New voices bring new ideas and new worlds to you in these six short stories of Science Fiction/Fantasy. That's what they are good at. Figuring out things that are completely different from the same old repeating plots and characters. Finding new "what if's" that have never been asked before.  Whether you like dystopian stories of what happens after the world ends, or the sudden appearance of fairy tale creatures in our current worlds, you'll find a lot to keep you fascinated by these new authors. As well, you may find a bit of fine satire and hidden social commentary, something both genres have always been good at. Regardless, these short reads will fit into your busy schedule - about a week of good entertainment for the odd hours and minutes. A Short Story Anthology Containing: - The Training: Beth by S. H. Marpel- The Lori Saga: Escape by J. R. Kruze & S. H. Marpel- The Tunnel People by R. L. Saunders- Becoming Michelle by R. L. Saunders & C. C. Brower- A Sweet Fortune by R. L. Saunders- The Lazurai by J. R. Kruze Excerpt:  (From "The Training: Beth") SHE WAS RUNNING TOWARD me, just as I hoped for. Of course, I couldn't move to get out of her way, not with that busted leg the troll had just given me. And I don't know if she could see him like I could, but that troll was right behind her - and gaining. So I did the only thing I could - I made her trip. And she landed right next to me, in the soft ferns and leaves. Not that it helped her landing too much. She groaned at her landing, then rolled over to get back to her feet. That's when she saw me. Laying there. Eye to eye with her. Of course I was only three feet tall and had pointed ears, so it was a bit of a shock. I put my finger on her lips and pointed over her shoulder. There was the troll. All nine ugly feet of him, carrying a huge stick made out of a tree stump root ball. He'd beaten most of the dirt out of it, as well as most of the roots that stuck out. But it was scary nonetheless. He seemed to have lost where she went. But right as I thought that, he sniffed the air and turned in our direction. And saw us both. Then Mr. Troll started stalking toward us, an evil grin on his face. My only move was a desperate one. I grabbed her hand and pointed it to the troll. Nothing happened at first, but then the troll appeared to slow down, and just as slowly, he got perplexed about why he couldn't move at his normal speed. "Thought so." I said to this human. "You've got talents you didn't even suspect. Here - this might seem strange to you, but imagine that troll as a cloud of smoke." But nothing happened. He was still moving toward us like a glacier, but still would be here sooner than we could get out of his way. "OK, try not to think of a pink elephant." And poof, the troll now had big pink floppy ears and a long pink nose. But he still held that huge stick in his hand, still moving slowly toward us. "Now - think of him as a cloud of smoke." And the troll was just a cloud. The stick also disappeared. "Next, make the wind disperse him into the clouds." And a gust of wind dissipated that cloud into nothing. At that, she looked back at me - and fainted. But I looked her over and saw she looked just fine. A very cute fine... Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

Two Months of Published Short Stories in One Collected VolumeFeaturing original works by S. H. Marpel and J. R. KruzeThis anthology contains: By S. H. Marpel:Ghost HuntersWhen Fireballs CollideWhy Vampires Suck At HauntingThe Haunted Ghost Ghost Exterminators Inc.Two Ghost's Salvation 01-04By J. R. KruzeThe AutistsExcerpt from "When Fireballs Collide":  AND THERE CAME ANOTHER one. BAM! Right against the car we were crouched behind. We were stuck behind a red subcompact, a recent American model.  Here at the Los Angeles Observatory parking lot. The night was clear, a very rare occurrence, very unusual for this city of smoke and fog. The stars above mirroring the endless street and building lights that marched out to their California coast. But a clear sky didn't help our situation any. Getting pummeled by red-orange fireballs behind this car couldn’t last forever. Especially since they smell of sulfur like a whole case of rotten eggs being broken at once. Big, really huge fireballs had been coming at us for something like 15 minutes. Heat and stench. Coming one right after the last one. The red car was shaking like it would never stop. It was going to need a paint job after this. If they could stand the smell to get it into the shop. Jude and Sal were there with me. Hunkered down like I was. At least I was in my blue jeans and work boots, gray sweatshirt. Sal was in her regular tailored beige suit with gold pinstripes, low-heeled dress shoes. An outfit more ideal for turning heads on Rodeo Drive instead of crouching on dirty asphalt and gravel in a remote parking lot. Jude was at least better off in her black jeans and a tailored black leather jacket, with her clunky black Timberland boots. (OK, she likes black. And looks good in it.) Admiring these two beauties wasn’t helping to get us out of this. “Hey, can’t we just teleport out of here?” I asked, behind my sweatshirt sleeve covering my nose.. “If we were able to concentrate. Not when they are coming a few seconds apart,” said Sal. “And it’s all I can do just to keep this car in one piece,” said Jude. “Wait, that explains how there was suddenly this car appearing on an empty parking lot.” I replied. “Just keep it quiet, so I can keep on keeping it there, in between those fireballs and us,” said Jude. “With that noise, I’m surprised we can think at all,” I added. “Wait. That’s it! It’s how we are thinking...” Sal said. At that, Sal suddenly stood straight up and walked out away from the red car. She shouted out, “Hey - you. Fireball Guy. Yeah, that’s you. Is that all you got? Really?” And the fireballs started coming right at her - all in a row and streaming right at her, twice as many than were coming at us before. But Sal just stood there. And the fireballs passed right through her. She flinched at the first ones, but after a few of them she just stood there. Straight, tall, defiant. And started laughing. Complete glee. I thought she’d lost it. But her actions gave Jude enough time to disappear the car and get us out of there. The scene shimmered, like usual. Fireballs, parking lot, all it just disappeared...

