Short Days

An artist takes us through his day, from his own particular perspective. A short story from Guys Read: Other Worlds, edited by Jon Scieszka.

Here's a modern romantic comedy about love, loyalty, and limos from GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips. A Day to Remember is Jo's successful business, but when her right-hand man, Steve, runs away with their receptionist and the limo, Jo is left to pick up the pieces. Bookings are a mess, her home life is in chaos, and then her son accidentally damages the new neighbour's Mercedes. Far from a day to remember, it's turning into a week she'd rather forget.

Here is where the saga ends and the legend begins...You may not remember the glorious age of VHS, but that is not a prerequisite. As has been the custom in compiling these anthologies, the crème de la crème of authors and filmmakers who both lived and thrived during the period in question, like the Avengers assembled to bring you this - the last dance.

Joyful, daring, and authentic, these 21 steamy stories revel in erotic adventure, from the sparks between strangers to the knowing caresses of long-time lovers. In "Penalty Fare", a Londoner rides train after train without a valid ticket, until, on an early morning journey to Bristol she finds the conductor who knows just how to punish her for trying to skip the fare. In "Winter Heat", a woman finds that each year, the winter's first snowfall reminds her of a cold night when she was 18, and the stranger who taught her that "passion can be found and shared in the most unusual of places."

FBI agent Dex Scott is sexy as sin and completely off-limits. After what my bastard ex-husband put me through, I'm not interested in intimacy of any kind. But the chemistry between us is undeniable, and when Dex makes it clear that he wants to help with my research in the field and in the bedroom, I can't resist. His protective instincts turn possessive as dangers from my past and present rise up to threaten me. The powerful Dom demands my submission and my love. He won't relent until he breaks down all my walls, including the ones that protect my ravaged heart.

Tristan Taormino, the biggest name in lesbian erotica, picks 22 tales of lesbian desire to send the mercury soaring. Lust, love, strip down, strap-on - it's all here. As always, Taormino sets the standard for lesbian erotic writing with stories that entertain, surprise, and arouse. Lighter in tone than Taormino's other collections, these stories get right to the good part. Contributors include Rakelle Valencia, Skian McGuire, Maria Helena Dolan, Cheyenne Blue, L. Shane Conner, and Jean Roberta.

Sexy, smart, and literate: Best Women's Erotica 2012 presents the year's hottest bedside reading. There's a hungry audience of readers who demand smart, literate, emotionally charged women's erotica - stories that tell the truth about women's sexuality in all its variety and emotional depth, with all its surprises and twists and turns.... Best Women's Erotica 2012 is just for these readers. 5-star editor Violet Blue delivers exactly what readers want - fantasy-fueled, pulse-racing reads that push boundaries and are "let's try this as home" aspirational.

Twist your bed sheets and dampen your palms. Under the stylish editorship of sex guru Violet Blue, Best Women's Erotica 2006 delivers risky, romantic thrills. These joyful, daring, authentic stories revel in erotic adventure, from the sparks between strangers to the knowing caresses of longtime lovers.

More classic ghost stories from the golden age of spookiness. Eight stories by eight great writers, curated for your hair-raising pleasure. Edith Wharton, Ambrose Bierce, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Company weave marvelous spells that whisk you into times and places you never thought you'd experience. Frightful and delightful.

The Peterkin Papers record the antics of the most memorably and hopelessly bumbling of respectable American families. Confronted by the endless challenges of daily life, the Peterkins rise to every occasion with misguided aplomb: they sit out in the sun for hours and fail to go for a ride because they've forgotten to unhitch the horse.

Craving the endorphin rush that only a well-placed slap can bring? Aching for the pleasurable restraint of your wrists in leather cuffs? In Hurts So Good, editor Alison Tyler presents tantalizing, triple-X tales that are rich in saucy details of lovers paying the price with their bodies. Whether you dream of shedding your inhibitions with the right master, finally feeling the strong hands of a hot female tattoo artist, or switching from top to bottom and back, then this heart-pounding, rush-seeking collection will give you all the joys consensual pain can bring.

"A Day at the Beach" is a story written by novelist Alfred C. Martino about a man overwhelmed by the stress of his job who reluctantly takes a day off to sit at the beach. There he meets a little boy who changes the man's perspective about enjoying the simpler moments of life.

Topaz now realizes why the saying "distance makes the heart grow fonder" rings true. Weeks have passed since the couple's Valentine's Day rendezvous, and Topaz has still been floating on cloud nine. That is, until the cloud evaporates, and a vicious fit of home sickness awaits in its place. Is Meeko's presence just the remedy the doctor prescribed? And when life throws them an unexpected curveball, how will the long distance couple be able to adapt and adjust?

All Dave Miller wanted to do was commit suicide in peace. He tried, but the things that happened after he'd pulled the trigger were all wrong. Like everyone standing around like statues. No St. Peter, no pearly gate, no pitchforks or halos. He might just as well have saved the bullet....

Rochester and Merle are two ghosts who help children in need. Their first adventure brings them to a carnival to protect Scotty and his aunt and uncle against the dastardly deeds of Mr. Greenfinger and his henchmen....

Sir Terry Wogan's stellar career in TV and radio spanned 40 years. His thrice-weekly live chat show attracted TV audiences of many millions and ran for a successful eight years. His morning breakfast show on Radio 2 won a host of broadcasting awards and a regular record-breaking audience of over 8 million every morning.

When ninth grader Britt Petersen decides to explore the dreaded Laemmle House for an article in her school newspaper, she drags her friends Rob and Dave along. All get more than they bargain for inside the house, and discover something worse when they leave: that a full year has passed.

After an argument over who does more work on a daily basis, Father Time and Mother Nature exchange responsibilities for a 24-hour period. Chaos ensues...

There is wreckage in the rearview. Jody Grafton's world is crumbling around him. To get away from it all, Jody moves from his native Ohio to Brooklyn to sort through the rubble of his self-indulgent 20s. His marriage is over. His new girlfriend is pregnant. And his career as a pseudo-famous singer-songwriter has fallen apart: gone is his record deal, his money, his fame - even his desire to create new music. While he stares at the ruins of his musical career, his mother becomes ill, and Jody starts drinking heavily.

After a great deal of romantic strife, Maria Lucas finds herself married to Mr. Jonas Card in a desperate attempt to extricate herself and her sister Charlotte from a dire financial situation. Mr. Card, however, truly loves Maria and has vowed to woo her. Alas, she views him only in friendly terms. But when it seems that Mr. Card's feelings have changed, Maria sets out to discover why. And through a series of unexpected events, Mr. Card succeeds in wooing his wife without saying a word.