This is one good war story, and I recommend it highly." - David Keith of November First PublicationsWWII: A B-17 bomber secretly crewed by American Negros called the “Nobodies” is limping back from an unofficial mission when a seemingly unavoidable tragedy unfolds right inside their plane . . .

Each of us shall experience or perpetrate some wrong in our lives. At the critical stage of reconciliation and healing, it is vitally important that we are able to give others and ourselves the benefit of a ‘second chance’. And if you are like I used to be growing up, you may need to receive a ‘second chance’ many times before you eventually get it right.As a growing child, the one thing that I experienced in abundance was ‘second chances.’ In fact, I’d go as far as to say that without having had my fair share of second chances, my life would have taken a much different course. Second chances were my life saver!Not surprisingly, one of my favourite books was Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Misērables,’ a story that was chiefly responsible for transforming me from ‘Thief’ to that of ‘Probation Officer’ in later life. I was also fascinated by the bible story of Christ telling His followers to ‘turn the other cheek’ in circumstances where it seemed more natural to ‘strike back.’ I eventually came to understand that the instruction of Christ to turn the other cheek wasn’t so that the offender might strike you once more, but to afford him/her ‘a second chance’ not to strike you again.Wherever the fault lies, whatever the character trait requiring changing happens to be or however the behaviour needs improvement, being provided with ‘a second chance’ is essential to one’s overall sense of well being. It may be that losing weight is what is required to getting a second chance at life or giving up smoking or abstaining from alcohol or drugs. One may need to address one’s inappropriate behaviour of aggression, distrust, bullying, dishonesty, name calling or anything which adversely affects one’s life and image. Whatever the unhappy state of being, ‘a second chance’ may be what one requires to either give or receive.‘Sleezy the Fox’ is a book of four stories about the overarching theme of ‘second chances’. On the surface it deals with the immigration of a married couple and their seven children into a strange country, the bullying of neighbours, the ostracizing of offenders from the community as a whole and the alienation that often exists between man and wild beast and beast and wild man!Each of us shall experience or perpetrate some wrong in our lives. At the critical stage of reconciliation and healing, it is vitally important that we are able to give others and ourselves the benefit of a ‘second chance’. And if you are like I used to be growing up, you may need to receive a ‘second chance’ many times before you eventually get it right.

We all have that one person in our lives who we consider "Our Person". Whether it be our best friend, significant other, sibling or parent. Our number one speed dial for when things get low, our biggest cheer leader when we need it the most. The person who above all else, simply gets us the most. The person our life would suck without.An embalmer with sticky fingers gets a tip that he'll never forget.Firelight reveals the ghosts of conscience past.Film noir femmes fatales take on their craziest caper yet in a trip beyond the stars.Horrors crawl from the kitchen sink, only to find itself a monster among monsters.And six other stories full of twisting, turning hidden horrors await in Days of Madness 4.Featuring new stories by Absolutely*Kate, Chris Allinotte, R.S. Bohn, Erin Cole, Park Cooper & Barb Lien, William Davoll, Richard Godwin, Mav Skye, Benjamin Sobieck, Angel Zapata.

Marty Humphrey has trouble finishing things. He just dropped out of college, and previously, a European backpacking adventure was abruptly cut short, when he became morbidly homesick on the flight across the Atlantic. Maybe the mystic-minded Rose O'Donnell can help Marty sort things out.Bob Astor is a Quality Assurance agent working at Vartan Inc. Lately his days have been stressful, to say the least. Butting heads with upper management has put his career on life support. A surprising change in circumstance has Bob going on a business mission to the moon city, Langrenus. On the way, he meets one of the delegates on board the Starbird, a desperate man with a dark past and a very dangerous secret. Through a mysterious series of events Bob finds himself in the middle of an interplanetary crises that no one knows about. These secrets could change - or destroy - all human life on Earth. The key to the answer of the crises is on the Red Planet, Mars. It's up to Bob, the burnt-out Q. A. agent to rise to the occasion and stem the dangerous tide coming from beyond the solar system.

