Fifteen Shades of Time
Troubled philosopher Luca Cangemi wrestles with the fabric of time in a lecture that will transform the lives of every person in attendance: a grieving mother desperate to finish her degree, an immortal delivery driver, a psychonaut hell-bent on documenting her trips, a boy who dreams of living on Mars, and many others. They all discover something incredible about the nature of time. Will you discover it too? "A book of unexpected insights and extraordinary grace, rippling with loveliness, sorrow, and finesse. All taking place in one room, bound by a single unraveling ribbon of time."- David Eagleman, NYT Bestselling author. Stanford Neuroscientist "Charter balances the light but rich ideas of philosophy and time with well-drawn if flawed characters, hustling and striving, and wishing for better lives. As one of them says, 'There are no checks at the door. Anyone can walk in and expand their mind.' I'm glad I took my seat for this novella and surrounded myself with the sounds and actions of its characters."- Tommy Dean, Editor of Fractured Lit. Author of Hollows. "An intriguing and emotionally involving book, where notions of how we experience time interweaves with the visceral complexity of life itself. Using the scenario of a single lecture about Time as the centrepiece, the author passes the narrative baton around a cast of intriguing characters, each with their own compelling issues and concerns."- KM Elkes, author of All That Is Between Us
Scarecrows
Steve Rasnic Tem grew up in Lee County Virginia, the westernmost county in the state. It was the heart of Appalachia, isolated, yet beautiful. He has said "Growing up in that small place, it was hard to imagine ever becoming a writer. To me wanting to be a writer was like wanting to become an astronaut or a movie star. I didn't believe such things ever happened for people like us." Now in his seventies, Steve Rasnic Tem's writings include more than 500 published short stories in a variety of genres, seventeen collections, eight novels, and miscellaneous poetry and plays. He has won the World Fantasy, Bram Stoker, British Fantasy, and International Horror Guild awards. In 2024 he received the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award. "His work...will haunt your imagination and your heart in equal measure, and it both expands and defines the genre." - Weird Fiction Review "Steve Rasnic Tem is a school of writing unto himself." - Joe R. Lansdale "He's one of the true masters." - Ed Gorman "A Tem story is like no other." - Simon Strantzas Scarecrows: Appalachian Tales collects the best of Tem's writings about his native Appalachia, two poems and twenty-four short stories (including five never-before-published tales) concerning the farmers, miners, teachers, preachers, lawmen, itinerants, housewives, elders, children, and creatures who call these southern mountains home. The tales represent a range of genres: fantasy, horror, crime, humor, and realistic local color fiction of the region.
All These Steps Lead Down
"Nelson Pyles is a one-of-a-kind author. With clever characters and reliably creepy concepts, he knows his way around the horror genre. Don't miss out on his stories; you're going to love them." - Gwendolyn Kiste, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rust Maidens and The Haunting of VelkwoodSome steps will lead you home, While some will lead away. Some steps will help you sometimes go, And some will make you stay Some steps will make you broadly smile And some will make you frown Some steps can lift you all the way up, butAll these steps lead down... A man is trapped in a dark place for which there is no escape. A prisoner and a tormentor blur their roles in a dank chamber. A grandmother plays for keeps against Death herself in a test of wills. A flavored protein powder becomes a new Eldritch God in the making. A serial murderer goes home for Christmas for a different kind of carol, and there's a very different werewolf love story... The second collection from Nelson W Pyles also features previously unreleased essays, a radio play, and a story co-written with author Scarlett R. Algee in print for the first time. Some steps go up, but all these steps lead down...
Polypetalous
Tiptoe past the fields known.Traipse past home and hitherto the place undisclosed.Secrets lurk not shown.Disown the rulesand onward to the unknown. "Elliana Leigh is a remarkable young writer-gifted with a non-stop vivid imagination, a leaning toward the fantastical, and boundless energy." Liz Rosenberg, author of Monster Mama Elliana Leigh was born and spent most of her childhood in Indonesia. At age 9, she moved to Washington State and began writing. This collection of stories is Leigh's debut book and was written between the ages of 11 and 14.
The Clothes I Never Wear
This story collection is a journey through identity construction and the anxious space between appearances and the self. What is it that makes us who we really are? Is it the aesthetics we favour, the media we consume, our families, friendships, and romantic partners? Are we bound or liberated by our interests and the groups we are part of? How do we stop hiding behind masks and come into our own? At the heart of it all: can we still love ourselves and live happily when we may never know who 'we' are? The characters in these stories face various issues: what happens when a fear of death becomes a fear of life, can one go too far in their obsession with the past, and how struggling with who you are can lead you down a path of desperately trying to be someone else in order to escape loneliness.
Assorted Stories
Assorted stories put the readers into a world where the delicate dance between life and death intertwines with the awe-inspiring beauty of nature. Explore vibrant cultures, immerse yourself in breathtaking places, and discover the power of belief in this captivating collection of stories.With each turn of the story, you'll discover new characters, unexpected twists, and unforgettable moments.
