Nine contemporary realism stories to remind you every day is a journey, of consequence or not is up to you. Taking those everyday moments and enjoying them, being scared by them, suffering through them. Take a walk to the edge of a chasm. Trudge through the dunes at dawn. Listen to the chirping of birds. Endure the flash of lightning in a storm. Stand at the top of a lighthouse and wonder if it will crumble underneath you.Or step on a Lego.

When the pirates made me walk the plank, I thought I was done for. But what sorcery was this? I could breathe underwater!Now an underwater adventure awaits me, in which I must use my wits and weapons, and it turns out that mermaids are more than just a legend...An 8500 word short story, featuring explicit scenes of sex and violence. Adults only.

From a New York Times Notable author comes a "fiercely honest . . . and utterly heartbreaking" memoir of brotherhood, grief, and mental illness (Jay McInerney).In 2000, while moving his household from Vermont to North Carolina, author David Payne watched from his rearview mirror as his younger brother, George A., driving behind him in a two-man convoy of rental trucks, lost control of his vehicle, fishtailed, flipped over in the road, and died instantly. Soon there...

My time has come. It is what my tribe call aharami. I must go out into the world and fight for my haram, and I shall prove my manhood.I will need my sword, my wits and my fists, and I shall come home with a haram that shall be the envy of my tribe!A 10,000 word short story, featuring monster girls and explicit scenes of sex and violence. Adults only.

Hailed as "the most gifted American novelist of his generation" (Boston Globe), David Payne introduces us to Ransom Hill, a big-hearted, wild-man lead singer of a legendary indie rock group, who has come to South Carolina determined to save his marriage, his family, and himself. But back at Wando Passo, his wife's inherited family estate, things don't proceed according to plan. There's another man in the picture, and Ran's discovery of a mysterious relic from slave times transports him—and...

Rita Olsen, Captain of the Wraith, is counting down the days until her retirement from Earth's Global Navy, mostly while in cryo-sleep. However, when an anomaly appears by Pluto, it is up to her and her crew to investigate and report back. What is out there in the depths of the solar system will surely change the course of history.

A gripping biographical novel that chronicles the harrowing journey of a British Army officer during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, Souls Run Wild explores covert operations, personal sacrifice, and the psychological cost of war. Through firsthand accounts laced with vivid detail and raw emotion, David Payne presents a powerful narrative of loyalty, trauma, survival, and unflinching truth in the face of terror.

Modern neuroscience, in describing the way our brain processes our sensory inputs, has transformed the way we see ourselves in relation to the world. This demands a radical reevaluation of traditional philosophical topics. In this text I attempt to outline a modern methodology which emphasizes the importance of theory in our lives. Theorizing is a liberating concept that allows us to articulate ourselves more carefully and more fully than ever before. It connects us with every living and n...

Jo lost their sibling, Alex, to a strange portal. Searching relentlessly for a way to go after them, an officer reveals he has also witnessed a portal - the first person to validate their own experience in 15 years. With his help, they find out that these portals haven't just taken a couple of children.The lost children are not the only ones on the other side of the portal, and they'll have to first protect themselves if they want to save everyone.

In this barren wasteland, I drove the highways with my girls for company, seeing off the biker gangs who wanted to take everything I had. I was headed for the market town Jericho, where a whole lot of adventure awaited me and my girls.A 7500 word short story featuring explicit scenes. Adults only.

Addicted to gaming and looking for his next fix, Joe Denver hears of ultra-realistic games run by the mob underground. He finds hmself in the most popular game of them all, the zombie apocalypse game called Deadhead, with a huge money prize at stake. But Joe is about to get a lot more than he bargained for.Features character sheets, weapon stats, dice rolling and more.

Escape from an oncoming army is only the first step in survival for Fer and Gerd and their family. Then they must make their way into the wilderness, find a way to survive. But what if survival requires a transformation that is other-worldly? What if survival means changing everything you know?