Family Survival Fiction

Sisters Lu and Min have always known their places as the princesses of the Empire of the First Flame: assertive Lu will be named her father's heir and become the dynasty's first female ruler while timid Min will lead a quiet life in Lu's shadow. Until their father names their male cousin Set his heir instead, sending ripples through the realm and throwing both girls' lives into utter chaos. Determined to reclaim her birthright, Lu has no choice but to go on the run, leaving Min to face the volatile court alone.

When 10-year-old Stella wakes up to discover a world full of blank screens, her family, town and, in fact, the whole world seems to have been thrown into chaos. And what about poor Grandma who is stranded at the other end of the country? Cue a rollicking madcap road trip, full of driving disasters and family fallouts, as they set off on a rescue mission. And along the way Stella and her family discover that being away from screens might not be the worst thing ever, and even though they might not be able to rely on technology anymore, they can rely on each other instead.

Jesse is having the worst year. First a race of homicidal (but very polite) aliens invaded Earth, killing pretty much everyone and enslaving the few people left behind, including Jesse; his best friend, Michael; his sort-of girlfriend, Lauren; and the girl of his dreams, Catlin. Then he and the other survivors discovered that they had some sort of latent telepathic abilities that made them dangerous to the aliens, so their only hope for survival was to run away. But not everyone made it out alive.

Stanley Potts is just an ordinary boy, but when all the jobs in Fish Quay disappear his Uncle Ernie develops an extraordinary fascination with canning fish. Suddenly their home is filled with the sound of changing machinery and the stench of mackerel, and Uncle Ernie's obsession reaches such heights that he would even can Stan's beloved goldfish! Stan, however, has his own destiny, which leads him - via a hook-a-duck stall - to Pancho Pirelli, the blue-caped madman who swims with piranhas.

Feisty Maia Etxeleku is a cleaner for ladies who lunch. She spends her life wiping up spilt Sauvignon and hoovering around handbags before rushing back home to skivvy after her children's feckless father on an estate where survival depends on your ability to look the other way. But an unusual inheritance catapults her into a different world where no child can survive without organic apricots and Kumon maths classes - and no woman can contemplate a week without Pilates and pedicures.

In the unremarkable town of Amberside, the unthinkable has happened: terrorists have attacked a local festival. No one knows why, and no one knows who the attackers are, but that doesn’t matter. What matters first is survival. And what matters after that is survival, too. In this brilliantly written account of hope, humour and humanity, five ordinary teenagers are caught up in a truly extraordinary situation. It’s a heart-pounding and gripping account of the fight for survival as the attackers prowl the festival grounds, told from multiple perspectives.

Fourteen-year-old Charlie Law has lived in Little Town, on the border with Old Country, all his life. He knows the rules: no going out after dark; no drinking; no litter; no fighting. You don't want to get on the wrong side of the people who run Little Town. When he meets Pavel Duda, a refugee from Old Country, the rules start to get broken. Then the bombs come, and the soldiers from Old Country, and Little Town changes forever.

When a treasure hunt turns deadly, will solving the clues be enough? Enter a world where a family’s dark past is weaved with its unassuming present. From the small city of Sterling to the massive city of Chicago, the O’Neill’s family vacation has more in store than they could ever imagine. Following the loss of his wife in a car accident last year, Jim O’Neill takes his son Jay and daughter Adrianna on an adventure to his late grandfather’s house. He soon realizes that the mysterious treasure hunt his late grandfather organized is putting his family in peril. Upon facing down ...

This is the story of the O'Neill family from Lawrence, Kansas. Jim, a 45 year- old man with two children; Jay, 13 and Adrianna 11. The kids are out of school for summer vacation. They are setting out by car to find the ancestral home of Jim's grandfather, who lived in Sterling, Illinois. A diary which was found in Jim's grandfather's house in Lawrence, revealed that there was a treasure to be found on the property of the Sterling homestead. The treasure can be found by solving riddles and clues. Jim's wife died in a terrible car crash a year and a half ago. One month before the accident, ...

Raised in a world of wild beasts, craven spirits, and noble souls, Neb dominates everyone around him. Only in love does he meet a force he cannot resist. His wife bears two sons who take opposite paths. Neb's curse follows both. Clans across the land await the future. Through the eyes of three alien worlds, so does the watching universe. One extended family traverses the course of history through Aram, Ishtar, and Neb in a world of wild beasts, craven spirits, and noble souls. Generations later, in the first century AD, Aram’s descendant, Georgios battles a world of dark secrets, ...

