Book picks similar to
Out On Top - A Collection of Upbeat Short Stories by Steve Morris
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Diamond Mine
Stephanie Bond - 2019
And sure enough, Carter says he's going to be needing an engagement ring soon... but it's for another woman!Carter Grayson thought he'd never see Faith again--her parting words that he'd never be able to commit have dogged him. To prove she's wrong, he blurts out a lie, and it's a whopper! Too late, he realizes when she discovers his deceit, she might be lost to him forever.
A romantic comedy for Valentine's Day and any time you're in the mood for a story to make you laugh and sigh.
Tales from the Black Meadow
Chris Lambert - 2013
Also of note are "Children of the Black Meadow" where a bereaved mother resurrects her deceased kids as blackberry bramble homunculi; cyclical damnation tale "The Coal Man and the Creature" and the paranoia-inducing sucker punch "The Watcher From the Village" ... this is a collection that strongly invites a second reading.." - STARBURST MAGAZINE "A banquet of weirdness..." - Hypnobobs"...visceral dread slowly rises from its mustiness..." - Mythogeography"A fine piece of British Hauntology" - Gareth Rees Author of Marshland"Properly spooky and really well written." - Sebastian Baczkiewicz - Creator of Radio 4's Pilgrim"Tales from the Black Meadow" features a blend of weird and disturbing short stories. This collection is well worth checking out for its originality and chilling tone." - Phil Syphe Author of Cash 'n' Carrots and other capers"very atmospheric black and white illustrations courtesy of Mr Nigel Wilson" - Hypnobobs"Lambert manages to create genuine atmosphere and spine-tingling moments... but he also injects some black humour and much appreciated wit." Steevan Glover - Author of The Frog and the ScorpionWhen Professor R. Mullins of the University of York went missing in 1972 on the site of the area known as Black Meadow atop of the North Yorkshire Moors, he left behind him an extensive body of work that provided a great insight into the folklore of this mysterious place.Writer Chris Lambert has been rooting through Mullins' files for over ten years and now presents this collection of weird and macabre tales.Marvel at tales such as The Rag and Bone Man, The Meadow Hag, The Fog House, The Land Spheres and The Children of the Black Meadow.What is the mystery surrounding The Coalman and the Creature?Who or what is The Watcher in the Village?What is the significance of the Shining Apples?Why is it dangerous to watch the Horsemen dance?Beautifully illustrated by Nigel Wilson these tales will haunt you for a long time to come."Can you tell me, maiden fair Can you tell me if or where I shall see my child again Walk upon the fields of men? Will she ever stumble back From the meadow all a'black?
The God Thought
Dave Cravens - 2015
levels a small town in Kansas and rips apart the commercial airliner flying overhead. The wife and child of Oliver Wells are among the thousands reported dead. Authorities blame the tragedy on an accident at a fertilizer plant not up to code. A year later, still grappling with his depression, Oliver is accosted by a mysterious stranger who offers another answer: A FARMER CAUSED THE EXPLOSION. AN EXPLOSION BORN OF THOUGHT. A THOUGHT SO PERFECT AND DIVINE IT'S SAID TO MIRROR WHAT GOD THOUGHT TO CONCEIVE THE UNIVERSE. Thrust into a hidden world of conspirators and luminaries who would do anything to attain the farmer's knowledge, Oliver finds himself in a race to confront the man who killed his family. To do so, he must test the limits of his sanity... AND UNLOCK THE POWER OF THE GOD THOUGHT FOR HIMSELF."
Sophie's Christmas Dad
Ophelia Sexton - 2020
As the Swanson clan matriarch, she's always taken care of everyone. Now, she's struggling to accept her mate Justin's and her family's offers to help resolve the crisis. Can she unbend enough to allow Justin and the rest of her family to take care of her when she needs it most?Meanwhile, Sophie Markidis, an ordinary human girl living on the Swanson family ranch, is looking forward to the best Christmas ever. She's found the perfect dress for her high school's Winter Wonderland dance, and she thinks she might have found the perfect date, too—her best friend and secret crush, Matt Swanson. Things only get better when her long-lost biological father gets in contact with her, just in time for the holidays.But will her dreams be dashed when her wonderful Christmas dad lets her down right when she needs him most?
