Nannies, Inc.

      Ninfa Hayes
     Nannies, Inc.

Established in 1839, Nannies, Inc. has provided qualified child carers for over a million families, from the UK to Japan.Elizabeth Watson always thought she could make a difference … now she's about to find out just how right she is.Silly and sweet, it will warm your heart and take you on a quiet journey down the road of possibilities.Genre: Fantasy, with very light steampunk.(Short Story)Nannies, Inc. – “A once in a lifetime opportunity to join the leading company in providing excellent care for children all over the world. Established in 1839, Nannies, Inc. has provided qualified child carers for over a million families, from the UK to Japan. If you have a passion for children and believe you can add a spoonful of sugar to their lives, come to our Open Day on the 21st of December.”Miss Elizabeth Watson always thought she could make a difference … now she's about to find out just how right she is.Nannies, Inc. is a short, fantasy story of approx. 6000 words, with a touch of quirky and very light steampunk.Silly and sweet, it will warm your heart and take you on a quiet journey down the road of possibilities.(Written in British English.)

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    The Goblin Adventures

      Stephen Jennison-Smith
     The Goblin Adventures

We meet Ugbash, Idunno, Wibble, Wobble, Pan Head and Chop the goblins from The Crying Pennant. This was published as daily Flash Fiction on Wattpad and is published here in one part.For centuries, Gods and Creatures of the Damned have walked amongst mortals. Unbeknownst of the myth known to mortals, the Creatures of the Damned live in a realm cloaked inside their own, called Pearu. But when the dethroned Queen creates chaos in the mortal world, the Gods banish the Creatures of the Damned back to Pearu, sealing the Gates.Aristaeus is a Hell Demon from Pearu, and a Prince. An agreement between the King of Pearu and the Gods, has allowed him to roam the mortal world as a Reaper, capturing souls. The only problem is being a Reaper has left the Hell Demon with unfathomable feelings for mortals that are not fit for his kind. All Aristaeus wants is to stop the feelings and do his job, while not capturing the unwanted attention from the Gods. But when the dethroned Queen suddenly reappears, mayhem strikes.The King declares war against the Gods, the dethroned Queen just may be harboring an orb that could destroy the world of Pearu, and Aristaeus is beginning to possess powers unknown of a Hell Demon. With the help of his best friend and the Goddess Astraea, Aristaeus must put a stop to the war and the dethroned Queen, while coming to terms with the fact that he may be something far more dangerous than that of a God and Demon.

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    A Thread of Magic

      Crista McHugh
     A Thread of Magic

Book 0 of the Elgean ChroniclesThis collection of short stories takes place before The Tears of Elios and answers some of the questions readers have posed.What really happened that night Nyelle was transformed?Why were shapeshifters hunted to near extinction?How did Kira meet Master Tyrrus?And what happened to Kira and Galen when the book ended?It contains a deleted scene, two brand new sWilliam Hickok Farrell stood on the top set of the dugout and surveyed the meticulously curried infield with its snowy bases in place. In a few moments, Will would take the mount to pitch the most important game of his Major League career--the first game of the World Series. Will could not remember a time when he had not played baseball. From the minute he could hold a ball, Big Bill, his dad and coach, had pushed him to be the best. Coming back from what could have been a career-ending injury, Will was now about to achieve his lifelong dream. He knew his dad would be watching.

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    Dolls

      Simon Ericson
     Dolls

Brought onto the investigation to explore all the leads no one expected to pan out, Officer Morgan finds himself on the trail of the mysterious and elusive Dolls. It's a lead that takes him into a world far stranger and more real than he had ever imagined and into something far more dangerous than he had bargained for.Officer Morgan never expected to find anything like this when he joined the investigation. No one had anticipated the big gangs and mobsters leaving town, or that the occult community would start handing out strange warnings. Finally they cornered some of the areas criminal middle men, only to find that the two groups were saying some strangely similar things. "Something big is coming into town. Lay low or get out." Then the bodies started to pile up. Morgan has started poking around where no one else thought there were any answers to find, and found himself in the middle of something far stranger and more dangerous than he could have imagined.

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    Unforgiven

      Gabriel Archer
     Unforgiven

A tale about redemption, forgiveness, unforgivness, the Guinness Book of World Records, the Bible, God, and sex.We were told that this is a good story. Fight Club is a good story, Catch-22 is a good story, War and Peace is a descent story, this is nothing. But it does have the following: the very first murder; sex; coffee shops; witty banter; sex; humor; cleverness; conquers-all love; a hipster; an unreliable narrator; sprinkled references to historical events; brilliance; human sacrifice; profound philosophical revelations; a Metallica song; and eye-opening ideas.

