Short Family

In this darkly-comic retelling of the Prodigal Son parable, Jesus talks of a man who must overcome strange horrors in order to convince his family he is real. "Prodigal Son" by Daniel M. Lavery is one of 9 short horror stories in Nightfire's audio anthology. Come Join Us by the Fire S2...

Judging by the popularity of her home-makeover show, Katie has it all: a sweet-natured husband, Damian, as her cohost; adorable tween daughters; a designer mansion; and a just-folks appeal that has made the happy couple home-renovation royalty. Out of the spotlight, it’s a different story. Katie’s marriage is disintegrating, her spoiled daughters despise her, and her money can’t do anything to repair her personal problems - or her professional ones.

The recipient of the Journey Prize and Edna Staebler Award, Heather Birrell made a splash in the literary world with her first collection, I Know You Are But What Am I? In Mad Hope, Birrell employs her keen insight into the human condition to present tales featuring a complex array of characters, including a gay man caring for a friend and a science teacher faced with a shocking request.

Meet Ruby, Pearl and Jade--three sisters who grew up in the paradise of St. Thomas. Each young woman has a unique path to walk, and a unique love to discover--and they are as different as the gemstones they're named for.

The story before the story...What happened before A Family Affair began? Best-selling author Mary Campisi answers this question in her new Park Bench series. These short stories make the perfect park-bench listen and are named after her signature park-bench covers.

Families come in all shapes and sizes, and our loved ones are the greatest gift of all. This collection of short stories explores the importance of family, and some of the many ways brothers, sisters, parents, and grandparents show unconditional love to each other every day.

In It's All Love, black writers celebrate the complexity, power, danger, and glory of love in all its many forms: romantic, familial, communal, and sacred.

Few winter stories are more affecting than Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl. Written in 1848, and strictly speaking a New Year's Eve story, it showed so clearly then, as it does now, that the Christmas holidays do not represent fireside, food, and presents for all. This story never fails to move, yet it somehow avoids serious sentimentality.

With some expert guidance and God's help, you can have tremendous influence in your stepchild's life and grow in your faith along the way. Seasoned stepmom Laurie Polich Short understands and empathizes with the difficult job you face. Drawing on extensive research, biblical teaching, and her own real-life experience (including an insightful chapter cowritten with her stepson, Jordan), Laurie provides practical and spiritual advice to help you fully embrace and succeed in your role as stepparent.

Five tales which range from the jungles of India to the frozen emptiness of the North... In all of them, Kipling's extraordinary powers of description and ability to identify with human aspiration and animal survival are vividly shown. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi must battle with Nag, the cobra, in his territory; Toomai has a unique glimpse of the elephant world, Kotick, the White Seal, searches for sanctuary, while Kotuko has to find food for his starving Eskimo village. Above all, Kipling's love of life in all its variety shines through.

John Updike reads six stories he has selected from the 100-odd he has published. Mr. Updike, when asked to described his method of reading aloud, said "I try to picture the things described and to speak the words distinctly, and to let the emotion come through on its own." The method works beautifully.

The Peterkin Papers record the antics of the most memorably and hopelessly bumbling of respectable American families. Confronted by the endless challenges of daily life, the Peterkins rise to every occasion with misguided aplomb: they sit out in the sun for hours and fail to go for a ride because they've forgotten to unhitch the horse.

Reed Love is more than a computer genius and hacker extraordinaire thanks to his DNA. He has a love-hate relationship with the invisible pop-up boxes that appear around everyone he meets and the ease with which he can access that data. Pictures, financial data, passwords, it doesn't matter what the information or how deep in the web strangers try to disguise it. Reed has access, and these boxes dance in front of him, enticing him to look.

Embark on an enchanting journey into the heart of the meadow with "The Willowduck Family: Tales of Adventure and Friendship". In this delightful collection of stories, listeners of all ages will be captivated by the charming escapades of the lovable Willowduck family – Mr. and Mrs. Willowduck and their five adorable ducklings: Daisy, Drake, Daffodil, Dewey, and Darcy.

Emma Bontrager is continuing to hide her rebellious young sister, Martha. However, Emma has deep concerns about the state of her sister's health and doesn't know what to do and who to turn to. Meanwhile the handsome Englischer Jarron Williams has a huge secret that he needs to offload on someone.

A story about a man grappling with his thoughts while hunting. This story explores complex themes of hope and personal growth after coping with loss.

These are some of the stories of Manorsfields' residents, their relatives and their caregivers. There is humor, poignancy, even romance, but above all they demonstrate that life is very often stranger than fiction.

Sam Theopolis entered the Woolman household like a clown with treasures up his sleeve. He kept the absent-minded Jessie from permanently checking out of reality, and he brought an inconceivable joy to Jessie's younger daughter and grandson. But just when the current of their lives seemed smooth and untroubled, tragedy struck like a squall. With eccentric characters reminiscent of Anne Tyler, Willard takes the reader on a quirky journey of the heart.

I’m Stephen Lund, confirmed bachelor…and son of a successful billionaire whose sins I can’t forget - or forgive. Though he insisted I get over his transgressions, I can’t. So I put space between us with a temporary getaway to Maui. My rental’s sexy caretaker, Skye Ingram, is a beautiful distraction. Yeah, it’s a terrible time to start a fling, but I can’t help wanting to give her every bit of pleasure she’s willing to take. When Skye needs a date to her ex-boyfriend’s wedding, I’m game to play her pretend fiancé.

Nothing ever goes the way it should. Marty is barely a friend any more, and the roommate from hell is doing Naked Guy on my couch again. It's bad enough that it feels like my life is coming apart at the seams. There's one man that has held it together for the past few weeks, but things change. All it takes is a few words and everything shatters.