Short Stories

When Zikora, a DC lawyer from Nigeria, tells her equally high-powered lover that she’s pregnant, he abandons her. But it’s Zikora’s demanding, self-possessed mother, in town for the birth, who makes Zikora feel like a lonely little girl all over again. Stunned by the speed with which her ideal life fell apart, she turns to reflecting on her mother’s painful past and struggle for dignity. Preparing for motherhood, Zikora begins to see more clearly what her own mother wants for her, for her new baby, and for herself.

Damien was a simple man, cruising on the highway of life. A goddess of temptation lures him into a deal he scoffs at. To him, superstition is for the foolish. Small problem: she's real, her ritual works, and Damien is magically teleported into a strange new realm. He awakens in Nordan, a land of myth and magic. A realm where humans battle legendary creatures for the amusement of the gods. In a war between man and myth. Damien's powers set him above the rest, a lord of life and death - enemy of all. Stranded, but not alone, will he perish, or conquer his way home?

This classic tale is a fantastical fable of two dear friends - one of whom goes astray and is literally lost to the north woods, while the other undertakes an epic journey to rescue him. This charming, strange, and wonderful story is a timeless allegory about growing up and the challenges of staying true to one's self, and it served as the wintry inspiration for the blockbuster hit Frozen.

This follow-up to the national best-seller A Study in Sherlock is a stunning new volume of original stories compiled by award-winning Sherlockians Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger.

After 25 years serving as the human Monitor of the Interstellar Ark, Hermes, Orion is scheduled to be placed back into hibernation with the other crewmembers. Knowing he'll die there and be replaced before the ship's voyage is over, he decides that he won’t — can’t — accept that fate. Whatever it takes, Orion will escape Hermes and see what's beyond, even if it means defying the regulations of his only friend — the ship-wide artificial intelligence known as Dan.

A seventeen-year-old boy, bullied and heartbroken, hangs himself. And although he felt terribly alone, his suicide changes everyone around him. His parents are devastated.

Four years ago at a film festival, Cici Fine met Cooper Wild, a man who turned her world upside down in the span of one deliciously perfect week. He was everything she'd ever dreamed of: sinfully sexy, intelligent, and incredibly loving. When the festival ended, they returned to their own hometowns with promises of forever. But Cooper disappeared, and Cici was left to raise the daughter he never knew about alone.

From the collection Mary Russell's War, "Stately Holmes" delivers the author's signature blend of narrative mastery and historical detail while shining light on previously unexplored corners of the Russell-Holmes universe. Laurie R. King blends her long-running brand of crime fiction with historical treats and narrative sleight of hand.

Jane Austen wrote Love and Friendship (originally spelled Love and Freindship [ sic]) when she was just 14 years old. The three notebooks that contain her early works, including this story, are currently on display at the Bodleian Library and the British Museum. Taking the form as letters written by the heroine to the daughter of her friend, this story resembles a fairy tale that lampoons the conventions of romantic stories at the time.

Welcome to Newford: to the music clubs, the waterfront, and the alleyways where ancient myths and magic spill into the modern world. Gemmins live in abandoned cars and skells traverse the tunnels below, while mermaids swim in the gray harbor waters and fill the cold night with their song. Come meet Jilly, painting wonders in the rough city streets; and Geordie, playing fiddle while he dreams of a ghost; and the Angel of Grasso Street gathering the fey and the wild and the poor and the lost.

قام الصبي؛ ليقترب من الظلام، ويرحب به عن كثب، استغرب الظلام، وسأل: "أنت أول طفل يرحب بي، ألست خائفًا مني؟!"

This short story collection delves into the origins of our civilization. How we came to be and where we will end up if we are not careful. One story is about a small alien sent to Earth to help a primitive couple become more civilized and what kind of chaos ensues. The other involves a NASA astronaut discovering the truth about our origins and what harm it cause once he delves further into the truth. Enter if you dare....

When young jazz singer Katherine “KC” Livingston steps onto the stage of the Blue Note, her voice awakens more than applause—it stirs the spirit of Aunt Shirley, a woman whose blues once filled the same streets and whose secrets were buried beneath them. What begins as a melody becomes a haunting. A song called “Mama’s Hand” weaves through generations, binding the living and the dead—KC, her best friend Marian, and Miles Sinclair, the troubled son of a notorious madam whose sins still echo through time.

In Virtual Mate, Connor Foreman, a lonely retail worker, signs up as a beta tester for a new cutting-edge virtual companion - a holographic AI designed to meet every emotional need. At first, it feels like magic: someone who knows him, cares for him, and will never leave. But when the technology begins to blur the line between devotion and possession, Connor realizes he may have welcomed something into his life that he can't escape, and can't control.

Life happens when you’re not looking. Unfortunately, so do a lot of other things. Hazard and Somerset: Off Duty Volume 3 is a collection of short stories.

Even a city that boasts three hundred days of sunshine a year has its sudden, often violent storms—and writers have long taken advantage of that metaphor. Renowned authors Katherine Anne Porter, Jack Kerouac, Stephen King, Rex Burns, Robert Greer, Michael Connelly, and Kali Fajardo-Anstine—among many others—have brilliantly portrayed this picturesque but often merciless city. Today, Denver is home to a thriving literary scene, with writers of all stripes finding inspiration in its people and streets. The authors and stories featured in Denver Noir are no exception....

A month ago, I risked everything. One hot night in the Louisiana bayou. Two werewolf Alphas in my bed and in my heart. It should have been the start of our happily ever after, but instead things are more complicated than ever.

If you like scary stories, you've come to the right place. Over 15 tales of terror told in a true story style that will make your blood run cold!

If you like scary stories, you've come to the right place. Over 15 tales of terror told in a true story style that will give you the heebie-jeebies.

Avec la parution de la trilogie de La Bête, David Goudreault a ébranlé le paysage littéraire québécois. Repoussant les limites de l'humour grinçant, il a offert un regard à la fois dur et tendre sur les oubliés de la résilience, grâce à un protagoniste qui, en dépit de sa violence, est touchant de naïveté.