American Short

A woman fleeing a horrible fate. A lonely man yearning for love. Brought together by a twist of fate, will they find a Christmas miracle? After her mother died, Pansy Robbins’ life changed forever. Forced to cater to the whims of her step-sisters, ignored by her step-father, and pitied by the servants and staff, she has no one to turn to. Neither mistress nor maid in their stately Savannah, Georgia home, Pansy lives caught in limbo. When an unwanted engagement is arranged for her, Pansy escapes Savannah to find a new home in Colorado. But when she arrives in the town of Hidden Pines, ...

In episode five of Confessions of a Police Officer, Trent and Officer Justin Landon try to keep their rendezvous a secret but it's hard when they are both under the same roof as Officer Landon's live in girlfriend, Natalie. Will she find out about her boyfriend's proclivities or will be be successful maintaining their illicit affair. Take the bribe, and I’ll let you slide deep inside. I’m Officer Landon, a straight police officer who fantasizes about being with black men. I desire to be with them intimately and romantically, but I never indulge because I’m straight, shy, and have a ...

A short read (very short - 21 pages) set in January 1921 in New York City. Join Sadie Brown, investigative reporter, and Roger Siebert, photographer, on their picture-perfect honeymoon. At least it started out as perfect. But, when a large steamer trunk mysteriously appears in their honeymoon suite, it's the beginning of a cozy mystery. The strange trunk and its even stranger owner draw the newlyweds into a scheme involving stolen goods, a ransom note, and blackmail.

Their lives are so horrible Mack asks Len if they're cursed. When does it end? When do the bad things stop happening and when does the fog of trauma begin to lift? People say it gets better. Does it, though? Mack Kolmann and Leonard Manyhorses are orphans living on the mountain. As they get older, they depend on each other for everything. Tragedy brings them together, but another tragedy separates them for years. Mack comes back from the war and finds Len is gone. He sets out on a journey to find Len and bring him back to the mountain. Is it possible they've shared too much trauma? Has ...

Desa Rae Jenkins and her 20-something-year-old playmate are back with drama only the two of them can bring. Roc has been released from prison, and he's trying to show Desa Rae that his past life is well behind him, but his baby mama and his playa-hating uncle want Desa Rae out of the picture. Chyanne Johnson has tried to steer clear of drama since she was old enough to be out on her own. She's content with her mundane position at Atlanta's top marketing firm, but all of that changes when sexy CEO Aric McHale promotes her to be his executive assistant.

"I would love to go down on your wife." I am convinced. My husband, is nuts. How else could you explain him fixing his lips to encourage me to have sex with a woman, who is also a stranger... ON OUR ANNIVERSARY? What kind of woman does he think I am? I’ve never been interested in being with a woman and I never will be… I don't care how much he begs me. I don't care how much SHE begs me... Still, there's something about this breathtakingly gorgeous, mysterious woman that is intriguing. As much as I want to tell her to go to hell and reject her... As much as I want to deny my husband his ...

A seminal work in Native American literature, Black Hawk’s autobiography offers an eyewitness account of the escalating hostilities between Indigenous peoples and the encroaching white settlers of the early to mid-nineteenth century. After making a name for himself as a war captain for the Sauk, Black Hawk played an important role in resisting American attempts at territory expansion - especially those related to the disputed Treaty of Saint Louis - and aided British forces in military efforts against the United States throughout the War of 1812.

Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories brings together 15 stories that span Hisaye Yamamoto's 40-year career. It was her first book to be published in the United States. Yamamoto's themes include the cultural conflicts between the first generation, the Issei and their children, the Nisei; coping with prejudice; and the World War II internment of Japanese Americans.

Nikki is tired of being single, childless, and unhappy. At thirty-five, she ready to start a family, and offers her best friend a chance to be her baby daddy. Her plan goes according to plan, however, what she didn’t expect was to catch feelings for him… The Proposal is a steamy BWWM interracial romance. This short story is 4,400 words and is for mature readers only.

For successful African American businesswoman Zoe Reynard, finding the pleasure she wants, the way she wants it, is not worth the risk of losing everything she has: marriage to the man she has loved since childhood, a thriving company, three wonderful children. But Zoe feels helpless in the grip of an overpowering addiction—to sex.

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.

Here is the original manuscript of Raymond Carver's seminal 1981 collection, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Carver is one of the most celebrated short-story writers in American literature - his style is both instantly recognizable and hugely influential - and the pieces in What We Talk About..., which portray the gritty loves and lives of the American working class, are counted among the foundation stones of the contemporary short story.

A collection of Christmas stories written by African American journalists, activists, and writers from the late 19th century to the modern civil rights movement. This landmark collection features writings from well-known black writers, activists, and visionaries such as Pauline Hopkins, Langston Hughes, and John Henrik Clark along with literary gems from rediscovered writers. Originally published in African American newspapers, periodicals, and journals between 1880 and 1953, these enchanting Christmas tales are part of the black literary tradition that flourished after the Civil War.

Previously published as Deadly Secrets: Hidden Guilt by Madalena Melchior. SECRET GUILT London, 1905. Under the pretext of retrieving some books he has left behind at Number 221B, Sherlock Holmes temporarily trades his small farm upon the Downs, five miles from Eastbourne, and his beehives, for Baker Street. Before he has time to unpack his Gladstone, however, there's already a client at the door asking for his help with a case. So much for retirement...

New York Times best-selling author Zane presents a tantalizing short story collection, Zane's Sex Chronicles, which is now the basis of the Cinemax series Zane's Sex Chronicles - the first urban erotic series on television. The series calls for a sexual revolution and brings forth our favorite characters - Patience James aka Zane, Maricruz, Lyric, Eboni, and Ana Marie - as a force to be reckoned with as they balance common day-to-day issues, a slew of hot sex, and the fine men in the big city. Learn more about their backgrounds in this special tie-in edition.

With heart-stopping stories by Zane, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, Joy M. Copeland, Robert Fleming, Terence Taylor, Francine Lewis, Brandon Massey, and 12 other established or up-and-coming writers, Dark Dreams is a must-have contemporary anthology for fans of the supernatural.

"Con Men and Carved Birds! Lawmen and artists! Aebelskivers and cabbage. Spur-Award winner Richard Prosch has roped together an exciting new collection of stories with themes as vast as the wide open frontier and as close as the human heart. Waking Face - A sleepless man is tortured by the lost face of his wife's killer-a visage he can't remember, but at the same time, will never forget. Hard Times for the Vanilla Cream Kid - a would-be bank robber invents the perfect heist, but does he have the stomach for it? The Magic of Summerland - Nine year-old enemies of a long gone war forge a ...

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.

In the bustling streets of Harborview, where whispers of romance dance on the salty breeze, one woman stands at the helm of her destiny. Meet Alice, the determined owner of Seaside Pages, Harborview's beloved bookshop where stories come to life and dreams take flight. For Alice, love is but a distant memory, buried beneath the weight of duty and independence. But when Captain Nathan Reynolds, a charming sailor with eyes as deep as the ocean, walks into her shop, Alice finds herself swept away by a tempest of emotions she thought long dormant. As Nathan's presence ignites a spark within her,...

Take the bribe, and I’ll let you slide deep inside. I’m Officer Landon, a straight police officer who fantasizes about being with men. My weakness is black men. I desire to be with them intimately and romantically, but I never indulge because I’m straight, shy, and have a girlfriend who would kill me if she found out. I’m tempted daily because my colleagues and the criminals we arrest are mostly men with some of the most amazing physiques I’ve ever seen. I take my job seriously, follow all the rules, and never mix business with pleasure, even though it’s tough. One morning, my ...