Anthony Miller, divorced with two teenage kids, is an unassuming office worker. So no one expects the man threatening to jump off the top of a high rise building is him!"Aliens Did NOT Destroy Chicago" is the title of a video discovered on the internet after claims that aliens nuked the city are broadcast on new networks. The story is told in that format, with a transcriber copying all of the spoken text into long form. In this short fiction, the author formulates a scenario where a major US city is destroyed by a false flag operation, and what might occur if the scale were so monstrous it could barely be believed. The reader is challenged to examine perceptions and exercise discernment through the use of media.

The Maddox Maimers, the turkey baster, the audio gnome, and Flo return in this new Perpetual Twilight adventure, the sequel to Perpetual Revenge. The Maddox Maimers run amuck, stealing stuff and kidnapping girls. The action culminates with a pair of Perpetual Twilight visitors staging a gallant hostage rescue. The characters Brian and Ray are used with permission of A. S. Warwick.By 2050 the country has gone through some slight changes thanks to a dramatic shift in the makeup in the country's populace giving liberals, referred to by various uncomplimentary names, control over Washington. In that thirty years the country becomes the veritable paradise moonbats have long sought to create, but more resembling a third-world banana republic where English is replaced by twenty-five variations of gang slang, no one gets beyond third grade, rioting and something resembling football with hockey sticks are the national pastimes. There is now a "Forever President," welfare moms have replaced small business, corn is the cornerstone of industry, and people drive around in either battery-powered bubble cars or Latino lowriders. All the while, non-thinking Schwartz is led around on a doggie leash, and has become a 'pinball,' with names ranging from Vic to Dick to Bic, and spends his day bouncing around the fenced playground of a former elementary school turned asylum for the insane. One fine spring day the gate to the compound suddenly opens and Schwartz, along with a hundred or so inmates, unthinkingly escape. While walking aimlessly down a highway, he is struck by another truck (an electric bus) and suddenly awakens from his long sleep to find the liberals' variation of paradise has really arrived in America! Schiessen!

A (black) comedy short story of rustic life, death and birth written far too soon after reading Stella Gibbons' Cold Comfort Farm.Who would know his skill for the magical arts until he tries them, or the skill and balance of a sword until he picks it up and weighs it in the hand? There are stories, tales, prophecies and legends in every nation, but not all these are true... Some will come to pass, some already have, and some are yet to be...But the future holds the key to what we will be, and so it was with this legend as well.Yet every legend needs a point to start, a knife edge to balance on until the moment is right and the forces at hand pivot the balance of the prophecy into realisation. What was the hardest day of one's life can often be the start of your own prophecy, your own future can then be decided by your own skills, your own talents for things unknown to you...

A relentless horde of renegade robots has plunged the fate of Xanth in dire peril. All that stands between the enchanted land and destruction is a most unlikely hero, a moody, mild-mannered Goblin named Goody, who must summon all of his courage and determination to overcome this abominable army of automatons. Brimming with heart-stopping adventure and heart-warming delight, overflowing with wicked wit and wanton wordplay, "Pet Peeve "is Piers Anthony in rare form, an exceptional new chapter in the continuing chronicles of Xanth.

Oberon the Irish wolfhound is off to Portland to smell all the things with canine companions wolfhound Orlaith and Boston terrier Starbuck, and, of course, his human, ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan. The first complication is an unmistakable sign of sinister agendas afoot: a squirrel atop the train. But an even more ominous situation is in store when the trio plus Atticus stumble across a murder upon arrival at the station. They recognize Detective Gabriela Ibarra, who’s there to investigate. But they also recognize the body—or rather that the body is a doppelganger for Atticus himself. The police, hampered by human senses of smell and a decided lack of canine intuition, obviously can’t handle this alone. Not with Atticus likely in danger. Oberon knows it’s time to investigate once more—for justice! For gravy! And possibly greasy tacos! Alongside his faithful Druid, Oberon and the other loyal hounds navigate by nose through Portland to find a bear-shifter friend with intel, delicious clues at the victim’s home, and more squirrels. Always more squirrels! But will our hungry band of heroes be able to identify the culprit before someone else is murdered? Will there be mystery meat in gravy as a reward or tragedy in store for the world’s (or at least the Pacific Northwest’s) greatest dog detective? Like its predecessor The Purloined Poodle, the latest of Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries, The Squirrel on the Train, is not to be missed by fans of Kevin Hearne’s New York Times best-selling Iron Druid series.

When Bonk witnesses two musk oxen bulls fighting over their cows, he wonders if their technique would work with cavewomen.She must save the world. He must help her....Yin is the Savior of the ages. A young woman chosen to protect the world on its final day. A fighter, a sorcerer, a loner. She lives in the mountains, away from the prying eyes of the Kingdom and under the watchful protection of her guardian, Castor.No one knows she’s the Savior, and she must keep it that way.Then the army comes. With them is the handsome but cold Captain Yang. He takes Yin and Castor back to the capital, where she’s drafted into the army. If she can’t hold onto her secret and keep herself safe, she’ll die, and the world will die with her.Captain Yang has never met a woman like her. Impetuous, powerful, and determined, she’s too much to handle. But the army need her. Especially with war on the horizon. She has a secret though, one he’s determined to reveal. Yet time is against him, and he must fight to find out the truth before it’s too late.….Yin and Yang is a four-part fantasy adventure, subtly blended with sci-fi and romance.

