In a new series that blurs the line between historical fiction and dark fantasy, Mitch Pembroke follows the love of his life out of prohibition-era America to a remote Caribbean island. While his only thought is to learn why she ran away, he should be worrying about how he’s going to survive the deadly secrets of Lazarus Key.When the girl of Mitch Pembroke’s dreams responds to his invitation to meet his parents by fleeing home to a remote Caribbean island, the former Great War pilot does what he thinks any red-blooded American male would do—he drops everything and goes after her. But Mitch isn’t the first man to follow Lorali home and like his predecessors, he may not survive the visit. Lazarus Key is the first novella in a series that blurs the line between historical fiction and dark fantasy.

A philosophical fictional novel about the adopted son of Christ The beggar boy, the main character of this book, was the adopted son of Christ but was abandoned by the disciples after the Crucifixion. Destiny and fate revolve and conflict around this "Beggar's Young Son" as the now thirty year old man is called.A philosophical fictional novel about the adopted son of Christ The beggar boy, the main character of this book, was the adopted son of Christ but was abandoned by the disciples after the Crucifixion. Destiny and fate revolve and conflict around this "Beggar's Young Son" as the now thirty year old man is called. As a young man, he returns for seven days to the City to take up his father's work, in an attempt to rectify his distance from humanity, from his own soul, from his own destiny. He uses logic, reason and an appeal for human compassion to try to bridge to the people of the City but finds only failure for himself as he cannot be as psychically insightful and empathic as his father was. Each time he feels this deeply as his own self-failure. In the final chapter, the young Beggar leaves the City in the company of a strange new prophet and comes upon a village carved out of hope and salvation but slipping again into despair. The author explores such topics as humanism, free will, theology, capital punishment, political systems, ethics, euthanasia, evolution and ,ultimately, the value of society to the individual and the individual to society. SYNOPSIS OF NOVEL Chapter one to three...Deals with concepts of creation, man, god; in that a god will have no greatness more than the man which creates it, and it, the man. Beggar boy sells mirrors to be the idols of their personal gods. Then , he must fight in court to disprove the crime of fraud against the people. Chapter four. Beggar boy interrupts a ‘beating’ by schoolmaster of young boys. The discussion explores crime vs. punishment as a tool of ‘change’. Chapter five. Beggar explores extremes of poverty, leadership and tyranny as he progresses from poor hovels to an execution pit to the king’s audience. He pleas for the lives of condemned slaves. Explores concepts of social order, tyranny, freedom. Chapter six. Beggar interrupts argument amongst three brothers over law vs. assisted suicide for their father. The concept argued is wether conscience of ‘I’ is above conscience of communal law. Chapter seven. Beggar leaves City with a mad poet who has started an alternative community in the mountains. Explores concepts that logic and reason alone cannot propel human development; passion of belief or blind faith is also necessary for evolution. Compares the fate of the individual vs. the ‘needs’ of society’s historical destinies.

Short story, 14 pages. O'Neill moves to Brisbane and opens a karate studio. Suffering from insomnia when Azure leaves him, he seeks help from a psychiatrist, expecting to meet "some old git who looks like Sigmund Freud". Dr West turns out to be young and beautiful. Bit by bit he begins to transfer his affections to her. By the time Azure returns, he's become obsessed with Dr West. 4,350 words.Short story, 14 pages. Michael O'Neill moves to Brisbane, where he opens a karate studio. Suffering from insomnia when partner Azure leaves him, he seeks help from a psychiatrist, expecting to meet "some old git who looks like Sigmund Freud". Dr West turns out to be young and beautiful, and bit by bit he begins to transfer his affections to her. By the time Azure returns, he's become obsessed with Dr Adrianne West. 4,350 words.

American high school football is a showcase for players' skills, a Friday night diversion, an energizing community-unifying activity. But there's more to it than that.Through free verse poems, the author helps give readers a view of some of the inner dramas contained within a typical season.For more than forty years I've coached football to high school players. What draws me back is that every season offers unexpected moments of truth--framed by the primal intensity of physical competition--for players and coaches alike. Invariably they reveal insights into human courage and fear, humor and grief, doubt and affirmation, that go far past practice and games. Those experiences are fleeting, hard to capture with words. I find that even stringing sentences together easily becomes too wordy and off the mark. So in this collection I've used short-line free verse poems to offer readers glimpses of what, in football, most often remains just out of view. Free verse poetry may or may not be a natural genre for writing about football; I do appreciate you wanting to give it a look.

