Some are darkly humorous—from two mothers exchanging snide remarks through notes in their kids’ backpacks, to the young girl contemplating how best to notify her Facebook friends of her impending suicide—while others are devastatingly poignant—a new mother and funeral singer who is driven to madness with grief for the young black boys who have fallen victim to gun violence, or the teen who struggles between her upper middle class upbringing and her desire to fully connect with black culture.Thompson-Spires fearlessly shines a light on the simmering tensions and precariousness of black citizenship. Her stories are exquisitely rendered, satirical, and captivating in turn, engaging in the ongoing conversations about race and identity politics, as well as the vulnerability of the black body. Boldly resisting categorization and easy answers, Nafissa Thompson-Spires is an original and necessary voice in contemporary fiction.

    For Aggie DeLucci, former assistant private investigator and current housekeeper extraordinaire, 1975 is turning out to be a banner year. There’s a new man her life, Mac. He makes her laugh, takes her dancing, and makes a helluva salami sandwich. When Mac is accused of theft, it’s up to Aggie to clear his name. She’ll have to polish her slightly tarnished investigative kills and tame her fears (and her hair) to catch the real thief.

    Neither are Tanis, Amanda, Ryck, Cal, Marc, or Terry Henry.  What stories do our heroes from seven different successful series talk about when they come together in one place, at one time.  From the minds of Michael Anderle, Jonathan P. Brazee, M.D. Cooper, Craig Martelle, Barry J. Hutchison, Andrew Dobell, and Richard Fox. Listen in as both the drinks and the bar stories both flow with reckless abandon.

    A clever hedge-witch gathering knowledge in a hostile land. A son seeking vengeance for his father's death. A daughter claiming the legacy denied her. A princess laboring under an unbreakable curse. A young resistance fighter questioning everything he's ever known. A little girl willing to battle a dragon for the sake of a wish. These heroes and heroines emerge from adversity into triumph, recognizing they can be more than they ever imagined: chosen ones of destiny. From the author of the Earthside series and the Rewoven Tales novels, No Man of Woman Born is a collection of seven fantasy stories in which transgender and nonbinary characters subvert and fulfill gendered prophecies. These prophecies recognize and acknowledge each character's gender, even when others do not. Note: No trans or nonbinary characters were killed in the making of this book. Trigger warnings and neopronoun pronunciation guides are provided for each story.

    Her story "Pleiades" was called "a masterpiece" by Dave Eggers. Sachdeva has a talent for creating moving and poignant scenes, following her highly imaginative plots to their logical ends, and depicting how one small miracle can affect everyone in its wake.The world by night --Glass-lung --Logging lake --Killer of kings --All the names for God --Robert Greenman and the mermaid --Anything you might want --Manus --Pleiades

    Sure to inspire hope and solidarity to anyone who reads it, Our Stories, Our Voices belongs on every young woman’s shelf.This anthology features essays from Martha Brockenbrough, Jaye Robin Brown, Sona Charaipotra, Brandy Colbert, Somaiya Daud, Christine Day, Alexandra Duncan, Ilene Wong (I.W.) Gregorio, Maurene Goo, Ellen Hopkins, Stephanie Kuehnert, Nina LaCour, Anna-Marie McLemore, Sandhya Menon, Hannah Moskowitz, Julie Murphy, Aisha Saeed, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Amber Smith, and Tracy Walker.

    Reality and the fantastic are blended seamlessly in these immersive tales, with plenty of mystery to lead the reader on a thrilling journey. Some stories are dark and macabre while others whimsical and lighthearted, together ensuring constant surprises and terrifying twists to keep you reading until the very last page.Special edition with full page illustrations. Hand illustrated by the author herself, these images will bring the stories to life and give unique insights into the wild unknown.

     The Adventure of the Apothecary’s Prescription – Dr. Watson receives a shipment of medicine with a cryptic note, that only Sherlock Holmes can unlock. Buffalo Bill and the Red Shirt Menace – The American showman has arrived in London to perform for Queen Victoria, but strange mishaps plague his troupe, especially his Indian performers. The Curious Case of Charlotte Musgrave – The daughter of Reginald Musgrave has a strange companion and death seems to follow her. Are they accidents, or is there a killer loose? The Designing Woman – A new century calls for new fashions and new attitudes. However, some think the world isn’t ready for what one designer has in mind. The Case of The Poached Eggplant – Holmes has been hired to prevent the theft of the famous Eggplant Necklace, yet it still disappears in a room full of London society. Sit back and enjoy reading this first volume of A Sherlock Holmes Alphabet of Cases, and watch out for Volume 2 (F to J) which contains The Fool and His Money, The Gunsmith of Sherwood, The Mysterious Horseman, The Italian Gourmet and The Judgement of Dr. Watson. Praise for Roger Riccard "Roger Riccard is an extremely good pastiche writer. Personally, I think the best since the late Val Andrews passed over Reichenbach" - Joel Senter, publisher of the Sherlockian E-Times Roger Riccard is an American author. Having graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and History from California State University, his career spans teaching, journalism and business writing. Inspired by his British ancestry, he took an interest in the works of Arthur Conan Doyle from an early age, later writing Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Poisoned Lilly and Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Twain Papers. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Rosilyn.

    There are tales of murder, death, loss, revenge, greed, and hate. There are also tales of hope, survival, and love.For the sea was a fair master.

    

     Eerie, suspenseful, poignant, the stories in The Long Way Home run the gamut from horror to suspense, crime to dark fantasy, mainstream to mystery. This brand new collection features more than 100,000 words of short fiction, as well as more than 5,000 words of autobiographical Story Notes. Chizmar's previous short story collection, A Long December, was published in 2016 to starred reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus, and was included on numerous "Best Books of the Year" lists. Entertainment Weekly gave the book high praise: "Each tale is a magic trick, luring you toward the light while leading you down an ever-darkening path. There is hope mingled with horror, and that's Chizmar's secret power. His storytelling always beats with a huge, passionate heart." Stephen King says he writes "terrific stories served with a very large slice of Disquiet Pie," and with The Long Way Home, Richard Chizmar has taken his evocative and compelling storytelling to an entirely new level.

    “I am looking for the artful way any given story is conveyed,” writes Roxane Gay in her introduction to The Best American Short Stories 2018, “but I also love when a story has a powerful message, when a story teaches me something about the world.” The artful, profound, and sometimes funny stories Gay chose for the collection transport readers from a fraught family reunion to an immigration detention center, from a psychiatric hospital to a coed class sleepover in a natural history museum. We meet a rebellious summer camper, a Twitter addict, and an Appalachian preacher—all characters and circumstances that show us what we “need to know about the lives of others.”

    My sister was not most little girls.Inside you'll experience intimate first hand accounts of modern day murders, kidnappings, and violent revenge. Other stories are heart-warming with whimsical mysteries, gothic fairy tales, and supernatural monstrosities.

