Very short reads, longer thoughts. A collection of flash fiction, covering different genres.When the grandmother she never met falls into a mysterious coma, Siobhan Kelly comes unwillingly to the Green Mountains of Vermont with her family. She thinks the hardest thing she'll face is being the new kid at the local high school and getting used to a place so different than California (what the heck is a creemee stand, anyway?). But the family secret she has yet to uncover will lead her on an adventure beyond her wildest dreams ...This short is the prequel to my novel A Little Magic

In the final book of his astonishing career, Carl Sagan brilliantly examines the burning questions of our lives, our world, and the universe around us. These luminous, entertaining essays travel both the vastness of the cosmos and the intimacy of the human mind, posing such fascinating questions as how did the universe originate and how will it end, and how can we meld science and compassion to meet the challenges of the coming century? Here, too, is a rare, private glimpse of Sagan's thoughts about love, death, and God as he struggled with fatal disease. Ever forward-looking and vibrant with the sparkle of his unquenchable curiosity, Billions & Billions is a testament to one of the great scientific minds of our day. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Something is stirring in London's dark, stamping out its territory in brickdust and blood. Something has murdered Saul Garamond's father, and left Saul to pay for the crime. But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into Saul's prison cell and leads him to freedom. A shadow called King Rat, who reveals Saul's royal heritage, a heritage that opens a new world to Saul, the world below London's streets--a heritage that also drags Saul into King Rat's plan for revenge against his ancient enemy,. With drum 'n' bass pounding the backstreets, Saul must confront the forces that would use him, the forces that would destroy him, and the forces that shape his own bizarre identity.

HardPress Classic Books Series

"I saw it!" He was obviously at his wit's end. "It's unbelievable," said Ebor. "I know," said Darquelnoy. He led the way into his quarters, motioned Ebor to a perch, and rang for his orderly. "It was just a little remote-controlled apparatus, of course," he said. "The fledgling attempt, you know. But it circled this Moon here, busily taking pictures, and went right back to the planet again, giving us all a terrible fright. There hadn't been the slightest indication they were planning anything that spectacular." "None?" asked Ebor. "Not a hint?"

When the Doctor tries to take Lynne back home the TARDIS crashes into some space debris. This causes the ship to dramatically veer off course to a very chilly future of Earth where the Doctor, Rose and Mickey meet some new friends and old foes. Breakdown is the third book in the series 'Tales from the Blue Box'.He's a wealthy southern gentleman that any women would go through hell and high water to marry. So why has he secured a bride through a mail order bride service?Madeline doesn't know, and she's concerned by rumors of his dominant personality - but rumors are just rumors after all, and she knows he's one of the few eligible bachelors left.A letter in the mail, a hurried goodbye, and a long train ride later she meets her new husband - Robert Cortege. Tall and handsome, she begins to think that everything will work out after all.Little does Madeline know her life is about to spiral out of her control, and there's only one man who will have the power to put her life back together - Mr. Cortege. That is, if he doesn't push her to the breaking point first.There will be no mistake as to what is expected of her - total submission. She'll spend a lot of time bent over his knee with a bare bottom, and torn between pleasure and pain as the charming millionaire wastes no opportunity to make her moan shamelessly, no matter who's in earshot. With a sick mother in another city, and multiple harlots chasing her husband and threatening to end her marriage soon after it begins, she doesn't know whether to fight tooth and nail or hope everything works out.After all, if there's one thing Mr. Cortege teaches her, it's just how good surrender can feel.This is a full length, stand alone novella with a satisfying ending. No cliffhangers.This historical western romance involves adult themes of spanking, sexual submission, alpha male domination, first time lovemaking, and domestic discipline.

When your family has a history which you’d rather forget, there’s an invading force of Taurans trying to remodel your planet and some evil monster just won’t leave you alone; you know it’s not your day. Vincent Kombel knew that he had a lot to pay for; being of Old Blood meant much on New Sevilla, just for Vincent it meant a little bit more...Ebony is a smart, sexy, career-oriented black woman who wants nothing more than a summer fling with a man who challenges her mind and body. What she doesn’t expect is a blond haired, blue-eyed bass player—who won’t take “no” for an answer—to accept the challenge. When Ebony’s attempt at a brief fling turns into more, despite negative reactions from friends and family, she finds juggling love, family, and career are nothing compared to the ultimate betrayal she endures. Now her dreams spiral into lies and secrets that threaten her future and her best friend’s trust.

