Showing results by narrator "Stephanie Cannon" in All Categories

Welcome to the horrific and poetic world of Sam Stone, where angels are stalking the undead and a vampire becomes obsessed with a centuries-old werewolf. Terror and lust go hand in hand in the disturbing world of the Toymaker, and the haunting Siren's call draws the hapless further into a waking nightmare. Here are 14 chilling short stories from the Queen of Vampire fiction. This collection includes a bonus story, "Walking the Dead", which does not appear in the printed edition.

Twin Peaks meets Pretty Little Liars in acclaimed author Maggie Thrash's new Strange Truth series. It's better to know the truth. At least sometimes. Halfway through Friday night's football game, beautiful cheerleader Brittany Montague - dressed as the giant Winship Wildcat mascot - hurls herself off a bridge into Atlanta's surging Chattahoochee River. Just like that, she's gone. Eight days later, Benny Flax and Virginia Leeds will be the only ones who know why.

Riley refuses to call herself a battered woman - she doesn't fit the profile. When her boyfriend Ben hits her, she doesn't know what to call it. She does know to pack her things and run to the one place that feels safe - home. Riley discovers she's pregnant and her emotions become tangled. She can't shake the fact that she's still in love with Ben...A horrific accident then turns Riley's world even more upside down, forcing her to accept help from those around her. Before she can begin to heal, she must learn the difference between being independent and being alone.

Gala and her dad, Jordi, have just moved from home in Cataluña to a town in Scotland, to live with Jordi’s boyfriend Ryan. Gala doesn’t speak much English, and feels lost, lonely and unable to be her usual funny self. Until she befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. The two girls find their own ways to communicate, which includes collecting other people’s discarded words. They use the words to write anonymous supportive poems for their classmates, but then someone begins leaving nasty messages using the same method – and the girls are blamed.

Thirty-year-old Molly Miraldo is trapped in a shroud of amnesia caused by a traumatic accident at the age of four. Raised by her narcissistic grandfather and philandering father, she relies on their words as they insist her mother and twin perished under mysterious circumstances soon after they abandoned her.

The moment I first gazed into Alex's soulful gray eyes, I knew I'd met the man I wanted to spend my life with. And I was right. When my beloved sister vanished, Alex put up posters and wiped away my tears after bad dream—she put me back together. But when police pull a crumpled photo from my dead sister's pocket, and I see my husband's familiar face smiling back at me, my perfect world shatters.

Born into a religious, anti-tech cult, seventeen-year-old Indra lives a simple, mod-free existence on the fringe of society. But when an illicit trip to the city leaves her with a debilitating - and terminal - condition, Indra must make a choice: die faithful, or betray her Order and accept the cure Glindell Technologies is offering. Forced to sign over full ownership of her life, Indra is horrified to learn how Glindell chose to save her mind and body.

Dax Hartley has made flowers his entire life, just like his late father did. When his dad's old florist’s shop is up for sale, he has to have it. Only problem is, he'd need to sell a kidney to afford it. The reality show Battle of the Blossoms is the perfect opportunity to win the money he needs, but when his childhood crush blows back into his life, distractions risk taking his eyes off the prize. He needs his head and heart to start working together to ensure he doesn't miss the opportunity of a lifetime.

We were such good friends...until the day she married my ex-husband. Now, I’ve married hers, and we’ve agreed to get along for the sake of our families. It’s all very civilized, but then there’s a freak accident and I wake up in a hospital bed. As I take in my surroundings, a familiar and loving sight greets me–my darling husband.

Renowned photo-journalist Jude Montgomery arrives in Glasgow in 2014, in the wake of the failed Scottish independence referendum, and it's clear that she's searching for someone. Is it Anna Mason, who will go on to lead the country as First Minister? Jamie Hewitt, guitarist from eighties one-hit wonders The Hypnotist? Or is it Rabbit—Jude's estranged foster sister, now a world-famous artist? Taking us back to a school shooting in her Texas hometown, and a 1980s road trip across the American West, Jude's search ends in Glasgow, and a final event that only one person can fully explain.

My ex-boyfriend Declan never believed in my abilities. Now he thinks his home is haunted and he’s pleading for my help. Declan lives in a huge mansion, full of history and secrets. When I arrive at the house, I find a dying woman in the gardens. It seems like the spirit in Declan’s house may be the only witness to a murder.

They warned me the first few days of motherhood would be exhausting, but I’m so deliriously happy, I don’t mind one bit. Smiling, I glance at the baby blue blanket I crocheted. I’ve never knitted a thing in my life, but I was determined to make my newborn his very first blanket—a one-of-a-kind welcome-home gift. I tug the rocker closer to me, unable to resist peeking at my beautiful baby boy. I pull back the blanket. It feels like my heart flatlines. He’s not here. Sweat beads on my forehead, and my limbs turn to ice. “Where is he?” I cry, my whole body trembling, the wind knocked out of me.

This sweet tale depicts the transformation story of poor, vexed little Helen who tries desperately to be perfect but, as each thing in her day goes continuously wrong and nobody seems to care, she ends up behaving in quite the contrary way. The worst of it seems yet to come when her bully older brother announces his visit.

Nobody has heard from Bess Freeman since Rylan saw her leaving a bar and walking into the night with a stranger. Normally quiet and shy, Bess would never skip out on her family and friends like this. The small town of Ashby is in shock. While the police struggle to find leads, it’s immediately clear to Rylan that this is no ordinary abduction. Her ability to see ghosts reveals sinister clues on all sides.

Ann devoted years to her mother's care. Now, in a bid to escape the emptiness of her old flat and the paperwork caused by her death, Ann finds herself in a bar upstate. She has been so good for so long, she deserves a little fun. Justin is also grieving but his wife is still alive. She has been dying for a long time and they say she doesn't have long left. He deserves a little fun, too. Justin asks Ann to move in just a few weeks later. A million miles away from her lonely life in New York, here Ann finds a world where she is wanted and needed by both Justin and his little girl, Sophie.

Friend, let God pick you up and show you how to grow through whatever detour, setback, heartache, or disappointment life has thrown at you. Like Moses, you may not have signed up for the path you’re on, but God can—and will—see you through it.