached the hundreds of thousands. Fires raged unchecked through the cities, water supplies ran out and survivors turn on each other as mob rule surpassed all else.And Nathaniel finds that he has been changed by the huge amounts of Gamma radiation in the solar flares. They have enhanced his natural abilities, giving him increased speed, strength and healing. Indefinitely extended his life span and enabling him to be able to draw on the power of the solar flares to create magik.But even The Forever Man was not prepared for what happened next, as the ongoing flares tore a hole in time and space, creating a gateway through which ‘they’ appeared. From the realms of fantasy came the orcs, the goblins and, leading them all – the Fair Folk. Were they here to help – or to conquer?Craig Zerf has gotten serious! This is the first in his MAMMOTH new Post Apocalyptic Fantasy series that covers hundreds of years of man's dystopian existence under the yoke of the Fair-Folk. Award winning author...Chosen by London Radio BBC 4 as the "YEAR'S BEST READ." New York Times Best Selling author Michael Marshal says, "Brutal and Uncompromising with unforgettable characters and real emotional punch.”SF CROWSNEST - Craig Zerf is inflated with invention and well endowed with wit.

Hugo Meyers, lead singer for the Seattle indie-band, Shyshank Puppets, just found out he has super powers. That should be awesome right? Unfortunately they came with visions of a nightmarish future, and the realization that having powers not only doesn't make people any more responsible than they normally would be, sometimes it makes them a great deal worse.Hugo Meyers, a 22-year-old hipster who has long-since shoved all of his ambitions under his bed with a moldy pizza box and a forgotten pile of dirty clothes, knows he is not cutout to save the world, and yet, he’s started getting nightmarish visions of a fast-approaching nuclear apocalypse. Either the Powers That Be hadn’t looked at his resume, or they were stacking the deck in favor of a global catastrophe that his meager musical talents, or the ability to control the wind that had come with the visions like some sort of consolation prize, couldn’t possibly stop.Well, it turns out nobody cares if Hugo is hero material or not. A chance encounter with the (almost) 16-year-old lightning-monster, CJ, leads him to the one man always at the center of the apocalyptic visions; the incredibly charismatic philanthropist and CEO of Gideon Enterprises, Alexander Gideon. Now he’s been dropped face-first into a cold war between people with superpowers that has been going on behind the scenes for generations. With the help of, thankfully, more competent allies, Hugo must untangle years of lies and betrayal before it’s too late for everyone. But is it all worth it, when each sacrifice Hugo makes trying to save the world brings him one step closer to becoming the type of detached, calculating monster that would want to destroy it?

Ireland – 1838Aine and Keegan set up magical devices which would aid the Irish during the famine. Before these protections were finished, Keegan was murdered.On the day her seventh daughter is born, Aine activates the magical devices with Birth magic, and then Death—her death magic.Shocked, the daughters find themselves orphaned with mysterious magic working around them.Ireland – 1838Aine’s O’Byrne’s gift of foresight had shown her the coming famine in Ireland that would destroy the potato crop. She saw the millions of Irish that would perish during this time. Desperate to alleviate some of her people’s peril, she and her husband Keegan set up magical devices that would aid the Irish. Before all these protections could be finished, Keegan was senselessly murdered.Keegan’s death brought Aine a lot of gut wrenching sorrow—and maybe a little madness. Aine finishes the protections, but realizes that she does not have the strength to survive the birth of her child.On the day of Haley’s arrival, Aine activates the magical devices with Birth and then Death magic—her death magic.Shocked, the six daughters find themselves orphaned with mysterious magic’s working around them. They will have to learn how to deal with their own budding magic, the needy villagers, and the upcoming famine.With the help of Druantia herself—and some special friends—the sisters will find the courage, the daring, and the determination to battle all the odds set up against them. They learn about freedom—the cost of freedom—life’s ironies, and the bonding of sisterhood.

Divine, almighty, and about 8,000 years late, the Vessel are five living gods born to smite an ancient anomaly of death. That's what pop star Jesse Cannon is saying anyway--after claiming to be a Vessel himself. His personal assistant Jordan isn't buying it, but something is stalking them both, and it's no crazed fan...They're divine. They're almighty. They're about eight thousand years late.They're the Vessel, five living gods born to smite an ancient anomaly of death. That's what beloved pop legend Jesse Cannon is saying anyway--after claiming to be a Vessel himself. It's enough to make his long-suffering assistant Jordan hand in her two week's notice. She might not survive one week, however, because Jesse's divine vision is no myth. Something is stalking them both, and it's not a crazed fan . . .Book I brings the fledgling deities together (on a tricked-out tour bus, of course) for the ride of their immortal lives. There's Ghi, a sweet amnesiac who may or may not be a terrorist--or a devout lover of soap operas. Jackson, a smart-mouthed, firefighting mama's boy. Corin, a filthy rich philanthropist who cannot function without his smartphone. And Khan, a legally blind convict with a penchant for arson, nicotine, and prostitutes. Each remarkable in his own right, each born of questionably immaculate conception, and each, as far as Jordan is concerned, utterly unprepared to deliver anyone from evil. Unearthing the Vessels' calling will take them from the banks of a forgotten Nile tributary to a Toronto truck stop, from the set of Oprah to the gates of Hell and back. Along the way, they must survive not only one another, but flesh-eating tentacles, water gun assasins, prehistoric priestesses, undead groupies, powerful hangovers, cut-off jeans, and one very fed up celebrity assistant. Gird your loins: this armageddon is just getting started.

