The Wreck of Sybellen, Excerpt From the Diary of Aleksandra Iga Novak: An Elemental Origins Series Companion Novelette


A.L. Knorr - 2018
     Embark on a deeper dive into the mermaid lore of Born of Water, An Elemental Origins novel. New mermaid, Targa MacAuley, has just sat down to read the diary of an ancestor, join her as she uncovers secrets from the past resulting in a tragic shipwreck. More than one-hundred-fifty years later, the wreck gives up her secrets.Born of Water is the first book in The Elemental Origins, a series of captivating YA urban fantasy novels. If you like new twists on mermaid lore, simmering romance, and close-knit mother-daughter bonds, then you’ll love A.L. Knorr’s nautical adventure. Embark on a deeper dive into the story's lore with The Wreck of Sybellen, a companion novelette. Read Born of Water and The Wreck of Sybellen to submerge yourself in an enchanting coming-of-age tale today.

Sins of the Past


J.D. Franx - 2013
    A long life of death and fighting will wear on anyone. When Cassel brings light to a lonely life of darkness, she can no longer resist the temptation. But Yrlissa is not a typical assassin, and her past life, long forgotten, will threaten her present.

1979 Short Stories (Study Guide): The Way of Cross and Dragon


Books LLC - 2010
    Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: The Way of Cross and Dragon. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: "The Way of Cross and Dragon" is a science fiction short story by George R. R. Martin. It involves a far-future priest of the One True Interstellar Catholic Church of Earth and the Thousand Worlds (with similarities to the Roman Catholic hierarchy) investigating a sect that reveres Judas Iscariot. The story deals with the nature and limitations of religious faith. The story originally appeared in the June 1979 issue of Omni. Damien Har Veris, a priest skilled in resolving heretical disputes efficiently, is sent as Knight Inquisitor, despite spiritual exhaustion, by his alien archbishop to deal with a particular cult that has made a saint of Judas Iscariot. The sect follows a religious text, The Way of Cross and Dragon, that describes the life of Iscariot, and revises his place in Christianity. The text describes how, born of a prostitute, Iscariot mastered the dark arts to become a tamer of dragons and the ruler of a great empire. After torturing Christ, Iscariot relinquished his empire to become the penitent Legs of Christ, the first and best-beloved of the Twelve Apostles. Returning from proselytising to find Christ crucified, an enraged Iscariot then destroyed the perpetrating empire and strangled St. Peter for renouncing Christ, only to discover, too late, Christ's Resurrection. Rejecting Judas' violence, Christ restored St. Peter to life and gave him the keys of the kingdom. St. Peter then suppressed the truth about Judas, villifying his name and exploits. Seeking redemption for his wrath, Iscariot became the thousand-year-old Wandering Ju, before finally rejoining Christ in the Kingdom of God. Perusing the materials of the sect, Har Veris finds hims...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=230181

Only When the Sun Shines Brightly


Magnus Mills - 1999
    The wind tries first, but however hard it blows it fails to make any progress because the traveller simply buttons his coat even tighter than before. Only when the sun shines brightly does he finally remove it, and the wind roars away in a bad temper.

The Best of Poe


Saddleback Educational Publishing - 2005
    This series features classic tales retold with color illustrations to introduce literature to struggling readers. Each 64-page eBook retains key phrases and quotations from the original classics. You'll be kept in suspense with these four Edgar Allan Poe short stories! The Pit and the Pendulum, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cask of Amontillado, The Murders in the Rue Morgue.

Day Zero


Derek Slaton - 2018
    It’s highly infectious, incredibly lethal, and turns the recently deceased into fast moving zombies with a taste for human flesh. Rookie officer Lacy Sparks is thrust into the action when she is assigned to a federal strike force tasked with preventing the outbreak from becoming a full blown pandemic. It’s a race against the clock as she and her team struggles to survive against the growing forces of the undead.

The Mysterious Crate


P.J. Ryan - 2013
    He lives in the big city and his parents are landlords of the high-rise apartment building that is his home. The many tenants in the building, along with the endless possibilities of adventures in the city itself, are the perfect setting for the young detective as he sets out to solve every case he can get his hands on. In this mystery, RJ and his younger pal Joey come upon Mr. Porter, the new tenant in 3B, while he is trying to maneuver a very large and mysterious crate into his apartment. What is inside the mysterious box and will RJ and Joey solve the mystery without blowing their cover?