Best of Binapani
This collection has nine stories - The Power and Glory of a FloodPatadeiThe IntervalFatherThe Tongue of FireChameli's TeaThe Shadow of DarknessThe AuditoriumThe Twins
Tides
From the first to the last page, Bill Mesce, Jr.'s Tides is compelling, polished, and highly readable. the characters are genuine - real people doing real things: a young white guy whose mother is dating a black man; cops in a squad car out on a dog call and the dogs are starving and fierce; an apostate ghost-writing a paranormal book for the wealthy parents of a young suicide. Tides is a brilliant collection of short fiction and personal essays, but the essays are stories as well, with living characters and natural dialogue and fascinating storylines, even the very short ones. You will regret that it's over; you want to keep on reading. - Thomas E Kennedy, author of Copenhagen Quartet
Scarecrows and Shadows
October is a time to reap what was sown, to harvest the growth of what was. As long sunny days turn to long dark nights, October reminds us to be mindful if we're walking alone out in the fields of Scarecrows and Shadows. Your guide through the mystical fields of wonder and the macabre is Matthew McConkey. Walk with him through these dark and ominous fields as he shows you things that will challenge your beliefs and question your reality.In these fields of Scarecrows and Shadows, you will find: A man that only kills when it snows at a small university...A group of friends that form a secret pact for a crime committed in the woods..Two ageless, evil dogs that exact revenge on a man's boss from work...A witch that places a curse upon a home...A serial killer that hangs his victims upside down in his attic...A man that travels back in time and finds his younger self...A guy that digs up his dead girlfriend...And beware! There are many other things that lurk in the dark fields of Scarecrows and Shadows.
Mogens and Other Stories
Mogens and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by Danish author Jens Peter Jacobsen, showcasing his pioneering use of naturalism and psychological insight. The title story, Mogens, follows a young man whose experiences with love and nature lead to a deep existential reflection. The collection captures moments of intense emotion and explores themes such as love, death, and the human connection to the natural world, all conveyed in Jacobsen's richly descriptive and lyrical prose.
Be Ruled by Me, and Other Stories
There is no single, unifying theme to the 22 stories in this collection. Many have an element of fantasy. Two stories involve the intrusion of a historical period (the Peasants' Revolt, Jacobean England) into our present-day world; another features a wholly imaginary world. Sometimes the inspiration comes from folklore, such as a shapeshifting hare or pagan aspects of a harvest festival. In one story, the fantasy is based on a dream; another describes a frightening train journey. Memory is often important: people look back on their younger lives, trying to make sense of the past. Structure is crucial in a short story. Some of these are narrated in a caf矇, a pub or a club. The reaction of the listeners is significant. Sometimes, characters are reading an old journal, a series of letters, a recommended book or a poem set for homework. How do they respond? Three stories may be categorised as flash fiction. They comprise only about 250 words each and are attempts to develop the possibilities of this format.
The Mercury Anthology
"The Mercury Anthology" is a stimulating, entertaining, collection of sci-fi short stories. The author, G.C. Conrad, explores human nature through fanciful settings and unique personalities. The protagonists in Conrad's stories are thrown into a mix of science mystery and wonder, involving natural and unnatural settings. The alien and human characters strive to overcome their challenges as they are confounded by unknown forces generated from within the cosmos.
The Lammas Ghosts
A half-forgotten harvest ritual still casting a long shadow ... picture-perfect seaside holiday villages hiding simmering resentments and the odd dark secret ... old houses with very long memories ... East Anglia - the eastern-most part of England - has long been famous for its haunted landscapes, weird encounters and supernatural narratives. The classic tradition of ghost story writing established by M R James, E F Benson and others is still alive and well, with new writers finding their own inspiration in places that still, despite all the intrusions of the modern world, manage to maintain their distinctiveness. In fifteen original, evocative and often deeply uncanny short stories, infused with local history and a powerful sense of place, Barendina Smedley conjures up a vision of Norfolk where, like it or not, the past is ever-present, and always ready to spill over into the ordinary stuff of everyday life.
Jungle Tales Volume 3
MYSTERIES OF THE JUNGLE Once again, a quartet of the best New Pulp scribes delves into the mysterious world of the African jungle. The popular pulp hero, Ki-Gor: Lord of the Jungle, returns in two new tales set in the mysterious jungles of Africa. From battling an evil white woman to facing the challenge of a lion-riding killer baboon, Ki-Gor and his friends fight side by side against overwhelming odds, armed only with their courage and loyalty. New Pulp writers Carson Demmons and Terry Wijesuriya offer up this duo of action-packed adventures while writer Curtis Fernlund introduces Jenna the Jungle Girl. This volume also includes a bonus jungle yarn by Bob Madison where a seasoned big-game hunter, Richmond Kane, ventures into the forbidden land of the cannibal Bogas in desperate hope of finding his lost brother. Artist John Gallagher provides the black and white interior illustrations, and Ted Hammond the stunning color cover. All put together by Award-winning book designer Rob Davis. Here is old-fashioned action and adventure reminiscent of the best classic jungle pulps.
