J R Kruze

Being able to escape into the wonderful world of romance is always a pleasure. This set of six short stories are an amusing way to find yourself into new worlds, with new lovers working out their difficulties and eventually end up with their happily-ever-after result. Some are ghosts, some introspective writers, some CIA-government types, a couple of futurists, some socially disadvantaged, and a young couple with hidden abilities. All in contemporary settings (for the most part) and perhaps something you can relate to (well, we can always want the superpowers, anyway.) Lose yourself in these worlds and become young at heart again with these short reads to fit into any schedule... Get Your Copy Now.

Cozy, Detective, or Amateur Sleuth - contemporary or fantasy - these six short stories will keep you guessing right up to their quick end. Mysteries come in many forms, and in many locations. Here we have contemporary, dystopian, and paranormal venues so you can immerse yourself from the first sentence in each of these short stories. - A ghost who has to arrange her own scene-reenactment just to find out how she died. - How a writer helps a woman find out why she is so sad all the time - from a diner bar stool. - A private investigator assigned to find out the secret of nurses who can cure the incurable - but then becomes a patient when he breaks quarantine to save another's life. - A detective who is ordered not to solve a perfect death. These short stories will fit in the bits and pieces of your schedule, while you work to solve the crimes from wherever and whenever you are reading... Get Your Copy Now

"It was a dark and stormy night, and everyone was sitting around the glowing fireplace, safe and warm against the raging weather outside. Someone said, 'John, tell us a story.' So John began..."The story "Ghost Hunters" started a series with two spirit-guides recruiting the human John Earl Stark, a mystery writer and part-time cattle farmer.Since that humble beginning, an expanding team of spirit-guides and even goddesses have joined the Library in its mission to help ghosts and other beings in trouble - to solve their own mysteries.And then John writes up their stories all as fiction - because no one would believe these tales otherwise.But the stage was set from that first book - that all beings should be treated with respect, and the way to solve a mystery is to get the story told.This third canon completes the first three years of this series, with an additional 16 stories that enlighten, entertain, and inspire readers over and over. Because they are written simply, and not as throwaway fiction, but stories that you get something new from on each reading. Mysteries that seem to be re-writing themselves in between readings - because they change the reader with the ideas in them.And after his first three years of writing, it's pretty straight forward if you stick to reading them in sequence. So - that is what's recommended. (But you can dive into the many peripheral series of stories collected by subject. These add a wealth of details and adventures to the various characters...)With these canons, reading is simpler. The second canon picked up where the first left off. And this third canon picks up from the second. This now becomes your next assignment. It's on you if you read out of order. (But it's tempting...)Never before published into single volumes, these stories will leave you wondering why no one has treated ghosts like this before. But then, if you were in their shoes, wouldn't you appreciate such treatment?Yes, even if you're a goddess. Those, too. This anthology contains: Ghost Hunters Anthology 09 by S. H. Marpel, J. R. Kruze, C. C. Brower - When Death Lives Twice - The Healer Chronicles: Birthdays] - The Healer Chronicles: Origins - Lazurai: HomecomingGhost Hunters Anthology 10 by S. H. Marpel & J. R. Kruze - The Case of the Time Bent Beau - The Case of the Walkaway Diner Redoux - Walkaway Redemption - FelicityGhost Hunters Anthology 11 by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel, R. L. Saunders - Walkaway Mary - Empress Oracle - The Healers Chronicles: Miracles - DoppelGhost Hunters Anthology 12 by S. H. Marpel, R. L. Saunders, J. R. Kruze - The "Panic of 2020" - The Projector - The Case of the Tenacious Typist - The Eye in TeamScroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

The adventures of the Ghost Hunters continue - with more exotic locations and hair-raising paranormal adventures than ever before: - A triple crossover story, where a time-bender discovers she is about to be erased from history unless she helps both her author friend and a soon-to-be boyfriend out of their respective time loops. - The Ghost Hunter team travels to China to resolve the problem of a Chinese emperor and his empress who are living outside of time while in our time-line the Great Chinese desert continues to expand and threaten all life on this planet. - The final story in the Healers Chronicles resolves the plight of two scientists who are trapped by the same virus they are studying. - Two duplicate people find themselves on Earth. One is a child, the other a savvy politician and power-crazy. To solve either, you must solve both - before the Western World is plunged into crisis with an assassination attempt during the State of the Union speech...This first quarter anthology of short story fiction by S. H. Marpel and various co-authors brings you new ideas to digest - all in the short periods of time you have available. Solve the mysteries of the paranormal as common-place - If you can.This Anthology contains: - Walkaway Mary by S. H. Marpel- Empress Oracle by S. H. Marpel, J. R. Kruze- The Healers Chronicles: Miracles by S. H. Marpel- Doppel by S. H. Marpel, R. L. SaundersGet Your Copy Now.

