She's taken on an unexpected detour back to her life shortly before she died. But she's seeing the world from a different point of view. This is the first time she has ever experienced a detour being the best part of a journey. 'A wonderful, warm read that's guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings,' author Colette Caddle. Checkout Girl was published as part of the short story compilation, Moments, in aid of the tsunami. It was also part of a short story collection published in Germany. Aimee Alexander is the pen name of bestselling Irish author Denise Deegan Checkout Girl includes a short excerpt from Pause to Rewind, a contemporary novel by Aimee Alexander.

    Attack at Wedding Leaves at Least Fourteen Dead, Many More Injured, the headlines proclaimed.The wedding was an outdoor affair, on a beach with the Gulf of Mexico in the background. In all, seventy-two were injured, and the body count rose to seventeen. Local hospitals were filled with bleeding attendees, and, at one point, the bride, her bloodied white wedding dress cut away and spilling onto the emergency room floor, went into cardiac arrest.Her groom died at the scene.In the room next door, an elderly wedding guest also suffered cardiac arrest—not from a bullet wound but from shock, combined with advanced age and a weak heart. Both souls walked out of their respective rooms.One wanted to live.One did not.* * *Philomena Muir became a widow on her wedding day. Three years later, she found herself bumping into the strangest man she'd ever met--except he wasn't a man. More specifically, he wasn't human.That brief meeting became the catalyst for a brewing war, pitting one human witch against the might of a supernatural race.The cards are stacked, and Philomena needs a winning hand...

     Holly Anna Paladin can’t wait to celebrate Christmas with family and friends. She loves everything about the season—celebrating the birth of Jesus, singing carols, and baking Christmas treats, just to name a few. But when a local family needs help, how can she say no? Holly’s community has come together to help raise funds to save the home of Greg and Babette Sullivan, but a Bah-Humburgler has snatched the canisters of cash. Holly and her boyfriend, police detective Chase Dexter, team up to catch the Christmas crook. Will they succeed in collecting enough cash to cover the Sullivans’ overdue bills? Or will someone succeed in ruining Christmas for all those involved? ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS WISH ~ Samantha Bayarr Kate is lonely, single, and about to turn forty. She has lost all interest in the Christmas season until a mysterious package that has followed her around for twenty years winds up at her doorstep. When her handsome neighbor, Jack, takes an interest in the contents of the mystery package, will Kate's outlook on Christmas change? How will Jack help her get past her worst Christmas ever? BRIGHT NEW MURDER ~ Traci Tyne Hilton Homeless preschoolers, angry protesters, frozen yogurt, and murder. Jane Adler is keen to try on her detective hat, and the dead lady at the Christmas fundraiser is her perfect shot. Timing is everything and this murder was timed perfectly to destroy her best friend Jake's growing Fro-Yo business. He's a great friend--just a friend, honest-- and she owes him a favor or two. But discovering who would want to kill the town’s favorite preschool teacher is messy business, and Jane doesn't have a moment to waste! SECRET SANTA ~ Amanda Tru It was time for Hailey Rhodes to admit the truth: things were not going well. After losing her job as a teacher, she finds herself broke, unemployed, and tricked into accepting a date from a department store Santa Claus. When new opportunities and new love interests present themselves, will Hailey choose a career and a man she's always admired, or will she wait for the identity of her Secret Santa to be revealed? THEN THERE WERE NONE ~ V.B. Tenery Mass murder doesn’t happen in Matt Foley’s town . . . it doesn’t happen to his friends. Someone is going to pay. Disturbing crime scenes are nothing new to the Twin Falls Police Chief. But this one is different. The victims are friends. In their Tudor mansion just inside the city limits, a family is dead—husband, wife, two kids, and the family cook. The killer made one mistake. He left a survivor. The husband is one of the big three in the microchip industry. The family lived a quiet modest life. It doesn’t make sense. Until . . . SHADOWS OF DOUBT ~ Susette Williams Raffealle Gellermine has a very protective uncle and two protective brothers. They never like the men she brings home. Mathew Flannigan has a past, but for the life of her, she can’t figure out why her Uncle Rob and her brothers are trying to encourage a relationship between them.

