Fantastic Shorts: Volume 1
Fantastic Shorts: Volume 1

Author: Kari Kilgore

Publisher: Spiral Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2019-05-21

Total Pages: 131

ISBN-13:

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Facing fear of your own dreams coming true. Longing to hold on to a beloved best friend. Wishing to repair a life gone off the tracks. A lifelong feeling that you never belong. The secret life of a gorgeous black cat. Functioning as signposts along the rich and often twisted road of Kari Kilgore’s imagination, each story in this collection explores a different area of fantasy fiction. Ranging from Appalachia to Atlanta, from love to loss, they all touch on emotions or experiences readers recognize. The (mostly) women in Fantastic Shorts: Volume 1 may start out in familiar territory. But in the hands of this talented storyteller, readers quickly learn to always expect the strange. Included in this collection: Intentions Angela Garcia builds websites to help make other people’s dreams come true. Now one of her childhood dreams waits, ready to come to life. Sometimes your intentions make all the difference. Reflections A beloved family home, abandoned and broken. A so-called adult life, not much better off. Jessica’s hopes of finding her joy fade as soon as she steps through the door. Can facing her fears, and her memories, make Jessica’s life right at last? The Seeds of Love Virginia Evans and her best friend Maggie grew up together. From shy girl and wriggly puppy to confident woman and gentle old soul. A touching tale of woman’s best friend. Terminalia When you live a double life, you never take anything for granted. Kelly Webb finally feels safe. Until nighttime, when all but Kelly’s name changes. An enchanting tale of the crossroads between science and magic. Wicked Bone Pashmina knows which humans to trust. She shows her trust like all cats. With offerings from her hunts. And like all cats, Pashmina keeps her secrets to herself. Find out what happens when Katie learns Pashmina’s favorite secret.

Fantastic Shorts
Fantastic Shorts

Author: Kari Kilgore

Publisher: Spiral Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2020-01-15

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13:

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An enchanted bookstore in a town full of magic. A story of childhood and best friends revisited. A town forced to face the music. A modern myth from a land before time. A charming collision of numbers and magic. Unwelcome change in a land of dragons. In this second fantasy short story collection from Kari Kilgore, she visits lands familiar and strange, mythological and fantastic. From Allsentia to Appalachia to Atlanta, from modern mythology to dragons to joys of distant childhood. Join this talented storyteller on a journey through magical bookstores and haunted towns, lands lost in time and friendships forged across new dimensions. Includes Odds and Endings, Dawn Visitor, The Earworms, The Spider Who Ate the Elephant, Little Five, and The Last Dragonkeeper. Odds and Endings Visit an enchanted bookstore in a town full of magic. Chris Ramsey grew up visiting the Odds and Endings Bookstore in Lightning Gap, Virginia. Wandering the shelves. Finding endless adventures in the pages. Wishing he helped create the magic. Years later, Chris gets his chance. What would you do for the opportunity of a lifetime? Dawn Visitor A beloved dog brings a special gift, especially to a young girl’s life. One that lasts and endures no matter how many years pass. Toby welcomes Ellie home as only a first best friend can. A touching story of childhood and best friends revisited. The Earworms What if your whole town had to face the music? Estonoa, Virginia. A lovely little town tucked deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hiking and ATV trails. Kayaking along the scenic Clinch River. A thriving community focused on the future. Erin Evans loves her hometown, except for one thing. The Earworms. Will Erin find the answer before the music drives her and everyone else crazy? The Spider Who Ate the Elephant A Modern Myth. An eerie natural phenomenon. In the distant past, in a distant land... Grandmother Spider faces a sad problem far too big and difficult for her to solve. The end of her family and all the creatures in her land. Find out how her triumph echoes from then to now, and into forever. A tale of compassion, survival, and love. Little Five Barry Evans: An oddball in the oddest land of all. A gray-suited accountant navigating colorful hair, crazy clothing, and questionable businesses. After three months in Little Five, nothing surprises Barry anymore. Until the day he meets a true stranger in town. What happens when numbers meet magic? The Last Dragonkeeper Wyja, Senior Dragonkeeper of the Upper Abramshire Academy, tends to young dragons and keepers alike. Each group challenging, and exhausting, in their own way. Unwelcome change sets in when dragon birthrates drop to dangerous levels. No one knows why. Can Wyja solve the problem before it’s too late?

