Awe meets ache. Terror becomes transcendence. Regret gives way to rebirth. Fifteen short stories and one poem span nearly every twisted corner of the horror and dark fiction genres:A woman experiences an emotional reckoning inside a haunted house. A father sees his daughter rescued after a cold case is solved, only to learn the tragic limits of his love. A man awakens a vengeful spirit and learns the terrible price of settling scores. A boy comes of age into awareness of a secret universe of Lovecraftian scale. A young woman confronts the deathly price of existence inside a German concentration camp during the Holocaust. And much, much more…Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories features the most celebrated voices in dark fiction, as well as a number of exciting, new talents, including: Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Paul Tremblay, John F.D. Taff, Lisa Mannetti, Damien Angelica Walters, Josh Malerman, Christopher Coake, Mercedes M. Yardley, Brian Kirk, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Amanda Gowin, Richard Thomas, Maria Alexander and Kevin Lucia. With a foreword from Cemetery Dance magazine founder Richard Chizmar.

    Smith.Fredegonda, Goneril, and Drusilla are Great Hagges, much more important and much rarer than regular old hags. They think that ghosts these days are decidedly lacking and that people haven't been scared of ghosts for years. So one day they decide that something needs to change - it's time for these ghosts to learn a thing or two about being scary. And what better way to teach them than to set up their very own school for ghosts?

    Offering Gemma a job to decorate his new home means she has to come to him. And on his territory, the Aussie knows he can easily woo her into his bed. But this Westmoreland woman is no pushover. If Callum is to get what he wants—as always—the millionaire just might have to utter those three little words first. A WIFE FOR A WESTMORELAND A Night to Remember… For weeks, Derringer Westmoreland is haunted by memories of a woman whose face he cannot recall. But he wants and needs to share their intense passion again. When he finally tracks down his mystery woman, he is blown away by surprise. Lucia Conyers is his sister-in-law's best friend and his fantastic one-night stand! And she refuses to become one of Derringer's women. For the first time in his charmed life, the rancher has some persuading to do. And if he wants to win Lucia's heart, he must be ready to risk his own….

    Unusually for Agatha Christie it was a horror short story which is not normally associated with the Great Author. The story was retrieved from the Italian Magazine on the 19th June 2013 and is only 9 pages in length. In normal circumstances, nine pages is not enough to justify a printed version of this little known and recently discovered Agatha Christie work. This book attempts to celebrate the fact that a 'new' work by the Great Author has been discovered and the fact that it can be classified as a horror short story adds to what we know about the Great Lady. The book gives some background to the story in addition to faithfully reproducing the actual Italian translation from the magazine. The English translation follows and the ends with further reference to ensure a full understanding of the story.

    While he loved his competitive and elite lifestyle in New York, he craved a quiet life with friends and family more. As Christmas approaches, Trey is excited to decorate his newest venture and participate in the town’s holiday traditions. He never expected to find himself battling Sweet Ridge’s very own Miss Christmas. Game on.The only thing librarian Maggie Watson loves more than books is Christmas. She’s even earned the nickname of Miss Christmas because she decorates shop windows and spreads Christmas cheer around town. But this year she’s got some competition. No way is she going to let the cocky Trey Prentice take away her Christmas crown, even though he makes her heart flutter.When their verbal sparring turns to flirting, Maggie finds there’s more to life than books and Christmas. But will her past insecurities steal her newfound happiness?

    Now, he’s the victim of an experiment gone wrong, struggling with strange new powers and the temptation surrounding them. Conjured flames, magical flight, reading minds and even influencing the emotions of others are all within his grasp, given enough practice and time. Unfortunately, there are others aware of his abilities, each with agendas of their own. Some, like his old mentor, Lucy Wilson, want to help him in well-intentioned, albeit misguided ways. Others, like the mysterious female terrorist known only as the Night Angel, want something else entirely. It’s up to Victor to decide for himself whether Undercliff City is to be a playground, or a battleground.