The adventures of the Ghost Hunters continue - with more exotic locations and hair-raising paranormal adventures than ever before: This second quarter anthology of short story fiction by S. H. Marpel and various co-authors brings you new ideas to digest - all in the short periods of time you have available.Explore such ideas as: - The President is transported to a writer's cabin, where he reveals startling observations about the pandemic scam.- A young girl sleuths out the truth about a Medicine Show wagon that can read your life and give you a trailer for it.- A young boy seeks a mentor after he finds he can write real-life people into his stories.- Three young children meet in an old barn to practice creating new worlds to replace the ones they came from.This Anthology contains: - The Panic of 2020 by S. H. Marpel, R. L. Saunders- The Projector by S. H. Marpel, R. L. Saunders- The Case of the Tenacious Typist by S. H. Marpel, J. R. Kruze- The Eye In Team by J. R. Kruze, S. H. MarpelExcerpt: IT JUST SHOWED UP ONE day.An old Medicine Show wagon on wooden spoke wheels. Positioned in a parking spot across from the closed-down movie house. It's tongue stuck out over into the next one, but no one ever parked there, so it wasn't a problem. Not since they tore down the old hotel that used to stand on that side. And besides, the missing horses would have to be hitched there to move it.Rumors said the horse-drawn wagon had to come in on a flatbed wagon. No one drove horses in town unless it was a parade. And then they loaded those horses into horse-trailers and they rode in the back on the trip back home. So none of the rumors answered how the wagon arrived.The wagon itself was a funny scene. Not humorous, but odd. A small coin-box mounted on its front took only quarters and extended a single ticket, good for two. The paint was old and faded, swirls and fanci-fications made it look like the Wizard of Oz fortune-telling setup. When the guy was parked by the bridge and cooking some sausage over a fire - you know the scene.Not that I was any Dorothy. Sure, I have black hair, but I like wearing it down, not in pigtails. And you would never catch me in a flouncy gingham dress with a pinafore. Cute dog, though. Wish I had one. Only not in our house or around it. Brothers and their baseball took up all the space of the backyard and the front had to be "just so" for the neighbor's approval. If Mom had anytime left over after cleaning the house, she was out in the front yard trimming, along with Dad on the weekends. But my brothers took turns mowing the grass short, catching hell if they scalped anything.As the one girl in the family, I helped out with the cleaning. The main incentive was to keep it clean during the week so that when the weekend cleaning came, I'd have more time to myself. Reading my books in spite of the roar of the lawnmower and the arguments over the baseball game in the backyard after that.If things got too noisy, I'd hike up to the library in the downtown "district" and read there, as well as find some new books to check out.One of those days, I was reading along as I walked. And there it was. A line of people waiting politely. This was rural Midwest polite, not what Chicago or New York called "polite". Just waiting, patient.After asking a couple of questions, the answering fingers pointed me to the ticket machine hanging on its side.So I got a ticket and took my place in line - just to find answers to my many questions... Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

