Is it a ghost, or something much worse? PC Peter Grant really isn't looking forward to finding out....

    Inseparable since they were very young, they've always shared everything together, including the darkest parts of their lives. Elena's beginning to realise that her feelings for Karl are growing into something more. But her mother's about to drop a bombshell on her – one that will change the course of her life, and heart, forever. PUBLISHER'S NOTES: For fans of the series, this story includes two parts of Elena's past that were made reference to in The Witching Pen: 1) The moment that Karl turns up on Elena's doorstep having been beaten and 'jumped on' by his father and 2) "The Sex Talk" between Elena and her mother.Book length: short story (over 5500 words)

    Satisfy your curiosity. Surrender to wonder. Witness as the finest talents of our time bring you tales of the strangeness at the edges of existence.Featuring: Clive Barker, John Langan, Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Morton, Brian Kirk, Hal Bodner, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Erinn Kemper, John F.D. Taff, Patrick Freivald, Lucy Snyder, Brian Hodge, Kristi DeMeester, Christopher Coake, Sarah Read, and Richard Thomas. With a foreword by Josh Malerman.

    Witch Goldie Locke's mission in life is the rescue and rehabilitation of endangered Magical creatures. She will put her life and all she has at risk to save them.

    For eleven year old Timmy Quinn and his best friend Pete Marshall, the dreary town of Delaware Ohio becomes a place of magic, hidden treasure and discovery. But on the day they encounter a strange young boy sitting on the bank of Myers Pond a pond playground rumor says may hide turtles the size of Buicks everything changes. For it soon becomes apparent that dark secrets abound in the little community, secrets which come cupped in the hands of the dead, and in a heartbeat, Timmy and Petes summer of wonder becomes a season of terror, betrayal and murder.

    

    But now sin is the world's only hope.This gripping collection includes all three novels of Sorcery and Sin, an epic fantasy about the return of vengeful dragons, a world annihilated by forbidden sorcery, and depraved gods on the verge of madness.Book 1: The Dragon ThiefSorcery is a sin that has been purged. But now sin is the world's only hope.Lavery Opsillian would trade anything, even his ghostly friends in the city tombs who comfort him, to have his father back. Instead, he must face reality as Valios' new king.But his kingship is short-lived. Seized by cutthroats and held for ransom, Lavery learns he possesses a gift he soon deems a curse, but one that may well douse the flames threatening to engulf his world.Sorcery has returned, and dragons are coming.Book 2: Reign of GodsOriana Gravendeer wants to change the world. But first, she must conquer it.With a powerful kingdom as her ally, a brood of dragons at her disposal, and sorcery at her command, overthrowing the powers of Avestas should prove effortless.But when an unsettling horror washes ashore and allies turn, Oriana's hopes begin to crumble. Worse, a malevolence has awoken in the North, and the world will know why sorcery is a sin.Gods are coming. Gods will reign.Book 3: Wrath of the WraithIn a land where winter prevails eternally, Lavery Opsillian searches for a necromancer to save his world from the brink of calamity. But he instead confronts a chilling betrayal by those closest to him.Worse, he learns that the baleful goddess who seized his world is hunting the same necromancer, for purposes far more sinister than he ever imagined.But Lavery has a secret he hasn't yet revealed, and soon the world will know his wrath.

    R. James is best remembered for his ghost stories which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature. One of James' most important achievements was to redefine the ghost story for the new century by dispensing with many of the formal gothic trappings of his predecessors, and replacing them with more realistic contemporary settings.According to James, a story must "put the reader into the position of saying to himself: 'If I'm not careful, something of this kind may happen to me!'"

    She's a graduate student in parapsychology, and psychic herself. She's also a second-degree Wiccan priestess--a witch. And her primary duty is to help those in need, whether living, dead, or otherwise.Will Ry be able to forge a relationship with a woman so different from anyone he's known? Will Tanna rise to the challenges of both her new love, and her chosen path? And will the dark corners of the world be ready for the Firefly Witch?

    1 The Bastard Stepchild - George R.R. Martin 2 Death by Dahlia - Charlaine Harris 3 The Bleeding Shadow - Joe R. Lansdale 4 Hungry Heart - Simon R. Green 5 Styx and Stones - Steven Saylor 6 Pain and Suffering - S.M. Stirling 7 It's Still the Same Old Story - Carrie Vaughn8 The Lady is a Screamer - Conn Iggulden 9 Hellbender - Laurie R. King 10 Shadow Thieves - Glen Cook 11 No Mystery, No Miracle - Melinda M. Snodgrass 12 The Difference Between a Puzzle and a Mystery - M.L.N. Hanover13 The Curious Affair of the Deodand - Lisa Tuttle 14 Lord John and the Plague of Zombies - Diana Gabaldon15 Beware the Snake - John Maddox Roberts 16 In Red, with Pearls - Patricia Briggs 17 The Adakian Eagle - Bradley Denton

    A heart-warming tale of Christmas, elves, Santa Claus…and a really mad witch.There are many things Cinnamon Mercy Claus is struggling with this holiday season: the memories of long forgotten holidays when the Christmas season was about family; that she’s just found out her grandfather is Santa Claus; and that her grandmother is a witch—who is hell-bent on destroying Christmas for them all.

    One would rise to become queen in her place. Perhaps the strongest of the three. Perhaps the cleverest. Or perhaps it would be the girl born under the best shield of luck.Katharine, Arsinoe and Mirabella - three young queens born to fulfil their destiny - to fight to the death to win the crown. But before they were poisoner, elemental and naturalist, they were children, sisters and friends . . .

    Helping her on the mission are her hot mage partner, her Mischief demon minion, and a Vanity demon named Valva. The problem? She's got to figure out how to find her sister without letting her enemies know she's back in town. But when Sabina seeks out an old ally -- a vampire strip club owner named Fang -- for help, Sabina learns the hard way that Vanity demons don't know the meaning of the phrase "low profile."Word count: ~7,500

    Dark intrigue runs through her ancient family line. The temptation has finally proven too much, and Elise searches for truth in the tales.Now the old legends have returned. The village lays torn by suspicion, and a young girl must face evil to protect what is left of her family. But with two opposing forces vying for her allegiance, she must first decide which side she is on.

    She is devastated, but she is not nearly as terrified as she should be.Jay is a Strega. Like her mother and grandmother, she is a descendant of the original Strega of ancient Etruria-gifted women of the woods bestowed with godly power, and the world's first witches. With the truth withheld from her all her life, Jay is blindsided when her power is unbound. Demons are coming for her. They killed the people she loved most to get to her, and they won't rest until she is dead.Forced to embrace her identity if only to survive, Jay uncovers a past life when her ruthless enemy's hatred for her was born, and she rediscovers an eternal love that has burned throughout lifetimes. Fighting for her life, she is drawn back into an ancient battle between the virtuous and the wicked that threatens to destroy her and all of humankind.