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THE BIRTHDAY CARD by Sahara Foley


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The First


Scott Nicholson - 2010
    These stories visit undiscovered countries and shadowy avenues of the heart, lands and times where night never ends and matter doesn't matter. Features the six-story Aeropagan cycle where time is literally money. Includes an afterword and Nicholson's first-ever published story.

Pieces Like Pottery


Dan Buri - 2015
    In this distinct selection of stories marked by struggle and compassion, Pieces Like Pottery is a powerful examination of the sorrows of life, the strength of character, the steadfast of courage, and the resiliency of love requisite to find redemption. Filled with graceful insight into the human condition, each linked story presents a tale of loss and love mirroring themes from each of the five Sorrowful Mysteries. In Expect Dragons, James Hinri learns that his old high school teacher is dying. Wanting to tell Mr. Smith one last time how much his teaching impacted him, James drives across the country revisiting past encounters with his father's rejection and the pain of his youth. Disillusioned and losing hope, little did James know that Mr. Smith had one final lesson for him. In The Gravesite, Lisa and Mike's marriage hangs in the balance after the disappearance of their only son while backpacking in Thailand. Mike thinks the authorities are right--that Chris fell to his death in a hiking accident--but Lisa has her doubts. Her son was too strong to die this young, and no one can explain to her why new posts continue to appear on her son's blog. Twenty-Two looks in on the lives of a dock worker suffering from the guilt of a life not lived and a bartender making the best of each day, even though he can see clearly how his life should have been different. The two find their worlds collide when a past tragedy shockingly connects them. A collection of nine stories, each exquisitely written and charged with merciful insight into the trials of life, Pieces Like Pottery reminds us of the sorrows we all encounter in life and the kindness we receive, oftentimes from the unlikeliest of places.

To Brave the End: A Tale of the Blackshield Dogs


Frank Dorrian - 2017
    But few of them ever surpassed the bloody reputation of the man known and feared on Caermark's battlefields as Red Harry. But before he was Red Harry, before he was anything, he was Harruvard of Werrewood, a man-at-arms sworn in service to Lord Gadrin Strael. Injured and left for dead during a bitter conflict along Lord Gadrin’s borders, his life was saved by the kindness of a stranger. But as Harruvard's past refused to let him go, that same kindness soon would be stained red. In the deep of winter, beneath creeping snows and biting ice, the black seeds of the monster Harruvard would become were sown by the hands of men, and nurtured by their cruelty.

Bread and Milk and Salt


Sarah Gailey - 2018
    Fairies (edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe, published by Saga Press, 2018).https://www.tor.com/2018/11/07/reprin...

A Hint of Death


Quintin Jardine - 2014
    With Chief Constable Bob Skinner's help, Haddock will soon discover that outward appearances are never as they seem, and that no crime can go unpunished... Also features an exclusive extract from Quintin Jardine's brand-new Bob Skinner mystery, HOUR OF DARKNESS.

The Long List Anthology Volume 3: More Stories From the Hugo Award Nomination List (The Long List Anthology Series)


David SteffenSarah Pinsker - 2017
    Every year, supporting members of WorldCon nominate their favorite stories first published during the previous year to determine the top five in each category for the final Hugo Award ballot. This is an anthology collecting more of the stories from that nomination list to get them to more readers The Long List Anthology Volume 3 collects 20 science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories from that nomination list, totaling over 500 pages of fiction by writers from all corners of the world. From intelligent appliances gone feral to Lovecraftian detective noir, from tech-enhanced wilderness races to Egyptian science fantasy steampunk, from hard science fiction to fairy tale to humor and more. There is a wide variety of styles and types of stories here, and something for everyone. The stories included are: "Red in Tooth and Cog" by Cat Rambo "A Salvaging of Ghosts" by Aliette de Bodard "Welcome to the Medical Clinic at the Interplanetary Relay Station | Hours Since the Last Patient Death: 0" by Caroline M. Yoachim "Razorback" by Ursula Vernon "We Have a Cultural Difference, Can I Taste You?" by Rebecca Ann Jordan "Lullaby for a Lost World" by Aliette de Bodard "Terminal" by Lavie Tidhar "Ye Highlands and Ye Lowlands" by Seanan McGuire "Things With Beards" by Sam J. Miller "The Venus Effect" by Joseph Allen Hill "The Visitor From Taured" by Ian R. MacLeod "Blood Grains Speak Through Memories" by Jason Sanford "Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea" by Sarah Pinsker "A Dead Djinn in Cairo" by P. Djèlí Clark "Red as Blood and White as Bone" by Theodora Goss "Foxfire, Foxfire" by Yoon Ha Lee "Forest of Memory" by Mary Robinette Kowal "Chimera" by Gu Shi, translated by S. Qiouyi Lu and Ken Liu "Hammers on Bone" by Cassandra Khaw "Runtime" by S.B. Divya

