Filtering Out the Filter Words. A guide to understanding and identifying filler words, filter words, filter phrases, and conclusion words, and how they affect your writing, both positively and negatively.

Rainbow County CaliforniaUnrivaled sunsets, placid lakeside orchards, pleasant mountain vineyards, and a rural lifestyle.The only thing stopping this place from being idyllic is the noise from the cars on the highway. And murder.Left for dead, helpless as he watched the murder of his family, Jack is a broken man.Six months later, Jack is attempting to recover, both in body and in soul, at a vineyard he inherited from his uncle.California Wine Country...

Danger. Evil. Death. Heroes can face it all, but they cannot do it alone.Throughout history, creatures both big and small have stood alongside heroes and helped them through trying times, whether on the battlefield or in their laps. In these brand-new stories, seventeen bestselling authors regale us with adventures of animal companions and how they often are the ones rescuing the rescuer.New stories by / in the world ofJim Butcher – from

New Mexico Territory, 1851The Grand CanyonSomewhere down there, silver is lying around on the ground, left behind by the Spanish, just waiting to be picked up.At least, that's what Chaddock and the others have been told. Never mind the curse of El Tesoro del Diablo—the reason why it was left behind.A Weird Western Novelette by Sam Knight

The intricacies of chess meet the matchless Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft. Stories of doors, of passages, of patterns. Squares and threats, moves and counter-moves. Forbidden knowledge and cosmic horrors.... Two young lovers and the hand that plays them... A man trapped with an unwholesome companion uncovers the secret of a cosmic struggle... A professor and his protégé find themselves pawns on an ancient chessboard... A young Soviet boy's chess match holds the f...

Wishing WellWe've all heard the warning: Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it.If you had a wish, how careful would you be?Would you regret it?Or would your wildest dreams come true?Whatever you do, make sure you wish well...19 tales of wishes that came true...just maybe not in the way expected.Featuring stories by: Emily Martha Sorensen, Kay Hanifen, Sylvia Son, Kara Race-Moore, Laura G. Kaschak, Remy Allen, A...

A door that had never been there before opened...Black shadows danced across the red-lit walls of the hallway, some spidery, some humanoid, none human."It's time, Daniel. I have come for you."When Blaze walks through a doorway into Hell, he is offered a proposition. Do Satan's bidding now, on Earth, in exchange for a very comfortable eternity -in Hell.How do you turn down Satan when you find out he already owns your soul?Blaze is going to try...

LTUE Benefit Anthologies, Volume 2.Everyone knows dragon tales make for the best adventure stories. Throw in women who actively seek what they want—a little intrigue, exciting battles, and hard decisions—to get these twenty excellent adventures by some of today's best fantasy writers!This collection celebrates Linda Hunter Adams, a truly amazing mentor and role model for many in our Life, the Universe, & Everything writing community. Proceeds from this volume suppo...

Jack is about to see the world in a whole new light.A light revealing the hidden world around us.A world of demons.One of them has just stolen his wife's soul.

The best way to time travel is more than once!Three Time Travel Short Stories by Sam Knight.Visit Luna Base, where the Ghosts of Time roam through the corridors.When the inventor of time travel sends himself a note back through time, he knows he will be Just in Time for a Celebration.Steam punk era adventure follows an unlikely trio as they use their time machine to stay On the Heels of Spring Heeled Jack.

*short story*We were hiking the Kalalua Trail on the Nā Pali coast in Kauai when it hit us. Mark turned about twenty minutes later. I thought he was joking. He came at me with that open-mouthed vacant stare, arms outstretched like a cartoon sleepwalker. He would have gotten me too, if he hadn’t slipped on a muddy tree root and fallen down a thousand feet off a cliff.After I came down from the trail, I dropped the car into drive, floored the gas pedal, and went Bowling for Zom...

*Short Story*When lowly tavern servant (and sometimes sneak-thief) Pik witnesses the Duke himself committing nefarious deeds in the dead of night, he doubts anyone will believe him. But when Pik's most favorite person in the world, Poppy Smithswife, is targeted for murder, Pik knows he has to do something about it.