Unlocking The Lockdown Stories


Juhi Jaisinghani - 2020
    

The Vampire's Image


B.V. Larson - 2010
    Her art depicts things that have been forgotten, lost, or which have yet to come. The images are always beautiful—but they also drive people mad. She creates her wondrous images in secret, but one day a stranger comes... One who is just as mysterious as Grace herself.The Vampire’s Image is a story of paranormal romance, 6500 words long.

In the Rundown


Joe Hill - 2007
    This short story was originally published in Joe Hill's collection 20TH CENTURY GHOSTS.

Good Morning Vendemiatrix


H. Paul Honsinger - 2020
    In these labors, there is one friend that they can count on, day in and day out . . . he’s a constant companion in their headsets with the Smack and Crack, Sno Bro, and other music they love, as well offering a seemingly endless stream of friendship and encouragement: the morning DJ on Company Radio Channel D, Robin Whitlake. But, Robin is more than a warm human voice in the endless night, he is a man with a heroic, yet deadly and dangerous secret past that could condemn him to death at any time. Disfigured and aging rapidly, he must work harder and harder to project the youth and vitality that he brings to his broadcasts, all the while wondering when and if his past will catch up with him. On 14 January 2314, it did. A disaster in the mining colony brings the heroic and deadly elements of Robin’s past into sudden collision. Not only must he decide whether to subject himself to possible execution, Robin has to call upon all his professionalism as a broadcaster, the skills he spent decades honing in his former life, and the Morse code abilities of a red-headed, pig-tailed Space Scout named Elaine, in a desperate “Hail Mary” improvisation with thousands of innocent lives hanging in the balance. Good Morning Vendemiatrix is an 8800 word stand-alone novelette set in the “Man of War” universe. Fans of Honsinger’s other work will recognize the setting and be treated to a cameo appearance by a familiar character, while new readers will not find themselves “lost in space.” It is a humorous and exciting piece of shorter fiction written to be enjoyed by all Science Fiction readers.

Wrong Turn: A Jack Nightingale Short Story


Stephen Leather - 2017
    Long dead serial killers are appearing before adoring fans, but it doesn't take them long to realise that Nightingale is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wrong Turn is a fast-paced supernatural story of 14,000 words. Jack Nightingale appears in the full-length novels Nightfall, Midnight, Nightmare, Nightshade, Lastnight, San Francisco Night and New York Night. He also appears in several short stories including Blood Bath, Cursed, Still Bleeding, Tracks, My Name Is Lydia, The Creeper, The Undead, The Asylum and The Mansion. The Jack Nightingale time line is complex, this story is set after Lastnight. Jack Nightingale has his own website at www.jacknightingale.com

Oh, to Be A Blobel!


Philip K. Dick - 1964
    Arrasmith was his opposite, a Blobel spy on earth who was unwilling to return to Titan due to the shame of being in human form for almost three quarters of each day.The story deals with the ramifications for the agents' personal and social identity from this alteration.Author quote: "Here I nailed down the ultimate meaningless irony of war; the human turns into a Blobel and the Blobel, his enemy, turns into a human, and there it all is, the futility, the black humor, the stupidity. And in the story they all wind up happy."

Friendsgiving: A Short


Nako - 2019
    Jillian Sayles saw the concept one random night where insomnia was present while strolling Pinterest. She asked her friends to fly in for dinner and surprisingly, everyone obliged. This short story by National Best-Selling Author, Nako is pleasantly sweet and to the point. NAKO sheds light and emphasis on the importance of friendship centered around black women. If reading short stories are not your thing, please pass over this story. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Icicle


Carolyn Marie Castagna - 2022
    Illustrator and writer's Carolyn Marie Castagna's first shared short story.A small icicle hanging from a roof peers inside a window at a small reading room, and learns about magical human qualities, and the importance of the one most special human feeling.

Pride and Prejudice and Related Readings


Jane AustenVirginia Woolf - 1998
    Merwin --Magic barrel / Bernard Malamud --About marriage / Denise Levertov --from Jane Austen / Virginia Woolf --Princess and the tin box / James Thurber.

