One is the main course of dinner, another the porn star contracted to copulate in space for a reality TV show. They become futuristic ant farms, get knocked up by the star high school quarterback and have secret abortions, use parakeets to reverse amputations, make love to garden gnomes, go into air conditioning ducts to confront their mother’s ghost, and do so in settings that range from Hell to the local white-supremacist bowling alley.

    As a literary subject, Christmas has inspired everything from intimate domestic dramas to fanciful flights of the imagination, and the full range of its expression is represented in this wonderfully engaging anthology. Goblins frolic in the graveyard of an early Dickens tale and a love-struck ghost disrupts a country estate in Elizabeth Bowen’s “Green Holly.” The plight of the less fortunate haunts Chekhov’s “Vanka” and Willa Cather’s “The Burglar’s Christmas” but takes a boisterously comic turn in Damon Runyon’s “Dancing Dan’s Christmas” and in John Cheever’s “Christmas Is a Sad Season for the Poor.” From Vladimir Nabokov’s intensely moving story of a father’s grief in “Christmas” to Truman Capote’s hilarious yet heartbreaking “A Christmas Memory,” from Grace Paley’s Jewish girl starring in the Christmas pageant in “The Loudest Voice” to the dysfunctional family ski holiday in Richard Ford’s “Crèche”—each of the stories gathered here is imbued with Christmas spirit (of one kind or another), and all are richly and indelibly entertaining.TABLE OF CONTENTSCharles DickensThe Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton(from The Pickwick Papers)Nikolai GogolThe Night Before ChristmasArthur Conan DoyleThe Blue CarbuncleAnthony TrollopeChristmas at Thompson HallLeo TolstoyWhere Love is, God isAnton CheckhovVankaWilla CatherThe Burglar's ChristmasO. HenryA Chapparal Christmas GiftSaki (H.H. Munro)Reginald's Christmas RevelVladimir NabokovChristmasDamon RunyonDancing Dan's ChristmasEvelyn WaughBella Fleace Gave a PartyElizabeth BowenGreen HollyJohn CheeverChristmas is a Sad Season for the PoorTruman CapoteA Christmas MemoryJohn UpdikeThe Carol SingMuriel SparkChristmas FugueGrace PaleyThe Loudest VoiceAlice MunroThe Turkey SeasonRichard FordCreche

    At first, he’s skeptical. How could a gritty dive bar possibly solve his problems? But then he runs into Nora McHale.Nora isn’t at the bar looking for love. She’s there to unwind after yet another exhausting day at her bakery. And even if she were hoping to meet someone, it sure wouldn’t be Cooper—her best friend’s ex-husband.According to the unwritten rules of romance, Cooper and Nora are completely off limits to each other. But after a fun, flirty night at the bar, they can’t ignore the wild attraction between them.Is this the beginning of something real, or will their passionate night together be their one and only?

