No reason. No remorse. It’s June, 1987, and with the single flip of a coin, Death has come to the quiet town of Elden Mills. No one is safe; a flicker of movement or a sudden noise is all it takes to draw his attention. Lurking in the shadows behind a pale mask, he is driven by the need to fill the streets with blood and screams. If he sees you, you’re dead. Morgan Bell fled Elden Mills and everyone who cared about her after a life-shattering assault. Now, after years of self-alienation, she returns to her hometown to pick up the pieces of her former existence. But Morgan’s hopes of starting over are ripped away during a deadly encounter with the madman. In her darkest moment, Morgan must confront both the painful memories of her own attack and the cold, unfeeling brutality behind the mask. Will she find healing in the shadows, or add her voice to the chorus of screams?
Malice Noir is a hybrid, half human and half demon. Feeling rejected by the world and ashamed of the creature inside of her, she spends most of her time hiding from society and battling her inner darkness. It's because of the darkness that her life is about to change forever.Malice is called upon by the dark forces that she's been indebted to since birth. There is another like her, a child named Mya who has mistakenly crossed over to another realm and can't find her way back. Malice must cross over and bring the child back safely, but once on the other side the task becomes far more deadly than she ever imagined. The child has been taken to be used as a sacrifice for the demons who ruthlessly rule the realm. With time running out and the road ahead winding further into darkness, Malice must come to embrace what she is. Her only chance for survival is to unleash her inner darkness; that darkness is the only hope that Mya has got.
You're too young to remember why we needed heroes. You should be glad... Nine years ago, two princes waged a bloody civil war for the right to rule Arngard. The younger prince took the throne and outlawed the ancient beliefs, but some wounds don't heal. New religion replaced the barbaric traditions and finally, there's peace. Torny and Ebba are friends. Sent away by their families, they work together and watch out for each other. Too young to remember the war that tore apart the kingdom, Torny dreams of the glorious warriors of old, while Ebba misses her family, despite the darkness she left behind. But when a man is murdered on the street and Torny finds herself in possession of a dangerous message, the two friends must tread separate paths. These will lead them through fear, through grief, to the source of their own power and to the gates of death itself. As Torny and Ebba are used as tools for the opposing factions of the war, a deep power is ignited in them both. Can they uncover their own strength to finally heal the wounds of a nation?
In exchange for status, she was a seductive and gorgeous cultivation genius. As soon as he returned, he was the cold and handsome War God of his generation. With the space of the black and white jade pendant in his hand, he could do whatever he wanted in the world. How could there be so many coincidences in the world? Life has its limits. Love at first sight? The kindness of dripping water in return? He said lightly, "I saved your life. I expect you will not be able to repay me. You can only repay me with your body." From then on, he was bound to live his entire life.
In a world where nightmares stalk the earth and the few survivors must battle the vampire legions of the Ebon Cities, a team of soldiers races to save mankind when a traitor threatens to destroy the future of humanity. Southern Claw warlock Eric Cross is a member of Viper Squad, and his mission is to pursue the witch called Red across the wastelands. His hunt takes him through haunted forests and blighted tundra, into war-torn cities and to the edge of a twisted necropolis. And before the journey is done Cross will uncover the dark origins of magic, and learn the true meaning of sacrifice...
James Rahn has led the Rittenhouse Writers' Group since he founded it in 1988, making it one of America's longest-running independent fiction workshops. Hundreds of writers and would-be writers have sought out the group for its remarkable level of instruction and collaboration. Rittenhouse Writers is Rahn's memoir of the workshop and how his own evolution as both a teacher and a writer—and as a son, husband, and (somewhat reluctant) father—has been intertwined with the establishment and growth of the RWG. In addition, Rahn includes ten short stories written by current and former members of the workshop. Rahn graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and earned an MFA at Columbia. He then began to imagine a future that included more than just writing, one that would also tap his aspiration to offer other writers support and motivation, tough but gentle—his self-described "Iron Fist in the Velvet Glove" approach. After all, as he says more than once, "Writing is hard." Over the years, James Rahn has witnessed every imaginable writing-group scenario, from awkward flirtations to suicide scares, catty critiques, near fistfights, and of course the satisfaction of watching someone's writing soar. With insight gained through years of observation and participation, and a discerning eye for amusing detail, he takes us along for the journey. Rahn's struggle to perfect his role as instructor runs throughout the narrative, as does his effort to balance that role with the friendships he forms in the group, and to keep up with his own writing while still giving the group the attention it needs to flourish. Through his eyes, we catch the spark of the workshop's spirit and get to meet various spirits who have invigorated Rittenhouse Writers' Group. Rahn cuts back and forth, reflecting, not only on the workshop, but also on his days as a high school dropout in Atlantic City, dead-end jobs and hopeless moves, the difficulty of his mother's decline and death, and his own unexpected plunge into parenthood—when, at age 51, he and his wife took on the responsibility of raising her two young nieces. His memoir serves, in a way, as an introduction to the short stories that follow; and the stories—as surprising and varied as the writers Rahn describes working with—stand as a fitting coda to Rahn's tale and offer another window onto his life's work. "James Rahn, Jersey boy and Philadelphia treasure, has written a moving and insightful book about what happens when you create something vibrant and necessary and stick around for the long haul, whether it's teaching, writing, friendships, or love. The answers aren't always simple, and Rahn explores them with the same gusto, honesty, wry humor, and generosity of spirit he brings to his fiction and his famous workshops. This book is a powerful reminder of the importance of community and mentorship in the making of literature."—Sam Lipsyte The 10 short stories included in Rittenhouse Writers: "On Fire" by Gwen Florio "Mother—6/7 Months" by Romnesh Lamba "Moon Penitent" by Diane McKinney-Whetstone "The Last Confession" by Tom Teti "Ivory Is Wrong About Me" by Caren Litvin "The Conference Rat" by Samantha Gillison "Dropping a Line into the Murky Chop" by Saral Waldorf "What She Missed" by Lisa Paparone "Kingdom of the Sun" by Alice Schell "The Letters of Hon. Crawford G. Bolton III" by Daniel R. Biddle
Olendara — a tropical port city of warring gods and cultures, jungles and canals, faith and obsession. Before their mother got sick, twins Iyo and Issa couldn’t wait for the end of their apprenticeship. Iyo dreamed of joining the secretive fighters guild and killing the invaders whose harsh rule reduces their lives to mere survival. Issa craved the peace of diving for the waterstones that heal and purify in the hands of the priests. Alone in the sea, no one can sneer at her invader heritage. When they steal a divine waterstone in a desperate gamble to cure their mother, they shut themselves out of any future they could have imagined. Instead they enter a world of gods, visions and betrayal. Now their lives, everyone they love and the very existence of their city may be at risk of destruction. women-authored fantasy, women's friendships, female friendships, female main character, multiple POVs, non-European setting, tropical setting, colonialism, imperialism, culture clash, culture shock, LGBTQ fantasy, nonbinary characters, anti-imperialist, anti-colonialism
