Storm Watcher

Lightning Never Strikes Twice?

Luke Riley is lost. His mother’s recent death has set Luke and his family adrift. Even though his father, twin brothers, and their three Bloodhounds are search and rescue volunteers, they have been unable to rescue themselves and become a family again. The summer after sixth grade looms in Luke’s mind as a long, lonely three months where the only thing he can look forward to is watching The Weather Channel. Luke is fascinated with the weather, but since his mother’s death in a storm, he is also terrified. Even the promised 13th birthday present of a Bloodhound puppy fails to lift Luke’s spirits. He would rather have a different breed – a petite Papillon, but his father insists he get a Bloodhound.

When Luke decides to get the Bloodhound from Willajean, a dog breeder who owns Storm Watcher Kennel, he works out a deal to help at her kennel in exchange for the expensive dog. Thrilled to have a summer with a purpose, Luke befriends Willajean’s daughter, Megan and together they plan how Luke can get a Papillon puppy instead of a Bloodhound. But nothing seems to work as they struggle with stubborn fathers, summer storms, unhelpful siblings, and hidden guilt. Can one little white dog really save both families?

The book is for readers ages 8+ and it also includes an appendix of fun weather facts and quizzes!

Read an Excerpt from STORM WATCHER.

Up to the Challenge

(A Fantasy and Science Fiction Short Story Collection!)

Magic, murder, mayhem and military missions gone sideways!

Bringing together sixteen of my fantasy and science fiction short stories, this collection showcases my various worlds and is a perfect introduction for new readers as well as a must-have for my loyal readers.

Meet Mongrel as she protects an injured “dog” from those seeking to kill him in Mongrel. Fly through space with Sergeant Harris on a mission to defuse a bomb in Godzilla Warfare. Discover why fencing phenom Ava’s new and famous coach keeps wooden swords in his equipment closet in Sword Point. Follow Gwen, an exiled Fae princess, as she searches for her missing sister in Lost & Found, INC. And enjoy many more adventures that will keep you up late into the night!

Grease Monkeys: The Heart and Soul of Dieselpunk

Innovation Goes Rolling Along, But Who Keeps the Engines Running?

In the midst of war and a changing world, you seldom hear tales of the dedicated souls that keep ingenuity and progress moving. The mechanics who not only hear the music of the machine but can tear them down and put them together again better than before. Those who love to get their hands dirty figuring out how things work, those without whom progress would grind to a halt. That changes now.

We give you Grease Monkeys: The Heart and Soul of Dieselpunk with stories by:David Lee Summers, Aaron Rosenberg, John L. French, Heather E. Hutsell, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Ken Schrader, Misty Massey, James Chambers, Derek Tyler Attico, Maria V. Snyder, and Bernie Mojzes.

My story, Under the Amber Skies is a reprint and was originally published in Corsets & Clockwork.

Read an Excerpt from GREASE MONKEYS

This title may be available through your favorite online bookseller, though availability can vary by region and edition.

The Best of Deep Magic

(Volume One)

In this anthology, you’ll find twenty-three stories, including many novelettes. Within the pages of each story, you’ll be taken on adventures from deep space, to ancient Rome (with magic), to Mars, and many other new fantasy worlds. With each story, you’ll experience a new adventure of sacrifice, love, family, loss, and triumph. Each of these science fiction and fantasy stories were hand selected by our team to appear in this, our first print anthology. All of these stories have a noblebright thread of honor, compassion, or selflessness. So jump in and unmask a devious witch, live as a wizard during WWII, be a part of a revolution, get lost on another planet, cry alongside a mermaid, discover a captive dragon, and so much more in this jam-packed anthology.

My story, Mongrel is a reprint and was originally published in Running with the Pack.

Read an Excerpt from THE BEST OF DEEP MAGIC

This title may be available through your favorite online bookseller, though availability can vary by region and edition.

Tv Gods: Summer Programming

The heat of the summer has driven the gods of history to take refuge on the small screen. Once again, we bring you the unholy juxtaposition of your favorite television show overrun by your favorite pantheons – TV Gods: Summer Programming.

The White House’s state of the nation address will never be the same when delivered by Brahama. The Greek castaways on a small island will have to make the best of things since their three-hour tour didn’t end as planned. Can an unlikely partnership unravel a murder or is the killing destined to become another unsolved X-Scroll? These eighteen tales will provide binge-worthy entertainment to help you beat the heat. No TV show is safe!

My story, Poseidon’s Island is a parody of Gilligan’s Island, my favorite TV show when I was growing up. My neighborhood kids used to act out the episodes in our backyards and I always wound up playing Gilligan. I even got a white sailor’s hat for Christmas one year from my parents. I think everyone was trying to tell me something…probably that I was a goofy kid! 😉 For this story, I channeled my inner Gilligan and set out on a three hour tour…er not quite…I set out to write humor (verses having it pop up unexpectedly in my books). Am I bragging if I say I think the story turned out well? Maybe 🙂 Read the excerpt to find out!

