Sometimes, when they’re lucky enough, it’s to find a mate…a sweet, human mate…since shifter females are in such short supply. Untethered Winston wishes it was his turn to find a partner because he’s done with all the screwing around. Done with all the meaningless one-night-stands. He might head into town, when it’s his turn, but he’s staying far away from temptation. He’ll wait until his name comes up on the mating list and then he’ll settle down. His good intentions are blown to hell when he meets Ana, a timid female struggling with an event from her past. Who is this beautiful creature? This broken, sad shadow of herself. Winston promises to help her. Hell, they’ll help each other. He might have vowed celibacy but he’s not dead. Not by a long damn shot. This way, he can spend time with a beautiful female without any expectations and in return, he’ll help her get over her fears. Problem is though, friends should not be this attracted to one another. They definitely shouldn’t be this intrigued by each other. Keeping his hands off of her is becoming an impossibility. Will he be able to let her go when the time comes? Thing is, he’s not so sure anymore. Unbound It all started with a dare. One little dare. Just a string of silly words that landed Alice smack bang in the middle of the ‘Dark Horse’ bar surrounded by utter chaos. Like most pick-up joints, the place is a meat market, but on steroids. The guys aren’t just simply guys, they’re shifters. Taller, bigger…hot damn…talk about jaw on the floor gorgeous. She can’t help but stare, back pressed against the wall, eyes wide, blood coursing just a little faster through her veins. That’s when he arrives. Impossibly big and brooding, seeming to look right through her with those dark eyes. She’s so tempted to leave with him, to let him make good on all of those dirty promises. Problem is, he’s just so annoyingly arrogant. Why does she feel like she’s punishing herself when she walks out…alone? Ash watches in shock as the human turns and leaves. No female has ever turned him down. Not. Ever. He can scent that she wants him, so why is she denying her basic needs? Try as he might, he can’t stop thinking about her…about what she would look like under him. Cheeks flushed, eyes glassy, biting down on her lip as she… Ash decides that he has to have her. She’s awakened the hunter in him and he knows just where to find her. Just one time - he’ll give her exactly what she needs - and then he’ll be out of her life forever. He’s not looking for a mate, definitely not looking for love. Unfortunately, he’s about to find out that just once with this particular female might not be enough. Unchained Long ago Gage failed at love. He recently failed the human female he'd been assigned to protect. Now, the Alphas have clearly lost their ever-loving minds because they’ve given him the same duty a second time. Well, he isn’t going to take the mission. He’ll bring the human to the village, as instructed, and then she’ll become someone else’s problem.

    There are children—those who victimize, and those who are victims. There are supernatural horrors, psychological terrors, nourish dark fantasies, and downright weird fictions.   Featuring Nathan Ballingrud, Laird Barron, Pat Cadigan, Siobhan Carroll, Terry Dowling, Brian Evenson, Gemma Files, Jeffrey Ford, Carole Johnstone, Stephen Graham Jones, Caitlín R Kiernan, John Langan, Catherine MacLeod, Helen Marshall, Bruce McAllister, Gary McMahon, Garth Nix, Robert Shearman, Michael Marshall Smith, and Kaaron Warren.   Come on in, and make yourself a cozy little nook in the dark, and enjoy.

    Now, enter this visionary world - the merciless realm of the demonic Cenobites - in this collection of stories inspired by The Hellbound Heart.Featured here is the graphic work "Wordsworth," from bestselling author Neil Gaiman and artist Dave McKean, who unlock an explicit way to violate innocence - one torturous puzzle at a time.... New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong logs on to a disturbing website for gamers, where the challenge is agonizing, and the solution beyond painful. When his father disappears, an Oxford student returns to his family's mansion, where a strange mechanism in the cellar holds a curious power, in a haunting illustrated work by Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola.

     Penric’s Demon: On the way to his betrothal, young Lord Penric happens upon a riding accident and stops to help. But the victim is a Temple divine, servant to the five gods of this world. Her avowed god is The Bastard, “master of all disasters out of season.” As she lies dying, she passes her strange powers to Penric—and changes the course of his life forever. Penric and the Shaman: Now a divine of the Bastard’s Order as well as a sorcerer and scholar, Penric must accompany a Locator of the Father’s Order assigned to capture a runaway shaman charged with the murder of his best friend. Penric’s Fox: When Penric—sorcerer, scholar, and divine in the Bastard’s Order—travels to Easthome, the capital of the Weald, he once again finds himself embroiled in a mystery. The body of a sorceress has been found in the woods, and it is up to Penric and his friends, Shaman Inglis and Locator Oswyl, to unravel a mystery mixing magic, murder, and the strange realities of Temple demons.  About Penric's Demon: “A novella filled with a satisfying blend of strong characters and wry humor.”—Publishers Weekly About Lois McMaster Bujold: "The pace is breathless, the characterization thoughtful and emotionally powerful, and the author's narrative technique and command of language compelling. Highly recommended."—Booklist "If you love solid space opera rooted in strong character, you can't go wrong . . . The Warrior's Apprentice already displays the craft and the heart which would soon make Lois McMaster Bujold one of the most feted talents in SF."—SF Reviews “Bujold is adept at worldbuilding and provides a witty, character-centered plot, full of exquisite grace notes . . . fans will be thoroughly gripped and likely to finish the book in a single sitting.”—Publishers Weekly on Diplomatic Immunity