    

    Determined to achieve her dream of a career in music, she strikes out on her own. Her new life away from her family is a reality check, and she soon finds her life on a downward slide.Two years on, her dream is still out of reach, and she's nearing rock bottom. With hope nearly gone and feeling no joy in the season that was once her favorite, Alessia wanders into a church in search of warmth and some quiet.He gave up his life in order to bring his brothers to justice.Gio Morgan (formerly known as Giovanni Moretti) was born into a mob family, but he'd never fit in. When he made the decision to testify against his mob boss brothers, he knew it meant the end to that life.He now lives in New Hope Falls in order to be close to his half-sister, Cara. He is trying to build a new life for himself, and part of that is participating in the church's 24 hour a day open door ministry for the month of December.Will a connection forged in the quiet of a church during the early morning hours be the start of something new? Or will it lead to heartbreak if the draw of a dream is to powerful to resist?

    A warrior come to Earth to kill. On his own planet he was a prince. On Earth he was a murderer. On Earth, he was her owner. But Cassi's no passive, frightened girl. She stands up to him the first time she ever sees him. She's going to stand up to the Vampyren every time. Even if it kills her. But neither of them is quite what they seem. Maybe, what fate has sown together shouldn't be torn apart.

    

    Reconnect with Annie, Ginny, and Jen as they celebrate Christmas! This is a holiday themed short story taking place between Three Girls and a Leading Man and The Truth About Ever After.

    The Authors of Main Street is a delightful gathering of talented writers who hope you enjoy reading this collection as much as they have taken pleasure in creating it for you! Happy Holidays from the Authors of Main Street! _________________________________________________________ Chelsea's Christmas by E. Ayers Leaving behind an unhealthy relationship, Chelsea Montgomery has come home to lick her wounds. Working in her father’s law firm gives her the perfect place to hide as she avoids men and relationships. Until she meets a charming man with a beautiful son. Keefe Assam is a successful attorney with a great life. Then, his ex-girlfriend suddenly drops off a toddler she claims belongs to him, and he is faced with the possibility, and the responsibility, of raising the boy alone. Christmas might just herald the start of something wonderful for Chelsea, except for one problem. Her ex-boyfriend has decided if he can’t her…nobody can. Waking Up for Christmas by Jill James Christmas is the time for wishes to come true. All Chase Thanos wants for the holidays is for his comatose wife to awaken. Darcy Bennett Thanos has been his life since they were in college. Now, twenty years later, their marriage and their lives have fallen apart and the only thing that can put it back together is Darcy coming out of her coma and remembering all they had and could have. Just as soon as she wakes up for Christmas. Christmas at the Granger Inn by Carol DeVaney Ten years after Cole and Sydney broke up, the ache in their hearts remains. Now, a Christmas reunion, complete with a mischievous ghost, offers the possibility that Sydney and Cole can rekindle the love they once shared. Will they risk facing what tore them apart to find a new place they can call home? Christmas at the Roses by Susan R. Hughes All Ellie wants for Christmas is to avoid it altogether. Reeling from her broken romance with Spencer, she plans to spend the holidays at the historic Roses Inn writing her novel. Spencer has a plan of his own—to rekindle both her love for him and her fondness for the holidays. To win back her stubborn heart, he might just need a little help from the inn’s resident ghost. Candi Cain Kisses by Nan O'Berry Jonathan Barlow needs a change of pace. When his beloved wife passes away, Jonathan finds himself wallowing in grief and determined to find a new start. Accepting a job with a law firm just a few weeks before the holidays, Jonathan and his young daughter make the move to Mistletoe, Texas. A rented room at an old Victorian Inn is just the place to begin again. Candi Cain inherited the old Victorian from family. It’s a place she can call home, a place where all the worries in the world can be forgotten over a cup of hot chocolate and a homemade pastry. When Felicia Barlow and her father come for a stay, she feels drawn the child—a sense of déjà view, for just like Jonathan’s daughter, she experienced the loss of a loved one as a child. Can the wonders of the season and a little girl’s wish to Santa awaken two lonely hearts? Things look promising this holiday season at the Candy Cane Inn. _______________ Christmas at the Inn on Main Street is a collection of five expertly-crafted clean romance books.

    Yet when the darling woman known as Mama Soto to half of Cliffside Bay meets the handsome Dominic Perry, she's suddenly ready for her dry spell to end. Even if the rich and powerful Dominic could never be serious about a nobody like her, Rosa is more than happy to have his company, and his kiss, for one New Year's Eve. But when the pair is still kissing in stolen moments almost a year later, Rosa has fallen for the big man with the chocolate eyes despite knowing he will eventually grow tired of her. Can she brace herself for the disappointment, or will a Christmas surprise save her from a broken heart?