    Lansdale returns with a pack of stories for your consumption and enjoyment. There's even killer machines, a big ole grizzly bear, and entertaining story notes. Joe R. Lansdale has been writing novels and stories, as well as screenplays and comics, for over forty-five years, and this is his latest concoction, encompassing stories informed by a variety of genres, but not quite comfortably fitting into any of them. The reason is simple. Joe R. Lansdale is his own genre.

     The authors of the Fellowship of Fantasy tackle fairy tales from once upon a time to happily ever after. Explore twists on old tales and brand new magical stories. Meet feisty mermaids, friendly lampposts, and heroes who just might be monsters themselves. This fourth anthology from the Fellowship of Fantasy will lead you on a quest for entertainment and storm the castle of your imagination. So make a wish and enter the deep dark woods to find stories that will make you laugh, shiver, and maybe even fall in love.

    Odd little ducks ... A man finds a seashell and it tells him to do things, some bad, some good … An adjunct professor decides he doesn’t want to teach at the community college anymore, he begins a journey into the underworld, his dog at his side … A giant eagle egg is found lying on the lawn, it shakes and continues to grow larger, and larger … Let’s out go on a date with someone who has little tiny tigers in their blood … Let’s make love to a severed head … A man is crushed with a car and asks a personal favor of the driver, he wants to run some errands around town before he dies—cash this check at the bank, pick up stamps at the post office, go with you on your job interview … These terrible things all happen, but other glowing dreamlike good things happen too. Double Bird. Vivd. Odd. Hurtful. Unloved. Wet with dew. Out of its mind with joy joy joy.

    For example, in "Rebel Airplanes," an L.A. engineer works by day on city sewers and by night on R-C planes that she yearns to launch into the cosmos. The character-driven stories in Meet Behind Mars offer beautiful insight into the emotional lives of caretakers, auto workers, dancers, and pawn shop employees. In "High Country," a frustrated would-be novelist considers ditching her family in the middle of the desert. In "Dive," an adoptee returns to her adoptive home, still haunted by histories she does not know. Simms writes from the voice of women and girls who struggle under structural oppression and draws from the storytelling tradition best represented by writers like Edward P. Jones, whose characters have experiences that are specific to black Americans living in the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries. One instance of this is in "The Art of Heroine Worship," in which black families integrate into a white suburb of Detroit in the 1970s.The stories in this collection span forty years and two continents and range in structure from epistolary to traditionally structured realism, with touches of absurdity, humor, and magic. Meet Behind Mars will appeal to readers interested in contemporary literary fiction.

    A pizza shop worker goes on a series of visceral dates with her gynecologist; a slighted lover coughs up a forgotten childhood toy; an artist unknowingly becomes the subject of an intrusive admirer’s lust; a woman has a heated staring contest with the world’s oldest man. Powerful and precise, Rivas’s stories highlight the unreality within the real, simultaneously evoking humor, outrage, and awe.Contest judge Rigoberto González writes: “With this marvelous collection of short stories, Rivas places her finger on that pressure point, where adventure and dangerintersect, where fantasy and reality cross wires, and where desire ebbs and flows to the delight—or chagrin—of her female protagonists. Each story, unpredictable and startling,leaves a lasting impression. A Bright and Pleading Dagger is truly a compelling and unforgettable journey into the dark but poignant experiences of women.”

    The 14 stories of The Dogs of Detroit each focus on grief and its many strange permutations. This grief alternately devolves into violence, silence, solitude, and utter isolation. In some cases, grief drives the stories as a strong, reactionary force, and yet in other stories, that grief evolves quietly over long stretches of time. Many of the stories also use grief as a prism to explore the beguiling bonds within families. The stories span a variety of geographies, both urban and rural, often considering collisions between the two.

    On your left, post-human hedonists on a distant space station bring diseases back in fashion, two scavengers find a super-powered parasite under the waves of Sunk Seattle, and a terminally-ill chemist orchestrates an asteroid prison break. On your right, an alien optometrist spins illusions for irradiated survivors of the apocalypse, a high-tech grifter meets his match in near-future Thailand, and two teens use a blackmarket personality mod to get into the year’s wickedest, wildest party. This collection of published and original fiction by award-winning writer Rich Larson will bring you from a Bujumbura cyberpunk junkyard to the icy depths of Europa, from the slick streets of future-noir Chicago to a tropical island of sapient robots. You'll explore a mysterious ghost ship in deep space, meet an android learning to dream, and fend off predatory alien fungi on a combat mission gone wrong. Twenty-three futures, ranging from grimy cyberpunk to far-flung space opera, are waiting to blow you away. So step inside the Tomorrow Factory, and mind your head.

    Jane Traies has been recording the life histories of older women who identify as lesbian for nearly a decade and the narratives in Now You See Me are drawn from this archive of ‘hidden histories’. The stories are told in the women’s own words and vividly recreate a time when being lesbian meant either hiding your true identity or paying the price for breaking society’s rules. The personal is still political in this moving and inspiring book.Contains 20 fascinating life stories, commentary from the editor, and black and white photographs.

    You can find all twenty-eight of them in this sizzling hot collection.You will encounter women of all ages, from all over the world, and practicing a myriad of professions--ranging from police officers to rock band singers and from therapists to personal trainers. Just one piece of advice: do not read in public! Table of Contents:1. Reunion Tour2. Alphas3. Overtime4. Neighbours5. Champagne6. Off the Record7. All of Me8. Stair Walking9. Fit for Forty10. Rather11. Lovely Rita12. Wetter13. Dress Code14. Stormy Weather15. New Girl16. Bar Service17. Personal Training18. The Power of Words19. Fair & Square20. The Client21. Match Point22. Freedom23. One-on-One24. A Matter of Inclination25. The Opposite of Darkness26. Stepping Stone27. Commanding Officer28. Not YetWord count: 100.000 words

    Enter Muslims of the World, a book based on the popular Instagram account @MuslimsoftheWorld1. Like the account, the book’s mission is to tell the diverse stories of Muslims living in the US and around the world. Illustrated throughout with moving photographs, each chapter will focus on different aspects of the Islamic faith and the many varying cultures it encompasses, offering tales of love, family, and faith while empowering Muslim women, refugees, and people of color. Whether it is telling a story about a young Syrian refugee who dreams of being a pilot or about a young girl’s decision to not remove her hijab, which in turn saved her family’s life, Muslims of the World aims to unite people of all cultures and faiths by sharing the hopes, trials, and tribulations of Muslims from every walk of life.

    It reveals the warmth and humor as well as the oppression in the Syrian society. The stories make the reader laugh while addressing serious issues such as domestic violence.Um Hussam can't find a suitable bride for her son, testing each candidate's sight, hearing and reading skills, occasionally cobbing a feel. Jamila's husband Hassan can't forget his deceased wife, until she makes sure he never mentions her again. Rami can't help but wonder whether his new bride is a natural beauty or a talented surgeon's masterpiece. Khadija's maid stabs her in the back while Rana's husband Muafak can't find the right excuse to avoid a fight.

