The interstellar war between the Earth allied Unity and the Kyrzal should have been quick and easy. The Unity victorious, the enemy humbled. But the war takes a nasty diversion. Mak, an Earth pod pilot aboard the DreadNought Exeter, finds that not all enemies are obvious. Nor are they easy. Hidden agendas, betrayals, complicate a dangerous situation into a fight just for survival.Mak is a pod pilot on the DreadNought Exeter, a star ship in the Earth allied Unity. The DreadNought's mission is simple. Destroy the enemy, the Kyrzal. A ho-hum war that should have been quick and easy. But not all enemies are obvious. Hidden agendas and betrayals, complicate a mission that is not what it seems at first. Mak's expertise as a pilot in the fighting machines known as Pods will be tested as he is thrust unwillingly into a role he feels totally unsuitable for. No longer a fight to defeat the enemy, the fight will be to just survive when all seems lost.

Seeing the ghost of your dead girlfriend might be scary for most but not for Kade Mathews. Zoey's spirit brings him the much needed peace he craves. Until he is forced to make a choice. It will be the toughest decision he has ever had to make.It is July 25, 1864 when the good inspector James Wright is called to the chief inspector, as a murder suspect has asked for him by name. Unsure of what could be afoot, the inspector finds his good friend and sometimes ally the Count of Samerand cuffed in irons for the murder of a man. The count faces death if proven guilty, and the obvious affection the have for each other does not help the matter. How will the count save himself before he meets his end?

The year is 2474, Jean Summers has to travel the depths of space to battle gangsters and Fascists in her bid to find her missing brother. Along the way she meets Ray Connors who joins her in her quest along with two space marines.It is July 25, 1864 when the good inspector James Wright is called to the chief inspector, as a murder suspect has asked for him by name. Unsure of what could be afoot, the inspector finds his good friend and sometimes ally the Count of Samerand cuffed in irons for the murder of a man. The count faces death if proven guilty, and the obvious affection the have for each other does not help the matter. How will the count save himself before he meets his end?

Contacted by an old acquittance of the female persuasion, in hopes that he might be able to shed light on the events surrounding her husband's death. The Count of Samerand quickly finds himself as the prime suspect in this grave affair. Can he prove his innocent or will he be hanged for a crime he didn't commit.It is July 25, 1864 when the good inspector James Wright is called to the chief inspector, as a murder suspect has asked for him by name. Unsure of what could be afoot, the inspector finds his good friend and sometimes ally the Count of Samerand cuffed in irons for the murder of a man. The count faces death if proven guilty, and the obvious affection the have for each other does not help the matter. How will the count save himself before he meets his end?

Zombies! It's not the end of the world.Shawn of the Dead is the first of a series of episodes that focuses on the more personal aspects of people as they face their regular lives against the backdrop of a zombie infection.Shawn Rudd is an almost average high school senior on his way to meet up with his secret lover when he encounters what appears to be a zombie. His reaction to this encounter will change the course of his life forever.Detective Johan Stemmy and his partner are called in to investigate a strange murder. The victim's time of death predates the murder by several hours. As the word "zombie" begins to enter their vocabulary, Stemmy and his partner must begin to redefine their experience as homicide detectives and accept what simply cannot be.Join these and other characters as they try to live their regular lives despite intrusion of zombies into the populace. With the rules of society altered forever, can society survive?

