WARNING: Contains spoilers, so read 'Lady Samurai' first! Shizuka is the daughter of Lord Takeda. She is proud and independent. She wants to be respected for who she is. But that's not easy being half Japanese - the daughter of an important Imperial minister and an infamous Westerner. She is a highly skilled warrior, but also a beautiful woman who breaks hearts just by smiling. But she dreams of true love, of feelings as strong as those shared by her parents. Then she is torn between two men. One is a potential political ally. The other is her heart's choice. As Japan descends into chaos of civil unrest her whole family might be in a mortal danger. Will Shizuka choose to follow her duty or her heart? Will she prove herself to others, and, more importantly, to herself? If you, like me, found it quite difficult to abandon Lottie and her family at the beginning of their great adventure, you might find yourself wondering: 'what happened next?' Well... Here is what I imagined might have happened... Cover by AI

Growing up in white-bread Omaha, Nebraska, Rachel Shukert was one of thirty-seven students (circa 1990) in Nebraska’s only Jewish elementary school. She spent her days dreaming of a fantasy Aryan boyfriend named Chris McPresbyterian, a tall blond god whose family spoke softly in public and did not inquire after his bowel movements. She spent her nights frantically plastering her bedroom with pictures of intimidating co-religionists such as Henry Kissinger and Bette Midler, hoping to repel the Gestapo officers she was certain were lurking behind the drywall. Even back then, Rachel knew she was destined for greatness. After winning the Omaha Metropolitan Area Theater Arts Guild Award for Best Youth Actress–and imagining herself as the biggest talent to come out of Nebraska since Montgomery Clift–Rachel finally arrives in Manhattan. Intent on making her mark in the glittering world of Show Biz, she isthwarted at every turn by episodes of anorexia, verbally abusive sock puppets, and a certain terrorist attack you may have heard of. She nevertheless soldiers on, as her people have done from time immemorial. In this hilarious, mordant, and moving memoir, Rachel Shukert tackles topics as diverse and weighty as life, death, love, Jewish paranoia, and errant feminine hygiene products with a fresh and irresistible mixture of humor, brains, and candor, proving that having no shame can sometimes be a very good thing indeed.

Watty Award winner for HQ Love. Curvy Evianna has it all - as the host of a number one talk show, she's adored by millions of Australian TV viewers, has a gorgeous co-star and cash to burn. But the plus-sized role model is desperately lonely, battling the body issues that keep her isolated while lusting hopelessly over the delectable man beside her on screen. Realising she can't experience love until she learns to make peace with herself, Evi decides she needs to make some big changes to her life, leaving her safe chair behind the desk and embracing a new adventure. She'll discover self-love, passion and a whole lot about herself as she explores what it really means to be beautiful on the inside.

*** Ansel Adams, or Ance as those he knows tend to call him, is a bad man though he didn't consider that to be his fault. His father had been a bad man, his grandfather had been a bad man--hell as far as Ance knew he came from a long line of men were just a bitten rotten down at their core. Everyone that knew Ance knew he was a man who would never change, never give up his lifestyle, never settle down....Until Penelope Reynolds came sobbing into his life. Ance hadn't given much thought to offering this rich man protection as he took a load of stolen goods to market until he realized that the banging sound coming from the crate was a tiny little blond with pigtails, freckles and a bad leg. Suddenly he's struck with a choice. Save the girl and return her to her family or simply let life do what life does and chalk it up to bad luck for little Penelope--in the past the latter choice would have been easy, but not now. *** Audrey Reynolds had never been so afraid in her life. Her daughter has been stolen. Her daughter is all she has left in the world since the murder of her husband five years earlier. Desperate to find Penelope, Audrey enlists the help of U.S. Marshall Rodger York who also happens to be the man who's been trying to marry her since the day after her husband had been placed under the ground. They embark on a journey to find Penelope and Rodger has vowed to kill whoever took the girl away. But things go wrong and Audrey learns that the very man she went to for help might be the man responsible for every bad thing that's happened in the last five years...... Will Audrey find a way to survive but more importantly will she ever see her daughter alive again?

He disappears with magic. She sits on her chair all day. But when the two collide... The Ghost of the school and the New Damaged Girl consume in their flaws. © 2014 All rights reserved | Short-Story #1 |