As a child, Ashne swore two oaths. With her adopted sister Zsaran she made a pact: one would never die without the other. To their mistress, the queen, who plucked them both out of the inhospitable marshlands, she vowed eternal loyalty. When a tiger spirit from a rival kingdom kidnaps the queen's only daughter, Ashne, now a trusted bodyguard, follows in pursuit despite knowing that her sword will be of little use against the ancient magic steadily reawakening across the land. But it is her human adversaries who prove more dangerous as she navigates the shifting political landscape in a kingdom still recovering from a decades-long war: a foreign sorcerer, an eccentric apothecary, an ambitious bandit chief — perhaps even Zsaran, who has long awaited a chance to achieve freedom for both herself and Ashne. Soon Ashne can no longer reconcile her love for her sister and her devotion to the women they have both served since childhood. Yet she must bring back the princess regardless. If not for love and duty, for her people's continued survival against the encroachment of powerful foreign conquerors, before whose ravenous ambitions the squabbles of two tribal kingdoms amount to dust.

This novella was a Hugo and Nebula nominee twenty years ago. I lost both to Charles Sheffield -- whom I married five years later. Life sometimes really is just as strange as fiction.

Story ideas ranging anywhere from horror to fantasy. If you fancy any of them, vote and leave a comment and by popular vote, will be posted and turned into a whole story. Also consists of Holiday Specials for popular stories.

“A breathtaking new epic fantasy series. Morgan Rice does it again! This magical saga reminds me of the best of J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin, Rick Riordan, Christopher Paolini and J.R.R. Tolkien. I couldn’t put it down!” --Allegra Skye, Bestselling author of SAVED The epic coming of age story of one special boy, a 14 year old from a small village in the Kingdom of the Ring. The youngest of four, the least favorite of his father, hated by his brothers, Thorgrin senses he is different from the others. He dreams of becoming a great warrior, of joining the King’s men and protecting the Ring from the hordes of creatures on the other side of the Canyon. When he comes of age and is forbidden by his father to try out for the King’s Legion, he refuses to take no for an answer: he journeys out on his own. But King’s Court is rife with its own power struggles, ambitions, jealousy, violence and betrayal. King MacGil must choose an heir from amongst his children, and the ancient Dynasty Sword, the source of all their power, still sits untouched, waiting for the chosen one to arrive. Thorgrin arrives as an outsider and battles to be accepted, and to join the King’s Legion. Thorgrin comes to learn he has a special gift, and a special destiny. He falls in love with the king’s daughter, and as he struggles to make sense of his powers, the king’s sorcerer takes him under his wing and tells him of a mother he never knew, in a land far away, beyond the Canyon, beyond even the land of the Dragons. With its sophisticated world-building and characterization, A QUEST OF HEROES is an epic tale of friends and lovers, of rivals and suitors, of knights and dragons, of intrigues and political machinations, of coming of age, of broken hearts, of deception, ambition and betrayal. It is a tale of honor and courage, of fate and destiny, of sorcery. It is a fantasy that brings us into a world we will never forget, and which will appeal to all ages and genders.

The greatest tragedy the world has ever known turned out to be the ultimate catalyst for change. In the wake of World War III, which decimated most of the world's population, the remaining survivors vowed to not continue to repeat the same mistakes of the past. Fortunately, they had something previous generations did not have - advanced technology. The year is 2117 and this once shattered civilization has become prosperous again. Innovative forms of technology have enabled them to abandon the old model and re-engineer a better way of living for all. Brain implants and genetic modifications have made an entire population educated, healthy, and kind. Despite the benefits of this technology, it has created some unforeseen side effects that threaten humankind's existence. When technology proves to be inept at solving the world's problem, a new hope emerges in the unlikeliest form - a young orphan girl. *** Cyberpunk, dystopian, technology, future, futurism, scifi, heroine, prodigy...

"Licking my pale and chapped lips, I tried to wet my bone-dry mouth so I could speak. Between cold shivers, I noticed the crawling under my skin rippled through me over and over again. Tears pooled and my vision blurred as I crawled flat on the floor out of Dad's grasp. I started shaking violently- something was inside of me... and it was hungry." Meet the real wolf, who is also the girl in the hood. Destery Meadows lives under the realm of the paranormal, and seeks an end.

