Gathered here together are twenty fantastic stories by seven fabulous Antipodean authors – authors you may not be familiar with … yet; authors you will want to read again and again. High fantasy and low, magical realism, retold fairy stories, and even a hint of science-fiction – it's all here. Some stories in this collection are excerpts, others are background or spin-off stories about characters in pre-existing novels, yet others are tasters of works-in-progress; the remainder are stand-a...

Aimed chiefly at newcomers, this is a practical guide to understanding and composing haiku.If you’ve long been curious about haiku then this introduction will answer your questions about syllable counts, cutting-words (kireji), season-words (kigo) and so much more, including differences between approaches in the English and Japanese languages.Using verse from masters and contemporary poets, the Haiku How-To will take you through key concepts and important c...

Deep in the Australian forests, something dark is stirring.When wildlife ranger Lisa Thomas finds a pile of animal entrails on her doorstep she immediately suspects her abusive ex, but the sudden spate of deaths that follow seem beyond even Ben's vindictiveness.Worse, her father's health is deteriorating fast and when the harassment and deaths continue, it only fuels her feelings of powerlessness. To add confusion to growing fear, Lisa must also investigate...

Eight complete epic fantasy novels in one set.All the magic, dragons, castles and quests you will ever need!Innocence Lost by Patty JansenBeneath The Canyons by Kyra HallandBook Of Never by Ashley CapesStargazy Pie by Victoria GoddardThe Dragon’s Champion by Sam FergusonFloat: The Enchanted Horse by Demelza CarltonThe Silverleaf Chronicles by Vincent Trigili

Adventure? Check. Magic? Check. Sarcasm? You bet.After years of running down dead-end clues, the rogue Never has nearly given up his quest for answers; his blood is cursed and his true name a mystery, yet no library, no healer, and none who claim to know dark magics have ever been able to help.Until he steals a map to the mysterious Amber Isle, which might just hold the answers he needs.But Never isn't the only one who wants the map - his enemy, Com...

A divine quest. Bitter odds. And a boy with a hero's heart…but none of a hero's gifts.Kilek dreams of becoming a hero. Which is why when a goddess calls him and his friends to adventure far from their sleepy village, he's ecstatic.But while his friends are turned into adults with weapons, magic and more, Kilek gets nothing.Even so, he isn't deterred. A hoard of giant insects and the agents of rival gods threaten the land, and it's his mission to res...

Led by the bitter veteran, Notch, a small team of mercenaries stumble across a foreign noble while attempting to foil a silk-smuggling operation.Instigated by their corrupt king, the crime could be enough to start a war, should the truth be exposed - leaving Notch and his companions scrambling to find way to protect the king they no longer believe in...Prequel to City of Masks (Bone Mask Cycle 1)

concrete whalesong collects both previously published and brand new haiku and senryu. In particular, the collection focuses on the joys and challenges of travel and was largely composed while exploring Japan.A new collection of haiku and senryu from poet and novelist Ashley Capes.Please note correct formatting is available in the print edition.

Freedom. Magic. Vengeance.Vilas is a man consumed by anger. Kept prisoner in the city that slaughtered his people, he dreams of the day his magic is unsealed so he can burn everything to ash. When the city's queen asks for his help hunting down rebel cultists, he agrees in exchange for his freedom, his magic, and a night in her bed.Given access to only a fraction of his magic and forced to work alongside a jailor who can seal it entirely, a quick escape is ...

Conclusion to the Bone Mask Cycle!Notch finally holds the answers he sought, along with an unsuspecting Sacrifice... but drawing all the pieces together will prove a greater challenge – especially when it becomes clear that the Fura Leones does not approve of such desperate measures.In Renovar, Flir must find a way to salvage the bones of the frozen Sea God but Chelona has other plans for the mighty corpse, and trapped within her now is Seto, whose frustrat...

A haunted journal. An inescapable obsession. Will curiosity be the death of her?Riko is staring at rock bottom. Fired from her teaching job and threatened with deportation, her friend takes her on a hike near Mt Fuji to get away from it all. But when she finds an old journal deep in the forest, a malevolent force begins stalking her every step—or so she believes.Plagued by hallucinations and driven to uncover the journal's secrets, Riko is desperate for ans...

Leap into worlds like and unlike our own: a creepy restaurant stalks its customers, steampunk slaves find a new home in the Australian desert, storybook characters come alive to make deals with the Roman God of Sleep and in the future, a synthetic society suffers dark consequences of endless augmentation... all these stories and more lurk within.A collection of short fiction featuring steampunk, cyberpunk, fantasy and even a little horror!