What do you get when you ask 34 of today's top indie authors to each submit a story and then ask a team of judges to scour that ore and pick out the gems? You get All These Shiny Worlds:A world of today, divided, black from white, good from evil, and held apart by the taste of a cookie.A world of griffons and glimmer bunnies, sassy llamas, and the magic of beer.A world of contemplation and serenity, of service and devotion, ruled by a jewel and guarded by children.Plus 12 more, for a total of 15 sparkling worlds to explore.From the brutal curators at ImmerseOrDie.com comes this collection of indie short stories, each a distinct jewel forged in the fires of judgment, and all carrying one simple promise:Guaranteed not to suck.

    Tobin Lloyd's life is perfect: he's a senior at Bridgton High, he's one of the funniest kids in school, and his only worry is whether or not his latest prank is going to result in yet another detention. But when he wakes up in the world of Capricious, a place where superheroes are real and attacks by super-villains are just another hassle of living in the city, all of that changes. Suddenly, Tobin's last year of high school is not going as he expected. Far from home and pretty sure he's gone insane, Tobin must join a strange group of companions (including a beer-drinking dog and a genius, three-foot-tall robot) as he begins his harrowing quest to get back home to the world of Earth. However, there is a disaster looming on the horizon: the most powerful super-villains of Capricious see the weak, chaotic planet of Earth as a grand opportunity, and they have a plan for conquest. Together, they are searching for a mysterious creature known as the Daybreaker--a super-villain so powerful that no one on Earth--or Capricious--will be able to stop it. Who is this Daybreaker? Where did he come from? And what is his connection to Tobin's new friends? The answers to these questions will lead Tobin down a road he may never recover from, newfound superpowers or not. Full of action, humor, and superhero adventure, THE STRIKE TRILOGY is the collected edition of STRIKE: THE HERO FROM THE SKY, STRIKE: DAWN OF THE DAYBREAKER, and the epic third book of the series, STRIKE: THE RETURNING SUNRISE.

    She also remembers her mother, a freedom fighter murdered in the final battle between humans and vampires. But it is her mother's final words that have haunted her: Red means life.In the years since her mother's death, she has been used as both a propaganda tool and a blood slave by the Troika. She's withstood their indignities because the alternative meant bleeding out in a blood camp. But their abuses finally go too far, and she decides to run towards freedom and her mother's red light.On the other side, she finds the Sisters of Crimson. They help her just as her mother promised, but they also hand her to the human rebels. The vampires used her famous name to keep human slaves biddable, but now the humans want to use it inspire a revolution.When the world is at war, freedom is a luxury paid for with blood.

    Victoria is Queen. Charles Darwin’s son is Prime Minister. And steam is the power that runs the world. At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire’s talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It’s not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices . . . When she meets Andrew Malvern, a member of the Royal Society of Engineers, she realizes her talents may encompass more than the invention of explosive devices. They may help her realize her dreams and his . . . if they can both stay alive long enough to see that sometimes the closest friendships can trigger the greatest betrayals . . .

    Life as an Omega is a hard one.It is full of duties and desires that are never truly fulfilled.I was one of them, yet I refuse to live my life only to breed for Alpha shifters.I am not going to let them steal or buy me away from my family, all for the sake of some ancient duty I was supposed to have.I wasn’t going to let it happen.Then it did happen.I was bought at an auction, while simultaneously saved from a clan of shifters that wanted to breed me and take my children for their new soldiers.Isaac was an outlier, someone that just showed up out of the blue.I was afraid of Isaac at first, even as I owed him my life.Things changed when I went into my very first heat.My desire for my new mate was undeniable and I was begging him for something I thought I would never want.Need turned into pleasure that I’d never felt before.And maybe even something else.Maybe even love.Or it was all just too good to be true and my life was going to take a turn for the worst.Nothing this good ever lasted too long....

    Tom even married a superhero, the Perfectionist. But at their wedding, the Perfectionist was hypnotized (by ex-boyfriend Hypno, of course) to believe that Tom is invisible. Nothing he does can make her see him. Six months later, she's sure that Tom has abandoned her.So she's moving to Vancouver. She'll use her superpower to make Vancouver perfect and leave all the heartbreak in Toronto. With no idea Tom's beside her, she boards an airplane in Toronto. Tom has until the wheels touch the ground in Vancouver to convince her he's visible, or he loses her forever.

    Only one thing can tip the balance, the return of the Elementals.In Wellington, New Zealand, four friends cast a love spell unaware that within each of them a dormant power waits. As the final words ‘So mote it be’ ring from the lips of Kassandra, Catherine, Sian, and Laura, a bridge between realms is formed.The Arrival is a story of love, hope, despair, and above all, determination. Only through strength of spirit and mind can the four women hope to survive a war where they are the ultimate weapons AND the ultimate prize.