The body disappeared, the witnesses forgot their stories.And I had 24 hours to solve the mystery before all the evidence vanished.I had no memory of how this all started. Only that I was brought in to solve a mystery in a single day before I had to move to my next assignment. Because I'm a time-jumper. And I go where I'm sent.Because I'm damned good at figuring things out. You don't have to have a string of degrees behind your name to figure out things.The trick is, I "borrow" someone else's body while I'm on the job, for the time I'm here.All I know on this job had a missing corpse already. And it happened when no one was around to see, on a government naval base in the heart of New York. Where sub-contractors came and went constantly.I just had to solve it faster than the witnesses either "forgot" or "disappeared."Like I said, I had only 24 hours.Anthology containing: -The Case of the Time Bent Beau by S. H. Marpel-The Saga of Erotika Jones 01 by J. R. Kruze-The Saga of Erotika Jones 02 by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel-The Saga of Erotika Jones 03 by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel-The Saga of Erotika Jones 04 by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel-The Saga of Erotika Jones 05 by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel-The Saga of Erotika Jones 06 by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel-The Saga of Erotika Jones 07 by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel-The Saga of Erotika Jones 08 by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel- The Saga of Erotika Jones Book Universes Notes by J. R. KruzeExcerpt: I didn't want to get out of bed for this new case. I felt tired, the bed was warm, and there was this hunk beside me. Broad shoulders, firm bum, sculptured abs - everything a gal could want.Still, the beeper was vibrating, it's staccato tempo on the side table persistent and annoying.I had my job to do. And under 24 hours, as usual, to see if I could solve this one.So I picked that annoyance up and saw the texts that had come in for me. On her beeper. My host's.That was the trick - I "borrowed" someone's body and ID for the cases that came in. How they did it, the nuts-and-bolts, I didn't really know. Nor did I know my own past - any more. Too many of these jumps had kinda swiss-cheesed my memories.The texts were all from Finn. He was my partner, my bar-buddy, and somehow was connected to the reason I still did this. Still, he made it interesting, and cheered me up when things got too solid and graphic.This morning he'd texted me the body was already missing, already cleaned. Said I needed to get there quick, since we both knew the reasons - the witnesses would be "forgetting" what they saw nearly as quick.Finn had a theory, and it was closer to true than anyone else believed - other than we who lived in the strange worlds where humans and fairies crossed paths, and where we fought the hidden wars to keep humans safe - in spite of themselves. The darker half of the faery kind were organizing for something - and these human bodies showing up and disappearing were just collateral evidence of their larger plan.Somehow. Having a working theory, anyway, was better than having none.My feet on the floor now, I bent to scoop up my underthings and found a too-short cotton bathrobe lay tangled in them. Slipping that on gave me some relative decency...Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

"JOHN, I JUST MET A ghost who's dying."I raised one eyebrow, waiting for the punchline from my favorite time-bender."No, it's not what you think. I haven't gone off the deep end. The government made him into something they call a ghost.""Figure if the government's involved, then it's going to be screwed up... But a ghost - dying?""Running out of juice, actually. Kept alive on some sort of weird life support that he won't fix to save himself.""Suicidal?""No, he says there's another in worse shape than him. A girl detective - of sorts.""And you got this from one meeting?""No, he appears once a year for about 5 minutes - so I tracked him back. And I've been talking to him for decades now.""5 minutes at a time?"Carol nodded, and bowed her head.I raised it with a gentle touch to her chin.And saw a tear roll down her cheek."Please, John. Help me help him - and her."Anthology containing: - The Case of the Time Bent Beau by S. H. Marpel- The Case of the Walkaway Diner Redoux by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel- Walkaway Redemption by S. H. Marpel- Felicity by S. H. MarpelExcerpt: I didn't often see Carol like this. In fact, never.Her eyes were hollow, her skin pasty, and she looked like she had slept in those clothes more than once. Not her ordinary tidy, perky self.Unlike some other of my guests, Carol always knocked politely. So softly, sometimes she had to knock twice to get my attention.This time, I rose at her first knock. Because there was some insistence in it this time. That's when I got a good look at her."Carol..."Her red-rimmed eyes met mine and I held out my arms.She melted into them for a long hug between friends.And I waited for her to speak.But when she didn't, "I've got some coffee I can warm up, and there's some of Hami's cookies left."Carol only looked up at me and nodded, then released me so she could drop onto the couch-bunk. I returned with the cookies after I'd poured this morning's coffee into a pan on the hotplate and set the coffeemaker to run another batch. A second look at her face persuaded me that this might be a long story she wanted to tell...Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

