In the latest prequel to Desperate Times you are introduced to Jon. With the world unraveling around them, Jon and his friend, Kyle, find themselves at a crossroads. People are already looking at the world in a different way; very much aware that everything they take for granted is about to disappear, perhaps forever. Goodbyes need to be said, but is there enough time before things get desperate?Available for the first time complete in one volume. Previously published in two volumes as Daughter of Darkness and The Dadouchos. In 480 BC, fifteen-year-old Melaina's biggest worry, she thinks, is wishing to follow Artemis and remain virgin when her mother and grandfather want her to marry and became a priestess. But when the Persians invade, the gods themselves have plans for Melaina, including carrying a divine child and divining for the Greek fleet in a battle to determine the salvation or ruin of all Greece.

Mia and Andrew's connection allowed them to fight circumstances that should have forever ripped them apart. As the darkest evil threatens to destroy them and all they love, Mia and Andrew fight to uncover what they actually are. Will revelations of their true nature, what they have created, and their connection to heaven and hell save them, separate them, or destroy them and all those they love?Although Mia has returned to the safety of Sanctuary and the loving arms of her family, she struggles to merge the psychiatrist and mother she was with the surgeon and woman who was singularly focused on bringing the only thing that made sense in her existence to life, the children’s wing of the hospital she left behind. With her sudden disappearance, the wing is in jeopardy and Dr. Davis is fighting to ensure that all of her efforts instead go to his plastic surgery facility. To save what she held so dear and what brought her back to Andrew, Mia needs to return to the existence she forged without Andrew and her children to resume her role as Jonathan’s bride. Determined to assist Mia in this endeavor, Andrew assumes Jonathan’s identity and they return to New York with everyone required to play a role and assume an identity which is not their own. To assist Mia in ensuring that the wing goes forward, Jeff returns as a visiting physician while Andrew ensures that the real Jonathan’s wishes are carried forward for the son of his girlfriend. The children enroll along with Jeff’s children in a new school where Grant, Julian and Paul have assumed positions as instructors and soon realize this new school holds secrets and hidden dangers of its own. The children quickly learn that the surreal world extends far beyond that which they have encountered in Sanctuary and with each challenge, their powers, especially Jacob’s explode.Despite the battles fought and lessons learned, Andrew and Mia are about to face their most surprising discovery. As the family struggles in their new roles, Mia quickly learns that certain demons can truly rip the souls from their victims. Unfortunately, in Mia’s case it was not her essence that Marlena seized, it was the soul of Alexander’s developing twin. Together, Alexander and his twin would have had the power to end the condemnation of those who walk this earth for all eternity and revert vampires back to human form. Unfortunately in sending a returning David back to the depths of hell before securing the souls of those he held to channel forth, Reginald sealed the fate of Alexander’s twin and that of the soul of his brother who even now chooses to stay to protect the child from being used to release the most heinous evil.To save them, Mia, Andrew, their family and friends must open the gate to hell on earth and face the truth of who they are and what they are willing to sacrifice to make things right and save those they love. As they face their final encounter, lives are lost, demons are released to heaven’s gates and the final secrets of the ties that bind Mia and Andrew to heaven and hell are revealed.

Shortly after his arrival up at the family cottage on Lake Superior, Stan Goobash watches in horror as a mammoth sinkhole opens in the middle of the lake. Moments later, the greatest of all the Great Lakes is nothing more than a memory. Stan vows to get to the bottom of this mystery.Shortly after his arrival up at the family cottage on Lake Superior, Stan Goobash watches in horror as a mammoth sinkhole opens in the middle of the lake. Moments later, the greatest of all the Great Lakes is nothing more than a memory. Like others, Stan is drawn across the dry lakebed to the circular chasm that has swallowed one tenth of the world's supply of surface freshwater. An avid skydiver, Stan quickly formulates a plan to get to the bottom of this mystery, or die trying. At the edge of the great sinkhole, Stan is joined by two others. They jump, but will soon learn that Lake Superior doesn't like to give up her dead.