    He’s dangerous. He’s hunted. And now he’s got me, he won’t let go.I'm not in space to meet a man. The crew of the Ladies’ Choice left Earth to work without distractions, so we have a rule: no men on board. That rule went out of the airlock when I found Delkor.An alien cyborg, locked in stasis for decades since the Big War. Leader of the rebels who took down an Empire. A smoking-hot alien alpha with a robot arm and a voice that melts me every time he speaks.But he's as valuable as he is dangerous. The local gang bosses are powerful and will do whatever it takes to control Delkor, putting me and my crew in danger as long as he's with us.Maybe walking away would be the smart thing to do, but I don’t have that option. Delkor wants me as much as I want him, and what he wants, he takes.Her Alien Alpha is book one of the Salvaged Hearts series. Each book is a complete science fiction romance story with no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a happy ending guaranteed.

    by those not yet too frightened to speak of them.Their empire has terrorized the galaxy for more than 2,000 years. If you'd rather listen to it as an audiobook, keep scrollingWarnings! Reading the first chapters with the 'Look inside' feature can lead to addictive behavior. Go ahead... we dare you.Parts of this story contain graphic adult situations.This book now also contains the Symbiont Wars Novelette Portal of Choice ... no charge!If you are still reading this instead of hitting "Look Inside" It must be because you are probably thinking ... I wish this was available in an audiobook.Well, it is. I just don't link to it on the page above because I don't make any money from audio (in the currently available business model). But if that's all you have time for I understand. You can find it on my author page ... and you can feel free to use the revolving library that is audible. Here is the link to it for your convenience. amazon.com/gp/product/B07HJGR9KF/ (You may need to cut and paste)

    His best friend–the apprentice pilot, Cassidy Cochran–also happens to be the girl he’s pining for … and the captain’s daughter. But when it looks like the Sadie Queen might get taken off the river, Daniel and Cassidy have to do whatever they can to stop the ghosts that plague the ship.Fortunately, there happens to be a Creole gentleman on board by the name of Joseph Boyer–and he just might be able to help them …

    There's just one problem - all she wants is to get out of the business.But after Renna rescues an injured boy on her final job, she finds herself on the run from the mob instead of enjoying retirement. She unwittingly becomes ensnared by MYTH, a top-secret galactic protection agency who offer her a choice - either help them on their latest mission, or spend the rest of her life on a prison ship.Forced to work under the watchful eye of handsome but arrogant Captain Finn, Renna learns the former mercenary-turned-hero has a few dirty secrets himself. As Renna works to discover the truth about Finn's past and keep the tantalizing man at arm's length, she unearths a plot to create an unstoppable army. The target? The human star fleet.Now Renna must pull off the biggest job of her career - saving the galaxy. And maybe even herself.

    When Kevin's father, a legendary superhero, learns of this, he insists on training Kevin to master his new powers, though Kevin finds his father's training methods a lot less exciting than he thought they were going to be. But Kevin's training takes on new urgency when the local bully's father—Master Chaos, one of the world's most dangerous supervillains—breaks out of prison and declares Kevin his new archenemy for harming his son. Now Kevin must complete his training as a superhero before Master Chaos arrives. If Kevin doesn't complete his training in time, then all of the power in the world won't be able to keep him and his family safe from the madman who wants him dead.

    She’s the only one who can save him.1913. Austria-Hungary. Wendel may be devilishly handsome, a charming bastard with the manners of disinherited royalty, but he's an abomination. His skin shivers with the icy fire of necromancy. With one touch, he can raise the dead. Worse still, he's being hunted by assassins from Constantinople, and he would rather die than confess why.Ardis escaped her own dark past, fleeing from America as a fugitive to become a mercenary for the Archmages of Vienna. When she discovers Wendel bleeding out on the battlefield, she saves his life with a ransom in mind. She never asked for him to fall to one knee and declare his undying loyalty, or for tension to smolder hot between them. Especially once she discovers his scars run much deeper than his skin.Shadows of Asphodel is a fast-burn fantasy romance novel with lush worldbuilding and gritty fight scenes. Perfect for fans of enemies to lovers, secret royalty, and tortured bad boys who might not be redeemable.

    Her escape leaves her with no option but to rely on Seth, a former lover, for help.Unfortunately, she realizes that they are now on opposite sides of an escalating war between the Commonwealth Union of Planets and an increasingly dangerous rebel organization.In trying to find who is threatening her life, they discover a plot to destroy a distant planet - a world inhabited by creatures that are the key to Nova's survival - and a conspiracy that threatens the stability of the Union Commonwealth.Can Nova go beyond her strict military training to cooperate with people whom she is sworn to destroy?

    When she was young Chloe’s mother vanished. Wracked by feelings of abandonment and anger she lost herself traveling with her father's magic act, where illusions were part of her everyday life. Yet everything changes when they are pursued by a mysterious man in black out to kill her father. Touching a doorknob activates abilities she never knew she had and she finds herself thrust into a world of ancient societies and secrets.When her father disappears it is a race against time to find answers before she loses what is left of her family. Now Chloe must choose who to trust, the man who will do anything for her or the one she can’t stop thinking about.