The Mercury Anthology
"The Mercury Anthology" is a stimulating, entertaining, collection of sci-fi short stories. The author, G.C. Conrad, explores human nature through fanciful settings and unique personalities. The protagonists in Conrad's stories are thrown into a mix of science mystery and wonder, involving natural and unnatural settings. The alien and human characters strive to overcome their challenges as they are confounded by unknown forces generated from within the cosmos.
Coffee and Cigarettes
'Marvellously unpredictable . . . by the end of the book you wish it was twice as long' (Daily Telegraph) How does the legacy of a family past shape who we are? Ferdinand von Schirach is one of Germany's most eminent criminal defence lawyers and an internationally bestselling crime writer. He is also the grandson of Baldur von Schirach, leader of the Hitler Youth movement. In Coffee and Cigarettes, his most personal book, von Schirach confronts his family history, through autobiographical vignettes and short stories drawn from his life and career. From conversations with imprisoned clients, great writers and supreme court judges; meditations on art, film, writing and smoking; to reflections on Germany's heavy history, Coffee and Cigarettes is a portrait of the author, and our modern world, depicted in von Schirach's signature cool and incisive prose. Revealing, revelatory and thought-provoking, these essays confirm von Schirach as one of the most inimitable writers in Europe today.
Moonshiner Mystery Solved
Seth Tabor and Carl Harris were the only witnesses to the shooter and the horse leaving the barn when Coy Bryant and Sister Rhodes were murdered. They were questioned extensively by Sheriff Joe Carson immediately after the shooting and the questions continued for years. Will those questions be answered in Moonshiner Mystery Solved? Grab your copy and find out.
A Song of Reverie
Let the melodies of magic carry you away in this spellbinding collection of tales. Step into worlds where dreams and reality intertwine, and the echoes of forgotten songs guide you through realms of fantasy and wonder. Each micro story in this collection opens a portal to a universe brimming with enchantment, stirring your imagination like notes whispered on the wind. These tales - fleeting as a breath yet powerful enough to linger in your mind long after the last word - span from whimsical to dark and dreamlike, offering the perfect escape when time is short but your thirst for adventure is boundless.
Good and Evil and Other Stories
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE - INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER - A haunting, unforgettable collection of tales by Samanta Schweblin, winner of the 2022 National Book Award for Translated Literature and three-time Booker Prize finalist "The stories of "Good and Evil" are powerfully evocative and unsettling. They seem to hover, indeed like fever dreams, between the reassuring familiarities of domestic life and the stark, unpredictable, visionary flights of the unconscious." --Joyce Carol Oates, The New York Times Book Review "The most brilliant writer of short stories writing today, she now delivers her most haunting, fierce and provocative book."--Valeria Luiselli, author of Lost Children Archive "Schweblin creates characters whose lifelines reach some of the most extraordinary questions ever articulated in our literature." --Karen Russell, author of The Antidote and Swamplandia! "Remarkably taut, clear, precise, and yet capable of capturing the extent of our human messiness, these stories are perfect for the times we dwell inside." --Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin The characters of Good and Evil find themselves at a point of no return, dazzled by the glare of impending tragedy. Vulnerable and profoundly human, they become trapped in the instant in which the uncanny has lurched into their lives. Some are transformed, some are isolated, others waver between guilt or tenderness. All of them are driven by uncertainty. Schweblin's prose uses tension and truth to construct a literary universe in which the monsters of everyday life come so close to us that we can almost feel their breath. Her writing provokes awe and disquiet, a state of alarm that at the same time transports us to a hypnotic world as recognizable as it is strange.
The Shire
When my friends call from New York, and I tell them I am living in a trailer park in Florida, they imagine me in a rundown single-wide with neighbors that have bears chained in the front yard, whiskey breath, wearing yesterday's clothes. Of course, my cracker neighbors consume copious amounts of alcohol and are copulating around the clock, stopping only to eat, sleep, and defecate. It is presumed the children of these folks are low functioning victims of alcohol fetal syndrome, parented by people who themselves need parenting."Malcolm called from Angkor Wat."Cambodia is beautiful this time of year. I'm having brunch in the garden of my forest hotel. . . . and I won't even tell you what's on the menu." It was almost midnight in Florida, and I had drifted off in my easy chair, tea untouched. I was going to turn in, but decided to take the call. I could hear the birds in the background, cawing, whistling, having a boisterous conversation. In my semi-somnolence, the swish of their wings caused me to flinch as I dipped my tea bag, gathering my thoughts."Exploring your spiritual side?" I mumbled, lighting a cigarette.
