When my father died in 2005, I assumed my mother would need more support and someone to help with decisions she previously shared with her husband. What I didn't realise was the role she had in mind for me: a sort of Desmond 2.0. Over the five years until her death, I played the role of apprentice, learning more about her and her relationship with my father than I had gleaned in my previous 50 years. We laughed, we cried and, occasionally we disagreed, and throughout she manipulated me as,...

When British freelancer Maurice Oldham saves American scientist Lori-Ann Beaumont from a pack of journalists at a ProLife conference in San Francisco, neither expects to see the other again. But six months on, Lori-Ann is on Maurice's doorstep, bruised, penniless and desperate to find her boyfriend, Peterson, who has gone missing in England. Maurice soon realises nothing is as it seems with Lori-Ann. Why is she chasing Peterson; why has her father, Pastor of the Church of Science and Devel...

With their relationship under pressure, is adopting a dog the best decision for Mervin and Landen? As they adapt to fit the animal into their busy lives a chance encounter with Dave and Sheri, the dog's previous owners, develops into something more and the newfound friendship is tested to the limits.Life is complicated when Landen loses her job following the discovery of her affair with a colleague and then she becomes involved in a police investigation into alleged money launderin...

These 30 short stories are a mixture of genres and points of view: they cover horror, espionage, through thrillers, humour, romance and MG. There is something for everyone. They were written in a month, one a day, approximately 1667 words each. They can be read over breakfast and will have you laughing and crying, thinking and cringing.

Life is fast, life is short. In a series of short fiction pieces, most under 500 words, we explore the world, its inhabitants and their trials and tribulations, their ups and downs and sideways shifts, with humour and decent grammar. You'll find something to amuse and intrigue here and if, unlikely as it is, one piece isn't for you, well, turn the page and start again.

Salisbury SquareJerzy Komaza is adept at turning a blind eye. He has allowed his father's beatings of his sister, Maria, to continue for years. Yet one hot summer day he finally snaps, and it is Maria who sends him away from their home in Białystok in rural Poland, fearing the consequences if he stays. Desperate and unsure, Jerzy heads for London where his old friend Jan has promised him work.At first he is completely disorientated. Worse, there's no sign of Jan. Feeling los...

It's summer 1976 and hotter than HadesHarry Spittle, nineteen, is home from university, aiming to earn some money to go on holiday and maybe get laid. He expects he will be bored rigid, but the appearance of old family friend, Charlie Jepson, his psychopathic son, Claude, and predatory wife Monica changes that. As his parents' marriage implodes, Harry's problems mount; before he knows it he's in debt up to his ears and dealing in drugs. Things go from bad to worse when he is stabbed...

Witness great feats of literary art from daring writers around the world: stories crafted in 99 words. Flash fiction is a literary prompt, form, and tool that unites writers in word play. This creative craft hones a writer’s skills to write tight stories and explore longer works. It’s literary art in thoughtful bites, and the collective stories in this anthology provide an entertaining read for busy modern readers. Writers approach the prompts for their 99-word flash with creative diversit...

A collection of poetry from the poet/author guests of Robbie Cheadle on the "Treasuring Poetry" blog series on Writing to be Read in 2020. Open the book and discover the poetry treasures of Sue Vincent, Geoff Le Pard, Frank Prem, Victoria (Tori) Zigler, Colleen M. Chesebro, K. Morris, Annette Rochelle Aben, Jude Kitya Itakali, and Roberta Eaton Cheadle.