They're no more than a few acres across, streets and buildings on every side--yet Patrick Reed is inexplicably drawn to the woods behind his house. What he finds in those trees is an ancient power that is both wonderful and terrifying. He embraces it at first... but when odd things begin to happen in Hillward, he's the only one who can protect the little town from the darkness that lingers there.They're no more than a few acres across, with streets and buildings on every side--yet Patrick Reed is inexplicably drawn to the woods behind his house. What he finds amongst those trees in the scarce light of the moon is an ancient power that is both wonderful and terrifying. He embraces this power at first... but when odd things begin to happen in Hillward, he's the only one who can protect the little town from the darkness that lingers there. Now, while avoiding the attention of his concerned parents and maintaining a budding friendship with a special classmate, Patrick must use his new-found power to uncover the mystery of the beckoning crow before the whole town is engulfed in shadow..."The Color of Night" is a YA paranormal mystery/thriller by author Jack Thomas.

Discount a 50-something woman as just a “pathetic old hag,” and see where that gets you. The arrogant young boyfriend of a former employee of Lily Raffenport, a mellow but irreverent Colorado garden designer, finds out when he dismisses everything about Lily as he trowels on the story of his girlfriend’s drunken suicide. That write-off spurs the reluctant sleuth Lily into action, and danger.Discount a 50-something woman as just a “pathetic old hag,” and see where that gets you. The arrogant young boyfriend of a former employee of Lily Raffenport, a mellow but irreverent Colorado garden designer, finds out when he dismisses everything about Lily as he trowels on the story of his girlfriend’s drunken suicide. That write-off spurs the reluctant sleuth Lily into action because she isn’t buying his self-important tale, and her curiosity for the truth takes her to New Mexico and back, before she herself becomes the main mark in a drug ring’s cover up of torture and murder. Is exposing the killer to find the truth worth the risk of revealing herself to the cartel’s mastermind?

Julia looks forward to the most exciting event of the year. As the countdown begins, her world fills with new friendships and surprises, especially when a very pretty girl unexpectedly joins her class and they become great friends. But without warning, the events that begin to unfold are not at all what Julia has anticipated. What is in store for Julia? What is the outcome of her worst day ever?Julia looks forward to the most exciting event of the year. As the countdown begins, her world fills with new friendships and surprises, especially when a very pretty girl unexpectedly joins her class and they become great friends. In addition, the cutest boy at school suddenly becomes a part of their group and Julia looks forward to the special occasion that they are all planning for. But without warning, the events that begin to unfold are not at all what Julia has anticipated. Is there a bully in their midst and is bullying going on around her?What is in store for Julia and what is the final outcome of her worst day ever? You are sure to love the first book in the Julia Jones series. It is fast paced and suspenseful and will captivate you from start to finish. A fantastic book for girls aged from 9 to 12.

Labyrinth Michaels never once thought that she'd find love in the arms of her best friend. But, Daregan Ferris just might be the man of her dreams.Natasha leaves for an Accounting degree on a scholarship. She gets her degree and returns home to care for her dying mother. And when she dies, Natasha goes to Bulawayo to get a job. She gets a job, because Sipeyiye loved her. And then she is obsessed with Sipeyiye. The next thing she adopts a kid straight from the street, but why? That is before she realized she has contacted the virus. But unlike her mother, Natasha refuses to die? And she’d survive somehow. Where’ll she find her hope? Abortion, adoption, love…And is this the solution to the all problem that the earth is facing on the present day? Too many people. In other words, is there a Life after Death for the planet Earth?

Natasha leaves for an Accounting degree on a scholarship. She returns to her dying mother after finishing. She then leaves for Bulawayo when her mother dies. The next thing she adopts a kid straight from the street. That is before she realized she has contacted the virus. But she’d survive somehow. Where’ll she find her hope? Abortion, adoption, love?Natasha leaves for an Accounting degree on a scholarship. She gets her degree and returns home to care for her dying mother. And when she dies, Natasha goes to Bulawayo to get a job. She gets a job, because Sipeyiye loved her. And then she is obsessed with Sipeyiye. The next thing she adopts a kid straight from the street, but why? That is before she realized she has contacted the virus. But unlike her mother, Natasha refuses to die? And she’d survive somehow. Where’ll she find her hope? Abortion, adoption, love…And is this the solution to the all problem that the earth is facing on the present day? Too many people. In other words, is there a Life after Death for the planet Earth?

