Chapter 1 "Here's to a new day," Chris said with a clank of the rim of her well-used diner coffee mug against her best friend, Anna's, equally battered cup. "A new day and a new me." She sighed heavily, as if saying it might actually make the words believable. She felt exactly the same on the inside as she had for the past month: empty, lonely, foolish for...
1. "Your new book is selling pretty well," said Irina Slonimska, Roger's editor. "Plumbing for the Panic-Stricken fills a definite need. I don't mind telling you that it saved me several hundred dollars in New York City plumbers' bills when I was editing the manuscript." "Did it really?" asked Sharon Hillstein, eying her old college roommate across the t...
Author's note: this story has been re-edited to bring it up to my current standards as part of an effort to make Ebooks. It features improved editing, grammar, punctuation, and also includes rewrites and expanded scenes where necessary. Please see my bio for more information. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the...
This one is due to all the late, sleepless nights spent in Ken's basement as we put together the beginnings of an epic tale. None of us knew at the time just how much it would captivate our imaginations and, hopefully, the imaginations of others. Here's to Ken and Dave. Also note that this is part of a trilogy. The sequel to this is Yamara, and then the thi...
CHAPTER 1 Marcus stalked the network of walkways that crisscrossed the ceiling high above Elysium's floor space, the restless need to move forcing him out of his office. Mostly hidden in darkness, the walkways allowed the club's owners and security personnel to supervise almost every square foot of the massive club without disturbing the patrons below. The...
Author's note: this story has been re-edited to bring it up to my current standards as part of an effort to make Ebooks. It features improved editing, grammar, and punctuation. Please see my bio for more information. CHAPTER 1: INTO DARKNESS Jules sat in his crash couch as he fiddled with the bulky, black combat armor that he was wearing over his two-piece...
"I'm going to kill the bitch," Ashley growled. "She's not getting away with this." "Princess, just breathe. She can't possibly win. I've told you that," I replied calmly. "This is the second offer she's refused. Why won't she just crawl away and die?" she continued. "Because she thinks she got everything. She grabbed your phone and my laptop. She thinks t...
Chapter 1 The planet Bacchus was apparently named after some ancient God of Harvest and Wine. This God was supposed to represent having a good time. As Bron shoved another corpse into the reclamation vat he considered the hellish reality behind the face of the 'party planet'. Bacchus was dedicated to the pleasures of the flesh. If it felt good, tasted good...
Kinetic Copyright 2006 hammingbyrd7 Chapter 1. Looking back, I think the first clue about my abilities occurred months before they started manifesting. It was in the first week of January in 2001. I was still sixteen at the time. It was the week my mom died. I've had classmates who've lost family members, through accidents and illnesses, so I've seen bot...
Copyright 2007 hammingbyrd7 * Chapter 1. Chance Meeting Time: Friday, May 10, 2047 6:16 PM CDT Ft. Hood, Bell County, Texas Megan O'Connor walked into her civilian barracks with a careful gait, her poncho soaked from the blowing rain. It was still two hours before sunset, but the dark clouds outside the distant hall window and usual lack of power in the b...