The Avoidable Orphan


T.M. Clark - 2015
    He’s a man of the African bush, and coping with ‘girlie feelings’ was always Helene’s department, not his. When an orphaned baby elephant is found, Rodger sees an opportunity that might help him reconnect with his children. But interfering with the orphan goes against his usual conservation methods. It will require a new approach to save both the baby and his family.

While the Auto Waits


O. Henry
    

Diamonds from Tequila


Walter Jon Williams - 2017
    Now he's starring in a big-budget action thriller that offers him the chance to become a box-office titan.Except the action and the thrills aren't just in the movie. Dangerous and destabilizing new technology is floating around behind the scenes. Police and cartel lords lurk in the shadows. An assassin is on the loose, and has already claimed his first victim.Sean could be next in the killer's sights, unless he can find out what the bad guys want, who's hiding it, and how many people he's going to have to betray in order to save his life--- and more importantly, his celebrity!

Diamond Mine


Stephanie Bond - 2019
    And sure enough, Carter says he's going to be needing an engagement ring soon... but it's for another woman!Carter Grayson thought he'd never see Faith again--her parting words that he'd never be able to commit have dogged him. To prove she's wrong, he blurts out a lie, and it's a whopper! Too late, he realizes when she discovers his deceit, she might be lost to him forever.   A romantic comedy for Valentine's Day and any time you're in the mood for a story to make you laugh and sigh.

Angel in Paradise: A Montana Sky Contemporary Short Story (Montana Sky Series)


Debra Holland - 2015
    Estranged from his family, Rafe settles in Seeker’s Island off the coast of Florida, where he runs a successful riding stable.Attorney Angel Howard must obtain Rafe’s signature on documents for his deceased grandfather’s estate, or the Flanigan family will lose the ranch. Receiving no response to letters, she flies to Seeker’s Island to confront him. Rafe stubbornly refuses to discuss the paperwork, and Angel won’t leave until he does. As the two clash, their attraction is as strong as ever. But can they get past old pain to rekindle their romance and save the ranch?Montana Sky Series in Chronological Order:2015Angel in Paradise1880sBeneath Montana’s SkyMail-Order Brides of the West: Trudy
Mail-Order Brides of the West: Lina
Mail-Order Brides of the West: Darcy1890sWild Montana Sky
Starry Montana Sky
Stormy Montana Sky
Montana Sky ChristmasA Valentine’s Choice
Painted Montana SkyGlorious Montana Sky
Healing Montana Sky (January 2016)Sweetwater Springs Scrooge
Sweetwater Springs Christmas

The Weapon


Jeffery Deaver - 2009
    Retired Colonel James J. Peterson—head of a covert, illegal, intelligence-gathering operation known as IAS—is briefed on a national security threat that could unleash a weapon capable of “significant damage.” But what kind of weapon is it? Conventional? A nuke? Or something altogether new? And who’s behind the threat? Al-Qaeda? The Koreans? The Iranians? It’s up to Colonel Peterson’s IAS black site operation to find out who’s behind the threat, and to neutralize the weapon before it’s unleashed on the United States. The problem? He only has four days to do it.Don’t miss any of these exciting stories from Thriller 2: The Weapon by Jeffery Deaver Remaking by Blake Crouch Iced by Harry Hunsicker Justice Served by Mariah Stewart The Circle by David Hewson Roomful of Witnesses by R.L. Stine The House on Pine Terrace by Phillip Margolin The Desert Here and the Desert Far Away by Marcus Sakey On the Run by Carla Neggers Can You Help Me Out Here? by Robert Ferrigno Crossed Double by Joe Hartlaub The Lamented by Lawrence Light Vintage Death by Lisa Jackson Suspension of Disbelief by Tim Maleeny A Calculated Risk by Sean Chercover The Fifth World by Javier Sierra Ghost Writer by Gary Braver Through a Veil Darkly by Kathleen Antrim Bedtime for Mr. Li by David J. Montgomery Protecting the Innocent by Simon Wood Watch Out for My Girl by Joan Johnston Killing Time by Jon Land Boldt’s Broken Angel by Ridley Pearson