American Short Fiction

What does it mean to be other? What does it mean to love in a world determined to keep us apart? These questions murmur in the heart of each of Brenda Peynado’s strange and singular stories. Threaded with magic, transcending time and place, these stories explore what it means to cross borders and break down walls, personally and politically.

"Nine Lives" by Kiki Swinson: Wild-card Aiden. Dead-shot Ava. Killing nine targets in 10 days will be this brother-sister hit team's biggest score yet. But as Ava sets up their final target, she falls hard for him and a chance at a normal life. "The Crushed Ice Clique" by Noire: At first all ghetto princesses Honore and Cucci want is quick cash-flow. But after sexing jewelry distributor Slimy Sam and learning his illegal tricks of the trade, they assemble a crack team of thieves for one dazzling scam.

Melanie and Xavier have been having the time of their lives. But Melanie swears there's something going on and she will get to the bottom of it. But Xavier is determined not to lose her. And he won't because he has a plan to make sure she stays around for a while. So does Melanie if she's proven wrong about her fears. Will she find the proof she needs to confirm her suspicions? Will Xavier be able to silence Melanie's insecurities? Find out what the future holds for these two in the third installment of Swagger So Right!

This is the second collection of short stories relating to the fictional sea-sprayed Canadian village of Avonlea. Anne Shirley appears in a few, but most concern other characters from the Anne Shirley series, including Diana Barry and members of the Meredith and Blair families. Published in 1920, these tales of hidden hopes and cherished dreams are sure to enchant fans of Anne of Green Gables.

With only two hundred dollars, Unique packed her suitcase and headed to New York City for a brand-new start. It's there that Unique meets big-time boxing promoter Kennard, and it is love at first sight.... After nine months of living in the lap of luxury with Kennard, skeletons from Unique's past show up, and it will cost her a cool million dollars to keep not only her relationship but her life.... Unique isn't about to lose it all. With the help of her best friend, she devises a major heist; to pull it off all she has to do is stay alive....

AN AFRICAN AMERICAN URBAN ROMANCEMelissa was the quite shy girl that no one noticed. She had a few friends who consisted of her roommate since freshmen year Carissa and Chantel who was the only friend that she’s had since her childhood, she was mainly the only thing that she vaguely remembered from her childhood. She’s in a relationship with Chantel’s fraternal twin brother Mike who later cheats on her. In the beginning of her junior year in college she meets this guy named August, and he's known for only wanting one thing from girls and that's sex but he see’s something different ...

My Confession: I love my husband, but my therapist touches parts of me that he can't. My husband is a gentleman, but he can't give me what my body needs. After we argued over his performance, he suggested we see a therapist. When we visited our new intimacy therapist named Dr. Lord, he did a demonstration and placed his masculine hand against my dark mocha skin, and at that moment, I knew he had the touch my body craved. I know my husband's therapist should be off limits, but it has always been my dream to be pleased by multiple tall, sexy men that can give my body the ecstasy it deserves. ...

So many things have made Melanie think that her man has been cheating on her. But time and time again she is proven wrong. After a confrontation with a mystery woman Melanie has found herself questioning her man yet again. This time she gets an immediate answer to her questions. But is that enough to get things back on track? Just as Melanie thinks she has everything figured out some devastating news lands in her lap. Does she have it in her to fight for the love of her life? Or will this be the end of Melanie and Xavier? Xavier has been fighting for Melanie's love since he laid eyes on her...

This long-awaited story collection from Wesley Brown summons up the smoky clubs and gritty streets of a long-gone New York City, one that moved in the frenetic rhythms of jazz. A more innocent city fueled by cool, not money. We meet Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, Cab Calloway, and many giants of the era in these sharply observed, carefully intertwined stories. In Brown's deft hands, these legends become real - like we've never seen them before.

