Upmarket Stories

Set in a near-future rural America, where AI-powered humanoids are purchased for protection, companionship, or pleasure, THE KILL SWITCH follows Twyla, a college freshman haunted by a childhood steeped in religious judgment, grief, and familial trauma. When an unexpected death forces her to return home, she finds herself stalked by an unknown figure and tormented by secrets long buried. In desperation, Twyla uses her inheritance to buy Lucas, a sleek and unnervingly intuitive Companion Bot. Lucas offers what no human ever could: safety, affection, and loyalty without risk. But as the disturbing behavior of her stalker escalates and people close to Twyla begin to suffer mysterious accidents, she's forced to question whether she's being protected from the threat outside or hunted from within her own home. TRIGGER WARNING: Death of an infant, non-consensual sexual activity between two minors, stalking, religious trauma, familial emotional abuse, alcoholism, death of a parent, murder, suicide, descriptions of pornography (including bondage, satanic animation, kidnapping, and drugging) *AI was not used to write or edit any part of this manuscript. AI and photoshop were used to create the cover image*

THE JUDGMENT COUNCIL is for readers who ponder questions raised by AI but suspect the most important ones are still unknown: what happens when humanity forgets how to decide for itself? Blending first-contact science fiction with literary and philosophical speculation, the novel explores the value of human judgment in a world increasingly built to replace it.

Some loves don't end. They just go silent. Between "I have to" and "I love you," something shifts. And sometimes without warning you find yourself wondering: will what they once felt ever find its way back? Athens keeps breathing. The air still smells like jasmine. But time doesn't move forward. It circles. A forgotten photo. A single comment. And suddenly, everything that was buried starts breathing again. Not as memory. As unfinished life. Andreas learned silence to survive. Charoula walked through fire and stayed standing. Two people on the same avenue, in different lanes. Athens, at night. Bouzoukia. Loss. Second chances. And a love that refuses to end. ✍️ Odysseas Nostos

A deadly heat wave coupled with a power outage in a rural Appalachian town leads to a series of tragic deaths; an HVAC repairman must get to the safety of his home with an old woman whom he has kidnapped. Also, there's a deadly wildfire. Also, God has forsaken him.

It's been two years since Carter Collier lost his wife and daughter in the house fire that nearly took his life and left him deformed, scarred over 80% of his body. Unable to cope, he's lost the will to even struggle on. Carter travels to New York City to stay in a nice hotel, have an great meal, reread his favorite book and kill himself. Yet something incredible happens that night that delays his plans and teases a sense of purpose in his otherwise tragic life...

"Thrilling...an exhilarating and emotionally astute mystery." - Kirkus Reviews "Chilling moments, well-drawn action, believable motivation, expert pacing roll into a solid, fast-paced thriller." - IndieReader Bob Fiske - the seventy-four-year-old dinosaur who's taught Honors English and coached varsity football for five decades - is missing. To his Winners, class favorites Fiske designated over the years for their potential to "Live Big," it's heartbreaking. Fiske did more than inspire with soaring oratory; he supported their ambitions into adulthood. Four of his brightest former stars reunite to find him, putting high-octane careers on hold, slipping police barricades, racing into the wilds of Northern Michigan for clues about the fate of their legendary mentor. Others don't see a legend. They see an elitist whose time has passed. When a current student - female - disappears just hours into the Winners' search amid rumors of inappropriate meetings, the Great Man's reputation is in shambles. Feints, betrayal, explosive secrets from their own pasts: as facts emerge, each Winner must decide how far they'll go for Fiske. Can the truth redeem him? Or has this cult of hyper-achievement spawned a thing so vile none of their lives will survive intact?

"Keeper of the Scale" is getting a makeover! I've been working on a new version of my previously self-published novel, Keeper of the Scale, for awhile now -- and it is ready to be re-released and introduced here as a serial on Wattpad! It will have a new look and a new name, but the same quirky characters and story line, revised based on wonderful feedback over the years from readers all over the world, and the recent opportunity to work with a talented editor. Keeper of the Scale enjoyed previous success as an Indie novel, and now, it's ready for a new life and new audience as well! I'm sharing a brief synopsis of it here and will be uploading chapters on a weekly basis. Be sure to follow me at @Debwriter for updates! Introducing "Same Time, Same Place" ...

