The mean girls made sure of it. To this day, for a haunted local mother, the most unsettling Halloween costume of all is an urban legend they call Hannah-Beast. It’s a reminder of the past she can’t forget. Especially tonight when it’s come back, so close to home.Jennifer McMahon’s Hannah-Beast is part of Dark Corners, a collection of seven heart-stopping short stories by bestselling authors who give you so many new reasons to be afraid. Each story can be read in a single sitting. Or, if you have the nerve, you can listen all by yourself in the dark.

    Making sure not to waste a single bullet.Lost in the shadows, low on ammo; only edged weapons; wounded, fighting to survive, the last remnants of the mission team trying to make sense of where they had gone wrong, and how to make it out alive with next-to-no resources.Survival horror, where every bullet counts.TABLE OF CONTENTS:Badlands – S.D. PerryOf Storms and Flame – Tim Marquitz & J. M. MartinIn Vaulted Halls Entombed – Alan BaxterThey Own the Night – B. Michael RadburnFallen Lion – Jack HansonSucker of Souls – Kirsten CrossCold War Gothic II: The Bohemian Grove – Weston OchseAfter the Red Rain Fell – Matt HiltonThe Slog – Neal F. LitherlandShow of Force – Jeremy Robinson & Kane Gilmour

    Banned from reading, Florence devours books in secret and talks to herself—and narrates her story—in a unique language of her own invention. By night, she sleepwalks the corridors and is troubled by a recurrent dream in which a mysterious woman appears to threaten her younger brother Giles.After the sudden violent death of the children's first governess, a second teacher, Miss Taylor, arrives, and immediately strange phenomena begin to occur. Florence becomes convinced that the new governess is a malevolent spirit who means to do Giles harm. Against this powerful enemy, Florence must use all her intelligence and ingenuity to protect her little brother and preserve her private world. This Gothic page-turner in the tradition of The Woman in Black and The Fall of the House of Usher is told in a startlingly different and wonderfully captivating narrative voice.

     The Billionaire Dragon Shifter's Mate A BBW in search of adventure + a dragon shifter in search of a mate + a mishap on a mountainside = one sparkling and sexy story! Curvy Cara Linley left her boring life in Iowa in search of adventure, but she only found loneliness in new and different places. She thinks there's no fairy tales left for a girl like her-- until she gets stranded on a mountainside, and a gorgeous hero comes to her rescue. Billionaire dragon shifter Gus Gray has all the treasure a dragon could desire, but even his hoard of glittering gold has lost its shine, with no mate to share it with. Can an ordinary princess and a lonely dragon find their happily ever after? Beauty and the Billionaire Dragon Shifter A BBW who's new in town + a dragon shifter who's new to being human + a very confused dog named Mouse = one sexy fairy tale romance! Curvy science teacher Becca Stafford has just moved to Gray's Hollow for a new job. Over tea with the mayor's wife, she soon learns the town's biggest secret--it's the home of two dragon shifters, the mayor and his brother Ilie. As soon as she meets Ilie, without so much as a true love's kiss, he transforms into a gorgeous (and naked) man. Billionaire dragon shifter Ilie Gray has lived as a dragon since he was a child. His mother always told him that someday he would meet a woman worth turning human for, but he never thought it would happen when he recognized his mate in a single glance. He also never thought that changing into a human might cost him the friendship of his dog Mouse. Becca seems happy with his human form, but can she love a man who still sometimes wants to be a beast? The Billionaire Dragon Shifter's Christmas A curvy newlywed wife + a dragon shifter mayor + a small town Christmas celebration = one snowy, sexy holiday romance! Cara Gray, formerly Cara Linley, is settling into life as the wife of a small town mayor who also happens to be a dragon shifter. She has just one problem: her first Christmas with her new husband. What do you give the billionaire dragon who already has everything--including your heart? Gus Gray is the happiest of dragons: he has his mate, his hoard, and even a little dragonet on the way. But Christmas is coming, and he needs to give Cara a gift that a human will love. Can a dragon learn that there are things worth more than gold? Choosing the Billionaire Dragon Shifters A BBW in a small town + twin dragon shifters in need of a mate to share + the most hotly contested mayoral election Gray's Hollow has ever seen = one sexy story that's a win/win/win! Hannah Cole has been the Deputy Mayor of Gray's Hollow for four years, and with the current mayor stepping down, she's about to get a new boss. Twin dragon shifters Radu and Sorin Gray are coming back to town after years away. When Hannah finally meets the twins for the first time she's stunned to realize that she's destined for both of them, but it makes for an easy choice! Sorin Gray first recognized his mate four years ago, when he saw a spirited and full-figured redhead running for mayor against his brother. She lost the election, but Sorin knew Hannah was meant for him--but he thought that meant his twin brother Radu was out in the cold. When they find out Hannah is meant for them both, it seems like their happily ever after is a sure thing--until Hannah finds out Sorin and Radu have been holding back, and she wonders if destiny leaves her any room to choose.