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    Carnival Moon

      Margarita Gakis
     Carnival Moon

A short story set in the Covencraft Series by Margarita Gakis - This short story takes place after book 2, Counter-Hex, but before book 3, Double Sided Witch [out now]. Follow along as Jade is asked by the local werewolf pack to join them during one of their full moon carnivals - the Wolf Moon.Did you wonder what happened to the little girl that Derek saved at the beginning of Wasteland Rules: Kill or Be Killed? Now she is all grown up and kicking butt thanks to his timely intervention. She now resides in the remains of Vegas and fights to stop the flow of illegal slaves into the Strip. This story takes place approximately six years after the original book but also explores how she became the woman she is today.Approximately 17,000 words in length. No DRM.If you like this story you can get full length books on Amazon to experience more of the World After. Book 1, Wasteland Rules: Kill or Be Killed, is available and Book 2, Wasteland Rules: Born to Fight is also now available.

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    Vampire Storm (Volume 1 : The Hurricane Journals)

      R.M. Plaiscia
     Vampire Storm (Volume 1 : The Hurricane Journals)

When two storms converge upon a mighty river’s crescent, one of swirling wind and rising water, the other of regenerating flesh and self-binding bones, only one shall hold the ability to shift the fates of all the future forever more, and as the swamp fills with water, three witches shall begin their silent battle to control that power… but not all of them will be able to escape with their lives.It 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.

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    The Fifth Elephant

      Terry Pratchett
     The Fifth Elephant

Everyone knows that the world is flat, and supported on the backs of four elephants. But weren't there supposed to be five? Indeed there were. So where is it?... When duty calls. Commander Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork constabulary answers. Even when he doesn't want to. He's been "invited" to attend a royal function as both detective and diplomat. The one role he relishes; the other requires, well, ruby tights. Of course where cops (even those clad in tights) go, alas, crime follows. An attempted assassination and a theft soon lead to a desperate chase from the low halls of Discworld royalty to the legendary fat mines of Uberwald, where lard is found in underground seams along with tusks and teeth and other precious ivory artifacts. It's up to the dauntless Vimes -- bothered as usual by a familiar cast of Discworld inhabitants (you know, trolls, dwarfs, werewolves, vampires and such) -- to solve the puzzle of the missing pachyderm. Which of course he does. After all, solving mysteries is his job.

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    Crack'd Pot Trail

      Steven Erikson
     Crack'd Pot Trail

It is an undeniable truth: give evil a name and everyone’s happy.  Give it two names and…why, they’re even happier. Intrepid necromancers Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, scourges of civilization, raisers of the dead, reapers of the souls of the living, devourers of hope, betrayers of faith, slayers of the innocent, and modest personifications of evil, have a lot to answer for and answer they will. Known as the Nehemoth, they are pursued by countless self-professed defenders of decency, sanity, and civilization. After all, since when does evil thrive unchallenged? Well, often—but not this time. Hot on their heels are the Nehemothanai, avowed hunters of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. In the company of a gaggle of artists and pilgrims, stalwart Mortal Sword Tulgord Vise, pious Well Knight Arpo Relent, stern Huntsman Steck Marynd, and three of the redoubtable Chanter brothers (and their lone sister) find themselves faced with the cruelest of choices. The legendary Crack’d Pot Trail, a stretch of harsh wasteland between the Gates of Nowhere and the Shrine of the Indifferent God, has become a tortured path of deprivation. Will honor, moral probity, and virtue prove champions in the face of brutal necessity? No, of course not. Don’t be silly.

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    A, B, C: Three Short Novels

      Samuel R. Delany
     A, B, C: Three Short Novels

A, B, C: Three Short Novels contains the first three novels of Samuel R. Delany’s long and illustrious career.   The Jewels of Aptor is a science-fantasy story about a seafaring quest that sets out to find powerful magic jewels on a mystical, forbidden island where unimaginable danger lies. The Ballad of Beta-2 is about a future academic searching for the true story behind an interstellar voyage, a journey over multiple generations that ended in tragedy. They Fly at Çiron is a fantasy about the clash between a marauding army and a peaceful village at the foot of a mountain from which a race of winged people oversees both sides. Presenting these three novels in this omnibus volume for the first time, along with a new foreword and afterword by the author, A, B, C showcases Delany’s masterful storytelling ability and deep devotion to his craft.

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    Runaway Retriever

      Tui T. Sutherland
     Runaway Retriever

An exciting new series about those adorable pets that just won't behave--it's Marley & Me for middle-grade readers! Parker hadn't considered getting a dog, but when playful Merlin, the golden retriever, comes into his life, Parker is thrilled. The two are inseparable from day one--because whenever Parker tries to leave, Merlin escapes his fence or cage and follows him! Can anything make this loveable dog sit and STAY?