    Now, two hundred years after Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, SF-expert Lisa Yaszek presents the best of the female tradition in American science fiction, in the most comprehensive collection of its kind ever published. From Pulp Era pioneers to New Wave experimentalists, here are over two dozen brilliant writers ripe for discovery and rediscovery, including Leslie F. Stone ("The Conquest of Gola," 1931), Judith Merril ("That Only a Mother," 1948), Leigh Brackett ("All the Colors of the Rainbow," 1957), Kit Reed ("The New You," 1962), Joanna Russ ("The Barbarian," 1968); Ursula K. Le Guin ("Nine Lives," 1969), and James Tiptree Jr. ("Last Flight of Dr. Ain," 1969). Imagining strange worlds and unexpected futures, looking into and beyond new technologies and scientific discoveries, in utopian fantasies and tales of cosmic horror, these women created and shaped speculative fiction as surely as their male counterparts. Their provocative, mind-blowing stories combine to form a thrilling multidimensional voyage of literary-feminist exploration and recovery.Contents:Introduction / Lisa Yaszek --The miracle of the lily / Clare Winger Harris --The conquest of Gola / Leslie F. Stone --The black god's kiss / C. L. Moore --Space episode / Leslie Perri --That only a mother / Judith Merril --In hiding / Wilmar H. Shiras --Contagion / Katherine Maclean --The inhabited men / Margaret St. Clair --Ararat / Zenna Henderson --All cats are gray / Andrew North --Created he them / Alice Eleanor Jones --Mr. Sakrison's halt / Mildred Clingerman --All the colors of the rainbow / Leigh brackett --Pelt / Carol Emshwiller --Car pool / Rosel George Brown --For sale, reasonable / Elizabeth Mann Borgese --Birth of a gardener / Doris Pitkin Buck --The tunnel ahead / Alice Glaser --The new you / Kit Reed --Another rib / John Jay Wells & Marion Zimmer Bradley --When I was Miss Dow / Sonya Dorman --Baby, you were great / Kate Wilhelm --The barbarian / Joanna Russ --The last flight of Dr. Ain / James Tiptree Jr --Nine lives / Ursula K Le Guin --Biographical notes.

    But they are not what they seem. In these stories, Nick White deconstructs the core qualities of Southern fiction, exposing deeply flawed and fascinating characters—promiscuous academics, aging podcasters, woodpecker assassins, and lawnmower enthusiasts, among others—all on wildly compelling quests. From finding an elusive bear to locating a prized timepiece to making love on the grave of an iconic writer, each story is a thrilling adventure with unexpected turns. White's honest and provocative prose will jolt readers awake with its urgency.

    In “Requiem”, a woman goes to Alaska to try and make sense of her aunt’s disappearance. An eleventh century poet wakes to find he is as an artificially intelligent companion on a starship. A woman of no account has the ability to look into the past.Singh's work dives into the vast strangeness of the universe without and within, and she unblinkingly explores the ways we move through space and time: together, yet always apart.Contents:- With Fate Conspire (2013)- A Handful of Rice (2012)- Peripeteia (2013)- Lifepod (2007)- Oblivion: A Journey (2008)- Somadeva: A Sky River Sutra (2010)- Are You Sannata3159? (2010)- Indra's Web (2011)- Ruminations in an Alien Tongue (2012)- Sailing the Antarsa (2013)- Cry of the Kharchal (2013)- Wake-Rider (2014)- Ambiguity Machines: An Examination (2015)- Requiem (2018)

    Lovecraft first invited colleagues such as Frank Belknap Long and Robert Bloch (among others) to join in his creation of what has come to be known as “The Cthulhu Mythos” (over Lovecraft’s less invocative name of “Yog-Sothery”), dozens of authors have tried their hand at adding to this vast tapestry with varying degrees of success. Some, like the then teen-aged Ramsey Campbell, used the Mythos as a starting point to his own career while still finding his own authorial voice (The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants, Arkham House 1964); others, like Stephen King and Neil Gaiman, did so at the height of their careers, paying homage to an author who had been such a tremendous inspiration to them. But no one, absolutely no one, has contributed such a body of brilliant and profoundly original work to the Mythos as has Caitlín R. Kiernan. The stories are fully illustrated with over 30 new full page illustrations by Richard A. Kirk, John Kenn Mortensen, and Vince Locke. The full wraparound dustjacket and frontispiece are by Piotr Jablonski. In this remarkable collection the author has selected over two dozen of her best Lovecraftian tales ranging from 2000s “Valentian” to her more recent classic “A Mountain Walked” as well as including the complete Dandridge Cycle, as well as a new story, “M Is for Mars.” In short, this is a cornerstone volume for Kiernan fans and Mythos devotees alike. This edition is limited to 500 signed copies, each signed by Caitlín R. Kiernan, Michael Cisco, S.T. Joshi, and the artists: Piotr Jablonski, Richard A. Kirk, John Kenn Mortensen, and Vince Locke. Introduction / S. T. Joshi --Lovecraft and I --Valentia --So runs the world away --From cabinet 34, drawer 6 --The drowned geologist --The dead and the moonstruck --Houses under the sea --Pickman's other model --The thousand-and-third tale of Scheherazade --The bone's prayer --The peril of liberated objects, or The voyeur's seduction --At the Gate of Deeper Slumber --Fish bride --The alchemist's daughter (a fragment) --Houndwife --Tidal forces --John Four --On the reef --The transition of Elizabeth Haskings --A mountain walked.

    Her characters are seekers, whose actions are influenced by their slippery identities and by the strange landscapes that surround them. In “Boy Box,” a young woman yearns to test her luck with a wild punk girl crush. In “God Hospital,” a character journeys deep into the woods of Alabama in search of an infamous religious healer, hoping he can fix her teeth. In “Adorno,” someone in need of forgiveness crosses paths with a band of radical vegan activists and gets subsumed into their world. In “Dance!,” a recluse writes a breakthrough song for her pink dolphin, but the song’s success only drives her further away from society.These stories hum with sexual tension, queerness, displacement, longing, humor, and dark nostalgia. With stories set in Amsterdam, the Pacific Northwest, and the Deep South, Hudson’s attention to the nuances and uncertainty of her characters make this collection a stunning debut.

    Hamantaschen’s third collection of short stories delivers more inimitable dark fiction. These are eleven tales of macabre horror, filled with estrangement, honor, wonder, terror, delusion, pity, desperation and perseverance.

    You’ll be swept into the Christmas spirit with the endearing stories tucked inside these pages. The storylines range from family to romance to the bond of community, with settings scattered across America and beyond.Behold the beauty of the Savior’s birth with this gathering of stories that warm the soul and bless the heart.

    He has to get creative to correct the mistake, much to his mother's horror. The Itch An intense, uncontrollable, unexplainable itch lands the protagonist in a mental institution. The Unsuspecting Gold-Digger A woman gradually poisons her husband so that she doesn't have to break his heart. Gatsby’s Double An artist’s Pomeranian has been replaced by an imposter. Court, Marry, Kill Whose body ends up being unzipped by fish on the ocean floor? Rockabye Baby A female-only cult has a very dark side. The Brain Bleacher He can remove your pain by hacking your memory, but his own suffering is here to stay. The Children in the Walls The storm tried to keep her out of the house; she should have listened. Death is a Woman in a Blue Dress What happens if you let Death in the front door? Fenrir A viking is called to fulfill his bloody destiny despite his desire to stay home with his love. Blackwater Estuary Witch panic spreads like wildfire in this poignant tale of a midwife accused of saving a baby.​ Perky Pilgrim Jeffrey Sacks is back, and this time he's taking no prisoners.