    This anthology won't last long. Grab it while it's HOT! Kristin Miller - The Bad Boy Meets his MatchWhen lingerie-store owner Cora Brennan plans a getaway at a quaint mountain retreat, she never expects to reunite with the playboy she spent a memorable night with in college. Can they finally admit their true feelings for each other before love is lost to them again? Claudy Conn - Collide & BurnCharlie knows when she first sees Wade Devon that he istrouble. Wade likes to win. It is what he does and he wants her...no strings attached. She has to ask herself, should she, or shouldn't she. Melanie James - Snowflakes, Exes, and OhsWith two men vying for her affection, Abbie's heart is torn between the two. One has always been there for her, no matter what. The other left when she needed him the most. Mindy Klasky - Fly Me to the MoonLexi thinks she's recovered from the fire that burned her years ago. But when she falls for PTSD-ridden army veteran Finn, she learns how deep some scars can be. Holly S. Roberts - RuckVan, one of the best players in rugby and the hottest player between the sheets is looking for a holiday miracle. His brother won the girl and Van's heart is broken. Could the gift of a lifetime be his for the taking or will this bad boy ruck it up again? Stephanie Rowe - Wrapped Up In You Can the Christmas magic of a coastal Maine island heal two broken souls when a winter storm strands them together? Diane Rinella - It's A Marshmallow WorldOne Christmas, Darla was given a mystical gift, along with an ominous message. Years later, meeting Chris puts her head in a spin. Could it be that gift from long ago holds the key to their happiness? Kate Angell - Snow One Like YouA Vermont Christmas Eve blizzard forces Allie to close Hartley's General Store. Her best friend Rhys arrives by snowmobile, not wanting her to endure the snowstorm alone. A playful kiss under the mistletoe warms more than their hearts. Kimberly Kincaid - Play MeSophie Drayton has seen enough of the wild life to know that Emilio Barrett is bad news. But the sexy stripper has secrets of his own. Will Sophie's past come back to haunt her, or will Emilio prove that a bad boy can be also be a good man? J.D.Tyler - One Last MiracleAfter a case gone horribly wrong, FBI Agent Mark McClendon retreats to his late grandfather's isolated cabin, determined to escape his pain. He's completely unprepared to find himself falling for his pretty new neighbor--but when the past comes gunning for him, Mark's newfound love may mean the difference between a second tragedy and a holiday miracle. Robin Covington - When You Open Your EyesWar tore Gabe and Ellie apart and three years later, he's almost given up any hope that she'll come back to him. When she returns just before the holidays, he wants nothing more for the damaged, stubborn woman he loves to stay forever but she's ready to run as soon as the gifts are opened. Chased by her nightmares, Gabe's only hope of keeping Ellie is to convince her that he'll be there when she opens her eyes. Suzanne Ferrell- Close To The MistletoeWhen teacher Holly Murphy walks into Westen's only bar to help her friend celebrate a divorce, she doesn't expect hot carpenter Nick Fisher to save her from an embarrassing situation. His heated kisses awakens something deep inside her, but when someone sets his sights on Holly, will Nick be the one to protect her close to the mistletoe? Kathy Ivan - Yours For The HolidaysAt her hospital's annual Bachelor Auction, event organizer, Dr. Alanna Reeves, is blindsided when the tables are turned and Blake Donovan offers a huge donation--for her! Can a trip to Florida for the holidays help them discover their true feelings or drive them apart forever? Selena Laurence - Prince of the PressMarcus Ambrose, the newest face in political media, is one hot ticket. But when he meets his brother's down-to-earth secretary Renee, his own heart takes a knock. Can Marcus's famous 'full-court press' convince the woman of his dreams to take a shot at love? Jennie Marts - Worth the Shot Addison Cavanaugh had one rule: Do not date hockey players. So kissing the newest trade to her dad's teamshould have been off-limits--even if he is hot enough to melt the ice. Is the new player worth the shot or is she is risking her heart in a game she can't possibly win? Teri Riggs - Finding True's LoveSix months after True's last boss viciously attacked her, she's ready to take her therapist's advice and go back into the work force. She wants her life to be normal again and working for another man will be a giant step towards that goal. Nick has been betrayed by a pretty face for the last time and has sworn off relationships. Or so he thought until the day his new assistant, True Kelly, walked into his office. Jennifer Theriot - Unwrapping NoelNoel Calabrese hates Christmas as much as she hates her life. While in the Napa Valley on a business trip, she meets Leon Hallas. Could this sexy, silver fox be her ticket to happiness? MJ Fredrick - Bluestone ChristmasCome back to Bluestone, Minnesota for Christmas, where single mom Willow Branson has moved from Texas to make a home with her daughter. But moving from a Texas winter to a Minnesota one is more challenging than she expected, and handsome handyman Chase Granzer is more than happy to help her adapt...and keep her warm. Deb Julienne - All I Want For Christmas Rafe Donnelly hates everything to do with the holidays. Ali Sanders is a single mother, juggling two jobs and missing most of her son's childhood. Who knew a little boy's Santa wish could change so many lives?

