Chimaera by Tina Rath

Chimaera by Tina Rath - Available on Amazon

A collection of short fantasy stories for the 21st century, told by a gentle little monster with a penchant for happy endings. 

When a small chimaera appears in her wardrobe the narrator  is only mildly surprised. She agrees to let him stay and in return he tells her stories featuring such characters as Sergeant Prendergast, an ordinary policeman with some rather unusual friends including the Queen of Elphame and a sexy young gorgon; a hob with a grievance; an avatar of the Moon goddess; a stage-struck devil, and fairy tales telling what really happened to the Frog Prince, and Rumplestiltskin. All end happily – more or less. But readers must wait for the end of the book to find out if the narrator ever does finish writing her novel, if her true love does come home, and what ultimately happens to the chimaera.

Monsoon Season by Katie O'Rourke

Monsoon Season by Katie O'Rourke - Available on Amazon

The story of a girl growing up and learning to let people love her. Riley graduates from college with a degree in philosophy and no idea where she's headed.  On a whim, she moves to Tucson from the east coast and quickly loses herself in a dysfunctional relationship. When things in Tucson fall apart, Riley returns home and is forced to confront the same dynamics in her family and other relationships that she thought she had escaped.

With alternating narrative, we see what Riley has learned about love from the people closest to her, how she has grown into the person she is, and how she struggles to change. Monsoon Season explores how well we know the people we love and how much every person we choose to let into our lives shapes who we become.

The Night Watch by Eric Laing

The Night Watch by Eric Laing - Available on Amazon

Murder, sex, magic, and ancient Rome.

A serial killer preys upon those who are truly the most dangerous game…the gladiators. As the killer collects macabre trophies, it falls to the Prefect of the Night Watch to end the madness.

But this is Rome, where blood spills like wine, and dreams…they are all too often nightmares.

Head Count by Russell Cruse

Head Count by Russell Cruse - Available on Amazon

When fifteen- year-old Carly Elliot parts company with an Alp, David Benedict, the teacher in charge of the ski-party is suspended from his job pending charges of negligence and possibly even manslaughter. His only ally is journalist Rebecca Daley and even she's trying to connect him to two teenage suicides. Polizeikommissar Kurz thinks David may be a murderer, D.S. Sands thinks he's an idiot and the others down the nick reckon he's a paedophile but it won't be until he finds himself tied to a chair in a run-down church, an automatic pistol in his face and trying desperately, through broken teeth, to speak German with a Swiss accent that he'll begin to suspect he may be in over his head. Could things get any worse? Of course they can; this is David Benedict we're talking about. Daley wants a story, Benedict wants his old life back; if either gets what they want, the other will be seriously disappointed. In the event, each of them is going to get a bloody sight more than they bargained for.

The Mobius Construct by Spilota

 The Mobius Construct by Spilota  -  Free pdf available from the author

The Möbius Construct is a space station near a Star Jump which can take travellers to other galaxies and star systems. But it shouldn’t exist…

After an attack by the aggressive Heebies, survivors abandon ship and head for safety in the nearest star system. A malfunction sends their life craft into a dangerous uncharted area of space. They finally make a landing on the massive space station known as the Möbius Construct. But this cannot be possible.

Five hundred years previously, the Heebies destroyed the Möbius Construct. The AI in charge of their life craft is unable to explain what has happened. The threat from the Heebies is still very real and something they must face. And then there’s Kyri, the Caretaker of the space station. Just who is she? What is her connection with one of their number?

Charlie and Pearl by Tammy Robinson

Charlie and Pearl by Tammy Robinson - Available on Amazon  

Charlie still lives in the same quaint New Zealand coastal town he was born in, and where he passed his teenage years on the beach yearning to make out with girls, if only they'd let him. He lives with his mum and works in the local bookshop. Nothing much in Charlie's life ever changes, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as he's not sure he'd know what to do with himself if it did.
Pearl has come to the bay to escape the memories of a love affair that ended badly, leaving her with a lingering melancholy that she just can't shake. She hides up in her Grandmothers old Beach house, where she indulges her dark mood with walks on the beach, showers under the night sky and wine. Lots of it.
They meet and Charlie is captivated by Pearl. She has a secret though, one that she knows will prevent them from having any kind of happy ever after. Question is: can she resist his charms knowing there's no hope for them?