    This is a place where teenage love and friendships are tested by the violence that threatens to erupt at the slightest provocation. A town that always pulls you back into its ways, no matter how cosmopolitan the city has made you.In 'Diwali in Muzaffarnagar' - Tanuj Solanki's new book of short stories after 'Neon Noon' - young men and women straddle the past and the present, the metropolis and the small town, and also the parallel needs of life: solitude and family.

    Humorous, touching, creepy, but most of all entertaining, this collection is superb." — Tracy Michelle Anderson *** If you're a fan of Roald Dahl or Gillian Flynn you'll love this collection of unsettling stories with a twist in the tale. Get it now.

    Travel through time, space, and realities to encounter monsters, mechanical foxes, and the Fates themselves. You'll fly with dragons, save implausible beasts, and perhaps find your true home. Choose your path wisely, for dangers lurk in the lands beyond. In the third anthology from the Fellowship of Fantasy, eleven authors promise you journeys into fairy lands hidden within the modern world, futuristic universities, and lands of ancient myth. So what are you waiting for? Cross through our Doorways for the adventure of a lifetime!

    Explore twelve tales of Faerie…and discover its paradox--both close and inaccessible--peopled with heroes, rogues, and ciphers.•A modern dragon who desires more than mere gold,•A troll who longs for the kiss of sunlight on his skin,•A teenage driver who discovers that her driving test is going to be far more difficult than anyone expected,•A gargoyle who yearns to safeguard not only a church but a young girl as well,•And a woman who bargains for Faerie help—only to be confronted with a cost that is more than she can bear to pay.Come join them.

    One of the authors most requested by Crippen & Landru readers throughout its 25-year history has been mystery writer William Brittain, whose fiction challenges the reader with tricky plots presented in a unique style. For the first time, all of the popular Man Who Read stories and a selection of the Mr. Strang stories have been collected into a single volume. Both series appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine during the mid-years of the 20th century. Sadly, Brittain later forsook mystery fiction to become a children s author, and his YA novel The Wish Giver earned him a Newbery Honor award. This collection was edited by Josh Pachter, who also wrote the introduction and compiled a bibliography of Brittain's many publications.

    For sports fans, aspiring athletes and readers of sports biographies. Growing up in a crime-plagued, gang-infested neighborhood, Venus and Serena Williams were led to believe their environment was not a place where dreams could come true. It took a relentless determination, a burning desire to be the best, and a willingness to conquer racial barriers for them to emerge as tennis legends. Simone Biles was raised by a single mother with addiction issues, forcing her grandparents to intervene. But Simone soon discovered balance beams and gymnastics mats, setting her on a path toward Olympic greatness. Carli Lloyd, meanwhile, believed her youth soccer career was really starting to take off, only to be cut from her team. Instead of quitting the sport she loved, Carli rebuilt her confidence from the ground up, ultimately becoming one of the leaders on the World Cup Champion US Women's Soccer team.The athletes featured in this book met earth-shaking challenges head on, and through hard work and perseverance, went on to conquer the sports world. This collection of mini biographies, complete with first-hand content drawn from interviews, is a source of inspiration and self-empowerment for kids and sports fans of all ages.Also included in the book: Wilma Rudolph (track and field), Mo'ne Davis (Little League baseball), Swin Cash (basketball), Elena Delle Donne (basketball), Bethany Hamilton (surfing), Ronda Rousey (mixed martial arts), and Kerri Strug (gymnastics).Praise for Rising Above: Inspiring Women in Sports "An inspiring, empowering collection of true stories of perseverance and resolve." --Kirkus Reviews"This is a good choice for libraries where biographies about current newsmakers are in demand." --School Library Connection"What will inspire athletes of any ability or gender is how these women turned to help when needed and learned to accept themselves inside and out." --Booklist "A varied and inspiring collection of sports biographies." -- School Library Journal

    It begins when Poppy, who speaks the languages of wild things, travels east to the mountains with the wheeled and elephantine beast, Lyoobov. He’s seeking answers to the mysteries of his birth, and the origins of a fallen world. Up in the glacial peaks, among a strange, mountainous people, a Juniper Tree takes Poppy deep into her roots and shows him the true stories of the people who made his world, people he thought were only myths. It is through this feral but redemptive folklore that Poppy begins to understand the story of his own past and his place in the present. This brilliant collaboration between the visual artist Rima Staines and the author Sylvia Linsteadt features original color illustrations which inspired the story.

    The book will be published in time for the centenary anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918, which was given Royal Assent on 6th February 1918, extending the franchise to women for the first time.Author Kiran Millwood Hargrave, comments: “I’m honoured to be contributing to an anthology that celebrates girls in all their complexity and world-changing power: we need to hear and tell their stories.”

    Sweet friends but stubbornly independent. Fluffy little murder balls with jellybean toes and razor-sharp claws. It's easier to answer what cats aren't than what they are.In this purr-fect collection, awesome authors pounce upon the challenge of the mysterious cat like the elusive little red dot it is. Curl up with sixteen stories all featuring our furry, frisky, fabulous feline friends. Inside, you'll find adorable house cats, majestic big cats, and imperious cat-dragons. You'll meet cats who are their owners' protectors, who help them find true love, and who tackle the challenges of caring for their clumsy human companions in hilarious, heartwarming, and harrowing ways. This fifth anthology from the Fellowship of Fantasy features new and returning authors, dedicated to giving you the best in cat-related fantasy fiction.

    With this book, one could add children also to the list of his admirers. Seven stories. Mystery, thrill, wonder and dreams- his language retains the same magical quality in all genres. At times, he writes so little that the ideas seems to have trickled down to the tip of the language. Then there is no space for anything else. He tells a story in a way that it seems he has become one with the audience. Therefore, you keep finding yourself in the company of a reader. Not once does his descriptions of events and people become judgemental. This is an incredible feat. He just keeps feeding our curiosities. He does not create a suspense to suddenly interest the reader with a mystery. Instead, he lets the mystery unfold, which creates the space for the story to move forward.

    Featuring the talents of Gwen Gardner, Rebecca M. Douglass, Tara Tyler, S. R. Betler, C.D. Gallant-King, Jemi Fraser, J. R. Ferguson, Yolanda Renée, C. Lee McKenzie, Christine Clemetson, and Mary Aalgaard.Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these eleven tales will take you on a thrilling ride into jeopardy and secrecy. Trail along, find the clues, and stay out of danger. Time is wasting...Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

    Within its pages, the line between eroticism and terror, desire and death, is blurred. Damaged souls hurtle, as if in a dream, toward mutilation, transformation and fates worse than death. It is literary hardcore fiction for fans of David Cronenberg, Junji Ito, and Clive Barker.