Finding Arun (Living Lies, #1)
Marisha Pink - 2013
Forced to question everything that he has ever believed, should he simply follow the path that has been laid out for him, or will pursuing the truth help him to find what has always been missing? As the tangled web of lies unfolds and uncertainty takes over, a startling chain of events are set in motion that will see Aaron make the journey of a lifetime to discover not only who he really is, but ultimately who he wants to be.Awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion and shortlisted for the inaugural Quagga Prize for Literary Fiction, if you love engrossing books that will take you on a journey, buy Finding Arun now.
American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things
Bob Dotson - 2013
Now, in American Story, he presents a road map to the unsung heroes with thoughtful solutions to problems we all face, incredible ideas that work, and blueprints to living our dreams.Includes stories of the boss who came out of retirement to start a new company for his former employees who could not find work, the truck driver who taught microsurgery, the man you've never heard of who has 465 profitable patents, second only to Thomas Edison, and the doctor who developed the vaccine to prevent whooping cough, who didn't retire until age 104. In the tradition of Tom Brokaw's New York Times bestseller The Time of Our Lives, American Story is a deeply moving and endlessly fascinating alternative narrative for everyone who yearns to feel good about America.
The Judge
Farin Powell - 2016
The story is impressive in the way it shifts readers’ sympathies … a gem of a legal thriller, full of plot twists and juicy secrets.” —Kirkus Reviews “Powell’s third novel, a legal thriller, reveals the complexities and tragedies of our criminal justice system. It shows how a series of unexpected events can force a law abiding individual to choose a criminal path. The story in this fast-paced novel will stay with the reader forever.” —Focus On Women Magazine From the courtroom to the kidnappers’ lair, Powell keeps the excitement in tune with a pitch-perfect delivery of realistically motivated characters and a nonstop series of powerfully tense situations. There is no lag in the book, from the opening pages depicting the kidnapping to the thrilling conclusion. ROSE GARRETT —Clarion Reviews As Judge Walter McNeil heads home from Washington, DC’s Superior Court, he is preoccupied with the triple-murder case assigned to him. But everything changes when a car pulls up next to him and a man asks for directions. Seconds later, McNeil is pushed into the backseat of the car, knocked unconscious, and whisked away into uncertainty. McNeil’s kidnappers are three ex-convicts whose lives have been ruined by the judge’s harsh sentences. Out for revenge, they feed the judge drugs, repeatedly threaten his life, and then imply they have his teenage daughter, Daphne, who disappeared four years earlier. After they tell him at gunpoint that he must rule favorably on a defense attorney’s motions in the triplemurder case, McNeil has no idea his ordeal is just beginning. Before it is over, the judge’s life will be turned upside down. Now it is up to criminal defense attorney Amanda Perkins and detective Aristo Manfredi to partner together in a race against time to unravel the clues and hopefully save the judge from a fate he never could have imagined. In this legal thriller, a judge is kidnapped and thrust into the midst of a twisted web that intertwines him with the lives of three ex-convicts and the mystery surrounding his missing daughter.
The Red Passport
Katherine Shonk - 2003
From My Mother's Garden, the parable of an old woman who refuses to accept the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, to The Young People of Moscow, which describes an extraordinary day in the life of an aging couple selling antiquated Soviet poetry in an underground bazaar, these intricately woven narratives provide unforgettable slices of a Russia that is at once both exotic and disconcertingly familiar.
This is Not for You
Venus Soileau - 2014
This is Not for You is a memoir which vividly describes the memories of growing up in a dysfunctional environment and how these circumstances developed a spirit within the narrator. This is a story of resiliency and drive to overcome the extreme adversities that addiction and poverty can create in the life of a young child.
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.