"Well, this is curious - I've only got papers that say to take one of you."My two latest deaths stood in front of me."The other is supposed to keep on living. But here you both are."Neither spoke to volunteer which was which."So, you both intend to keep on living, in spite of my orders to take one of you."Silence signaled assent."You know that no one has ever cheated Death. Just because you have some spirit-guides looking out for you doesn't mean I won't end up with one - or even both of you."I tapped a long, bony finger."Or maybe all four of you, just to make it completely fair. Because the more those two gals are working to keep you both alive, the more they are just making a bargain with me."The two men standing there looked at each other.Then turned to me and shrugged. At the same time, like they'd rehearsed it."Alrighty, then. The Game is on. Let's see who can beat Death and keep living. It's like always - all or nothing."And I never lose..."This anthology contains: - The Healers Chronicles: Birthdays - 01 by S. H. Marpel- The Healers Chronicles: Origins - 02 by S. H. Marpel- Lazurai Homecoming by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel- When Death Lives Twice by S. H. MarpelExcerpt: JUDE AND I GOT RUSHED in here again last night.Because both our boys slipped under again. Flat-lining like before.Rochelle kept telling us we two sisters were doing great at nursing them, that there was nothing anyone else could do any better. But now each of us had only one duty right now - and that was to save the guy we were "assigned" to.We knew Rochelle had never seen anything like this before. Sure, she'd had people just give up and die on her. Especially when she couldn't get to them in time. Even after she'd brought them back to life once or twice or more.But under the care of a Lazurai healer, body death is extremely rare.Sure, they both had serious wounds when they came in. But those had all been patched. And there were only faint lines now where the jagged cuts had been repaired. In time, there wouldn't even be any scars to show. The surgery here was expert.Yet this was the third time both of us had to come in and stop the slide.And once we did, it left us both exhausted. Of course, it didn't help that we were either sleeping on hallway couches or a nearby wheeled gurney just to be on call.At least we had plenty of towels around to sob into when it got to be too much...Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

The third collection of short stories by J. R. Kruze.Known for a unique take on common situations, and a dry wit, Kruze is also able to look at usual circumstances and see unusual aspects to write about. These stories will let you start wondering about the world around you.Mystery, fantasy, paranormal, romance and science fiction are a few of this mixed genre collection.Enjoy seeing your world through J. R. Kruze's eyes...This anthology contains: - The Girl Who Became Tomorrow by J. R. Kruze - The Autists: Brigitte by J. R. Kruze - Dark Lazurai by J. R. Kruze - The Girl Who Saved Tomorrow by J. R. Kruze - A Dog Named Kat by J. R. Kruze - The Saga of Erotika Jones 01 by J. R. Kruze - A World Gone Reverse by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel - The Arrivals by C. C. Brower, J. R. KruzeExcerpt: I TORE OFF THE HEADSET with it's VR goggles and earbuds. They skidded across my massive desk, scattering papers and files like a mini cyclone. Only stopping when they wrapped around the very solid, unmovable gray base of Lady Liberty.Someone had cast her as a thick bronze piece, originally created as a classless idea of a lamp support. I took out all that wiring and plugged that hole so she again stood for something. It's original message of friendship between two nations, united in the birth date of universal independence and freedom, had been altered by marketing to mean wanting "...huddled masses yearning to breathe free."But those weren't my favorite lines, which were at the beginning, "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp "I stood at that thought, and walked over to the two walls of plate glass, floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked that N'Yack harbor. Clear days would allow you to see that Gray Lady standing with her back to us, far out in the harbor.And my thoughts always went back to my own grandmother and her grandmother - who had started and fostered a lineage of independent geniuses, ones who kept that legacy of pushing forward the technologies of this culture.They didn't come here through that harbor, but instead were born and raised in the Heartland. Extreme geniuses with talent far beyond their time, education, and sex.Along with that natural-born freedom to think, to innovate, to create a better world than the one we each were born into.I brushed a black lock out of my eyes and swung the rest of that long dark mane out of my way. And put my arms akimbo as I stood there, defiant against the history that had brought me here to this point in time, this office.That's what I thought as I looked far out across that harbor, looking for the real Gray Lady out there.Not for long.Because right about the time of that thought, I got a blinding flash of intuition and my reflexes soared me into action. Literally.I ran, leaped, and flew across to the other side of my up-armored desk, where I landed and curled into a reverse-rolling ball of tucked knees and arms. A ball that bumped to a stop back under that tiny desk crawlspace.Just before the explosion blew what was left of those two glass corner walls out into the streets below. And ignited the rest of my former office into a fireball.At least that's what they later told me happened.Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