    Both are newly-weds; Dulcie has a baby girl and Fran is expecting a baby. But there the similarities end.Fran is a Detroit city girl enjoying modern conveniences. Dulcie is a pineapple farmer’s wife enduring the extremes of Australia. Bushfires, floods, cyclones, droughts, dingo attacks and accidents are all too common. Regardless, Dulcie’s optimism shines through, revealing her love of the land and fascination for the wild creatures that share her corner of Queensland.Each book purchased will help support Careflight, an Australian aero-medical charity that attends emergencies, however remote.

    Desperate to win back his father’s approval, the boy hatches a plan involving his father’s love of slasher films. If the boy can become a real-life slasher right out of the movies, it just might be an opportunity to make his father proud again, no matter what the cost.In Iain Rob Wright’s “The Reckoning,” the year is 2035 and people live inside their individual worlds. Amelie’s ‘pod’ is a marvel of tech-centric existence, taking care of her every need. But when a serial killer that the press have named ’The Reckoning’ comes calling for Amelie, her futuristic living space turns deadly.In William Malmborg's "Billy's Blade," a budding serial killer bites off more than he can chew when he tries to stab Stacy Collins to death on the Prairie Path. A ruthless investigative journalist, Stacy goes on the offensive, goading the killer with unflattering articles, all in hopes of sparking a second encounter. Will Billy and Stacy meet again?Jeff Strand’s “Twentieth Anniversary Screening” recounts the grisly events surrounding the terrible slasher flick THE ROOFER, remembered only because an obsessed fan tried to reenact the murders as they played out on the screen. When the same theater shows the film twenty years later, will the warnings that this is a really, really bad idea be justified?

    Each installment is written from Hunt's point of view by well-known authors. Original.

    

    BeckettNOVELETS"Visible Cities" by Rachel Pollack"Broken Wings" by William LedbetterSHORT STORIES"The Phobos Experience" by Mary Robinette Kowal"The Prevaricator" by Matthew Hughes"The Queen of the Peri Takes Her Time" by Corey Flintoff"The Adjunct" by Cassandra Rose Clarke"Bedtime Story" by James Sallis"Morbier" by R.S. Benedict"Hainted" by Ashley BloomsPOEMS"Red Rising" by Mary Soon LeeDEPARTMENTS"Books to Look For" by Charles de Lint"Musing on Books" by Michelle West"Science: Why Do Kites Fly?" by Jerry Oltion"Films: In the Queue" by David J. Skal"Coming Attractions""Curiosities" by Paul Di FilippoCARTOONSNick Downes, Bill Long, Danny Shanahan,COVER"Big Mars" by Bob Eggleton

    Tyra went from dating deadbeats to dating athletes. But living the good life came at a price.... "The Skeletons In My Closet" By: LaShonda DeVaughn, Author of A Hood Chick's Story I & II - They say in order to receive true and real love, we must all take chances. Will Kenneth end up being the real deal? Or will Rita end up regretting her decision in courting a young thug? "Taking Chances" By: Mimi Renee, Author of Deadly Decisions and Pretty Bright - Despite years of women playing games to take her husband away from her, Jai was determined to hold on. Her best friend questions why she puts up with his infidelity. Jai reasons: It's just Something In His Backstroke. "Something In His Backstroke" By: Tysha - Author of The Boss...the story of a female hustler - Fairytales should all have happy endings. Unfortunately, in Zoe's world each ending comes with a tale of lies... "Sleeping With The Enemy" By: Kaie Golson

    The stories are distortions. They were created to keep the Church of Midnight hidden from the world. Every October 31st a gateway opens to a hostile land of sacrificial magic and chaos. Since the beginning of civilization the Church of Midnight has attempted to open the gateway and unite with its other half, the Church of Morning. Each year they've come closer, waiting for the ideal sacrifice to open the gateway permanently.This year that sacrifice has come. And only two can protect it. Martin and Teresa are the nomads, battle-hardened people who lack identity and are forever road-bound on an endless mission to guard the sacrifice. Their only direction is from notes left from a mysterious person called the Messenger. Endowed with a strange telekinetic power, the nomads will use everything at their disposal to make it through the night alive. But matters have become even more complicated this year. Teresa has quickly lost ground battling cancer, while Martin has spiraled into a panic over being left alone. His mind may no longer be on the fight when it matters most... because ever on their heels is the insidious physical representation of a united church: Chaplain Cloth.***BRAM STOKER AWARD WINNER, Superior Achievement in First Novel***

    Beagle, Elizabeth Bear, Jay Lake, Ian McDonald, Sarah Monette, Garth Nix, and Patrick Rothfuss.

