fiction
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Invasion of Privacy and Other Short Stories by Jim Liston
Invasion of Privacy
If you’re the person who murdered my wife and think you’ve gotten away with it, think again. I’m looking for you, and I’ll eventually find you.
Is it wrong for me to try and find the person who ruined my life, even at the expense of stealing a few moments of someone’s privacy? If I invade a person’s privacy without them knowing it, what’s the harm? I guess it all comes down to the question of whether I’m willing to risk the consequence of going to jail if I’m caught. I am. What do I have to lose?
The other stories included are:
The Tourist Attraction
I’m sick of it. Every day there’s a group of them tourists, standing by my fence watching us, pointing and whispering. I don’t know what started it, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna put up with it much longer.
A Novel Murder
“I’m going to kill her today,” he said, “I’ve had her tied up in the basement for three days; it’s time to end it.”
The Doctor’s Pet Fly
A fly only lives for about a month. It seems like a waste of time to train a fly and then have it die after only a month. Maybe he’s found a way to keep them alive longer. He is a doctor, after all.
The Show
Rita looked around at the crowd of smiling, excited faces, concentrating on every detail to commit it to memory; she didn’t want to forget any of it. She shouldn’t have worried; she would remember this for the rest of her life.
Carl and Tabitha
Carl hated his boss and was determined to find a way to get even with him.
Tag, You’re It!
We looked across the valley at a breathtaking scene of red lakes and forests of blue and orange that were alive with activity.
Before They Come Back
Running his claw-like hand along my spine while making an odd whistling noise that I surmised to be their way of communicating, I began to realize they were preparing to cut me open.
Justin’s Love
When Justin first saw Lucille, it was love at first sight. He knew that she was perfect for him. All of his friends and co-workers were envious; she was beautiful.
Ronnie and the Smoke Bomb.
I didn’t tell Ronnie the police had found him sitting on the curb near the car, crying. They said he was sitting there mumbling, “It’s only a smoke bomb.”
Foreplay for Murder by Dick C. Waters
Keeping a deformed redhead hidden away until she becomes a gorgeous redhead is not the best strategy. Adding misdirected care focused on sexual gratification can lead to unpredictable results. When the butterfly finally recognizes her own beauty and sexual powers…roles get reversed. Family secrets along with money, greed, lust, desire, and kinky sex become Foreplay for Murder.
Scott Tucker has no idea what he has agreed to do when he embarks on what he thinks is just a small investigation. He also has no idea how tight the ropes in his nightmares will become.
The Great High School Love Game by Marcia Carrington
High school junior Amy has a dilemma – she yearns for someone special to keep her company, but her shy, self-doubting nature is proving a major problem for her. Only making matters worse for Amy, the school fancy dress gala is just weeks away, and no one has asked her to be their date. It looks like Amy may well be twiddling her thumbs at home the night of the ball, without a date. An unexpected encounter with easy-going sports star Jake, though, may just change all this, but deep down, Amy’s unsure if Jake really likes her, as he’s giving her mixed signals. Amy can’t work out whether Jake really is the nice guy he seems to be, or just another sweet-talker, with only one thing on his mind.
As if Amy isn’t confused enough already enter the very enticing Chad and Francine, who have a secret, if very seductive, agenda on their minds. The seemingly confident Chad and Francine, though, have always wanted Amy and Jake, but, have never had the courage to admit it to them. Alluring Chad, Jake’s t-shirt ditching sporting rival, and sly drama queen Francine, spurred on by Amy and Jake’s blossoming friendship, will try anything to have them, but a certain little secret may just get in the way of them achieving their dream…
Avalon Revisited by O. M. Grey
Arthur Tudor has made his existence as a vampire bearable for over three hundred years by immersing himself in blood and debauchery. Aboard an airship gala, he meets Avalon, an aspiring vampire slayer who sparks fire into Arthur’s shriveled heart. Together they try to solve the mystery of several horrendous murders on the dark streets of London. Cultures clash and pressures rise in this sexy Steampunk Romance.
Destined to be Forgotten by Kyrene Ko
Madison was forced to marry a stranger to repay her deceased father’s debt but she fell in love with another person, well that’s what she thought. As she tried to make her marriage worked, she came across problem after problems. When her marriage didn’t work out, her fiance got into a car accident which left him in a coma
Killing Matt Cooper by John Cassian
A harrowing, first-person chronicle of a serial killer/rapist, KILLING MATT COOPER leaves out no details — no matter how excruciating.