Shadows Mountain Deep
Shadows Mountain Deep

Author: Kari Kilgore

Publisher: Spiral Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2021-06-16

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13:

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A Mysterious Land Full of Shadows and Secrets Private Investigator Helen Hartsock returns home. Searching for a missing person hardly anyone misses. A brutal murder disrupts Sheriff Crabtree’s holiday. Now he must discover the different meanings of justice. Regina Burke never expects trouble on a fine morning. But trouble keeps its own schedule, and its own secrets. A young trainee. An old mentor. A puzzling death. What hangs above this happy home? Carol and Sid work at the most unusual house in town. But they never expect the surprise one snowy night brings. John Barton returns home for the reunion of his dreams. Dreams Pete Duncan begins to believe for himself. Narrow valleys shrouded in fog. Vast forests full of unseen creatures and hidden depths. Proud, independent people, fiercely loyal to each other, often suspicious of outsiders. A natural setting for a journey through crime and justice, death and revelation. Join Jason A. Adams and Kari Kilgore on a trip into the hidden heart of their mountains. Includes The Definition of Crime, Discovering the Obvious, A Race Against Tea Time, The Number One Killer, Adventures in Winter Driving, and Reunion and Redemption

Jenna and the Lightning Beast
Jenna and the Lightning Beast

Author: Kari Kilgore

Publisher: Spiral Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2021-07-21

Total Pages: 29

ISBN-13:

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Even Superheroes Hate Renovations Jenna accepts a job that takes confidentiality to the extreme: a major remodel on a minor superhero's lair. The only real secret? How Earth Worm can afford to buy everyone's silence, plus labor, materials, and lodging. Trouble builds on the horizon before the job gets started. Will a minor villain trying to break into the big time undermine them all? An excerpt from Jenna and the Lightning Beast: Staying Grounded in a Strange Situation Kevin laughed. "Nothing usual about being whisked away to a secret location on a secret project, is there? Everyone in the city knows more about what's going on than we do." The others gathered and introduced themselves, adding a Georgia highway department engineer, a plumber, and a home security expert to go with the inspector and insurance agent. And between the eight of them, still no real idea what they were there for. "I know we're not supposed to know," Kim said, "but I'm pretty sure this particular homeowner has to get the whole thing started. I don't see a doorbell we can ring." Jenna leaned forward, trying to peek inside the tinted passenger window of the van that hadn't moved since the motor stopped. "Unless she drove us up here." Everyone jumped at a rich, sultry voice from behind them. "She didn't drive you. Nobody did."

Andre’s Extra-Sensational Adventure
Andre’s Extra-Sensational Adventure

Author: Kari Kilgore

Publisher: Spiral Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2021-06-09

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13:

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A Multi-Dimensional Crossover Andre Telkin loves cat sitting for his best friend Dana. Spoiling them rotten and teaching them his special flair. Enjoying the peace and quiet of the old tree-lined neighborhood. Except when he hears a sound beyond explanation. Too strange and disturbing to ignore. What will Andre discover when he leaves his reality behind? Also available in the collection Facing Down Extraordinary An excerpt from Andre's Extra-Sensational Adventure: Something Truly Strange Lurking in the Night When he closed the screen door behind him and stepped out into the night, that bizarre churning noise caught Andre's attention once again. It wasn't louder, exactly, and it didn't sound any closer. Partly because he was having trouble pinning down what direction it came from. But it did sound more discordant somehow to his highly sensitive and well-trained ear. Like the noise had turned up the volume, or the speed, only emphasizing whatever was unnatural and out of balance in the first place.

Adventures in Winter Driving
Adventures in Winter Driving

Author: Kari Kilgore

Publisher: Spiral Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2021-06-23

Total Pages: 34

ISBN-13:

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The Oddest of Jobs in a Town to Match More than the usual number of unusual people call Maple Ridge home. Carol Sanderson and her boyfriend Sid Rutherford work for the most eccentric of them all. They know to expect anything when decorating the most mysterious house in town. Except for what they discover on a snowy December night. A Storms of Future Past Story Originally published in Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem: Crime in the Countryside Also available in the collection Shadows Mountain Deep An excerpt from Adventures in Winter Driving: Watching Out for the Wrong Trouble "What's got you spooked?" Sid said. "You're watching the trees like something's going to jump out after us." Carol shoved him with a playful elbow. "It's not what might jump out of the trees. It's the trees themselves. Some of those old pines are huge, you know? They'd be tough to clear if even one of them fell." Sid looked more closely, shaking his head. Like most kids who grew up in Maple Ridge, they'd both spent time working either at the Maple Barn or out in the ring of trees that kept it supplied. Understanding what kept a tree healthy and in good shape was pretty much hardwired by the time they graduated high school. "They've stood there a long time, haven't they?" he said. "Good thing it's not supposed to snow too much tonight."

