A reluctant vacation for two couples quickly devolves into a desperate life-and-death fight when one member of the party decides to cross a galactic crime lord - with apocalyptic consequences...Somewhere in the vast depths of space, a mission has gone horribly wrong. Now a woman is trapped all alone on an alien planet with nothing but her pain and her harrowing memories. At least, she thought she was alone...Lost And Found is a chilling and evocative science fiction short story from Maria Haskins' book ODIN'S EYE. Two poems from Maria Haskins' new collection of poetry 'Cuts & Collected Poems 1989-2015' are also included.

When you mess with the ego of a god, you'd better be prepared for the consequences...This humorous short tale explains what REALLY happened when astronomers took it upon themselves to relegate the ninth planet to the status of dwarf.Growing up alone can be hard for any child.Donnie is a tale about a young man who goes through many of life's experiences. Suffering badly from being bullied at school, Donnie keeps one thing close. His dream. Only to realise, dreams are not always what they're made out to be. Donnie soon finds out, no-one can be trusted.A short tragic story of love, horror, humour all twisted together for a sharp destructive ending.

Two untested military programmers are the last hope for the biggest offensive in a war fought by remote drones. Trouble is, these brave geeks are vastly outnumbered - and if their lead drone is captured, it'll fry their brains. But their greatest handicap may turn out to be a profound strength.Elra is trapped in her life. Caught between a dysfunctional family situation and the grim reality of inner-city living in recession-hit Britain, she spends her days longing for escape. But plans made with her friend Cali lead nowhere, and the prospect of going to University is just a distant dream.Soon her dreary world is torn apart in an explosive, surreal flash of violence, and she finds herself on the run with Kai Leto, a guy with electric hands and a taste for the dramatic. He introduces her to the secrets of the Marked, a clandestine worldwide community dedicated to the preservation of Knowledge, humanity's oldest, most powerful, most dangerous tradition. Through it, she discovers abilities beyond anything she could have imagined.But for Elra, this revelation is nothing compared to what awaits. Something powerful, alien and world-changing – bigger even than the wonders of Knowledge – is relentlessly hunting her. Soon she, Kai and Cali are involved in events beyond their comprehension. Universes alongside our own, a desert and a city beyond infinity, and the Red People that inhabit it...What happens when worlds collide? Take the Unmarked Journey to find out.

What advice would you give your younger self? What if that advice destroyed your life? What if you could do it all again - only with greater challenges? One man's odd time-traveling alien abduction experience presents him with these questions, and more...Historic Heroines is pleased to release its first original fiction series: Daughter of Sparta by Kristen LePine. In Chapter Three, Gorgo, the daughter of King Cleomenes I, journeys through the Spartan village to meet her friend Phoebe, who is a priestess at the sanctuary of Artemis at Orthia. Each month, Historic Heroines will release a new chapter in the novel.Historic Heroines is an independent publisher of historical fiction and nonfiction that champions the female perspective.

One man - two seagulls - three life-altering choices.When a bird brings beach-combing drifter Richard a powerful charm, he learns that choices can be a gift and a curse.Will the Chooser change the course of Richard's life forever? Find out in this unusual short story about second and third chances...One man - two seagulls - three life-altering choices.When a bird brings beach-combing drifter Richard a powerful charm, he learns that choices can be a gift and a curse.Will the Chooser change the course of Richard's life forever? Find out in this unusual short fantasy about second and third chances...

Seven short spy stories like you've never seen before: from a man lost in a vortex of illusion, to a boogying alien infiltrating the inaugural ball of a U.S. president...to intense corporate espionage, to the story of a man recruited by a shadow agency that thinks itself above the law - these science fiction tales of intrigue will keep you turning the pages.Seven short spy stories like you've never seen before: from a man lost in a vortex of illusion, to a boogying alien infiltrating the inaugural ball of a U.S. president...to intense corporate espionage, to the story of a man recruited by a shadow agency that thinks itself above the law - these science fiction tales of intrigue will keep you turning the pages. Includes the Writers of the Future Honorable Mention story Superthread, plus Switch, Aliens Don't Dance, Project: Dreamer, Initiate, Edge of Human, and Royal Flush. BONUS: Includes a sample of the popular thriller novel, AssassinWare.

A new weapon - one that freezes its targets in space-time - has a mysterious side effect on Captain John Benjamin of the Raptor's Shadow. Can a cure be found before his world seems to come to a complete stop?A new weapon - one that freezes its targets in space-time - has a mysterious side effect on Captain John Benjamin of the Raptor's Shadow. Can a cure be found before his world seems to come to a complete stop?This space opera explores the impending doom of a terminal condition, and the power of love and friendship, amidst the threat of ruthless space pirates.You won't want to PAUSE until you've reached the last word.

Jean Mitchell, deep cover agent for the Association, just got her cover blown. Now there's only one option: become someone else entirely by trading bodies with another agent. But the real trouble starts when she starts to fall for that other agent's fiancee...A small town in America decides to cancel seventh grade, after a tumultuous group of sixth graders forces all of their teachers to quit. Instead of returning to school after summer break, the group is sent to an innovative enrichment camp, which turns out to be nothing like what the students or their parents expected. The seventh graders find themselves alone, with no adults, and no way to return to civilization. A series of surprising and humorous events leads them to discover the true meanings behind life and the freedom to learn.

