Hunting The Five

Free - 240 pages

It's a side of the southwest never glimpsed by mortal man - a heartless, barren outback riddled with ruthless demons. In its ignorance, humanity is powerless to stop these escapees from Hell and the havoc they create with their dark magic.

Good thing De la Roca isn't human.

A gunslinger with no memories of her previous life, she has fought for the last three hundred years on the forefront of a supernatural war, relying only on her wits, her reflexes, and her own demonic powers - all to pay for her own release from Hell.

The angels wouldn't send her in alone and unarmed, though; Alsvior, her gifted - if contrary - steed, and Bluot, a legendary revolver with an unquenchable blood-lust, have been with her every step of the way - along with a series of terrible nightmares that might hold the keys to her past.

Then, an angel appears with a bargain that seems to good to be true - five final targets, and she is free from her penance.

Quickly, she discovers that her old methods are not up to the task, and she's forced to team up with a mysterious gatekeeper and another mercenary - both of which need her for their own plans. With time running out, she has to figure out who to trust and who to kill, and fast, before she's demon-food.

With over a hundred pages of explosive action, breathtaking visual descriptions, and a host of shadowy players that will keep the reader guessing until the very end, HUNTING THE FIVE is Maria Violante's stunning debut to the De la Chronicles.

Note: This edition includes a free preview of HONOR IN HELL, book two of the De la Roca Chronicles.

The Son of Man

Free - 997 pages

“We haven’t had a chance to talk much about what it will be like to be the parents of such a…unique child.”
The bride pulled her eyes away from the groom and looked up at the priest. “I thought the Vinces wanted the baby raised in as normal an environment as possible.”
The priest smiled. “Yes, that is true, and for that reason you must never tell anyone who the child really is.”
The bride glanced at the groom and back at the priest. “They covered that when I was being interviewed, but I never really understood why.”

The priest stood, walked around his desk and sat on the corner. “Ok—a hypothetical situation—we go right to the media and tell them about the baby... or say, you tell your neighbors, parents, friends, that your little boy is the clone of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. First of all, they’re gonna’ think you’re crazy, or maybe they just might believe you. Imagine how they would then react to the child.

“Think of it this way,” the priest continued, rearranging himself on the corner of his desk, “there are roughly around—oh, let’s see—six and a half billion people in the world today. About a billion of those people are gonna’ believe your little boy is God’s own clone, and some of those folks can be pretty radical. There will be the crazy fringe bunch: those who will look upon the child as an abomination, or maybe a threat to their particular belief system. What I’m telling you now is not hypothetical. We know for a fact these people exist.”
“But, what about the baby?” the bride said. “How can we expect a little child to keep such a secret?”
“Easy, we don’t tell him.”

The Test of Darkness

Free - 25 pages

In this short story, a young girl prays for a vampiric savior to deliver her from a dreary and mundane existence... but how far is she willing to go to ensure her place among the ranks of the undead is secured?

"Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, softer even than the dry leaves that rattled across the yard below. But there was a desperation to her plea that was normally reserved for prayers offered by the bedsides of the dying. A tone of trembling exasperation that came when faith had all but disappeared and only the longing for a miracle remained. She repeated the words again as if they were some sort of spell that could transport her far, far away from this dingy little house with its fading paint and crooked shutters. 'I invite you in, I invite you in, I invite you in . . . please, please come for me. Please. I invite you in.' "

The Grip: A Horror Short Story

Free - 131 pages

Lt. Cready and Engineer Andreas Chavez have been chosen to man a claustrophobic outpost on the outer edge of the solar system. After a year and a half with no word from Earth, nerves become frayed and tensions mount as Cready begins to suspect that his friend isn't entirely human.

The Weight of Blood

Free - 468 pages

Harruq and Qurrah Tun, half-blood exiles of elves and orcs, have sworn their lives to the prophet of a death god, gaining power in return for igniting war between the race of elves and man. Harruq's love of an elf may save him from his dark path, but to protect her means he must turn against his brother and fight the killing nature with which he was born. No matter his decision, someone will die.

The Variant Effect (Variant Effect Series #1)

Free - 708 pages

The old furrier building in a rundown part of Metro was the perfect place to find a body, and Joe Borland knew they wouldn't have dragged him out of retirement to see it if something hadn't eaten its skin. It's been twenty years since Borland battled the Variant Effect, and twenty since he let his partner get skinned alive. Now both of them are ordered back into action to meet the new threat.

