Her father is having one of his 'prescient turns' again, her mother is planning a trip to Spain with her informal ladies' society, and to cap it all the village baker, Ben Tonkins, has died, which means that Gretchen will be bereft of her favourite dense, jammy sponge cakes. And there is something entirely fishy about Ben's death that sits ill with the intrepid mortician.And what's worse is that Gretchen's solemn and sensible boss, the honey-voiced Carmel, seems to have come down with a case of the crazies, botching the embalming process on Ben, and getting wildly smashed on vodka before bashing both Gretchen and another villager, Rosie Tawber, with a cricket bat.But Gretchen knows Carmel, and she knows that cricket was never her game, so she sets out with the help and hindrance of the villagers to discover who, exactly, is the murderer in their midst - and what could be their motive in this sleepy corner of England.

    The leaders of these guilds have complete control over their members, but one man is about to challenge that authority.Follow the tale of The Artificer’s Apprentice to see what he shall fashion in his shop...

    Some remembered her as the innocent daughter of a local minister, while others whispered rumors about a recent lascivious turn. Was she really the 'other woman' who came between her friends' engagement? Is it true she convinced someone to give up a life of crime? Did she really spend time in jail for a DUI? After failing to maintain a blogging career, Jessica Carter must return to her home town of Hampton, New Hampshire. The place is nice enough: a beautiful summer destination with sandy beaches, a touristy boardwalk and a cozy, small-town atmosphere. But Jessica knows coming home means owning up to her mistakes and mending relationships with everyone she left behind. Corinne's death brings Jessica closer to her former friends, but as she digs into Corinne's life, she exposes dark secrets her friends wish would remain hidden. Caught between her investigation and her friends, Jessica seeks to answer the one question everyone else seems content to leave unresolved: who knew the real Corinne, and why would someone want her dead?

    Axe: The Ultimate SacrificeBefore Ben James and Steve Knight, as President and VP, there was Wall and Axe. Wall worked to get out of the flesh trade and drugs. Axe was the soldier that could make it happen. They pay the ultimate price to put the man with the vision in power. See how a young Tiny, Knight and Ben shield the kid that was found eating out of the dumpster. The Ultimate Sacrifice shows us how it all started. Patches ListNot having a family of his own he watched from a far to see what “Normal” was. He learned from other’s actions what worked and what didn’t. He watched how people treated each other, how men treated women, and how the women responded to those actions. This is just a small part of what he learned.Barbi BarnardMore Than InkThe Little Brothers are growing up. They learn about being men and heal through the ink that covers the horror of seeing one of their own hurt.

    No one quite took an interest in her or her life story, until that faithful day when Jerome McKinney Jr. came waltzing back into her life. Jerome McKinney Jr. is a sexy knows it all lawyer following in his father's footsteps but when he reunites with his high school classmate the attraction was instant. When Jerome frigid wife shows up into the picture. Emma runs to the hills. On the first day of Emma's new job, a high profile murder of a Massachusetts senator falls in her lap and with every twist and turn she starts to wonder who Jerome McKinney Jr. really is It becomes an even more dangerous game to be played when everyone is a suspect and with murders piling up on her doorstep Emma needs to solve this case and fast.

    Olivia's chance encounter blurs the lines between shifters, rival wolf packs, and a chance at real love. (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance)

    Even being on the run from her past couldn't diminish the star she was meant to be. Mia learned the hard way that the family you were born into could be your greatest downfall, and that true die-hard fans are more than the people who buy your music and stand in line for your concerts... They can literally save your life and be the family you always wished you had.

    She has been raped, tortured and abused. She no longer trusts anyone but the siblings who endured the same abuse as her. The years of abuse have led the fragile Butterflii to commit the ultimate crime… murder.She is deemed mentally unstable and her crime lands her in the infamous mental hospital St. Elizabeth’s in S.E. Washington, DC where she meets the only person she feels she has a connection to, Georgia Marks. Georgia is the complete opposite of Butterflii, she is beautiful and smart and seems to have everything under control, except one thing…her drug problem. Georgia battles her own demons which stems from a past of her abuse of the drug, Love Boat, that runs rampant through the DMV streets at an all time high.Her addiction to the powerful drug LB, the death of her brother Emilio accompanied by a heist gone wrong, places Georgia in St. Elizabeth’s along with Butterflii when they decide being locked up in St. Elizabeth’s is something they can no longer withstand. Together, they break free from bondage and develop something they have never felt for anyone…love. The two girls embark on a journey to find themselves and make a way to survive in a world that has shunned and turned its back on them, only to find that the bond they thought could never be broken will be, by a twist of fate, that will devastate the unsuspecting Butterflii who refuses to forgive.Exhale II: A Sister's LoveLife for the Fields women ain’t never been no crystal stair. Touche and Shyra Fields were abandoned by their mother and repeatedly victimized at the hands of their father. They witnessed a world some could hardly imagine, let alone live through.After the death of their sisters Butta and Reese, the youngest women of the Fields Family find themselves being bounced around through group homes and foster care until Touche is finally of age to be free of her past.She makes an attempt at finding out who murdered her sisters, but because of her uncontrollable temper, Touche’s plans go horribly wrong one week before she's released from the same system she feels failed her. From the man suspected of the death of her two older sisters, to her mother who abandoned her and her siblings, Touche is on a path of self-destruction and is willing to take the chance of losing her freedom and her life to finally be able to Exhale.