    This anthology will benefit a children's hospital in the Florida area where the 2016 Authors in the City book signing will be held. Authors in the City is hosted by Stephanie's Book Reports.Waiting for Midnight - Samantha ChaseMaddie’s wishing for a little holiday magic with her sexy neighbor Noah.White Christmas - AJ HarmonLisa, a happy and well-adjusted 14 year old, decides that it’s time to meet her birth parents.April and Erik haven’t seen each other since high school graduation 12 years ago. How will they react when they are both invited to a Halloween party? They are about to come face to face with the past they are both still trying to forget. This heart-warming novella celebrates family, acceptance and forgiveness, as hearts are healed and new bonds formed.Holiday With Holli - S.M. DonaldsonHolli and Zack have despised each other their entire lives. A trip home for the holidays makes them pose the question… Can a few hot moments make it possible for these two to de-frost their old relationship and start a new one?One Hot Christmas - A.D. JusticeWhen rock stars have too much time on their hands, they naturally turn to one thing...having a good time. A girlfriend. An ex-girlfriend. A best friend. A matchmaker. Four rock stars on tour. Plans are bound to backfire, but when they go right, it creates One Hot Christmas.Nick - AM MaddenA one-night stand that broke all the rules. It was supposed to be one night. It was supposed to be meaningless--with no emotion. Just desire and passion. But it was so much more... By definition, a one-night stand is simply a sexual encounter lasting only a single night. Meaningless, mindless, detached fornication without an expectation of further relations. Each party then resumes their lives as if never having met the other. On a snowy night in Chicago, Nick and Angela had a one-night stand…and rewrote the definition.Coming Home - Taryn PlendiShe wanted a one night stand. He wanted more. Iowa winters can be brutally cold, but when Ella Marks and Matteo Lazos get together, the results are sizzling. When life is up in the air, sometimes coming home for the holidays is the only way to find solid ground.Tangled in Tinsel - Mariah DietzChristmas is in three days, and I have eight states to cross before I get home. Mother Nature and kismet have joined forces in an attempt to ruin this holiday season as flights across the East Coast have been canceled due to a snowstorm. I hate traveling nearly as much as I hate the snow.How is kismet involved, you ask? Carter O’Brien is trying to get home as well. Do you know what I hate more than snow and traveling? Carter O’Brien.Stay Awhile - Gia RileyGarrett Kristoff’s living the life he’s always wanted, yet something’s missing. As a well-respected surgeon, he’s seen it all. But even he isn’t prepared for his next case. Should he tempt fate or play it safe? There’s too much on the line to get it wrong. Megan Campbell’s married to her high school sweetheart. Their entire world revolves around their beautiful little girl. But seven years into their marriage, tragedy strikes, revealing her husband’s secrets. Life can change in the blink of an eye. Will Megan hold onto the only man she's ever loved, or accept the truth that will change her world forever? This Christmas, they could all use a miracle.White Midnight - Shari J. RyanChristmas isn’t the same anymore, but at least I still have my little tree and the two unopened gifts that will forever haunt me. That’s what Christmas is to me now—sadness and bad luck. But then I met Bex in the middle of a blizzard in the mountains of New Hampshire (Did I mention I’m from Florida?). A chance encounter with this ruggedly good-looking mountain-man might just make me question how bad my luck really is. A Holiday Discovery - Ellie KeysMaria, a reporter, is in the center of a big story while on a trip. The decision: adventurous holiday or career goldmine?Christmas Letters - Christina BenjaminRae has never loved Christmas much. Bouncing from place to place in the foster system didn’t afford her very fond holiday memories. This Christmas is proving to be one of her most difficult yet when she starts to receive mysterious letters counting down the 12 days until Christmas. At first she thinks the letters are just a prank, but whoever is sending them knows startling details about her life and most recent failed relationship. Will the clues from the cryptic letters leave her broken hearted or could this be the Christmas miracle she’s been waiting for?All I Want for Christmas - Misha ElliottAll Adrianna Lutz wants is for the holidays to be over. This year an unexpected prize sends her to the Caribbean with her best friend, brother and an unexpected guest. The boy who was once the bane of her existence. Seeing him face to face brings back unwanted feelings. To Eric Wayne, Adrianna was nothing more than the annoying little sister of his best friend—until the night they shared an amazing kiss. Now she’s all grown up and all he wants is her. Will time in paradise with Eric be what she needs to bring back the holiday spirit?Repairing Christmas - Sidonia RoseThe presents are wrapped, the semester is finishing up, and it’s almost time for Christmas.Christmas has always been the same, quiet and cozy at home. Miranda is changing things and spending this Christmas with her boyfriend, until he becomes her ex-boyfriend and breaks their plans. Christmas for Glenn is about family and their annual holiday party. Until he meets Miranda and discovers that some things don’t have to be broken to be fixed.Finding Christmas - Elizabeth Hayes & Ashlee TaylorChristmas hi-jinks & practical jokes are all fun and games until someone's water breaks.

