Modern Short Stories

These three short works show Austen experimenting with a variety of different literary styles, from melodrama to satire, and exploring a range of social classes and settings. The early epistolary novel Lady Susan depicts an unscrupulous coquette toying with the affections of several men. In contrast, The Watsons is a delightful fragment whose spirited heroine, Emma Watson, finds her marriage opportunities limited by poverty and pride....

★★★★★ “A great job of modernizing a difficult parable” Pastor’s Comment Ever wonder how one of Jesus's parables might be told today? Five compelling stories that illustrate how our faith is tested every day! Crossroads of Faith is five modern-day retellings of biblical parables. These stories illustrate and remind us of the wonderful lessons taught by the parables of Jesus and other Biblical events. We all reach times in our life when our faith is tested and our convictions are revealed by the decisions we make. Whether you call them crossroads or maybe forks in the road, ...

Enter the Druidverse® and discover a world of magic, mythology, and urban fantasy! This set contains three short story collections and three novellas: Blood Scent (a prequel novella), Druid Blood (a prequel novella), Blood Circus (a short story collection), Blood Ties (a short story collection), Blood Bound (a short story collection), and Colin McCool Saves Christmas (a Christmas novella). The novellas primarily focus on everyone’s favorite down-on-his-luck druid, Colin McCool, while many of the short stories feature supporting characters.

From a woman who marries into a family of volatile wizards to a couple fleeing a gang of love-hungry cupids, from a girl who seeks sanctuary in the form of a graceful goose to the disgruntled superhero Captain Housework, listeners will revel in the many twists and turns of fortune in these fantastical fairy tales and lush parables. Even hardened vampire hunter and zombie animator Anita Blake gets blindsided by the disturbing motives of her clients in the new "Those Who Seek Forgiveness" and in "The Girl Who Was Infatuated with Death."

The happiest day of Beatrice Norton's life was when she answered an ad for a mail order bride and soon after married her husband, Niels Willmar. Everything was going along so perfectly...that is until he brought her to her new home...and she met the most disapproving mother-in-law a girl could ever imagine. Nothing she did was right, from her cooking or cleaning, to taking care of her new husband! Nothing she did would ever measure up to the standards of Mrs. Willmar! Thank heavens for her neighbor, Abigail. If she hadn't been able to cry on her shoulder, she was sure she would have gone ...

Get four fast-paced druid urban fantasy novels in a boxed set featuring magic, mystery, Celtic mythology, and non-stop paranormal action! Reluctant druid, and sole apprentice of the last living master druid on Earth. Heir to Fionn MacCumhaill’s legacy. Hunted and feared by the Fae, and cursed with Cú Chulainn’s ríastrad. All he wants is to live in his junkyard in peace...but the gods have other plans for the young druid apprentice!

Have you ever asked “What’s it all for?” or “Is my life enough?” Jack finds himself back at the local pub after another monotonous day at work asking himself these very questions. From an outside perspective, Jack has a good job and a supportive family, but somehow it’s not fulfilling his true desires, which has created a deep sadness. Seeing Jack’s hopelessness, the bartender, Lloyd, suggests a short story for him to read about a cowboy going through similar struggles in wanting better for his family and his life. Jack is not much of a reader, but finds some solace in ...

There are stories for every listener in this delightful collection—exciting crime-solving adventures; nervous young actors in the spotlight for the first time; unforgettable holidays and unlikely friendships.

Ten stories. One thin line between what happened—and what followed you home. Near Enough to Kill Me is a chilling collection of first-person supernatural encounters that feel too real to dismiss—but just strange enough to doubt. Told with confessional honesty and raw psychological detail, each tale slips quietly from reality into something far darker. From haunted motel rooms and vanishing children to phone calls from the dead and the thing that waits beneath your bed, these “true-ish” stories draw from urban legends, addiction recovery, liminal horror, and the quiet dread of being ...

Some neighbors share sugar. We shared everything. A journey of passion, pleasure, and self-discovery. This intimate memoir chronicles Skylar's journey from curious author to confident hotwife. What starts as a forbidden moment between new friends quickly evolves into an exploration that challenges everything she thought she knew about fidelity, attraction, and her own sexuality. Follow Skylar and Chris as they accept their first invitation to an exclusive swingers club, where champagne flows freely and inhibitions melt away under dimmed lights. With unflinching honesty, Skylar details their...