Katryn had thought John had been the worst thing that had ever happened to the volleyball team. She was beginning to feel Paul would be a much harder pill to swallow. But no matter how she felt, or even how he felt, she would have to convince him she couldn’t date him. Julie had been her best friend for a long time, and Julie said she was interested in Paul.Katryn had been nervous about meeting the new guy who was trying out for the volleyball team. Last season John had been a total mistake, and as captain, Katryn had had to deal with his poor attitude and even worse temper before having to ask him to leave. Now she was a little gun-shy and really had not been looking forward to meeting another new player.She was very surprised, and a little chagrined, to find Paul was not only nice, a good player, and liked by everyone else on the team, but she found herself attracted to him. Before she could decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing, her best friend Julie – who also played on the team – let her know right away that she was very interested in Paul.When Paul let Katryn know he was interested in her, Katryn had to try to explain why she would not date him. He was incredulous when he heard her say Julie was interested in him, so Katryn could not date him. She tried to explain: Friends don’t date someone their best friend is interested in.Paul would have to accept Katryn’s friendship, only. That’s all she could offer.

Charity Greves has the gift of healing. So when a naked bleeding Highlander materializes out of the air into her kitchen, she does what any rational free-thinking herbalist under the same circumstances would do--she heals him. She didn’t expect to be drawn back to the 13th Century where a dangerous whacked-out witch holds the handsome Highlander captive.Charity Greves has the gift of healing. So when a naked bleeding Highlander materializes out of the air into her kitchen, she does what any rational free-thinking herbalist under the same circumstances would do--she heals him. She didn’t expect to be drawn back to the 13th Century where a dangerous whacked-out witch holds the handsome Highlander captive.Nor is she prepared to be drawn so strongly to him that she’ll do whatever it takes to save him. Imprisoned by the witch, Toren Limont the High Sorcerer and Protector of the Fae’s magic, uses the last of his magical reserves to go forward in time and find a healer the witch doesn’t have any influence over. He merely seeks the small respite a healing can give him in order to continue to withstand the witch’s tortures long enough for his clan and siblings to flee.Until Charity falls with him through time as either his salvation or his entire clan’s downfall.

Vigilante is the first novel in a series of works featuring the character John Stanton and his family. A retired MI6 operative now a consulting security advisor settles in Australia chasing his wife and family he loves so dearly, lost to the fear of harms way. His wife, a media journalist, falls foul of people in Australian power. Stanton steps in and things are not as they seem.Vigilante what can we expect of one, A vigilante is someone who illegally punishes someone for actual or perceived offenses, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to such a person. Often the victims are criminals in the legal sense; however a vigilante may follow a different definition of criminal than the local law especially if he is of a certain creed.The novel Vigilante introduces John Stanton an extreme character born in London in 1950 to a grass roots military family. A product of British Military Intelligence, at the age of sixty he had done nothing else all his life and lived through much accumulating masses of information whilst working for or with western governments. The experience turns him into a ruthless vigilante amongst military and government bodies. Those in power never expected him to live past thirty but he survived. It also introduces his sidekick Cadiche a part aboriginal civil police officer part of the stolen generation who assists in the public domain. Retiring to the east coast of Australia chasing his family lost through fear and loneliness his separated wife is a political newspaper journalist and uses her maiden name. Optimising her vivacious beauty to gain top secret information gets her into trouble and Stanton receives a sanction on his own wife from the corridors of power in Canberra. Deeply in love with his wife Jodi, his childhood sweetheart, Stanton pursues the threat with ruthless application protecting his family, but finding a little more than he expected. He uncovers a plot to take control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal for world domination. With unofficial help from Britain's MI6 the American CIA and the French Secret Service he must break the chain of radicals involved in the plot coming at him from all directions and stay one step ahead of the government authorities to have any chance of success. He refuses to be drawn into public affairs and enlists a sidekick Cadiche a part aboriginal police officer found whilst training for the civil police he regards as part of his family.