    However, most of the individual stories will be released separately. **Twelve bestselling and award-winning authors each bring you a sexy night of romance, fun and a little magic. ‘Tis the season for falling for the right guy!Two people stuck in an elevator, snowed in, on an all-night bus trip, locked in a store... Can a magical fruitcake be the special ingredient they're all looking for? **‘Tis the season for giving, too!**20% of the proceeds will be donated to the hunger relief organization Feeding America December 25: “Scrooge You” by MK SchillerChristmas is the worse time of the year for Eva. It’s nothing but a reminder of her tragic past. To make matters worse, her boyfriend invites his entire family over…so she goes into total Scrooge mode.When three ghosts visit her, will she be able to remember the joy in her heart and the true meaning of Christmas?December 26: “Unexpected Daddy” by Gemma BrocatoShe let him go to pursue his dreams without telling him she was pregnant. Five years later, he’s back in town and her secret’s out. Can they get over past hurts to seize a future for their small family?December 27: “The Meant to Be Girl” by Tawdra KandleWhen Ashley Webbar meets Zane Fletcher, the new lawyer in Burton, it's insta-lust . . . but she soon realizes he's already smitten with someone else, even if Zane himself doesn't seem to know it.Ashley is so busy matchmaking that she might miss out on her own happily-ever-after . . . if something or someone doesn't intervene first. This just might call for a Christmas miracle.December 28: “For One Night Only” by Carrie ElksWhen two strangers are stranded at a rest stop in the middle of Nowheresville—thank you, Mr. Bus Driver—they’re forced to spend the night together. Not that it’s exactly a hardship, thanks to the sizzling chemistry between them. But when morning, and rescue, comes, they both find themselves asking one question. Will they see each other again, or was their connection for one night only?December 29: “Best Friends for a Night” by Alice GainesEvery year, Steve has been cheering up his army buddy’s widow with popcorn and zany movies on the anniversary of her husband’s death. Will a little holiday magic make Steve and Hannah more than friends?December 30: “Entwined” by Kristi RoseDonovan survived combat, but can he survive being stranded over Christmas with the girl of his dreams? He swore he’d stay away from his best friend’s kid sister years ago, but after a near-death helicopter crash, this sailor knows second chances don't come around often. Loving Bailey would mean risking not only his friendship but his heart. And that would be one wound that would never heal.December 31: “Rekindled” by Stacy FinzThe last place Branna and Drex want to spend New Year’s Eve is stuck on a broken-down elevator, together. They’ve finally put their divorce behind them and don’t want to open old wounds. But fate and a fruitcake step in, making them question whether love could be better the second time around. January 1: “New Year’s Negotiation” by Kate AllentonWhen Detective Elizabeth Cross’s high school crush and star of all of her what-ifs shows up at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve ready to take her on a trip down memory lane, she’ll have to decide if this is a second chance at having her happily ever after or the start of another broken heart.January 2: “Playing House” by Kim GoldenCassie Delk isn’t having the best holiday season. With her ex-husband about to get remarried, she’s not very excited about still being single. The last thing she expects is for a second chance at love to turn up on her doorstep.January 3: “Book of Love” by Cd BrennanHey, wait a minute, Mr. Postman! Where's your Christmas spirit?Nothing infuriates Melanie more than the one-armed, ex-army hunk who chucks her mail at her book shop door. When Nick delivers a special package at the end of the day, she's ready to give him what for. Except a blizzard strands them together, and the fruitcake delivery sparks magic between them instead. Now, Melanie isn't sure what she wants to give him—a piece of her mind or all of her heart.January 4: “A Winter Wonderland” by Rebecca HunterComing face-to-face with her first love after ten years is a reminder of everything Selena left behind when she moved from Delilah’s Cove. And an evening with Jace is even more dangerous when mixed with a little magic… January 5: “Wild Honey” by Sarah HeggerTwo people who couldn’t be more different. One elevator, a dark and stormy night, and a magical, bourbon-laced fruitcake. What could go right?