Making a Change for the Stranger
Making a Change for the Stranger

Author: Kari Kilgore

Publisher: Spiral Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2021-08-04

Total Pages: 31

ISBN-13:

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Meet the New PI in Town, Whether She Likes It or Not Deb Powers leaves her old life as a private investigator behind. Hoping mountain life in Estonoa, Virginia, suits her better. Determined not to let her troublesome sheriff cousin draw her right back in. Deb never expects an odd case of disappearing tools to sneak right past her common sense. And open her eyes to all of the weird at the heart of her new home town. Also available in the collection Investigations Beyond Belief An excerpt from Making a Change for the Stranger: A Case Too Odd To Ignore "That is more than a little strange," Deb said. "I'm still not committing to anything, but what are you thinking? Want me to head over and check it out?" Terri blushed, and Deb knew the truly big ask was about to step out into the open at last. "Sure, that makes sense. But that really would be going back over ground we already covered. Trouble is we have so much ground to cover in the whole county that we're short-handed most of the time. I don't have anyone trained to do what you do. And yes, I do know you're damn good at it." "Enough flattery, Sheriff Walsh. Cousin or not, cut it and get to the point. There have to be private investigators around here I'm sure." Terri held both hands up. "Absolutely, and fine investigators they are. They'd be none too happy with me if they knew I wanted to bring you in instead. But the truth is there's something strange here, Deb. I feel it, I know it in my bones. I don't trust anyone besides you to handle this one."

Stepping Out of Reality
Stepping Out of Reality

Author: Kari Kilgore

Publisher: Spiral Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2021-03-05

Total Pages: 119

ISBN-13:

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Five Journeys Away from Life as You Know It Mark gets to know himself and his family. And learns to take unusual warnings to heart. Ella chases a lifelong dream. Never imagining the reality around the next curve. Amy takes a bittersweet trip down memory lane. And discovers the past makes its own plans. Paul celebrates a treasured best friend. Never suspecting a life-changing secret awaits. Kay’s Café serves up all kinds of comfort. But Kay wants to bring the taste of love itself back to life. Life brings constant change. Transitions we all recognize in one way or another. But sometimes those changes take us a step out of the ordinary. And into the world only glimpsed out of the corner of your eye. Join storyteller Kari Kilgore on a fantastic journey through life’s changes, and beyond. Includes five new original stories: The Perfect Shade of Haint Blue, The Road to Paradise Mountain, Amy in Wonderland, The Lightning-Struck Wood, and A Taste Just Like a Hug.

A Taste Just Like a Hug
A Taste Just Like a Hug

Author: Kari Kilgore

Publisher: Spiral Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2021-05-12

Total Pages: 30

ISBN-13:

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A Lightning Gap Story Kay's Café specializes in comfort. From the greetings to the decor, and especially the food. Kay prides herself on knowing exactly what everybody needs. But some folks need comforting in a different way. One Kay struggles to recreate. Can she figure out how to bring the taste of love itself back to life? Also available in the collection Stepping Out of Reality An excerpt from A Taste Just Like a Hug: That Taste You Never Quite Forget Venus wrapped both hands around the mug and took in a deep breath, and her smile wasn't quite as sad as before. "You'll understand this probably better than anyone else I know," she said, "with the way you specialize in comfort food and how much it matters and all. It's just so sad when someone passes, and they loved making something special that you know you'll never get again." Kay nodded slowly, remembering all the things she'd been lucky enough to learn from her parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles, and a bunch of people she'd met along the way. Not everyone got that chance to learn, or even if they did, the results never were quite right. Some mysterious touch of magic—of love made so real you could touch and smell and taste it—passed away from the world.

Sunny with a Chance of Happiness
Sunny with a Chance of Happiness

Author: Kari Kilgore

Publisher: Spiral Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2021-06-16

Total Pages: 29

ISBN-13:

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Who Rescues Who? George Edwards knows his kids got a great start in life. They prove it every day. But that leaves George struggling to adjust to life without them. Needing to figure out the next part of his own journey. Then one morning, a change he can’t ignore bursts into his life. Will George grab his chance at happiness or let it pass him by? A Lightning Gap Story Also available in the collection Facing Down Extraordinary. An excerpt from Sunny with a Chance of Happiness: An Unexpected Guest, Right on Time George took a deep, nostalgia-laced breath, reached for his socks, and froze. A rustling noise erupted from the trees and brush to his right. Too big to be a squirrel. Not big enough to be a bear, right? Anyway, black bears weren’t likely to be too aggressive this time of year. No brand-new cubs to keep an eye on like back in the early spring. Still, George strained to listen and see, ready to head for the front door in a hurry. He’d heard the rumors about mountain lions still hanging on in an area they were supposedly extinct from. Heard more than a few of those bone-chilling screams in the night, too. When the brush finally parted, he let out a grunt and relaxed a little. Not a bear or any sort of cat after all. A dog burst out into the yard instead.