A short, sexy and scary read.
The Benson hotel in Portland, Oregon might look like your ordinary, swanky turn-of-the century hotel, but deep in the heart of this historic icon, lie a few restless souls with secrets that won't stay buried.
Amateur ghost hunters (and your favorite "will they or won't they" pair) Perry Palomino and Dex Foray spend an evening exploring the hotel for their Internet show "Experiment in Terror" - but this is no ordinary hotel and this is no ordinary episode. There's someone here in the Benson, someone dead, who will push the boundaries of what the duo know about ghosts and challenge Perry's very notion of the truth.
The Benson is a short novella in the Experiment in Terror Series. It occurs between books #2 (Red Fox) and #3 (Dead Sky Morning) but can also be read as a standalone and is the perfect primer for anyone interested in the best-selling series.
Everyone believes Tommy's best friend died in a terrible accident. Only Tommy knows that it wasn't an accident at all. He made a drunken mistake he can never take back. And now he's haunted, literally. It sounds nuts, and sometimes Tommy is not sure if he is nuts. It doesn't seem to matter too much until he meets Suki.
Tormented by evil.
Haunted by choice.
Searching for redemption.
******
Lines between good and evil blur as the Winter family fight for survival in Winter’s Wrath: Sacrifice. Book #3 in Winter’s Saga delves into the choices we make and the butterfly effect on the world around us. Meg Winter must cope with the caveats of her evolved gift or be consumed by them. Her family and friends watch helplessly as she struggles to find herself, learn what is worth fighting for and let go of things beyond her control. Will she break free of her own fears before it’s too late or let her insecurities rule them all?
Flowers, vacation, baseball, prom...what does spring mean to you? From unicorn hunters and teenage exorcists to Egyptian princesses and aspiring ballerinas, this collection of thirteen stories by some of the most exciting authors in Young Adult fiction explores young love and new beginnings during the most beautiful time of the year.
"Camp Cauldron" by Juli Alexander
Forced to spend Spring Break as a counselor at a camp for troublesome young witches instead of drooling over hotties at the beach, Emma relinquishes her hopes for romance. Could the perfect guy be waiting in the midst of poison ivy, s'mores, elephant trunks, and kangaroo feet?
"Barre Hopping at Midnight" by Amanda Brice
How can aspiring ballerina Dani Spevak concentrate on performing at a spring arts festival when her not-quite-boyfriend is in town filming the lead in a hot new vampire movie and he was seen kissing his costar?
"The Vanishing Spring" by Carey Corp
More than a century earlier, Eleanor Quimby tumbled into the water to escape an arranged marriage and disappeared. But was that the tragic end or a brave new beginning?
"The Princess of Egypt Must Die" by Stephanie Dray
A lonely Princess of Egypt is tempted by a forbidden love and forced to make a heartbreaking choice that will upend a kingdom and change her forever.
"Spring Perfection" by Leslie DuBois
Star athlete Scott Kincaid is about to make history and pitch a perfect game. But when he realizes that true perfection lies in the relationship he has with his best friend, Reyna, will he risk everything in order to keep a promise to her?
"Picture Not Perfect" by Lois Lavrisa
Seventeen-year old Tim wants to go to senior prom. Why doesn't his girlfriend Gabrielle want to go with him? Is she not who she says she is?
"Potionate Love" by P.R. Mason
Math geek, Tina, has found a way to get the popular jock, Ronny, to fall for her: a love potion. It'll work unless her best friend Nathan gets in the way.
"1:30, Tour Eiffel" by Jennifer McAndrews
A kiss in the dark will ruin Spring Break and lifelong friendships unless Rachel Healey can prove she is a pawn in someone else's game.
"Off Balance" by Renee Pace
Jennifer's secret is big, but she loves Charlie enough to know ending their teenage relationship will set him free and enable him to join the Army. When Charlie discovers the truth, it's up to him to convince Jen their young love was meant to be.
"On a Field, Sable" by Diana Peterfreund
After the shocking events of Ascendant, what awaits the unicorn hunter Melissende Holtz on the mountaintop where she watched her comrades fall?
"The Language of Flowers" by Rhonda Stapleton
Chrissy, a clerk at her aunt's flower shop, starts getting her own romantic surprises -- flowers with a special secret meaning. Can she bury her longstanding unrequited crush on her best friend's brother to take a chance on mysterious love?
"Dating After Dark (With Clowns)" by Tawny Stokes
All teenage exorcist Caden Butcher wants is a demon-free night to take his new girl to the spring fair. Is that too much to ask for?