The adventures of the Ghost Hunters continue - with more exotic locations and hair-raising paranormal adventures than ever before: - A three-part serial which starts by attempting to solve the mystery of a ghost who has been haunting several hundred feet underwater, for 12,000 years or so. And then involves an immortal being who was turned half-human and beaten nearly unconscious. Only to reveal she has a twin sister who she has fought with constantly over the ages - but now has to work with her to regain her own powers and defeat an immortal enemy who has worked out how to exploit the Internet and social media to enslave all of humankind.- Plus, two additional mysteries involving an angel and an immortal goddess who need the human mystery writer John Earl Stark to solve their unsolvable problems...All in short reads that fit into the time you have to read. Delicious mental snacks that will leave you with new ideas to consider long after the entertainment is over.This anthology contains: The Harpy Saga: Sister Mine by S. H. MarpelHarpy Redux by S. H. MarpelThe Case of the Sunken Spirit by S. H. MarpelA Case of Missing Wings by S. H. Marpel & J. R. KruseGaia by S. H. MarpelExcerpt: SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT was too good to last.If it weren't insulting to the canine species, I'd call that priestess a bitch out loud. Frequently. And I still may.My recent work was to start un-doing many of the various organizations I'd been part of that had been making the governments on this planet unstable. Organized crime and terrorism were umbrella terms that covered most of it.I had no problem being on both sides of that coin when it suited me.People would approach me, wanting something. Bad or good, it was something they needed - for whatever purpose. If I could help them, especially if they were honestly wanting to help others, I'd do it.This chick, though, she was something else. She played the hurt, helpless chick just too well. Wanted to get her powers back that she "lost" while trapped by an evil goddess. Took her forever to undo the spell and now she just wanted to go back to helping people organize their lives better, make more money, get as famous as they wanted, blah, blah, blah.I went along with it, to begin with. Not without my doubts. But she gained my trust after awhile. Helped my straighten out some of my messes.It didn't take long for her to catch me unaware and put a crippling spell on me. One that took away half my powers. Well, on one side of me. Couldn't use that wing. Couldn't walk. Not human, not goddess. Trapped in the world in between, unable to function in either world.Trying to fight her physically just got me bruised and scratched and cut on that side. Because that side was now very human, unclothed, and vulnerable.The fight was fast, brutal, and I was half-unconscious before I knew it. The other half of me was in a red haze. Where this witch had come from, I didn't know. Her language was old, real old. And her powers were based on gods older than my parents, or at least as old.John finally found me. I don't know how. All I knew was hearing his voice as I went in and out of a dark blackness...Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

LIfe isn't easy when you're a library cat who was formerly a Cat Goddess out of Egypt.And then you're introduced to two young male time-travelling scientists by your friend who natively bends time herself, with the help of organic tesseracts that float around her.Of course their machine won't work - but then it does.And they are trapped in Ancient Egypt because they only went there to prove a point - and their machine was stolen meanwhile...So starts the Hermione series - the latest creations of S. H. Marpel in his mytery series, "Ghost Hunters".Anthology containing: - Hermione- When Cats Ruled- A Case of Lost Time- Enemies & Bookends- The Tao of MystiNow, this particular anthology doesn't only talk about Hermione's adventure. We also give Mysti a chance to explain how the Lazurai healing works. Oh, you may know the Lazurai from earlier books in this series. But if you don't, check out the Notes at The Tao of Mysti's end. (Or get the earler seven books in this anthology series...)Excerpt: I'D BEEN CAUGHT IN a cross-fire. And just got saved from bleeding out.Now my shape-shifting was on hold until I healed. But I was stuck in human shape, having to re-learn the human experience.I don't know when I first appeared on Earth. Before recorded time somewhere. And for the last few centuries or so, I'd been happy as a library cat.But then I got bored, and started helping out with simple missions.Good thing they got to me in time on this one.Now I had to re-learn what it is to be human. Me, the cat-goddess.But I'd never be able to shift back to my native form without shooting pains up that arm - until I could understand human relationships - ones that always left the scholars of the ages mystified.Easy-peasy for a goddess. Maybe.- - - -THE FIREBALLS AND SHARP spinning discs were aimed right toward us as we arrived.Sent from rock-outcrops in the darkness beyond our glow-balls. An ambush.Sal and Jude's shields came up, but John had already gotten himself nicked. He was holding on to his other arm with his free hand, blood seeping between his fingers. We were pinned down.So I sent to Sal - "Let me out. I'll hold them while you get John to safety.""You sure?""We're sitting ducks otherwise."Sal nodded to me and to Jude.I leapt out and multiplied with alternate selves, borrowed from multiple time-lines. All of us tiger-sized now. And we each held the small groups in stasis. Something I could do indefinitely.Sal and Jude took John out of there. The attackers and my multiple me's were now all in a Mexican stand-off.Until their reinforcements came in.Then one of my other future selves went down with a bad slice and a lot of blood. I signaled the others to retreat and take her with them. Then shrunk down to my smallest cat size and bounced out of harm's way to a small rock outcropping that was out of their firing-sights. Mostly.It was just a nick, but I wasn't going to hold that blood in with my tiny paws. And any larger form that had regular hands would stick out enough to become a target....Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

