Showing results by narrator "Hollis McCarthy" in All Categories

Eighteen suspenseful short stories with a twist for lovers of Twilight Zone and Black Mirror. Journey into strange worlds and meet their unusual and sometimes terrifying residents in these stories spanning suspense, horror, paranormal, science fiction, and supernatural from the dark mind of short story award-winning author Susan May.

Take your ticket and enjoy the thrills and chills awaiting those who dare journey into this exciting collection of short fiction and novellas. Savor six twisted tales, which will both delight and surprise listeners as they travel into the dark realms of supernatural and paranormal suspense.

What if all that stood between us and hell was a match? An ordinary couple stand accused of a heinous crime. They're the last people you'd expect to save the world. Are they criminals, heroes, or completely insane? Or maybe all three? Inspired by true-life headlines, revealed in Susan May's fascinating postscript From the Imagination Vault, Behind the Fire is an engrossing novelette of the random appearances of frightening black things, and one couple's battle to protect their town from these dangerous and hellish creatures.

Rory Hawthorn is adjusting to her new life as a witch working at her family's enchanted library in the coastal town of Ivory Beach. Between the library's bewildering magic and her eccentric new family, life is never dull. When Rory and her cousin find the body of a local wizard on the beach, all the signs suggest he was killed by a vampire.

Caina Amalas is a nightfighter of the Ghosts, one of the elite agents of the Emperor of Nighmar. She has defeated powerful sorcerers and corrupt lords, freed slaves, and overthrown great evils. But now, someone has begun slaughtering the Ghosts of the Imperial capital, and the killer is wearing her face. And this time, saving the Empire might cost her everything.... Ark is a man of many roles - father and husband, Ghost and veteran, blacksmith and Champion of Marsis. But when the circlemasters of the Ghosts order him to hunt down the renegade Caina Amalas, Ark must make a choice.

In this Regency-set short story, widowed Lady Diana Waverly finds love and passion in the most unlikely of places when a new piano tutor arrives at her door.

Caina Amalas is a nightfighter of the ghosts, the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through cunning and valor she has cast down both proud lords and mighty sorcerers. But a power darker than any she has ever faced is awakening. When a mad assassin armed with a sorcerous blade rampages through the Emperor's capital, Caina must track the weapon to its origin, a ruined city blighted by the folly of sorcerers, a city that holds weapons far more potent than mere blades. Weapons that can resurrect an ancient empire of dark sorcery to enslave the world anew....

Caina Amalas is a Ghost nightfighter, one of the elite agents of the Emperor of Nighmar, and she has defeated both corrupt lords and mighty sorcerers. As the Padishah of Istarinmul prepares to make peace with the Emperor, the Ghosts must keep the Padishah’s ambassador safe from assassins. But when an escaped slave begs for Caina’s help, she finds dark plots stirring in the shadows. Plots that threaten to devour the Empire and unleash terrible horrors.

Caina Amalas is a Ghost nightfigher, a spy, and an agent of the emperor, and time and time again she has overcome mighty foes through boldness and cunning. But even her boldness might not be enough to stop the coming destruction.

Caina Amalas is a Ghost nightfighter, an assassin and spy of the Emperor, and her cunning saved the city of Marsis from a brutal invasion. Now she must keep the war from becoming worse. The nobles of the Imperial city of Cyrioch plan to revolt, and assassins stalk the high lords of the Empire. Only Caina stands between the Empire and a ruinous civil war.

Caina is a ghost nightfighter, one of the emperor’s elite spies and assassins, and few enemies of the empire ever escape her cunning. Yet all Caina’s wit and skill might not be enough to save her from a terrible fate. Sent to hunt down a cruel slave trader, Caina encounters something far darker. An ancient evil, a thing of legend and terror. A creature that wants to corrupt her, heart and soul....

Jane Gallows isn’t much of a witch. Her spells only work when she has a mouthful of chocolate, which can be downright awkward at times. That’s why she makes her living as a private investigator. Of course, being a P.I. has its difficulties too, not the least of which is her lazy, sarcastic cat who insists he’s the brains behind her sleuthing skills and the ghost of a 1940s gumshoe that haunts her office and wants in on the case-solving action. When old-timer Bud Saunders hires her to get rid of a ghost in his barn, she figures it will be a piece of cake.

There's a serial killer on the loose, and Lexy Baker’s grandmother, Nans, could be the next victim. The bodies are piling up at the Brook Ridge Falls Retirement Center. Healthy people are dropping like flies. And yet no one believes a murderer is on the loose... except for Lexy Baker and the troupe of iPad-toting grandmothers who live at the center. When Lexy's detective boyfriend, Jack, refuses to believe that foul play is involved, Lexy has no choice but to find the killer on her own.

The man she couldn't forget....

Beautiful, talented lingerie designer Lina Cornaro sits on the cusp of major success. After her fiery affair with tough Formula One driver Ivo Zanardi ended in heartbreak, she's learned to keep her focus on her career. Nothing could make her return to Ivo. Nothing, except the public revelation of her darkest secret: Lina is the illegitimate daughter of Sarcaccia's King Carlo, one of the most famous men in the world.

Since leaving the Army six months ago, Izzy Rivera has closed herself off from everyone and everything. Struggling with a debilitating case of PTSD, she has been fired from three jobs and was recently arrested for assault. Her last hope is a rehab program for veterans on Heron Island, which she was admitted to on a probationary basis and which she must complete to stay out of jail.

When things don't go as planned, Felicia and Gideon have to not only fight their unwanted, growing attraction but also the evil-doer who seems intent on sabotaging their work. Even worse, it can only be someone within Tenwick Abbey that is trying to subvert their mission. Someone in their midst is an enemy spy. With their research in shambles and their lives in danger, Gideon and Felicia realize they can only trust each other. Will they be able to perfect the serum in time to protect England...and themselves?

Designer Marly West has one reason for taking the job at Draconia Fashions...and it's not to come up with the latest clothing trends. But when she blurts out a good idea in a corporate meeting, she gets exactly what she didn't want...an opportunity of a lifetime. Too bad taking advantage of it might reveal the secret she desperately needs to keep hidden. But it's too late to get out of it now, and she soon finds that she's in over her head with a boardroom full of resentful executives, a hot CEO, and an assistant that wants to make sure Marly doesn't succeed.

Well-mannered women don't have careers in 1806 so Philomena St. Gobain disguises herself as a man to attend the Society for the Advancement of Science meetings where she sells her inventions to a select, chosen few. The handsome Duke of Tenwick is not one of those chosen few, so when he corners Phil in the hallway during a clandestine meeting with one of her suppliers, she slips away as quickly as she can.

Prince Alessandro Barrali is known for his wild ways. After he's compelled to stand in for his staid identical twin, all Alessandro wants is to escape the fishbowl of palace life and indulge himself. When he awakens aboard the royal yacht awash in hedonism, yet bored out of his mind, he decides a new quest is in order.

The Barrali family has seen its share of scandals. But what of those who work for the famous royals? This collection of three romantic holiday tales takes you to the Barrali Winery, to an elegant royal yacht, and through the palace's secret garden to experience the passions of those who serve.