The Legend of Lake Placid
For ski families and families that enjoy their time together sharing stories of the day, and of legends! A fictitious mix of words which builds a storyline of history, intrigue, and a legend of the land that will entertain the children and families, building memories. This book was conceived on a snowy afternoon chairlift ride in the winter of 2018. My niece Abrielle and nephew Devin and I had just finished a run down through the mogul field on the northwest side of the mountain. They had many questions about the area and some skiing cultures at the bottom of the mogul hill, making it difficult to explain on our ride up the chairlift. So, a storyline began for our family and yours to enjoy. - Cheers!
At the Bottom of the River
Kincaid's first book, which announced the arrival of a singular talent, "will burn on your shelf" (Derek Walcott). Reading Jamaica Kincaid is to plunge gently into another way of seeing both the physical world and its elusive inhabitants. Her voice is, by turns, naively whimsical and biblical in its assurance, and it speaks of what is partly remembered, partly divined. The memories often concern a childhood in the Caribbean--family, manners, and landscape--as distilled and transformed by Kincaid's special style and vision. Kincaid leads her readers to consider, as if for the first time, the powerful ties between mother and child; the beauty and destructiveness of nature; the gulf between the masculine and the feminine; the significance of familiar things--a house, a cup, a pen. Transfiguring our human form and our surroundings--shedding skin, darkening an afternoon, painting a perfect place--these stories tell us something we didn't know, in a way we hadn't expected. Originally published in 1978, At the Bottom of the River immediately established Jamaica Kincaid as an inimitable, vibrant, and hauntingly beautiful voice in contemporary literature.
Good Gossip at the Backyard Table
Good Gossip at the Backyard Table turns the bitter sting of gossip on its head. It is a Christian potpourri of drama, GOOD GOSSIP and so much more...It sets the stage with short fictional dramas about the lives of mostly nameless individuals and depicts the things of life that are not uncommon to us all. Good Gossip spotlights the truth and spreading of God's Word, and hopefully ignites your praise and worship, and enhances your point of view. As you read the small excerpts from the lives of these various characters, you might recognize yourself in any one of them or someone you know. Think of yourself as the fly on the wall who's hearing their stories. And if you're not one to gossip here's one time you should be. Spread the news of this GOOD GOSSIP that has the power to speak to, and answer every need in every situation.
Taking Flight
Avi has had quite a life. He and his wife, Sara, have lived and traveled all over the world, including some exotic-and occasionally less than hospitable-destinations. He's also met and befriended some colorful characters, including a man who can get you anything (for a price, of course), a tribal chieftain, an enterprising shopkeeper, a father who mourns a daughter lost at sea, a particularly hard-nosed and nosy businesswoman, and a desperate man who threatens to drive Avi off a cliff. In this collection of fanciful and offbeat stories, you'll also meet the amorous yet devious Lord and Lady Ryweinster, a talking Amazonian parrot, a champion MMA fighter, and an elderly couple who could have been headliners at a Catskills resort. At the heart of the collection, however, is the story of the journey Avi takes to a world beyond this one, a fascinating domain where he reunites with his long-deceased mother and two of his siblings. His otherworldly guides help him learn the rules of this unfamiliar, magical realm, and he is able to spend some meaningful moments with the people who were closest to him in childhood and get a glimpse, perhaps, of what lies ahead for us all.
The Hive and the Honey
Winner of The Story Prize Longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize A Time Top 10 Best Fiction Book of 2023 and Must Read Book of 2023 A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Library Journal, Electric Literature, and the New York Public Library "Expansive, haunting, and intimate, Paul Yoon's new short story collection The Hive and the Honey...shows Yoon at the height of his powers." --Sabir Sultan, Pen America From the beloved award-winning author Paul Yoon comes a spectacular collection of unique stories, each confronting themes of identity, belonging, and the collision of cultures across countries and centuries. A boy searches for his father, a prison guard, on Sakhalin Island. In Barcelona, a woman is tasked with spying on a prizefighter who may or may not be her estranged son. A samurai escorts an orphan to his countrymen in the Edo Period. A formerly incarcerated man starts a new life in a small town in upstate New York and attempts to build a family. The Hive and the Honey is a "virtuosic" (Vanity Fair) collection by celebrated author Paul Yoon, one that portrays the vastness and complexity of diasporic communities, with each story bringing to light the knotty inheritances of their characters. How does a North Korean defector connect with the child she once left behind? What are the traumas that haunt a Korean settlement in Far East Russia? "Absorbing...Yoon details fully realized and flawed characters attempting to wade through the complexities of immigrant life...[and] asks urgent questions about what it really means to belong somewhere." --Time, 100 Must-Read Books of 2023
A Stroke of the Pen
"If you read just one of Pratchett's books, you'll want to read everything he wrote. That now includes A Stroke of the Pen." -- Washington PostA delightfully funny, fantastically inventive collection of twenty-one newly unearthed short stories by Sir Terry Pratchett, the award-winning and bestselling author of the phenomenally successful Discworld fantasy series. This special trove--featuring charming woodcut illustrations--is a must-have for Pratchett fans of all ages. These rediscovered tales were written by Terry Pratchett under a pseudonym for British newspapers during the 1970s and 1980s. The stories have never been attributed to him until now, and might never have been found--were it not for the efforts of a few dedicated fans. As Neil Gaiman writes in his foreword, "through all of these stories we watch young Terry Pratchett becoming Terry Pratchett." Though none of the short works are set in the Discworld, all are infused with Pratchett's trademark wit, satirical wisdom, and brilliant imagination, hinting at the magical universe he would go on to create.Meet Og the inventor, the first caveman to cultivate fire, as he discovers the highs and lows of progress; haunt the Ministry of Nuisances with the defiant evicted ghosts of Pilgarlic Towers; visit Blackbury, a small market town with weird weather and an otherworldly visitor; and embark on a dangerous quest through time and space with hero Kron, which begins in the ancient city of Morpork . . .Irresistibly entertaining, A Stroke of the Pen is an essential collection from the great Sir Terry Pratchett, a "master storyteller" (A. S. Byatt) who "defies categorization" (The Times); a writer whose "novels have always been among the most serious of comedies, the most relevant and real of fantasies" (Independent UK).