    From sinister feline mummies to ravenous zombified cars and any and all things in-between, the living dead have returned from their graves, junkyards, and even the war torn skies to haunt the lands of the living. With stories horrific, funny, and weird, Strange Afterlives has a little something for everyone who has ever wondered what terrible secrets could be lurking in that rotting tree or broken toy.Stories included in this anthology:Mouse Trouble by A. Lee MartinezAfter the Invasion by Russell C. ConnorSeated Woman with Child by Rosemary Clement-MooreRoots by Brooke FosseyThe Late Mrs. Buttons by Sally HamiltonAn Undercover Haunting by Kristi HutsonGImme Shelter by David C. Whiteman01001110 by Nik HolmanThe Runner by John BartellNight Witch by Shawn ScarberThe Scavenger Hunt by John Sanders Jr.Strange Afterlives will terrify and amuse. You may never look at a rusted automobile the same way again.

    In The Boggle Hole by Alison Littlewood an ancient folk tale leads to irrevocable loss. In Josh Malerman’s The House of the Head a dollhouse becomes the focus for an incident both violent and inexplicable. And in Speaking Still Ramsey Campbell suggests that beyond death there may be far worse things waiting than we can ever imagine... Numinous, surreal and gut wrenching, New Fears is a vibrant collection showcasing the very best fiction modern horror has to offer.

    Disaster strikes when she finds that she hasn't saved Pete at all, but rather has landed herself a date with a Harley riding bad boy firefighter that makes the dude from Outlander look lame. But try as she might to fight it, soon she's wondering if letting herself burn would really be so bad...Scottish firefighter Bren MacKenzie loves women- all women. But lately they've all started to blur together... that is, until fate throws Marjorie Stewart into his path. He's had a thing for the sexy little redhead for years, but after her accident he kept his distance, sure that she could do better than the likes of him. But now that she's within reach, he's not sure he can resist any longer...WARNING: This book contains the word lassie uttered repeatedly in a Scottish brogue. Known to make panties melt.

    **All profits from the sale of The Rule Breaker Anthology will be donated to AutismSpectrum.org and Austism-Society.orgLife's a gamble and love's a game, but you need to play to win.When all that is forbidden tastes so much sweeter, sometimes you just have to say screw the consequences and follow your heart's desire.So take a chance and bite the apple.After all, rules were made to be broken.

    No man is harder than police chief Theodore Graves, and no man is more determined to keep his uncle's ranch in the family instead of being sold to developers—but one woman might be. The ranch was coowned by Jillian Sanders's uncle, and she's just as resolved to stay on the ranch. The only problem is she and Theodore fight like cats and dogs. And their uncles' wills stipulate that in order to keep the land, they must be married…  FREE BONUS STORY INCLUDED IN THIS VOLUME!  Texas Wild by New York Times bestselling author Brenda Jackson Megan Westmoreland needs answers about her family's past, and Rico Claiborne is the man to find them. But when the truth comes out, will Rico offer her more than a shoulder to lean on?

    Nesbit, Diana Wynne Jones, Gahan Wilson, and other literary luminaries. Sales of Unnatural Creatures benefit 826DC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students in their creative and expository writing, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

    Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn't imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She's not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he's impossible to forget.In one short summer, her entire life changes, and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly... bad things are happening. It's a heady rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil's bargains, she isn't sure who—or what—she can trust. Not even her own mind...

    

    She’s used to being discussed like a problem, a problem her mother has finally passed on to her father. What she hasn’t gotten used to is her stepmother…especially when she finds out that she’ll have to spend the summer with April in the remote woods of Washington to restore a broken-down old house.Set deep in a dense forest, the old Carver House is filled with abandoned antique furniture, rich architectural details, and its own chilling past. The only respite Penny can find away from April’s renovations is in Miller, the young guy who runs the local general store. He’s her only chance at a normal, and enjoyable, summer.But Miller has his own connection to the Carver House, and it’s one that goes beyond the mysterious tapping Penny hears at her window, the handprints she finds smudging the glass panes, and the visions of children who beckon Penny to follow them into the dark woods. Miller’s past just might threaten to become the terror of Penny’s future….