A father watches his daughters lovingly care for a squirmy gang of caterpillars. When they morph into butterflies, the girls witness the true meaning of life... unfortunately. A short story by Scott Semegran.Jazz, Season One, Episode ThreeInjuries from the fight with the organ binder forced Jazz to use the Not Now Stone. Now the clock’s ticking. She has less than twenty-four hours to get out of Clowntown and back to her office to scrub the stone in her pickle jar of Soul-lution or she’ll suffer every injury the stone ever healed four-fold. The good news is that she only has seven more block to go to reach the hover-rail, the bad news is that a gang of clowns lays between her and that train. Hoping to avoid a pointless fight, Jazz takes refuge in the one building the Clowns haven’t vandalized, she’s going to discover that there’s a very good reason the goblin gangs left this house alone. Even if she manages to overcome the house’s horrid occupant, she still have to face the clowns, and time, for her, is quickly running out.

Fanboy has never had it good, but lately his sophomore year is turning out to be its own special hell. The bullies have made him their favorite target, his best (and only) friend seems headed for the dark side (sports and popularity), and his pregnant mother and the step-fascist are eagerly awaiting the birth of the alien life form known as Fanboy’s new little brother or sister. Fanboy, though, has a secret: a graphic novel he’s been working on without telling anyone, a graphic novel that he is convinced will lead to publication, fame, and—most important of all—a way out of the crappy little town he lives in and all the people that make it hell for him. When Fanboy meets Kyra, a.k.a. Goth Girl, he finds an outrageous, cynical girl who shares his love of comics as well as his hatred for jocks and bullies. Fanboy can’t resist someone who actually seems to understand him, and soon he finds himself willing to heed her advice—to ignore or crush anyone who stands in his way.

This is a story about the early years of the post apocalyptic hero Wanderer and tells of his search for his missing wife. He has not yet found his battlesuit and his foes in this tale are his fellow humans, the ones, like him, who have survived the end of days.Don't mess with a girl and her dragon, at least not these two. A young dragon loses his mother to lair raiders and is left to fend for himself. A lucky girl happens upon him and together they form a lasting bond. When more men come to raid the lair the two are forced to defend themselves, and each other, in a wicked battle. Magic, swordplay, and dragon riding await in this satisfying short story.Snippet:The cool night air rushed over them as they circled slowly upward on Crimzon's strong, steady thrusts. In the dragon's head his mother's soft voice whispered both instruction and encouragement, and the feeling of Clover on his back gave him the confidence and reassurance he needed to avoid falter. They climbed so high into the sky that Clover thought she just might be able to touch the stars twinkling above them. Her blood was electric with sensation. Her skin was chilled by the rushing air and her stomach was tingling as if full of wiggling snakes. She drew in a deep breath trying to calm herself but it was no use. Just as soon as she exhaled Crimzon rolled to the right and then dove sharply, leaving the wiggling snakes from Clover's belly lumped in the back of her throat. Her mind was spinning like a whirlpool. Far below, the majesty of the moonlit valleys and the hue of colors reflecting from the rocky snow-capped ridges unfolded before them. Clover marveled at the dozens of rivers and streams that glittered like strands and pools of molten gold. The force of the air pressed hard against her as Crimzon dove. She began to feel dizzy and distant, but before she slipped into unconsciousness, the dragon leveled out and sped them across the treetops at such speed that all Clover could see below was a shadowy blur. Soon their momentum died away and Crimzon began to circle and rise again, but now at a more relaxed pace. Clover was glad. She felt rubbery and nauseated. Sick or not she had to admit that it was the most exhilarating experience she had ever had. Don't miss Crimzon & Clover II - The Tricky Wizard

Beware tin cats offering invitations, psychopathic chemists with a turret full of collectable porcelain, priests pursuing satanic cults, and evil entities living in windmills.Better to listen to the green spirit peering over your shoulder, the ghost of a young man with no heart, and Victorian palaeontologist who has unearthed the face of God.Review by Waverley:Worth the money for the cover alone (a stunning combination of colours enhancing an intricate design), but there's more on offer than just a nice cover. The alliterative title gives the clue to the content, although I had the sense that the curious cats were slightly tacked on as an afterthought to the crimes and the cults. Jonathan Day writes sharply and amusingly, with a nice line in wry/snide social comment that will raise more than the occasional smile, but he's also a gifted story-teller - almost too gifted, really, for the chosen format, because so many of these stories feel as if they could (perhaps should) have been developed further - most contain enough material for a novella, if not a full-length novel. Although the style of writing is light and humorous, some of the stories have serious subtexts (on occasion, the subtexts threaten to subvert the actual narrative, as in "Behold, the Face of God", even though the twist in this, possibly one of the less convincing stories, is cleverly managed). The author's art and achievement is to combine fast-moving and entertaining narrative with thought-provoking reflection about a world (or worlds) that can prove to be nastier places than we'd ideally like them to be.