Episode 11, Nanotroopers.1st Nano jams Red Hammer’s access to an alien archive but ANAD’s trapped by the cartel. Johnny Winger violates orders to rescue ANAD but the rescuers are shot down. A new menace erupts out of Kenya. It can’t be stopped. Will Winger be rescued before Red Hammer grabs him? Will the troopers at Engebbe survive the new menace? The answer comes when Man and ANAD work together.Episode 11, Nanotroopers. Johnny Winger and Dana Tallant escape entanglement at Engebbe from 3 billion years ago by driving ANAD into direct physical engagement with Config Zero. This physical interaction breaks their entanglement state and collapses them back the Containment lab at Table Top. They are none the worse for wear but sobered by the experience. And they owe their lives to ANAD. However, now they know that Red Hammer may be in contact with Config Zero and its extraterrestrial masters. The key is Engebbe. At a briefing, Majors Kraft and Lofton decide the dig site needs to be monitored, then shut down. Plus the entangler sphere Red Hammer has in its possession has to be disabled. The sphere seems to be at the Paryang monastery…the cartel’s main base.What is needed is a disentangler. This device would force decoherence by physically engaging and interacting with entangled objects and systems. This would block any Red Hammer archival access. An 2-part op plan is worked out: (1) Detachment Bravo (commanded by Dana Tallant), is sent to Engebbe to scout for Red Hammer operatives and to reconnoiter what the cartel’s ultimate goal is in being there and (2) an attempted infiltration by ANAD (Detachment Alpha, commanded by Johnny Winger) will be made into Paryang to put a disentangler in place to block the cartel’s archive access. The op gets underway and ANAD makes its way into the monastery. A site is located in the back of the same chamber as the sphere, deep underground and below the monastery. The disentangler is replicated but as it is forming, ANAD is detected and a battle ensues. Paryang bots are tough and have unexpected quantum abilities (such as superposition…they can be in multiple places at once). There is something called a Keeper handling Paryang’s defenses. And ANAD’s decoherence tactics no longer seem to work…the entangled threats are somehow shielded. ANAD is eventually overwhelmed by Red Hammer’s defenses and vanishes. All comms are lost. Winger knows it’s against orders and all doctrine, but he knows that nanotroopers don’t leave their buddies behind. It’s part of the Nanotroopers’ Code. He makes a command decision: “I’m going in after ANAD.” Several others…M’bela, D’Nunzio and Barnes decide to come too. They board their lifter, program it for nap-of-the-earth flight and cross into Chinese territory, heading for Paryang…on their own. It’s a combat search and rescue mission with a difference…trying to locate a nanoscale robot and its small replicated swarm, among the forbidding peaks and valleys of Tibet’s Gangdise Shan mountains. At the same time, Dana Tallant and Bravo Detachment have encountered an ancient menace at the Engebbe dig site and they have a battle on their hands. What both detachments encounter will change the nanotroopers forever.

One false move—or trusting the wrong person—can turn the Gifted into the hunted.Sam Benson doesn’t know where she is or, more importantly, who she is. With her memories gone, she must piece together the details of her life—and figure out who to trust—before they take it from her.One false move — or trusting the wrong person — can turn the Gifted into the hunted.Captured by the Northern Alliance Betterment Society, a group more dedicated to murder than betterment, memory-bringer Sam Benson’s in trouble. She doesn’t know where she is or, more importantly, who she is. With her memories gone, she must piece together the details of her life before they take it from her.But there’s more at stake than Sam’s life…Now that she’s been dragged into the war between the Gifted and the Northern Alliance Betterment Society, Sam realizes how much is riding on her ability to escape. As the conflict escalates and new players stand in her way, she must find a way to take charge of the fate of the divided Gifted people.Sam might crumble under the pressure… or rise up to give the Gifted a fighting chance.

Two young lads are attracted to the idea of thieving cars. Unaware of the ramifications, off goes the handbrake and straight into first gear…With only survival on their minds, these lads find they may need to compromise their lives to breakthrough their entrapment. On a journey of tremendous courage and desire to survive they learn not everyone is who they seem.Two young lads are attracted to the idea of thieving cars. Unaware of the ramifications, off goes the handbrake and straight into first gear…The lads find themselves under the spotlight of a malicious group who show no remorse and with violence as their only answer. With only survival on their minds, these lads find they may need to compromise their lives to breakthrough their entrapment. On a journey of tremendous courage and desire to survive they learn not everyone is who they seem.A gripping short story that contains a hidden message within, this astonishing well-written eBook will keep you engrossed throughout. About the AuthorGareth Parker - educated at a military boarding school, always telling stories and with a proved vivid imagination finally decided to put pen to paper to create thrilling short stories for eBook readers. Parker - now enjoying the Welsh life in Cardiff works for a blue-chip company, even though he's always on the go spends his spare time enduring creativity for others to enjoy.