For young Gabriel, the walking dead are merely the memories that haunt the eyes of those old enough and lucky enough to have survived. He is more concerned with his hard life in America's desert, where his chores keep him busy and the husks of books stashed beneath the cellar of the library are his only freedom.Until the circus comes to town.Twenty years ago, the dead destroyed the world of the living. The survivors scattered in the wake of the Scourge, erecting small towns in the worlds' most sparsely populated areas.For young Gabriel, the walking dead are merely the memories that haunt the eyes of those old enough and lucky enough to have survived. He is more concerned with his hard life in America's desert, where his chores keep him busy and the husks of books stashed beneath the cellar of the library are his only freedom.Until the circus comes to town."Circus of the Dead" is a novelette of approximately 10,748 words."Finally, a zombie story for the thinking man! This story reads as much like literary fiction as it does horror. The zombie scourge seems to exist if only to symbolize man's great desires to keep weapons of impending doom close at hand and the zealotry needed to set them free. Blackburn creates atmosphere so real you'll need to swish the dust from your teeth when you're done! A welcomed change in a genre that seems done to death." -- Stefan Bourque, author of "My Name Is Joe" & "Juggler"

A murderer, a stalker, and a lying boyfriend. Susan Hunter just wants to manage the weight loss center by day and play racquetball by night, but now she’s run off to Florida . . . and she’s accused.Working in a weight-loss center by day and a racquetball club by night, Susan Hunter enjoys her life, the sport, and her friends. … When she discovers her boyfriend of three months is married, she bolts with her best friend to Florida for a week. But someone has followed them, and they are now being stalked. To make matters worse, a murder has been committed back home, and Susan is wanted for questioning … Humorous, sometimes ominous, Sunshine Hunter is entertaining and perfect for easy, breezy reading!

Edwina Bond of Earth and Ganelyn of the Coven – two different women, or are they? Either way, the sweet lips of the Red Warlock Medeo are enticing. When they change places in the Dark World, a long conflict has a wildcard introduced. Mutants, science and sorcery erupt in the struggle for the sacrifice at Caer Lyr as the rebels face the Coven. A Gender Switch Adventure.loll v. lolled, lolling, lolls—intr. 1. To move, stand, or recline in an indolent or relaxed manner. 2. To hang or droop laxly. loller n. That’s the dictionary definition. A loller is a shirker, a slacker, a goof-off, an idler, a goldbrick, a dirtball, a ne’er-do-well—all of which define Claude Amognes’s behavior quite nicely. He’s lazy and selfish; he gets into trouble taking short-cuts at work at the power company while depending on the union to bail him out; having got his job only because his father was the union president, he is never in danger of working himself to death—in fact, taking advantage of the sick-leave policy his father negotiated years ago, he has no difficulty in using the slightest indisposition to generate a week or two of sick leave where he can recover by fishing and boozing. So he’s a good-time Charlie who smokes and drinks too much and does as little work as necessary; but while all these things are true, he’s also a delightful character and fully human. He loves his daughter Jamie and in his own way also loves his long-suffering wife Joan. He alone makes reading this novel wonderful, rollicking fun. Years ago when he began his career with the electric company as a meter-reader, he’d been attacked by fleas in a basement and had to flee for his life, swatting and scratching up a storm. That incident had earned him the nickname “Bugsy” with his union brothers. Later after a scheme to get full disability and a comfortable annuity fell through when Mr. Schulke, his boss, had video proof he was faking his headaches, this traumatic attack of fleas comes in handy. Delightful in a Falstaffian way as Claude is, he is surrounded by dozens of other fully realized characters who add breadth and depth to this wonderful novel. At one point we even get the point of view of a trout! In short, The Jig of the Union Loller is a page-turner. It offers quite a picture of work in America along with much wit and wisdom about human behavior and the human condition.