    For years his prepper father had warned him that it was only a matter of time; that eventually someone would be crazy enough to push the button and plunge the US into the darkness. Shep thought he was prepared for the chaos to come. He thought he knew exactly what to do. He was wrong. Abi Ross had no idea when she boarded her train from D.C. to Charlotte that her July 4th was about to go off the rails, literally. She had no clue that she'd soon find herself stranded in rural Virginia, injured and alone, awaiting a rescue that would never come. Could you survive with nothing but the contents of your pockets? When the lights flicker out for the last time Jim and Abi will find out if they have what it takes to survive, stripped of the bubble wrap and cotton wool of modern society. How far will they go to keep breathing? Who will they save? Who will they leave behind to die? And what will they do when they learn that the attack has only just begun? AMERICA DARK is the first book of the Willow Falls EMP survival series, a thrilling tale of what's to come: a war against an enemy the United States is woefully ill-prepared to face. AMERICA DARK was previously published in 2017 as PULSE, book one of the Little Rocket Man series. Praise for PULSE: In one word: terrifying. If you weren't already afraid of the prospect of an EMP attack from North Korea... well, you soon will be. From page one you get the impression that this is something that not only COULD happen but something that WILL happen. I've no idea of the actual danger of an EMP attack, but the author makes me feel like we've been lucky to survive this long without one. -- BroadHorizons I'm not a worrier at heart, but reading this gave me the chills. I don't want to give away any of the plot but the buildup to the EMP attack really does feel as if it could happen in real life. In this respect I found Pulse very similar to my favorite Keith Taylor novel, This is the Way the World Ends, which explained the buildup to a zombie apocalypse in such incredible detail that I read most of the book while hiding behind my couch. --Chasmmm When I started reading the chapter about the North Koreans ceasing their nuclear program and asking for face to face peace talks with the U.S., I really wondered if this came straight out of a current newspaper or CNN. Spooky! The realistic possibility of the North Koreans hitting us with an EMP has been on my mind a lot lately. I know you had to have written this months ago, but the fact that your fiction has become fact, at least so far, makes the whole story all the more prophetic and too real. --Kindle Customer

    Here is Marcel Proust starting In Search of Lost Time and Virginia Woolf scribbling in the margin of her own writing, "Is it nonsense, or is it brilliance?" Fictional events that take place within beloved books are also included: the birth of Harry Potter's enemy Draco Malfoy, the blood-soaked prom in Stephen King's Carrie.A Reader's Book of Days is filled with memorable and surprising tales from the lives and works of Martin Amis, Jane Austen, James Baldwin, Roberto Bolano, the Bronte sisters, Junot Diaz, Philip K. Dick, Charles Dickens, Joan Didion, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Keats, Hilary Mantel, Haruki Murakami, Flannery O'Connor, Orhan Pamuk, George Plimpton, Marilynne Robinson, W. G. Sebald, Dr. Seuss, Zadie Smith, Susan Sontag, Hunter S. Thompson, Leo Tolstoy, David Foster Wallace, and many more. The book also notes the days on which famous authors were born and died; it includes lists of recommended reading for every month of the year as well as snippets from book reviews as they appeared across literary history; and throughout there are wry illustrations by acclaimed artist Joanna Neborsky.Brimming with nearly 2,000 stories, A Reader's Book of Days will have readers of every stripe reaching for their favorite books and discovering new ones.

    In the Spring of 1997, a serial killer held Nashville, Tennessee in an icy grip of terror. In February, he murdered two employees at a Captain D's restaurant. In March, he struck a McDonalds just miles away, killing three people and maiming one. In April, he kidnapped and slaughtered two Baskin-Robbins employees.They called him "The Fast Food Killer" but his real name is Paul Dennis Reid, Jr. When he was caught and sentenced to seven death sentences, yet a new chapter began in the saga of one of the most heinous serial killers in our time, and the people whose lives he cut short. The victims were reduced to being called "the victims of Paul Reid." Until now. Here, for the first time, and with the approval of the family and friends, are the stories of those innocent, young people whose lives were ended far too soon. It is also the story of how a crime ripped a city apart.