After returning from a disappearance of seven long years without a trace, Charles Smithson is brutally murdered. The question is by whom. The suspects range from a group of desperate men who were allegedly chasing him to obtain secret information the victim possessed, to members of his own family. Detectives Carson and Brown must unravel the mystery that led to the young man's demise.After disappearing for seven long years without a trace Charles Smithson suddenly reappears one day after he was found unconscious on a hiking trail in the Mission Hills area of San Diego, California. He has a bizarre story to tell about desperate men who are following him and wish him dead. They will stop at nothing to get their hands on secret information he has in his possession. When he ends up dead under mysterious circumstances there is a virtual laundry list of suspects.Detectives John Carson and Charles Brown are assigned to the case and must unravel the tangled mystery that led to the young man's demise.

A collection of some of my original poetry, organized under four genres, Nature, Love, Reflective and Spiritual. It serves as a sort of poetic journey in which I attempt to take the reader with me to a journey beyond reality, through the world of philosophy, love, spirituality and descriptive poetry.Poetry is a universal language, that walks beyond everything. It takes the mind to a beautiful realm, free from all sorts of worries that haunt us in reality. Poetry is food for the soul, because as humans, we need respite from the tremendous materialism all around nowadays. In this small book, I try to take the reader with me on a journey to a realm of poetry, where we enjoy hope, faith, spirituality, philosophy, love, natural beauty together.

Sometimes miracles happen. Sometimes in the most unlikely ways...13-year-old Tony Willis has a rare form of cancer that's killing him slowly. Doctors predict the boy only has weeks or days to live. His parents don't know how to deal with him or his debilitating disease. Kids at school think he's a freak. Not only is he dying; he is completely alone.Soon, Tony seeks refuge from the world at the local graveyard. He decides to live out the rest of his days here, where he actually feels welcome. But something unusual is about to happen to him--something extraordinary that no doctor can begin to understand. This short, coming-of-age drama (about 25 pages) is meant to inspire and give hope to people who are in short supply of it these days. I only ask that those who read it please leave a rating and review. Thank you and enjoy!

Empty Glass======== An empty glass spoke about charity;"Give him water, and give her tea." He looked transparent and unblemished,even though he had really nothing to give. He spoke so well and convinced everybody,they filled him with their hard-earned money.Copyright, Ronnie Ng 2011-2012 Shooting Star=============i have never seen in my lifea shooting star passing byright in front of my very eyes.but i heard that it quietly arrivesinto the hearts of hopeful cries;just like the effect of a butterflyfrom somewhere distant and quietthat indirectly wakes me up at night. like a shooting star in a random flight,i don't know what i should do with my life;i'm still awake in the middle of the night,looking for a reason to keep up the fight.The wind came to me and tried to recitea poetry in a language that i can't write;just like a shooting star which prophesiesa future that may only happen after i die. in the mystery of the universe so infinite,the shooting star is just a flame of light.a passing brilliance in the blink of an eyewill not change the darkness of our nights;a few moments of glory within my lifetimecouldn't help to make the wrong things right.i haven't found my purpose and i'm really tired,like the star is shooting and doesn't know why. when the shooting star didn't come by sunrise,it angered the folks with big prayers on standby.i have given up hope even though i haven't tried.it's just like a fairy tale to let children find delight;it's just a superstition to help keep our hopes alive.i should be thankful enough that i have still survivedin this crazy world where many others are deprivedof their basic rights, suffering alone to cringe and die. ~by Ronnie Ng (11th Dec 2011)...

54 Limericks about various famous locations around the worldYou may think that you know about the mythical beings known as fairies, but the truth will shock you.14-year old Farrah Fancycracker hates her life. Although she lives in Fairyland, the most wondrous place in the universe, her talents have been wasted. As a small-winged Ordinaria fairy, she is not permitted to practice the Pixie Arts to become a Tooth Fairy. Only the Superiora, the so-called ‘elite,’ big-winged fairies are allowed to explore the full extent of their powers at the Pixie Academy. Everything changes after a vicious attack from the Cornuto creatures. With Fairyland at the brink of extinction, the Fairy Queen calls upon all fairies, both Ordinaria and Superiora alike. Having unexpectedly discovered that she is in fact a Tuttatti fairy, the most powerful fairy in Fairyland, the fate of the land now rests in the hands of Farrah. Will Farrah seize this opportunity to show Fairyland just how powerful she really is?An epic Young Adult Fantasy that follows the adventures a young wannabe Tooth Fairy named Farrah Fancycracker.