Cozy, Detective, or Amateur Sleuth - contemporary or fantasy - these short stories will keep you guessing right up to their quick end. Mysteries come in many forms, and in many locations. Here we have contemporary, dystopian, and paranormal venues so you can immerse yourself from the first sentence in each of these short stories. - A ghost who has to arrange her own scene-reenactment just to find out how she died.  - How a writer helps a woman find out why she is so sad all the time - from a diner bar stool.  - A private investigator assigned to find out the secret of nurses who can cure the incurable - but then becomes a patient when he breaks quarantine to save another's life.  - A detective who is ordered not to solve a perfect death. These short stories will fit in the bits and pieces of your schedule, while you work to solve the crimes from wherever and whenever you are reading... Short Story Anthology Containing: - The Case of the Forever Cure by J. R. Kruze- The Case of a Cruising Phantom by S. H. Marpel- The Case of the Walkaway Blues by J. R. Kruze & S. H. Marpel- The Spirit Mountain Mystery by S. H. Marpel & C. C. Brower- The Tunnel People by R. L. Saunders- Death by Advertising by J. R. Kruze Excerpt: (From "The Case of the Forever Cure") IT'S HARD DETECTIVE work when you could only interview through thick glass while wearing a hazmat suit. It's worse when you're trying to find out why someone is healing the terminally ill and being very successful at it. Because since this one nurse took over, people had quit dying. But the hospital wouldn't let them out of quarantine. Until my investigation was complete. No pressure. The problem was how I was getting paid. All in cash, Random serial numbers, unmarked and used bills. Occasionally someone included a note, printed out by a laser printer on common paper stock. No fingerprints on anything. Completely anonymous. And all I wanted was they stay off my back if they wanted to keep it that way. Because this coin had two faces. Let me do my job finding what you asked me to, or I'd find out the flip side as well. That was the message I sent the last time I got a note from them with advice on it. And no more notes since. I told them three weeks. Period. I'd solve it or give them their money back. Minus expenses. No notes since. And I had under a week left, with no leads. Yes, I was getting a bit nervous. But I didn't have to deal with perfectly healthy people who weren't even allowed to talk to their family. Or me. It all depended on this one head nurse named Cathy... Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

The adventures of the Ghost Hunters continue - with more exotic locations and hair-raising paranormal adventures than ever before:  - Visiting a haunted planet where the normal is falling between two worlds, while John winds up solving being in a coma, away from his body.  - The goddes Harpy returns with a simple request for John, a personal and very human one.  - Sal has to help John sort out a mental mis-thinking that could kill him off unless unraveled.  - A classic murder-detective story, where a ghost re-enacts the scene of a crime. In order to find out how she died.  - Even elementals can have mysteries, especially when they were the by-product of terrorists and government experimentation. All in short reads that fit into the time you have to read. Delicious mental snacks that will leave you with new ideas to consider long after the entertainment is over. This Short Story Anthology Contains: - Falling by S. H. Marpel- Harpy's Desires by S. H. Marpel- The 95% Solution by S. H. Marpel - The Case of a Cruising Phantom by S. H. Marpel- The Spirit Mountain Mystery by S. H. Marpel & C. C. Brower Excerpt: (from "Harpy's Desires") A fluttering sound, and then a thump, like a dove flying into the side of a building, but heavier, like a wild eagle, or a buzzard. Maybe even heavier. I got up from my writing to see what the damage was, if there was something I could do for whatever was out there. Opening the heavy outer door, I saw a nude woman laying down on her side, sprawled on my porch. I grabbed my chore coat and squeezed out the screen door to kneel beside her. Putting my hand on her neck, I felt a pulse. No blood, no scrapes, what looked like some deep, but healed scratches on her back. So I covered her with the chore coat to preserve her body heat. As much as it would cover, anyway. Looking around I saw no vehicle tracks, no bare or other footprints. But I had to get her inside and covered before she got chilled in the fall air. Tonight was supposed to be a cold one. I moved her legs away from the screen door and found my doorstop nearby, the one I used to prop it open when my hands were full of something. Because my arms would be full soon. As I crouched down to pull her into my arms for carrying, her eyes fluttered open to look at mine. They were an emerald green, burning like on fire. And then that fire went out, and her eyes closed again, I got my arms under her back and legs, then rolled her toward me. She was a limp weight, her head rolled back and a free arm draped down toward the cabin porch. In a few steps, I was inside the small cabin again. I simply laid her down on my futon-couch for now, and pulled the quilt comforter down from the back of it to cover her. For now, I left the chore coat over her until what was left of her body heat could warm the bed as well. From overhead storage, I pulled down the winter-weight comforter and heavy wool outer blanket that I usually didn't get out for the next month or so. She was going to need to get warmed up quickly, which meant not letting any other body heat get away. These I draped across her and over the back of the futon, as she didn't need all that extra weight. Kneeling down to the floor beside her covered form, I again felt her neck for a pulse, and her forehead for a fever. She seemed fine, just sleeping. Breathing was regular. There was something about her I knew from somewhere. Something familiar... Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.