"Sometime" by Alicia Street
Sixteen-year-old mythology buff Terry Conn finally gets the after-school museum job she wanted so badly, but who knew those ancient dragon figures would dredge up images of a past she only half-remembered? Or that drool-worthy Jerrod Pierce would be part of it?
Collectively, the thirteen authors in Eternal Spring have published over 90 books, and have received or have been nominated for several prestigious awards, including the RITA, the Golden Heart, the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, the Jasmine, the Maggie, PASIC's Book of Your Heart contest, the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, the Cybil Award for Best Young Adult Fiction, the EPIC e-book Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and the New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age list.
Some sacrifices should never be made—even for love.
Mikayel lives by one rule—obey the orders of the angelic Council at all costs. That is, until he and his friends, Azza and Demi, are sent to Earth. Assigned as Watchers while they await their decision of which angelic order to serve, the three assume the bodies of teenagers and experience life as human.
The sensations are overwhelming as the angels experience a host of human emotions—rage, terror, love—and come ever closer to breaking one of the unbreakable rules—never fall in love.
But being human isn’t the only problem facing the three angels. Unbeknownst to the Council, demonic activity is on the rise, threatening to break a tenuous peace that has existed for a millennia; a peace Azza seems bent on destroying.
Caught in a struggle for power with unseen demonic forces and Azza, and fighting against his rising emotional attachment to Demi, Mikayel must now decide how much he is willing to sacrifice for his new found love—a decision that could reignite an ancient war and will threaten the only thing that matters to the angels, the survival of humanity.
Being Emelle is a coming-of-age story that begins when Emelle is a small child, watching the interplay between his unmarried parents as they attempt to stabilize their stormy on-and-off again relationship. During his childhood, Emelle contends with the growing distance between himself and his father, as well as his own rocky entry into adolescence. But Being Emelle is not a classic coming of age story. It doesn't happen in suburbia, and it doesn't happen in an average family, and it certainly doesn't happen to an ordinary boy.
Emelle grows from an odd child into a gentle, odd, young man. His story focuses heavily on his teen years when his ongoing feud with his father, high-school bullies, and bumpy relationship with the brilliant but more tumultuous Annalynn all come to a head. The resolution, when he steps into the next stage of his life, though a twist, is deeply satisfying.
His story is both a heavy and light take on the classic coming of age stories. Things happen as they do in life, sometimes harshly, sometimes sweetly, but never without passion. Delicious, complex characterization and the accurate description of Spokane, Washington (the setting of the book) will capture the reader and hold them close.
***
Small Tomatoes Press strives to be a company with a conscience. Reader discretion is advised for this book as it contains mature themes and strong language. We conservatively estimate this book as suitable for ages 15+.
The story of the night Aiden was born has never been told, until now. Fleeing the Hunter's, Kevan and Shannon O'Reilly find their way to Spruce Knoll Colorado, assuming they'll be safe in America. Their unborn son is special, even for a druid, or channeler as the American's like to call their kind. But why the Hunter's, people who are sworn to keep their kind safe, are after them is a mystery. All they know is that if they don't outrun them they'll be killed.
Trouble has followed them to Spruce Knoll and just when it seems it may be too late, they discover why.
A Short Story
After Danielle turned eighteen she joined the Dyken gathering force and traveled to another planet to help save an entire race. But after witnessing a young man suffering, she begins to question her people’s methods. The lines continue to blur as she finds herself attracted to Shayne, a Maslonian she is assigned to gather. Unsure if her people are doing the right thing, Danielle must decide where her heart truly lies.
This is a short story, approx. 4,500 words or 18 pages.
This story takes place on the same world as The Overtaking series.
Twelve year old, Hannah is a normal girl, as far as anyone can see. She likes to swim and enjoys playing computer games. When she starts to have visions of the world ending, and how she can prevent it from happening, she doesn’t really want to prevent it. Why should she give up her life to save the world? How can she possibly convince people she’s not crazy?
“When the Breeders come for ya, there ain't no escape. They strap ya to a bed and all ya hear is the thud of your heart and the cries of your friends as they wheel ya down to hell. Then the doctors come. You squeeze your eyes shut and pray you can forget. But ya never do.”
Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world's last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep her from their clutches-- moving from one desolate farm after another to escape the Breeders' long reach. The Breeders control everything- the local war lords, the remaining factories, the fuel. They have unchecked power in this lawless society. And they're hunting Riley.