Mimi is a 23-year-old reality TV star with no plans to ever take anything seriously. Ky is a shapeshifter with a complicated past. When Mimi's poor dating choices bring them together, they will have to make the most of both of their talents to save the world from a power-hungry maniac.Twenty-three-year-old television star Mimi Parks has collapsed outside of a nightclub. But it's not drugs this time. And as Mimi sees herself hurtling toward the end of her career and her life as she knows it, what she doesn't see is that she has interfered with a young (five-hundred-year-old) shapeshifter's mission to save the world from a power-hungry maniac. If they are to succeed together, Ky must overcome his complicated past to make an unlikely alliance. Mimi must reconnect with her own humanity just as she is becoming a little bit more than human.

The Whispering Bandit has been creating havoc in the New Mexico Territory. When Caleb Gant rides into Gila Bend, fresh off a gunfight in Alamogordo, his horse is stolen by the wily bandit. He finds himself caught up in several mysteries. A man he should know is a stranger and a man he shouldn’t know is and old adversary.The Whispering Bandit has been creating havoc in the New Mexico Territory. When Caleb Gant rides into Gila Bend, fresh off a gunfight in Alamogordo, his horse is stolen by the wily bandit. Stranded in the town of Gila Bend, he finds himself caught up in several mysteries. A man he should know is a stranger and a man he shouldn’t know is and old adversary. Action, adventure and intrigue abounds in this unusual tale of justice. And, just who is this mysterious Whispering Bandit, riding a vengeance trail?

A Yulyan called Ezra is of a species he knows little about because he grew up among humans. He lives with a pounding at the back of his head called Blue, and he has no idea what Blue is or why his species is afflicted with it. He also seems cursed with fake memories that do not seem to belong to him, which could be a side effect of BlueA Yulyan called Ezra is of a species he knows little about because he grew up among humans. He lives with a pounding at the back of his head called Blue, and he has no idea what Blue is or why his species is afflicted with it. He also seems cursed with fake memories that do not seem to belong to him, which could be a side effect of Blue. He meets a boy who ran away from home and is seeking refuge in his house. He asks him to leave but is stuck with him when the boy says he will stay out in the cold all night if Ezra doesn't let him in. With Blue making him volatile and angry, Ezra is not sure how long he cans stand the boy's company/

65 pages / 12,649 wordsCinderella made a vow to her mother, before her mother tragically passed away on midwinter's day. Ella had sworn to watch over her father and care for him. But then her father had married anew. Her stepmother and two stepsisters took sharp delight in causing Ella grief from morn to eve. They bullied her, called her Cinderella, and treated her as little more than a slave in65 pages / 12,649 wordsCinderella made a vow to her mother, before her mother tragically passed away on midwinter's day. Ella had sworn to watch over her father and care for him. But then her father had married anew. Her stepmother and two stepsisters took sharp delight in causing Ella grief from morn to eve. They bullied her, called her Cinderella, and treated her as little more than a slave in her own home. It took all of Ella's courage to swallow the insults and to honor her word.Now the crown prince had returned home from the battlefront, and a ball was announced to celebrate his arrival. All eligible young women from the entire kingdom were invited to attend.Ella had but one desire left. To see the king's gardens one last time before she fled home. It would be a final way to commemorate her beloved mother before considering her vow's terms to be complete.She had no idea what waited her on that arched stone bridge ...* * *Cinderella - A Retelling with Strength and Courage is Book 1 of a gently cliff-hangered short story series. The series honors the original intention of the Grimm Fairy Tales - to present women of strength and courage tackling challenges which seemed insurmountable. With each new book a new heroine is interwoven into the story. The series sequence leads up to a happily ever after ending. The series is clean romance and is suitable for teens and up. Half of all author's proceeds benefit battered women's shelters.I publish my books one at a time to get feedback and suggestions as I go. If you prefer to read your stories complete, you are welcome to wait until the sequence is complete and then buy the box set. Either way, you support the cause!I have been working on these stories for many years. As fairy tales are so integral to so many young girls' lives, it was critical for me to do my very best to present each heroine in a way which honored her strength and showcased her ability to stand on her own. I feel strongly that no woman should ever sit around waiting for a man to "rescue" them. They should not endure abusive behavior in the hopes that a man will change or magically become that prince.Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Mickey Pisludski wears a chain of armor piercing, machine gun shells around his thick neck. The week after his Army discharge, he bored the quarter-inch holes in the soft, brass casings, later threading the bullets together on a length of rawhide. Like so many gold, sharks teeth, the shells fanned out across a khaki T-shirt with a gash under the left armpit.Teri Soto is ordered to find a missing CDC team. She arrives at their last known coordinates and uncovers a secret so startling that it could lead to the final Apocalypse. High up on the mountain, surrounded by frozen zombies, is the man the CDC has long referred to as Zombie Zero. She has to find a way to get him back to headquarters without killing everyone in the process. If she can accomplish that, she’ll save the human race. If not, then nature will take its course and only the deadest will survive.In this gruesome sequel to Zombie Zero, Scot McAtee returns to the always revolting, yet sometimes comical, world of the hungry undead, delivering chills and thrills that are sure to make you want to leave your night light on and the gun in your bedside table loaded.

