The tall, lanky Missourian leaning against the corner of a ramshackle saloon on Locust Street, St. Louis, Missouri—the St. Louis of the early forties—turned his whiskey-marked face toward his companion, a short and slender Mexican trader, sullenly listening to the latter\'s torrent of words, which was accompanied by many and excitable gesticulations. The Missourian shook his head in reply to the accusations of his companion. "But he was on thee boat weeth us!" exclaimed the other. "An\' you lose heem—lak theese!" the sharp snap of his fingers denoted magic. "Thar ain\'t no use o\' gittin\' riled," replied Schoolcraft. "How in tarnation kin a man keep th\' trail o\' a slippery critter like him in these yere crowds? I\'ll git sight o\' him, right yere." "That ees w\'at you say," rejoined the Mexican, shrugging his shoulders. "But w\'at weel I say to le Gobernador? Theese hombre Tomaz Boyd—he know vera many t\'eengs—too vera many t\'eengs—an\' he ensult le Gobernador. Madre de Dios—sooch ensult!" He shivered at the thought. "W\'en I get thee message, I tr-remble! It say \'Br-ring heem to me—or breeng me his ears!\' I am tol\' to go to Señor Schoolcr-raft at Eendependence—he ees thee man. I go; an\' then you lose heem! Bah! You do not know theese Manuel Armijo, le Gobernador de Santa Fe, my fren\'—I tr-remble!" "You need a good swig, that\'s what you need," growled Schoolcraft. "An\' if ye warn\'t a chuckle-head," he said with a flash of anger, "we wouldn\'t \'a\' come yere at all; I told ye he\'s got th\' prairie fever an\' shore would come back to Independence, whar I got friends; but no—we had ter foller him!" He spat emphatically. "Thar warn\'t no sense to it, nohow!" The other waved his arms. "But w\'y we stan\' here, lak theese? W\'y you do no\'teeng?" "Now you look a-here, Pedro," growled the Missourian, his sullen gaze passing up and down the slender Mexican. "Ye don\'t want ter use no spurs on this critter. I ain\'t no greaser! If ye\'ll hold them arms still fer a minute I\'ll tell ye somethin\'.

During this short but engaging story, Jack gets in a fight with his father and decides to make a living in the woods. He is able to live in the woods for a couple of weeks. But, after a close encounter with a forest creature can he still survive?Sarah is given Aisha's diary right before her mysterious death. Being reluctant at first, Sarah decides to read her diary, to figure out the truth, of what might have lead to her sisters death.. She discovers another world, of love, religion and cultures. Can the power of Love unite those who are of different religions?

tales of Petrovich the Bunny, and his amazing animal friends.The Kitelope Valley is one of the last places on earth where animals live without fear of human intervention. There, Petrovich the Bunny and his friends are free to frolick and play.

A lively, stimulating and engaging retelling of purakau - Maori myths - by contemporary Maori writers. Ka mua, ka muri . . .Ancient Maori creation myths, portrayals of larger-than-life heroes and tales of engrossing magical beings have endured through the ages. Some hail back to Hawaiki, some are firmly grounded in New Zealand and its landscape. Through countless generations, the stories have been reshaped and passed on. This new collection presents a wide range of traditional myths that have been retold by some of our best Maori wordsmiths. The writers have added their own creativity, perspectives and sometimes wonderfully unexpected twists, bringing new life and energy to these rich, spellbinding and significant taonga. Take a fresh look at Papatuanuku, a wild ride with Maui, or have a creepy encounter with Ruruhi-Kerepo, for these and many more mythical figures await you. Explore the past, from it shape the future . . . The contributors are:...