Walking down the highway - barefoot, feverish, and in only a nightgown. At least the storm had quit. Now if I could get my chattering teeth to stop, it would help - maybe. Up ahead, I see some stopped cars. Some have their lights on. Maybe I can get help. Too bad I can't travel any faster the way I am. That's odd. Nobody in them. Lights on, but no one at home. Except for a crying baby. And no one answers my calls either. No, I can't leave her alone. At least there's a shawl they left with her and her blankets. So she and I are on the road again. Toward the next town, which is just a couple of painful miles ahead. Me and the baby have something else in common besides my barefoot walking and feeling alone... Noner of us remember what happened to get us here. This anthology contains: - The Healers Chronicles: Birthdays - 01 by S. H. Marpel- The Healers Chronicles: Origins- Lazurai Homecoming by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel- The Lazurai by J. R. Kruze- Ham & Chaz by C. C. Brower, J. R. Kruze- The Lazurai Returns by J. R. Kruze, C. C. Brower- The Healers Chronicles: Miracles by S. H. Marpel Excerpt: I woke up not remembering much of how I got here, where I was, or who I used to be. There were two babies, one on each side of me, who were sleeping soundly. All of us in a big bed that was soft and warm. My hair and white muslin nightgown were drenched. Like I'd been out in the rain with them. Even soaked the sheets a bit. But the babies were both dry. I could hardly move from where I was, since the top sheet and quilted patchwork comforter had been tucked in around all of us so tight.

The adventures of the Ghost Hunters continue - with more exotic locations and hair-raising paranormal adventures than ever before: - A time-bender is pursued by government-types in black SUV's who want to trap and "study" her abilities. But she turns the table on their advanced electronics to escape and make their gizmo's worthless.- When a spirit guide is required to be attorny for the defense, she is conflicted. Since she agrees with many of the charges. Her plaintiff: Humanity itself. The penalty if found guilty: complete eradication.- Our time-bender returns, as the government agents have forced her into hiding. But they are also now tracking the rest of the Ghost Hunter team. So this begins an all-out war, which is over before they knew they were under attack...- A government experiment goes, and a revenge-driven immortal finds himself uncontrollably radioactive once a year as result. The birthday of him and his dead brother. Only the Ghost Hunter team can keep him from destroying huge areas...- An ear-wig was the clue to solving this mystery. And uncovering a secret that the ghost herself didn't know she had.Includes: Book Universes Notes - so you can have access to the background stories of the characters and the references they make to earlier Ghost Hunters books.These short stories are perfect for filling the bits of time you have.Where you can be transported to new worlds, educated with new concepts, even inspired - all from your smartphone.This Anthology Containing: - A World Gone Reverse by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel - The Faith of Jude by S. H. Marpel - A Very Thin Line by S. H. Marpel - Dark Lazurai by J. R. Kruze - Lilly Lee by S. H. MarpelExcerpt: I WAS MINDING MY OWN business when they found me, flying among the clouds without an airplane.One of the perks of being an immortal spirit-guide. I could always simply "phase" from here to there instantly, but I liked to fly. Easier than any bird. I only put a little energy shield against the wind and weather (otherwise her clothing soils and her hair gets "ratty"). But it let the fresh air through (although I heated it a little if it felt too cool.)The day was fantastic. Bright sunshine streamed through the cloud gaps, and the arbitrary divisions in the land ownership below made a varied patchwork of the land. Different crops, tillage, and wilder areas were always interesting to look over from a "what if" and "how come" viewpoint. Much like John wrote his stories.And that was where I was headed, to his little writer's cabin in the Midwest. I had some time off, and enough so I could luxuriate in this slow method of travel.For all the history I'd lived through, it still pointed out that the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. Humans hadn't changed much in 10,000 years, if at all. And even those of us who'd managed to "evolve" into spirit-beings, we were still very much the humans that we'd started out as. Older, more experienced, but wiser was whether we really wanted to learn from all that experience.And I'd get twinges of sadness reflecting like that. Because not all of the spirit-guides I'd known had made it. Just as gods and goddesses, just because you're immortal doesn't mean you can't be killed...Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

