Modern Short Stories

Every life is a theatrical play and has its own intriguing story. But there are some lives that don’t dovetail into plays or stories. Their lives exceeded the dimensions of one particular story or play, transforming into a chain of stories and plays. While I was constructing the story of their strange life, I found myself on stage in a play. Nobody told me to act in it. I’m a volunteer actor in this play. The theater is where this play, in which I’m an actor, opens its curtains while you’re snoozing away in your warm, comfy bed. Sometimes after a one-act play is played, it closes ...

The "man of property", Soames Forsyte, has mellowed with the passing of the years until, in his old age, he is a patient and benign figure, guarding with especial tenderness the welfare of his daughter, Fleur. But all his watchfulness and devotion are powerless to avert tragedy when Fleur revives her old love affair with Jon Forsyte on Jon's return to England with his American wife.

Best-selling urban fantasy and paranormal suspense author M. D. Massey invites listeners back to the world of the Junkyard Druid for his second short story collection! This 35,000-word volume features even more characters from the Colin McCool series, starring in three separate novelette-length stories: "Old Ghosts", "The Goblin King", and "Going Under".

This book contains two contemporary fiction short stories. Modern Art and the Critics examines the reliability of expert opinions as regards modern art which can often tell us a great deal more about the critics rather than the intrinsic value of the object of their critiques. Redemption, the second short story in this ebook, concerns the unexpected life-altering experience of a self-absorbed, highly successful young executive in a brief encounter with the paranormal at a friend's birthday party.

Reader reviews for Alice Crowley's HOT writing: "I LOVED THE IMAGINATION OF THIS AUTHOR!" ~Satisfied Kindle Reader "FIVE STARS!" ~Multiple Fans In this 3,000 word short, a married woman and her husband are taken on a deep and powerful journey into the world of erotic infidelity. Lonni has a new toy -- her husband bought it for her and she loves it! When the toy becomes sentient though, and begins to speak to her, she is very afraid. Now a bounty hunter shows up, and saves her from being consumed by her obsession with technology by taking and demanding her awaiting flesh. When the husband ...

Lamar Brown and Kimberly Zhang are the best pair figure skaters in the US. When they get paired together, the execution on their technical skills are flawless, however what they are lacking is the sexy romance that pair skaters usually display. After being challenged by their coach, the pair go for a night of drinking and dancing to connect, but what they didn’t expect was to end up in the same bed together! The Figure Skaters is an AWBM interracial erotic romance. At 3,800 words, this steamy short story is for mature readers only.

When a mole exposes most of the bureau’s undercovers, two FBI agents are forced into a fake marriage. Laura O’Conner is a fresh-faced rookie; Robert Mills is a hardened disabled veteran sidelined due to a previous injury. They both hate each other’s tactics, yet they can’t keep their eyes off each other. Not only do they have to work together to bring down a notorious crime family, they must also remain professional and not let their feelings get in the way. However, their love can only be withheld for so long before they both submit to their feelings.This instalove enemy to lovers ...

In the modern world, life lessons are not always as black and white as who wins a race between a tortoise and a hare. Modern Day Fables features eleven lessons for us adults, we who face challenges that present a palette of grays in which the morals are often more gritty, trampled on, hard fought, hard won, and not always glorious. In these eleven fables, travel the subterranean world of lessons not oft told because they are challenging to the status quo, and championing of the individual who stands alone amid the world around us. Decide what you think, who wins and who loses, who stands ...

Elaine Huang is perfectly happy. She lives in Los Angeles, CA, working as an illustrator for projects of her choice. She regularly meets up with her bestie, Martha, usually at Musashi's, their preferred venue. On one such visit, she answers a call from a persistent unknown number. The phone call changes her life, taking her halfway around the world to Sovereign Island where it brings her back into contact with some family secrets she has done her best to forget. Can Elaine figure out why those secrets have come back to haunt her, while having to adapt to an unfamiliar environment on a ski ...

These are short stories of one of the greatest writers in the world, Anton Chekhov. For more than 100 years, his humor and philosophy have surprised readers by their depth and brightness. These stories are for Russia and Russians, as much today as they were 100 years ago.

