Six brand new contemporary romance novellas by Janette Rallison, Heather B. Moore, Jenny Proctor, Annette Lyon, Heather Tullis, and Sarah M. Eden. A BRUSH WITH THE LAW by Janette RallisonBethany has endured a streak of depressing Valentine’s Days. And this one is turning out no different. Her friend set her up on a blind date—and Bethany can only hope that James will be a decent guy. But it seems the fated day has other plans, and Bethany finds herself in the middle of a comedy of errors that make a blind date with a stranger the least of her problems.EVERY OCCASION by Heather B. MooreWhen Maurie moves back to her hometown to open up her dream shop, she calls a local construction crew for help. Former teenage crush Grant shows up on her front porch, answering the call for the construction job, and Maurie’s memories of her troubled childhood return with full force. When she discovers Grant has a troubled past of his own, Maurie realizes that she might have misjudged him all along.HOLD YOUR BREATH by Jenny ProctorAs Kayla trains for the Olympic swimming trials, she vows to never let another boyfriend get in her way. When she finds out her younger sister’s new high school swim coach is Nate—the guy Kayla had a huge crush on when they were in school together—Kayla realizes that her resolve is weakening. But Kayla isn’t willing to risk giving up her Olympic dream for anyone, not even charming Nate.THE ULTIMATE BACHELOR CHALLENGE by Annette LyonWhen Sam’s long-time boyfriend, Steve, texts that he has something important to ask her on Valentine’s Day, she’s sure that he’s going to propose. Determined to look great for the big day, she hits the all-night laundromat to wash her favorite outfit. When her clothes are chugging away in a machine, Steve calls and pops a question—not one she ever would have expected. Reeling with shock, she’s left facing the holiday alone, unless you count the other person at laundromat, a guy leaning against his own washer, intent on his phone.DEAL BREAKERS by Heather TullisThe last place Colette wants to be stranded is the snowed-in Denver airport, especially when her sister is enduring chemo treatments and needs Colette’s help back home. When Colette runs into another stranded passenger—none other than former college boyfriend Drew—she can’t believe how much he’s changed . . . and hasn’t changed. Drew is still the same amazing guy that Colette was foolish enough to blow off for someone else. By the time she’d realized her mistake all those years ago, Drew’s heart had been too broken to give her a second chance. Now Colette can only hope that she can work her way back into his heart.HEY, HELEN! by Sarah M. EdenOn the surface, Helen seems to have her life figured out. Her advice column, Hey, Helen!, is gaining more readers every week. She regularly hangs out with the guy next door, laughing and chatting over pizza and work. But when her feelings for her handsome neighbor begin tiptoeing toward something more than friendship, Helen can’t help hoping Neil might feel the same way. Between her own uncertainties, his friend-zone treatment of her, and a pair of loudly interfering parents, Hey, Helen! could use a little advice in love.

    In the mist.An apprentice mortician moves his family to the small town of Sotherton to provide them with a better life. Little did he know the dark secret the town and its people harbored. The town sat on the edge of a mist-shrouded forest with a deadly secret. Something lives in the trees, in the mist and it’s jealous. Jealous of all those who have flesh.Disembodied is a preview story from the author’s upcoming collection Creatures and Crypts due out in late 2011. Creatures of the living and the dead gather in a volume of over 70,000 words to stalk their prey…humans. 20 stories set the scene for a cast ranging from the Grim Reaper, shambling zombies and restless spirits, to unimaginable monsters that only inhabit the shapeless darkness and the author’s imagination. Join them as they wreak havoc on their unsuspecting victims and celebrate with a victory dance on hollowed bones.

    This new collection of stories from the multi-award-winning author of Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog contains:A Letter from the ClearysAt the RialtoDeath on the NileThe Soul Selects Her own SocietyFire WatchInside JobEven the QueenThe Winds of Marble ArchAll Seated on the GroundLast of the WinnebagosTen stories - which have all won the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award or both - are compulsory reading for the serious science fiction fan.

    Kevin Brockmeier's fiction has always explored the space between the fantastical and the everyday with profundity and poignancy. As in his previous books, The Ghost Variations discovers new ways of looking at who we are and what matters to us, exploring how mysterious, sad, strange, and comical it is to be alive--or, as it happens, not to be.