The vision was always started the same: A strong, certain woman walking toward me through the falling, blown snow.Definite, measured steps brought that mystery woman closer.A pace I was familiar with, somehow.And yet vulnerable.Her sleeveless dress and soft flat shoes would be soaked by these moist white flakes by the time she reached me. Within minutes after, she'd be shivering in the gusts that blew her long hair about her shoulders, and make the long hem of her dress flap like a battle pennant.Just as her walk was that of a conqueror.Her play was not a calculated risk or a chess stratagem.She knew my responses. My gallantry will make me take off my heavy overcoat and wrap it close around her. And she will then fold into my arms as I direct us toward the nearest warm doorway.She knew, I knew - not a number any longer.Excerpt: I shouldn't have been surprised to see the wreckage of that explosion.But I was. We were. The man who in a short time had become my friend and protector - and me.He seemed to hide any reaction to it - or honestly didn't have any.All of my professional life and career was in those ruins.We were there to reconnoiter, to weigh and evaluate the occurrence, to re-experience the devastation first hand.The wreckage seemed absolute.If I found anything that survived that firestorm to take with me, it would have to fit into my hands or pockets.The many books, anything combustible - those were gone. Anything plastic or fusible - they were melted or also gone to ash.The blast-temperature was high enough that little was left. Even the floor was somewhat buckled from the blast heat warping the steel beams beneath it, plus the weight of the pooled water the fire department used to extinguish it.The brisk fall winds had now evaporated or blown most all of the water and ash out that wide open hole in the side of that building.My friend and rescuer was here for his own reasons. And I came along, like I did everywhere now. Because his immediate future was also mine, like it or not.He only stood there now, turning and peering into what we could see. Statuesque, but not a statue.As I stepped carefully among the husks of furniture and fallen remnants of building materials, my polished street shoes were becoming the color of that muddy ash.For it was raining again, and the wind blew that rain back through the open gap where floor-to-ceiling windows once stood to keep all weather out on that corner office.Of course, I was past crying about almost anything left of my former life now. The wetness on my cheek had to be rain or blown mist. Had to be.My foot kicked something that tinkled, so I stopped.The dim light showed some glint in all that sooty ash. We carried no flashlights, nothing to give anyone a clue that we were there. Streetlights and the surrounding buildings gave us any light to see by.A break in the clouds brought the full moon's light across our scene.At my muddy toe was a small globe that used to sit in it's little clear Plexiglas perch on my desktop.I bent, picked it up and wondered if what it held inside was still intact.Shaking it, I heard the rattle. Just maybe.I started to twist and unscrew its two halves, my hands slipping without getting a grip.But then he took my arm...