Sound Bites: A Rock & Roll Love Story by Rachel K. Burke
Renee Evans has a knack for trouble. After walking in on her best friend and boyfriend in bed together, twenty-five year-old Renee flees sunny Los Angeles and her dream job as a music journalist and returns to her hometown of Boston – only to meet Dylan Cavallari, the mysterious, aspiring musician who lives in her apartment building. Dylan’s piercing gaze and womanizing demeanor make him exactly the type of guy that Renee should steer clear of – which is most likely the reason she falls for him. But when Renee’s troublesome ex comes back and threatens to drive her and Dylan apart, Renee is forced to face her past and save her relationship with Dylan before it’s too late.
Sound Bites dramatizes what happens when Renee finds herself caught between a painful past and an uncertain future. Happiness turns out to be within her grasp, but it all depends on whether she can trust herself enough to make the right decisions. Sound Bites is a novel about love, friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, and the power of music to help you find your way.
Orange Juice in Bishop’s Garden by Otessa Ghadar
You know that summer, right… the summer where EVERYTHING changed? Orange Juice in Bishop’s Garden (OJBG) is that summer. And Bishop’s Garden is the place where it all happens. It’s the summer of ’94 and naive and rebellious teens are engaging in all kinds of underage tomfoolery. Think grunge, Doc Martens, raves, the invincibility of youth, and epic first loves.
This book details the lives of a group of teenagers navigating high school and growing up in DC during the 1990’s. It’s all about teen magic– creating new and marvelous mischief with best friends, listening to mix-tapes and reading Sassy magazines, missing the last Metro, and getting stuck miles from payphones. Accompany the young heroine, Sarah, as she gets herself into idle summer misbehaving, love triangle betrayals, and friendship fallouts. This is a story about what her life is like before school’s truly over and she knows it’s all going to change for good. It’s about the friends she’ll never forget, those first mistakes, and her childish dreams not yet polluted by reality. She and her friends will engage in typical teen idolatry of hot musicians and renegades. They’ll set each other up and tear each other down. They’ll crash house parties and realize that sometimes in life, there are no ‘do-overs.’ They’ll steal cars, candies, and hearts. They’ll make you wish you were a teen again.
This book contains the full collection of scripts from season one of the oldest and longest running teen web series, “Orange Juice in Bishop’s Garden.” And it’s the prequel to the epic romance between two teen girls that has become known as “The Sarah & Gwen Experience.” The love story develops in season 2 and spans to season 6. It’s part recollection, part urban legend, and part pure fiction, and completely inspired by the author’s memories of growing up in DC and the enchantment of her youth. The author, Otessa Ghadar, captures teen life as it is lived–dramatic, filled with self-discovery, and the pain of growing up. Together, as a whole, the stories and the characters ring true. Read the book and you’ll realize you’ve either been– or known– one of these characters before.
Venture into Bishop’s Garden and remember what it feels like to have your whole life ahead of you! Best part is, when you’re done reading, you can meet the characters by watching the webseries adaptation online (www.ojinbg.com).
Normal for Norfolk (The Thelonious T. Bear Chronicles) by Mitzi Szereto (co-authored with Teddy Tedaloo)
Pub landlords are being murdered in Norfolk!
Thelonious T. Bear, ursine photojournalist, leaves behind the big city life of London to take an assignment in the Norfolk countryside, where he hopes to find the real England. Instead he stumbles upon gastro-pubs, crazed Audi drivers and murder. As the hapless Thelonious keeps ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time, he attracts the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Horatio Sidebottom of Norfolk Constabulary CID, who’s determined to tie Thelonious to the crimes. Add in a pair of hoods from London’s East End, celebrity TV chef Paolo Louis Black, and plenty of oddball local characters and it all adds up to a madcap journey through England’s most quirky county, where everything is normal (for Norfolk)!
The Proposal by Lily Zante
Nadine Stefano is a high flying career woman. She has no time for relationships and having been recently promoted at work, she wants to make a good impression with her boss. At her sister’s hen party Nadine meets Ethan who is one of the performers. She finds herself attracted to him and they end up talking that first night.
A few weeks later, the company Nadine works for are holding their annual convention at a luxury hotel away from home. Not having a date to take with her, and wanting to present the image of a settled and happy woman in a relationship, Nadine resorts to calling Ethan at the escort agency and asking him along. Theirs is a strong attraction, although there are various company politics and characters that stand in their way.
Will their meeting lead to love, despite seemingly different career choices, or will Nadine dump Ethan in order to pursue her career goals?