When the local Sheriff abducts the adult members of her family and hands her mother over to the Breeders, Riley and her eight-year-old brother, Ethan, hiding in a shelter, are left to starve. Then Clay arrives, the handsome gunslinger who seems determined to help to make up for past sins. The problem is Clay thinks Riley is a bender-- a genderless mutation, neither male nor female. As Riley's affection for Clay grows she wonders can she trust Clay with her secret and risk her freedom?
The three embark on a journey across the scarred remains of New Mexico-- escaping the Riders who use human sacrifice to appease their Good Mother, various men scrambling for luck, and a deranged lone survivor of a plague. When Riley is shot and forced into the Breeder's hospital, she learns the horrible fate of her mother—a fate she'll share unless she can find a way out.
Forget prophecy. Make your own destiny.
Sheltered from the outside world with no hope for escape, slave girl Reychel dreads her fifteenth birthday - when her master's symbol is burned on the back of her bald scalp. Her best friend disappears the night before, leaving her to face the branding ceremony alone. She soon discovers nothing is as it seems when people desperate for freedom beg for Reychel's help.
Can Reychel learn to believe in herself?
Charlie’s true identity is a secret, but her very presence places everyone around her in danger. With no other choice but to remain where she is, she stays with a community that might not be as benevolent as it appears. In this short dystopian romance where a friend might be an enemy and an enemy might be a friend, seventeen-year-old Charlie must protect her baby sister and herself from grotesque monsters outside the community as well as human ones inside. Will the truth she discovers about her protectors save her or ultimately doom her to a fate worse than death?
Around 9800 words. Part of a larger work titled Edge of Mercy, also by C. C. Marks
Waterville, Maine is exactly where Alana Cassidy never expected to end up. Just across the river from Winslow, the town she grew up in, it is where she is now forced to call home. Placed in a horrible foster home, with equally horrible foster parents, the death of her mother and father five years ago was only the beginning of the nightmare her life has become. All she wanted was out of the life she hadn’t wanted, and the opportunity just presented itself, sooner than the eighteenth birthday she’d been looking forward to.
Jonas of Altonia: former guard of the King’s court, banned from his home, injured and dying he waited out his fate, hidden under a forgotten dock deep in the woods behind the Pernickle’s farm. He hadn’t wanted to be saved, but she’d heard his song, planting a seed that took root the second she dragged him free of what would have been a fresh water grave. He’d expected her to be frightened by his kind…it was in all the stories. It was forbidden for Merman to show themselves to human kind, and yet, she hadn’t tried to kill him. It hadn’t been his intention to take her from her world, back into his, but she had nothing to lose, and he had everything to gain. Smitten by his essence, and desperate to get away from it all, Alana can’t see past the ocean’s call within his eyes. She needs a way out, and he just might be it.
**Smitten (a novella) is Part I of the young adult, fantasy fiction novel: Zerrin by Patria L. Dunn (Patria Dunn-Rowe)
"... the last days are not unfolding exactly as written, but make no mistake - Heaven and Hell have fallen to Earth."
When an earthquake plunges the world into darkness, Alexandra Contreras struggles for survival and seeks answers. Guided by a mysterious, scarred man, she braves the wasteland in search of humanity's mythical birthplace: Eden. Once confronted with her tragic destiny, she must make a decision which will alter the fate of the world.
Silas is tired of the popular kids using the school funding for sports and other brain-dead activities. When HE'S class president, there will be more focus on math and science. But to become class president, Silas will have to out-popular the coolest kid in school: Lance Majestic. It's the ultimate battle! Who will triumph? Test tubes and Bunsen beakers or popped collars and abs?
Monster Exchange Program, Volume 10
Short Story - 5000 words
Hi. This is fifteen-year-old Rachel Brooks again. In my first book 'Family Secrets' I told you how I found out I was abandoned as a baby and adopted. A fact that totally freaked me out!
After loads of trouble trying to trace my birth family and all the tension my search caused at home, I was really looking forward to getting away for the summer. I looked forward to a fun-filled, relaxing summer in Scarborough, visiting my gran and all my old friends but that was so not what I got!
As soon as I arrived, sleezy Joshua Green tried to chat me up. Later he cornered me and his hands roamed a bit too far. When I 'convinced' him to let me go he was not very happy, to say the least, and threatened revenge. The next day my gran didn't come home from the day centre.
With only a few weeks of my visit left, I had to find out who hurt my gran and bring them to justice. But who was it? After what happened with Joshua, I was totally convinced it was him and set out to trap him, but at the same time I was being stalked by a weird nurse. Did she have anything to do with gran's injuries?
I had to work fast, but didn't know that my hunt for justice would actually put my own life in danger.