Tales From the Hinterland


Melissa Albert - 2021
    I loved these.” ―Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble“This inventive, enchanting collection reads like the fairy tales of old, hushed stories passed woman to woman, before the Grimms came and wiped away all the blood.” ―Laura Ruby, author of Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All“The writing is as spare and precise as poetry, connected to the darker, edgier elements of fairy-tale conventions. Albert’s rich and tightly focused collection forms the core of the mythology created in her novels, and her fans will be thrilled at this further glimpse into that world.” ―Booklist, starred review “Stories fueled by feminist rage, the frustration of being unnderestimated, and the insatiable longing to experience more mark this collection as timely and universal.” ―SLJ

The Lost Pathfinder


Dave Gross - 2010
    But when a job gone wrong puts a price on Varian's head, can Radovan hunt down the assassin and save his boss from their enemies—and himself—before it's too late?From fan-favorite author Dave Gross, author of the Pathfinder Tales novel Prince of Wolves, comes a rollicking urban adventure story set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder campaign setting. Though this short story stands on its own, the further adventures of Radovan and Jeggare can be found in the novel Prince of Wolves, which begins shortly after this story ends.

Falling for the Single Dad


Mia Madison - 2017
    And that's before my embarrassing mishap gets splashed across prime time local TV news. But being rescued by hot firefighter Logan Patterson is worth it, especially when I find out he wants me with a passion that makes my head spin and every part of me throb with need. Even my ex’s betrayal can’t stop me from wanting Logan – but can I trust him to be more than a fling? Logan: The chief doesn't like me dating his daughter, Tia. He'd like it even less if he knew the things I want to do to her. But even if he approved, I’ve got a baby daughter who needs me and an ex who’s intent on destroying any chance at happiness. Will Tia still want me when she learns the truth? ***Enjoy Christmas at the fire station, thwarted passion, and a whirlwind romance with a hot single daddy in this tale that will set your kindle on fire. No cheating and a happy ending guaranteed to make you smile.***

Wild Texas Rose


Christina Dodd - 2012
    “It’s our dance, Rose.” Seated in the old maid row at the country dance, Rose Laura Corey freezes at the sound of that familiar male voice … the voice of the man she once loved, the voice of the man she sent to prison.Now orphaned and alone, Rose raises the finest horses in Presidio County, Texas. Someone is stealing those horses, and Thorn Maxwell’s return arouses her suspicions … and her long-simmering passions. Rose might be able to stop Thorn from stealing her horses, but can she keep him from stealing her heart?WILD TEXAS ROSEA Western historical novella of approximately 120 pages/33,000 words.

Forge of Darkness


Steven Erikson - 2012
    But this ancient land was once home to many a power. and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners' great hero, Vatha Urusander, is being promoted by his followers to take Mother Dark's hand in marriage, but her Consort, Lord Draconus, stands in the way of such ambitions. The impending clash sends fissures throughout the realm, and as the rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the First Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Andarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold...

Some Kind Of Wonderful


Dahlia Rose - 2011
    Her new house in Nags Head, North Carolina was perfect, and the baby’s room was complete. Life was good even though she was a single woman a few weeks from becoming a mom. Obviously not everyone thought so because while planting tulips she was invaded by heer best friend’s brother. Special Forces soldier Conrad Lewis came to rescue her even though she didn’t need to be saved. Now a hurricane was bearing down on the island, and she was stuck in her house with a sexy hazel-eyed man. Even after the storm was over, Conrad started a new kind of turmoil inside her with his fiery kiss and strong arms. Despite the things he said and the promises he made, she didn’t expect him to stay. Would Bonnie be able to withstand falling for a man who blew into her life like the winds of a hurricane?

The Century Blade: A Mortal Techniques short story


Rob J. Hayes - 2021
    It falls to a young hero to assemble a team and stop the dragons' rampage. It falls to the Century Blade.This is a short story set in the world of the award-winning Mortal Techniques. It is designed to be read as a standalone story, completely independent from the full length novels set in the same world.

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell


Brandon Sanderson - 2013
    Amid a forest where the shades of the dead linger all around, every homesteader knows to follow the Simple Rules: "Don't kindle flame, don't shed the blood of another, don't run at night. These things draw shades." Silence Montane has broken all three rules on more than one occasion. And to protect her family from a murderous gang with high bounties on their heads, Silence will break every rule again, at the risk of becoming a shade herself.

The Dala Horse


Michael Swanwick - 2011
    And they have scores to settle with one another.