In this brief but beautiful new collection, Peter Biles presents another varied array of short stories. The book starts with a handful of traditional short fiction and then concludes with several poetic micro stories. Regardless of the length and subject material, Biles continues to explore themes of attention, human connection, and the wonder of the natural world in his trademark style of lyricism, tenderness, and poetic sensibility.

Emerging writer Peter Biles offers his first anthology of short stories. Composed with experimental boldness, the stories extend from the hilarious to the grim, from urban disillusionment to rural desperation, from fantasy to gritty realism, and from frustrated longing to quiet hope. With creative debts owed to the likes of Raymond Carver, Flannery O'Connor, and Anton Chekhov, Keep and Other Stories explores human life and relations in a world where utility and power are all that matters. ...

A long-lost brother comes home and converses with his forlorn sister. Time stops when two cousins climb their childhood treehouse. A space station explodes and a survivor searches for his lover amid the debris. A child prodigy gets lost on an Oregon beach in search of existential answers. Peter Biles's second short story collection, Last November, is a cacophony of voices, young and old, searching for validation in a world shorn of its relational fabric. The final two stories, intended to ...

Hunter Saint's final summer as a staff member at Camp Woodward was supposed to be ordinary. He planned on spending the three months lifeguarding, reflecting on his college experience, and wooing the girl he's been in love with since high school. However, a new staffer, the alienated and antisocial Jordan Caol, throws Hunter's plans into chaos. After Jordan fires a gun in the rec field and runs away into the wilderness, Hunter takes it on himself to find the prodigal and bring him home. His...

When Arnie Tuck's chickens go missing, he naturally assumes it's Bigfoot. That's who people blame for everything in the small community of Jimmytown. But after a mysterious encounter with Bigfoot, Arnie staunchly believes that he has misunderstood the mysterious creature, and he gets involved in a mystery that leads him deep into adventure, unexpected friendships, and encounters with strange and terrifying critters far beyond his comfortable little home in the woods. Hillbilly Hymn is the ...

HUNTING HIGH AND LOWPursuing Soul Howl of the Nine Wise Men, Mira makes for the lush Primal Forest. Mysteriously, however, it's crawling with insanely strong monsters! The hunters who rely on the woods can only await death, trapped in their hideout. As if that weren't bad enough, the spirit-kidnapping Chimera Clausen and the Isuzu Alliance clash, with Mira caught in the middle! With all of these distractions, will Mira ever find Soul Howl?!

From Beast to BeautySakamori Kagami was one of the top players in the VRMMO Ark Earth Online as Danblf, a veteran summoner with the gravitas to match his elite status. When he falls asleep playing one day, he's transported to a world where the game is reality--but instead of his all-powerful avatar, he's stuck in the body of a cute young girl! He can't let anyone know that this little cutie is really Danblf, so he takes the name "Mira" and claims to be Danblf's dis...

DUNGEONS AND DOCUMENTSSoul Howl's trail has gone cold, so Mira heads back to Alcait Academy with the few clues she managed to find. With some help from her friend Solomon, they decipher that the answers she seeks are hidden below the Kingdom of Alcait. The Fool's Wunderkammer is a labyrinth full of one-of-a-kind research and dangerous curiosities. Can Mira find what she's looking for there...and make it out alive?

ALL ABOARD!To trace Soul Howl's trail to the Celestial Ruins, Mira must travel by transcontinental railroad. Although the three-story behemoth shocks her at first, she finds herself more and more excited to travel by train. During her journey, Mira watches the scenery speed by, enjoys station lunches, and relaxes in high-class hotels, meeting all sorts of people along the way. As Mira advertises for boutiques and mediates lovers' quarrels, a suspicious black-clad m...

CUTIES VERSUS ZOMBIESDanblf, stuck in a girl's body and claiming to be Danblf's disciple Mira, has been sent on a journey to find the nine sages. But when she makes it to her first destination, she finds a horrifying surprise--a city overrun by zombies! Deducing that one of the sages--the necromancer Soul Howl--must be nearby, Mira leads her growing party into the depths of a mazelike ancient temple for an all-out assault!

(THIS) LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES!Guided by a letter from someone claiming to be another Wise Man's pupil, Mira comes face-to-face with a person she never expected to see! Later, during a sojourn back home for the first time in ages, she enjoys a shopping date with her fairy attendant, Mariana. Then, as part of her plan to pursue the spirit-hunting Chimera Clausen, Mira treks to the Isuzu Alliance base in the Forest of Seasons...where she's doxxed out of nowhere!

FOLLOW THE TRAILAccompanied by the Isuzu Alliance, Mira rushes to stop the Chimera Clausen from hunting down the King of Spirits. Allowing the criminal organization to succeed in their schemes spells calamity not just for the spirits, but for the world of Ark Earth Online. A string of clues leads Mira to the whereabouts of the enemy's secret base...but to foil their plans, she'll need to use her wits--and her most powerful summoning magic--to infiltrate their hideo...