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    The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1 The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1

      Robert E. Howard
     The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1 The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1

Robert E. Howard is one of the most famous and influential pulp authors of the twentieth century. Though largely known as the man who invented the sword-and-sorcery genre-and for his iconic hero Conan the Cimmerian-Howard also wrote horror tales, desert adventures, detective yarns, epic poetry, and more. This spectacular volume, gorgeously illustrated by Jim and Ruth Keegan, includes some of his best and most popular works. Inside, readers will discover (or rediscover) such gems as "The Shadow Kingdom," featuring Kull of Atlantis and considered by many to be the first sword-and-sorcery story; "The Fightin'est Pair," part of one of Howard’s most successful series, chronicling the travails of Steve Costigan, a merchant seaman with fists of steel and a head of wood; "The Grey God Passes," a haunting tale about the passing of an age, told against the backdrop of Irish history and legend; “Worms of the Earth,” a brooding narrative featuring Bran Mak Morn, about which H. P. Lovecraft said, "Few readers will ever forget the hideous and compelling power of this] macabre masterpiece"; a historical poem relating a momentous battle between Cimbri and the legions of Rome; and "Sharp's Gun Serenade," one of the last and funniest of the Breckinridge Elkins tales. These thrilling, eerie, compelling, swashbuckling stories and poems have been restored to their original form, presented just as the author intended. There is little doubt that after more than seven decades the voice of Robert E. Howard continues to resonate with readers around the world. "From the Trade Paperback edition."

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    Saving Thanehaven

      Catherine Jinks
     Saving Thanehaven

Noble is a knight with a heart that's true and, well, noble. With his not-so-trusty sword, Smite, he fights his way through a vicious, unfriendly landscape, sure (or at least, he thinks he's sure) that one day he'll defeat the bad guys (whoever they are) and win the heart (at least he guesses that's the idea) of a beautiful princess. Then one day Rufus comes along and turns his world upside down. Rufus has his own ideas about how to get ahead: don't fight, negotiate! Don't play by the rules! Suddenly, life is more interesting--and less painful--than ever before. But the new rules are harder to live by than the old ones, and suddenly, it appears possible that Rufus might have an ulterior motive--at the very least! With a slippery, ever twisting plot that is set inside a very confused computer, Catherine Jinks's latest novel will pull in fans of adventure, computer games, and just plain fun. Releases simultaneously in electronic book format (ISBN 978-1-60684-284-3)

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    Apocalypso

      Robert Rankin
     Apocalypso

The Ministry of Serendipity at Mornington Crescent runs everything. And that is everything. When the Ministry learns of' a spacecraft that crashed four thousand years ago into the Pacific Ocean, it sends Sir John Rimmer and his elite team of' paranormal investigators to recover it. Amongst Sir John's team is Danbury Collins, and Danbury isn't keen. He's seen the movies. He knows how it works: spacecraft is brought up from the depths. Mad alien thaws out. Hell and horror all around. Thousands flee in terror. And bloody big explosion at the end. Danbury knows just what should be done. Nuke it, and nuke it now. But will anybody listen? No! Porrig has Inherited a planet or it might be a bookshop, or it might be a gateway into another world. And Porrig is worried because he has learned a terrible secret. But if he told people all about it, would they listen? No! But perhaps they should, because a spacecraft has been brought up from the depths, a mad alien has thawed out, there is hell and horror all around and thousands are fleeing In terror. And there is every likelihood of there being a bloody big explosion at the end. In this, his eighteenth novel, Robert Rankin takes a classic science fiction theme, turns it inside out and upside down and blends it with horror and humour to produce something all his own.

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    The Prophecy

      Jeffrey M. Poole
     The Prophecy

Griffins, Dragons, and BNPs (Bugs of Nightmarish Proportions). Who knew? It seemed harmless enough. See a mysterious door and step through to see what happens, right? Now stranded in a magical kingdom, husband and wife search for a way home. However, enlisting the aid of the king and queen has given them their biggest shock yet: Royal Babysitters. Some days it didn't pay to get out of bed.Dragons, griffins, and BNPs (Bugs of Nightmarish Proportions). Never in their wildest dreams could they have imagined what was in store for them. After learning he had inherited an enormous mansion and a huge tract of land from a reclusive set of relatives, Steve Miller, along with his wife Sarah, decide to take a few days off to investigate their new-found fortune in the quiet resort town of northern Idaho, Coeur d’Alene. While taking inventory of the vast manor, they discover a unique set of doors on the top floor. Mistaking them to be an ornate decoration, the doors are accidentally activated, presenting the two new homeowners with a tantalizing decision: step through or ignore? No harm could possibly befall them by simply walking through an open door, right? Curiosity getting the better of them, they step through and both are sent on a one-way journey to a land of unimagined wonder! Realizing they were now stranded on a world populated with creatures that should exist only in one’s imagination, they enlist the aid of the local king and queen. Their troubles continue to escalate, however, as it is revealed their arrival had been long foretold by an ancient local prophecy, bestowing upon them the status of Royal Bodyguards to the young crown prince. Stuck on a foreign world where mythical creatures abound, trying to avoid being attacked by griffins, and hoping to impress a living, breathing dragon, the newly appointed babysitters must find a way to return home soon before harm could befall the young prince.Some days it didn't pay to get out of bed.

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