When the chips are down, and they certainly are in these desperate times; friends and family stick together. Julie finds this out in an unlikely fashion. As the economy is crumbling around them, people are forced to make hard choices as to where they want to make their stand. They also must choose who to stand by. Julie's life is about to change, but not without a little help from a friend.When Victor Frankenstein crafts his infamous creature in Mary Shelley’s masterpiece, he creates something that is a patchwork not only of men but of ideals, of emotions. Out of many, he is one. Indeed, this anthology you read now is something similar, though I do say quite a bit more pleasant to encounter than the fruit of Victor’s labors!What precisely does the word creature conjure in the imagination? Something frightening? Something unknown? The authors of the stories you are about to read had this question to consider and not one of them came up with exactly the same answer as another of their collaborators. The initial reaction to such a question might be to recoil, to think of something unsettling or scary. But then one must consider the creature itself. How does it react to its state of being? It’s surroundings? Does it enjoy killing men or does it loathe violence? Is it predator or prey? Do humans simply fear it or try to combat the creature themselves?It’s the reaction that makes the creature, not the state itself of being an outsider to mankind. You will read in these pages about various supposed monsters, and they all behave differently. The creatures in these stories are everything from horrifying killers to sympathetic lovers to misunderstood beings trying to fit into human society, each one with its creator’s personal stamp placed upon it. This anthology was born out of a desire to come together as authors, out of a sense of community, and the reader can certainly feel this as well. Despite the occasionally-gruesome or unsettling subject matter, this is a labor of love, we promise!The idea to create a compilation was posed by author B.C. Sirrom on the Paranormal and Horror Lovers group on Goodreads in May of 2012. The idea took off immediately, with eight writers contributing to the work and several others offering to help with editing and cover art. But what was to be the topic of such an anthology?After much deliberation, the topic of creatures was chosen, an emphasis placed on the unique and the cultural. The rules were simple: the story must be in the paranormal or horror genre and between five and ten thousand words. While mature content was allowed, it was not required, and contributors had to be willing to assist with editing. With the ground rules in place, the authors set out to craft their tales.This specific topic is one that not only fit the overall theme of the group itself, but also one that allowed the authors room to breathe, room to create and thus, room to craft a collection of well-fitted stories that will entertain, thrill and horrify.No matter what the word ‘creature’ initially brings to mind for you, the reader, that is only the beginning

The new kid at school finds out some friends are harder to make than others. If he wants to be her friend, he will have to meet her standards.This is a short story about Devin, a middle school student who is new in school. Walking into the cafeteria on his first day, he realizes some friends are harder to make than others. If he wants to be friends with a certain girl, he will have to face down all the obstacles she puts in his way. He will have to prove he has brains, bravery, and heart to meet her standards.

Menagerie is the newest pet craze from the Acme Corporation. The robotic animals genetically bind to their owners. Only three easy steps to link: 1) Put a drop of fluid (saliva or blood) in its mouth 2) Wait for 24 hours 3) Tell your dreams and fears to your forever friend. By the way, genetic binding is an imperfect science. 15,000 words, give or take a character or two.“The tricky part isn’t making you see things; it’s making you believe what you see.”Menagerie is the newest pet craze from the Acme Corporation. The robotic animals genetically bind to their owners. Only three easy steps to link:1) Put a drop of fluid (saliva or blood) in its mouth2) Wait for 24 hours3) Tell your dreams and fears to your forever friendBy the way, genetic binding is an imperfect science.Timothy Hollow believes the measure of a man is how much he gains. He is a successful analyst, climbing Corinth’s societal ladder. In Corinth, the societal ladder also means living in the upper levels of the colossal buildings that stretch hundreds of floors upward. The higher the better. However, his universe is turned upside down when his mother brings him an unexpected gift, a Menagerie.-----Longer than a short story, shorter than a novella. This novelette is 15,000 words, give or take a character or two. If you read, please post a review.

A kid with no name, an investigation into her unit, and her family in crisis.This case is the oddest one Detective Grace Halling has ever had. The missing is found, yet four years into the case and no one has made any progress in solving it. With the head of Internal Affairs hot on her tail, Grace must dodge investigations while attempting to solve her own.

Mia always feared Jonathan’s return knowing that he would endure any torture to return the agonizing existence that her choices thrust upon him when he was returned to hell without giving the devil his due. Little does Mia know that fighting to save her children will unearth a secret sacrifice that will have her running away from her soul mate and into the arms of her most feared enemy.Eternity gives ancient enemies more than one opportunity to seek revenge. After enjoying more than ten years of peace and tranquility raising their family and transforming Sanctuary into a budding community of supernatural friends, Mia and Andrew’s world is shattered when a vengeful enemy rises against their family seeking retribution and casting Mia, Andrew, and the St. Cloud family into a deadly game of cat and mouse in a desperate attempt to save the children. As Nicholas, Kayla, Jacob, and Nicole fight to survive amongst those that Mia and Andrew always hoped to shield them from, untapped powers emerge, strength unfolds, unexpected friendships form, and new enemies materialize. Fighting this new threat unearths Eva’s secret sacrifice causing Mia to choose a path she knows will end her life at Sanctuary and tear her away from Andrew and her children. Running towards the end of her happily ever after, Mia is thrust into the arms of her most feared enemy finally giving the awaiting arms of darkness their greatest opportunity to claim the very soul it hungers to consume.

Sixteen year old Wendy never knew the world before the Starvation. When the Skinnies attack her compound, she is the lone survivor. Injured and near death, Wendy is rescued by a mysterious man named Mike. His people take her in, but Wendy soon discovers evidence that these people might be the ones who killed everyone she knows.Sixteen year old Wendy never knew the world before the Starvation. She’s learned to put her trust in her knives, and her confidence in her fighting ability. When the Skinnies attack her compound, she's the lone survivor. Injured and near death, Wendy is rescued and nursed back to health by mysterious strangers. Her saviors offer her a place among them, but trust has never been one of Wendy's strengths, and suspicion soon leads to evidence that these people might be the group who killed her family. The decision to get her revenge, and take the settlement down from the inside out is easy. Keeping her distance from those she must befriend in order to make it happen proves to be much more difficult.