    Hand selected from cutting-edge authors, each work blends subtle psychology and mischievousness with disturbingly visceral imagery. In the classic "Chattery Teeth,” Stephen King provides a tautly drawn account of a traveling salesman who unwisely picks up yet another hitchhiker, while in Peter Straub’s eerie "The Juniper Tree," a man whose nostalgia for the movies of his childhood leads to his stolen innocence. Renowned fantasy author George R. R. Martin weaves a sinister yarn about a young woman encountering a neighbor who is overly enamored with her in "The Pear-Shaped Man." Combining acclaimed masters of the macabre, such as Clive Barker, Poppy Z. Brite, and Thomas Ligotti, with bold new talents to the genre, including Kelly Link, Neil Gaiman, and Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill, this distinctive collection of stories will delight and terrify.Contents "Jacqueline Ess: Her Will And Testament" by Clive Barker "Dancing Chickens" by Edward Bryant "The Greater Festival of Masks" by Thomas Ligotti "The Pear-Shaped Man" by George R. R. Martin "The Juniper Tree" by Peter Straub "Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds" by Dan Simmons "The Power and the Passion" by Pat Cadigan "The Phone Woman" by Joe R. Lansdale "Teratisms" by Kathe Koja "Chattery Teeth" by Stephen King "A Little Night Music" by Lucius Shepard "Calcutta, Lord of Nerves" by Poppy Z. Brite "The Erl King" by Elizabeth Hand "The Dog Park" by Dennis Etchison "Rain Falls" by Michael Marshall Smith "Refrigerator Heaven" by David J. Schow "----" by Joyce Carol Oates "Eaten (Scenes from a Moving Picture)" by Neil Gaiman "The Specialist’s Hat" by Kelly Link "The Tree is My Hat" by Gene Wolfe "Heat" by Steve Rasnic Tem "No Strings" by Ramsey Campbell "Stitch" by Terry Dowling "Dancing Men" by Glen Hirshberg "My Father’s Mask" by Joe Hill

    Taff, the "King of Pain," to the mind-bending surrealism of Erik T. Johnson, the darkly poetic prose of J. Daniel Stone and the transgressive mania of Joe Schwartz, I CAN TASTE THE BLOOD offers up five novellas from five unique authors whose work consistently expands the boundaries of conventional fiction. Five Disturbing Visions I CAN TASTE THE BLOOD opens the doors to a movie theater of the damned; travels the dusty, sin-drenched desert with an almost Biblical mysterious stranger; recounts the phantasmagoric story of birth, death and rebirth; contracts a hit that's not at all what it seems; and exposes the disturbing possibilities of what might be killing Smalltown, U.S.A. One Nightmare As diverse as they are, in voice and vision, the work of the five celebrated authors assembled in this stunning volume of terror share one common theme, one hideous and terrifying nightmare that can only be contained within the pages of I CAN TASTE THE BLOOD.

    Even Emma and Andrew’s elder daughter—who is usually off saving the world—will be joining them at Weyfield Hall, their aging country estate. But Olivia, a doctor, is only coming home because she has to. Having just returned from treating an epidemic abroad, she’s been told she must stay in quarantine for a week…and so too should her family. For the next seven days, the Birches are locked down, cut off from the rest of humanity—and even decent Wi-Fi—and forced into each other’s orbits. Younger, unabashedly frivolous daughter Phoebe is fixated on her upcoming wedding, while Olivia deals with the culture shock of being immersed in first-world problems. As Andrew sequesters himself in his study writing scathing restaurant reviews and remembering his glory days as a war correspondent, Emma hides a secret that will turn the whole family upside down. In close proximity, not much can stay hidden for long, and as revelations and long-held tensions come to light, nothing is more shocking than the unexpected guest who’s about to arrive…

    For Ellen Wilder, editor of the local newspaper, the gruesome killing is as disturbing as the irrational fears that have suddenly woven themselves into her mind and left her doubting her own sanity. For state police detective Michael Chandler, whose haunting near-death experience has left him with an uncanny way of sensing things, the murder is only a hint of what is to come.But nothing could have prepared either of them for the return of Franny Corbett. A hulking child of a man and the blackest sheep in a family of black sheep, his eerie presence may have ushered in all of these bizarre and frightening events. Soon the town of Wiltshire will be shaken again. For in a car sunk beneath the surface of a glimmering blue lake, floats another body. And the killing has just begun....

    right?

     Hit the road with this anthology of trucking horror fiction!

    Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected — and most popular — of its kind. The Best American Short Stories 2011 includes Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Megan Mayhew Bergman, Jennifer Egan, Nathan Englander, Allegra Goodman, Ehud Havazelet, Rebecca Makkai, Steven Millhauser, George Saunders, Mark Slouka, and others

    Offering up heart-pumping tales of suspense in all its guises are thirty-two of the most critically acclaimed and award-winning names in the business. From the signature characters that made such authors as David Morrell and John Lescroart famous to four of the hottest new voices in the genre, this blockbuster will tantalize and terrify.Lock the doors, draw the shades, pull up the covers and be prepared for Thriller to keep you up all night.

    'Tis the season for mischief and matchmaking!A Family for Christmas by Jean BrashearNASCAR crew chief Gib Cameron gets a crash course in life's little surprises when he sees his first love, Cassie Wheeler.Just what - or who - has she been keeping under wraps?