    Short StoriesThe short story''Stars'' is published in Paulo Coelho's blog.''Emotional Moments'' features 23 short stories written during the last 13 years. Each of them represents its unique shape of emotion. Each of them tries to reach your soul.Stories reflect life in different shades of colors. All of them evoke feelings or provoke thoughts. Some do both at the same time.

    The very same hood she craved but was off limits to her after the death of her father, one of the state’s biggest kingpins. Being released from the reigns her mother kept hold of, she finds her way back to the hood….and attracted to one of its most eligible ballers. Demonte is every woman’s wet dream…tall, dark, handsome and paid. When he crosses paths with Orchid, he’s determined to make her his. Eventually wearing her down, a one of a kind love begins that doesn’t go unnoticed. When jealousy, deception and envy come into play, lives are lost and the drama begins. Having lost the love of her life, Orchid struggles with picking up the pieces of her heart and raising a son on her own. After years of living in solitude, she emerges bigger and badder than ever….ready to take on life. When she finally opens her heart and again let’s love in, her past catches up with her and puts in jeopardy her happily ever after……or does it?

    This bossett comes with two very different job titles; trapping and running a five stair hair salon. Torn between the two business, Chanel has a choice to make. Now, meet Rashad; a big time drug dealer thats known around the whole Midwest. He coming with a huge opportunity and he wants Chanel for the job, but will she accept it? With lies, infidelity and murder rising, How will Chanel and Rashad overcome them? Will the two come clean on the lies they started or will the lies be confronted in this story of a Certified Bossett?

    Ivy Mitchell’s life is changed forever after she follows her cat, Karma, into an old house, where she stumbles upon a strange book that not only unleashes her destiny, but attracts a smoking hot, mysterious stranger named Chance with wicked powers of his own. Ivy was born a witch, but an important decision awaits. Make the wrong choice and more than her powers are at risk. A story in nine parts, each written by a different writer in her own individual style: Lori Connelly, Aileen Harkwood, Zara Stoneley, Kari Lemor, Sarah Lefebve, Carmel Harrington, Teresa F. Morgan, Lynn Marie Hulsman, and Jane Lark.Length: 4300 words

    Her marriage will unite the last two human kingdoms of Orundal. As it is not a marriage of choice but of necessity, she struggles with the responsibility laid before her, not knowing that the sacrifice she makes for her homeland will be but the first that she must endure. Her twin sister, Princess Sacha, has been called from her studies at the Monastery to support Sloane in her time of need. Sacha has begun to learn the ways of the arcane and deals with her own troubles concerning the loss of a family that has been taken from her.The sisters will not face their fates alone as Erik and Kinsey, steadfast companions, become their guides. Erik seeks only solace for himself and his adopted son, but soon learns that such a wish is impossible to attain as the events around them unfold. Kinsey, orphaned at birth, wrestles with his newfound rage not realizing that its cause is tied to his unknown heritage.A tale of adventure filled with dwarves and elves, men and mages, were-beasts and the undead who clash together in a conflict so vast it will consume them all. These four troubled souls will become champions in the struggle for survival, as dark forces gather to destroy them.

    He's a dead man walking until his doctor gives him a way out. If he's willing to give up his entire life, he can travel for eight hundred years in stasis to planet Epigog 31 to receive treatment. With no other options available, he agrees.Once there, he discovers that aliens exist and they are allies with humanity. But there's a catch to receiving treatment: while his body heals, he must act as muscle for the aliens.His conscious mind is uploaded into a mechanical battle unit and he is sent to train for warfare.He will travel the galaxy, meet numerous aliens, and make friends along the way. But everything is not as it seems, and Jack's mech is far more unique than he realizes.

    From that moment onward every construct is different.They all have one thing in common, though; all constructs are bound by rules. They serve. They do not question their place. They do not betray.Each construct is different, but some are more different than others...A 4,000 word short story set in the Lacuna universe but suitable to read as a stand-alone story.