Horror/romance mash-up flash fic. A woman comes home to find something terrifying and unexpected...

A year ago, teen engineering prodigy Chevonne Watson rescued Sherlock, a brilliant humanoid A.I. discarded for her destructive tendencies, from a scrap pile. Now, Sherlock spends her days solving mysteries, like the mythological detective after whom she was named. When Chevonne gets an urgent call from Sherlock about a new client, she knows this will be no ordinary case. Something about the young man, who is desperately seeking answers about his parents' mysterious behavior, seems to interest Sherlock more than usual. Unwilling to let her troubled A.I. roommate run off alone, Chevonne accompanies Sherlock into the far reaches of space -- to the starship Silicon Beeches -- in pursuit of the truth. ***************************************************************************************************** This short story is a gender-swapped YA sci-fi retelling of the classic Sherlock Holmes tale, "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches." I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Imani and Thomas continue to struggle through political unrest and family difficulties. This is the final segment of their story. Chapters will be posted weekly starting 3/27/16.

A young boy, Adam, discovers a gold medallion in a lump of coal. He keeps it as a curious good luck piece for the next twenty years, until as a scientist, he discovers it contains a message and is clearly alien. Join Adam and his colleague, Linda, as they embark upon an adventure of revelation, ultimately giving up all they hold dear to discover who we are and who put us here.

Family secrets. Forbidden loves. An empire collapsing. Heir of Iron is an epic fantasy in a setting inspired by the history of ancient India. Visit my mailing list to get a FREE novella set in the same world: http://jsbangs.conlang.org/signup-form.html?f=wtp After two years of looking, Mandhi has found her long-lost brother Navran. This means that there's finally an male heir in her family who can take over her father's religious title, but more importantly, it means that Mandhi isn't responsible for bearing a new heir herself. And that means that she can elope with her bodyguard and lover. But things go wrong as soon as Mandhi marries. Navran turns out to be utterly disinterested in taking up his religious role, and his insouciance brings their father's attention back to Mandhi. Worse, rumors from the capital indicate that their sect has fallen back into imperial disfavor, which raises the specter of the pogroms and purges that their people suffered in decades past. Mandhi's attempt to save her family gets intertwined with betrayal, kidnapping, seers, imperial politics, and magical fire. Before long their family problems are intertwined with the fate of the empire itself.

Okie's fifteen. She lives in New York. She's got a few problems: she's failing geography, her dad's a wimp, and her mother, Sumatra, is a stone cold bitch. But things get a lot worse when Sumatra turns into a zombie and eats Okie's dad. Clio, Okie's grandmother, lives in Toronto; but since the zombie apocalypse, Toronto's a lot further away than it used to be. Clio suggests that Okie transport Sumatra across the border, because family is family. But coaching Okie by cellphone isn't easy, and Clio has some zombies of her own to contend with. Luckily she has some garden tools. Naomi Alderman and Margaret Atwood team up for this unusual two-hander. Encompassing love, death, sex, and the meaning of family, The Happy Zombie Sunrise Home will surprise, delight, and convince you of the vital importance of keeping ready supplies of rhubarb and mini-wieners in your freezer at all times. The story unfolds beginning October 24.