Sarah Robinson and her family intended to have a vacation adventure aboard a boat but ended up stranded on a remote and mysterious island. Along with unusual, weird creatures, they met the "Curator", a strange boy who may be an...alien. And then they met Cash, a girl who may hold the key to why Shipwreck Island has been kept a secret for so long.

Aran has never truly fit in with his selkie clan. He was born in his human form, without a pelt to transform him into a sleek, strong seal. Each day he waits, left behind while his selkie family explores the deep ocean. What if his pelt never comes? Does the Moon even see him? Is he putting his clan at risk? When his mother undertakes a journey to the far north to seek help, Aran is left in the care of a reclusive human woman on remote Spindle Island. Life on land is full of more wonders - and more dangers - than Aran could have ever imagined.

Neither Elizabeth nor her little brother, Matty, have ever been north of Georgia. They’re used to sandals and shorts, not boots and parkas. So when they fly to New York City to spend the holidays with their cousin, Ashley, they want to experience one thing: Snow! Ashley can’t wait to show her cousins how magical Manhattan is at Christmastime. But instead of a week of fun, what they get is an arctic blast that knocks out the power and plunges the skyscrapers into darkness.

A historical sci-fi novel set in the 5th century Britain where a father struggles against opposing forces while trying to hold his family together. His son is accused of murder, his daughter is forced to marry a brutal king, and only a prophetic vision saves him from despair. Conflicting alien races must decide if the planet is ripe for plunder or if humanity is worth saving. One extended family traverses the course of history through Aram, Ishtar, and Neb in a world of wild beasts, craven spirits, and noble souls. Generations later, in the first century AD, Aram’s descendant, Georgios ...

Until a frantic phone call from a friend with mysterious government ties, Lily thinks her biggest quandary is fixing the problems in her struggling marriage. After she learns the world as they know it is about to end, she has the difficult job of convincing her husband Ethan that it’s really happening. As they scramble to survive the approaching solar event, and prepare for the aftereffects, their marriage remains on a shaky foundation. They face the daunting task of repairing their relationship while trying to live through the apocalypse. (This was formerly titled "At The End." It is ...

Nash Hall's dad is a criminal who just can't seem to go straight. He wants Nash to help him commit a robbery. A big one. The trouble is, Nash's mum is a cop. And the robbery is at Nash's school. But Dad owes a lot of money to some very dangerous people, and if Nash doesn't help him do the job, it could cost both their lives.

Ten more stories to heal the divide between man and machine. This is the sixth volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: Quantum Worlds Will AI herald the death of human creativity, or its startling rebirth? Bloody Justice (by J.M. Wight) The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed… A Mother's Last Goodbye When the living and the dead collide, a single act of selflessness ripples across generations. The Princess and the Professor When a kingdom is terrorized by a dragon, only Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life stand between chaos and salvation. The ...

For pharmaceutical process engineer Harold Newman and his family, sailing was a hobby and an escape from everyday life. When the recession hits and Harold is laid off, the family decides to take this opportunity to cruise south through the Intra-Coastal Waterway and explore some Caribbean Islands rather than engage in a frustrating job search during the coming recession. As they head south, sailing becomes their means of survival as the recession worsens and the economy and even society itself continue to unwind.

A captivating dystopian thriller short story, Crimson Snow will hold you hostage until you finish every last word. If you like Jennifer McMahon, Melinda Leigh, and Emily St. John Mandell, you’ll love Crimson Snow. "A gripping ride into frozen insanity." ~New York Times Bestselling Author Andra Watkins How far could you go to survive? Whom could you sacrifice? Green Valley was once known for its fertile farming, picturesque mountains, and abundant wildlife. Now snow and ice cover all but the tallest homes. The only sounds are Maverick's boots clumping through the snowdrifts and the frigid ...

Tony has always had tremendous respect for the thousands of people who live on Chicago's streets. Regardless of their pasts that have landed them in their current situations, he realizes that every unhoused person struggles greatly to survive every new day. The day comes when Tony experiences how stressful and challenging it is to survive on the street as he becomes one of the city's 75,000 persons without a permanent residence. At any given time, a thousand of these struggling survivors, including Tony for a time, actually lives on the city's streets all day and all night. Tony is well ...