Sometimes Prince Charming is the one who turns out to be the frog, and true love appears in the most unexpected places.Follow the cursed dress through five sets of bridal hands as four more women join The Almost Wives Club.Five Brides–One DressKate Winton-Jones is marrying one of America’s most eligible bachelors. Edward Carnarvon III is rich, handsome and hers. But at the final fitting of her wedding gown, one of the seamstresses pricks her and a tiny blood spot appears on the outrageously expensive gown. Its famous designer fires the clumsy seamstress on the spot, whereupon the girl puts a curse on the dress and storms out. Kate doesn't believe in curses. She’s modern, American and in love with the perfect guy. What could go wrong?But that very evening she meets a man who makes her question her future. And then she discovers that Edward has been hiding a secret or two… and before you can say, “This dress is so cursed,” she’s on the run from Edward, his family, her mother, the paparazzi and the person she thought she was.When the man who discovers her hiding place turns out to be the last man she should trust, it’s time to throw her cautious good sense out with the satin shoes she won’t be wearing. Playing it safe hasn’t done her much good. Maybe it’s time to play by a new set of rules. Her rules.Sometimes Prince Charming is the one who turns out to be the frog, and true love appears in the most unexpected places.Follow the cursed dress through five sets of bridal hands as four more women join The Almost Wives Club.These are complete novels. Watch for:Secondhand Bride coming in April, 2015Bridesmaid for Hire coming in May, 2015The Wedding Flight in June, 2015If the Dress Fits in July 2015

Noel Winters is lonely this Christmas. Lonely, despite being overcrowded by friends and family, which he would prefer to label as associates. This is a tale of a lazy procrastinating youth who is no longer young enough to pull that lifestyle off.Disillusioned with himself as much as the outside world, he draws inspiration from his younger adopted sister, Hannah.Noel Winters is lonely this Christmas. Lonely, despite being overcrowded by friends and family, which he would prefer to label as associates. This is a tale of a lazy procrastinating youth who is no longer young enough to pull that lifestyle off.Disillusioned with himself as much as the outside world, he draws inspiration from his younger adopted sister, Hannah. Hannah is a nine-year-old self-proclaiming Jew, which means little more than a recent pork abstinence. She has a wide-eyed passion for life, a bright optimistic light in the shadow of Noel’s pessimism. The season of joy is full of questions for Noel. Where is life leading me? Do I follow? Are cigarettes really that costly? Am I a drunk? Should I be sober before trying to answer these questions?Amazon reviewers"It is not often that a book has the ability to both make me laugh out loud and bring me to the verge of tears; this book had that capability." "Perfect Christmas gift for those who question the tradition!""Parts read like early Nick Hornby while the protagonist with his disconnection and confusion of modern life felt like someone out of Douglas Coupland novel, yet it still felt fresh and new. It moved easily from serious, to funny ,to touching, all in all I highly recommended it.""I read the book in two days, and found it hard to put down. Absolutely brilliant."

“I love you.” These are words we have all said to many, various people in our lives: our parents, our brothers, our friends, our lovers. But what do they really mean? Patrick is in a better position than most to know. He married his teenage sweetheart and has spent a long, happy life with her; now near the end, he finds himself looking back and contemplating their meaning.“I love you.” These are words we have all said to many, various people in our lives: our parents, our brothers, our friends, our lovers. Sometimes we have meant them, sometimes we have been lying. But what do those words really mean? Patrick is in a better position than most to know. He married his teenage sweetheart and has spent a long, happy life with her; yet now she is dying, and he is on the edge of losing her. As he cares for a woman who barely remembers his name, he looks back on his life and contemplates the meaning of those words: words which have come to define his, and indeed every other, life on Earth.

