Showing results by author "Linda Mooney" in All Categories

Stories included are: "Barney", "Green Bean Casserole", "An Explosive Combination", "The Leg", "The Wishbone", "Day 280,662".

A plague is wiping out the population, stealing the humanity from people and turning them into monsters. Kem and Armand are willing to do whatever it takes to protect their daughter and survive. Nothing is promised, not life, not their next meal, not even a decent night’s rest. The quality of life is quickly diminishing. How much is too much? How long until the fight for survival is no longer worth it, and it’s time for a dignified end rather than a slow, painful death?

Collection of stories include "Innie", "A Bottle of Love", "The Color of Roses", "Happy Birthday", "The Slot Machine", "Ladder of Glass", and more.

Mimsey Goddess lives a simple life, chatting with Nim, her pet sloth; scaring a robber or two; saving the occasional life...you know, normal things for a demi-goddess. For centuries, she’s enjoyed this life, scratching the sexual itch when she feels it, moving on when the need arises. But when she meets Silas, he brings up feelings she’s never felt before. A routine stop at the market for Silas Barnett turns into anything but when he helps stop a robbery, and he’s intrigued by the old lady brave enough to take on the crook.

Croat was a Lupan, one of the half-man, half-beast creatures long thought to be extinct or fabricated from fairy tales. Lupan were folklore, nothing more than a myth. Tora was a Sensitive. Her kind really existed, and normal people feared Sensitives because it was common knowledge that all Sensitives were evil and practiced the dark magick. Captured and thrown together inside Baron Agrino’s dungeon, they discovered a connection between them that defied all reason, and a love that transcended all boundaries.

For the past four years, the war against the invaders has raged on, with seemingly no end in sight. Cities and towns have been razed, with the majority of the population killed or forced into hiding. The military branches - what’s left of them - are joining forces against the enemy. The aliens. Lieutenant Gretchen Twoey and her squad are quickly losing hope. Supplies are limited, soldiers are becoming even more so, but the alien mechanoids are never-ending.

Forget everything you think you know about mass murderers and crimes of passion, because now you’re going to learn the truth. People don’t decide one day to go out and kill as many people as they can, or wake up one morning, grab the nearest shotgun or axe, and proceed to hack apart their loved ones. They do it because they’re infected with a jewel, a creature of intense beauty and danger. Once the jewel takes over a host’s body, that person dies, leaving the jewel in total control to thrive on fear and horror.

In the not-too-distant future, the human population is nearly wiped out by an alien invasion. Six years after the initial attack, Emlee Dow isn’t too worried about the continuing alien presence any longer. It’s the few humans left who pose a greater threat. Food and supplies are hard to come by, making survival an ever-increasing struggle. Luckily, she finds refuge in an undiscovered basement room containing enough supplies to last weeks.

Almost seven years ago they landed on Earth - 31 aliens, fugitives from a lifetime of slavery and cruelty. Now they were dispersed among the populace, unidentifiable because of their shape-shifting abilities. Simolif knew when his brother Jebaral found his life's mate. The blood lines in his arm had increased by one. And the sight of it had thrilled him like nothing else could...unless he, too, could find someone who could accept him for what he was, and who would not scream in fright to see his true self.

They are the cause of many legends, myths, and fairy tales. And they still live among us. Arik Hawthorne preferred to be a loner. He had a dark secret to protect, and as a professional kick boxer, he was able to work off the wild energy that filled his life. His whole world changed when he was partnered with Corinth Marya, and they were ordered to find and stop the creature that was killing innocent people in New Mexico. If going after the Breacher wasn't bad enough, he found himself seriously and dangerously attracted to the army lieutenant.

There are creatures from a parallel world called Breachers who, for hundreds of years, have been inadvertently pulled into our world. They are the truth behind the creatures normally considered to be mythic. Once on Earth, they cannot go back, and those who cannot cope become rabid. Murderers. And when they go berserk, they must be put down. Jerrod Holt always wondered why he was selected to be part of the secret governmental organization. More perplexing was why his skills as a professional bodyguard were needed.

Looking for a quick buck to help feed her addiction, Cressa “Goldie” Locke helps herself to a nice-looking house, hoping to score some jewelry to pawn. She’s perfected the art of small-time crime to keep from getting busted, but this time she may have gotten a little more than she's bargained for. She picked the wrong house...or maybe it was just right. When she wakes up in a hospital bed, Cressa knows she’s been caught red-handed, and there’s no getting out of it.

A kingdom is rife with rumors of the evil that lays in wait on the fringes of the woods. Fairy tales of curses, animalistic beasts, and an inhuman prince — Lady Bethel has heard the stories all her life, but what she once thought were just stories told to keep a child in line could prove to be so much more. The daughter of Lord Voril of Banderling, Lady Bethel spends her time following in her late mother’s footsteps, caring for the sick in the villages surrounding Banderling Mayne.

After World War III, better known as the Nuclear War, survivors were forced to move underground, where they had a better chance of survival. Those who were caught above ground in the aftermath inevitably died of exposure. However, the animals and vegetation were not so lucky. Although most species survived, they also mutated. And, sometimes, those mutations reached the remaining human population.

Stories of the Battle Lord and Lady of Alta Novis’s exploits have reached far and wide. Some sound almost unbelievable. That’s why Brass Cullum, along with his sons Dyer and Rayburn, have made the long trek to the D’Jacques compound to seek the help of the notorious battle lord in training an army of his own, to enable them to protect themselves from the increasing tribal attacks on his own compound. However, not everyone is quick to trust the newcomers, and with good reason.

Determined in his quest to bring peace between Normal and Mutah compounds, Yulen D'Jacques accepts an invitation for him and Atty to attend a summit conference in the distant westerly province of Corado. If the long trip isn't dangerous enough, they face an onslaught of illness and disease, as well as creatures they've never before encountered. Worse, once they arrive at Rocky Gorge compound, they discover a plot that will shatter their lives and their love.

Livvy Truitt is a self-confessed nympho. But she's also a woman savvy about the dangers of dating in this day and age. Which is why she gets her jollies as often as she can via her toys. When her current favorite suddenly conks out on her, and the local sex shop doesn't carry anything that interests her, she follows a friend's advice and orders a Pearl of Passion from a new and distinctly different shop online. She soon finds out her pretty little vibrator is more than unique. It's also possessed.

Forget everything you think you know about mass murderers and crimes of passion, because now you’re going to learn the truth. People don’t decide one day to go out and kill as many people as they can, or wake up one morning, grab the nearest shotgun or axe, and proceed to hack apart their loved ones. They do it because they’re infected with a jewel, a creature of intense beauty and danger. Once the jewel takes over a host’s body, that person dies, leaving the jewel in total control to thrive on fear and horror.

Quirties features three quick and dirty short stories: "Peter and His Wolf", "Suckers", and "His Last Request".

Griffin and Natalia are still surviving one veil at a time, living life not knowing when another one might make an appearance, or where it may take them. Mountains, desert, summer or winter — there’s no way to prepare, they just take what’s thrown at them. Through it all their love continues to grow, and it’s more than just because of circumstance. They’ve grown to rely on each other. Depend on one another. But they shouldn’t get too comfortable....