Thirty-seven-year-old John Morgan's personal life is already in disarray when he receives a phone call that his brother and niece are dead. His relationship with his father is nearly nonexistent, he barely speaks to his sister, and he has no real friends to lean on. As the tragic news slowly begins to sink in, John realizes he is floating aimlessly in the middle of an unpredictable sea of emotions with no one to rescue him. In this compelling tale that movingly illustrates the devastating effects of a dysfunctional family, John must learn to change what he can, accept what he cannot, and make the difficult decision to leave some things behind. I'm excitedly working on a second novel. Thanks for checking out my work. PS: for those that wish to own my book it can be purchased in multiple formats and found on various major online distribution channels. Thank you!

Jason Conroy is a popular 16 year old with the world at his feet. That seemed to be the case until unexpectedly, and out of character, his father David informs him that they are to move to a desolate part of northern England for work reasons, leaving everything Jason loves behind. With only his cat Kato for company, the Conroy's arrive at their new home much to Jason's distaste. Things go from bad to worse as Jason struggles to settle, finding everything to moan about from the constant strange, dreary light outside and the spooky old house to inhospitable locals. On his first venture out Jason meets Jo, a beautiful but feisty 18 year old. For a moment she offers some respite to his misery until she suddenly becomes scared and tells Jason to be wary: 'Don't eat the food here. It's drugged. It's the planes; they don't want you to hear.' This bombshell opens up a dark and dangerous hidden world that surrounds both Jason and Jo as they attempt to uncover the truth behind her claims. A once stable father figure, David's real intentions for moving come into question. As they dig deeper, the full extent and scale of the deception begins to unfold, leaving Jason questioning everything he has ever been told. Fearing lies and searching for truths, Jason uncovers shocking personal secrets and revelations of an unbelievable origin that will change his life forever, even bringing the safety of the earth and the fate of the whole galaxy into doubt. Whatever he thinks or feels, Jason has no choice. It is down to him to save everyone and everything...

What if the person you trusted the most suddenly became a stranger, who desperately wanted you dead? And if an hour later, they were back to normal? Detective Jack Arnette was a respected cop, before a hostage situation went horribly wrong. Victor Slade is a meditating, hedonistic cop-killer. When Victor makes a pickup at the Seattle docks, Jack sees a chance for redemption. A simple arrest. Respect regained. But events spin out of control when Jack and Victor are quarantined with the dock workers and a virus that can make anyone go temporarily homicidal. Trapped by a SWAT team with orders to shoot anyone who leaves the building, Jack must deal with a cop-killer who has little to lose, and a group of innocents who could become just as dangerous. Who would you trust when anyone could become a killer?

Everyone is hiding from something; a secret, a lie. Mine just happens to be a curse, one bestowed upon me before my first birthday; a curse that says I'm supposed to die before I turn sixteen. But that isn't going to happen, because I have a plan. You see, it's impossible to prick your finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel if you're locked in a cell.

The five cities of man surround the Sea of Dekatos. The ancient city-states are filled with towers, stone pyramids, soaring catwalks, arching bridges and jade castles. The bronze age men and women fight, love, war and conquer against the backdrop of five massive, sprawling cities. Char, city of chariots, deploys her army in the nearby deserts. In Yang, where nightly winds blow in gusts of hot sand, they raise an army of heavily armored footmen. Bowmen of Lau Cing, with copper weapons and bronze chainmail, train to fight even during heavy desert storms. Formations of swordsmen pour from the pagoda's of Hecai while Anshi fields a legion of grim, dedicated female warriors. The city-states wage constant war until a new enemy threatens. Blue scaled aquatics rise from the sea, water streaming from their iridescent scales, and the five cities face a new and more terrible enemy.

A wolf and a princess fall in love as they fight the Raven and the forces of boredom and ugliness in a magical London. They must race against time as they try to stop the Raven’s evil plan for destroying the city. But can they also resolve the mysterious chemistry between them? If you like Neil Gaiman, Jasper Fforde or Douglas Adams, you’ll love this. James Steel is published by Harper Collins, his books have been selected for Waterstones Paperbacks of the Year and the Tesco Chart. James has spoken at the Hay Literary Festival and teaches creative writing at Oxford University. ‘A new contender to the crown of thriller supremo.’ Manchester Evening News ‘What a crazy rollercoaster of a book! It was a wonderful, bizarre hybrid of fairytale and Orwellian dystopia.’ Kate Bradley, Editor, Granta Books.

Age of Aether -- A Steampunk Adventure-Romance Novella. When Capt. Ben Bantam is tapped to go back in time in order to retrieve a cure for the vicious Shadow plague, he is shocked to arrive in an alternate 1944 where electricity doesn't exist. Instead, a parallel past has mysteriously arisen -- complete with parasols, stunningly luxurious Aerotels, hydrologic computing, Helux-powered 'cloud growlers' and a space elevator-based moon race with Germany. And of course, there is the lovely Dr. Rachelle Archenstone ... But when Hitler is made Chancellor in this world and the American space program sabotaged, Bantam is the only one who realizes the true depth of the danger posed by the newly formed Nazi party. Together with Rachelle, he races to save this America while seeking an explanation to the mystery of this alternate past -- and with it, a way to return to his own world with the Shadow's cure. But when it comes down to a choice between his lovely Rachelle and a thousand years of Nazi rule, what will he do? Thrill to a tale of a Yesterday that never was ... And yet was!

Table of Contents Free Verse: Gypsy Acrostic-Etheree-Reverse Etheree: Tenderness Pantoum: Mystic Waters Conceit: He's Like a Shawl Haibun: Diamond Moon Refrain: Lushness so Lusted Haiku Trilogy: Hunters Anaphor: Out of the Rain Aliliteration: Savage Seasons Dectine Refrain: The Moon as Muse

SNAP, a multinational celeb TV show and magazine, is the holy grail for Maxie Gwenoch. When she snags the job as managing editor, she’s looking for fame, fortune and Jimmy Choos. What she finds is a media empire owned by Baron Kandesky and his family. A family of vampires. They’re European, urbane, wealthy and mesmerizing. And when she meets Jean-Louis, vampire and co-worker, she’s a goner. The Kandesky vampire family rose in Hungary centuries ago. They gave up violence and killing to make a killing on the world’s commodities markets and with that beginning they built SNAP, an international celebrity multimedia empire. Now cultured…and having found food substitutes for killing…they’ve cornered the world market for celebrity and gossip journalism. They haven’t fully left the past behind. Their Hungarian neighbors and rival vampire clan, the Huszars are starting to ramp up attacks, maybe looking to start a war to take over all the Kandeskys have built. Maxie believes she’s found her ultimate career. She doesn’t realize that she’s found a family feud like none other, a centuries-old rivalry between vampire families, with her as the linchpin. Bells ring with Jean-Louis, but she doesn’t realize they’re alarm sirens until she learns that Jean-Louis is second in command of the Kandeskys…but by then it’s too late.

Meet Marina Watson – she’s little, but no shrinking violet. She lives with her mum and step-dad, Rob. Life’s good, but there’s one thing she doesn’t get… Why she isn’t allowed to go in water?! For years, Marina’s mum has forbidden her daughter from having baths and swimming. She claims Marina has a terrible phobia of water, and will have an anxiety attack if she goes in it. But something doesn’t add up. Marina isn’t afraid: in fact, she’s never been more eager to dive into the deep end. One day, in a P.E. class, Marina finds herself doing just that - she accidentally falls into a swimming pool and transforms into a mermaid! Marina swims into the strange, exciting world of the ocean where she meets a whole range of interesting characters, and discovers some surprising truths along the way…