    A young runner struggles to make sense of his best friend’s death. A health-food company adopts a farcical promotional strategy. A factory worker spends her days applying radioactive paint to watches, while dreaming of a future with her new suitor. With a keen eye for detail and rich emotional insight, Laura Elvery reveals the fears and fantasies of everyday people searching for meaning.

    This award-winning, debut short story collection will break your heart and carry you home.

    Each story features its own devil, but none of them have tails, bright red skin, or horns. All of them tell their victims lies, all of them try to corrupt. Worse still, all of them feel familiar.Five stories. Five devils. Five chances to lose your soul forever. Five creepy stories, just for you. Do you have the guts?Robert survived a war and addiction. Can he survive the woman who calls herself the devil?Rick is consumed by a burning desire for vengeance. The lord of vengeance offers to help him get his revenge. But at what cost?Rena was kidnapped by religious fanatics who want her to bear children for their army. Does she have what it takes to escape hell on earth?John Calvin Black thought he knew the forest. But something new stalks the woods, and it’s hungry.A man appears out of one hell of a snowstorm. Is it safe to let him in?One piece of advice: read this with the lights on. Oh, and don't get too close--you don't want these devils' attention.Or is it already too late? Pick up Devils today and find out!Includes a four-chapter preview of Erik Henry Vick's new dark fantasy novel, Errant Gods!

    Wilce, "The Queen of Life"Y.S. Lee, "Twelve Sisters"Iona Datt Sharma, "Penhallow Amid Passing Things"Tiffany Trent, "Mermaids, Singing"Jenny Moss, "A Brand New Thing"Cassandra Khaw, "Four Revelations from the Rusalka Ball"Stephanie Burgis, "Spellswept"Laura Anne Gilman, "The River Always Wins"Shveta Thakrar, "The Amethyst Deceiver"Patrick Samphire, "A Spy in the Deep"

    Brutal, comic, obscene, and crystalline, Stream System runs from the haunting "Land Deal," which imagines the colonization of Australia and the ultimate vengeance of its indigenous people as a series of nested dreams; to "Finger Web," which tells a quietly terrifying, fractal tale of the scars of war and the roots of misogyny; to "The Interior of Gaaldine," which finds its anxious protagonist stranded beyond the limits of fiction itself.No one else writes like Murnane, and there are few other authors alive still capable of changing how--and why--we read.Contents:When the mice failed to arrive --Stream system --Land deal --The only Adam --Stone quarry --Precious bane --Cotters come no more --There were some countries --Finger web --First love --Velvet waters --The white cattle of Uppington --In far fields --Pink lining --Boy blue --Emerald blue --The interior of Gaaldine --Invisible yet enduring lilacs --As it were a letter --The boy's name was David --Last letter to a niece.

    Guignard. Equal parts whimsy and weird, horror and heartbreak, this debut collection traverses the darker side of the fantastic through vibrant and harrowing tales that depict monsters and regrets, hope and atonement, and the oddly changing reflection that turns back at you in the mirror.Discover why, after only several years, Eric J. Guignard has developed an ardent following and earned praise by masters of the craft such as Ramsey Campbell (“Guignard gives voice to paranoid vision that’s all too believable.”) and Rick Hautala (“No other young horror author is better, I think, than Eric J. Guignard.”)Table of Contents includes:A Case Study in Natural Selection and How It Applies to LoveLast Days of the Gunslinger, John AmosMommaFootprints Fading in the DesertThe House of the Rising Sun, ForeverThe Inveterate Establishment of Daddano & Co.Last Night...Those Who Watch From On HighVancouver FogA Curse and a KissWhispers of the EarthA Serving of Nomu SashimiCertain Sights of an Afflicted WomanA Journey of Great WavesA Quaint Ol’ Bigfoot TaleDreams of a Little Suicide###Praise:“I feel privileged to have read THAT WHICH GROWS WILD by Eric J. Guignard. The defining new voice of horror has arrived, and I stand in awe.” —Nancy Holder, NYT bestselling author, WICKED“Eric J. Guignard crafts storytelling into a timeless masterpiece: THAT WHICH GROWS WILD: 16 TALES OF DARK FICTION is a brilliant collection of haunting stories that will captivate readers that relish dark fiction.” —Fanbase Press“A good story evolves, develops, grows into an adventurous journey that the reader can become absorbed in and think about long after the last page is turned. And that’s just what the book THAT WHICH GROWS WILD: 16 TALES OF DARK FICTION by Bram Stoker Award-winner Eric J. Guignard does for the reader.” —Amazing Stories Magazine

     In the twilight of his years, Carl Brooke writes his reminiscences of his time as a member of the Agora Society. This volume contains five complete mysteries in one. 6: Murder by Monday: A mysterious letter sends Carl Brooke and Rutherford Nordlinger off to the aid of a man who, accused of murder, is now threatened by the man he is said to have killed. 7: Eggs over Arsenic: An art critic is brutally murdered and the subject of his last review is suspected. Did the artist do it or was it one of the family members--all of whom had motive and opportunity? 8: Remember thy Oath: Edison, the most proper member of the Agora Society, hides a past he thought was long buried. The sudden appearance of a strange priest, however, reveals secrets that demand Edison honor an oath made long ago. 9: The Felled Crabapple Tree: An anonymous telegram introduces Carl Brooke to both his future wife and her conflicted brother who harbors a dark secret from the Civil War. The discovery of a deliberately cut tree reveals the presence of a mysterious one-legged man and the possible reemergence of Carl's nemesis, Thomas Drake. 10: The Eye of Bennu: Reeling from the horrific pain of the loss of Anne, his wife, Carl Brooke must face his ultimate nemesis, Thomas Drake. -- Knowledge of prior stories is not necessary to enjoy any of these mysteries in any order. GET FIVE STORIES FOR ONE LOW PRICE. File under: Murder Mystery Series, Whodunnits, Amateur Sleuths, 19th Century Detectives, Light Thrillers, Kindle Unlimited, Clean Mystery Series

    This first horror collection from the author of the best-selling novel, Bone White, thrusts you beyond the fringe and reminds us why we should all fear the dark."Crafting creepy thrillers in the vein of Tim Waggoner and Dean Koontz,Tim McWhorter doesn't disappoint!" - Brian Keene, author of The Complex and The Rising"Great writing that delivers horrifying tales, drawing you in, never lettingyou go. Keep an eye on this prolific writer." - Brick Marlin, author of Dark Places of Rest"McWhorter has a knack for taking the mundane and turning it on its ear, throwing the reader head-first into the bizarre and disturbing. This fast-paced and exciting collection is a must-read for the horror aficianado." - Stephen Paul Sayers, author of A Taker of Morrows

    This insightful and celebratory book highlights women who helped to establish the industry, women who disrupted it, women who fight to diversify it, and young women who will someday lead it. Featuring household names and unsung heroes, each individual profiled is a professional in their own right.A select few of the remarkable women featured in this book include: * Amy Hennig, Senior creative director and writer * Perrin Kaplan, Former vice president of marketing for Nintendo of America * Ashly Burch, Award-winning writer and voice actress * Lorraine McLees, Senior Artist at BungieKey Selling Points100 Professionals of Play Profiles: Interviews with 100 diverse and prominent women highlighting their impact on the gaming industry in the fields of design, programming, animation, marketing, voiceover, and many more.Pro Tips: Practical and anecdotal advice from industry professionals for young adults working toward a career in the video game industry.Essays: Short essays covering various topics affecting women in gaming related careers, including "Difficult Women: The Importance of Female Characters Who Go Beyond Being Strong," "NPC: On Being Unseen in the Game Dev Community," and "Motherhood and Gaming: How Motherhood Can Help Rather Than Hinder a Career.""A Day in the Life of" Features: An inside look at a typical day in the gaming industry across several vocations, including a streamer, a voice actor, and many more.