    We attach no manacles to the word truth to bind it to our visions. Instead we free it to find its own way through the minds of the two dozen writers who have shared their vision of the future in either sensitively written allegorical tales such as Relics by Louise Marley, a woman who grew up bucking hay in Montana and moved on to a talented musical performer and successful novelist; or the raw humor of Adam Troy-Castro in his Q & A, which takes on the verbal veracity of Donald J. Trump. Jim Wright (of Stonekettle Station) imagines Trump giving the Gettysburg Address. Blaze Ward, Daniel Kimmel, Janka Hobbs and I explore dystopias. Marleen Barr and Adam Troy-Castro envision humorous, kinky, and scatological endings. What can I say? It rocks.

    there's the chill that wraps itself around her bones, the giggling she can hear in the dead of night, and then the strange shadows that lurk in her photographs. But the more weird stuff that happens, the less her mom believes her. Sunshine's always had a quirky affiliation with the past, but this time, history is getting much too close for comfort...If there is something, or someone, haunting her house, what do they want? And what will they do if Sunshine can't help them?As things become more frightening and dangerous, and the giggles she hears turn to sobs and screams, Sunshine has no choice but to accept what she is, face the test before her and save her mother from a fate worse than death.The first in a frighteningly good new series based on the popular YouTube sensation The Haunting of Sunshine Girl Network, created by Paige McKenzie.

    After a gallery opening ends in a trip to the ER and an argument with her self-involved boyfriend, she decides to take off for the peace and quiet of a small town — Ruth Valley. The small town has everything Brooklyn lacked: simple people, peaceful surroundings, and a feeling of safety. Jameson even finds the perfect house to rent from the town’s most eligible bachelor, Sheriff Jack. Life is finally headed in a promising direction. But something isn't right. A young man is mysteriously injured, then disappears — and Jameson finds he isn't the only person to suddenly vanish. The suspicious behavior of an abrasive nun and a creepy priest set her off on an investigation of what's really happening. Will she figure out the secrets of Ruth Valley before she's the next to go missing?

     The pets in these cozy paranormal short stories are stirring up nothing but fun—and maybe a dash of trouble—for the witches in their lives. Visit these seven magical worlds in new stories created exclusively for the anthology. Stories include: One Witch's Trash Panda Is Another Witch's Treasure by Annabel Chase A Wedding For A Rat by Amy Boyles Witch Mocha Morsel by H.Y. Hanna Broom Mates by Morgana Best Hazel Raises the Stakes by M.Z. Andrews Harkin and the Snake's Servant by Molly Milligan Spellbook & Spies by Gina LaManna

    Instead, the ghosts aren’t disappearing—they’re gaining power. When Veronica and her friend, Kirk, decide to investigate why, they stumble upon a more sinister plot than they ever could have imagined. One of Veronica’s high school teachers is crippled by the fact that his dead daughter has never returned as a ghost, and he’s haunted by the possibility that she’s waiting to reappear within a fresh body. Veronica seems like the perfect host. And even if he’s wrong, what’s the harm in creating one more ghost?From critically acclaimed Generation Dead author Daniel Waters, comes a delectably creepy and suspenseful thriller. Break My Heart 1,000 Times will leave readers with the chills. Or is that a ghost reading over the page?

    

    She’s followed all the rules. Her star is rising at work, her boyfriend is amazing and she lives in a perfectly decorated apartment. A delayed flight throws her life and plans off schedule. What she learns, stuck overnight in the airport, has her questioning everything and puts her face to face with her own missed connection.

     Whether white or black, living or dead, down home country or upscale urban, Gabriel’s characters are quirky, poignant and deep. They include: A Gullah woman using folk magic to cast her latest spell. A girl coming-of-age dealing with death in 1940s Tennessee. A wealthy Savannah matriarch with gastrointestinal issues guarding family secrets. A good ol’ boy observing himself shortly after his death. An agoraphobic woman striking up a unique friendship with the girl across the street. And a band of seventy-year-olds finding healing in a mountain stream. Written in the tradition of Flannery O’Connor and Eudora Welty, the eight short stories in Grace, Grits and Ghosts: Southern Short Stories are all rooted in the southern landscape—from the steamy coast of Georgia, to the current day Atlanta suburbs, to the ancient Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Pull up a rocker on the front porch, take a sip of your sweet iced tea and lose yourself in these original stories of soulful southerners and their sultry landscape.

    There's a place for the girls whom no one wants--the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It's called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it's located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming--until one of them mysteriously disappears. . . . Vermont, 2014. As much as she's tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister's death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister's boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can't shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case.When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past--and a voice that won't be silenced. . . .

    A Halloween dare at her ridiculously spooky boarding school is no big deal, especially when her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine agree to join in too. They are ordered to summon the legendary ghost of 'Bloody Mary': say her name five times in front of a candlelit mirror, and she shall appear... But, surprise surprise, nothing happens. Or does it?Next morning, Bobbie finds a message on her bathroom mirror... five days... but what does it mean? And who left it there? Things get increasingly weird and more terrifying for Bobbie and Naya, until it becomes all too clear that Bloody Mary was indeed called from the afterlife that night, and she is definitely not a friendly ghost. Bobbie, Naya and Caine are now in a race against time before their five days are up and Mary comes for them, as she has come for countless others before... A truly spine-chilling yet witty horror from shortlisted 'Queen of Teen' author James Dawson.

    Early in the 20th century, the town was destroyed for the greater good: bringing water to the millions living downstate. Or at least that’s what the politicians from Manhattan insisted at the time. The local families, settled there since America’s founding, were forced from their land, but they didn’t move far, and some didn’t move at all…Now, a century later, the repercussions of human arrogance are finally making themselves known. An inspector assigned to oversee the dam, dangerously neglected for decades, witnesses something inexplicable. It turns out that more than the village was left behind in the waters of the Chill when it was abandoned. The townspeople didn’t evacuate without a fight. A dark prophecy remained, too, and the time has come for it to be fulfilled. Those who remember must ask themselves: who will be next? For sacrifices must be made. And as the dark waters begin to inexorably rise, the demand for a fresh sacrifice emerges from the deep...