On planet Tirano my mother leads an order of genetically engineered women. Clones of females who died valiantly in battle guard Tirano's monarch. The aristocracy are pureblooded descendants of the leaders of the mother ship that landed two millennia ago. Imagine the inbreeding that has resulted during those two millennia. Nonetheless, in this milieu, I'm the one stigmatized as a bizarre creature.Planet Tirano creates a unique milieu for the stories of the series The Encircling Belts of Tirano Saga. Planet Tirano’s aristocracy consists only of pureblooded descendants of the leaders of the mother ship that landed two millennia ago. An order of genetically engineered women, all of whom were conceived in vitro, control Tirano’s computer network and hyperspace portals. The Vhirko, clones of women who died valiantly in battle, guard Tirano’s monarch at all times. Tirano has been at war for decades with a savage alien species that becomes sentient only if mentally linked in groups of four or more.Tirano’s King Mhikhel unleashes fundamental, and uncontrollable, changes to this milieu when he acknowledges as his child an illegitimate son of a commoner and raises the child (Tarnlot) as a prince. Despite the aristocracy’s antagonism, Mhikhel grooms Tarnlot to serve as the Lord Chancellor (the highest governmental post, which is normally held by a member of the aristocracy) when Mhikhel’s heir (Prince Zhun’Mar) assumes the throne.In A Bastard’s Oath Tarnlot must rescue the throne for Zhun’Mar’s by foiling both an aristocrat’s coup d’etat and the aliens’ coup de main. In the series’ second installment, A Dream Is A Pinhole In Time, Tarnlot and Zhun’Mar escape an ambush in deep space by entering a hyperspace fissure that strands them on a planet in an unknown galaxy: present day Earth. The third installment, Outliers of Tirano, begins the stories of Siniastra, Zhun’Mar's daughter.Even though the installments occur in chronological order, each is an independent story. Accordingly, you can read the stories in any order.

Out on the edge of civilization anything and everything can happen--especially when you're not ready for it.When Jenny, the chief mechanic for the Bonnie Belle hops off to work a deal with the local black market she ends up bargaining for more than just fresh fruit.This short story is an installment in the "Tales from the Edge" universe, joining two prior novels, IN THE BLACK and IN THE VOID.Mark's Mad Phonic Series is a set of graded readers helping children learn to read. The series starts from your child's first words and continues to reading fluency. This is Level 4 Book 2. This book is all about a very slow train!Practicing words with long a vowel sounds.

As the turbulent years following the Russian revolution of 1917 settle down into a new Soviet reality, the brilliant and eccentric zoologist Persikov discovers an amazing ray that drastically increases the size and reproductive rate of living organisms. At the same time, a mysterious plague wipes out all the chickens in the Soviet republics. The government expropriates Persikov's untested invention in order to rebuild the poultry industry, but a horrible mix-up quickly leads to a disaster that could threaten the entire world. This H. G. Wells-inspired novel by the legendary Mikhail Bulgakov is the only one of his larger works to have been published in its entirety during the author's lifetime. A poignant work of social science fiction and a brilliant satire on the Soviet revolution, it can now be enjoyed by English-speaking audiences through this accurate new translation. Includes annotations and afterword.

The world we knew is gone. What world will rise in its place? The Twelve have been destroyed and the terrifying hundred-year reign of darkness that descended upon the world has ended. The survivors are stepping outside their walls, determined to build society anew—and daring to dream of a hopeful future. But far from them, in a dead metropolis, he waits: Zero. The First. Father of the Twelve. The anguish that shattered his human life haunts him, and the hatred spawned by his transformation burns bright. His fury will be quenched only when he destroys Amy—humanity’s only hope, the Girl from Nowhere who grew up to rise against him. One last time light and dark will clash, and at last Amy and her friends will know their fate.

Heist Job on Thizar is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Randall Garrett is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Randall Garrett then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

An award winning, macabre compilation of bizarre and ponderous tales featuring a Twist within. Fifteen are a compination of Horror, Science fiction, Supernatural, Occult, Paranormal, Fantasy, and Adventure with two additional chilling stories based on real-life experiences.It will be the best short story collection you have ever read - guaranteed.

Not all of us are born equal. Some exceed every expectation and excel in every task. Some of us can't even get out of bed in the morning.Such is life for Cadet Nida Harper. She's universally known as the worst recruit in the Academy. It's not for want of trying; she's just cursed with universal bad luck. Every accident that could happen, does happen.Not all of us are born equal. Some exceed every expectation and excel in every task. Some of us can't even get out of bed in the morning.Such is life for Cadet Nida Harper. She's universally known as the worst recruit in the Academy. It's not for want of trying; she's just cursed with universal bad luck. Every accident that could happen, does happen.So it's no surprise when she winds up unconscious on a field mission. It is a surprise when the dreams start. Visions of stars falling from the heavens and civilizations crumbling to dust.The only silver lining comes in golden boy Lucas Stone. The hero of the Academy, he takes an interest in her. But he'll have to act fast to stop what will happen next.... In Episode One, you are thrust into a sprawling sci-fi adventure that throws you across the galaxy and far through time. Lucas and Nida are pitted against brutal space pirates, mysterious powers, and the greatest enemy of all - the unknown.All four installments of the Ouroboros series are currently available, so start the journey today....

Sid and Arthur, from The Crying Pennant, in the short stories that were published on my blog over Christmas.This is the script for a short film, with one male and two female characters. Although it deals with the subject of pedophilia, it is not a work of erotica, rather the genre could be described as religious black comedy/horror.There are no fees for production of this film-script, as long as the author is correctly attributed, no major changes are made without permission from the author and the author is informed of the film's public screening/s.