Showing results by publisher "Audible studios" in Anthologies

Something about the country brings out the best - and the sexiest - in a man, and country boys are a special breed. These tobacco-chewin', cattle-ropin' icons in temptingly baggy overalls or skin-tight wranglers rank with cops and soldiers as one of the most potent symbols of the naturally masculine male. Sweating and sensual not from the gym but from honest, hard work (and play), they come in all shapes, sizes, and erotic potential. City homos hike the wilds to commune with nature and nature boys. Gay pioneers enjoy rural living and loving. Lonesome queers meet for moonlight trysts in the cornfields.

New York Times best-selling authors Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Keri Arthur, Carrie Vaughn, and Karen Chance - along with ten other masters of the genre - offer stories on werewolves and the holidays, a fresh variation on the concept of birthdays and vampires found in Many Bloody Returns. The holidays can bring out the beast in anyone - particularly lycanthropes.

Illegal battering of gingernuts and conkers in a murky corner of the playground; a procession of bearers of lost property interrupting the telling of the story of Joseph; justice being firmly done on three malefactors who stole Mr Henry's eggs... Here are 40 delightful stories about life as a village schoolteacher, set against the changing seasons of the countryside.

"Perfect deadpan marks the opening of Ali Simpson’s The Monster'" writes Susan Merrell of The Southampton Review in her introduction to this issue of Recommended Reading.

"My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." If you just heaved a contented sigh at Mr. Darcy's heartfelt words, then you, dear listener, are in good company. Here is a delightful collection of never-before-published stories inspired by Jane Austen - her novels, her life, her wit, her world.

Diagnosed as severely autistic at the age of three, Tito, nearly nonverbal, was brought up by his loving mother Soma, who taught him to read English and challenged him to write his own stories. The initial result was The Mind Tree, published in 2003, which Tito wrote between the ages of eight and 11. The Gold of the Sunbeams is an equally impressive, beautiful collection of stories, each prefaced by a charming note from Tito explaining how the story came into being.

The primal sense of taking in the essence, taste, smell, and sexy up-closeness of a lover is a powerful aphrodisiac that affects one physically, mentally, and emotionally. Once this special connection is made, the heat of desire, passion, and lust focus before one's eyes and tie arousal directly to them. Tasting Her explores the ultimate joys of oral sex from a distinctly male point of view.

Has anyone ever told you that baseball is more than a game, that it's really a metaphor for life? Have you ever wondered what they meant? This story imagines the answer. A single mother moves to Kansas City with her young daughter and notices that everyone she meets - her new colleagues, neighbors, even the mailman - can't stop talking about baseball. "It's more than just a game," they tell the mother. "It's so much more. What you need is to come to a game and experience it."

The stories that make up Ghosts of Yesterday create a detailed and realistic portrait of the world that, despite (and perhaps because of) their authenticity, manage to convey a sense of wonder and fantasy, where anything is possible. The characters and places that Cady brings to life demonstrate clearly why he is one of the most versatile and respected writers today.

"...I managed to open the door and get up inside the cab. It had a soft leather seat and the seat felt so good that I knew if I didn't fight it I would soon be asleep." A brutal personal treatise on the need for work, even the most menial - and the need for dignity.

Bukowski goes off the rails as the best man at a wealthy Hollywood "zen wedding" with his singular viewpoint and sharp insights. He's the only one to bring a gift, and the only one to demand the Zen Master's ears in return. "The rich understand; they just don't do anything about it."

The Last Stair into Darkness is a collection of 20 horrifying tales by author Cliff R. Barlow. Contained within are 20 stories to consume your days in fear and enfold your nights in restless nightmares. From a demon hiding under the basement stairs to the most terrifying specter of all, the monster within, Cliff brings a fresh and unique take to the genre that you won't soon forget. Just remember to sleep with the lights on....

Elizabeth Haynes' new psychological thriller is a brilliantly suspenseful and shocking story in which nothing is at it seems, but everything is at stake. Sarah Carpenter lives in an isolated farmhouse in North Yorkshire, and for the first time after the death of her husband some years ago and her children, Louis and Kitty, leaving for university, she's living alone. But she doesn't consider herself lonely. She has two dogs, a wide network of friends and the support of her best friend, Sophie.

"Public Transportation" is a short story from the collection Phoenix Noir. Brand-new stories by: Diana Gabaldon, Lee Child, James Sallis, Luis Alberto Urrea, Jon Talton, Megan Abbott, Charles Kelly, Robert Anglen, Patrick Millikin, Laura Tohe, Kurt Reichenbaugh, Gary Phillips, David Corbett, Don Winslow, Dogo Barry Graham, and Stella Pope Duarte.Patrick Millikin is a bookseller at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale.

Even with a successful career as a lawyer and a beautiful wife, Tony Greto is tormented by his secrets - secrets that finally begin to surface at his 25th high school reunion. An impromptu speech in front of his entire class and an encounter with a former classmate's son begin to unravel the threads of Tony's seemingly settled life.

Rich in characters both whimsical and deeply poignant, humorous and real, the stories of Goli Taraghi have made her one of the world’s most beloved contemporary writers from Iran. Drawing on childhood experiences in Tehran during the reign of the Shah, her exile in Paris, and her subsequent visits to Tehran after the revolution, Taraghi develops characters and tales that linger in one’s mind. In the title story, a woman traveling from Tehran to Paris is obliged to help an old woman - the Pomegranate Lady - find her way to her fugitive sons in Sweden.

The realms of the Forelands are in turmoil as a result of the machinations of a powerful conspiracy of sorcerers, members of a race called the Qirsi, pale-skinned folk feared by those in power. Though many refuse to acknowledge the possibility of a conspiracy, a handful of Qirsi and nobles realize that the time has come to take action, even at the cost of their loves, their honor, and even their lives.

In stories like "A Night in the Cemetery," "Night of Horror," and "Murder," not only will Chekhov's dark humor and twisted crimes satisfy even the most hardboiled of mystery fans, but readers will again appreciate the penetrating, absurdist insight into the human condition that only Chekhov can bring. Whether it is the death of a young amateur playwright at the hands of an editor who hates bad writing, or a drunken civil servant who ends up trapped in a graveyard, these stories overflow with the unforgettable characters and unique sensibility that will forever make Chekhov one of the most fascinating figures in literature.

Writers clamor to get into the Best Gay Erotica series because it sets the bar for the highest quality of sexy, gay stories. Richard Labont is an icon in the field of erotic and romantic writing who has a knack for finding seductive, literary talent. Blair Mastbaum, author, editor, producer, and actor, selected this year's crop, picking top-notch stories that are unparalleled in hotness and excellence. Best Gay Erotica 2010 is the biggest page-turner of them all, with stories running the gamut of gay male sexual experiences, from first times to one-night stands....

Akashic Books’ acclaimed series of original noir anthologies has set a high standard for portraying cities and their neighborhoods in all their dark and violent splendor. Now, Mexico City Noir surpasses that standard with phantasmagorical tales of double-dealing, corruption, violence and self-delusion.... This collection is such a varied literary feast.