The Winter 2015-16 issue of Ploughshares. Ploughshares is an award-winning journal of new writing. Two out of each year's three issues are guest-edited by prominent writers who explore different personal visions, aesthetics, and literary circles, with the Winter issue staff-edited.The stories, poems, and essays that comprise this staff-edited issue of Ploughshares are diverse and timely. Visit a South African laundromat in Laurie Baker’s short story, Here I Am, Laughing with Boers;...

This audiobook experience contains music and sound effects, and is narrated by Melody Muzljakovic and performed by a full cast.Perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.WHEN DESTINY FAILS YOU, WHO WILL YOU BECOME?A forgotten princess. A cruel realm. A Mage who might be her salvation.Sanja is a princess on the run...

"If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow; but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much."― Mark TwainCats and literature go together like tea and cake. It's not that you can't have one without the other, but there is a certain rightness to the pairing. Writers have chosen many animal companions over the years - often dogs, sometimes a raven (Charles Dickens) or, most oddly, a wombat (Dante Gabriel Rosset...

About a year ago, film started to circulate on YouTube® of a remarkable man named Kevin Richardson, an animal custodian in a South African animal park. The film showed Richardson in his day-to-day work, looking some of the world's most dangerous animals directly in the eye, crouching down at their level, playing with them and, sometimes, even kissing them on the nose--all without ever being attacked or injured. The films' popularity skyrocketed and Richardson became an international sensat...

Behind the Mask is a multi-author collection with stories by award-winning authors Kelly Link, Cat Rambo, Carrie Vaughn, Seanan McGuire, Lavie Tidhar, Sarah Pinsker, Keith Rosson, Kate Marshall, Chris Large and others. It is partially a prose nod to the comic world - the bombast, the larger-than-life, the save-the-worlds and the calls-to-adventure. But it's also a spotlight on the more intimate side of the genre. The hopes and dreams of our cape-clad heroes. The regrets and longin...

In Part of the Pride, Kevin Richardson, dubbed "The Lion Man" on 60 Minutes, tells the story of how he grew from a young boy who loved animals to become a man able to cross the divide between humans and predators, looking some of the world's most dangerous animals directly in the eye, playing with them, and even kissing them on the nose—all without ever being attacked or injured.As a self-taught animal behaviorist, Richardson has broken every safety rule known to ...

Can an indoor cat live a happy, stimulating, and active life? A veterinarian and a journalist answer this question with a resounding "yes," and offer real-life guidance for opening up your cat's world, even if they stay within the confines of your home.There are many myths our culture perpetuates about domestic cats: they live longer indoors, sleep all day, are easy and low-maintenance pets, and can't be trained. Even the most well-meaning kitty caregiver will be s...

Exotic women didn't exactly run in Brad's circles. They usually ran the other way, in fact. When a chance meeting with a raven-haired business traveler at a hotel bar begins to show promise, Brad has a feeling his life is about to change forever. Little does he suspect how right that prediction may turn out to be.Tor Richardson, author of "Mission: Malibu," presents a tale of light intrigue and casual deception. With a too-tempting vixen and a too-trusting hero, "Easy Night Paradis...

Thoreau, a most unusual cat with a penchant for cake, dead poets, and a curiosity towards human nature, turns introspective as his ninth and final life comes to a close. Although he considers humans to be strange and often disagreeable in nature, he must concede that there is something endearing about them, even as he struggles to understand their exceedingly curious natures. The Cat Manifesto is the story of Thoreau and the humans he called family and friends. In it, he reminisces about h...

Three delightful Halloween tales of ticklish tricks and tasty treats from Richard Alan Dickson and Tor Richardson. Fire up the flashlight, tuck the blanket to your chin, and take a welcome trip down memory lane. Stories include "Big Enough for Halloween," "The Menace of the Unseen Terror," and "Boo? Boo Who?"

This time, we have a special all-mystery issue. But don’t panic! We have mysteries by science fiction and fantasy writers, too…tales by Phyllis Ann Karr (best known for her fantasy novels, such as Idylls of the Queen and the Frostflower & Thorn series) and Theodore R. Cogswell (author of the 1952 classic “The Specter General,” voted one of the greatest science fiction stories of all time by the Science Fiction Writers of America). We also...

What's even worse than having a snarky talking tabby as your best friend? When he inexplicably goes missing . . .Octo-Cat is gone, and all the evidence suggests that he was taken on purpose. With the growing number of people the two of us have put behind bars, it's no surprise that someone's out for revenge.But how will I ever manage to solve this particular crime without the help of my partner?The only other person who might be able to help me just...