The Gilded Flame

Free - 51 pages

In the snowy borderlands of Kyrth, the ultimate battle is about to begin as an elven traveler realizes that even immortals may grow weary, even gods may die.

A Tool Most Dangerous

Free - 116 pages

When a Thardish Prince commissions a magical item to be made that twists the minds of those around him, the Conclave of Wizards in the Sevenlands know that he must be stopped. Someone has to go to Thardin, sneak into one of the most defensible castles in the world, steal a magical artifact, and get out unseen. If he is discovered, it could ignite a war the likes of which no one has seen in ages.

For D'Jenn, it's all in a day's work.

This short story is the first installment in a series of free prequels to The Seven Signs. The events herein take place before The Sentient Fire, book one of The Seven Signs.

Included is Chapter One of The Sentient Fire, all for free!

The Arrow That Would Not Miss

Free - 280 pages

While rock climbing in the Smokies, Jeep Muldoon, "the boy who finds things", unearths an ancient relic of the Cherokee people. A friendly Medicine Man identifies the priceless ruby-tipped artifact as "The Arrow That Would Not Miss".

As a reward for their discovery, Jeep and his Pals are each visited by Animal Spirit Guides. And, things get even spookier when two ShapeShifting Thunderbirds come to town!


Can Jeep and his must friends outwit their arch Science Fair rival, defeat the biggest bully in the county and discover the ShapeShifter's special agenda?

The gang will is going to need a whole lot science and a big dose of Luck, in their latest paranormal adventure: The Arrow That Would Not Miss.

"Like the Mad Scientists Club for a new generation!" -- American HomeSchooler

The 9th Fortress

Free - 1115 pages

Detective Daniel Fox has just met with a grizzly end. The dawn of his afterlife is where our story begins.
To redeem his soul and earn a place in Heaven, Daniel must first venture to the 9th Fortress: Lucifer’s primary prison in the heart of hell-fire. There the worst of the worst are contained, and Daniel’s mission is to save one particular soul from its dungeon.
To help him achieve that almighty feat, the detective was given a defender--a samurai warrior called Kat--the most dangerous man who ever lived and the only one qualified, and capable of leading this perilous expedition.
Together, the Kat and Fox encounter the unnatural and supernatural on their decent to the pit, and all of it trying to stop them.

A Taste of Earth

Free - 68 pages

Hachiman does not behave like an asteroid should. The fragments from it impact across the globe and start changing the environment: diseased plankton in the Atlantic Ocean, silicon-based killer organisms in northern Russia, and green-house gasses spike globally. Will NASA’s Near Earth Asteroid team be able to reverse the process before it’s too late?

Tales From The Oddside

Free - 160 pages

TALES FROM THE ODDSIDE contains the stories 'Tourist Trap', 'Rough Patches', 'Granny Panties', 'In Memory Alone', 'The Same Deep Waters As You', 'Living Dead Nerd', Neighborhood Trash', 'Roadside Burials', 'The Girl Can’t Help It', 'Precious Machine' and 'Sweet Nothings'.

The Wrong Side of the Tracks

Free - 257 pages

14 year old Stephen moves into a bad neighborhood and soon finds himself in love with Kristine, one of the prettiest girls in his class. Kristine appears to like him, too, but Stephen learns she “belongs” to a big, mean football player who’s three years older. Despite warnings from his best friend, Stephen moves ahead anyway. All hell breaks loose. Will Stephen allow himself to be shoved into the background, or will he win the girl he truly loves?

The King's Assassin

Free - 635 pages

The highly trained assassins of Evendell have a single, unyielding mission: defend the monarch of Bacovia, at any cost. Aislynn has been assigned to protect the heir apparent, Eryk. Yet Eryk’s independent streak offers stiff resistance to what anyone else has planned for him, especitally an untested and unfamiliar sentinel.

The Girl, the Ghost, and the Prince

Free - 25 pages

This is a short, fairytale-like story about not settling for less than true love.