In the Exile Zone
In these stories, a shaman's egg acts as a divorce arbitrator, a tour guide holds visitors hostage in New York's most unique cemetery, the boyhood friend of a monstrous Latin American dictator tries to set the record straight, a teenage girl loses her mother in Cancun, a high-powered career couple spies on their Mexican nanny, the wrestler El Santo is unmasked. The stories are by turns funny, frightening, speculative, haunting, and provocative.
The Only Sound Is the Wind
In the tradition of narrativa de lo inusual (narrative of the unusual), The Only Sound Is the Wind combines the fantastic with the everyday, weaving elements of magical realism and surrealist twists to sharpen our view of human (and animal) connection. In the title story, the arrival of a mail-order clone complicates a burgeoning romance; a lonely librarian longing for her homeland strikes up an unusual relationship in the award-winning "The Moth"; when humans start giving birth to puppies and kittens in "This New Turn," a realignment of the natural order ensues. With a playful tenderness and satirical bent, The Only Sound Is the Wind explores solitude and communion, opening strange new worlds where characters try to make their way toward love.
How We Got Into This
Flooded cities, a fallout shelter, a backstage maze, an amnesiac forest: the stories in this collection take place on the boundary between the familiar and the strange. Their protagonists scavenge for traces of forgotten territories, often getting lost in the process. They also dig holes, venture into lands of the dead, steal plums, study sea creatures, and stumble off the end of a pier. Eerie, moody, and unpredictable, the stories in How We Got Into This chart our yearnings to unlearn the world.Advance Praise for How We Got Into ThisMichael Holt's writing is beautiful and absorbing and spellbinding and rhythmically soothing, as if you were on a boat, sailing away into an ever-swelling mild apocalypse.--Vi Khi Nao, author of The Italy Letters and Swimming With Dead Stars An ethereal collection that feels at once pertinent to the supremely surreal dislocation of our current epoch (eco-catastrophe, generational warfare, global pandemics and all) and also unmoored from the constriction of chronology. The result are fictions that refuse to be categorized as either warning or elegy, but are both at the same time. Reader, take note, because the voices that are speaking in Holt's trenchant tales are the ones that have come before us, the ones that will follow after us and, perhapsmost strikingly, they are our own.--Sarah Blackman, author of Mother Box and HexA striking, unexpected, intimate portrayal of the strangeness of everyday life. In these stories you will find ways of living and ways of dying which, as you read on, become the natural course of things. How We Got Into This does what all good books do-it returns to us not only the lost, but also the never-experienced.--Christina Tudor-Sideri, author of Schism Blue and Disembodied
Tales From The Riverbank
Tales From The Riverbank is a vibrant and eclectic anthology that brings together a diverse collection of short stories, blending genres and styles to create a unique reading experience. From the mystical to the mundane, these tales explore the human condition, weaving threads of drama, mystery, and fantasy along the river's winding path. With contributions from emerging and established writers, this anthology showcases the richness and diversity of contemporary storytelling. Join the journey along the riverbank, where the unexpected awaits, and the boundaries of reality are tested. "Tales From The Riverbank" promises to captivate and surprise, offering something for every reader.
The Beginning of Prudence
An overheard conversation, a chance to right a wrong, a trip to Rosings that will be like no otherThree and a half months in town has not been long enough for Fitzwilliam Darcy to clear his head or his heart of thought about the lady who charmed him in Hertfordshire. When he overhears part of Elizabeth Bennet's conversation with her aunt at the theatre, he is first surprised to know she is in town, and then, he's mortified to discover just what she thinks of him. Upon learning she is on her way to Kent, he puts together a plan to improve in her opinion. With the help of his sister, cousins, and a heart that likes to speak before it thinks, he just might find this year's trip to Rosings to be the most unusual and fulfilling of his life.The Beginning of Prudence is a novelette of just over 18,000 words and is the fifth installment in Leenie Brown's Teatime Tales Collection of Austen-inspired quick reads. If you're looking for a romantic and entertaining escape from the everyday, then you'll enjoy this story where a swoon-worthy and determined Darcy pursues and secures a happy future with the lady who holds his heart.So put the kettle on, download your copy of The Beginning of Prudence, and join Darcy for an Easter visit to Rosings that is filled with delightful surprises and happily ever after.***Other titles in the Teatime Tales Collection: From Tolerable to LovelyMr. Bingley Plans a BallTwo Days in NovemberA Battle of Wills and WordsAlso look for more Austen-inspired, as well as some original, sweet Regency novelettes in Leenie's Nature's Fury and Delights collection.