Twenty-plus intimate sci-fi stories from the heights and depths of the fractal universe. The stories you’ve dreamed of; the people you crave to meet; or would love to be. The aliens who’d make you shiver, or laugh. The huge risks of guiding your spacecraft here, or there. The adventures you’d have if only you had the nerve… Or the utter romance of doing that… The lighter side; the humour of orbital disasters and alien conflicts; the perils of ill-advised time-interference; the sheer romance of null-gravity love; the terrors of a leaky hull; the fear of a bullying boss when ...

Raconteurs Audio and Spoken Realms team up once again to bring this second collection of short stories by H. G. Wells to audio. Written between 1894 and 1902, this anthology of 13 stories delves into botany, flying machines, travel, distant lands and customs, virology, magic, taxidermy, journalism - and there’s even a ghost story.

Fantasy fans rejoice! Seven years after writer and editor Robert Silverberg made publishing history with Legends, the acclaimed anthology of original short novels by some of the greatest writers in fantasy fiction, the long-awaited second volume is here.

What happens when Western fantasies collide with Eastern reality? Dive into four riveting tales of romance, deception, resilience, and revolution in modern Ukraine. Foreigner’s Guide to Ukrainian Women and Other Stories offers a sharp, satirical, and deeply human lens into love and life across borders. Based on both fiction and real-life events, this bold collection pulls back the curtain on Eastern Europe’s untold dramas and romantic entanglements. 🧳 1. Foreigner’s Guide to Ukrainian Women Johnny Best is a tech millionaire tired of California’s hollow glitter. Hoping to find ...

Quantum Shadows When cutting-edge quantum computing research at UC Berkeley becomes the target of a high-stakes espionage operation, CIA Spymaster Corey Pearson and his elite team are called in to stop a looming disaster. A revolutionary encryption algorithm, capable of rendering the world’s most sensitive communications unbreakable, is at risk of falling into the hands of Russian intelligence. Embedded in the campus, Corey, Ana Ramirez, and Brad Hawkins unravel a web of deceit where ambitious academics, foreign operatives, and betrayal collide. With time running out, the team must ...

A road trip that redefines passion. I thought I had it all—the open road, beautiful company, and endless exploration. Then Ava swept in, a free-spirited artist who turned our road trip into a journey of self-discovery. In her gallery our desires transformed into vivid art. Through a sensual art session we grew closer, returning as a family bound by passion and spontaneity. Ava's bohemian energy contrasted with Claire and Sophia's elegance, creating an exhilarating dynamic. My education in desire had never been so vibrant, and the canvas of our lives was just beginning to take shape.

What if Edgar Allan Poe's masterpieces happened in our world? Step into five chilling retellings that transport Poe's most terrifying tales into the 21st century, where ancient horrors take on frightening new forms. From sterile hospital corridors to corporate boardrooms, from contaminated mansions to digital graveyards, these stories prove that the human capacity for guilt, obsession, and revenge transcends any era. "The Monitor" - A night-shift nurse's paranoia spirals into murder, where the tell-tale heart becomes the relentless beeping of medical equipment, and guilt echoes through ...

In this captivating collection of stories by the author of Ballet Shoes, there are auditions on stage and antics on ice, trips to the pantomime, holiday adventures and laughter shared with family and friends. Charming, heartwarming and funny, this collection will bring joy to listeners of all ages. Originally written in the 1940s-'60s for annuals, magazines and the radio, these stories have never been collected before.

Fairies, elves, demons... Secrets and desire... Dark humour, magic, wonder... Twelve stories that will transport you into other worlds, or twisted versions of our own. If you had magic, what would you do with it? If you loved someone, how far would you go?

The life of actor, choreographer, and musician Columbus Short has been punctuated with trauma that extends well beyond the plot lines of his previous role on the hit series Scandal. Short has lived many lives packed into one - from a family filled with turmoil to tumultuous love affairs and enough scandals of his own. But somewhere in the middle, Short’s realization that there has to be a better way comes into full view.