Book Description: In the quiet town of Edenvale, a tragic crime shakes a family and a community to its core. The Trial of Cain is a masterful reimagining of the ancient biblical story of Cain and Abel, set against the dramatic backdrop of a modern courtroom. As farmer Cain Adams faces charges for the murder of his brother Abel, the trial unravels a century-old legacy of land disputes, sibling rivalry, and divine rejection. Through gripping legal battles, forensic discoveries, and profound questions of faith and justice, the story explores the depths of human emotion and the haunting power ...

Seizing the Tiger It’s 1996 and Alex the Pirate hates having his smuggled goods ripped off on the high seas. Colonel Le, another pirate, got the drop on him and he is vastly outgunned in his wooden-hulled tongkang in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand. Le smirks as he steals Alex’s valuable cargo and powers away to leave Alex and crew drifting on their damaged craft at sea. Alex and his friend Diego know that vengeance is a dish best served cold. Le will pay for his treachery—the hard way. And maybe they will seize the cutthroat’s prize boat—the one they call the Tiger. The first ...

Clean Christian Romance - Wedding Ring Blues a Clean Contemporary Romance Family secrets threaten her life, love, and marriage! Maintaining family honor meant sacrificing any hope of happiness for sweet, young Lauren Valcour. Expected to marry her social equal, a man ten years older, whom she hates, feels like a death sentence. Wishing for a normal life Lauren befriends an ordinary working man, Danny Richardson, who just so happens to know the Valcour’s deepest, darkest secret. Will Lauren accept her fate and agree to the arranged marriage or be defiant for the first time in her life? Is ...

Detective stories existed for centuries before the concept of the detective itself—amateur or professional— was fully formulated, and tales of mystery and intrigue have been thrilling readers since ancient times. The Lock and Key Library is the classic overview of the history of the mystery genre, at once a rousing listen for fans of the unsolved and unknown as well as an essential literary resource for those seeking to understand the roots of modern pulp fiction. This volume is sure to delight and enthrall armchair detectives and fans of classic mysteries alike.

Ashely Williams is down on her luck. Swimming in debt, her baby daddy won’t pay child support, and broke, her life wasn’t going anywhere. It wasn’t until she meets a sexy Irish man on Saint Patrick’s Day, when her life turns around. Luck of the Irish is a steamy interracial BWWM romance. This short story of 4,400 words is for mature readers only.

Hong Kong Takedown A Long Short Story Alex the Pirate and his business partner, Diego, set about establishing a legitimate business in Hong Kong to help them in their South China Sea smuggling and pirating endeavors. Alex has his eye on an insurance company that is in financial difficulty. The owner owns money to the triad and can’t pay. Alex meets a man in a card game who may hold the key to a hard takedown of the company and its owner. But they must navigate the choppy waters of Hong Kong’s underworld in a way that will curry favor in the right places and not get them killed by the ...

After a failed petition to change his career, Bill, the local pottery maker and town drunk, is coerced by his neighbors and king to join an expedition to hunt down and slay a mighty dragon that plagues their village.

This short book of poetry offers inspiration and motivation, at a time when we need it the most. The entire world was sent into social isolation and people needed comfort and hope. The poems and quotes within this book will help the reader to remain steadfast and faithful, irrespective of the trials and hardships they may face in life. “Never give up, even when it seems like the battle has been lost. With fortitude and perseverance, we can overcome any obstacle.” 

Each of the best-selling writers represented in these selections from Legends II returns to the fantasy universe he or she made famous throughout the world. Whether set before or after events already recounted elsewhere, whether featuring beloved characters or compelling new creations, these masterful short novels are both mesmerizing stand-alones - perfect introductions to the work of their authors - and indispensable additions to the epics on which they are based.

It's finally time to ask Anna out. Lily and Jasmine couldn't be more encouraging—so why is Sam nervous? Even after their weeks of being together, Sam still isn't fully used to the idea of the harem. He's embraced it, but it's hard not to think like the typical monogamous man he's been for the majority of his life. But the paperwork is done, and he's no longer attorney Anna Halwell's client. There's nothing wrong about Sam asking her to dinner, to thank her for all she's done for him. Jasmine and Lily are quite confident that Anna wants more than friendship. Sam isn't so sure, but he's ...