Showing results by narrator "Emily Durante" in All Categories

The Bombay Family of Assassins have hung up their gun belts, vials of undetectable poisons, and throwing knives for good. Or have they? The kids of the newest generation have itchy trigger fingers and an opportunity pops up that's too good to refuse.

The Collected Stories of Diane Williams brings together over 300 new and previously published short fictions - distilled works of "unsettling brilliance" (Vanity Fair) that have rewritten the rules of the American short story.

Dani Botelli has vowed to step out of her demanding movie star mother's shadow, and is determined to start a new chapter in her life. But two men are making for double the trouble. There's Jake, her police detective almost-ex who wasn't so hot as a husband but sizzles between the sheets. He needs Dani's intuition and visions to help him solve crimes. Then there's her high school crush, Michael, a former NFL pro who's now her mom's hunky lawyer.

After surviving Halloween at The Zone, Candace feels like she can do anything—but working as one of the elves during their huge Christmas celebration may still be a challenge for reasons beyond screaming kids and endless candy canes. Elf work proves more dangerous than expected, and Candace realizes she may not know her boyfriend Kurt as well as she thought she did—making finding the perfect present for him almost a full-time job. At the same time, she finds herself getting closer to her good friend Josh.

After years of questioning her sanity, Kat Delancey reluctantly returns to the old family manor as its legal owner, hoping desperately to silence the doubts in her mind and leave the home's tragic past behind her once and for all. But it turns out to be harder than she expected, and not just because of the estranged step-family waiting for her - because maybe Kat's mind was never playing tricks on her after all, and maybe the manor harbors a far more malevolent presence than she ever dreamed...

As a dreamwalker, I can ease your nightmares, inspire creation, or steal memories, all for the small price of a buttload of cash. I need the money to save my mom’s life, and the clock is ticking. Then a gorgeous illusionist comes into the picture, and he sends me on a job with a major paycheck. Now I’m knee-deep in a murder case where the victims and the perps could all kill me with a snap of their fingers. Throw in a creepy castle, a stinky moat, and a legendary monster, and we’ve got ourselves a party, especially when the bodies begin to pile up.

Death by Chocolate is her favorite dessert. And those knitting needles aren't just for craft projects. To most people, Gin Bombay is an ordinary single mom. Then again, they don't know she's from a family of top-secret assassins. Somewhere between leading a Girl Scout troop for her kindergartner - would nooses count for a knot badge? - and keeping their puppy from destroying the furniture, Gin now has to take out a new target.

How often have you seen a teenage girl pretend to be perturbed, but secretly smile, when she is told that she acts or looks just like her mother? Fathers, brothers, and friends sometimes shake their heads in wonder as girls "turn into their mothers". This new collection from Chicken Soup represents the best stories from Chicken Soup's library on the special bond between mothers and daughters, and the magical, mysterious similarities between them.

Jess enlisted in the Marines immediately after graduating from high school in 2001, and in 2004 she volunteered to serve in the Marine Corps' first officially declared Mortuary Affairs unit in Iraq. Her platoon was tasked with recovering and processing the remains of fallen soldiers. With sensitivity and insight, Jess describes her job retrieving and examining the remains of fellow soldiers lost in combat in Iraq, and the psychological intricacy of coping with their fates, as well as her own.

Katherine Hamilton's goal in high school was to escape from her dead-end hometown of Asheboro, Maryland. Fifteen years later she's got a degree in hospitality management and a great job at a high-end boutique hotel in Baltimore. Until, that is, the hotel is acquired by a chain, and she's laid off. When Kate's high school best friend calls with a mysterious invitation to come talk with the town leaders of Asheboro, she agrees to make the trip, curious about where this new opportunity might lead.

You've done it before. Saw something wrong with him--whether it was suspect grooming habits or ridiculously childish behavior--but let it slide. It's not that big of a deal. Except it totally was. You wanted to fall in love, but ended up going insane. You swore you'd never do it again. But did. Don't beat yourself up. In the search for love, we've all either blatantly ignored or completely missed red flags. Instead, smarten up. It's time to figure out what you missed and learn how to avoid similar flagtastic fiascos in the future. If you raise your red flag awareness now, you'll be able to green-light a real relationship down the road.

Elusive charmer Cash Walker is a tough-as-nails cowboy, except when it comes to the shy woman who shows up with a pretty smile, a wounded spirit, and a goat riding shotgun in her passenger seat. Recently divorced from an abusive husband, Emma Frank has come home to Broken Falls, Montana. Lost, alone, and unable to escape the bullying tactics of her ex-brothers-in-law, she finds solace and friendship at the Tucked Away farm and with the handsome cowboy who believes in her and who helps her find her own courage.

When Anne McCaffrey passed in November 2011, it was not only those closest to her who mourned her death; legions of readers also felt the loss deeply. The pioneering science fiction author behind the Dragonriders of Pern series crafted intricate stories, enthralling worlds, and strong heroines that profoundly impacted the science fiction community and genre.

In Dragonwriter, Anne’s son and Pern writer Todd McCaffrey collects memories and stories about the beloved author, along with insights into her writing and legacy, from those who knew her best.

When professional home stager Laura Bishop enters a competition to become the next TV home staging star, she figures it will be murder - but she doesn't expect it to include a body. As tensions rise and rivalries rage, a coded notebook flips the script, and Laura's on the case.

Drafted as chaperones, Maya Kendrick and PTA president Sandra Wallage are accompanying the SoPo High seniors to the nation's capital—much to the embarrassment of Maya's daughter Vanessa and Sandra's son Ryan. Now both moms are about to find out which is harder—shepherding unruly high schoolers or solving a murder. The last sight they expected to see on this trip is a female intern who works for Sandra's soon-to-be-ex-husband, Senator Stephen Wallage, in a fatally compromising position.

Road trips with kids aren't easy, but new parents of twins Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi became experts at creating lasting family memories without breaking the bank. From hiking with infants to navigating RV camping in state parks and camping in national parks - these outdoor lovers have tried it all, and See You at the Campground is packed with personal anecdotes, packing lists, site recommendations, and recipes that will help you create a one-of-a-kind vacation on a family-friendly budget.

When Ginny receives13 little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn't know is that she will have the adventure of her life, and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key to finding them in this funny, romantic, heartbreaking novel.

Weddings aren't my thing - never have been. But eloping would break my mother's heart, especially since the president of the United States put in a good word for me with his daughter's wedding planner. I'm going to have the wedding of the year...whether I like it or not. Before we can say I do, Slash and I are flying off to the Brazilian rain forest. Our mission: stop hackers from stealing a vaccine that could save millions of lives. I thought it'd be easy, but from the moment we step off the plane, I'm up to my neck in trouble.

Feisty enchanted hedgehogs with eye-watering gas, a half-dragon with an attitude, and a headless corpse aren't the best things to start the day with! But that's what we encounter in our first week working for animal control in Crimson Cove. We'd only come here to find a missing person but got more than we bargained for. As an enchanted cat, few things phase me, but even I wince when my wonderful witch, Zandra Crypt, finds a body missing its head.

Normally, spooky season is Bailey Briggs's favorite time of year, and her Halloween-themed small town's time to shine. But between managing Lazy Bones Books, working on her graphic novel-in-progress, and running the Spooky Season Literary Festival, Bailey hardly has a moment to enjoy Elyan Hollow's spot-on seasonal vibes. Not to mention, at every turn she seems to be tripping over the contentious crew of Gone Ghouls, a ghost-hunting reality TV show currently filming around town.