Chapter 14 Two months after Lola began assisting Ned on upgrading Wave Tosser, Auckland Council, the controlling territorial authority for the Auckland Region that included Waiheke Island, approved the subdivision of 6 ha (15 acres) from the Hills' farm for primary use as a vineyard. Lola was hugely excited when reading that notification, knowing that deci...
This is a little unusual for me since I tried to implement a different format feature for the first time. Sometimes these don't work as well as you would like. **** How do I start this story? Ellen and I married young and retired young, and what? We failed retirement 101? We are lost in a sea of opportunity and we are clueless? How about, I wake up every...
Prologue I couldn't sleep. Lying in the darkened room, staring up into the blackness, and listening to the steady, even breathing of my husband asleep beside me, I could only think about love. There are so many songs about love, but for every one of those songs that celebrate love, there is another song about heartbreak and love lost. I was lost in thought...
The Paul & Jenny Stories Pt. 05: Paul & Jenny's Caribbean Cruise I sat looking out of the window as the December evening closed in. A fine grey drizzle was falling. Jenny would be home soon from University. She had my car, as I was not allowed to drive yet. I wished I had an automatic gear change on my car. My Grandparents, with whom I was staying, were ou...
Chapter 1 "Steve, is that really you?" I was sitting in a food court at a mall, working on the ever-present laptop, waiting for my son and almost daughter-in-law. Even though I hadn't heard that voice in almost fifteen years, I knew instantly who it was. Looking up, I smiled. "No Kara, it's someone else. What kind of a dumb statement was that?" She flin...
Champion of the Goddess, Part 6 Synopsis: This is a continuation of the New Game Master and Next Game Master series. The premise of the story will be lost to those who did not read the previous version. After a torturous run to just level 10 Raven had hit a breaking point. He had massive energy reserves because the pace and constant combat prevented any se...
My name is Mark Thompson and I was born and raised in a small town a few miles southeast of Houston, Texas. My parents, Michael and Kerrie Thompson, were both professionals that commuted back and forth into Houston every day. They were both attorneys, but my father however, was a federal judge. My mother had no political ambitions therefore; she chose to be...
Book 1 -- Loosening Up: Initial Journey Chapter 1 -- A Crack In The Façade Alice sedately drove her seven-year old silver Honda Civic into the parking lot of the company she worked for -- Knightsbridge Manufacturing. She looked around, but only a few cars were present. Along the back side of the lot four cars were already parked in the spaces under the tre...
The Second Story: Give It Up For Me, Babe Claire: I love my husband. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for him. Not one single thing in the world. But, with that being said. There is something I haven't quite been able to manage to do yet. Quit smoking. Yes, I admit it. I'm a smoker. I've tried everything. The patches, the gum, the pills, quitting cold tu...
Chapter 1. The most opulent chambers in Topkapi palace belonged to the Sultan. The great hall was decorated with finery from all over the empire. The floor and walls were covered with blue, green and white tiles with abstract patterns on them. These were local from artisans in Constantinople. The floor was covered with deep blue rugs with flower patterns. T...