What is this book all about? Well, I could say it is about promotion of my books, which wouldn’t be totally false. On the other hand, it is about writing, as a profession, and reveals what goes into putting together books for publication. It also offers some prime examples of my own writing in essays, stories and articles. And it is a freebee! To boot! Over 80,000 words!TABLE OF CONTENTSINTRODUCTIONPART ONE:Some Writings by the AuthorEDGAR RICE BURROUGHS: A REAL HOOKER or,“The Mystery of Missing Foreword” NIGHTMARE WITH A QUEEN…OF BLOODTHE REAL STRAIGHT DOPECONCERNING A FAMOUS LOVE SONG!DREAMER OF TOMORROWDAD AND ISome Fiction From ElsewhereIN DEFENSE OF PROSTITUTIONSAY RUM, CHUMPARTY BUSINESSSUDDENLY LUST SUMMERBIG DAVE’S GIRLFROZEN SMILES & GLAD HANDSPART TWO:About the Writer1. A TAPED INTERVIEW WITHCHARLES NUETZELby Lynn Munroe2. AN E-MAIL INTERVIEW WITHCHARLES NUETZELby Charles A. Gramlich3. WHY ALL THE PEN NAMES?An Interview with Charles Nuetzelby Bill EwingDE MOUSE WENT WILD!!!4. SOME BIO OF SORTSedited by Robert Reginald5. Scorpion Books—THE BOOKS WITH A STINGby Victor A. BerchPART THREE:Introductions are Shameless Ads for the Wildside Print-to-Order Editions of my books.ADAPT OR DIETHE ERSATZSLAVES OF LOMOOROLOST CITY OF THE DAMNEDGOLD LUSTTROPIC OF PASSIONOPERATION: DOUBLE-CROSSMURDER TIMES 4SOFTLY AS I KILL YOUMISTRESS OF THE DAMNED & DEATH IN HER ARMSANY ONE CAN DIEMURDER MOST TERRIBLETHE SEX CULT MURDERSTHE CASTING COUCHERSBODIES 4 SALEONE SUMMER OF LOVEPARLEY IN PASSIONMIDNIGHT LOVERSSTAR BITCHSEX QUEENKRISTABLUES FOR A DEAD LOVERBORN TO BE LOVEDSEX IS MY BUSINESSSYNDICATE WOMANJEANNEVER IN HER ARMSTHE BODY MERCHANTSHOLLYWOOD NYMPHFLUFFDIMENSIONS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTUREIntros That Never WereTORLO HANNIS OF NOOMASHOLLYWOOD MYSTERIESTHE EPIC DIALOGS OF MHYOSLAVEGIRL OF NOOMASSWORDMEN OF VISTARPART FOUR:AN ALMOST COMPLETE CHECKLIST OF MY BOOKS PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES, LISTED BY PEN NAMEWHERE TO FIND MY EBOOKS ON THE INTERNET

The late Reginald Bretnor (1911-1992) was never a prolific writer—he wrote only a handful of books and about 100 short stories [and more than 100 short-short “Feghoots” under the Grendel Briarton pseudonym]—over a 45-year writing career. In addition to wars, weaponry, and science fiction, Bretnor’s broad interests included cats. (And puns. Did we mention the horrible puns?) These subjects are all touched on in this collection. A sly sense of humor permeates Bretnor’s fiction, and as we work to digitize his complete body of work and present it to readers in a series of Reginald Bretnor Megapacks, we know you’ll have fun reading them.

This first issue of ChamberFour.com's literary magazine, C4, features all-new fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by award winners, first-timers and talented writers from around the globe. Comedy, drama, suspense, thrills, chills and plain old outstanding writing---Issue #1 has it all, DRM-free and free to download.Short story excerpt:She remembered her initial excursion onto the ice, being run into by a boy playing hockey at the end of the rink. Actually, she hardly remembered the collision at all. What she remembered mostly, and held onto, was how nice he had been afterwards, lifting her up, brushing her off, apologizing profusely and asking again and again if she was all right as he held her arm and skated with her to the quiet safety at the far edge of the ice.

"Unnerving" & "Downright Brutal" - Best Selling Horror Writer Wesley Thomas... "Spellbinding & Quite Horrifying" - Ghostlight: The Magazine of Horror... "Sickening" - Source Point Press. And that's just the first story in this collection of tales that explores a wide range of content in horror and suspense.BRAIN MATTER is a collection of 6 original horror and suspense tales with a little something for everyone. From werewolves and grim reapers to walking corpses and heartless psychopaths, this short story collection explores a wide range of content in the horror genre. In CONFESSION, a newspaper reporter visits a dying old woman in a nursing home to chronicle her life's story, only to learn that she has been harboring a gruesome secret for almost six decades. In LUNATIC, a man wakes up in a morgue surrounded by the mutilated bodies of a group of campers and has no idea how he got there.In THE BITE, after a hosting a house party, a man suddenly wakes up with two bite marks on his neck and is convinced that one of his guests was a vampire. In THE DEFIANT SEED, unable to sleep or write on a stormy night, a young author discovers a terrifying and deadly secret about his next door neighbors after spying on them. In THIRSTY BITCH, a man discovers the downside of keeping a prize-fighting bitch starved and chained in his basement.In STOWAWAYS, the crew of a cargo ship caught up in a tropical storm has bigger issues to deal with when a horde of zombies is discovered in one of its shipping containers.

