Истории Grownupreads

"Bridget Jones with a lot more wine! This story is hilarious, feel-good and relatable in all the best ways!" - Grace K @ HQ. She's just quit her high-flying job, and her marriage is coasting on fumes. Can Alice find a sense of purpose in the wreckage? ***** Alice's life isn't going to plan. She's tied to her phone, pointlessly managing PR for a sinking corporate megalith. She's become a bit player in her kids' lives, and her marriage is coasting on fumes. Forcing herself into action with a rash resignation, Alice sets out to make a positive impact on the world around her. But how? Meditation leads to napping, and her attempts to get closer to her teenage daughter result in the discovery of a secret that leaves her at a loss. As the months tick by and a sense of purpose continues to elude her, Alice finds herself forming bonds with the most unlikely characters: the young woman who panhandles outside her old office; the homeless boy who sits cross-legged outside the liquor store with his ginger cat; her own dog walker who, it turns out, knows a thing or two about developing a good crema. Testing the limits of marriage, motherhood and the Toronto subway system -- can Alice find her way into a purpose-driven life? Or will it all be one giant hangover? [*Wattpad Editor's Pick 2018*] [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]] Readers say: "This had me laughing so loud that my sister came to check up on me to see if I'm OK!!!" "...the new Bridget Jones, a working woman's take on the digital age." About the Author: Working mother and red wine enthusiast, Renee lives in Toronto with her flawed but wonderful family (seriously, who left socks on the kitchen counter?) in a flawed but wonderful house (what *is* that smell in the basement?) where she writes flawed but wonderful stories about what it is to be a woman today.

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.

What happens when a literal Professor of Coolness begins to feel like he's losing his edge? ∆ Originally published as a hypertext story on Philome.la ∆ Updated with new images in March 2016. ∆ A Wattys 2016 visual story nominee.

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 - a lot of them underground in Serbian caves, frozen Canadian crypts, Egyptian tombs, 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... This is my chapter in the Writer's Relay. It won't make any sense if you read it without reading all the rest! So go to @basketballdemon and read Chapter 1!

A collection of romance stories inspired by the music of Poets of the Fall. New stories will be added occasionally ~~New and improved cover by @StarryKnightDreams~~

The Cold War is over, the USSR is gone and Russia lies in economic and industrial ruin. A new president, a new mandate, and Special Weapons has been disbanded, it's soldiers scattered to new MOS slots and new units. A vital component of the MAD program during the Cold War, Special Weapons and everything it represented is now an embarrassment that the government wants to just hurry up and go away so they can deny it has ever existed. Staff Sergeant Stillwater, formerly of Special Weapons, now haunts the edge of the Special Projects, working on dismantling the Special Weapons program. Among such projects is the long standing FEMA mandate. Continuity of the United States government even after a nuclear war. That has led him to the Rocky Mountains, to an old abandoned and forgotten underground facility. Built by FEMA in the 1950's, what scattered data exists suggests its a small facility, one or two levels. A quick job so that Stillwater can return to the arms of his young wife. Except that an old family saying is about to come true. Old dark places Attract old dark things.

Jack Hansard is the man who can sell you anything. Luck in a bottle, fame in a box, dreams on a leash, you name it: if he doesn't have it, he'll convince you he has something better. He's a trader on what's known as the Black Market - the occult Black Market, that is. If you're in need of that extra special something to curse your ex-lover or win your fortune, Hansard's the man to go to. Just make sure you check the 'best before' date on anything you buy. This is Season 1 of the Jack Hansard short story series - each Episode is a separate story, but follows an overarching plot much like a TV series. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Please do not copy or distribute this work without the author's permission. Cover art by Dominique Lane: http://domlane.weebly.com/

(TOP FIVE WINNER!!) Patrick Morgan didn't usually invite strangers home, but when he saw Harlan camping out in the space terminal, he was prepared to make an exception. Breaking the rules seemed like a good idea at the time, but then- My entry for the Open Novella Contest 2019. Using prompt 4 under 'Romance'. LGBT romantic sci-fi

Tom loved his master, his job and the wonderful society he lived in - until one day, somebody hacked his tattoo and his world changed forever. Cyberpunk / LGBT short story

My time travel short stories, gathered together in the one place. 1. Time Management 2. Starfinder 3. Ban the Baguette! 4. A Mammoth Adventure 5. TimeLabs Inc

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

Robin Hood meets James Bond in this new Action Thriller ----------------------- What do you do when the world's most wanted man goes missing? That's my problem. Silver Tongue's a man of many faces; a nightmare to oligarches and a thief of hearts to the common man. There are those who want to kill him, sleep with him or be him. There is no neutral when it comes to Silver Tongue. Lucky for me, that overachiever's my brother. And while he's changing the world, I'm in the nation's capital, confined to my apartment with no social life, and a vague sense of this thing you call freedom. Until that letter changed everything. Silver Tongue has disappeared and his associates want my help finding him. I'm not sure what they expect me to do, but he is my brother. Let's face it. I'm probably going to get myself killed, aren't I?

