Early Fiction

Atlanta, 1974: It's Kate Murphy's first day on the job, and the Atlanta Police Department is seething after the murder of an officer. Before the day has barely begun, she already suspects she's not cut out to be a cop. Her male uniform is too big, she can't handle a gun, and she's rapidly learning that the APD is hardly a place that welcomes women. Worse still, in the ensuing manhunt she'll be partnered with Maggie Lawson, a cop with her own ax to grind.

Living off the land and adapting to a changing environment takes a special individual with the unique skills, training, and determination necessary to survive. Gus Berry is not that individual. The former house painter barely made it out of Annapolis as its population underwent a violent transformation, leaving everyone he knew or loved dead—or undead. Now, Gus needs food and booze, weapons and armor, clothing that fits, and above all, toilet paper, preferably two-ply.

The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low, or why their matriarch won’t ever leave their home in Four Rivers - not for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. But when Orquídea Divina invites them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance, they hope to learn the secrets that she has held onto so tightly their whole lives. Instead, Orquídea is transformed into a ceiba tree, leaving them with more questions than answers.

The Yellow House delves into the passion and politics of Northern Ireland at the beginning of the 20th century. Eileen O'Neill's family is torn apart by religious intolerance and secrets from the past. Determined to reclaim her ancestral home and reunite her family, Eileen begins working at the local mill, saving her money and holding fast to her dream. As war is declared on a local and global scale, Eileen cannot separate the politics from the very personal impact the conflict has had on her own life.

Sisters. Strangers. Survivors. More than 20 years ago, Claire and Lydia's teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that's cruelly ripped open when Claire's husband is killed.

A small Georgia town erupts in panic when a young college professor is found brutally mutilated in the local diner. But it's only when town pediatrician and coroner Sara Linton does the autopsy that the full extent of the killer's twisted work becomes clear. Sara's ex-husband, Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver, leads the investigation - a trail of terror that grows increasingly macabre when another local woman is found crucified a few days later.

On a flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner. Sharing one too many martinis, the strangers begin to play a game of truth, revealing intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his marriage that’s going stale and his wife, Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. Ted and his wife were a mismatch from the start - he the rich businessman, she the artistic free spirit - a contrast that once inflamed their passion but has now become a cliché. But their game turns a little darker when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda....

It's a day like any other for security chief Tracy Waterhouse, until she makes a purchase she hadn't bargained for. One moment of madness is all it takes for Tracy's humdrum world to be turned upside down, the tedium of everyday life replaced by fear and danger at every turn.

Praise continues to build for the Fortress Farm series: "A hidden gem..." "Vast story line..." "Clean style...expertly presented without filth..." "Different perspective from the regular doom and gloom..." "Strong story. Strong characters. Strong writing..." An Early Fall picks up immediately after the tumultuous events of Against the Storm. The world has changed dramatically for the Red Hawk Republic. Allies are now enemies, as greed and a desire for power drive wedges between the communities that survived the Great Reset. The Hamilton family faces their toughest test yet, simultaneously ...

Early Warning opens in 1953 with the Langdon family at a crossroads. Their stalwart patriarch, Walter, who with his wife, Rosanna, sustained their farm for three decades, has suddenly died, leaving their five children, now adults, looking to the future. Only one will remain in Iowa to work the land, while the others scatter to Washington, D.C., California, and everywhere in between.

When the preserved foot of a dead man with extra toes arrives at St. Bartholomew's Medical College, the students are fascinated. However, despite this unusual feature being reported in the press, the man's identity remains a mystery. Intrigued by the puzzle, medical student Mr. Stamford calls on his acquaintance Sherlock Holmes to help him learn more about the deceased. With only the man's boots and a few possessions to examine, Holmes relishes the challenge. He soon finds a coded message hidden inside the man's purse, which suggests a possible connection to criminals or spies.

♥ Wheel Power ♥ Little Wheely rolled round and round, all on his own he spun on the ground. Wheels had a purpose, except for him, which is why he felt sad and so grim. ◆ All his friends were wheels too, yet they all had something to do. He watched them roll all night and day, all very busy – rushing on their way.

In 1765, Michael Fallon, an Irishman on the run from brutal English overlords, makes his way to Charleston, South Carolina, as an indentured servant. Bound over to Thomas Carver, a successful merchant, he quickly shows a knack for trade—and a disturbing attraction to Carver's beautiful, sensual daughter, Elizabeth. With luck and intelligence—and not without bloodshed—he rises into the rice-planting aristocracy of the Carolina Lowcountry, where a frontier spirit pulses beneath the superficial trappings of an agrarian society that is heading rapidly toward revolution.

It was in the Spring of 1851 when the letter from the Western Territories arrived on the doorsteps of Rafe McCade’s cabin in central Kentucky. The letter was from Rafe’s brother, Colin, asking him to leave his worn-out Kentucky farm and bring his family to join him in the Rocky Mountains where the land is free, the valleys are green and the Ponderosa pines are tall and majestic. Rafe and his wife Dora are captivated as they read Colin’s letter and in just a few short weeks they set off with their thirteen-year-old son in a covered wagon to St. Louis where they will pick up the Sante ...

Teach your child patience! * * * * * * * * * "You forgot the mail?" The king yelled at the snail. But the snail stayed as calm as could be. He was not afraid of the king, you see. He knew where the gift was; he knew what to do. The monsters learned that patience pays off too. We are all familiar with the phenomenon of children wanting everything "here and now". This story describes just such a situation. I hope you and your children will enjoy it and learn from it. 子どもたちに辛抱について教えてくれる１冊！ 「郵便を忘れただと？」王様はカタツムリ君に...

This remarkable, newly revised collection of Ayn Rand's early fiction ranges from beginner's exercises to excerpts from early versions of We the Living and The Fountainhead. Arranged chronologically, from 1926 through 1940, these works allow readers to follow the extraordinary trajectory of Rand's literary and intellectual growth, from a 21-year-old Russian immigrant struggling to master English to the brilliant prose stylist and sophisticated philosopher she was to become in her mature work.

Best known for such blockbuster film adaptations of his work as Blade Runner and Total Recall, Dick (1928…82) is an iconic figure in sf whose every written word remains of interest. This generous sampling of his early writings is an entirely original collection covering a wide variety of themes and settings, ranging from the near to the far future and from the earthly mundane to almost unimaginably exotic worlds.

Rich with unforgettable characters and history, intricately plotted and utterly absorbing, City of Dreams is a stirring saga of early Manhattan and the beginnings of medical science told by a master storyteller.

The Bad Seed is in a good mood…for once. That’s because there’s a really cool book at the library available for checkout. The Bad Seed reads, and reads, until the book can’t be read anymore. But suddenly, he gets bad news: The book must be returned to the library so another seed can enjoy it. Will the bad seed return to his baaaaaad ways and keep the book? Listen to this really cool book to find out!

A supernatural fiction book set in Perthshire, Scotland during the early 20th century. In the beguiling Scottish Highlands, our narrator answers an ad for a lodger in the picturesque town of Pitlochry. Expecting a strict, unappealing landlady, he is surprised to meet the kind and elegant Miss Flora Macdonald. What begins as a nostalgic return to a beloved childhood location quickly turns into a journey through layers of supernatural mystery and eerie history. Each day in Miss Macdonald's enchanting home deepens their bond and uncovers chilling tales. The narrator's peaceful life is ...