    And zombie stories are even deader. ZOMBIE PUNKS FUCK OFF is here to show that is bullshit. This antho is loaded with 14 stories of gnawing teeth, shredded entrails, rotting masses, punk as fuck fury, post-punk weirdness, and beautiful decay. Within these pages are a touring Christian Punk band run afoul of a horde of living dead, a group of zombie-infected anarcho-punks staging a revolution in London, Hank William's far-distant great-grandson struggling against the restraints of universal fame, and guitars that gently eat.

    Two women in search of god and marriage learn what it means to love. A man living in exile writes home.From Mumbai to Venice, Cardiff to Singapore, this collection of stories of love and loneliness in the urban landscape are delicately nuanced and sprinkled generously with sharp observation of the human condition.A captivating first collection which introduces us to a powerful new voice.“Graceful, poignant and beautifully wrought - a masterful debut.” Angela Readman"These triumphant, sharp eyed humorous stories mark the arrival of an intriguing new voice; tender, poignant and wry." Irenosen Okojie"A winning collection. These stories are delicately shaped around sharp and tender moments rendered in rich, vivid prose." Mahesh Rao

    Others are too serious. But when the Muppets meet the classics? The stories are just right! Join Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and the other Muppets as they bring favorite fairy tales to life in their own hilarious way.Once upon a time, there was a pretty young chicken named Camillarella, who had very heavy shoes and an enchanting Chicken Dance. Or maybe you'd prefer to hear the story of Janice, the flower child with braided tresses as yellow as SpongeBob. With all the favorite characters--Kermit, Miss Piggy, and others--these fairy tales give a whole new meaning to the word "classic."Camillarella --Two brothers and a mountain of trouble --Kermit the Frog-prince --Janice! Janice! Let down your hair --Not-So-Little Red Cap --The pig and the prawn sign a lease --Kermit and the three golden nose hairs --The eagle, the mouse, and the wedge of cheese --Veterinarian's Hospital makes a house call --Hungry Rowlf and the big-hearted bird --Fozzie's super-sticky situation --Snowdrop and the seven penguins --Faithful Sweetums --Unclestiltskin --Bella Thorn, the sleeping beauty (not the actress) --Clueless trades a turtle --The frog who liked to fish --Pepe and Polly.

    One is about a girl trying to get to school and the second is about a girl staring at a house.

    Join me and learn the secret stories of those who sparked the wildfire. Stories from our past, from that fateful summer and its aftermath. If you loved Kingshold, discover the next installment in the epic Wildfire Cycle. Tales of Kingshold, Book 1.5 of the Wildfire Cycle, includes four novelettes and six short stories. NOVELETTES: Of Buccaneers and Bards (previously published separately) Vin Kolsen’s chickens have come home to roost. A bar fight turned serious has landed him in the gaol of a two-bit fishing village awaiting the magistrate and his noose. When a stranger becomes his cellmate it signals the beginning of a wild ride from galley slave to pirate captain. This is the untold story of how an optimistic pirate took the first step to becoming King of the North Sea Corsairs, with a bard named Mareth at his side. All That Shimmers Deep beneath the surface of the earth live unspeakable horrors, safely trapped away. But when an inquisitive dwarf releases a specter, who will stop it from wreaking havoc in Unedar Halt? Hollow Inside The Hollow Syndicate, the most feared guild of assassins on the Jeweled Continent. And the most exclusive school in all Kingshold When a dead syndicate member is deposited on the doorstep in a handcart, a position among the graduating class opens up. Finabria is still a year away from completing her studies. Will she really compete in the upcoming trials? Visions Neenahwi promised her brother she would undergo the Quana, the coming-of-age ceremony for her tribe. Four days in the wilderness with a hunger she hasn't felt in years. The visions may provide some answers about her purpose in life, but she's not going to like what she hears. SHORT STORIES: Twin Lies Florian— soldier, mercenary and future friend of Motega— is a man with a past. As he and a new recruit watch the smoke rise above the liberated city of Redpool, Florian recounts how he joined the army and acquired some surprising nicknames. It’s a story about being there for your family when it counts, but not living up to your own high standards. The Pie Man Cometh Two men, long ago friends and now enemies. Two sisters, desperate to bring change to Kingshold and to prove themselves to each other. Can the sisters solve the riddle of what happened to the old friends and resolve past grievances to get their plan back on track? The Working Dead Mareth hates the undead. When one crypt-diving job ends, another comes along: banish the shadow of a necromancer from the town of Stableford. And though Mareth hates the undead, the money is too good to turn down. From Father to Daughter The unredacted letter Jyuth gave to Neenahwi on the night before his departure Jyuth on Magic Jyuth, the greatest wizard that Edland has ever known. For the first time, excerpts from his hand-written journals shed light on the secrets of magic. From the Desk of Lord Marchial Eden The last thing seen of the former Lord Eden was the trail of dust as he fled Kingshold. Discover what befell him afterwards through his own correspondence.

    All they know is that each package is the best thing that’s ever happened to them…or the worst.In one box is a packet of seeds that allows you to grow your perfect date. In another there’s a cupcake that causes anyone who eats it to grow eyeballs all over their skin. There’s also a parcel with a mousetrap that turns all your enemies tiny. Or you could receive your autobiography, which when signed, makes your every thought famous. Or maybe even a key to a secret door that leads to another dimension where all your unfinished and abandoned projects exist. But with each package received comes both fortune and misfortune that will surely result in unexpected consequences.Like a season of episodes from The Twilight Zone or Friday the 13th The Series, comes a collection of dark and humorous stories from the premier British female author of bizarro fiction.

    In Fight No More, Nina, a lonely real-estate broker estranged from her only relative, is at the center of a web of stories connecting a community through the houses they inhabit. With crackling satire and surprising tenderness, Millet introduces an indelible cast of untidy teens, beastly men, and strong-minded women whose stories begin to outline the fate of one particular family being torn apart by forces they recognize but cannot control. Millet’s intellect and beautiful prose deliver profound insight into human behavior, from the ordinary to the bizarre, and draws startling contrasts between house and home.

