Grownupreads Stories

"There was something so wild and untamed about her she had every man in the room mesmerized yet when she stopped her eyes were only fixated on one person. Him. " A prequel to A Wedding Favour. Part 3/3 in the Jacob/Leah Series

Beach Apples is a collection of short stories, contemporary, mystery and science fiction, all with an Australian flavour. The Present, Firesticks and Marvellous Matilda's Motorised Horse are three stories from the ebook. Plus a new story, Sherlock. The rest can be found as a FREE download from Amazon etc.

Six (Now Seven) stories - separate yet joined. (1)Rogue - Inali was raised in the Thieves Guild. After twenty years, she is ready for a new life - But will the old one let her go? (2) Mage - Seda lived a peaceful life. Then an unexpected attack turns her world upside down and sends her hurtling toward destiny. (3)Cleric - Gwynna was an exceptional healer. When called on to deliver a child in the wee hours, She finds it is anything but a normal birth. (4)Warrior - Myrcella learned the Warrior's trade from her father. The discovery of a coded message spurs her misgivings, And sends her on an undercover search for the truth. (5) Polymath - Four exceptional women were called by destiny - With the aid of the remaining Royal guards and the Royal Seer They seek to topple a illicit ruler and end his bid for power Ruler, Rogue, Mage, Cleric, Warrior, Seer - The Polymath And here you, the readers, made a choice. (6)Rescue - Jarah, rightful Queen of Tor Astaria Sets out to free the man she loves from the hold of her enemies With the help of her trusted friends. Romance is in the air. BONUS (7)Reward - Jarah wished on Alperen that he have children of his own. Would providence bring a woman who loved him, As well as his gift ... Or in spite of it?

The ancient and tragic journey of the vampire Vittoria de Luca Bonenfant as she so vividly recalls. The struggles of an immortality she deems to be forsaken by God. A Christian who is loath to see her faith wain. A vampire with the profound inability to take mortal life and allow the warmth of human blood to make florid her pallor skin so that she might not be, in her view, this grotesque and perfect vision of conscious death. A vampire at a loss as she wanders the grey twilight- » » With you I leave my confessions, as in those wretched wooden rooms. Do with it as you like; tell it to your one, or to many, or burn it with my rosary, which I surely have blasphemed. How long ago the mortal soul in me was lost, I do not know. How long ago since I said, "Take me," with such hatred in my eyes. "Take me now from this cruelty!" But non, He would not. I know He has left me, my God, my Savior, my Abandoner, turned His crystalline gaze from my ruin. But with nervous hands and nervous breath did I pray to Him still, my breast cracked asunder as I strained to hear Him. But lo, that I heard the cold laughter of the Morning Star, and was blinded by the Son of Dawn. I said the words, "I will not go with you, Devil," and the Devil, who became the serpent of my rosary, and like a strange stigmata, bit my praying palm, pressed my fingerstips to his pallid lids, as though he felt a pull at his heart like so many strings. I loath him and do unto him cruel things. I like to do it. Because it is I, alas, who had become the Devil in the end, a savage Devil with sweet, ruddy tears at the rending of mortal flesh. Now, I daresay, no earthly living thing binds me to gracious mortal empathy, that mortal beating heart in its miserable rhythm. I have not eyes for their mourning visage, nor ears for their desperate cries. No heart for them. No heart. No heart that He may never forgive. #1 Poetic Prose #1 Musing photo credit: Laura Makabresku

||2019 ONC Ambassador Picks Reading List Selection|| Orphaned as an infant and raised by a troupe of Renaissance Faire actors, Quadir Janszoon is haunted by the past. Six days before his 25th birthday, spectral riders of the Bás Anáil gallop into Central Park in an attempt to murder him and claim the moire, a divine essence in his blood. Born to an ancient line of guardians, warriors known as the Dakaari, Quadir is thrust into a world of magic, prejudice, and political intrigue. With only his wits and his mother's ith'nael sword, he must fight for his life against a powerful, hidden foe sworn to kill him, ending the sacred bloodline of his family forever. <<<WINNER-BEST FANTASY-The Novella Awards 2020>>>

Short stories are a great place to experiment with concepts and ideas and this is a short piece (even for a short story) which combines those end-of-the-world 80s movies with a few of the many conspiracies that are out there. Sorry if that offends anyone. Actually no I'm not. If you don't like it, don't read it. The story isn't true, it's not my opinion or in any way meant to attack anyone. It's just one of those "What if..." scenarios and I think it's a little humorous too. If anyone is interested, I might write more of these - I've got a few ideas in mind. Please let me know!

