Modern Short Stories

"Some rules are meant to be broken... and some temptations are impossible to resist." ELA: I've scrubbed floors and scoured pans to earn this chance at becoming a pastry chef on the luxurious Celestial Odyssey. One wild night with a mysterious older stranger was supposed to calm my nerves before starting my new job. Instead, it may have ruined everything. Because my new boss? He's the commanding chef who rocked my world last night. PHILIP: My kitchen is my kingdom, and I rule it with exacting standards and an iron fist. But when my new pastry chef trainee walks in wearing a crisp uniform ...

Three mountain men with one goal in mind: finding a wife! Includes The Mountain Man’s Muse, The Mountain Man’s Cure, and The Mountain Man’s North Star.

Fairies, elves, demons... Secrets and desire... Dark humour, magic, wonder... Twelve stories that will transport you into other worlds, or twisted versions of our own. If you had magic, what would you do with it? If you loved someone, how far would you go?

Sound Mind is a collection of poetry inspired by the struggles we face to embrace our true colours. The first half is a short novel written in rhyme and verse. The Second half is a collection of poems written by the author during the creative process. “Sound Mind”; Aura, a wolf born of many colours finds himself fighting to live his dreams as a singer/songwriter while maintaining the old traditions of his pack. This narrative poem stretches ninety-two pages and includes paintings created by the author. Excerpt from Sound Mind: The Valley As the pup’s tip toe, they notice the rituals ...

What if the real horror isn’t the ghost… but the truth it reveals? In this chilling collection, ghosts don’t just haunt—they unravel mysteries, distort reality, and change lives forever. From eerie whispers that hide sinister secrets to spectral encounters that shift the fabric of existence, each story will keep you guessing until the final, haunting twist. Inside, you’ll find: A forgotten house that never existed… or did it? A reflection that moves just a little too slowly. A babysitter who realizes her job might last forever. A missing roommate who was never supposed to be ...

Like the creation myths they supersede, the revelations of science are seared into our collective imagination through storytelling. From Archimedes' bath to Newton's apple, vivid accounts of scientific discovery help us understand the principles behind each theory, and add to the larger narrative of how the universe works, and how we came to be here. This anthology draws out and distils science's love of narrative from a wide range of scientific disciplines, weaving theory into very human stories.

College never felt this exhilarating. I felt crushed under the weight of college life, watching my confidence shrink with each passing day as I pined after a girl I couldn't bring myself to approach. Then Claire walked into my life with her knowing smile and an offer I couldn't refuse - she'd teach me everything I needed to know about being a man. My education started in this little café downtown, the kind of place where the coffee came in actual cups and the pastries looked like art. But it was her home that changed everything--that first night with her blew past every fumbling fantasy ...

Fantasy fans rejoice! Seven years after writer and editor Robert Silverberg made publishing history with Legends, the acclaimed anthology of original short novels by some of the greatest writers in fantasy fiction, the long-awaited second volume is here.

Have you ever asked “What’s it all for?” or “Is my life enough?” Jack finds himself back at the local pub after another monotonous day at work asking himself these very questions. From an outside perspective, Jack has a good job and a supportive family, but somehow it’s not fulfilling his true desires, which has created a deep sadness. Seeing Jack’s hopelessness, the bartender, Lloyd, suggests a short story for him to read about a cowboy going through similar struggles in wanting better for his family and his life. Jack is not much of a reader, but finds some solace in ...

Raconteurs Audio and Spoken Realms team up once again to bring this second collection of short stories by H. G. Wells to audio. Written between 1894 and 1902, this anthology of 13 stories delves into botany, flying machines, travel, distant lands and customs, virology, magic, taxidermy, journalism - and there’s even a ghost story.

Each of the best-selling writers represented in Legends II return to the special universe of the imagination that its author has made famous throughout the world. Whether set before or after events already recounted elsewhere, whether featuring beloved characters or compelling new creations, these masterful short novels are both mesmerizing stand-alones (perfect introductions to the work of their authors) and indispensable additions to the epics on which they are based.

Best-selling urban fantasy and paranormal suspense author M.D. Massey welcomes listeners back to the world of the Junkyard Druid for his third short story collection. Blood Bound includes "Voodoo Ball", "Prince Mark's Price", and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do".

The time is the early '80s. The characters go to the same schools and eat at the same restaurants. Their voices enfold us as seamlessly as those of DJs heard over a car radio. They have sex with the same boys and girls and buy from the same dealers. In short, they are connected in the only way people can be in that city.

I.L. Peretz, the acknowledged "Father of Yiddish Literature", captured the essence of Eastern European Jewish life. He wrote of the magical quality of kindness, and the bitter fruits of blind faith.

A crew of experienced astronauts nearing the completion of a 20-year mission in space discover that their ship is being followed by an unknown craft on their way back to earth. In this science fiction novelette, the crew debates an impossible decision on whether to lead the craft back to earth and risk all of humanity, or veer off into space to protect the earth but ensure their own demise. Short story/novelette 13,000 words Science fiction From 13 Acorns-Modern Short Stories for Thoughtful Adults

Flowers in the Rain & Other Stories collects sixteen of #1 New York Times bestselling author Rosamunde Pilcher’s romantic tales set across Britain from the Scottish countryside to the city of London.

Twenty-plus intimate sci-fi stories from the heights and depths of the fractal universe. The stories you’ve dreamed of; the people you crave to meet; or would love to be. The aliens who’d make you shiver, or laugh. The huge risks of guiding your spacecraft here, or there. The adventures you’d have if only you had the nerve… Or the utter romance of doing that… The lighter side; the humour of orbital disasters and alien conflicts; the perils of ill-advised time-interference; the sheer romance of null-gravity love; the terrors of a leaky hull; the fear of a bullying boss when ...

This collection includes all three novels in The Shadow Changeling Series, a Colin McCool Junkyard Druid spin-off series set in M.D. Massey's Druidverse® urban fantasy setting. If you enjoy dark urban fantasy books featuring haunted antiheroes in the tradition of Snape, Walker Boh, and Constantine, you'll love this story about a shadow wizard who's searching for his long lost human family.

With this, his first collection of stories, Raymond Carver breathed new life into the American short story and instantly became both the recognized master of the form and one of our best-loved fiction writers. Carver shows us the humor and tragedy that dwell in the hearts of ordinary people; his stories are the classics of our time.

Mark is coming off a bad breakup, and he's just moved across the country. Dating is the last thing on his mind...at least, for a while. But it's lonely in a new city, and Mark starts thinking about finding someone. It's his lucky day, as he finds an auspicious flyer for a strange matchmaking service calling themselves Bird and Stone. Making his way through a grueling screening process, Mark finds himself set up on a date with two women, Emily and Sandra. A mistake, surely, he thinks. But no. Bird and Stone arranges harems, and Mark is about to jump into a world he's never even considered. ...