A collection of 28 weird and unusual Flash length stories covering various genres."It’s common knowledge that everyone dies. Just recently I’ve discovered everyone dies more than once." Michael Graves is on his way to a graduation party. He wasn't expecting much, especially not the horrifying sight he finds in the bathroom... Will he discover what happened?Soon to become a full length novel titled Deathly Vortex by AshleyNicole Shelton. Result of a short-story writing contest.

Love the Institute for the Preservation of Magical Artifacts cameos in "The Old Silk Hat: A Frosty The Snowman Prequel" and "Troll Brother"? Then give this Halloween 2013 creepy story a try. Find out what it is IPMA Special Agent Jackson Davison's been unable to see since he was a child.Jackson Davison has long wanted to prove the existence of Imps among the other Faerie Folk but hasn't had the right opportunity. Until now, Halloween 2013. This is the second of shorts stories about the IPMA and their adventures. Squirm as Agent Davison tries to learn the truth behind the nature of Imps and other "unseen" faeries and creatures. Written for children and adolescents, but definitely not for the weak of heart. Be prepared to stay awake all night.

This essay examines the roles of luck and hard work in determining lifetime earnings, and summarizes research showing that at least half of what we earn is explained by the "birth accidents" of gender, genes and parents. The implication for tax policy is that a sharply progressive income tax--a "Fortune Tax"--passes the tests for both fairness and efficiency. (18,000 words, 18 charts)Three different short stories, all with a wizard theme.Wilfred the Wizard and the Big Exam The day of Wilfred’s wizard exam has arrived but he is so nervous he pours milk on his toast, puts butter in his tea and then tea in his jam! But what about Wanda and her Witchy Warehouse? Will she spoil the day?The Olde Shoe Shoppe A shoe shop that never seems to sell any shoes? There must be a reason...when people try on the shoes, they find they don't fit. No matter what size they try. No matter how many sizes too big they try; the shoes are always the wrong size! But this is only half the reason... Peta and her Missing ParentsPeta's parents went on holiday but didn't come back! Did their plane really crash land on a very tiny desert island, somewhere in the middle of nowhere? Is it all her uncle’s fault? And what about her friend Marcie?

A week is a long time in politics. In diary format, one political candidate chronicles his drastic change of fortune as he goes from the potential Prime Minister to a pariah within his own party.An alien race keeps social order in the galaxy by guiding new, intelligent life to the stars. Uric is the Great Organizer and in his illustrious career he has never failed a mission. However, he soon realizes that this species called man refuses to unite as one benevolent race. How long will his patience last?Spanning from the receding glaciers of Europe to the dying throes of New York, The Great Organizer uses his extensive knowledge to influence history in his attempt to organize humanity into one society.

The 8th issue of Successful Startup 101, a magazine for budding entrepreneurs, startup founders and small business owners that covers business planning, strategy, management, accounting, finance, sales and marketing.In this month's issue:* Busting the Lean Startup Myth, by Howard Tullman* Tips from the Startup Fundraising Playbook, by Nathan Beckord* 80 Ways to Find Your Next Big Startup Idea, by Thomas Oppong* Entrepreneur, Fire Thyself - by Kerrie MacPherson* 5 Podcasts Every Small Business Owner Should Consider Listening To, by Rob Marsh* 2 Startup Expenses You Should Never Shortcut, by AJ Agrawal* 5 Ways for Bootstrapped Startups to Get Through the First Year, by Zach Cutler* Why Startups Sell For Millions with No Business Model, by Dev Aujla* What Does It Mean To Lead With Trust? - by Randy Conley* 9 Lessons From a 10-Time Startup Failure, by Eric T. Wagner* The 14 Steps Needed to Recruit Your Early Startup Team, by Paul Ruderman* 3 Ways to Use Social Media to Align Your Team, by Andre Lavoie* Entrepreneurs! Take a Break: It Can Help Your Business - by Cristopher Ramirez* The Three Bandits of Change Leadership, by Jim Haudan* How Good Management Stifles Breakthrough Innovation, by Markus Lorenz* Small Business Tips from a Successful Entrepreneur, by Lyve Alexis Pleshette* Think You Know What Venture Capitalists Look For In New Start-Ups? Think Again - by Patrick Hanlon* How to Make Your Product Look Sexy on Facebook, by Aaron Lee* Why You Should Never Give Up On Your Dreams, by Adriana Langford* The Quest for the “Easy” Startup, by Tabitha Jean Naylor

