Showing results by narrator "A. Young" in All Categories

This story concerns a firework, who is one of many to be let off at the wedding of a prince and princess. The rocket is extremely pompous and self-important, and denigrates all the other fireworks, eventually bursting into tears to demonstrate his "sensitivity." As this makes him wet, he fails to ignite and, the next day, is thrown away into a ditch.

As with everything in life, it could be so easily taken away. We've seen the pain and destruction heading towards the magic realm if we do nothing. The journey we've taken so far has revealed so much more than we were searching for. Nothing will ever be the same if we fail, or even if we win. Isn't that what we want? To make the changes that needed fighting for? Sometimes, I look at the realm that is screaming out for me to save it, and I don't know if it's worth fighting for. Decisions need to be made, and in the end, it will all be paid for in blood.

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. George Orwell once wrote of a world where abuse of power begins with an abuse of language and a bastardization of truth. Some of today's most exciting voices in speculative fiction explore the ramifications of those ideas in Ignorance Is Strength.

An Encounter is one of James Joyce’s most quietly disturbing and psychologically precise stories, capturing a moment when childhood imagination collides with the uneasy realities of the adult world.

Gwen is a shy, nerdy, and hot freshman, inexperienced at love. But college is all about experimenting with new experiences. On her first day of college, Gwen overhears a pair of women experimenting in the bathroom. When the fiery Angelica emerges, she invites the excited Gwen to pledge Phi Tau Alpha sorority. Gwen is shocked by the lust she feels for Angelica. Curiosity drives the shy girl to join the sorority. But she is in for quite the huge surprise. The Sorority members are all futas!

Without question, one of the hardest things to do is wait for god's timing. In this fast-paced world in which we live, things are set up for maximum speed and efficiency. Dazed and confused, we look for answers in all the wrong places. Our life becomes directed by fear instead of faith. We grow disheartened. Our faith can weaken. There are perfect times in your future when your life will blossom. All that god asks is for you to wait for them to be revealed.

My new role is not to be taken lightly, but I don't even know where the hell to start. I've had to learn to be vulnerable enough to admit when I need help from those that I trust, and right now...I need all the help I can get in the oncoming war. I must gather the Queens and their armies from all of the realms and pray that we can formulate a plan to destroy Erebus and his dark army for good.

The truth is that I loved James with my whole heart. We were soulmates: meant to be together forever. On the morning of our wedding, I had just found out I was carrying his child. But it’s time to tell my side of the story. It’s time everyone knew what happened on that wedding day, on our honeymoon, and on that fateful last drive together. It’s time everyone found out about the secrets and about the threat that loomed over our marriage. It’s time everyone found out who really killed James.

When the proprietor of Leighton’s Mercantile is found dead on the morning his annual Christmas shop display is to be unveiled, it’s clear a killer had revenge in mind. But who would want to kill the local dry-goods merchant? Perhaps someone who remembers the mysterious scandal that destroyed his career as a professor and archaeologist. When the killer strikes again, each time manipulating the figures in the display to foretell the crime, Myrtle finds herself racing to uncover the long-buried facts of a cold case - and the motivations of a modern murderer.

For most religious people, the words God and sex never go together. God is conceived of as holy, pure, sexless, and as morally above the raw desires that so powerfully beset us. Sex, on the other hand, is conceived of as earthy and unholy, something we must snatch, and not without guilt, from the gods. Christianity has struggled mightily with sex; so too have most other religions. And yet when we look at sexual desire and ask where it comes from, there can be only one answer.

A 39-year-old bookshop owner with chronic anxiety develops the magical ability to reunite lost objects with their owners. It's going to take all of her courage and the support of many great friends to step out of her comfort zone and into the types of adventures she used to only read about in her beloved books. Along the way, Juliette learns that she's tougher than she ever suspected and creates a life that is richer and more wonderful than she ever dared dream.

An “extraordinary” (Laurie Halse Anderson) young poet traces the lives of her foremothers in West Tennessee, from those enslaved centuries ago to her grandmother, her mother, and finally herself, in this stunning debut celebrating Black girlhood and womanhood throughout American history...

Cat Conway has recently returned to Port Ellis to work as a reporter at the Quill & Packet. She's fled the tattered remains of her high-profile career and bad divorce for the holiday town of her childhood, famous for its butter tarts, theater, and a century-old feud. One of Cat's first assignments is to interview legendary actor Eliot Fraser, the lead in the theater's season opener of Inherit the Wind. When Eliot ends up dead onstage on opening night, the curtain rises on the sleepy town's secrets.

The electrifying, "cutting-edge" (USA Today) debut work of fiction from Ron Currie, author of the forethcoming novel The One-Eyed Man (March 2017) Ron Currie’s gutsy, funny book is instantly gripping: If God takes human form and dies, what would become of life as we know it? Effortlessly...

When the year started, I had one goal - make my AP classes count and keep my grades up. Both my focus and my grades started wobbling. Dating my best friends came with perks like hugs, kisses, and invitations to dances, but it also came with cons in the form of vindictive posts, hate mail, and vandalism of my car. I asked if it could get any worse, and I guess I got my answer.

Meet the billionaires of the Jameson Ad Agency: Sam, Eddie, and William. These three brothers have advertising on their minds and love in their hearts. This three-book bundle includes The Billionaire's Ex-Wife, The Billionaire's Pregnant Fling, and The Billionaire's Sexy Rival.

I think I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m just one scared girl in a world where there’s a lot to be afraid of. Cade, Lex, and Reid helped. They pulled me out of my own head, helped me feel a sliver of happiness again. But with that, I gained a new set of worries. What if I lost another person I love? I’m not perfect. I’ve made mistakes. Running away won’t ever be one of them again, though. I’m back at Spring Hill High to fight for the ones I love. Fight against a set of enemies that want to take everything I have away.

Four wine experts, each at a crucial point in their lives, arrive at a French vineyard estate for an unforgettable experience—but not the kind they expected. Avery gave up her hard-won but exploitative sommelier job to come, while wine prodigy Cosmo is trying to disguise that his life is in freefall. The chemistry between the pair is unmistakable, but so are the signs of danger. Millionaire Sonny owns a tacky wine brand and can’t help aggravating Cosmo, while caustic magazine writer Maëlys hovers with her pen poised.

Mystery fiction fanatic Amelia Adams is stunned when she inherits a dilapidated mansion, complete with secret passages, hidden compartments, and its very own legend. Helped by her brother, her best friend, and a documentary maker who’s determined to turn her new life into a hit TV show, Amelia throws herself into renovating the house and unravelling old secrets. When an unknown saboteur starts ruining her plans, Amelia doesn’t know who to trust. Everyone around her is acting strangely, and she soon finds herself in the center of her very own murder mystery.

Briar can curse with the flick of a paintbrush. Her paintings maim, bewitch, and - most effectively of all - destroy. But Briar doesn't want to hurt people anymore. She has fled her family's deadly curse business to start a new life peddling nonlethal jinxes and petty revenge. Briar's destructive powers catch the eye of a charismatic young outlaw called Archer, who hires her to help him save a kidnapped friend from a ruthless baron. Briar thinks this is her chance to make amends for her crimes, but the family business won't let her go so easily.