    Nameless Woman is twice the length of the original anthology and features the contributions of eleven more people, including editor Venus Selenite and artist Luvia Montero.Free ebook here: http://www.transwomenwriters.org/books/

    In OUR COLONY BEYOND THE CITY OF RUINS, an insomniac will do anything for sleep, crones released from a buried heart take over a town, a woman chooses to live her last days in a cave overlooking the sea, earthquake survivors establish a colony in a remote forest. With unwavering imagination and heart, Janalyn Guo delivers a cast of characters who find their own unusual ways to endure."These stories take the gestures of new wave fabulism and make it newer and even more wavy, by being genuinely international. Here's a book that shivers with possibility and wonder and surprise, where plants grow from people's bodies, where ghosts exist even before someone is dead. Guo isn't afraid to take on even the thoroughly weird in the most delightful way. This is what it's like to see a genre revivified."--Brian Evenson"OUR COLONY BEYOND THE CITY OF RUINS is an absolute delight, a wild collection that unsettles as much as it entertains. Guo shows an impressive range and deep emotional intelligence--this is a rare book of both strangeness and heart."--Kelly Luce

    Arzate’s stories are stark, depressing, thought-provoking, and hilarious.” - Brian Whitney (Author of Raping the Gods.) A house with cancer, a killer soda, an unusual church, strange TV shows, the true story of the creation of the Universe. All this and more is contained in this debut collection of stories from the amazing mind of Ben Arzate.

    It features friendly (and smug) ghosts, people overcoming their fears, giant robots, bitter falling outs, people taking the leap, people coming back home, ever-changing family dynamics, love at unlikely dimensions and planets, and, of course, humor.

    A pair of Texas oil men strike something more valuable than crude that turns avarice to murder--and summons something that should never have been awakened--in "Black's Red Gold." In "Kennon Road," a disillusioned American corporal stationed in Baguio in the wake of the Philippine-American War discovers the gruesome truth behind the Filipino legend of the man-eating Manananggal. And on the lonesome desert highways of the American Southwest, a trucker befriends a haunted, hitchhiking Vietnam veteran with whom she confronts the horrors waiting in the hills and caves to feed in "Deadheader." Monsters both human and otherworldly converge in Ed Kurtz's At the Mercy of Beasts.

    Arkdust is a guide through the washed-out apocalypse already upon us. Keep this in your back pocket, tucked between calculus text books, hidden from your stepdad, and left to rot on a public transit seat.These stories from Alex Smith, a founding member of Metropolarity, the art/activist sci-fi collective, and curator of the queer Afrofuturist sci-fi reading Laser Life, embrace the ever morphizing strange, the characters on the margins selling their wares at the bazaar on a moon colony, the lone assasin that targets our hearts. Put this book back! Or join the insurrection today.

    A family of matriarchs collects recipes for the dead. A woman gains an unexpected child in the midst of a bunny apocalypse. An outcast finds work in a magical slaughterhouse. Julie C. Day’s debut collection is rife with dark and twisted tales made beautiful by her gorgeous prose and wonderfully idiosyncratic imagination. Melding aspects of Southern Gothic and fabulism, and utilizing the author’s own scientific background, Day’s carefully rendered settings are both delightful and unexpected. Whether set in a uniquely altered version of Florida’s Space Coast or a haunted island off the coast of Maine, each story in this collection carries its own brand of meticulous and captivating weirdness. Yet in the end, it is the desperation of the characters that drives these stories forward and their wild obsessions that carry them through to the end. It is Day’s clear-eyed compassion for the dark recesses of the human heart and her dream-like vision of the physical world that make this collection a standout.

    Women, sometimes displaced, often lonely, are at the heart of these stories. In Better Times Sara Batkie focuses on the moments in women’s lives when the wider world is wrapped up in other matters: a father and daughter, separated by time and an ocean, dreaming of each other; a girl in a home for “troubled women” imagining the journey of the first dog in space; a phantom breast returning to haunt a woman after her mastectomy; a young woman giving birth to a litter of eggs. Such are the ordinary women weathering extraordinary circumstances in Better Times. Divided into three sections covering the recent past, our current era, and the world to come, the stories gathered here—with characters stymied by loneliness, motherhood, illness, even cataclysmic climate change—interrogate the idea that so-called better times ever existed, particularly for women.

    In “Peonies”, we pull the curtain back to watch the painful yet hopeful evolution of a girl becoming a woman, and then that woman uncovering family secrets she never could have imagined. Within the frame of these potent, unpretentious, diamond-tight stories, readers feel the author's ultimate humanity. Ranging from the dark corners of prison cells to the grief of a mother to the captive bonds of love, this collection culminates in a fiercely passionate letter from the narrator to her mother. These eight stories are searingly truthful, deeply felt, and ruthless in their desire to expose human complexity and frailty. This is a powerful new addition to serious short story collections in American fiction.

    From flesh-eating plants to flesh eating bees; zombies to vampires to vampire-eating vampire hunters; ghosts, revenants, witches and werewolves, this book has it all. Cursed drums, cursed dolls, cursed palms, ancient spirits and goddesses create a nuanced world of Afrocentric and multicultural horror. Terrifying tales by seventeen of the scary sisters profiled in the reference guide “100 Black Women in Horror”.Includes the stories Appreciation by Mina Polina, Death Lines by Nuzo Onoh, Sweet Justice by Kenesha Williams, Bryannah and the Magic Negro by Crystal Connor, The Lost Ones by Valjeanne Jeffers, Tango of a TellTale Heart by Sumiko Saulson, Blood Magnolia by Nicole Givens Kurtz, Labor Pains by Kenya Moss-Dyme, Return to Me by Lori Titus, Here, Kitty! by L.H. Moore, Left Hand Torment by R. J. Joseph, Dark Moon's Curse by Delizhia Jenkins, Killer Queen by Cinsearae S, Sisters by Kai Leakes, Black and Deadly by Dicey Grenor, Trisha and Peter by Kamika Aziza, Alternative™ by Tabitha Thompson, and The Prizewinner by Alledria Hurt.

    Smart, funny, and thought-provoking, this book contains all the magic and surprise of a genie's bottle. Open it up and you'd best be prepared to fly." -Kathy Fish, author of Rift (with Robert Vaughan), Together We Can Bury It, & Wild Life "In this shapeshifter of a collection, poems melt off the page or morph into short stories, stories start off as one thing and wind up quite another, teeth march down streets and women are abducted by giant bees and secreted away to hidden islands. A playfully constructed collection that delivers real emotion in an often strangely wrapped package." -Dave Housley, author of Massive Cleansing Fire, If I Knew the Way I Would Take You Home, & Commercial Fiction "A journey into the fantastic, the whimsical, and the what-if, Campbell's writings constantly surprise and delight." -Tara Laskowski, author of Bystanders (winner of the Balcones Fiction Prize) & Modern Manners for your Inner Demons "From her first microfiction piece, 'Monkey Roast, ' I knew I was in for something special. Tara Campbell brings a unique magic to her work, not just in words but in form. She keeps the reader anticipating, 'What next? What next?' A must read." -Gay Degani, author of Rattle of Want, What Came Before, & Pomegranate Stories

    A lack of compelling cases has left him bored and close once again to the dull embrace of the needle. Less than a month earlier, however, he had astonished Inspector Lestrade and everyone around him by solving no less than six crimes in consecutive days. At the eleventh hour, Inspector Gregson arrives, with the promise of an impossible crime to solve. A murder has shattered the bucolic peace of the sleepy arable farmlands of Bedfordshire. The owner of a small stately home has been brutally killed while hosting a dinner party. But what and where is the murder weapon? What follows is an epic, sweeping tale. From England to Africa, from poverty to wealth, the story spans decades. Hardship and friendship are followed by betrayal, deception and murder.

