He wants her to take an active role in the family business. But she's not interested in his schemes for world domination. Instead she wants to spend her time shopping on the Internet, rescuing humans from a horrific eternity, and practicing martial arts with her seven foot hellhound. Then one day everything changes. Here's the first part of her story about how it all began. (6,155 words)

    As much as she loves her husband, Frank, Wendy married "Mr. Vanilla." Now she reads nothing but erotic romance on her Kindle and fantasizes about having sex with fictional characters, complete strangers, and tattooed rock stars.Sometimes even the T.V. weatherman looks good.One fateful day however, her husband grabs the wrong Kindle on the way to work, and discovers some of Wendy's more "interesting' fantasies. Unbeknownst to Wendy, Frank is very keen to fulfil every one of her secret desires.

    That is, his specialty is opening safes. Every job is a little mystery, and he has yet to encounter a lock he can't break or a box he can't crack. But the day Holloway gets called in to open a rare, antique safe in a famous author's library, his skills open a door that should have remained closed.In this haunting and singular story, previously published anonymously, Michael Connelly proves once again that he is "superb at building suspense.... the reader can never be sure what sudden turns the plot may take" (Wall Street Journal).

    She becomes gradually more obsessed with the case, never imagining how close she herself is to danger. Includes an extract from Karin Slaughter’s gripping new novel, Pretty Girls.

    A schoolboy. A CEO. A UPS delivery driver. A retired schoolteacher. A computer gamer. A hunter. They are just everyday people with nothing in common.No ransom is demanded. No one knows why they are taken. And no one could possibly imagine the horrors they've been chosen to face. Given no instructions, totally isolated from the outside world, all they find is ice.From the moment they awaken, the ice begins to melt and their terrifying struggle for survival begins. The ice will push them beyond their limits of endurance. It will reveal their personal secrets. It will torture them in ways they hadn't imagined possible, but it is also their only hope of escape.As cryptic patterns emerge, the ice reveals its rules. Rules they must obey or die. Thrust into the most horrifying ordeal of their lives, seven strangers must band together to survive. But as the ice melts, what they find inside begins to tear their group apart.They will learn terrible things about each other. They will learn their own personal limits. Scariest of all, they will learn what humans are capable of when pushed to the edge of sanity.

    In order to escape alive, they must uncover the house's dark secrets of murder and prejudice.The saga of Moorehead Manor continues with book 2: In the House of the VodouisantThe finale to the Moorehead Manor series is here with book 3: To the Dark Room of Souls

    He has let go of old habits, especially the ones that turned him into an addict and helped land him in prison.On a hike along the Lowback Trail, Joe stumbles on one of the town's oldest secrets--buried long ago, if not forgotten.It's an unusual but safe enough treasure--a jar of old pennies. What interests Joe isn't the pennies themselves, but the pieces of paper taped to every coin--a child's handwritten wish on each one.When the first few wishes come true, they are simple things. Fun. Harmless.Except as time goes on, Joe realizes they aren't really wishes at all...they're exchanges, and the bill was racking up.Nothing is free in life. Sooner or later, you always pay.

    What she doesn’t know is that another woman, Lucinda Lacey, a sideshow midget who died on the property in 1924, still inhabits it. And Lucinda has no intention of giving up her home to the new owner. Switching between the carnivals, circuses, and freak shows of the early twentieth century, and the boom-and-bust of today's Florida, Lucinda's life story unfolds as Marisa searches for answers about the strange presence in her new home. The diminutive Lucinda might not be as benign as she first seems. Did Lucinda murder her lover on the day she died? And, if so, is Marisa in danger? THE MIDGET’S HOUSE was inspired by the author's own house in Sarasota, Florida, that, if local legend is to be believed, was built for the little people of the Ringling Bros. Circus, and is haunted to this day by at least one of them.

    Before she knows it, she's confessed that she's never had an orgasm with a man.Now Bailey has to navigate sappy couples at work, while her friends are hell-bent on helping her get revenge on evil Craig...by dressing up as werewolves, on YouTube.And one of those friends - the tall, shy-but-gorgeous Linc - might just want to help Bailey with that other little problem...

    It is also available for free from various places, detailed on the author's website.Death and Waffles: A Short Story by Lish Bride, author of Hold Me Closer, NecromancerMatt’s childhood friend, Ashley, has been stopping by a lot lately. That might seem pretty normal, but Ashley died years ago and now she’s Death.And tonight she wants waffles and fries.Includes an excerpt of Hold Me Closer, Necromancer ...Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he’s doing all right—until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak.Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he’s a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces . . . or else. With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle, which has nearly as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. But even with newfound friends, will Sam be able to save his skin?

    Yeah, his name was in the credits of a bunch of low-budget B-movie horror shows, but at least he could say he was in the movies.That was a long time ago.Now Ben sits alone in a trailer park listening to an old married couple across the way argue about money, just nursing a beer, waiting for something to happen.But nothing ever happens. That pisses him off.No, Big Ben Coburn isn't going to wait around anymore. He jumps on his motorcycle and tears off into the night.Intent on escaping into a new life, he races past a field of scarecrows, barreling headlong down the highway toward a blazing inferno and a bottomless pit. Click here to download a FREE Mobi or ePub copy now! Note: This story originally appeared in TWO: The 2nd Annual Stupefying Stories Horror Special.

    Even when talented witch, Jenny Ferguson, gets caught in a questionable situation with a current friend and former lover by her fiancé no less, she might need more than magic to save her wedding day.

    Tobey Danville isn't about to turn down a cute, curvy blonde who offers sizzling-hot sex in a commercial refrigerator at his best friend's wedding reception. But the next day, when Callie discovers that Tobey is the consultant she has hired to save her store, they find it difficult to concentrate on business. Especially when giving and getting pleasure in each other's arms is so much more fun!

    When she was ten years old her parents died in a car crash. Now nine years later her Aunt Caroline is the only family she has left. And Caroline is dying. So when Death comes knocking (quite literally) in the form of the damaged and dangerous, Brennus, Avery makes a deal with the reaper in order to save Caroline.Brennus is an Ankou.One of the many, once mortal men and women, who were given the choice to become an immortal in exchange for ferrying the dead over into their afterlife. Nine years ago Brennus took Avery’s parents and tried to take Avery, but she fought him and won. Amazed by her strength Brennus followed Avery and has watched over her. Now he knows Avery is the one to offer him freedom from his obligation to the dead. And he’ll stop at nothing to have her.A YA Paranormal Romance for older readers.

    Claudia Rose and other characters from the Forensic Handwriting Mysteries series play an important role in unraveling the web of mystery and uncover what she saw that erased her memory.