A midwinter's storm, sailors deathly plight and the efforts of fellow man to save life in the face of adversity. Based on true events. Tyne forms part of the Shipping Forecast collection of short stories, of which another two, 'Biscay' and 'Irish Sea' are on Wattpad, with more to follow.

An #OpenNovellaContest (#ONC) Ambassador Pick! Eleanor and Lydia, book 1 Armed with knitting needles and a fantastic playlist, Eleanor and Lydia set off to solve The Mystery of Novak Manor. Eleanor Albright is a spritely ninety-year-old ex-detective with more than a few skeletons in her closet and a grim determination to keep them there by hiding from the world. Her great-granddaughter Lydia is twenty-two- years old and sorely misunderstood by the world. After all, just because a girl dresses in all black and listens to My Chemical Romance doesn't mean she lacks vision or hope. Well... maybe hope. When Lord Novak calls Eleanor from his castle in a tiny, beautiful Eastern European nation with a desperate plea for help, she agrees, with mixed emotions, to come out of retirement and she talks Lydia into serving as her assistant. Now the two women must find the truth about the fearsome ghost that's haunting Novak Manor before the "ghost" finds the legendary secret treasure with the power to bring the monarchy to its knees.

If you think the NHS is struggling now, you ain't seen nothing yet... A 1650 word short story.

Technological development often isn't easy and there are regularly pitfalls and moral dilemmas along the way. Late one evening, a scientist makes the decision to test the latest version of his apparatus on himself. Things go, in some ways, far better than he expected but he soon discovers a much more urgent threat.

Schoolteacher Fiona is on a mission for grandpa - find a missing Zimbabwean artefact, the precious soapstone Bird of the Gods. Conrad - dodgy archaeologist contracted to the stunning influencer Amanda aka #mandalove - has the same job. When Fiona and Conrad's paths cross, what was supposed to be a straightforward quest turns into a crazy race around the world. With antagonists popping up at every corner - from mountain tops to underground settings like Serbian caves, frozen Canadian crypts, and the silver mines of the old West, Fiona and Conrad have to work together to catch their bird. Mutual respect grows into something more intimate. But not everything is quite as it seems, and they had better watch their backs lest they too end up underground, this time permanently.

For the Unending Love Contest. It is based on the official prompt of the poem by Kaviguru Rabindranath Tagore's 'Unending Love."

There are fates worse than death... 2.9k words. Rated PG 16.

Short stories of men and women who dwell in shadow and sin...mischief and mayhem...living and dying by the cut of a saber or the blast of a gun. [DISCLAIMER: A few of these stories have been published under the banner of West End Games and Lucasfilm from the Star Wars Adventure Journal. Others are creative recycling. I do not own the rights to the main franchise characters or intellectual franchise properties.]

The resistance begins with a camera lens. With The Elimination Game reduced to ashes, Daniel and Sasha should be celebrating. Instead, they're on the run from bloodthirsty Watchers. They seek refuge at the underground compound of the Destroyers, a resistance group determined to dismantle the violent Watcher regime. But is the battle-hardened duo ever truly safe? **THE COMPLETE WATCHERS TRILOGY** Book 1 - WATCHERS (Watty Award winner 2018) Companion Novella - KILLERS Book 2 - FIGHTERS (Wattpad Featured Pick) Book 3 - DESTROYERS

This work forms part of the Shipping Forecast short stories I am writing - a short story based on each of the UK's shipping forecast sea areas. Other stories in the series can be found on my profile. This particular story falls in line with the month in which it has been written - October - and therefore has it's focus on a particular genre - horror. Fans of Max Brook's World War Z will recognise this for what it is - a fan-fiction, of sorts, fitting within the universe of that fantastic work.

Anthology of short fiction inspired by the songs of #DavidBowie (See second chapter for submission guidelines)

The crew of interstellar colonisation vessel Arcadian awake from a decade of hibernation to discover that they are lost in darkness, their ship's propulsion system has shut down and they have no idea what has gone wrong. A mysterious adventure in a dangerous alien environment ensues as the colonists explore and attempt to escape alive. A standalone story set within the Astronomicon Universe. Please remember to vote for any chapters you like. It means a lot, helps me identify what my readers enjoy and can help other readers find this work. If you really like this book please let your friends and followers know about it. Thank you! ** TEMPORARILY ON HOLD WHILE I COMPLETE MY FANTASY NOVEL ** Sorry for the delay.