Heat Deflectors
Darryl Ponics獺n, author/screenwriter/artist, breaks new ground with this collection of 100 short-short stories. These captured moments-many deeply personal-are not vignettes or slices of life but fully realized short stories. The character perspectives range from an 11-year-old boy to an 111-year-old woman, from Black women to Hispanic men, from straight to gay to transgender, from poor to rich.Jackson Pollock appears in a few, as does Carlos Castaneda and Hallie Berry. The stories cover a period from 1900 to the present. The locales include Paris, New York, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Seattle, Havana, Reno, Mexico, Ithaca, Milan, and Malta, among others. Several characters reappear in multiple stories, revealing life stories both tough and tender, heart-breaking and humorous. Known for his mastery of brevity and authentic dialog, Ponics獺n brings to his stories hard-earned wisdom and insight into the human condition.
A Small Town Kind of Holiday
If there is anything that is true about small towns, it's that holidays are the electricity that keep a community humming along. From my experience, and own childhood in a small Midwest town, its the celebrations of all sorts that form the backbone to its rhythm.So here's to holidays of all sorts, the things we celebrate that make us us. And here's a collection of five original short stories that tell a variety of holidays, in a variety of ways.The first story is an inspiring one, a chance-encounter meet-cute between two people from opposite sides of the tracks on New Year's Eve leading to a connection that leads to something more. Then a story that's a tragedy, leading to a mystery on a wedding anniversary that sparks all sorts of questions-and a deep desire for justice. And what's a holiday collection without a rollicking Halloween adventure? That's story three, featuring Max Blade, who does Halloween like no other because the Blade's have for generations. While some of our holidays are personal, many are national, worldwide even. The first Tuesday of November, every two years, is one sort of holiday-sort of. Election Day has arrived in this small town, giving one Junctioneer a headache. Speaking of national holidays: no way could I offer a collection without a special Thanksgiving Day closer.The things we celebrate, our holidays, are the stuff of life, especially small-town living. So here's to holidays, big and small, national and personal. Here's to what brings us together and holds us together-in any number of ways.
A Small Town Kind of Faith
5 Small Town Short Stories For the Journey of FaithLike all small towns, Mill Creek Junction is served by a small-town pastor. Not just any pastor. One who can help shepherd the good Junction folks through life's ups and downs. His name is Peter Daniel Young.He originally appeared in the spiritual coming of age series "Faith Reimagined." He's since grown from a young adult navigating all sorts of questions about faith, life, and everything in between. Now he's struggling to help others navigate the same path.The first two stories in this collection come from a few chapters in those books, giving you some face time with our friend Peter before he arrived in Mill Creek Junction.Story three is the transition point, where Peter looks to take over for the Rev, the Junction's long-time pastor who is retiring. It's a sweet story of generational transitions. The passing of a baton from the old to the new, with a lesson for us all.The fourth story is a deep one, where Pastor Peter has both the privilege and gut-wrenching experience of presiding over the funeral of a thirtysomething young husband and father. It's a personal experience, in more ways than one, which offers him a lesson on the power of paying forward what we ourselves gain through hardship.A hosting the Junction's Election Day polling station, Peter meets up with some new friends and ends up preaching to himself about what's important as a citizen of both heaven and earth.The Book of Proverbs has a pithy nugget of wisdom: "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths." The Lord is ready, willing, and able to direct our path-each step of the way.We're all on a journey, trying to figure out and navigate this thing called life, usually stumbling along the way. That's Peter's story, and what he discovers is what the proverb reminds us.
A Case of Murder - The First 72 Hours
Murder - the unlawful killing of another human being without justification or excuse! Murder is an evil that most people only have nightmares about. An evil that's hidden deep within the darkness of our society. Most people only read about these evils in the newspaper or hear about them on the television from the safety of their homes. But for some, these evils come to life, sometimes while they are alone where no one can hear their empty screams. Evil that hides not just in the darkness and the shadows, but in kindness and the smiles, waiting for its next victim.