A loller is a shirker, a slacker, a goof-off, an idler, a goldbrick, a dirtball, a ne’er-do-well—all of which define Claude Amognes’s behavior quite nicely. So he’s a good-time Charlie who smokes and drinks too much and does as little work as necessary; but while all these things are true, he’s also a delightful Falstaffian character. He's what makes reading this book such rollickingloll v. lolled, lolling, lolls—intr. 1. To move, stand, or recline in an indolent or relaxed manner. 2. To hang or droop laxly. loller n. That’s the dictionary definition. A loller is a shirker, a slacker, a goof-off, an idler, a goldbrick, a dirtball, a ne’er-do-well—all of which define Claude Amognes’s behavior quite nicely. He’s lazy and selfish; he gets into trouble taking short-cuts at work at the power company while depending on the union to bail him out; having got his job only because his father was the union president, he is never in danger of working himself to death—in fact, taking advantage of the sick-leave policy his father negotiated years ago, he has no difficulty in using the slightest indisposition to generate a week or two of sick leave where he can recover by fishing and boozing. So he’s a good-time Charlie who smokes and drinks too much and does as little work as necessary; but while all these things are true, he’s also a delightful character and fully human. He loves his daughter Jamie and in his own way also loves his long-suffering wife Joan. He alone makes reading this novel wonderful, rollicking fun. Years ago when he began his career with the electric company as a meter-reader, he’d been attacked by fleas in a basement and had to flee for his life, swatting and scratching up a storm. That incident had earned him the nickname “Bugsy” with his union brothers. Later after a scheme to get full disability and a comfortable annuity fell through when Mr. Schulke, his boss, had video proof he was faking his headaches, this traumatic attack of fleas comes in handy. Delightful in a Falstaffian way as Claude is, he is surrounded by dozens of other fully realized characters who add breadth and depth to this wonderful novel. At one point we even get the point of view of a trout! In short, The Jig of the Union Loller is a page-turner. It offers quite a picture of work in America along with much wit and wisdom about human behavior and the human condition.

When seventeen-year-old Lexi Matthews learns she was the result of genetic manipulation, she is forced to trust new classmate Jack DeWeese to teach her what they were designed to do before the wrong people discover their unnatural abilities.She was created for a purpose so revolutionary, someone was willing to kill for it.Seventeen-year-old Lexi Matthews keeps two secrets from her elite boarding school classmates—she’s the daughter of a famous and controversial geneticist, and she can influence people’s thoughts.But after new student Jack DeWeese heals her broken arm with an anything-but-simple touch, he forces Lexi to face a new reality—her abilities reach much further than speaking to the minds of others.After Lexi’s father goes missing and she receives threatening emails, she can’t decide whether to fall into Jack’s arms or run and hide.As Lexi seeks answers to what she and Jack are, she discovers a truth more unsettling than anything her science books can teach. And letting Jack into her life of secrets is not only a threat to her very existence, but it just might break her heart wide open.

You've read about the billionaires who like to tie things with ... ties. You've lusted over werewolves and werebears. You've sent your blood pressure through the roof fantasizing about that pair of muscle-bound MMA guys whose sole focus in life is to bring you to the heights of pleasure.You've perhaps asked yourself, self, why do all of these fantastic lovers have to be in different universes?You've read about the billionaires who like to tie things with ... ties. You've lusted over werewolves and werebears. You've sent your blood pressure through the roof fantasizing about that pair of muscle-bound MMA guys whose sole focus in life is to bring you to the heights of pleasure.You've perhaps asked yourself, self, why do all of these fantastic lovers have to be in different universes? Why can't there simply be one, all-encompassing, all-possessing man whose endless bank accounts and prodigious sexual talents are mine for the claiming? Or perhaps even two men? And why can't the stories be in short, easy-to-read snippets so I can get through JUST ONE GODDAMNED STORY before the kids start screaming bloody murder or that lazy husband of mine wants another beer from the fridge?Well, pine no more, for the StepShifter series is here! And what's even better, if you post on Ophelia's page with what you'd like to see the Dynamic Trio do in the upcoming books, your wish is her command. Your fantasies will spring to life in technicolor glory. Well, not really in technicolor, because if she made the book's letters red, green, and blue, then the poor color-blind readers amongst us would miss out on the fun. But while the letters might be elegantly black, like the heroine, the language is absolutely racy. Purple. Red-hot passion. Definitely not for anyone younger than eighteen, or anyone without a serious sense of humor about how consenting adults might choose to pass the night. Or day. Or the time it takes a taxi to get from Grand Central Station to Yankee Stadium.C'mon. Take a look. You know you want to!Half of all author's proceeds of this tremendously silly short story series benefits battered women's shelters. Because we all need to smile.

