The first story in the anthology, The Black Side, available at http://www.amazon.com//dp/B00IOVVPCO

Francesca is a headstrong teen from small town Italy who has been sent to summer with her uncles in Napoleon's Paris. Francesca is bored. Her uncles are tiresome, not very bright, and determined to keep her out of trouble. Fortunately for her, adventure is around the corner, and she soon discovers her uncles are working against the French, and with the help of an enchanted mirror, two cats, a young thief, a dead saint and a Queen determined to remove Napoleon from his throne, a dull summer becomes anything but!

My name is Jasmine Becket-Griffith, and I'm an artist. I've been a professional painter working in acrylic paints since the 1990s. You may know my artwork from my lines of merchandising, my projects with the Walt Disney Company, collections through the Bradford Exchange, illustrations from books and magazines, and especially from my website Strangeling.com . Most of my artwork is in the fantasy, fairy, pop surreal, gothic and new contemporary genres. A lot of fans, collectors, friends and aspiring artists routinely ask me about my painting process, how I work, what my methods are, etc. Those who come to my live events and shows often get the opportunity to watch me paint in person, but for those of you who have not - I have decided to use Wattpad as a platform to show how I paint step-by-step! This first tutorial will feature my work on a painting from my Butterfly Fairies series (a commissioned illustration for the Dynamics Inc. Visa Card company) - a piece called "European Peacock". I will show every step along the way - from priming the panel to finishing touches. Please follow my story here at Wattpad to receive each new chapter. It will be serialized, with updates and photos appearing on a regular basis. Thank you so much for joining me while I paint "European Peacock"! PLEASE NOTE: Each installment has an accompanying photo! If you are using the desktop/PC/computer version of Wattpad, the photo will be on the "Media" section to the right of the story when you scroll down. To see the BIGGER version of the photo simply right-click your mouse on the photo and selecting the "Open in new window/tab" option. If you are using the Mobile App version of Wattpad, you can see the photo by first tapping the Cover image at the top of the story, and scrolling / swiping through to see the photo itself. Wattpad isn't a very visual setup, but the each new photo for each new update will show the next step in the tutorial (my paintbrush, mixing paints etc.)

WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC HORROR & DEPICTIONS OF ADULT SEXUAL SITUATIONS THAT ARE LIKELY TO BE DISTURBING TO SOME. DEFINITELY NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. READER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED. -- "I, Death is a death rattle coming of age story; it is a song, and it is the world's funniest dirty joke - all rolled into one." - Steve Vernon, author of RESURRECTION, FIGHTING WORDS and MARITIME MURDER. -- Peter O’Mallick isn’t just having a bad day; he’s having a bad life. It’s bad enough when your girlfriend suddenly casts you a cold shoulder, your grades are slipping and those around you no longer understand what it’s like to walk in your shoes; but walking around with the innate power to end lives—something Peter begins to realize he has had since birth—takes the angst to a whole new level. And Hamlet thought he had it bad. Encouraged by his guidance counselor, the suicidal seventeen year old begins to blog about his experiences in order to try to understand this power and himself. The self-directed therapy helps, and strangers who follow his online story virtually befriend him, as it appears that his curse is mostly limited to those he is in close contact with. However, there is one stranger secretly following his story who isn’t there to understand, help or cheer him on; just as Peter begins to understand that being born as a harbinger for death might actually be a blessing rather than a curse, this stranger is intent on finding a way to use Peter’s power for nefarious purposes.

On the Border is an adventure story that just might be the modernized version of a certain legendary Old West hero. Jon Reid is a very honest man, and takes great pride in his job as a Texas Ranger. When he dares to testify against a fellow Ranger, he is ostracized, mocked, and then exiled to a task force of rejects from several agencies. Reid and his new team start scoring successes, and rack up some impressive arrests. This draws the attention, and wrath, of a large drug cartel. The task force is ambushed, and only Reid survives, found nearly dead by an Apache Army Ranger Veteran. The two both have a strong sense of justice and decide the cartel needs to pay. But with the cartel's influence and corruption spread so far, what can just two men do? Well, when one of them is dead already, then, as the song goes, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." The pair attack the cartel, raiding counting houses, drug distribution places, and bands of thugs. Soon their legend begins to spread. The cartel doesn't take them seriously at first. After all, it's just an Indian and one, lone, ranger...

When Chalice sets off for Branbury in the middle of the night with her grandfather's instructions, she has no idea of the dangers that await her. The King's men have destroyed her home village of Canton and she is suddenly thrown into a Terravailian world that she does not know. Lost and alone, she is hard pressed to evade the iron grasp of the madman who rules the land. With the help of a friendly Chinuk, an old man, and a book that she discovers along the way, not only does she find true friends and true love, but she also finds her true self and what it means to be the Raie'Chaelia.

Thirteen-year-old Parker Ward is accidently transported to a world where Valkyries blow things up for fun, Cupid’s arrows have real barbs, and the school’s favorite sport has rules against unnecessary decapitation. He takes refuge at Underlake Academy, a school for the supernatural. Mistaken for a vampire on his first day, hemophobic Parker must conceal his humanity while making friends with quirky schoolmates if he is to survive. Tragedy in his family leads Parker to discover an ancient power that could be the source of his problems or the solution. Parker must live long enough to uncover the truth about his family and find a way home.

Is my persistence healthy, or is it a form of insanity? All aspiring authors struggle, but I am an outlier. It's rare when I meet someone who's worked at it for as long as I have, without giving up. Included: Some of my various attempts to create the perfect first chapter for "City of Slaves."