My mind is not like Satoshi's - it's ordered, with perfect recall. That's why he loves me, I think. But they want to take me away from him - all because he lost his temper ONE time. It doesn't seem fair. They keep talking about Statute Forty-Nine. And saying that now - I am different..."They haunt humanity with two sets of unchanging eyes, confident that one day there will be no more left with the courage to stand up to them, no more left without the fear of sounding mad. One day, no one will say that the majority is a lie or dare call their culture’s progress an illusion. No one will suspect that the ensuing holy war is the work of a two-pronged insanity bent on total destruction.When that day comes, it will be the beginning of the end. Until then, they work and wait with the patience of undying things: a family, a movement, a cult of two."

Raife Crenshaw is tasked with taking down the world's most powerful and brutal intellect: Cain, a lab-created monster of a man who's poised to murder tens of millions. But Raife's handlers want Cain brought back alive. Can an ingenious disguise make the difference in time, or will it be Raife's ultimate undoing?They were coming, and no one could stop them.The Yellowstone Caldera has exploded, and survivors who fled the devastation made their way east. Cities such as Atlanta, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. prepared for their arrival. It meant rationing – and rational thought. People on both sides would face tests of their nerve and resilience.Only those with strong nerves would survive.Refugees, a part of David Dalglish’s 2010 anthology A Land of Ash under the author’s former pseudonym, is now complete with its original opening as well as foreword from Dalglish.

A woman with no eyes meets a man with no body. Love and treachery ensue in this short tale of blind love and body bags.“What happened to mi casa su casa?”“Drew, mi casa es su casa, but not to go and make it look like a tornado hit the place.”“You want me to leave?”He stops scratching about and glares at Peter-John.“No one is forcing you to stay. You’re free to leave if you wish.”He looks at him.Drew can’t read him.“Fine! I’ll pack my stuff and go.”“I wish you wouldn’t.”He shakes his head.Despondence the only face he could manage.“I don’t get you, Pete?”He walks closer to the kitchen, where Peter-John is sitting.“Everyone else has told me to take a hike. I only give you problems and still you… wish… I wouldn't.”“What’s not to get, Drew?”Serious expression on Peter-John’s face.“Why are you doing this?”He starts pacing.“You’re my friend.”

Warning: this ebook file may be malicious. Or not. "Malicious" is such a value-laden word. At least give it a chance to explain itself, and you can decide for yourself...Twenty poems by Bill Yarrow:1. Playing for Keeps2. Burying the Hatchet3. Staring at Waves4. Searching for the Word5. Looking at Waffles (8 Different Ways)6. Drinking an Orange Julius While Listening to Pink Floyd7. Crossing the Center Line 8. Getting Home Alive9. Annulling the Future10. Theorizing Salsa11. Playing Pinochle in Your Snout12. The Knitting Needle13. The Learning Curve14. The Sticking Point15. Not Drowning16. Just Foundering17. Disappearing Ink18. Ash Coming on Second Wednesday19. Here's Looking at Euclid20. Villon, Stop Following Me Around!

Trapped in a place removed from time and space - the Devil's Triangle - a rag-tag group is caught in an endless battle with horrible creatures that attack relentlessly - until the creatures find a way to invade Earth. Now a race is on to use future tech to stop them from overrunning all of humanity...Being-*The People Whisper*, Founder of Falcon Blanco-A Place for friends since 1975. Inspired Writer & Poet.I am trying to be creative by doing things that make sense to me. I am relating to whatever shows up in my daily life, being convinced that this is exactly what I need to learn, to grow and to heal myself. I see difficult situations and conditions as a challenge to which I am responding the best I am capable, taking self responsibility and being aware of my reactions that are caused.I like to express myself sharing my experiences with others who might be open for it. I have found ways to deal creatively with problems that are part of our life, so that we don’t need to suffer more than necessary to be motivated to doubt our established existence and ask questions, – to find answers that can turn our life into a joyful adventure.I am always ready to help others. I never do anything out of money interests. I do what feels right and is necessary. There is abundance if one is open to receive…I have created a space on the middle of the island Ibiza, in midst of unspoiled nature with many animals and plants. There is food and living space for more than twenty people, who could live together as a group of friends, being creative, expressing themselves in artistic ways and working on themselves and also doing practical things for others and the environment.BeiYinFalconBlanco, Ibiza, Spain

A soldier aboard a generational cruiser orbiting Mars is the only one who can save a small colony on the surface. That's because he's the only one left alive on the ship as it hurtles toward the Martian terrain. Trouble is, the door he needs to get through requires two arms to open - and he only has one...This story earned Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest in 2012.When a man has nothing, he has nothing left to lose. It is a simple concept, but many people miss it. When he has lost everything, he is afraid of nothing. There is no risk he won’t take. There is no extent to which he won’t go to take back some tiny remnant of all that is lost. You cannot buy, bully, reason, or negotiate with him. His purpose and vision crystallize, his determination solidifies, and the world must make way. He is now free to do anything.

A future legal system where your own memories are played on a screen for the jury to see. A man framed with false memories. And one man - the professional framer - having second thoughts about his career of unethical deeds. Is it too late for him to turn his life around?A war is brewing...Heartbroken and lost, Sadie left her family when she was only sixteen to fight evil. Years of searching out and destroying the vermin of the supernatural world have left her ruthless and jaded, and powerful.Sadie’s success has made her a target, and a series of cryptic warnings leaves her questioning what is being asked of her. But nothing in her past has prepared her for the obstacles she now faces in trying to rid the world of a resurrected evil that no one saw coming. She finally comes home for the chance to re-discover her first love, Aiden. Does she have the power to restore Aiden’s memories and hold on to her love for him, while battling for humanity—and her life?