This story is the first in the Magical Murphy Farm series. The Murphy Family Farm is an enchanted farm that owes much of its success to an agreement made between the Murphys and the Fairy Folk over a century ago in Ireland.This story is the first in the Magical Murphy Farm series. The Murphy Family Farm is an enchanted farm that owes much of its success to an agreement made between the Murphys and the Fairy Folk over a century ago in Ireland. With over a hundred acres of farm land, the fairies and enchanted creatures work together to help the Murphy Family keep the farm prosperous enough to be generous to the community. The fairy folk call the Murphy Farm Lismore Baile, their words for "Bountiful Home."The wondrous world of Lismore Baile awaits!In this first book, young Brooke Murphy enjoys life living on a her family's centennial farm. The Murphy Family Farm has prospered for over a century, producing better than any farm in the area. Life on a farm couldn't be better for Brooke and her animal friends. One day, she decides to go for a walk in her mother's elaborate garden. On her way there, she finds some magical spectacles that allow her to see fairy folk and magical creatures. Brooke becomes more and more excited during her adventure while learning about the inner workings of the farm she calls home. As she ventures down the hidden path of the garden, she greets the enchanted people of Lismore Baile, a magical realm where fantasy meets reality and the two work together to bring in the harvest. Brooke is given an errand by one of the fairies, one that she has to get done before bed time.Some of the characters she meets include the flower fairies Marigold and Violet. Aurora is another fairy that Brooke meets along the way. Aurora helps keep the farm warm with some special help from her friend Fireglide (a volcano dragon). Everyone has something to do to keep the Murphy Farm thriving, including Brooke.Brooke learns from Lily (possibly the last water nymph of her kind) that fairies and magical creatures have always been a part of the Murphy Family Farm.After so many adventures, how will Brooke get safely home before it gets dark? With time running out, perhaps a little magic is needed. Perfect reader for ages 9+ or great to read to children of any age. Adults will also like this uplifting story. This story emphasizes helping others, being thankful and the rewards for being generous.

What would it take for you to trade a life in the skies, earning your freedom, for a death sentence deep within the lunar mines?When you're racing for your life, you don't let a thing like death slow you down. Love, on the other hand, can seal your fate.The Latrodectus mactans species of the black widow spiders are cannibalistic by nature, but Ebony is not a normal black widow. When she murders her husband by accident, instead of eating him, she is tormented by guilt. Her best friend can't understand her unusual behavior, and Ebony believes she is a freak of nature, spending the rest of her life obsessed with searching for happiness and self acceptance.

Mila was about to learn the hard way that easy money has a price that comes with it. When put in danger, she had to make the choice to give up her lucrative practice or put her friends and family in further danger."Leave by the back door. Weave your way home. Be careful and don't be followed. They are out there but it appears they do not know who you are or where you are at this moment. I got their license plate number. I'll make some calls. I know someone on the force who owes me a favor. Keep in mind that they could find out who you are at any time. It only takes one student to spill the info."Before they left, they each called home and tried to act as if nothing was wrong and to advise their parents that they were downtown and would be home shortly.The trip home took them almost an hour before they felt they it was safe. "Mila, call me if you hear anything, anything at all. This is a nightmare."