Read an Excerpt from TV GODS: SUMMER PROGRAMMING

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Strange Magic

This is an anthology of short stories written by the writing students and teachers of A Novel Idea Writing Class. All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Perry County Council of the Arts in Pennsylvania.

My story is titled, Paint by Numbers, and was one of my first efforts to write short fiction. I’d read an article about people with synesthesia in Smithsonian Magazine and was intrigued by their unique condition to see colors when they see numbers or hear sounds. I wondered how it would be for girl who is great with math – all those colors! Add that to her love of art and…this story sprang into being.

Read an Excerpt from STRANGE MAGIC

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The Best of Defending the Future

The embers of War still glow as memories of strange skies over an alien landscape, light-years from home, bring back the sensations of battle; a time when personal sacrifice meant the difference between salvation for all, or total destruction.

Gathered here is a cross-section of stories from the first decade of the award-winning Defending The Future series. Written by the known and up-and-coming in the military science fiction genre, these stories represent the fan-requested highlights from the series.

My short story Godzilla Warfare was one of the tales chosen for this “Best of” anthology! The story is about an is an explosives expert who is sent on a mission to another planet to diffuse an unexploded bomb with enough power to flatten a city.

Read an Excerpt from THE BEST OF DEFENDING THE FUTURE

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Divergent Thinking

Divergent Thinking is a collection of a dozen essays written by YA authors about the universe and characters created in the Divergent Trilogy by Veronia Roth. Including:

• What Divergent’s factions have in common with one of psychology’s most prominent personality models
• The biology of fear: where it comes from and how Tris and the other Dauntless are able to overcome it
• Full-page maps locating all five faction headquarters and other series landmarks in today’s Chicago, based on clues from the books

I was thrilled to be able to write an essay with my daughter Jenna, who also enjoyed the books. Our essay is titled, Choices Can Be Made Again, and it’s about making big decisions like the one Jenna is facing soon: where to go to university/college and which major to pick. I enjoyed collaborating with her and I learned quite a bit about her thoughts for her future (including the fact her plans don’t necessarily match my thoughts for her future!).

This title may be available through your favorite online bookseller, though availability can vary by region and edition.

Halloween: Magic, Mystery, and the Macabre

The farther we’ve gotten from the magic and mystery of the past, the more we’ve come to love Halloween – the one time each year when the mundane is overturned in favor of the bizarre, the “other side” is closest, and everyone can become anyone (or anything) they wish… and sometimes what they don’t. Introducing nineteen original stories from mistresses and masters of the dark celebrate the most fantastic, enchanting, spooky, and supernatural of holidays.

My story is titled, Halloween Men, and it’s the creepiest story I’ve ever written. I sparked on the idea for the world when I was thinking about Halloween and how people wear masks. Then I thought what if there was a society where you had to wear a mask everyday except Halloween. That thought led to this story.

Read an Excerpt from HALLOWEEN: MAGIC, MYSTERY AND THE MACABRE

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Best Laid Plans

NO (BATTLE) PLAN SURVIVES CONTACT WITH THE ENEMY. Winning a war has never been just a cold collection of numbers on a tally sheet. The Faiths always play their part in fifteen new stories exploring when things go wrong. With introduction by: Myke Cole, author of the “Shadow Ops” series. My story is titled, Brand Spanking New and is about a Private’s first mission that is far from routine. Lieutenant Leo from my story Godzilla Warfare in the NO MAN’S LAND anthology returns to escort this brand-spanking new recruit.

Read an Excerpt from BEST LAID PLANS

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Bloody Fabulous

This anthology is a collection of stories of fantasy and fashion. (mine is more about a Fashion Photographer than fashion and is titled, Capturing Images). Here’s the cover copy: Lace. Leather. Open collars over exquisite collarbones. A single red drop on paper-white cuffs. From the brocade extravagance of the Unseelie courts to the ubiquitous leather of supernatural detectives to the old-fashioned good taste of wealthy vampires – we are as familiar with fantasy protagonists’ attire as we are with their paranormal deed. Tales of tormented designers and well-dressed vampires strut into spotlight in this anthology of fantasy tales focusing on the world of fashion and its intersection with the uncanny.

Read an Excerpt from BLOODY FABULOUS

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Brave New Love

This short story anthology has 15 dystopian tales (mine is titled Berserker Eyes). The theme for this anthology was to write a dystopian romance. Two words you don’t normally hear together ;> but I had fun with this one. Here’s the write up from Amazon: “…This stellar collection of YA dystopian tales explores survival of the fittest in terms of love, passion, and humanity. When the survival of the human race is at stake, what will it take for the bond between two people to hold strong together?

Read an Excerpt from BRAVE NEW LOVE

This title may be available through your favorite online bookseller, though availability can vary by region and edition.

Spirited

This short story anthology has 13 haunting tales of ghosts and other scariness (mine is titled New Girl and isn’t very scary I must say – it’s more funny – and I picked the title BEFORE that TV show came out ;).