What do an inquisitive intern named Jonathon Farquarson, the planet Mars, Jellyfish, a covert catering company named Obscurity Sandwich, a movie named Red Cape Man, a Universe-Interpreter, Baffin Island, Antarctica, Reptiles, Clones, Robots and Dead Interns named Melvin all have in common? In the world of Dr. Leafhead, everything is possible. A novel in three parts, by Zack Mitchell.Jackson never thought buying a yacht could be so dangerous. A deadly attack at sea leaves Jackson wet and bewildered, fighting for his life.

Look out. The aliens are coming…and they're positively wacky.As an acclaimed gossip columnist for the cheapest of rags, Soapie makes a living out of injuring reputations and ruining lives. The internal deadness that it has left her with is only an asset in her work. However, when a mysterious figure offers her a new career spreading disinformation for the United States government, Soapie begins questioning her own ethics and doing battle for the freedom of humanity.

Editors everywhere take note. Be nice to your writers. They don't always take criticism well.When a student in a writing class is snubbed by her tutor, who also happens to be the editor of the edgy magazine which keeps rejecting her stories, she takes it very personally. She wants him to see the real her, so it's time to rewrite some of the rules...Timo's training is going well with the Nym at Sha'Klairon, but that doesn't mean he isn't happy to see an old familiar face: Rivan has come to call, bearing news of the coming revolution for the Grove's Cabal. But their evening of catching up is high-jacked when the Nym gathered in the commons realise he's been taken to see what lies beneath the infamous ruined city of Galairel. The revolution creeps ever closer in this, the second instalment of 'To Walk the Path'.

Elwood and 234 travel to the Republic of Gyros to witness an economic collapse and the meltdown of a well-established and ancient society.This is a fictional version of a true story. Jon the protagonist goes from being an innocent teenager into a fully fledged criminal mastermind. This novella set in Kenya, in Eastern Africa ... does this mean that Jon's motivation for committing a crime was poverty or was it being a victim of a jilted heart? The story incorporates a glimpse into the mysterious 'black market'. Jon actually robs a bank just to prove a point or is it to cope with something? This mystery crime thriller set in the most basic English will always keep you in suspense and surprise without compromising entertaining you. However the story is all about the 'law of attraction'. Be the judge.

The New York Times Book Review called The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B, J. P. Donleavy's hilarious, bittersweet tale of a lost young man's existential odyssey, "a triumphant piece of writing, achieved with that total authority, total mastery which shows that a fine writer is fully extended...." In the years before and after World War II, Balthazar B is the world's last shy, elegant young man. Born to riches in Paris and raised by his governess, Balthazar is shipped off to a British boarding school, where he meets the noble but naughty Beefy. The duo matriculate to Trinity College, Dublin, where Balthazar reads zoology and Beefy prepares for holy orders, all the while sharing amorous adventures high and low, until their university careers come to an abrupt and decidedly unholy end. Written with trademark bravado and a healthy dose of sincerity, The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B is vintage Donleavy.

Laughter is the best tool to deal with stress and boredom. Made-up scientific studies show that hamsters who read books from 'Take a Break Have a Laugh" series live 10 times longer than humorless hamsters that are into Goth novels and French documentaries. In all seriousness though, after you read short stories from this book you will feel great! Enjoy!Do you feel like jumping out of a plane without a parachute? CLICK on that BIG GREEN BUTTON on top, DOWNLOAD Take a Break & Have a Laugh book and READ a story, you'll feel BETTER.Do you feel like tossing your boss into a meat grinder? READ ANOTHER STORY, it will help.Run out of these hilarious stories to read and need more? Pray that you've accumulated enough positive energy until the next installment of Take a Break & Have a Laugh Series comes out.

In the Ancient Kingdom of Sung, a little girl is selected to Feed the Dragon. While mothers hide their children from the monks, Wu Gui chose to find out if there really was a dragon in the monastery that ate little girls. A story from Harrhein, though a long way away.The monastery of Sindalar used to be famous for its fighting monks, and for its dragon. But the monks are few and far between and nobody sees again the girls and boys taken to feed the dragon, so they are hidden away when the monks come calling. Bandits are rife and the capital is far away as the the Ancient Kingdom of Sung fades into a backwater.Wu Gui changes matters when she meets a monk. She helps him recruit more children, and eases their fears of being eaten. Until they get to the monastery.A look at the Chinese countryside of yesteryear, portrayed in the fantasy world of Harrhein which is pretty much like earth and with similar peoples and cultures.

“The literary ‘Oscars’ features twenty outstanding examples of the best of the best in American short stories.” —Shelf Awareness for Readers The Best American Short Stories 2016 will be selected by Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Díaz. He brings "one of the most distinctive and magnetic voices in contemporary fiction: limber, streetwise, caffeinated and wonderfully eclectic" (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times) to the collection.  

‘Am I doing it right?’ Alfred asked, his voice wavering. This is the story about how the dramatic piece of art you see on the cover actually came to be.This story (in the original Dutch version) won the very first Unleash award, which was then called the Santorian assignment. It was inspired by Broms piece of art, which now adorns this story’s cover.Jack Brodie has a sixth sense that someone has been watching him. Following him. One night he travels back in time to one of the world’s largest art heists, the Gardner Museum Heist. Why that one moment in time? And what does it mean for Jack?When he returns, his world is different. His best friend is rougher, meaner. His dad hasn’t been around in years. And then there’s Jetta. The girl who took over his heart the moment she stepped into his life. No one is safe.Each time Jack goes back to the heist to fix his mistakes, he returns to face the fallout. Disaster strikes in the present until Jack must make a choice. His family and his own happiness. Or the girl he loves. Except, he learns that his sixth sense was right. Someone has been watching him and wants him dead.