"Candy-Coated Words Have Led to Sleepless Nights": "Tiffany's marriage is built on a foundation of sweetly spun lies since the day they uttered 'I do.' Overwhelmed by sorrow yet paralyzed by fear, Tiffany witnesses her world unraveling. The truth she concealed has been uncovered, and her husband now holds the fragments of her deception. In the wake of one little white lie, Tiffany confronts the haunting question: Can the cost of that seemingly harmless untruth shatter everything she holds dear?"

Gripping and compassionate, Land of Big Numbers traces the journeys of the diverse and legion Chinese people, their history, their government, and how all of that has tumbled—messily, violently, but still beautifully—into the present. Cutting between clear-eyed realism and tongue-in-cheek magical realism, Chen’s stories coalesce into a portrait of a people striving for openings where mobility is limited.

Tia, Ton'ya, and Tammi are not only making moves in the game, but they're doing it in the bedroom too - and anywhere they need to get what they want. Tia is quick with her razor-sharp mouth, and she carries an equally sharp razor to slice a throat if need be. Ton'ya is loyal to a fault but will fight back if threatened. Tammi is the brains of the operation. They have collected more bodies than a Manhattan hooker working the lower East Side. What happens when the heart gets in the way of making money?

A finalist for the National Book Award, Lost in the City features 15 poignant short stories, each set in Washington, D.C. Far removed from marble monuments and the offices of rich politicians, the nation's capital that Jones captures is inhabited by self-willed African-Americans struggling to live their lives as best they can.

From a single mother who gets lured into her pastor’s twisted den of lies, to a deadly revenge plot gone wrong, and an illicit affair that leaves a bloody trail of evidence, author and filmmaker N’Tyse presents Chain of Fools: Prison Bids, her most gripping, collaborative work thus far - featuring crime-of-passion tales served by best-selling authors Briana Cole, Shakir Rashaan, Brandie Davis, Erick S. Gray, and India Williams.

She saves lives but doubts her own worth—can his love show her the truth? Lieutenant Miranda "Randy" Keyes has devoted her life to saving others, but when it comes to her own heart, she’s convinced she’s beyond rescue. Haunted by loss and plagued by self-doubt, Randy hides behind the safety of her small-town life in Yuletide, determined to keep love at bay. Luke Logan, a star athlete with a shattered past, has returned to Yuletide searching for a fresh start for himself and his troubled teenage daughter. Yet, he never expected to find hope in the fiery yet compassionate firefighter ...

A compilation of popular short stories from American literature narrated by professional voice actor Jake Phillips.

Akashic Books’ acclaimed series of original noir anthologies has set a high standard for portraying cities and their neighborhoods in all their dark and violent splendor. Now, Mexico City Noir surpasses that standard with phantasmagorical tales of double-dealing, corruption, violence and self-delusion.... This collection is such a varied literary feast.

Jie’s superior senses have made her the perfect lookout. Now, as the adopted daughter of the Black Lotus Clanmaster, she wants to prove her pointed ears aren’t a liability when she’s tasked to infiltrate a rebel lord’s castle. In this prequel novelette to Songs of Insurrection, Jie must decide between her duty to the emperor and her sense of compassion toward the downtrodden. No matter her choice, it will have explosive consequences for her, the realm, and the upcoming war.

When Desa Rae Jenkins ended her tumultuous relationship with Roc, it seemed like the appropriate thing to do; but now she's second-guessing her decision. Roc moved away to Kansas City, leaving street life back in St. Louis up to the brothas who can handle it. He continues to live his life on the edge, though, and when he returns to St. Louis, Desa Rae shows up at his doorstep to reconcile. Roc is reluctant to go there with the one woman who ripped his heart from his chest.

This anthology edited by the American writer, philosopher, and patron of the arts Alain Locke brings together some of the most influential pieces of African American works from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Featuring the voices of Zora Neale Thurston, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Langston Hughes, Locke included commentary on the emergence of the New Negro Movement, also known as the Harlem Renaissance. The New Negro is considered to be the definitive text on the movement.