A Battle of Wills and Words
He expected to discover who she was. He never counted on being so charmed.When Henry Fitzwilliam's sister Catherine came sputtering and fuming to his home about their nephew, Fitzwilliam Darcy, being taken in by a fortune-hunting seductress, he knew that the only way to appease her was to meet Darcy's betrothed. What began as a perfunctory soiree to do his duty to his family, quickly turns into a most entertaining evening of secrets revealed that finds Lord Matlock utterly charmed by his future niece.A Battle of Wills and Words is a novelette of just over 11,000 words and is the fourth installment in Leenie Brown's Teatime Tales Collection of Austen-inspired quick reads. If you're looking for an entertaining escape from the everyday, then you'll enjoy this story where matters of the heart and the follies of the people in love, when put on display, speak loudly to the strength of the bond between the lovers.So put the kettle on, download your copy of A Battle of Wills and Words, and take a look at Darcy and Elizabeth's courtship and betrothal through Lord Matlock's eyes. * [This story was previously published in a shorter form as part of a Teatime Tales short story anthology. That original short story has now been lengthened into this novelette.]***Titles in the Teatime Tales Collection: From Tolerable to LovelyMr. Bingley Plans a BallTwo Days in NovemberA Battle of Wills and WordsThe Beginning of PrudenceAlso look for more Austen-inspired, as well as some original, sweet Regency novelettes in Leenie's Nature's Fury and Delights collection.
Every Seven Years and I Don't Remember
"Every Seven Years" and "I Don't Remember" My grandmother always said life changes every seven years, "Sometimes for better, Sometimes for worse".In the book "Every Seven Years" a young American draft dodger meets the "love of his life" at a Canadian lake. The far-reaching arm of the United States War with Vietnam makes it necessary for the young draft dodger to disappear without saying good-bye. As the lives of these two young lovers move forward separately, will my grandmother's saying prove to be true? And will they meet again?In the book "I Don't Remember" a wealthy young woman starts a new life after she wakes with amnesia caused by an accident. Was it just an accident or something more sinister, a possible kidnapping attempt? Time will tell. As she is constructing her new life and moving forward, she meets someone and falls "head over heels" in love with him. Then suddenly he is gone. The circumstances of his disappearance are beyond belief. Will she wait hoping for his return or will a new love step in to claim her heart? In each book there is a disappearance.In each book there is a love found, then lost.Each book has a new love who steps into the picture.Each book has a reunion.In each book there is a difficult choice to be made.In each book: "One true love wins out in the end".(Love and mystery for ladies 12 years to 112 years.)
Every Seven Years and I Don't Remember
"Every Seven Years" and "I Don't Remember" My grandmother always said life changes every seven years, "Sometimes for better, Sometimes for worse".In the book "Every Seven Years" a young American draft dodger meets the "love of his life" at a Canadian lake. The far-reaching arm of the United States War with Vietnam makes it necessary for the young draft dodger to disappear without saying good-bye. As the lives of these two young lovers move forward separately, will my grandmother's saying prove to be true? And will they meet again?In the book "I Don't Remember" a wealthy young woman starts a new life after she wakes with amnesia caused by an accident. Was it just an accident or something more sinister, a possible kidnapping attempt? Time will tell. As she is constructing her new life and moving forward, she meets someone and falls "head over heels" in love with him. Then suddenly he is gone. The circumstances of his disappearance are beyond belief. Will she wait hoping for his return or will a new love step in to claim her heart? In each book there is a disappearance.In each book there is a love found, then lost.Each book has a new love who steps into the picture.Each book has a reunion.In each book there is a difficult choice to be made.In each book: "One true love wins out in the end".(Love and mystery for ladies 12 years to 112 years.)
Seasons of Life
Embark on a journey through the Seasons of Life, the timeless tide that directs all living things. Through poetic passages, fairytale, fiction, and two chapter-length narratives woven through the pages, this debut collection was designed to read like a novel. Seasons of Life explores love and pain, masculinity and femininity, the well-tamed and the wild. Through these reflections on cyclicality, harmony through opposites, and the steady passage of time, Seasons of Life points to the much-needed medicine of courage and connection we all must attain on our own hero's journey as face our fears and live out our purpose. If we wish to excavate existential dread from a sleeping world, reshape our relationships for good, and awaken the voice of God within, the time to do this work is now. Open the pages, begin your adventure, and step into the Seasons of Life.@emmavangrieken emmavangrieken.ca iamemmavangrieken@gmail.com #seekjoythroughfear
Girl with a Meat Axe and Other Stories