You're full of ideas,and they've got to come out. But what if you get blocked ? Failed projects hang around forever,haunting you. Sometimes you just have to apply a little pressure to get results.This is the 4th of an ongoing series of stories inspired by the Cthulhu mythos and the writing of H.P. Lovecraft. This story is from the villain’s point of view. It chronicles Dulfor’s life from receiving his Masters of Divinity, finding a mentor in his blasphemous obsession, and recruiting Sorush Al-Helzra to help him translate forbidden texts held within the vaults of the St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary. The story ends with Dulfor’s profane ritual to release the Old One, Yelkat’hop, from the 1st story (The Second Coming) and the foreboding events that immediately followed.

The second volume of one hundred helter-skelter provocative short poems dealing with life and living at any age, any gender, any where, any time.A random arrangement of short poems touching on:charity and greed; crime and punishment; death and dying; earth and universe; fact and fiction; freedom and incarceration; gods and faith; good and evil; heaven and hell; human rights and tyranny; love and hate; parents and children; present and future; race and religion; sickness and health; sun and moon; truth and deceit; war and peace.

A comedian, singer, composer, musician, linguist, actor, author and a favourite of Sean Connery and Billy Connolly's, Norman MacLean is a living legend in the Gaelic world. Tricksters takes the reader on a rambunctious journey around Scotland with endearing but oddly-matched couple, Murdo and Rachel. Murdo is a semi-pro thespian struggling with an alcohol problem; Rachel is constantly on the brink of ending their relationship. And there's the truly appalling television director, Sam, whose Machiavellian schemes are aided by a heavy-drinking Presbyterian heretic from Lewis. When all converge in the Tartan Pagoda Hotel, Uist, what could possibly go right? A hilarious page-turner, Tricksters blends the high style of John Lanchester and the low-life snappy dialogue of George V. Higgins—and it's beautifully translated for the Teuchters by the author.

Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills—and it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice. Tiny Beautiful Things brings the best of Dear Sugar in one place and includes never-before-published columns and a new introduction by Steve Almond.  Rich with humor, insight, compassion—and absolute honesty—this book is a balm for everything life throws our way.

Miss Lonelyhearts Miss Lonelyhearts was a newspaper reporter, so named because he had been assigned to write the agony column, to answer the letters from Desperate, Sick-of-It-All, Disillusioned. A joke at first; but then he was caught up, terrifyingly, in a vision of suffering, and he sought a way out, turning first here, then there—Art, Sex, Religion. Shrike, the cynical editor, the friend and enemy, compulsively destroyed each of his friend’s gestures toward idealism. Together, in the city’s dim underworld, Shrike and Miss Lonelyhearts turn round and round in a loathsome dance, unresolvable, hating until death… The Day of the Locust To Hollywood comes Tod Hackett, hoping for a career in scene designing, but he finds the way hard and falls in with others—extras, technicians, old vaudeville hands—who are also in difficulty. Around him he sees the great mass of inland Americans who have retired to California in expectation of health and ease. But boredom consumes them, their own emptiness maddens them; they search out any abnormality in their lust for excitement—drugs, perversion, crime. In the end only blood will serve; unreasoned, undirected violence. The day of the locust is at hand…

Meet the Cooke family. Our narrator is Rosemary Cooke. As a child, she never stopped talking; now that she's started college, she has wrapped herself in silence: the silence of intentional forgetting, of protective cover. Rosemary is now an only child, but she used to have a sister the same age as her, and an older brother. Both are now gone—vanished from her life. Her once lively mother is a shell of her former self, her clever and imperious father now a distant, brooding man. And there was something unique about Rosemary's sister, Fern. You'll have to find out for yourself what it is that makes her unhappy family unlike any other.