I could fix anything. Since I was old enough to hold a wrench. Yeah, weird for a girl.There were people out there that didn't want me to succeed. Some because I was a genius, some because I was a girl.They couldn't understand advanced steam technology, turbines replacing piston-drive - and didn't think any "bimbo" could, either.Most of those who caused me trouble had a worse problem - they were trapped in their own mind.And didn't want to be freed.When I met my former high school classmate, he gave me the clue that brilliant old me never thought of. He had discovered a secret that allowed me to get around their roadblocks, and to go ahead and invent anything I imagined - at a vast profit.And he ended up changing my life in ways I could never imagine...This collection contains: - The Girl Who Built Tomorrow - The Girl Who Saved Tomorrow - The Girl Who Became TomorrowExcerpt: "Life isn't fair " I cried out to no one in particular in the cluttered machine shed I called my shop.I would have run to my mother's skirts to bury my tear-soaked face in her lap, except I'd long been trained that this would only make the teasing worse.I was better off getting a clean work rag - one that didn't have oil or grease on it, or something worse - and wipe them away. "Just suck it up, bimbo." That's what I learned to tell myself. With five older brothers, I got treated like just another son in the family. They all taught me from an early age that tears didn't matter. And even if they got a tongue-lashing from Mom, I'd still inherit a little hell-on-earth later for every story I blubbered to her. Not that I'd ever get touched, although that happened. And they'd get away with it as long as they didn't leave a mark or rip any of my clothes. But the worst was when they would wreck something I was working on.And that's how I taught them to leave me alone. Because I was a better "fixer" than any of them. Once they found that out, they'd bring their stuff to me rather than try to figure it out for themselves.And when the teasing got real bad, they'd wind up with something of theirs suddenly out start to run badly - or wouldn't run at all. Right when they needed it the most. Of course, they couldn't prove I'd done it.So they quickly learned to stay on my good side. And stay out of my shop. And never, ever, "borrow" my tools.Because it wouldn't stop until they did. I was just built that way. "Eye for an eye" type of gal. "Hell hath no fury..." and all that. When they started racing, life got better for me. They learned that their little sister was an advantage no one else had. The machines I worked on for them gave them an edge - they performed better, ran faster, lasted longer than anyone else's. And if they wanted something special done, I'd find little gifts on my workbench - or somewhere I'd notice. That worked just great. They won their races, and my life got easier.Until I discovered how nice boys could be outside my family. Ones who didn't need their machines fixed or tuned. The ones that gave me stuff because they liked me.But wasn't prepared to find someone who really understood me. Even my parents didn't get the scope of what they had created...Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

When the hamburgers all disappeared, along with the buns I was warming, I thought I was seeing things. But when my spatula went through the cast-iron grill top - I had to let it go out of reflex. No way was I going after it - I'd been burned too many times. It wasn't like I had a choice after that. Because the grill itself dropped out through the bottom of the rolling coach we were cooking out of that summer. I looked up at Ham, my order-taker, partner, and lover - only to see her fall through the floor as well. A look of shock and trying to say something, but frozen in time. Then the coach disappeared, and I fell with it - but only as far as the pavement it used to be parked on. I could see the asphalt beneath my feet at least. Until it turned to some sort of foamy waves lapping on a beach I'd never seen before. Green hard-packed sand. Green water. And a long white line that went down this beach like it was some sort of dual-lane highway... Get Your Copy Now.

The adventures of the Ghost Hunters continue - with more exotic locations and hair-raising paranormal adventures than ever before: - A three-part serial which starts by attempting to solve the mystery of a ghost who has been haunting several hundred feet underwater, for 12,000 years or so. And then involves an immortal being who was turned half-human and beaten nearly unconscious. Only to reveal she has a twin sister who she has fought with constantly over the ages - but now has to work with her to regain her own powers and defeat an immortal enemy who has worked out how to exploit the Internet and social media to enslave all of humankind. - Plus, two additional mysteries involving an angel and an immortal goddess who need the human mystery writer John Earl Stark to solve their unsolvable problems... All in short reads that fit into the time you have to read. Delicious mental snacks that will leave you with new ideas to consider long after the entertainment is over. Get Your Copy Now.

The second collection of short stories by J. R. Kruze. Known for a unique take on common situations, and a dry wit, Kruze is also able to look at usual circumstances and see unusual aspects to write about. These stories will let you start wondering about the world around you. Mystery, fantasy, paranormal, romance and science fiction are a few of this mixed genre collection. Enjoy seeing your world through J. R. Kruze's eyes... This anthology contains: One Thought, Then Gone by J. R. Kruze The Lazurai Returns by C. C. Brower & J. R. Kruze The Case of the Forever Cure by J. R. Kruze Ham & Chaz by C. C. Brower & J. R. Kruse The Girl Who Built Tomorrow by J. R. Kruze Synco (TM) by J. R. Kruze & R. L. Saunders On Love's Edge by J. R. Kruse The Case of the Naughty Nightmare by J. R. Kruse To Laugh At Death by J. R. Kruze Voices by J. R. Kruze The Case of the Walkaway Blues by J. R. Kruze & S. H. Marpel Get Your Copy Now.