In his famous Gulliver's Travels, Gulliver described the quaint politics of the tiny people of Lilliput. In this sequel he adds his account of their equally quaint economy. He tells us the Lilliputians, bored with the endless prosperity of a Garden of Eden, reorganized their economy as an exciting game of chance controlled by the mysterious invisible hand of The Almighty Sprug.Luke Rosenhart is your average straight-A student, always trying to do things the right way, always reliable, always responsible.He’s just an average kid, and doesn’t want that to change.But one field trip, on a rainy Autumn day, to a still-under-construction zoo turns his life and the lives of Ned Detwiler, his best pal, Brooke O’Mackey, the girl from across the road, Robyn Diaz, the quiet bookworm from the country outskirts of town and Smithy, the new kid in town who doesn’t talk very much, upside down.An alien, who crash-landed into the unfinished hippo habitat, tells the five fourteen-year-olds that their planet is under threat by the Intergalactic criminal Gemini who intends to completely wipe out the entire human race, with help from some other aliens who want nothing more than to have the beautiful planet Earth all to themselves.So what can a straight-A student, a class clown, a girl from across the road, a bookworm and a loner, do about that?Well, with the powers the alien gives them, they can do lots!Save a little girl from a burning building, mess up the dentist’s office, and aid in a school food fight!Now they have to figure out how to stop Gemini before it’s too late! On top of that, they have to find out what powers they have, how to use them, how not to use them, how to keep everything a secret so as not to panic everyone and, most important of all, learn to work as a team.If you are in the mood for jokes, super powers, hilarious situations, ordinary kids turned superheroes, a save-the-day story and aliens (both good and bad), then the Upbeats is sure to brighten your day!

Based upon journal entries and notes written at the time, "The Mushroom Diaries" catalogue six of the trips the author and his boyfriend experienced as they allowed their magic mushroom induced visions to lead them through the streets and subways of London.When you've opened your mind so often, allowed it to journey on the other side of reality's mirror frequently, it changes. Small things, gaps left visible, a wafer thin barrier is all that separates the sides. Visions living in your head, memories pulled up from the past and acted out with clarity, past confusions solved painfully in dreams. Reality splitting. By remembering you reopen, old cuts bleed afresh. Welcome to madness.Based upon journal entries and notes written at the time, "The Mushroom Diaries" catalogue six of the trips the author and his boyfriend experienced as they allowed their mushroom induced visions to lead them through the streets and subways of London."The Mushroom Diaries" is the story of two people, a twisted romance coloured in glorious Technicolor.

A selection of unusual and quirky short stories. Meet a naked ghost, a castaway in a bottle and a killer with multiple personalities. Witness death in an auction bullring and cower from a haunted computer. See a fast food addict find enlightenment. Recoil as two predators indulge in power sex. Watch an old man slay his demons.Identity thief Alyson Reid barely escaped the police raid on the Broadway Walk hotel with her life. With her accounts empty, her tools destroyed, and the Houston police hunting her as a murderer she sets out across the city with a single objective: To clear her name. Meanwhile, HPD detective Martin Clark continues the search for Tomas Dekare's killer. Following a trail of a scattered trail of contradictory clues, Martin and Chief Detective Richard Parks edge closer to the truth and come to realize that there is more to their investigation than they had thought. Day Two continues the story of A Ballad of Wayward Spectres; a serialized cyberpunk thriller in four parts.

Step back in time for volume II of an 18th century world where highwaymen roamed the roads, artists faded in obscure unhappiness, silk-clad poodles held London society enraptured and viscounts couldn't feel their own thumbs. Here be monsters, magic and lonely doctors with a penchant for the work of the old masters, not to mention a cavalcade of rogues, royals and revelry.Step back in time for volume II of an 18th century world where highwaymen roamed the roads, artists faded in obscure unhappiness, silk-clad poodles held London society enraptured and viscounts couldn't feel their own thumbs. Here be monsters, magic and lonely doctors with a penchant for the work of the old masters, not to mention a cavalcade of rogues, royals and revelry. These are The Dead London Chronicles.The threads of the tapestry are still being woven, and what the Chronicles contain, we can only guess.The story updates weekly on its own dedicated website or here in collected monthly editions, written by Catherine Curzon and Willow Winsham.