Will this new beginning... ...lead to her forever family?ER nurse Molly O'Keefe is starting over! But she isn't ready to let sexy Dr. Nathan Lupton into her life. Still reeling from her painful past, Molly isn't sure she can trust her feelings—especially as Nathan wants a family she may not be able to give him. But then their irresistible temptation spills over—and results in a double baby surprise that could bond them together forever!"Overall, Ms. Mackay has delivered a really good read in this book where the chemistry between this couple was strong; the romance was delightful and had me loving how these two come together...."—Harlequin Junkie on The Italian Surgeon's Secret Baby"...a beautifully-crafted and emotionally-rousing read.... The way this story ended left me smiling...."—Harlequin Junkie on The New Year Baby Surprise

In the eternal battle between light and dark, the time may come when there will be no more daybreak.In this anthropomorphic fable from science fiction author Gareth Jones, the Masters of Night engage in an endless battle with the Bringers of Dawn. In the eternal battle between light and dark, the time may come when there will be no more daybreak.

Edited by Peter Friend, Eileen Mueller & A.J.Ponder. Includes stories by Joy Cowley, David Hill, Dave Freer & Lyn McConchieWhat will Santa put under your tree this Christmas? A present that growls? Or one that smiles? The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales – crazy Christmas adventures for the whole family! Christmas in outer space or at the beach, havoc in Santa’s workshop, monsters running amok, and mad scientists who turn Christmas into chaos. Come along for the sleigh ride of your life, as these Twisty Tales weave their festive magic, whipping across New Zealand pastures, scattering fairy dust on the way to a Christmas BBQ! CONTENTSForeword by David HillBandit by Lorraine OrmanHow to Train Your Princess by Dave FreerI Don’t Like Christmas! by Jan GoldieThe Red Giant by Peter Friend & A.J. PonderBFF by Marion DayKiwi Christmas by Joy CowleyJack in the Box by Dan RabartsChristmas in the Magician’s House by D.M. PotterFairy Lights by Eileen MuellerBells by Lee MurraySanta’s Sack by Simon FogartyKeeping Afloat by David HillBuilding the Tree by Tim JonesDear Santa by A.J. PonderCandy Cane by Charlotte KieftChristmas in Space by Peter FriendNew Neighbours by Anne WilkinsChristmas Monster by William CookSanta’s Little Helpers by Jeena MurphyA Modern Kiwi Christmas by Kerrie Anne SpicerChristmas Jack by Michelle ChildRumbled by Eileen MuellerThe Missing Piece by Denise CushMānuka Mischief by Sophie YorkstonA Snowy Kiwi Christmas by Robyn P MurrayCole’s Christmas Spirit by Shelley ChappellFrankie’s Christmas Letters by A.J. PonderThe Christmas Pantomime by Lee MurrayAlbert and the Christmas Fairy by Darian SmithThe Present of Christmas Past by Debbie CowensJimmy’s Night In by Lyn McConchieTwisty Authors

This second issue of ChamberFour.com's future award-winning literary magazine, C4, features more all-new fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by talented writers from around the globe. DRM-free and always free to download.Biots Are People Too!Amateur sleuth Jack Clay hunts a Black Dwarf possessed by a spirit from hell! When Gumshoe finds the stars of Capricorn at a bloody crime scene, he calls for help! Nodlon is paradise, if you’re not a biot! Biots work jobs no one wants to pay for, and Evan Labe is a biot. Evan Labe is a biot – a black dwarf model – living in quiet despair. Tempted by an infomercial, Evan looses a serpent into the garden! An epidemic of missing dwarves plagues Nodlon. Thinking freedom will cure the problem, and fearing for the lives of the dwarves, Princess Virginia asks Jack Clay to help her free the biots. But another dwarf goes missing, and this time someone left a bloody Capricorn on the girl’s video screen. Swamped with questions, Gumshoe of Nodlon Yard is out of his league. Was the maiden abducted? Is her life in danger? Is he a kidnapper in league with Mars? Has the dwarf maiden gone rogue? Gumshoe calls his friend, Jack Clay, a celebrity elf, a freedom fighter, and a magician to help him find the girl!Freedom fighting must wait! As the clock ticks, the body count rises. In hot pursuit, Jack chases a wicked warlock armed with magic and an army of dwarves! A trail of murder and mayhem leads to a mysterious Black Dwarf! Can Jack find the Black Dwarf before he destroys Jack?! Will Jack save Nodlon?! Will Jack prevent a war with Mars?! Will Jack free the biots?! Find out in the Strange and Quirky Odyssey of Cretaceous Clay!