The Inquisition moves amongst mankind like an avenging shadow, striking down the enemies of humanity with uncompromising ruthlessness. When he finally corners an old foe, Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn is drawn into a sinister conspiracy. As events unfold and he gathers allies - and enemies - Eisenhorn faces a vast interstellar cabal and the dark power of daemons, all racing to recover an arcane text of abominable power: an ancient tome known as the Necroteuch.

Cassie McKinney has always believed in the Hive.Social media used to be out of control, after all. People were torn apart by trolls and doxxers. Even hackers—like Cassie's dad—were powerless against it.But then the Hive came. A better way to sanction people for what they do online. Cause trouble, get too many "condemns," and a crowd can come after you, teach you a lesson in real life. It's safer, fairer and perfectly legal.Entering her senior year of high school, filled with grief over an unexpected loss, Cassie is primed to lash out. Egged on by new friends, she makes an edgy joke online. Cassie doubts anyone will notice.But the Hive notices everything. And as her viral comment whips an entire country into a frenzy, the Hive demands retribution.One moment Cassie is anonymous; the next, she's infamous. And running for her life.With nowhere to turn, she must learn to rely on herself—and a group of Hive outcasts who may not be reliable—as...

I found you, LoveThrough digital mediaAnd hooked you up with my friendYou became my friend's ex-girlfriendAnd wanted me,Wanted moreThen our relationshipBecame a boreAnd read like an encyclopediaAnd was really dullBut also So unbelievableIs what we had retrievableIs it even conceivableLet's make that encyclopediaUnreadable"One can not judge a book by its cover." So we are told. But a cover is usually the only thing a reader has to base a judgment on. Smashwords tries to aid readers by providing summaries, one short, one long, for each book it distributes. For non-fiction this works well. But this, it seems to me, defeats the whole purpose of fiction. After all, one reads a story to find out what will happen. It’s the uncommon twists and turns that make a story interesting. But if a summary has told all this beforehand, what fun is to be had in the reading? Therefore, no summary of the present short story is given. It's short and it’s free! So read the whole thing and see if you like it. I ask you to do this because I think it is the best book judging method. To find fiction you like you must first read around enough to learn something of the style and stories of different authors. Then you can judge books, not by their cover, but by the your opinion of the writer. I'd like to help you do this. The present short story is one of several which I will make available free at Smashwords. Read a few (or all of them) and decide if you like them. It won't cost you a dime. If you like them, you can then purchase some of my not free (but still inexpensive) longer stories. All these stories are of one particular kind. To reflect this similarity all have the same cover picture, the Kitty & Rose shown above. So after you’ve read a few, you can, in fact, judge them by their cover. The common theme of the Kitty & Rose stories is human sexuality. This is not unusual. Most fiction concerns sex in one way or another; ranging from romances so sedate and demure an extraterrestrial could never know sex is at the root of everything described, to erotica so unrestricted even an extraterrestrial might blush. Kitty & Rose stories are in the middle of this range. All deal with human sexuality, but none do so explicitly. Rather, they are seemly. The dictionary gives three meanings for seemly: Attractive or agreeably fashioned; Decorous or conventionally proper; and Appropriate or suited to its purpose. With respect to appropriateness, seemly sex stories range from the humorous to the inspirational, but all concern human sexuality. So they are clearly appropriate. These stories are also seemly in the decorous and conventionally proper sense. For, while they treat sex candidly, they do not do so graphically. There is nothing pornographic nor erotic in any seemly sex story. Of course, different persons’ opinions about this may differ. A few consider frank pornography decorous. At the opposite extreme are those like the abbot of the monastery where the great biologist Gregor Mendel did his epochal research. This abbot thought Mendel’s studies were decidedly indecorous because they involved the sex of pea plants! Finally, there is the principal sense of seemly, attractive and agreeably fashioned. Like every author I exert my every effort and ability trying to make these stories seemly in this regard. But like every author, I must await your determination of the degree of my success. Since both of us will be pleased if you find them attractively seemly, I very much hope you do.Happy reading!BobbyBP.S. This is the fifth Kitty & Rose short story, uploaded 2-21-2017.

THE MAD MASK is book two in critically acclaimed author Barry Lyga's Archvillain series! Things haven't been going well for Kyle since Mighty Mike became the new town hero. He's pretty sure he could fix this disaster if he could expose Mike's secret (he's an alien), but to do that Kyle would have to admit he is the Azure Avenger -- the unintentional town archvillain. One night a new masked hero, aptly named the Mad Mask, arrives, boasting to the Azure Avenger of an off-the-charts IQ and superior superpowers. Yet the Mad Mask has come seeking intellectual assistance in building Ultitron (the robot of all robots). In exchange he offers to allow the Azure Avenger to use the awesome Ultitron to rid the world, or at least Bouring, of Mighty Mike. Forging alliances isn't usually Kyle's style, but it seems he has no choice. While Kyle agrees to help, he also has another plan: finding out who the Mad Mask is and how he got his powers. Because the last thing the Azure Avenger needs is another mindless archvillain hanging around town!