The Enchantress

Free - 96 pages

There's a melody spreading through the streets of Sternfall, a melody that's enchanting it's citizens, forcing them to submit to the will of this strange musician. Two young adventurers arrive to the city. Will they be able to resist the music of the Enchantress?

Whispers of a Legend, Part One

Free - 242 pages

The legend, they say, is whispered within the winds along the magnificent Preda Mountain Range, the words and deeds never to be forgotten of the Time of the Nuxvenom, a time when the Sordarins crushed the impending threat, the dreaded Asmeodai, and once more Scarladin was safe. The mighty Sordarins, rulers of the sky! No, the Sordarins have slept well over the years secure in their knowledge the Great One watches over them, knowing the legends holds a mighty warrior will emerge if threatened again, born with a destiny only to defend their world. But subtle changes have emerged. Little by little fear beings to resurface that their world, their very existence is once again threaten. They look to the skies anxiously awaiting their warrior; questioning perchance if the Great One has forgotten them. I know this how? For I am the one born to defend their world. I, Kela Calledwdele, was born a Euchoun. I am their warrior.

So starts this epic fantasy...Whispers of a Legend saga. Kela Calledwdele was born with a destiny, a Euchoun with only one purpose in life...to protect. Torn between two worlds, Kela soon discovers she is the hope of both. Now she must find the courage to face the destiny fate has dictated to her.

Kela has always known what path in life she would follow. She was born a Euchoun. Half Witheleghean, a passive peaceful race where magic runs freely and the other half, Sordarin, a valiant warrior race of hawkmen who rule the sky, she knows well her parents gave the ultimate sacrifice to give her a chance to live. Yet, in so doing, they have left Kela unprepared to face the dangers that await her. Her instincts are to protect and in this she does, but in so doing it leads her into a world where she knows not whom to trust. In time her power matures and grows stronger when she bonds with a Sordarin warrior, Cono. She learns well why she holds the power. An evil as no other before, Asmeodai, has emerged but all is not what it seems as a dark cloak encompasses her family. Betrayal, distrust, treachery leaves Kela alone. She is torn by her desire for Cono and the purpose, the path, she has been given to follow. And when another emerges within her world, one who seemly wants only to help her along her path, she is pulled further away from her Sordarin.


Shadows of the Past, Book One of the Whispers of a Legend is the first in nine installments of the saga. It is a journey of a young woman’s battle to embrace her destiny. Whispers of a Legend follows Kela along this conflicting path, where as a young woman unsure of her ability and her confidence in facing the challenges before her to where she emerges as a strong leader who learns to lean upon her own strength, to stand not behind, but side by side with her warrior.

Turing Evolved

Free - 1052 pages

When Ex-DEMON pilot Jon Carlson meets beautiful humanitarian Rachel, it's a match made in HEAVEN. Literally, because Rachel's an ANGEL. She's also an AI controlled android of immense power and capability. As Jon finds himself drawn into the world of these enigmatic creations of mankind, he unknowingly becomes involved in a program to create autonomous superweapons intended to fight the next war.

The Third Anniversary

Free - 78 pages

After nearly three years of a school massacre, the town tries to come to terms with what has happened.

Billy Jones has no escape from what has happened. In this horrific, yet emotional story

Knights of Dreamland

Free - 141 pages

The Knights of Dreamland is a story for children in the age group 7+. It is a story about overcoming fear, using compassion, and forgiveness without any religious or moralistic opinions.

One evening Angelina Thomas is in her bedroom. The shadows in her room seem very real and cause her to be afraid. Her mother tries to comfort her, but Angelina is still afraid. Suddenly, she hears a strange noise and a through her wall emerges a white unicorn and on its back, a Knight. The Knight is Sir Roderick, he is a clumsy rather comic character but he is noble and courageous, a sort of old fashioned knight. Cornucopia the unicorn is a magical character that can talk; she is intelligent and protective of Sir Roderick.

Cornucopia explains that Sir Roderick is a Knight of Dreamland and that his job is to protect children from the KNIGHTMARES that try to frighten them in their dreams. The Knightmares are former Knights of Dreamland and their unicorns who have been captured by THE BLACK KNIGHT and placed under his dark spell. The Knightmares frighten children in their dreams, and The Black Knight rules the world of Knightmares.

