New Stories posted in the last 30 days

Trained during the Soviet era, a CIA recruit, Victor is an outstanding, methodical sniper. For the first time in his deadly career, he will kill for love. From their first meeting, he has suppressed desire for his little brother's wife. Now, his vengance is directed at the traitor responsible for his brother's execution by the Russians. Task complete, he returns home to the widow’s arms, finally able to passionately consummate an attraction too long denied.

The war between the Families and the Colandran Empire did not end at Setosha. There was more fighting, more battles, and the reminder that Corey Andersen wasn't the only Families commander the Empire had to deal with. In a brilliant campaign Adana Korina fought her way across the Empire, splitting it in two. And it all started with the death of a single woman...

The story of an older woman looking for a change in her life.

A farmer finds a goblin in his barn.

When Adela’s car starts to fail, she turns to a handsome mechanic from her ESL class for help. His verdict is terminal, but he refuses to risk leaving her stranded. Despite rules against teacher‑student relationships, necessity leads to romance. His daughter and her son, both twenty, are quietly rooting for them. His warmth and care have her running far past idle, and when his words slip, he can always sweet‑talk her en español.

The Immortals of Lynsay Sands novels are "scientific" vampires" descended from Atlantis. Biomolecular nanos in their bodies require human blood as fuel for replication and to repair their host. I’ve used her not vampire” theme to create this story. So, a blind, mortal hacker working for an immortal corporation out of Toronto, Brad is flown across Canada to solve computer problems at the vinyard of a widowed European immortal.

He was the most powerful man in the world — yet everyone called him a beggar. Ethan Blackthorn hides a terrifying secret: he is the Dragon Lord, a being of unimaginable power who has consumed a dragon and commands forces that could shake empires. But when a forced marriage binds him to the icy, breathtaking beauty Serena Blake, he chooses to play the part of a worthless husband... for now...

A terrific Canadian novelist, Lynsay Sands created the Immortal series. Not vampires, exactly. I love her books! Her scientific immortals require blood to fuel "nanos", medically engineered healing nanobots created in Atlantis ages past. Here, I've borrowed her "not vampire" theme, creating a short story of an encounter in the Victorian era.

Leo Chase is an orphan, a high-school dropout, and a man the city treats like furniture—wet shoes, shorted paychecks, a rented room that never quite dries. One rain-slick night, a hit-and-run almost erases him. Before the last door closes, a cold presence offers compensation: one wish. It is a Cult Leader System.

I wasn't athletic enough to play on any teams in high school, but I wanted to participate by being a volunteer equipment manager, maybe for the football or basketball team. When I asked our athletic director, he told me the team that really needed help was the girls' volleyball team. When I seemed reluctant, he said two words that convinced me, "Volleyball shorts."