"Come here, you gangster punk. Over my knees. Pants down."Parolee Martos keeps screwing up. His domineering PO will let him slide--but the price gets severe with his second violation.From the author of The Demon and the Emperor!

Nita's bratty little sister Dairine, 10, is too smart and powerful for a new wizard. Her computerized wizard manual glibly sends her off on her novice Ordeal. Kit and Nita chase her across the galaxy, trying to catch up before she gets into trouble so deep that not even her brains can rescue her.

Product DescriptionSeparate from the government; outside the police, beyond the United Nations:Torchwood sets its own rules. A team of investigators, using alien technology tosolve crime both alien and human. This new British sci-fi crimethriller, created by Russell T. Davies, sees them delve into the unknown. Agroup of people fighting the impossible. Stars Captain Jack Harkness last seenin Doctor Who. This novel is a brand-new Torchwood story. About the AuthorDan Abnett lives and works in Maidstone, Kent. Well known for his comic book work, he has scripted everything from the Mr Men to the X-Men in the last two decades. He is also the author of twenty three novels, including the acclaimed Eisenhorn and the best selling Horus Rising. He was voted 'Best Writer Now' at the National Comic Awards 2003.

Even monster-battling princesses get tired sometimes! But a peaceful time away is hard to find as the humorous New York Times best-selling series continues. After battling monsters all night, a sleepy Princess in Black decides that she needs a vacation. After all, the Goat Avenger, a new hero who looks oddly familiar, has offered to protect the goats while she takes a much needed break. The very next day Princess Magnolia rides her bicycle to the seaside, where the air is salty, the sun is shiny, and the sea is as blue as monster fur. But just as Princess Magnolia is about to take a nap on her hammock, she hears a "ROAR!" Seriously? A monster? On the perfect beach? Impossible! Could a sea monster really ruin this vacation for the Princess in Black?

MATTHEW HENSON AND THE ICE TEMPLE OF HARLEM is the first in a new exciting retro rollicking adventure series. This re-imagined pulp novel follows the Doc Savage-style adventures of the first black man to reach the North Pole —Matthew Henson. The tail end of the Roaring 20s. Harlem. Hired by controversial spiritual leader Daddy Paradise to retrieve his adult daughter who has been kidnapped, adventurer Matthew Henson does just that. Then he must safeguard the two until the firebrand can deliver a momentous speech at a mass rally. Henson must employ all his survival skills to fulfill his task—skills that kept him whole in forbidden jungles, across Asia, and in sub-zero ice storms when he first reached the North Pole. Henson's charge brings him face-to-face with such illustrious characters as gangster Dutch Schultz, who's looking to muscle out numbers racket boss Queenie St. Clair, and famed inventor Nikola Tesla who is using his electrical acumen to surveil plutocrats....

A smart, tight, provocative techno-thriller straight out of the very near future—by an iconic visionary writer Some people call it "abyss gaze." Gaze into the abyss all day and the abyss will gaze into you. There are two types of people who think professionally about the future: foresight strategists are civil futurists who think about geo-engineering and smart cities and ways to evade Our Coming Doom; strategic forecasters are spook futurists, who think about geopolitical upheaval and drone warfare and ways to prepare clients for Our Coming Doom. The former are paid by nonprofits and charities, the latter by global security groups and corporate think tanks. For both types, if you're good at it, and you spend your days and nights doing it, then it's something you can't do for long. Depression sets in. Mental illness festers. And if the "abyss gaze" takes hold there's only one place to recover: Normal Head, in the wilds of Oregon, within the secure perimeter of an experimental forest. When Adam Dearden, a foresight strategist, arrives at Normal Head, he is desperate to unplug and be immersed in sylvan silence. But then a patient goes missing from his locked bedroom, leaving nothing but a pile of insects in his wake. A staff investigation ensues; surveillance becomes total. As the mystery of the disappeared man unravels in Warren Ellis's Normal, Dearden uncovers a conspiracy that calls into question the core principles of how and why we think about the future—and the past, and the now.

When a series of earthquakes ripple across the planet, a school field trip turns deadly. Students are trapped on a crumbling mountain, and only one man can rescue them...SUPERMAN! But the tremors have exposed a large chunk of KRYPTONITE. With the MAN OF STEEL weakened by the radioactive rock, a student must save the day. Who will become the Kid Who Saved SUPERMAN?