Henning Dietzel--at the urging of a Chilean prostitute--investigates rumors of gold in California prior to the 1849 rush. Intrigued he heads to the Gold Country to stake his claim. When others flee a brutal winter, Henning perseveres, and by the time the Forty-Niners arrive, he's already a wealthy young man. His saga is a sweeping tale of fortune and misfortune, discovery and tragedy, love and loss. From the backwaters and boardrooms of early San Francisco to malaria infested jungles and a guano island off the coast of Peru, Henning's search for meaning and purpose eventually brings him to realize that all that glitters is not necessarily gold. --------------------------- Read the first 25 pages on Wattpad! To read more go to: https://www.hellgatepress.com/product/playing-chess-with-god-a-novel-verne-r-albright/

The discovery of a prehistoric body sets in motion a cataclysmic chain of events long foretold by ancient prophecy . . . . Still grieving his mother's death, Seattle bachelor Peter Barshman receives a cryptic message from his estranged father. As he ponders its meaning, he is approached by Nechama Davila, a young Israeli archaeologist who believes Peter and his father harbor information about a stolen artifact of immense importance. But she's not the only one zeroing in on Peter. When assassins strike, the two of them are thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse where the only hope for survival is finding the artifact before the killers find them. Tinkering away in his basement laboratory, former CDC virologist R. K. Brisling receives an urgent phone call. The vice president of the United States is dead, and Congress wants to know why. Dragged out of semi-retirement to investigate, Brisling returns to the CDC in Atlanta, where he confronts his tragic past and a looming viral outbreak beyond his wildest fears. When Brisling traces the outbreak to its unlikely source, he uncovers an astonishing link between the virus, the artifact and the ancient prophecy--a link that could shape the future of human civilization. _____________________________ Here's what others are saying about ON EARTH'S ALTAR: "... This is definitely one of the best books I've ever read on WP!" -- @linahanson, Wattpad Ambassador "Intelligent, mysterious, beautifully written ..." -- @Megerah111 "Very Dan Brown like ... I've read all of his novels. For storytelling, attention to research, and writing style, I'd put [G. F. Berntsen's] writing on par with his." -- @elmerseward

Destiny in a store, Time the Thief, Schroedinger's Cat, and a storm-inducing butterfly-what do they have in common? And why are they called "The Four Metaphors of the Apocalypse"? And what's the color of Universe's loincloth? If these are the questions you want to have answers for, come in and find out. A collection of short stories by @jinnis and @RainerSalt. Tales that wrote themselves, between the lines.

Reggie Biggs, urban poetess, accidentally gets herself an admirer when those cold autumn winds start to blow. (Urban literary short story) One of the winners of the Cuffin' Season contest 2018 sponsored by the Urban profile.

A lonely divorcee in her 50s finds happiness, unlikely friendship ... and love at the place she hates the most: the beach. ☀️ According to Google, it takes an average of one to two years to recover from a divorce, regardless of who wanted to end the marriage. Marcie Jacobs is nearing the 2.5 years mark. She didn't want it and certainly hasn't recovered, especially now that her ex-husband, Nick, is dating Allyse, a beautiful thirty-year-old who is everything she's not: Thin, young, adventurous, and a total beach lover. When Nick suggests they sell their shared beach house and spend their summer vacation together fixing it up ... just the two of them, Marcie-a total beach hater, agrees, feeling a glimmer of reconciliation hope. To her shock and horror, however, it's not Nick who shows up. It's Allyse. Despite their differences , the two women make a friendship pact for the next two weeks while they fix up the beach house and Marcie discovers what she's really been missing: Friendship. And somewhere along the way, she also finds love. ☀️ ©2021 by Sidney Brooks/Laura Bowers. All rights reserved. Plagiarism is illegal and punishable by law.

Sequel to The Chronicle of the Worthy Son, and therefore full of spoilers for that book. Lark was never going back to Larbantry. Washing ashore in Borealund had changed zir life in ways ze'd scarcely dared to fantasize about. But getting to live zir life as zirself was not worth keeping the people of zir newfound home from getting to live theirs at all, so...Lark has now brought Larbantry to Borealund to save the land ze loves from further war and destruction. But can ze really protect what ze loves by working within the power structures ze would rather burn to the ground? Can ze actually function within them at all without being destroyed zirself? [Note: Yes, the protagonist is non-binary transgender. Hateful comments will be reported. NBs have the right to exist.]