Showing titles in Short Stories

Equipped with the entirety of human knowledge, a sentient ship is launched on a last-ditch journey to find a new home for civilization. Trillions of miles. Tens of thousands of years. In the space between, the AI has plenty of time to think about life, the vastness of the universe, everything it was meant to do, and—with a perspective created but not limited by humans—what it should do.

Aliens searching for a new home planet have studied humans through the “archives” they’ve discovered, specifically, Hollywood musicals. They arrive on Earth ready to integrate with the world through song, but find the world does not greet them the way they expect. Think Galaxy Quest with musicals!

In eight years Marlon James will be one of the brightest rising stars in the music industry. Bristol Gray will be his tough, no-nonsense manager. But when they first meet, she's a college student finding her way in the world, and he's an artist determined to make his way in it. From completely different worlds, all the things that should separate them only draw them closer. It's a beautiful beginning, but where will the story end?

In the haunted halls of the Anderson House, Eloise remains a girl untouched by time. Her past has been shrouded in mystery, until now… Witness Eloise’s touching bond with a woman mourning the loss of her daughter, an unseen companionship with a child in solitude, and her battle with a treacherous spirit dwelling in the shadows. In this collection, you’ll find seven bite-sized tales that will scare and surprise you. Prepare yourself for a window into Eloise’s thrilling world, as she navigates life with childlike wonder and ghostly encounters.

The first superhero in a world that doesn't otherwise have them is roundly mocked for his costume and attitude, so decides to strike terror in the hearts of the city by becoming a super-villain, only to discover that there are other people out there who have powers—including his ancient but still sprightly grandmother, who lived through the German occupation of Greece in WWII.

Prepare yourself for Haunted Secrets: Tales of Eloise Vol. 4. Eloise takes you deeper into the dark corners of Berkley Street, where the line between the living and the dead is perilously thin. Join her as she unravels the terrifying truth about the Dark Ones, embarks on a frantic search for a missing couple, and helps a lost spirit find peace on a journey home. With each tale, you will be drawn deeper into a world where the living fear the dead, and the dead fear the secrets that refuse to die.

A 300-year-old tree has plenty to do: repairing the damage to her bark from people who have carved their initials, drinking from her roots, and, lately, tolerating two lonely bookworms who visit separately. Playing matchmaker might solve everyone’s problems. Rebecca Sky is an award-winning writer best known for the Love Curse series with more than 20 million reads online; most recently her work can be found in the Every Body Shines body-positivity anthology with Bloomsbury.

A grieving mother calls out to her faraway son. A student forgoes the lurid appeal of dating apps in exchange for a painter’s love. The anonymous voices of queer native men converge amid violent eroticism. A man just out of prison balances the uneasy weight of family and freedom, while a professor returns home to conduct research only to be haunted by a dark specter. The stories and voices in Billy-Ray Belcourt’s debut story collection are buoyed by philosophical undergirding, poetic demand, and the complex relationship between aesthetics and ethics.

Have you ever tried to build a haunted house? Best-selling author Travis Brown returns with a new collection taking listeners on a journey into dark rooms filled with the creepy, weird, and unexplained. The sundown is tinted green, a wind blows in from the west, and the walls between our world and all others grow thin enough to slip through. Invisible nightmares walk among us, some more dangerous than others. Make sure when that happens, you’re somewhere secret and safe.

The Lady of the Lake (job description: hand out mystical swords to youngsters with potential) has her first dissatisfied customer. This humorous fantasy tale will appeal to anyone who has ever landed a glamorous job, only to find out that the gig has grueling requirements (in this case, confinement in a swamp and the company of wise-cracking toads.)

As the holiday season descends on her small town, Emily Parker can't help but feel the weight of loneliness. A devoted school teacher with a heart full of faith, she's held tightly to a promise she made long ago—to trust God's timing for love. But with Christmas just around the corner, she wonders if that promise will ever be fulfilled. When Luke Reynolds, her childhood friend and former missionary, returns to town, Emily feels an undeniable spark. Their shared history and love for helping others draw them closer, but unresolved feelings from the past—and an unexpected return of ...

They mustn't harm a human being, they must obey human orders, and they must protect their own existence...but only so long as that doesn't violate rules one and two. With these Three Laws of Robotics, humanity embarked on a bold new era of evolution that would open up enormous possibilities, and unforeseen risks.

Eloise, a young ghost with an old soul, is back exploring her existence through both life and a bustling afterlife filled with untold stories. Join her as she seeks closure with her deceased mother, battles the restless spirits of a tragic accident, and challenges a dark force imprisoning child ghosts, uncovering the profound ties that bind the living and the dead.

Carl Hesselschwerdt is more than just a restless spirit. He delves into the mysteries of life and death, helping the departed find peace and the living understand the unknown. Join Carl as he grapples with life, death, and the unknown after a funeral aftermath, faces an eerie séance on the anniversary of his death, and confronts the haunting reality of a dying man in a dark forest. This volume features seven tales that delve deep into the supernatural, letting you experience Carl’s journey like never before.

At the age of 13, Charlie Quinn's childhood came to an abrupt and devastating end. Two men, with a grudge against her lawyer father, broke into Charlie's home - and after that shocking night, her world was never the same. Now a lawyer herself, Charlie has made it her mission to defend those with no one else to turn to.

A ghost decides to help the shy young woman living in her former house. Kyra dreams of becoming an artist, and she flourishes under the guidance of her ghostly mentor. This short, supernatural tale will appeal to fans of friendly ghost stories and family reconciliation.

Journey through time without leaving home: discover stories that bring decades of smiles and memories right to your fingertips! Miss the good old days of easy laughs and heartfelt tales? Rediscover them in stories crafted just for you! Looking to sharpen your mind and stir your spirit without leaving your favorite chair? This book brings both with each turn of the page! “Heartwarming Short Stories for Seniors” isn’t just a collection of tales; it’s a journey back in time.

The correspondence between Carrie Allsop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses. With each commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls. They share the bewilderment over how things went so wrong and come to wonder where to go from here. Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it’s broken.

Hailed by The New York Times as "a marvel of storytelling", The Things They Carried’s portrayal of the boots-on-the-ground experience of soldiers in the Vietnam War is a landmark in war writing. Now, three-time Emmy Award winner-Bryan Cranston, star of the hit TV series Breaking Bad, delivers an electrifying performance that walks the book’s hallucinatory line between reality and fiction and highlights the emotional power of the spoken word.

Layla strives and sacrifices to keep a potted plant alive in a gray, post-climate-change dystopia. For fans of Nina LaCour, this short tale asks: can hope bloom from a single seed?