Great Escapes, Volume 1 brings together 18 authors from around the world who invite you to take a journey. Climb the chilly, hauned slopes of Mount Everest. Witness a young girl's magical transformation. Run for your life from a plague of rats. Or, find love in the strangest of places.The 30 contributions include short stories, micro fiction and poetry in a wide range of genres including horror, romance, thriller and adventure, beautifully illustrated by Kat Wilson.

A flash fiction collection. Twelve dark fiction stories. R Rated for sensitive themes.

A strait-laced waitress serves up a shock for the great date she ran out on in this heartwarming surprise baby romance by a USA Today bestseller.Waitress Darcy Penn is the smart, sensible type—flirting with the extremely cute guy in the bar just isn't her usual style. As for ending up in his hotel room? Definitely not! Sneaking out while he's in the bathroom to avoid the post-sex awkwardness? Much more like it. . . .If Darcy had stuck around, Jeff No...

A woman, disgruntled with her husband’s addiction to the Internet, is shocked beyond belief when she discovers that he has been having an affair with a girl younger than his daughter. She plans her revenge and his demise in ways that are both enlightening and shocking in their brutality.Feeling that she has lost everything in her life and, with no other recourse, decides to exact on him a punishment she deems fit for his transgressions. What she does to him and his lover is beyond ...

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. However, even the most reluctant of heroes sometimes need a little help to make their dreams come true. This is the story of a small dog, the color of warm chocolate with four white paws that look as if he is wearing mismatched socks. His wish to find someone to love him comes true under rather extraordinary circumstances with help from an unusual ally.

The darkness creeps upon us and we shudder, or it suddenly startles and we scream. There need be no monsters for us to be terrified in the dark, but if there are, they are just as often human and as supernatural. Join us in this outstanding annual exploration of the year's best dark fiction that includes stories of quiet fear, the utterly fantastic, the weirdly surreal, atmospheric noir, mysterious hauntings, seductive nightmares, and frighteningly plausible futures. Featuring tales from m...

Returning from the front line, Corporal Joe Madden clutches his divorce papers. After a series of heart-breaking fertility problems, his once perfect marriage is set for the final curtain.It may be three years since Ellie saw her husband, yet the power to make her heart race is just as strong. But he’s only passing through and all that’s needed is her signature…Until the rain begins to fall on Karinya Station, and there is nowhere to escape.Could a Christmas peace t...

"There's no such thing as 'just sex,' Cash."When the new boss of Faith Harris's TV station, the famously ruthless and annoyingly gorgeous Cash Anderson, tells her he'll be canceling her sex and relationships show she knows she's in for a fight. She's worked her silk-clad butt off to get her high ratings, and no man's going to take them away from her—however hot under the collar he secretly gets her….But sugar's better than vinegar any day, so Faith d...

Having inflicted the smug homes of suburbia with witches and werewolves. Esther Friesner now unleashes the undead to tap a vein of blood and humor, and drain the suburbs dry of both.Vampires and the suburbs are a match made in heaven, or maybe Levittown. Remember Dracula? He didn't run into any real problems until he took his act on the road and traveled to the Big City. But in the suburbs, everyone is polite and respectful of their neighbors' right to privacy. And if your neighbor...

A compilation of short horror stories by Laurie Bowler where you can find the creepiest and most gruesome happenings and monsters.Blood will be spilt, bodies will be torn apart, lives will be ruined and mostly a shiver will creep down your spine when you are reading these stories!The Sand Monster: The creature that humans ran away from seeks his revenge after disobeying his mother, and hides under the sand to capture his prey. As his hunger begins to spin out of control, he ...

Have you ever heard footsteps coming toward you but no sign of a body?Or waking in the night knowing if you turn over, a face will be staring at you?Have you ever heard the sound of bare-knuckles tapping on your door, knowing full well there was no-one else in the house?Forget scientific explanations, logical assumptions, and coincidence.There are things both you and I cannot explain!Have you accepted the unacceptable, realised there are things you cannot...

You're going after an old friend for the reward.He's the Undertaker. One of the most dangerous criminals in the country, famous for being a crack shot, and utterly ruthless. You used to be in his gang.You think you have only one option.Kill or be killed.The Undertaker is a 2,500 word short story by Dai Reid.