Foreskin's Lament


Shalom Auslander - 2007
    Even as he grew up and was estranged from his community, his religion and its traditions, he could not find his way to a life where he didn't struggle against God daily. "Foreskin's Lament" reveals Auslander's youth in a strict, socially isolated Orthodox community, and recounts his rebellion and efforts to make a new life apart from it. Auslander remembers his youthful attempt to win the "blessing bee" (the Orthodox version of a spelling bee), his exile to an Orthodox-style reform school in Israel after he's caught shoplifting Union Bay jeans from the mall, and his fourteen mile hike to watch the New York Rangers play in Madison Square Garden without violating the Sabbath. Throughout, Auslander struggles to understand God and His complicated, often contradictory laws. He tries to negotiate with God and His representatives-a day of sin-free living for a day of indulgence, a blessing for each profanity. But ultimately, Shalom settles for a peaceful cease-fire, a standoff with God, and accepts the very slim remaining hope that his newborn son might live free of guilt, doubt, and struggle. Auslander's combination of unrelenting humor and anger--one that draws comparisons to memoirists David Sedaris and Dave Eggers--renders a rich and fascinating portrait of a man grappling with his faith, family, and community.

Stay Out of the Woods: Strange Encounters, Volume 3


Tom Lyons - 2021
    

Corsican Gold: An Archaeological Thriller (A Darwin Lacroix Adventure)


Dave Bartell - 2021
    

Hottie for the Holidays: Three Steamy Holiday Romantic Comedies


Lili Valente - 2021
    And dating. And hope that she’ll meet a man who isn’t better left on the shelf.That is, until her socialite nemesis swears Maggie couldn’t get a date to the Christmas Ball if her life depended on it…Scrambling to find a plus one, Maggie calls in a favor from her childhood friend, Penny. The one who works for a male escort service…UP TO SNOW GOODThe only thing worse than a streaking Santa dashing naked through my Christmas tree farm?Answer: Lawrence Beverly, the insufferable Brit who opened a competing farm down the lane, finding out about it.I loathe Lawrence like cocktail sauce in my cocoa, and there’s no way I’m letting him use Mr. Jingle Balls against me. Luckily, I have a foolproof plan to take care of my Santa problem. Or so I think, until it goes hideously awry and Lawrence sweeps in to save the day.Now we’re making out in front of my fireplace and he’s saying all the right things, but can I trust this man with my heart?Or is he still up to snow good?THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMASIt’s the time of year for miracles…Once upon a time, Lula and Carter were inseparable. But when their romance faltered, the holiday lights went out in Lula’s heart.She gave up on love and embraced a hermit’s existence, until Carter pops back up in Lonesome Point, begging for a second chance…She gives him twelve days—and twelve dates—to make his case before she sends him packing.Soon, however, not even Lula Scrooge can deny she and Carter go together like cocoa and cookies. But when her old fears are reawakened, it may take a holiday miracle to keep them together.

The 5:22


George Harrar - 1999
    When a fellow passenger on his usual train goes missing, a man begins to wonder if everything is as it seems.

The Unwashed


Seán Hogan - 2016
    Each story follows the life of a person living on a fictitious council estate in London. The stories illustrate the realities and struggles that ordinary people go through at a time when people are feeling disenfranchised and are frustrated at not having their voices heard. Ranging from a humorous look at the gentrification of London to the realities of living with addiction the stories place the reader in the shoes of each character allowing them to feel their emotions.

Jerusalem Beach: Stories


Iddo Gefen - 2021
    Following an Israeli geriatric army platoon, the dire consequences of ambition at a scheming tech start-up that tries to share human memories, or an elderly couple searching for a beach that doesn't exist, Iddo Gefen leads us into a world that's a step from the familiar. Each story is a foray into the human condition in all its contradictions. Whether ruminating on the stakes of familial love or pitching the reader headlong into the absurdity of success and failure, Jerusalem Beach leaves the reader intrigued throughout.Optioned for rights by Ryan Gosling, Warner Bros, and Greg Berlanti, and others to be announced soon and originally published in Israel to great acclaim, this debut collection gives a new and unique human perspective about the world in which we live.

Dead Ringer


Lester del Rey - 2010
    Dead Ringer appeared in the November 1956 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction.There was nothing, especially on Earth, which could set him free--the truth least of all!