West of Rome's two novellas, "My Dog Stupid" and "The Orgy," fulfill the promise of their rousing titles. The latter novella opens with virtuoso description: "His name was Frank Gagliano, and he did not believe in God. He was that most singular and startling craftsman of the building trade-a left-handed bricklayer. Like my father, Frank came from Torcella Peligna, a cliff-hugging town in the Abruzzi. Lean as a spider, he wore a leather cap and puttees the year around, and he was so bowlegged a dog could lope between his knees without touching them."

When the cupboard is bare at the Flopsy Bunny's burrow, the family all have to go in search of food. They soon find some old lettuces on Mr McGregor's rubbish heap, but who can imagine the horrors that await them as they enjoy a nap after lunch! Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny are two of Beatrix Potter's most popular characters and they are brought together in this exciting tale of danger and friendship. The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies is number ten in Beatrix Potter's series of 23 little books, the titles of which are as follows: 1 The Tale of Peter Rabbit 2 The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin 3 The Tailor of Gloucester 4 The Tale of Benjamin Bunny 5 The Tale of Two Bad Mice 6 The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle 7 The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher 8 The Tale of Tom Kitten 9 The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck 10 The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies 11 The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse 12 The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes 13 The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse 14 The Tale of Mr. Tod 15 The Tale of Pigling Bland 16 The Tale of Samuel Whiskers 17 The Tale of The Pie and the Patty-Pan 18 The Tale of Ginger and Pickles 19 The Tale of Little Pig Robinson 20 The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit 21 The Story of Miss Moppet 22 Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes 23 Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes

Possibly the only drawback about the bestselling How To Be A Woman was that its author, Caitlin Moran, was limited to pretty much one subject: being a woman. In MORANTHOLOGY Caitlin 'gets quite chatty’ about many subjects, including cultural, social and political issues which are usually left to hot-shot wonks and not a woman who sometimes keeps a falafel in her handbag. These other subjects include... Caffeine | Ghostbusters | Being Poor | Twitter | Caravans | Obama | Wales | Paul McCartney | The Welfare State | Sherlock | David Cameron Looking Like Ham | Amy Winehouse | ‘The Big Society’ | Big Hair | Nutter-letters | Michael Jackson's funeral | Failed Nicknames | Wolverhampton | Squirrels’ Testicles | Sexy Tax | Binge-drinking | Chivalry | Rihanna’s Cardigan | Party Bags | Hot People| Transsexuals | The Gay Moon Landings

Eliza is in a full-blown panic. Her notebook has been stolen—the one that lists everything she wants but is afraid to go after. And the absolute worst person in the world has it: her ex-boyfriend, Cooper. Like it’s not enough Cooper was lying to Eliza for their entire relationship, now he and his friends are blackmailing her. They’re giving her just one night to complete the most humiliating tasks on her list or they’ll post her secrets online—including the ones that aren’t just about her. Eliza’s sure of only one thing: she isn’t going down without a fight. Cooper may have what’s left of her dignity, but she’s not the only one with something to hide … A hilarious and sweet teen novel by Lauren Barnholdt, the author of Two-Way Street.

"You have to teach your heart and mind how to sing together... then you'll hear the sound of your soul." Mia Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. She's an Ivy League graduate, a classically trained pianist, and the beloved daughter of a sensible mother and offbeat father. Yet Mia has been stalling since graduation, torn between putting her business degree to use and exploring music, her true love. When her father unexpectedly dies, she decides to pick up the threads of his life while she figures out her own. Uprooting herself from Ann Arbor to New York City, Mia takes over her father's cafe, a treasured neighborhood institution that plays host to undiscovered musicians and artists. She's denied herself the thrilling and unpredictable life of a musician, but a chance encounter with Will, a sweet, gorgeous, and charming guitarist, offers her a glimpse of what could be. When Will becomes her friend and then her roommate, she does everything in her power to suppress her passions—for him, for music—but her father's legacy slowly opens her heart to the possibility of something more. A "heartbreaking and romantic" (Aestas Book Blog) debut, Sweet Thing explores the intensity and complexities of first love and self-discovery.