A collection of short stories.Annie thinks her husband is unfaithful, and she's got herself a meat axe to bring him back in line... Gillian makes a pass at Miles - on the day of his wife's funeral... Disturbed Dorothy discovers from a crossword clue that her doctor is madly in love with her... When his mistress gives him the elbow, film critic Mark takes lessons from Anthony Quinn to get his wife back... Divorced Louise writes to a serial killer and asks him to marry her... A truck driver is stranded on a planet where the laws of nature do not apply... A magician is furious when his female assistant steals his tricks... Jesus gives an interview to a newspaper journalist... When Doreen gets her cataracts fixed, she begins to see major faults in her husband... Nigel tries to mend fences with the mad mum who attempted to murder his dad... When Vincent Van Gogh plans to kill himself, an angel comes down to earth to tell him how to do the job properly... Twenty-nine stories about a plethora of people - fragile and troubled, belligerent and timid, amusing and amazing.If you want slices of life, here they are. And if you want life resliced, chopped, diced, marinated, cooked or served raw, here it is in these varied tales.Poet Ian McMillanIn these short stories Michael peels back the layers of society to reveal a myriad of characters... vividly portrayed with a touch of humour which makes the underlying issues all the more poignant. Be prepared to be surprised, because nothing in these stories is what it seems. Novelist Larraine Harrison, author of Angel's ChildAnother smashing set of tales from this talented storyteller, with an unwavering mastery of characters and entanglements. Here you will meet people as real and as flawed and as damaged as you and I, living lives not far removed from our own. You will chuckle, laugh out loud, wince, and occasionally reel back in wonder; but most of all, you will be entertained. Novelist Colin Hollis, author of No Second Thoughts and Herbmaster of TarodashMichael has the knack for pulling out the ironic and quirky side of life in everything he writes... The characters are compelling, drawing you in until the tale turns around and bites you... A fascinating read at any time. Novelist LM Jones, author of the Sarah Allerton crime series Witty, inventive, and ingenious. Girl With a Meat Axe is full of life and ideas. Novelist Michael Stewart, author of King Crow, Caf矇 Assassin and Ill WillWith an unerring eye for detail, these stories deal with people struggling to negotiate perplexing layers of life. No matter how bizarre the scenario, Michael has the knack of making his characters entirely believable which makes us care about their ultimate fate. Ivor Tymchak, author of Sex & Death and Other StoriesMichael Yates was environment reporter and later film critic with the Sheffield Star. He taught playwriting at Harrogate Theatre and creative writing for the WEA. He has had a dozen plays performed by various companies in the north of England, including in Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Liverpool and Manchester. He has also been Bradford Writer in Residence in City of Film Year, teaching film skills to school students; Poet in Residence in Whitby, and at Wakefield Cathedral; and in 2021 he became Poet in Residence in Mid-Yorkshire Hospitals.Previous books include 20 Stories High and the novel Dying is the Last Thing You Ever Want to Do
Under the Radar
Rosalia Scalia's UNDER THE RADAR, her second short story collection, offers a poignant look at characters grappling with grief and loss in various forms. Each story reveals the raw emotions-anger, numbness, confusion-that accompany their journeys, as they navigate a world seemingly oblivious to their pain. In the title story, set in the 1970s, we follow Hope and Kenny, a young couple whose plans to marry are shattered when Kenny reveals he's gay. "All the Small Joys" explores the clash between two sisters debating whether their mother should be buried with a mink stole or one sister's dog's ashes. In "Static Electricity," adult twins must confront the devastating loss of their mother, an art teacher killed in a school shooting. "Butterfly Moments" focuses on Pearl, who grieves the death of her Marine son, killed by friendly fire, while harboring resentment toward his fianc矇e, who knew parts of his life Pearl never did. Throughout the collection, Scalia masterfully portrays the characters' struggle to find resilience in the face of overwhelming loss.
Saint Margaret & Wagener
Embark on a captivating journey through this collection of short stories that unveil one of the Southeast's hidden gems: Charleston. Immerse yourself in the essence and spirit of this Palmetto State jewel and its surroundings, as you learn the vitals and jargon unique to the area. Follow the imperturbable heroines and heroes as they lead you on diverse ventures, offering a glimpse into the distinctive ways of life in this charming corner of the world.Each easy-to-read account within these pages features a melting pot of people and places, showcasing the local features and deep-rooted traditions of this historic city on the peninsula. Here, affability and sarcasm intertwine, underpinned by an unwavering foundation of respite and respect, all interlaced with a rebel mentality of continency that spans generations.This book is a breath of fresh air, a celebration of non-conformity that is both salty and sweet, offering an interjective contrast to the routine of our daily lives.
Animal Husbandry
ANIMAL HUSBANDRY by Taylor Garc穩a is a collection of stories about modern men navigating life in a world teetering on the edge of apocalypse, grappling with survival, purpose, and the meaning of it all.
Tales from the Backyard
How do you measure a life? One story at a time can be used as a good yardstick; it encompasses great deeds of valor as well as little private moments. Who doesn't like to be heard? Come to dinner and 'listen in' on tales told by guests who have past the mid century mark and are invited, one evening at a time, to savor a memory. The listener is as important as the storyteller because our host for the evening, though never saying a word, is a silent witness to the past.
Tales Of Jazz - Volume Three -Scenes In The City
The Tales of Jazz series continues with its third volume of Jazz inspired tales written by a fine selection of British writers. Each tale draws on elements of the music and the lifestyle. Whether it be the modern jazz era of the 50s and 60s, or the present day. Tales set in different nations, and tales set closer to home share the intricate and the sublime. Curated and Edited by Jason Disley the stories show again how the inspiration of Jazz music provides wonderfully creative stories.
Twelve Guage
Twelve Gauge, a collection of short stories by Matt Borczon
