English Womens Fiction

This is the ride of my life, and I've faced every single challenge that came my way by charging in and getting it done. Now, this might be my greatest challenge ever. To save my godson's life, I will have to travel to the unknown world of the Fae and navigate the dark and dangerous halls of the Unseelie King's palace to plant my butt on his throne. If my enemies want to come after me, they better bring a burn kit because my magic is hotter than dragon's fire, hot enough to burn them to cinder and I'm all out of dickens to give.

In the underwater kingdom of Corsica, mermaids are the property of mermen. We’re considered valuable as breeders until we reach our mid-30s, at which time we’re deemed no longer useful. Good thing for me I’m 40, never had any children, and I’m a widow. So, I can basically live my life as I see fit. Until my husband’s younger brother, Cullen, decides to make me his wife...one of seven.

I had it all. A powerful coven. A charming Victorian mansion. A sexy car. A couture closet. Credit cards up the wazoo, and an endearing familiar. Actually, scratch that, Hellcat would never be described as "endearing". More like: the bane of my existence. So, I almost had it all. Then a vampire came along and ruined it when he turned me into a Blood Witch. Now, I’ve been kicked out of my coven, kicked out of the mansion, I have no credit to speak of, the Lexus is a thing of the past, and not only am I driving something from the '80s, but it’s also unapologetically yellow.

Our new life in Scotland isn’t perfect, but somehow, being surrounded by the bewitching Highlands has kept the memory of our parents alive. But amongst the looming mountains, lush greenery, and murky lochs, there are hidden mysteries. Mysteries that may hold the key to both our past — and our future. And I’m more determined than ever to get to the bottom of the feud between the Duncan and Blackwood clans. But although things may seem oddly quiet, nothing stays that way when magic is involved.

Ever since that fateful knock weeks ago, I expected life to suddenly be brimming with adventure and magic.... Yet here I am, changing my cat’s litter and flossing like nothing ever happened. I mean, my best friend is a Fae princess, and there’s a magical bracelet fused to my body for goodness sakes! Shouldn’t something be different?

Turning 40 isn’t as exciting as most people think. There are no fireworks or surprise parties, and I definitely didn’t get hitched overnight. Been there, got the divorce papers to prove it. Nope, none of that. Rather than 40 being the new 20 and all that, I inherited a new power from my mysterious birth mother. But now she’s dead and I, despite the fact that I have exactly zero training, I’m the next time-traveling assassin.

Embark on a whimsical journey of self-discovery and enchantment in Miss Fitz Discovers Midlife Magic by Red Tash. Join the unassuming Melissa Fitzpatrick as she navigates the uncharted waters of middle age, only to stumble upon a world of wonder she never could have imagined!

When a mundane is brutally murdered by a Lycan, the entire community erupts in fury, and an investigation is launched to uncover the truth. The situation escalates when Dimitri launches a surprise attack on the Shadow Bone clan. Has an old enemy risen from the shadows, or has the previous clan head orchestrated these events to throw us into chaos? Tensions reach a boiling point when the witches reveal their new security force, acting without the Twilight Conclave's approval.

When I am called to Harmonia Grove by the leader of the Apollonians, we find the once pristine land is wrought with disease and its people are not faring much better. We search for the source of the decay and the madness afflicting the once-peaceful people, but Miletus circumvents our efforts at every turn. To have a chance at saving his people, we have to convince Apollo it's time to leave our realm. But how many people have to die before a god turns against his own son?

Despite the uncertainty in my relationship with Spencer, he agrees to help me uncover who drugged me, and a startling revelation from a consultation with my deceased mother provides a crucial clue. Seeking guidance from the new healer on a personal matter, we are stunned to uncover a dark secret about her. As my friends and I search for the missing artifact I need, a new enemy emerges, threatening our lives.

Too many men, not enough time. Jody isn’t used to juggling men and has no interest in it. When a coven of warlocks turn up in Harrow Bay, she doesn’t like their leader’s interest in her any more than she likes having them in her town. The mayor is persistent with his attempts to get better acquainted, and she’s clinging to her determination to make Drake believe there’s nothing between them. Willa is struggling to come to terms with her unexpected attraction, and Isabel has more of a love life than she wants when Artie pops the question.

It's not that I thought life was going to be easier now that I've settled into being forty, happily married to the man of my dreams, living my best life as a witch, but, well, okay yes, that is what I thought. Reality comes knocking the day I try to open the door to my shop and the key doesn't work. Neither does anything else: bricks to the window, my strongest spells, an actual half-giant punching in the door—nada. This magical shop has been in my family for over a hundred years. It's our legacy, what I want to pass down to my daughter.

An attack. A lost daughter. A war. After Jana's attack leaves her fate uncertain, Rene and I must broker a peace treaty with the forest lycans to ensure her safety. But the source of the lycan rogues remains a mystery, and the new warlock security force wants to ensure humanity's survival by killing them all. After I am attacked by Dimitri's rogue vampires, we begin to suspect that there is more to the Lycan conspiracy and we go searching for the source. But when our true enemy is revealed, it puts everyone alive in danger and a link to Rene's transformation is exposed.

Grieving mother Penny Nelson believes there is only one way to assuage her grief--take the baby and raise her. After all, Mercie is all she has left of her son. Scottlyn didn't draw the battle lines, but she's determined to defend what's hers. Can God find a way to bring peace to both women, or will someone end up Begging for Mercie?

Now at the fresh age of 42, I’m looking for a new start, a new book, and even new love—something I’m hoping to find with the local blacksmith named Leo. Leo seems to be all contradictions: hulking but shy, soft-spoken yet enormous, boyish yet in his mid-40s. What I’m not planning on, however, is that the little cottage I’ve moved into, called Bluebells, is haunted!

The Book of the Gods led me to a pendant created by a dark witch from the past, but this cursed artifact boosts my magical powers and alters it in unforeseen ways. When the demon attacks in our town increase, Daryn suspects a traitor within the Darkwind council. He cuts ties with the governing body in Spirit Falls, and this derision leads to dire repercussions.

When Jody Shaw is hired to be the new sheriff of Harrow Bay, a small coastal community, she’s excited to rise through the ranks and try something new. At 43, her career is everything that matters to her, besides her mother and grandmother, who move with her. It doesn’t take long for Jody to learn Harrow Bay is unusual. It’s home to all sorts of supernatural creatures, and there’s a Hell gate right at the center of town. Seriously, who thought it was a good idea to build an entire town around a Hell gate?

The past always catches up eventually. Sally keeps her relationships simple and uncomplicated. Always. Until a ghost from her past tracks her down at work and opens all sorts of old wounds. Garret wants to talk. Sally wishes to never see him again. And Mark, well, deep down he still just wants Sally. Despite everything.

Going back to the '80s as an adult is going to be fun. But, it isn't all leg warmers and boom boxes. As a time-traveling witch and assassin, I have a job to do; catch the rogue travelers and stop them from creating havoc with the timelines. With danger lurking around every corner, I’ve got to be careful. I may have found a new lease of life in my job for the agency, but that doesn't mean my body works like a 20-year-old's would, and I still have no idea how all of my magic works.

Women Destroy Science Fiction!, a special issue of Lightspeed magazine (winner of two Hugo Awards), is an all-science-fiction extravaganza, written and edited entirely by women.