A spoor is poisoning the atmosphere of the planet, a plight accelerated by the lunar colony's illicit piracy of atmospheric moisture. The Zemplar of the planetary Alliance argues to launch a military action intended to destroy the fleet of lunar harvest vesselsThe United Kingdom is free of rabies, but the danger is ever-present.Billy Harsley is eleven and hyperactive. School bores him and he longs to have adventures like Huck Finn. He has run away for the third time and is sleeping rough on the marshes near Great Yarmouth, while the police search for him in the town.A German coaster has just tied up in the port, ready to unload, but there are problems on the ship, mechanical and animal. Both the Captain's dogs, unknown to him, have been infected with rabies. As he goes to feed them there is an explosion and the little mongrel, Mukki, escapes while his attention is diverted.Before long both boy and dog are on the same marsh. Add in a meeting with the marsh 'ghost' and the mixture begins to brew. It is soon a question of who will have the last laugh...

There is nothing wrong with checking your email while riding the subway on the way to work. Nothing at all. But it turns out that in a few short stations a simple and innocent activity can turn out to be something much deeper and important. On such a subway ride each keystroke will echo with the quiet sobs of your soul.Short Story (6,639 words). As dean, Jason makes the tough calls so his struggling small college will survive. So when the school’s legendary English professor dies of cancer, Jason hires a trendy, digitally savvy scholar as Dr. Maynard Allen’s replacement.Jason had no animosity toward Maynard, and Maynard never interfered with Jason’s agenda. So why is his ghost haunting Jason’s office? Is he trying to destroy the new school Jason must create? Or is he there for something much more sinister: reforming Jason?“A Spring Break Carol” is a short ghost story of 6,639 words

Foxling Toka has served the Soldati king for centuries, and now he attends to the kingdom’s cherished Soldati prince. It’s a position of honor, and as Toka helps the once-human prince adapt to their magical realm, he finds joy in their friendship. He also grows bolder in his encounters with Rayner, Soldati warrior and the king’s second. But the laws are clear: servants and Soldati are not permitted to mate. It doesn’t matter that Toka lost his heart to the dashing cad long ago. Rayner never imagined he would fall in love with a servant, but the clever and beautiful foxling has ensnared him, and he resents the regulations keeping them apart. When an arrogant and spiteful king visits from a neighboring realm, Rayner is in danger of losing everything. But Soldati warriors don’t surrender, and he intends to fight all the harder to keep Toka where he belongs—in Rayner’s arms.

Seth never expected he would want to settle down with anyone - but that was before Aislinn. She is everything he'd ever dreamed of, and he wants to be with her forever. Forever takes on new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen. Aislinn never expected to rule the very creatures who'd always terrified her - but that was before Keenan. He stole her mortality to make her a monarch, and now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she'd ever imagined. In Melissa Marr's third mesmerizing tale of Faerie, Seth and Aislinn struggle to stay true to themselves and each other in a milieu of shadowy rules and shifting allegiances, where old friends become new enemies and one wrong move could plunge the Earth into chaos.

Alternate cover edition can be found here Herald the Healer, from infamous Andromeda Slash, high aura Outworlder Flint descendant, eases passing of quadpoint Smallbore; she warns of danger. Lovely human Psyche is not possessed; her Kirlian aura fluctuates; Prince orders her burnt. Astronomer Hweeh collapses into puddle at thought of faroff Amoeba - invading. The solution lies in Ancient ruins on Mars. Includes 2-pg symbols Political Geography.

Spin-Off to Crossroads Saga - Prequel to The Chosen Knights. Can be read as stand-alone Michael and Claudia’s decision to move back to Crossroads was to keep their children safe, but they can’t escape who they are. Their children, Zachary and Lucia, were destined to be demon hunters—Venators. From the age they were able to hold a sword, they were trained to become the best and to ensure they would become leaders one day. All is peaceful throughout the land until the Fallen and demons’ presences were felt in the between and on Earth. As the Venators investigate these locations, they will quickly learn how dangerous their lives are. Hearts will be broken. Teammates will lose their lives. And they will face obstacles which will test their faith. As danger grows, the fear of fallen angels and demons regrouping has the Divine Elders on pins and needles. Now, Zachary and Lucia, along with Uncle Davin, must prepare themselves—mentally and physically—to live on Earth to investigate where the focal point of evil resides before it’s too late.

Librarian Note: Previous cover can be found here. "You may call me Tenzin, if you like." A girl. A mother. A slave. A monster. A survivor. Descended into madness. Forged in fire and darkness, she became one of the fiercest warriors the immortal world had ever known. But in the beginning, there was a girl. THE BRONZE BLADE is a novella of approximately 100 pages. WARNING: The Bronze Blade contains scenes of graphic violence and abuse, and is recommended for adult readers only.

THE EARTH’S REAL LANDLORDS ARE SURFACING. HERE. NOW... From the darkly fantastic worlds of H P Lovecraft’s world-famous Cthulhu Mythos comes a grimly compelling novel of the Ultimate War, between men – and monsters spawned in Hell! For millennia, men have strutted in puny pride over the fragile surface of the Earth, arrogantly proclaiming themselves masters of creation. But now their feeble investigations have disturbed the planet’s original rulers far beneath the globe’s crust. And mankind’s placid dreams are about to be wrenched into shattering nightmare. ‘They were here before man evolved. They are older than our oldest legends, predating the very dinosaurs. They call to use in our dreams and make us... do things!’ They are THE BURROWERS BENEATH. And they’re surfacing right now. Right here...