First Stories

The flight of a young couple and an older man have been diverted by a snowstorm to another airport. They continue their travels together, more than the husband knows.

His girlfriend dumped him with a taunt, telling him that she was taking a step up. Undeterred, Mark decided to take his own step up, choosing the school's resident Ice Queen genius.

She wanted to be a cheerleader but her grades were too low. Summer school might solve that problem. But she needed a tutor to make sure. Her mom got a name from the school and he was hired. When they got to the biology tutoring, she wanted to understand the reproductive system. He was happy to teach her about it.

A Personalia story
Part of the Personalia universe
A thriller set in an African country, with a mysterious butler called Jeeves by his employer, the Life President. Money goes missing, a LOT of money.

Taken and raised in a cruel and deadly clan of assassins I managed to escape. The new planet I lived on was or seemed normal. I used clan funds I had stolen and helped the constables with hard or unusual cases. When a clan master came for me it was not to kill but with an offer. I knew better but it made me... curious.

When the nobles went south they left our city without guidance and protection. The Watch was supposed to protect the people. Instead they began to steal, rape and murder. They took what they wanted and there was no one to stop them. Until they raped and murdered my mother. Now I was going to hunt the bastards and make them pay.

A story in the The Human Nexus Universe
One night between midnight and six AM Eastern, most of the people of the world died. No one knew why; there was no warning; they simply stopped. Some survived to live a few extra hours or days. In the USA, this meant that most folks died in their beds. Streets, roads, and bridges remained mostly open. In other parts of the world, the timing was such that the visible carnage was horrendous. For the dead, neither situation mattered a whit. After a week, humanity was dead - all but a very few.