The best part of this project – ALL PROCEEDS from the anthology (both print and e-Book) will be donated to National 826, a literacy-based charity! Yep – all the money is going to support literacy.

Read an Excerpt from SPIRITED

This title may be available through your favorite online bookseller, though availability can vary by region and edition.

Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances

My short story Under Amber Skies is one of steampunk tales set in this anthology Dark, urban fantasies come to life in the newest collection of Steampunk stories, Corsets & Clockwork. Young heroes and heroines battle evils with the help of supernatural or super-technological powers, each individual story perfectly balancing historical and fantastical elements. Throw in epic romances that transcend time, and this trendy, engrossing anthology is sure to become another hit for the fast-growing Steampunk genre!

Read an Excerpt from CORSETS & CLOCKWORK

Bewere the Night

My short story The Coldest Game is one of tales set in this anthology, which has… Kitsune. Werewolves. Crane wives. Selkies. Every culture has stories of such strange creatures – animals turning into humans, humans shapeshifting into animals. Sometimes seductive, sometimes bloodthirsty, but always unpredictable like nature itself, these beings are manifestations of our secret hearts, our desire to belong to both worlds: one tame and civilized, the other unfettered and full of wild impulse. Here are stories that will make you wish you could howl at the moon until your heart bursts with longing or feel yourself shedding your human body as easily as a snake sheds its skin. Beware the night…it might not kill you, but it will certainly steal you away!

Read an Excerpt from BEWERE THE NIGHT

This title may be available through your favorite online bookseller, though availability can vary by region and edition.

After Hours: Tales From the Ur-Bar

My short story Sake and Other Spirits is one of 15 tales set in the magical Ur-Bar. The Ur-Bar in Sake and Other Spirits is called a sake-house and is located in Feudal Japan.

The first bar, created by the Sumerians after they were given the gift of beer by the gods, was known as the Ur-Bar. Although it has since been destroyed, its spirit lives on–in each age there is one bar that captures the essence of the original Ur-bar, where drinks are mixed with magic and served with a side of destiny and intrigue.

Read an Excerpt from AFTER HOURS: TALES FROM THE UR-BAR.

This title may be available through your favorite online bookseller, though availability can vary by region and edition.

Running with the Pack

My short story Mongrel has been published in this book.

Remember the werewolves of classic stories and films, those bloodthirsty monsters that transformed under the full moon, reminding us of the terrible nature that lives within all of us? Today’s werewolves are much more suave – and even sexy – and they’ve moved from British moors to New York City lofts, shaved, and got jobs. But as the tales of these writers will show you, they remain no less wild and passionate, and they still tug at the part of our being where a wild animal used to be. Running With the Pack includes stories from Carrie Vaughn, Laura Anne Gilman, Maria V. Snyder, and C.E. Murphy, and they will convince you that despite their gentrification, werewolves remain as fascinating and terrifying as ever.

Read an Excerpt from Running with the Pack.

This title may be available through your favorite online bookseller, though availability can vary by region and edition.

The Stories in Between

My short story Dr. Time has been published in this book.

The anthology is a collection of 16 fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories written by authors who have frequented the Between Books store over the years. I’m a recent devotee of the bookstore and was fortunate to get into this wonderful anthology.

The anthology was part of the celebration of Between Book’s 30th anniversary! 30 years for an independent bookstore is amazing!! Consider that the store has now been in business for 46 years!! WOW!! For more info on this store, click here: Between Books

This title may be available through your favorite online bookseller, though availability can vary by region and edition.

The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire

My short story Sword Point has been published in this book.

There’s an allure to vampire tales that have seduced readers for generations. From Bram Stoker to Stephanie Meyer and beyond, vampire stories are here to stay. For those fresh-blooded fans of paranormal romance or for those whose hunt and hunger never dies, these stories have what readers want! This collection of original tales comes from some of the hottest, most popular, and best-selling YA writers, including: Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Tithe), Cassandra Clare (City of Bones), Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires), Kelley Armstrong (Women of Otherworld), and Maria V. Snyder! They will make everyone a sucker for eternal kisses.

Read an Excerpt from THE ETERNAL KISS

This title may be available through your favorite online bookseller, though availability can vary by region and edition.

The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance

My short story Night Vision is published in this book.

Fall in love with someone out of this world.
If love transcends all boundaries then paranormal romance is its logical conclusion. From the biggest names around, here are 24 tales to take you to another time and place. Let Alyssa Day, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Cheyenne McCray, Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews, Kelley Armstrong, Maria V. Snyder, Carrie Vaughn, Allyson James Marland and others show you powers beyond your wildest imaginings. Within these pages mythical beasts, magical creatures of all shapes and sizes, heart-stoppingly handsome ghosts, angels, and mortals with extra-sensitive sensory perception play out the themes of extraordinary desires.

Read an Excerpt from THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF PARANORMAL ROMANCE

This title may be available through your favorite online bookseller, though availability can vary by region and edition.