Miracles happen all around us—even though we're seldom sufficiently awake to notice them. Sometimes we find our true self in a Mirror. Sometimes a stray bullet defines our future. At other times we wander for ages without being able to define our purpose. Yet, when we find it, reality fills us with Wonder.After a rough break up with the man he thought he'd spend his happily-ever-after with, Brad returns home to Wyoming to attend his high school reunion. He's still in touch with his best friend since childhood - only problem is that Jimmy doesn't know he's gay. Brad hates the idea of upsetting Jimmy, who has no family left and thinks of Brad as his brother. Plus, he's been lying to him all these years. How will Jimmy take the news, and will their friendship survive? Finding the man of his dreams in Sheridan is not on his radar, but a few surprises are in store for Brad. This light, comedic MM romance explores what it's like to come out in 2014.

This is a compilation of three small inspiring stories based on truth and fiction. To respect the privacy names and places with situations are changed for the first two stories. However, the third story is a fictional story but it is relevant for the modern society.After a rough break up with the man he thought he'd spend his happily-ever-after with, Brad returns home to Wyoming to attend his high school reunion. He's still in touch with his best friend since childhood - only problem is that Jimmy doesn't know he's gay. Brad hates the idea of upsetting Jimmy, who has no family left and thinks of Brad as his brother. Plus, he's been lying to him all these years. How will Jimmy take the news, and will their friendship survive? Finding the man of his dreams in Sheridan is not on his radar, but a few surprises are in store for Brad. This light, comedic MM romance explores what it's like to come out in 2014.

Brad returns home to Wyoming to attend his high school reunion with his best friend since childhood - only problem is that Jimmy doesn't know he's gay. How will Jimmy take the news, and what other surprises does Sheridan hold in store for Brad? This light, comedic MM romance explores what it's like to come out in 2014.After a rough break up with the man he thought he'd spend his happily-ever-after with, Brad returns home to Wyoming to attend his high school reunion. He's still in touch with his best friend since childhood - only problem is that Jimmy doesn't know he's gay. Brad hates the idea of upsetting Jimmy, who has no family left and thinks of Brad as his brother. Plus, he's been lying to him all these years. How will Jimmy take the news, and will their friendship survive? Finding the man of his dreams in Sheridan is not on his radar, but a few surprises are in store for Brad. This light, comedic MM romance explores what it's like to come out in 2014.

It's a grimy future and data is a drug. Solis is an addict willing to do whatever it takes to get his fix -- even if that's calling in debts and trading punches with a few guys he considers friends.Included with this story is an excerpt of the novella Chasing Filthy Lucre.Sometimes life can be a real witch. Meet Maxie Duncan. Your average 23-year-old blonde. If you can call being wealthy, gorgeous, and knowing what the future holds at times, average. After her fiancé blindsides her with a breakup at their favorite restaurant, she leaves Maine for a shot at being Hollywood’s new ‘it girl.’ There’s only one problem. She’s never acted a day in her life. When a big Hollywood director sends her packing, she realizes if she wants to stay in L.A., she may have to become a normal girl after all. But normal has never been in the cards for her. Strange things keep happening wherever she goes, a red-eyed shadow no one else sees is stalking her, and to top it off, she may be falling in love again, with either the bookish guy next door, or Hollywood’s hottest leading man. But everything isn’t what it seems. Someone’s keeping secrets from her. Is it her new friends at the apartment building she moved into? Or is it Ryan Everheart, the actor who wants to sweep her off her feet? And why are her feet suddenly floating off the ground? It’s enough to drive a girl insane. All Maxie wants to do is ride off into the sunset with her one true love and find a killer pair of Manolo Blahniks on the way. But how’s a girl supposed to focus on a love life and shopping when everywhere she turns someone or something is trying to kill her?