    Look carefully at the beautiful illustrations... and imagine yourself in this fantastic world of midnight feasts, roving hyenas, shrieking peacocks, buzzing insects and stolen bicycles... does it sound unbelievable? And yet...could it all be true?

    It explores how the increasing intolerance of society compels individuals to become either saints or charlatans, and how it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference. In the titular story, we meet a line of saints of dubious credentials, a quack who explains the philosophy of charlatanism, and a poet whose sainthood remains a mystery; in ‘Bouganvillea’, a boy’s adventure to impress his hero leads him to an unexpected discovery; in ‘The Third one from the Left’, Bubloo Hijazi’s path to mediocrity is set against the trials and tribulations of the loafers of a snooker club and its owner's cunning way to success; in ‘The Path of the Man-Eater’, the strange fates of a group of s strangely talented people is a prelude to the invasion of fanaticism in a boy's fantastical world; in ‘Band in the Rain’, a man, while lost in the labyrinth of Rampura, ponders on how an individual’s pain translates into art, and finds the answer to be as tortuous as the lanes ahead; in ‘The Lord of Garbage’, an old trash picker teaches his young apprentice the art of picking, and what it means to possess something that’s been thrown into the garbage. The characters in these nine stories move between the fictional neighbourhood of Rampura in Lahore, and the village of Suratwala which feeds it. Nobody gets to belong to Suratwala village and then mind their own business, and this makes it a big problem for the families who’ve “made it”, who’ve left Suratwala and moved to the city. Written in a classical storytelling style, Saints and Charlatans’ features a cast of memorable, endearing, vividly sketched characters that pull you in, embrace you with their lively, authentic voices, and leave you bereft on the other side of the covers.

    A southern town disappears, bit-by-bit. Two sisters sit in a hospital room, sharing a piece of strawberry cake while children are thrust into a strange new existence of abandoned superstores and unrelenting fluorescent light. A cataclysm hovers on the point of a knife as brown-skinned schoolgirls make peace with long sleeves and vile names. This selection of indie and traditionally published authors crosses genre lines with seven stories about separation, loss, and the peculiar loneliness that comes with being a stranger in a strange land. From frigid Chicago to the sweltering asphalt of south Texas, these stories dive into the heart of what divides us, and what connects. All proceeds from this collection goes to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services.

    This issue also includes some free stuff, so be sure to grab a copy before they’re gone!http://www.filthyloot.com/product/f%E...

    They're working part-time jobs to make ends meet, deciding to wear a hijab to school, sharing a first kiss, coming out to their parents, confronting violence and bullying, and immigrating to a new country while holding onto their heritage. Through it all, these young writers tackle issues of race, gender, poverty, sex, education, politics, family, and friendship. Together their narratives capture indelible snapshots of the past and lay bare hopes, insecurities, and wisdom for the future.Interwoven is advice from great women writers—Roxane Gay, Francine Prose, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Zadie Smith, Quiara Alegria Hudes, Janet Mock, Gloria Steinem, Lena Dunham, Mia Alvar, and Alice Walker—offering guidance to a young reader about where she's been and where she might go. Inspiring and informative, Girls Write Now belongs in every school, library and home, adding much-needed and long-overdue perspectives on what it is to be young in America.

    CLASH brings together non-fiction, poetry, and fiction spanning different genres, perspectives, and unique voices including: Autumn Christian, Sam Pink, Daniel Knauf, Gabino Iglesias, Lisa Marie Basile, Stephanie Wytovich, Madeline Swann, Christoph Paul, Joanna C. Valente, Jayaprakash Satyamurthy, Danger Slater, Loren Kleinman, Charles Austin Muir, Ashley Inguanta, Brian Alan Ellis, Monique Quintana, Sam Richard, Stephanie Valente, Leza Cantoral, B. Diehl, Emily Paskevics, Maxwell Bauman, Kat Giordano, and Joel Amat Güell.

    Each piece is a unique perspective on what love can mean to someone, whether it's romantic, familial, or even love of self.Very rarely are Muslim women part of the narrative on love in any of its forms and now we're speaking for ourselves.

    Quirky-cute with a dash of dark, the following seven stories will lead you on journeys to seek revenge, to search for the source of unwanted magic, to learn the disturbing truth in a kindly old woman’s eyes, to earn the right to a tiara belonging to a legendary fairy godmother, to join in on the American Revolution with a little help from faerie magic, to look for an end to re-occurring nightmares, and to find friendship forged in a sword fight in Philadelphia’s faerie court.

    They make us wonder what we would do if all around us came to an end: no transport, no fuel, no communications: a retreat into the desperation, the onslaught of disease, how would we survive? This is the source of zombie literature and provides the inspiration for this fabulous mix of horror and adventure, of classic and brand new writing in the successful series of Gothic Fantasy titles from Flame Tree.

    She rose to fame with her autobiographical novel Karukku (1992), which chronicles the joys and sorrows experienced by Dalit Christian women in Tamil Nadu. Her works have been appreciated for embodying Dalit feminism and celebrating the inner strength of the subaltern woman.This work is a collection of her 15 short stories, selected to showcase the range of social concerns and the depth of her perception of human frailties. In each of these stories, Bama documents the emerging influences on the lives and consciousness of people. She picks up a character one is likely to meet every day and builds a narrative that reveals, with a touch of ironic humour, the internalized caste and patriarchal sentiments that the society passes on to the future generation every single day.

    Featuring some of the best writers and artists in the industry and never-before-collected material, Grendel Tales Omnibus Volume 2 is sure to be a hit with longtime Grendel fans or newcomers just discovering Wagner's weird, violent future.From the imaginative mind of Matt Wagner, the world of Grendel returns in this second of two value-priced volumes collecting all Grendel Tales stories! With over 400 pages of story and art to enjoy and all cover work reproduced, Dark Horse is proud to present some early work by Steve Lieber, Dave Cooper, Peter Doherty and Matt Hollingsworth in this Grendel Tales Omnibus collection!

    Of narrow escapes from remote valleys, encounters with the wild, treks across snow-covered passes and flower-filled meadows, blended with the kindness of locals and their food, culture and festivals. The real stories in the book attempt to make just one point — exploration is for everyone. Includes: Solo Trek Story by Rujuta Diwekar25 day-by-day itineraries for treks and trips across the Indian HimalayaContact information of local guides and organisations ‘Highly original, wackily entertaining and unusually instructive … Gaurav’s writing breathes back the special joy unique to Himalayan trekking’ – Bill Aitken