End of the Road--An Anthology of Shorts Stories

It's out at last, the book you've been waiting for, the End of the Road, a great new anthology of short stories by some of the finest writing talents of the day!

And best of all, it's FREE!

You can pick up yours at Smashwords right now. Just follow this link to download a free copy, compatible with any e-reader on the market today.

The collection crosses all genres, and includes big stars, like Russell Blake, Saxon Andrew, Brandon Hale, Traci Tyne Hilton and, Michael Meyer, just to name a few. There are thrillers, romances, paranormal tales, zombies, you name it.

Here's the table of contents, so you can see who's stories are included.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Kiss at the End of the Road, by Brandon Hale

Chapter 2: A Touch of Cold, by Robert Thomas

Chapter 3: Clay, by Russell Blake

Chapter 4: Waiting In Line, by James Rozoff

Chapter 5: Traveling Companions, by Anna J. McIntyre

Chapter 6: Nowheresville, by Donna B. McNicol

Chapter 7: One More Mile, by Dale Roberts

Chapter 8: The Zombie Pestilence, by Randall Morris

Chapter 9: The Last Hours of Brandon Kratz, by James Rozoff

Chapter 10: The Savior, by Alison Blake

Chapter 11: Death of the Senator, by Stephen Arseneault

Chapter 12: The Long Road Home, by Jeanette Raleigh

Chapter 13: Joint Venture, by L. S. Burton

Chapter 14: Sherdan’s Road, by Jess Mountifield

Chapter 15: Living Ink, by Shirley Bourget

Chapter 16: Anywhere, by C.A. Newsome

Chapter 17: Natural Selection, by J R C Salter

Chapter 18: Because I Love You, by Michael Meyer

Chapter 19: Holmgang, by E.B. Boggs

Chapter 20: Young Chef’s Regret, by David A. Cuban

Chapter 21: The Sinkhole, by Scott Langrel

Chapter 22: Sans Cinderella, by Traci Tyne Hilton

Chapter 23: Hilda’s Song, by John Daulton

Chapter 24: Sinners in Church, by Kathleen Steed

Chapter 25: Once We Were Children, by Chris Ward

Chapter 26: Despair, by Doug Hayes

Chapter 27: The High Road to the Mountain Gods, by Jacques Antoine

Chapter 28: The Frozen Truth, by Shirley Bourget

Chapter 29: The End of the Road, by Saxon Andrew

Chapter 30: Stalked, by Sherrie Giddens

Chapter 31: Home Now, by Suzie O’Connell

Chapter 32: The Velociraptor at the End of the Road, by Vel R.

Chapter 33: Downfall #1, by Thomas Jenner and Angeline Perkins

Taking Back The Earth--New Post-Apocalyptic Thriller by Julia Cruz

We've just seen the beta version of Julia Cruz's new novel, Taking Back The Earth, and it looks amazing. She expects to finish the final edit this summer. She's quite a perfectionist.

Here's a mock up of a possible cover. She'd love any feedback you may have to offer. It may give you a clue about what to expect when you get your copy.

"We lost the Earth because they were fiercer than us. To defeat them, we had to remake ourselves, to become even fiercer, and infinitely more cruel. Now that we've won, we have to decide whether to continue as we are, or to remake ourselves again. But as what?"

Look for it at booksellers everywhere in August.

New Blurbs for the Emily Kane Series--Short and Sweet

Three new blurbs for the titles in the Emily Kane Adventures:

Girl With A Blade

Emily Kane studies martial arts, but she never thought she'd have to use them... until her home is destroyed in a night time attack.

When her family goes into hiding she stays behind, even if it means fighting off the black-ops team who attacked her home.

She's determined to finish high school, but also to find out what her family isn't telling her about why dangerous people are hunting her.

Girl Punches Out

Emily desperately wants to lead the normal life of a teenager. But events are conspiring against her. 

When foreign agents force her to fight it may not be possible to enjoy the innocent pleasures of childhood anymore.

"The angel of death can hardly have friends. And the prom, what about Danny? He can hardly have a Valkyrie for his date."

Girl Takes Up Her Sword

Defending herself against foreign agents is one thing... but when it's family, the violence rises to a new level.

A mysterious "uncle," her father's cousin, shows an interest in Emily and her friends, and it has her family worried.

But for Emily, he may be the only way to connect with the memory of her father. The cost of trusting him may be more than she can afford to pay.

The High Road To The Mountain Gods

With the help of her "Granny," Emily Kane had the strength to fight off the black-ops teams hunting her. 

Now she needs to find some relief from Granny, and to reconcile herself to the violence she had to unleash. 

She hopes to find spiritual renewal in the crowded pantheon of the Hindus and Buddhists of Nepal. But the spirit of violence is not far behind her.

New Short Story--Emily Kane in Nepal, in search of the Mountain Gods

The High Road to the Mountain Gods

I just published a new short story--about 13k words--as a new installment of the Emily Kane Series. It's available now for $0.99.

The story takes place in Kathmandu, where Emily travels after high school graduation. She's looking for some kind of spiritual renewal after the violence she experiences in her senior year. And she's also seeking some respite from the attentions of her "Granny,"Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun. Perhaps she can hide out from her in the crowded pantheon of the Hindu gods.

Things start to get sticky when a little orphan boy who idolizes her begins to attract the attention of some not so nice folks. Emily thinks she can protect him, at least for a little while, if it comes down to that. But can she also teach him how to avoid fighting with the bullies at school?

The High Road to the Mountain Gods is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

New cover idea and title for the Third Book

Book 3 is almost complete and I've been thinking about the title quite a bit lately. The original idea was to name the book after Emily's sword, Kusanagi. And since the great swords of the classical period in Japan are said to have whistled through grooves cut into the blade, I thought the title should be "Kusanagi: The Song of Death."

But as the story developed, it struck me that the title should not focus so much on the sword. I'd rather have the title refer to the girl holding the sword. So now the title that appeals to me is something like "Girl With a Blade," or "The Girl Takes Up Her Sword." Let me know which of these seems better to you... or if you have something else entirely in mind!

In the meantime, here's what the cover might look like. Let me know what you think.