Mine is predicated on formative years spent cleaning my father’s calf pens: Just keep shoveling until you’ve got a pile so big, someone has to notice. The fact that I cast my life’s work as slung manure simply proves that I recognize an apt metaphor when I accidentally stick it with a pitchfork. . . . Poetry was my first love, my gateway drug—still the poets are my favorites—but I quickly realized I lacked the chops or insights to survive on verse alone. But I wanted to write. Every day. And so I read everything I could about freelancing, and started shoveling."  The pieces gathered within this book draw on fifteen years of what Michael Perry calls "shovel time"—a writer going to work as the work is offered. The range of subjects is wide, from musky fishing, puking, and mountain-climbing Iraq War veterans to the frozen head of Ted Williams. Some assignments lead to self-examination of an alarming magnitude (as Perry notes, "It quickly becomes obvious that I am a self-absorbed hypochondriac forever resolving to do better nutritionally and fitness-wise but my follow-through is laughable.") But his favorites are those that allow him to turn the lens outward: "My greatest privilege," he says, "lies not in telling my own story; it lies in being trusted to tell the story of another."

    They are the building blocks of our lives. They are our memories. They are how we come to know our history. They are our escapism and entertainment. Some fact, some fiction, and some are a clever little mix. These stories… these stories are fiction. Short and scary. Delivered to you in small, terrifying bursts, much the way you'd experience each individual room in a haunted house attraction. They were specifically written to be enjoyed by both the not-too-young and old alike. Inside, you'll see some names you know and some names you don't. You'll find horror, drama, and even a few laughs... and zombies. Zombies by the ton. Gnawing, gnashing, stumbling, and staring... Right. At. You. Waiting... for a bite-sized offering. Enjoy!

    Now forced to set out on the Appalachian Trail with only her backpack, two guns and a turkey carving knife. Will it be enough for one woman alone in the wilds?On a mission to find safety and a place to survive, Beth finds others in an unlikely trio struggling to find a new life. A young girl, mute with eyes blue as glass, a convict with a rage against evil, and a dog left abandoned by the merciless virus. But… There are others on the trail. And they have more sinister motives. They're on a mission, too - to take whatever they can from whomever they find. They won't give up the chase until they get what they want.And they want everything."

    Some from #1 bestselling authors, some from first timers.

     Love on the Rebound Add a little Aloha to your Christmas this year! When Everly Watson takes her young son Jordan to Hawaii, she’s not just celebrating Christmas but also searching for answers surrounding a tragedy from her past. She doesn’t expect to be faced with a tsunami threat her second day on the island. Nor does she count on meeting the famous Christian Ross, superstar of a hit action-movie series. Sparks fly as Everly and Christian have an instant attraction. But things spiral out of control when Everly realizes someone is following her and watching her every move. Christian soon finds himself drawn into Everly’s complicated world of betrayal and deceit and feels the need to protect her from a perilous threat. Can Christian and Everly’s newfound love withstand the growing obstacles? Or are they doomed to keep reliving the heartaches of the past? Loving the Movie Star Actor Blade Sloan gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he lands a leading role in the new Jase Scott action movie, co-starring with Hollywood megastar Christian Ross. Too bad Blade’s having stress issues brought on by a longtime stalker who’s getting more aggressive. If Blade can’t find a way to loosen up on set and perform to the best of his ability, he’ll lose everything he’s worked so hard to achieve. Dani Fairchild is trying hard to turn over a new leaf and transcend into adulthood. Yes, she may have been irresponsible in the past when she jilted billionaire Liam Barclay and ran off with a surfer, but that’s all behind her. Dani has a food blog she wants to take to the next level, and she’s holding down a full-time job. Granted, being a receptionist isn’t her dream job by any means, but hey, it’s a start. Too bad she can’t keep her big mouth shut and gets fired when the boss acts like a jerk. An unlikely encounter on the public bus brings Blade and Dani together where sparks fly and attraction sizzles. But Dani isn’t having it. No matter how charismatic Blade is or how good he looks with his chiseled abs and piercing blue eyes she’s vowed to never again get involved with someone who doesn’t live on the island permanently. Long distance relationships are a kick in the pants, and she’s tired of being hurt. Home alone for Christmas while Samantha and her family go to the mainland, Dani settles in for a quiet, predictable holiday. But fate has other plans when Dani and Blade are unwittingly thrown into a cycle of events that lead to a heart-pounding climax. Can Dani and Blade find a strong enough love to sustain them in the face of danger? Or will the stalker win in the end? False Identity Believe in miracles … believe in hope … believe in love. It's Christmastime, and Chancy Hamilton can’t bear the thought of spending the holidays without her late husband Max who died in a plane crash. When Chancy and her teenage son, Travis, have an argument, Travis storms out of the house and ends up in the wrong part of town where he is attacked by a group of thugs. When a homeless man comes to his rescue, he invites the man home to have a meal with his mom and little sister. Gabe Jones is not like any other homeless man Chancy has ever seen—he’s confident, intelligent, and devastatingly handsome. Jake, Chancy’s boyfriend, takes an instant dislike to Gabe and warns Chancy to stay away from him.

    Some call him lawman. Some call him madman. Some call him vigilante. Some call him killer. Some call him legend. They all call him Sheriff...This is his story.

    Ward, a tier-one operator turned mercenary, has just flung himself off the cargo deck of a doomed C-130. Now he’s out of the Drop Zone and evading the undead as a terrible new breed of hunter enters the Wyrd. But these new, faster predators might not be the only thing to fear in an apocalypse beset by zombies, nukes and killer A.I.’s. One of the last warriors of a collapsed government is planning on putting up some big numbers in this final, ultimate game of Survivor, until he finds a mysterious new companion... a stranger dressed in black.