An Amazon best seller THE POTTER'S DAUGHTER really is a special story of a woman's relationships with her father, her past, and the new man in her life. * * * * * After a promise to her dying mother, Abby Bellen, the estranged daughter of an aging ceramic artist, feels obligated to return to her home on Willow Lake to put her father's life in order. Years have passed since Abby fled the home of her youth and a past she would rather forget. Now Abby has no choice other than confrontation as the long buried rift that exists between the two surfaces and they must together face the failures of their misspent relationship as she discovers, with the help of new romance Mitch Carlson, what she needs to make herself whole. * * * * * The complete novel is available on Amazon or you can listen to the audio podcast here http://bit.ly/pdpcast

Beneath the Breaking Lines is a haunting, character-driven mystery set against the rugged beauty of Western Australia. When a tourist bus crashes on the steep Zig Zag road, killing a young girl, Cooper Reeves-the quiet, overworked owner of the workshop that last serviced the vehicle-is thrust into a storm of grief, suspicion, and guilt. Though the bus passed final checks, something about the brakes doesn't sit right with him. As investigators struggle to find a cause, Cooper's crumbling marriage unravels further. His ex-wife, Samantha, confesses to altering a maintenance report to protect herself, deepening Cooper's guilt and exposing a trail of cover-ups and sabotage. In the wreckage of his life, Cooper begins rebuilding the shattered bus as a memorial and a form of redemption. His path crosses with Amy, a survivor of the crash and mother of an injured child. Their bond is delicate, formed in the shadows of shared trauma. But Amy's trust is shaken when she overhears Cooper questioning the brake work-suggesting he may have known more than he admitted. As a relentless private investigator reopens the case, digging into old grudges and buried truths, a darker web emerges-one that implicates a disgruntled former employee, a violent ex-soldier, and a flawed justice system. What follows is a gripping tale of sabotage, betrayal, and the desperate search for closure. Lives unravel. Truths surface. And in the final reckoning, Cooper must decide whether redemption lies in rebuilding what was broken-or letting it go entirely. Beneath the Breaking Lines is a story about fractured people and the quiet strength it takes to move forward. Atmospheric and emotionally layered, it asks a powerful question: What if fixing the past means risking everything that's left?

Their dreams are simple enough. Park wants the girl. Grady wants out of the small town. Kate wants being herself to be enough. Darren wants his past erased. Ricky wants to replace the family he's lost. But when Park's self-righteousness and Grady's partying result in Tommy, the youngest player on the team, getting beaten, they all must set their dreams aside and decide if their lives will be determined by circumstance or their own decisions.

Home isn't always where the heart is. Poignant with subtle humour and satire, Black Worm is about two brothers trapped in a life of neglect by their repugnant parents, dreaming of what it truly means to be a family. Please vote and comment! Nominated for a literary award-2021 Published in Just Words 4 Anthology-2020 Published in Blank Spaces Magazine-2020 Wattpad Featured Story-2017 *If you are reading this title on any other site (ex. Mirror sites like Truyen), it wasn't authorized by me or Wattpad, and you are at risk for malware attacks. Keep to safe reading by staying only on Wattpad, where this story was originally published. Thank you. **Written in 2016 by Holly Ducarte. All Rights Reserved, including the right to reproduce this book in any form whatsoever. ©️

Outlier /ˈaʊtˌlaɪ.ər/ (noun): 1. A person or thing detached from the main body. 2. A statistical observation that differs significantly from the sample. 3. Hayden and Eric. Hayden had it all planned: a prestigious degree, a one-way ticket out of Kentucky, and a career at Blackhills-the most exclusive private equity firm in Manhattan. She was ready to be untouchable. Until the doors opened to reveal Eric. He is the ghost she couldn't outrun, the rival who stole her top-ranking spots in every class and the only person who can see through her professional armour. Now, they aren't just enemies-they're associates in the same cutthroat cohort, competing for a single seat at a table that doesn't have room for both of them. In this office, there is no such thing as a tie. Someone will die on this hill. Blackhills, that is.