Sir Roderick, Cornucopia, and Angelina set out on an adventure to try to release their friends who have been captured by the Black Knight. Their adventures take them on a magical journey where they encounter strange beasts and magical beings.

Angelina finds out that only courage and compassion can protect her from the Knightmares. She also learns that by using fear against her enemies the spell can be broken and the Knightmares turn back into their former selves.

This particular story ends with a battle between Sir Roderick and the Black Knight. Their friends are released from the evil spell, and the Black Knight is temporarily incapacitated.

This story is the first in a series of adventures.

The Legend of Darkness and Light

Free - 361 pages

Legend has it, Darkness is a stone that holds all the evil of a long-dead alien race. Jayden Pearce braved the Dark Forest that hid the stone for centuries. Not one for curses, he sold it to a private collector. But legend forgot about Light, the sister stone to Darkness and a key to untold rewards. Jayden Pearce forgot about it, too, until his old partner returns with an offer he can't refuse.

Rojuun

Free - 687 pages

Book 1 of The Willden Trilogy:

Ryallon is a vast world with enormous forests, great mountain ranges, and vast oceans. Large human populations live on a few of the continents, but many areas of the world are unexplored and filled with magical creatures of all sorts. It is in this magical world that our story occurs.

Tathan left home at the age of fifteen in order to travel the world and live a life of adventure. Fourteen years later, he has come home to the valley where he was raised. He found the adventure along the way, but it hadn’t always been the sort of adventure one dreamed of; with dragons, maidens, knights and treasure. Most of it was much darker; with dark alleys, knives, and a primal struggle for life at the lowest levels.

Liselle is a young woman of seventeen years whose parents wish her to marry soon. However, marriage is the last thing on her mind when she has never seen anything beyond the lonely valley where she lives. Liselle spends much of her time talking to the flowers about how she feels and they listen to her intently.

Vevin is something else entirely. His home was recently stolen from him by a terrible creature who hurt him badly. Now he is looking for a new home. Preferably something with a large area to keep his treasure . . . once he acquires some.

Sir Danth is the greatest of the Knights of Morhain. Of course he’s the only Knight of Morhain still alive . . . sort of alive . . . only different.

Rumors are spreading about a new race called “Rojuun”, who appeared from the depths of the mountains eight hundred years ago with the intention of taking over the world. It is their understanding that humans exist to serve them. They are a bit disappointed that the humans don’t seem to be aware of that fact.

The companions are charged with finding out more about this race of Rojuun. Will they be entranced by beautiful music flowing through the air, or will they die a horrible death in the darkest depths of the world? And who, or what exactly is Vevin anyway?

The Willden Trilogy is an epic fantasy that follows the adventures of Tathan and his companions through the Willden Forest and into the depths of the world. A new race called Rojuun has appeared in the world and is threatening to make humans their servants. It is the companions’ task to learn more and perhaps rescue a princess if they have the time.

Is This Heaven?

Free - 42 pages

Michaela Stevens has just died but, she wonders, can a gay lady get to heaven and if so, should it be like this? Should the heavenly host be that way? And is there a place in heaven for so many baked beans?

Short story at about 4,500 words - no adult content but some light swearing so I'd rate it at a PG.

British humour and spelling.

I Love You

Free - 120 pages

“I love you.” These are words we have all said to many, various people in our lives: our parents, our brothers, our friends, our lovers. Sometimes we have meant them, sometimes we have been lying. But what do those words really mean?

Patrick is in a better position than most to know. He married his teenage sweetheart and has spent a long, happy life with her; yet now she is dying, and he is on the edge of losing her. As he cares for a woman who barely remembers his name, he looks back on his life and contemplates the meaning of those words: words which have come to define his, and indeed every other, life on Earth.

Guardian of the Dawn

Free - 222 pages

"The King of High Adventure," Starlog.

"Immediately convincing, classically brooding," The Cimmerian.com.

To the world at large, he is a mercenary and assassin, a brutal killer with a deadly blade. In reality Kormak is a Guardian, one of a dying order sworn to protect humanity from the servants of the gathering darkness.

In this chilling tale, Kormak seeks refuge for the night in an isolated peasant home only to find himself thrown into a terrifying confrontation with an ancient evil.

A thrilling sword and sorcery short story in the proud tradition of Robert E Howard from the bestselling creator of Gotrek and Felix.