    Buckell.“You shall not suffer a librarian to live.”Growing up in Ninetha, Lilith has known this law all her life. The city’s every need is provided for by a god-machine called the cornucopia, which can produce food, clothing, anything in response to a thought. The gods provided this bounty on one condition: that humanity give up reading and writing. Then, a librarian, an actual seeker of forbidden written knowledge, walks through the gates of the citadel, his very presence unraveling the life Lilith has known. She learns her father, the Lord Musketeer himself, has been harboring a secret - one that turns Ninetha against Lilith’s family. Forced to flee, forced to throw in her lot with the librarian, Lilith uncovers even greater secrets - about the lie her life has been, and about the very nature of their world.

     In the near future, humanity builds a colony on Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter. They tunnel into the ice to explore the dark oceans beneath the moon's surface, searching for signs of extraterrestrial life. What they find will change them forever, setting humanity on a path to the stars. But the old conflicts and hatreds of Earth are not so easily escaped. Will human colonists on distant planets and moons create a paradise or a horrifying dystopia?

    He longs to know what caused the apocalypse, but when mysterious soldiers crash to the planet’s surface in search of a planetsider and offering the truths he desires, Ethan must abandon his home and take sides in a deadly war that has raged for generations. Who will he choose to save and can he himself be saved?The Planetsider Trilogy is a gripping, post-apocalyptic military thriller and a journey of discovery, as Ethan uncovers the dark past of his planet and becomes embroiled in a war that threatens to the fate of two civilizations, and the existence of life itself, planetside.The full three book series comprises: 1. The Planetsider2. The Second Fall3. The Last of the Firsts

    

    These five stories will take the reader through a gauntlet of emotions and leave them sighing at the romance as they turn the last page. Sit back, relax, and get to know these gutsy heroines and swoon-worthy heroes.

    I always get what I want. But there’s something I can’t change on my own. My bad boy image. I need to look more responsible in front of the media. That where Nicole comes in. She’s a dragon shifter just like I am. But she’s also my employee. Perhaps asking her to be my fake girlfriend was a bad idea. Not a second goes by when I don’t obsess over her. Turns out, I have to shed my bad boy image for real. Not just for the media but also for her. She’s pregnant and I have to be her mate. Is it too late to convince her to be my partner forever? Book 2 - Dark Dragon Daddy I had just escaped the hell of prison when I met her. I don’t regret having to go behind bars. It happened the night I was protecting other dragon shifters., Dana is a shifter herself. She’s got a dark past just like I do. We’re suited for each other. She might be my soulmate. But I can never give her the thing she wants most. Love. I lost my humanity in prison. Will Dana be the woman to bring it back? Book 3 - Alpha Dragon's Second Chance Wanting my best friend is wrong. But Sierra is the only woman I’ve ever loved. It might be too late to claim her now. She’s back in town and a new dragon is showing interest in her. Edward is everything I’m not. He doesn’t have the same bad boy image that I do. I need to make Sierra trust me. I have to make her see the sheer need I have for her. It’s the only way I’ll win her over. And I’ll do whatever it takes to push Edward out of the way. Book 4 - Hit-Man Protector Daddy I’m in love with a woman who I’ve been hired to kill in cold blood. How did I even get here? It all started when I was left on the streets as an orphaned dragon shifter. Darryl took me in, and I’ve been doing his dirty work ever since. This is the last job he’s asked me to take care of. I didn’t think much of it until I met my target. Laura is beautiful. She’s mother to a lovely little girl. Killing her would also kill my soul. It would break my heart. Can I go through with it? Or will I risk losing Daryl — the only family I’ve ever known? Warning: For mature audiences only because of window foggingly hot sex scenes!

    Campbell Award–winning author: The original trilogy chronicling the military science fiction adventures of Nicholas Seafort. In a “splendid homage to the grand tradition of the old seafarer’s tale,” the Seafort Saga tells the story of an intergalactic captain’s journey through the galaxy (Roger MacBride Allen). Now, the first three installments of this epic series are available in one volume.  Midshipman’s Hope: The year is 2194. Seventeen-year-old Nicholas Seafort is a fresh recruit with the United Nations Naval Service, serving as midshipman onboard the UNS Hibernia. En route to the colony of Hope Nation, the ship answers a distress call—only to lose the senior command staff in a daring rescue attempt. The chain of command has elevated Seafort into a leadership role he never anticipated. Surrounded by resentful and potentially mutinous officers, Seafort earns his stripes throughout Hibernia’s voyage, but his real trial awaits at Hope Nation with a startling revelation for humanity.  Challenger’s Hope: Capt. Nicholas Seafort was in command of the UNS Challenger until he was assigned to Adm. Geoffrey Tremaine’s task force. Removed from his flagship, Seafort has been given the smaller UNS Portia, transporting colonists to the world of Detour. But an alien attack devastates both ships, leaving dozens of crewmen and passengers dead. Only UNS Challenger is in good enough condition to bring the survivors home—provided Seafort can regain and retain his captaincy.  Prisoner’s Hope: Nicholas Seafort’s disastrous mission as captain of the UNS Challenger cost him nearly everything. The aliens responsible for decimating the United Nations Naval fleet are still a threat to the colony world of Hope Nation, whose inhabitants feel abandoned as the navy returns to Earth. To save the colonists, Seafort will have to sacrifice everything he has left and commit an act of high treason that could result in his death sentence.

    Adrian Tarn and R.J. Smith are persuaded to escort two scientists to a landing there to investigate. What they find has unexpected consequences for Earth and every person on it. Join Adrian Tarn, R.J. Smith, and Danica Donoro as they fight to close Pandora's box before Earth becomes a new asteroid belt.