Sea of Gold
Nick Elliott - 2014
The first-person narrative, complete with ironic asides, is the perfect vehicle for a thoughtful and witty style that draws us swiftly into the shoes of its protagonist, a credible and consistent character." "The sense of place is utterly authentic. We are taken to far-flung locations - some exotic, some seedy - by an author who has not just visited them but has lived and worked in these places. Nick Elliott has an effortless elegance in his writing, and an ability to create characters who feel real. The story zips along at a fine pace, and the result is a gripping and immersive thriller." "Angus is good company as he unravels a very twisty plot and discovers an unexpected level of determination (stubbornness?) in getting to the bottom of the mystery and catching the villains, all the while trying to be loyal to his fiery Greek girlfriend while fighting his attraction to a woman from his past." DESCRIPTION ‘Whoever did this wanted to make very sure no one lived to tell the tale.’ Money, murder and love on the high seas In the world of international shipping, the rules are blurred and the oceans lawless When instinct tells maritime claims investigator Angus McKinnon that a wave of frauds must be connected, he thinks it’s just business as usual. Instead, he uncovers a ruthless conspiracy born of greed and the lust for power. As he starts to unravel a trail leading from the post-Soviet drabness of a Black Sea port to a sweltering anchorage in the Gulf of Thailand, a devastating explosion in the Indian Ocean changes everything. Facing down terrifying childhood memories, torn between two very different women and doubting old friends, McKinnon must navigate a precarious path between secretive government agencies, shady syndicates and avaricious crime lords towards an unpredictable endgame. Gambling everything on his faith in one man, can McKinnon beat the odds and come out on top? A gripping page-turner, Sea of Gold draws the reader into a world of extremes, the casual affluence of the super-rich contrasting with the dignified poverty of the desperate. Meanwhile, McKinnon’s two loves – the enigmatic Claire and his devoted, long-term lover, Eleni, vie for his attention. This debut thriller from Nick Elliott is packed with intrigue – if you love your action spiced with suspense, make Sea of Gold your next read.
Alternative Truths
Phyllis Irene RadfordRick Dunham - 2017
We attach no manacles to the word truth to bind it to our visions. Instead we free it to find its own way through the minds of the two dozen writers who have shared their vision of the future in either sensitively written allegorical tales such as Relics by Louise Marley, a woman who grew up bucking hay in Montana and moved on to a talented musical performer and successful novelist; or the raw humor of Adam Troy-Castro in his Q & A, which takes on the verbal veracity of Donald J. Trump. Jim Wright (of Stonekettle Station) imagines Trump giving the Gettysburg Address. Blaze Ward, Daniel Kimmel, Janka Hobbs and I explore dystopias. Marleen Barr and Adam Troy-Castro envision humorous, kinky, and scatological endings. What can I say? It rocks.
Dicmatized: The Doctor Is in
Dyphia Blount - 2012
Lenese Stringfield Puts the "Sex" in Sex Therapy as she takes the profession by storm with her new and innovative techniques. Her seductive nature and sexy demeanor has her clients eating out of the palm of her hand; amongst other things. Lenese has loved once and lost. So, if she can't be with the one she loves; she will love the one she's with. But, amazing sex doesn't come without a price tag. Too bad life has a lesson to teach this freaky therapist! She will soon learn that Karma is the "one bitch" that has everyone's address. Fooling around with another woman's husband is dangerous, but falling in love with one can be deadly.
A Sting in the Tale: A Collection of Short Stories
Matt Shaw - 2015
Stories included: A Mother's Love Plane Crazy The Last Will & Testament of Norman Fielding Lost Love Road Rage
Nightingale: A Memoir of Murder, Madness, and the Messenger of Spring
Suzanne Congdon LeRoy - 2014
Entrusted with the burdens and joys of memory, Elisabeth’s eldest granddaughter, Suzanne Congdon LeRoy, combines lived experience with meticulous historical research as she details a family legacy filled with inconceivable loss, love, and perseverance. Elisabeth Congdon emerges as the messenger of spring and the key to her granddaughter’s survival. Her early efforts to nurture a foundation of hope, optimism, and the power of possibility lead Suzanne to advanced education, a remarkable nursing career and the discovery of the ineffable relationship between healing oneself, service to others, and the connection to the spirit and beauty of the earth that makes her whole again. “Nightingale” is a book of rare power, beauty, and hope. All proceeds, after taxes, are used to support health and human rights initiatives that benefit women and girls with an emphasis on education, reproductive health, and violence prevention.