"You thought I would leave you lonely? When money is involved I'm always around." Landis McCall is an opportunist, preying on women in the winter for a spring come up. But his devilish ways catch up to him. Like always, when it rains it pours but Landis isn't new to the storm. Will he build a boat and wade through the waters of his problems or drown in despair? Find out in Part 1 of Cuffing Season Series

    That's what Harriet and Arthur Bloomsbury think, but that comforting feeling is a fiction. Hiding among the stone walls, picturesque barns, and hay bales is a horror they can't imagine. It's deadly, impossible -- maybe even paranormal. This short story isn’t your average murder mystery, because this time, the threat isn’t quite so clear. Is it the serial killers hunting you? Your own paranoia? Or the very laws of nature? The suspense is free.

    Short StoriesThe short story''Stars'' is published in Paulo Coelho's blog.''Emotional Moments'' features 23 short stories written during the last 13 years. Each of them represents its unique shape of emotion. Each of them tries to reach your soul.Stories reflect life in different shades of colors. All of them evoke feelings or provoke thoughts. Some do both at the same time.

    At Ruby’s request, Crockett agrees to teach one of her clients, Rachael Moore, how to defend herself with a handgun. During the course of those lessons, Crockett and Rachael begin an intimate relationship. When Rachael is found dead from an apparent suicide, Crockett is devastated and tries to slink back into his self-imposed seclusion. But things get complicated when Crockett is contacted by Rachael’s aunt, who believes the suicide was staged and claims she has the name of the murderer. Together, Crockett and Ruby begin an investigation that leads them into a world of treachery, deceit, and death.

    While coping with a mother who is basically having a midlife crisis of sorts, Kayla has been forced into a world where she must play mother to her younger brother and sister, Latrell and Linell. One day, after she drops the 9 year old twins off at school, Kayla’s entire world will change. She is over at her boyfriend, Marcus’, place when it is shot up and he is wounded. Marcus winding up in the hospital will only be the beginning of a long sequence of events that show Kayla that not only is Marcus’ life in danger from a deal gone wrong, but so is her own… Disclaimer: This book contains sexually explicit content and language which is only suitable for people over the age of 18.

    Times have worsened as the remaining fuel and valuable resources – fresh food and water – are long gone. Chances of recovery have all but disappeared; chances of survival seem grim. In a plan so backward, so unlikely to have any success, the militia of the Milwaukee area take a young nun, five teens, and a set of five “special packages” into the barren farmland of south-central Wisconsin. There, with little more than themselves for support, they are to live, to grow, and perhaps even prosper. Or maybe the militia has just removed a problem they chose not to deal with. With the help of new – yet strange – friends, their journey begins. But trouble finds them, even against their greatest hopes and fervent prayers. Worse, the militia has purchased help from a drunken recluse who may prove to be their greatest trouble of all. The second book of our greatest war, our battle for survival, begins: WWIV – Kids at War.

     Already overworked by two jobs, she must now take care of her mother and two younger siblings while her father remains hospitalized in a stroke-induced coma. But when a handsome stranger rescues her from car troubles one night, Corrine begins to change her mind. Clayton Garrett seems charming and attentive, and their chemistry is instantaneous—at least, until he makes an offer that shakes her to the core. Clayton will provide her with everything that Corrine could ever want or need…as long as she devotes her body and her affections to him as his mistress. And though it goes against every moral teaching of her Christian upbringing, financial struggles and growing hospital bills are giving her plenty of reasons to consider. Guilt-ridden and torn by this new dilemma, Corrine must come to terms with the reality of being “the other woman” and possibly the direct source of another woman’s pain. But when unexpected feelings enter the mix, true intentions are questioned—and a whirlwind of complications threatens to separate the pair once and for all.

    A massive invasion fleet suddenly appears off the corner of the solar system, headed towards Earth. The nearest patrol ship is sent to investigate, with little chance of survival.

    Isabella is a beautiful Mexican woman that everyone in town loves, including the hapless Pete and the wealthy, powerful Jack...but most of all, Carl.Part romance, part police procedural, IN THE SHADOW OF EL PASO contains two short stories by Frank Zafiro. Both stories explore love, race, class and the ambiguity that exists on the southern border.

    Her boyfriend, Kyle, has proposed, she’s graduating from college with honors, and she’s got a plan for her future. It couldn’t be more perfect. Then things start to go wrong, one right after the other. Mel catches her roommate, Amy, naked in Kyle’s bed. After breaking things off with Kyle, the man she thought she was ready to start a life with, she moves back in with her parents. While suffering through the heartbreak, Mel makes a shocking discovery that changes her whole world. She’s pregnant.

    He is grieving for the loss of his wife when the tunnel collapses and traps the bus inside. In the darkness that follows, he manages to fumble out of the bus with the only other survivor, an astute and gentle woman who reminds him of his late wife. Without any light to guide them and with only each other to depend on, they try to escape the stifling darkness and along the way find themselves confronted by their pasts and given their last chance at intimacy, and ultimately, absolution.A realist story that plays with surreal elements, the tale poses a simple question: what is the meaning of hope?

    The investigation into his murder unearths a more than questionable lifestyle where it seems that everyone who knew him had a reason to see him dead. Detectives Steve Rickets and his partner Detective Sarah Branson follow a trail of dead ends that lead them scratching their heads. Is it the disgruntled business partner, the angry and upset daughter, the woman who secretly loves him, of the crime figure he owes thousands to? This classic who done it murder mystery will keep you guessing to the end. An unexpected twist will lead you right to the killer if you spot it. This short story of 12,000 words (appx) is ideal for lovers of hard boiled detective crime thrillers and murder mystery short stories.

    When not plying his trade, he passes his time managing a jazz club in the City of Light. To make ends meet, he freelances by offering his services to help rid the earth of the world's worst criminals. Max is enjoying his ritual post-job vodka when he meets a stunning woman; a haunting visage of his former fiancé. Suddenly, he finds himself the target of an assassination plot in his beloved city of Paris. Fighting for his life, Max must overcome his own demons to stay alive.

    He's got everything he ever wanted, except his health. The knives are out. His rivals sense blood. Their time is now. But Thompson's not going down without a fight. Violence in the Blood documents Thompson's rise to power from the backstreets of Glasgow to the industrial heartland of the Midlands. Join the rampage as Malkie and his crew blaze a trail of mayhem and destruction north and south of the border.

    She had the radio on as she danced around the kitchen waiting for Karl to get back from his business trip in New Orleans. They were married almost 2 months and she had missed him. That is when it happened. There was a knock at the door; she almost didn’t hear it as she sang along to the latest catchy tune that was sure to get annoying in the next few days. She ran from the kitchen thinking Karl was going to be his usual sweet self and try to surprise her with a grand entrance – or maybe he had left his keys. She opened the door with excitement only to see two police officers with solemn faces. Her world came crashing down around her as she invited them in and continued cooking. She couldn’t believe it, Karl was going to come through that door any minute and tell them it was all a mistake. He would want dinner when he got back. She needed to keep cooking so he wouldn’t go hungry. Jessica came around and talked her down, told her that she needed to go with the police officers to identify the body. She would be with her every step of the way. What followed was the realization that her husband was dead and their future was no more. All the things they were going to do; getting a chateaux in France, having a family, getting a cat when they moved to the suburbs and bought their own place. The future was full of life and in a split second it became a blank canvas; all because of a stupid accident.