This fantasy novella tells the story of a young wizard who participates in a magical competition that goes fundamentally wrong, pitting him and his fellow competitors against a deadly maze in a desperate struggle for survival. The novella is a prequel to the full-length novel Of Spells and Demons.This fantasy novella (19,000 words) tells the story of a young wizard who participates in a magical contest that goes fundamentally wrong, pitting him and his fellow competitors against a deadly maze in a desperate struggle for survival. Student mage Keric Olwyhn is reluctant to enter the annual Labyrinth competition, but is ultimately convinced to represent his order of magic in front of the teachers and students of the University of Sacreth. What he and his other competitors do not know is that there is another interested party this year, one that would like to see all four of the student mages suffer gruesome public deaths. The novella is a prequel to the full-length novel Of Spells and Demons.

This collection began as a Halloween flash fiction writing contest on Facebook, sponsored by Sharon Van Orman.This is not one person’s achievement, but a collective of people from around the block and around the world.Enjoy these spooky bits, for they are what makes Halloween special!"Hal L. O’ween" is the pen-name of a group of writers from around the world that have joined together to ‘scare your pants off!’Each ‘Halloween Horror Flash Fiction Contest’ story, sponsored on Facebook by Sharon Van Orman, was approved and contributed to this anthology for your ‘enjoyment’.The individual authors retain ALL the rights to these stories.Many thanks go to the following writers—without their involvement, this collection wouldn’t have been possible:Devin Berglund, Brian Bigelow, Melissa Blume, Carol Bond, Michelle Patricia Browne, Jaleta Clegg, Richard Cotton, Russell Cruse, J. A. Cunningham, Toy Davis, Bella Doerres, Debra Elliott, Jiva Fang, Paul Freeman, Joseph Alan Gharagheer, Pamela Griffiths, Erik Gustafson, Rylee Hales, Denise Hemphill, Bruce Hesselbach, Rob Holliday, Katrina Jack, Gerald D. Johnston, Mel L. Kinder, Merita King, Pamela K. Kinney, Neil Leckman, Tracy Lesch, Rosemary Lynch, Ellen McKinney, Wolfen Lee McKoy, Shannon Marie Mead, Jason Mueller and C. L. Foster, Matthew Christopher Nelson, Sharon Van Orman, Patrick Ottuso, Cheryl C. Ramirez, Martin Reaves, Katherine Rochholz, Kincaid Savoie, Adam Sifre and Splinker, Gretchen Steen, Michael L. Turner, Rahima Warren, Richard A. Wentworth, Lisa Williamson, Sherill Willis, Stephen L. Wilson, Kay D. Ziegler.We are "Hal L. O’ween"

Not all villains succeed at being evil. Not all diseases deserve the word plague. Fate can be ironic indeed. The chilling short story, The Giving Plague, follows microbiologist Forry, a self-proclaimed cynic, as he encounters a virus transmitted by blood donations that could alter humanity for good, forcing him to wrestle with his own inner demons.Not all villains succeed at being evil. Not all diseases deserve the word plague. Fate can be ironic indeed. The chilling short story, The Giving Plague, follows microbiologist Forry, a self-proclaimed cynic, jealous of his “boy wonder” colleague who discovers a unique virus that could change humanity. Transmitted by blood donations, the virus manipulates humans toward altruism and charity. Forry decides that he will do anything to take credit for this discovery…until a more deadly alien virus infects the human race, forcing him to wrestle with his own inner demons.

Once in a Blue Moon is a spy novel in the vein of Ian Fleming's James Bond series, delivering edge-of-your-seat suspense and intrigue of the highest order. With high-speed chases on both land and water, the silent infiltration of a heavily guarded embassy, and insidious, deadly enemies, Once in a Blue Moon is a spy-thriller that will engage readers of all kinds.A thrilling espionage adventure starring Jonathan Smythe, Once in a Blue Moon is a spy novel in the vein of Ian Fleming's James Bond series, delivering edge-of-your-seat suspense and intrigue of the highest order. After escaping a doomed ocean-liner off the coast of France, Agent Smythe of the Echo Echelon must follow his only lead: Petrov, a Russian general turned arms-dealer, and his deal with the devil. With high-speed chases on both land and water, the silent infiltration of a heavily guarded embassy, and insidious, deadly enemies, Once in a Blue Moon is a spy-thriller that will engage readers of all kinds.