In one day, the world succumbed to a pestilence that decimated the living. In its place rose a new species: vicious, gruesome, wandering zombies with an insatiable hunger for the living. Still in her twenties, Cash has watched her friends die, only to walk again. An office worker with few survival skills, she joins up with Clutch, a grizzled Army veteran with PTSD. Together, they flee the city and struggle through the nine circles of hell, with nothing but Clutch's military experience and Cash's determination to live. As they fight to survive in the zombie inferno, they quickly discover that nowhere is safe from the undead...or the living. (100 Days in Deadland is a journey through the first poem in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, the classic tale on the horrors of hell... zombie apocalypse style!) (Note: This is a draft so please excuse any errors. The finished novel is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook).

They say in life there are no second chances. But what if you had blown it with the girl of your dreams? What would you do knowing that she was out there, in other realities, realities you hadn't screwed up? That kind of thing could really mess you up... and it could make you do "some crazy." Down-on-his-luck David Blunt is as loser as a loser you can get; recently kicked out of school and fired from his dead end job, David's been squatting in his flop-house apartment, avoiding his landlord and subsisting on stale fortune cookies and cheap street meat for weeks. But when David reads a fortune that predicts an epic future for him, he starts to think that his luck is about to change. Emma Gossett is a spirited world traveler full of wanderlust, and never stays put in one place long enough to form any attachments. Her lovable and eccentric Gran insists this is because she was hidden from the Norns as a babe to keep them from naming Emma's fate, a fable Emma puts little faith in. But when Emma meets David, her faith in reality is shaken to the core. Does this rambling cynical romantic hold the answer to the prevailing sense of déjà vu she's been feeling lately? Or is it just something else, as her new and mysterious and magnetic acquaintance Gabriel insists? Perhaps he holds the key to the mysterious sensations she has felt of living another life alongside her own. All Your Fates is a multiverse mindwarp with supernatural elements that one reader commented: "This story is twisting into ways a pretzel couldn't even try!!"

A BOY. A CAT. A NIGHTMARE IN TWO WORLDS! (A Wattpad FEATURED Story) * *Voted 'TOP 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime' by GOODREADS.COM users!** ***Raves from The Guardian (UK), KIRKUS, Midwest Book Reviews, AMAZON, and more!!!*** In the sleepy town of Appleton, a young loner follows a stray cat onto the road and is struck by a car. A leg is shattered, a summer is ruined, and the troubled life of Billy Brahm goes from bad...to cursed. When the mysterious cat appears at his bedside, Billy is haunted by strange and prophetic dreams; the creatures within them speak of Watchers and Shadows...and the Enemy that Awakens. Does this impossible realm hold the key to healing his broken body? Is the golden-eyed cat there to help the boy, or to make the nightmares come true? Too frightened to share the truth with his strict adoptive parents, Billy realizes that the only ones he can turn to are the local vet's daughter, the town's 'crazy cat lady'... ...and a mystical tiger, beckoning from his dreams. --- AUTHOR'S NOTE This is the first volume in THE SHADOWLAND SAGA -- a powerful and personal epic, intended to make you think, and feel, and Dream. It's a tale that slowly tightens its grip until you're unable to escape its haunting and mysterious grasp. Thanks in advance for all the comments, votes, and support! I truly hope that you enjoy your journey with me through through the Veil... Brooke Burgess www.brookeburgess.com

A Paranormal Thriller Psychology professor Denton Reed has been pulled out of the classroom to find a killer. Bodies are turning up all over the quiet town of Bexhill. They are found dismembered and burned beyond recognition in a snow covered farmer's field, by the abandoned mill, and under the train bridge. The only clue linking the victims is the bizarre figure-eight patterns left behind in their homes. Denton must use his unique profiling techniques to uncover the murderer, who the police have dubbed Mr. 8. As he begins to unravel the mystery, a strange pattern begins to emerge. Before their deaths, each victim was seized by dark obsessions and inexplicable changes in behavior. Whatever strange forces are affecting the people of Bexhill, they may actually be more dangerous than any killer. As a wave of insanity sweeps the town, Denton will put his life on the line to get to the source of the madness and risk all to protect the woman he loves. But is it already too late? [Rated PG-13 For scenes of violence and strong language] *Cover art by Donald Cronkhite. Best RankingMay 12, 2014 - #1 Mystery/Thriller, #2 Horror