Showing results by narrator "Abby Elvidge" in All Categories

Sophie Lyons was a “thief from the cradle”, as one Chief of Police said; at the early age of six years she had already been trained by her stepmother to be a pickpocket and a shoplifter. A beautiful child with engaging manners, she was sent out every day into the stores and among the crowds of shoppers, and was soundly whipped if she came out of a shop with less than three pocketbooks. “I did not know it was wrong to steal; nobody ever taught me that,” Sophie Lyons writes.

Ten years ago Frank Lester, a Chicago homicide detective, thought he had rid himself forever of the Mud People Killer who'd kidnapped and murdered six people. Frank had shot him as he'd fled through a snowy night; had killed him, he believed, though a body was never found. But the killer wasn't dead. He'd only been waiting to take his revenge on Frank and those he cares about now...10 years later. Frank retired early and is living back in his hometown of Spookie when the killer resurfaces to take up where he left off.

Mark Twain's "Extracts from Adam's Diary" first appeared in 1893. He based Adam and Eve on himself and his beloved wife Olivia ("Livy") to create a humorous counterpoint the traditional Garden of Eden story, this time centered on what life may have been like for the first man. In this story, we hear Adam trying to work out what the "new creature with long hair" is all about. She names things, much to Adam's annoyance. She follows him around. Then suddenly, there's another creature, which eventually Adam decides is his son Cain. It's all about confusion and curiosity, and finally, love for Eve.

She made a deal with a demon to live again…Now she's cursed to live over and over, see-sawing into people's lives at the moment of their deaths, thrust into maelstroms of violence and emotion without any warning. As she strives to survive and do the right thing, she finds herself sometimes forced into evil acts, recognizing that she has become a game piece used in the eternal game of good vs. evil.

In Concert collects the collaborative short fiction of Melanie Tem and Steve Rasnic Tem, who have worked at the cutting edge of imaginative fiction for over a quarter century. In the twenty-one tales herein, the reader will find fear, joy, and mystery. In Concert showcases the wide range of their collaborative work. The title story tells of a lonely elderly woman who achieves rapport with a lost astronaut through the power of music.

Lost in a sea of single, 40-something women, author Karen Mills decided to embark on what she hoped would be the adventure of a lifetime. Come hell or high water, she would find her Prince Charming and live happily ever after. Armed with a shiny new online dating profile, she set out on her quest to find the perfect match. She knew she'd probably have to kiss a few frogs to find her prince, but she failed to understand that although rare, some frogs are deadly.

Bad Things is a collection of paranormal stories that will make your skin crawl and heart race. Do you sleep with the light on? Maybe you should....

In the eyes of Nadine, a polygamist and serial bride, nudging her husbands into heaven is a testament to love. Even Nancy Neptune, a notorious shock jock, is gobsmacked by Nadine's so-called “Celestial Send-Offs.” Things go to hell in a hurry when Nadine offs the wrong guy and is charged with assisted suicide. Meanwhile, Blue McKenna has problems of her own. A power outage has leveled Blue's medical marijuana dispensary. Scottie Sphincter, lead singer of a band called The Rectal Surgeons, is fingered as a suspect.

A relevant work as we try to find light in these challenging times, famed author of Little Women (1868) Louisa May Alcott wrote this collection of fairy tales for her childhood friend, Ellen Emerson. Flower Fables was, in fact, her very first publication.

Avis knew one thing: She wanted to be a good mother. At least a better mother than her own had been. Could she be the exception in her family? She traded Romoland for Modesto, married young, and started a family. Checking the boxes didn't a happy marriage make. Before her children were a few years old, she already knew she'd made a mistake.

Educated in Amherst, Massachusetts, Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe (1819-1906) accompanied her physician-husband to California in 1849. The Shirley Letters (1922) is the book edition of a series of letters written by Mrs. Clappe to her sister in 1851 and 1852. They were first published under the pseudonym of Dame Shirley in the Pioneer magazine, 1854-55. In these letters, Louise Clappe writes of life in San Francisco and the Feather River mining communities of Rich Bar and Indian Bar.

A short inspirational story about a single mother and a very special Christmas.

Could someone experience a haunting and remain completely unaware? In the case of Reginald Bonner, investigator Taija Ford believes she's uncovered evidence revealing just such an event. Sometimes people don't realize what they have until it's too late, and if they refuse to believe the impossible, they might not comprehend the real danger until death stakes its claim.

While rifling through her deceased father's belongings, a young woman named Taija Ford discovered a maze of files filled with journal entries and old letters that mention various claims of hauntings and alleged demonic possession. The oldest dating back to 1881. This particular file asserts a girl named Sarah Beth Hawkins was attacked by an unseen entity.

By 2015 the streets of Los Angeles have transformed from a thriving metropolis into a hostile world ravaged by demons bent on assimilating the human race. Standing between this total apocalypse of humanity and their chance for survival is the last of the United States military. Hidden within a top secret bunker, and lead by Admiral Gary Martin and his three children, this remnant wages war against the demonic regime.

After years of hauling around emotional baggage, I set out on a mission to rid myself of resentment and pain. I knew real happiness waited out there somewhere, but for decades finding it was more difficult than most would imagine. This is my story of self-discovery. It is a story of pain, loss, and betrayal. More importantly, it is the story of how I came to terms with my past, learned to live happily in the present, and how I built the bridge that would get me over it.

True ghost stories abound in this boxed set of The Haunted Series. (Volumes I through IV.) Strange bumps and bangs, soft footsteps in the hall, living with and fleeing from diabolical entities. All right here in one convenient location. Buckle up and get ready to be spooked!

Following the author's wildly beloved award-winning Overlay and City of Angeles memoirs, Big as All Hell and Half of Texas continues the author's story. This final volume candidly explores the pertinent societal question: how does an ill-equipped adult child of alcoholics navigate life after a childhood fraught with abuse, scarcity, and neglect?

This searing, often bizarre tale of Glynn Brown's teens and twenties reveals her flight from Las Vegas to the formidable world of self-re-invention among the angels and demons. Glynn Brown unflinchingly begets a self from the unlikeliest beginnings, and now delivers a sequel illustrating heaven and hell on her continuing flight for self-discovery.

In the best-selling vein of memoirists Jeannette Walls and Frank McCourt, the award-winning author delivers her addicting breakout novel - a mesmerizing memoir epic destined to become a classic. Set in transient 1970s Las Vegas, Overlay is the fighting-to-come-of-age story of a resilient child born into a cycle of alcoholism and abandonment. The author develops a powerful sense of self-preservation in contrast to the fallen adults entrusted with her care.