R L Saunders

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.

A Second Collection of the Dark Humor Satire of R. L. SaundersLife in our dystopian near-futures has never been funnier. Sauders gets inspiration from our daily news, and these stories are therapy for us as well. Skewering what is accepted as conventional wisdom, Saunders explores concepts which are more easily delivered with entertainment than op-eds or tweet-storms.Always taking the "what if" of current controversies to their slippery-slope results, Saunders reminds us constantly to not take the world around us seriously.This anthology contains: Smart Home Revenge by R. L. Saunders and S. H. MarpelFor the Love of 'Cagga by C. C. Brower & R. L. SaundersSynco (TM) by J. R. Kruze & R. L. SaundersThe Lonely Witness by R. L. SaundersBeltway Gremlin by R. L. SaundersExcerpt from "Smart Home Revenge" "What do you mean we can't get back in to my own house? What about cutting the power?""I can't get the power company to send any more people here. They keep getting shocked even before they touch the disconnect.""At their own pole? ?""Yes. Their own power pole is shocking them.""What about cutting off the whole block?""Not that simple. There are a lot of lawyers who live in this neighborhood of yours and they already know about your haunted 'smart home'. They've let us know that it will be costly if we try. Besides, the next closest substation takes out dozens of blocks around here. We aren't going to turn everyone off just because you lost the password to your own smart home.""It's not the password, I tell you..." The owner was fuming by now, fists clenched. "Oh, just never mind." Then the smartphone was pocketed.The windows on the house pulsed red and green. And no, they didn't leave their Christmas decorations up.The last technician who was willing to come out and have a look at their house said that it reminded him of breathing. And after we fired him, no other company would agree to take it on - but would schedule us their "next possible opening" - some months from now.The owner, his wife, and two kids were just standing on their sidewalk. With their pets on leashes. Even their cars were locked inside the garage. All they had been able to take with them were their smartphones, a game controller, and a tablet. But accessing their smart home control panel only gave them a PAC-man-era pixelated sad face.Worse than sad - angry.Calls to the company who made the programs and installed them went unanswered, or were refused. And after that, their phone went dead. All like some horrible prank-turned-harassment.At last, one of the neighbor's wives came over and called a cab for the family on her own phone. The cab arrived, the family left. And the on-looking neighbors went back inside - or got in their own cars to leave and stay elsewhere until that spooky house was resolved. Or at least knew their house wasn't going to be next.It was close to sunset now. And while all the houses had power, the streetlights on that street and the others near them failed to come on.Police sent patrol cars to manage traffic in those streets, but wouldn't come down to that vacant house.The one that breathed red and green - and looked far more ominous in the dark...Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now

If laughter is the best medicine, then reading humorous short stories should be the best practice to maintain your health.These three authors with their six stories have written stories that both poke fun at the sacrosanct and also skewer them for dissection as both pompous and ripe.From the ranks of Voltaire, Twain, and Vonnegut, these new voices have something to say about how our current culture and what they consider serious. You may find yourself irritated, incensed, or having a laugh outloud moment as you read along into the imaginative worlds these authors create.You may find yourself expecting to see someone just waiting in the shadows for you to get the punchline - expect that author's spirit as you read their works. PS. You have their permission to roll on the floor with delight, in private, of course...A Short Story Anthology Containing: - Cats Typing Romance by R. L. Saunders- Voices by J. R. Kruze- Rise & Fall of President Frump by R. L. Saunders- Keyboard in the Sky by R. L. Saunders- The Autists by J. R. Kruze- Becoming Michelle by R. L. Saunders & C. C. Brower- plus bonus: four more short stories...Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

Have you ever thought some very dangeous thoughts? Ones that could destroy all life as you knew it? In these six stories by three authors, they do just that. Of course, fiction is safer than real life, so it's much easier to test things here. ...Or so we've been told. In these stories are ideas that will captivate, and excite you to new thoughts and ideas of your own. Because the universe we live in is just a hair's-breadth away from the fictional ones we create. If history is any judge, these authors may be writing are things that will be in our own present any time now. Of course, that's only if you think their thoughts through... Get Your Copy Now.

Writers don't often write about their own worlds - but when they do, expect them to be every bit as imaginative as their other fiction. We've found a common theme in these six short stories. Where these new authors, not only explore their own thoughts, ideas, and angst through their own fiction, but also take apart their own ideas about how writers write. Here you'll see writer's block, the solitary writer's romances, the revenge of stalking stories, being transported by another writer into one of their worlds, and even examining the idea of your pet cat being responsible for a writer's output - or lack of it. Nothing is sacred to these authors as they turn their fiction microscope on themselves and their own profession. Get Your Copy Today.

Life in our dystopian near-futures has never been funnier. Sauders gets inspiration from our daily news, and these stories are therapy for us as well. Skewering what is accepted as conventional wisdom, Saunders explores concepts which are more easily delivered with entertainment than op-eds or tweet-storms. Always taking the ""what if"" of current controversies to their slippery-slope results, Saunders reminds us constantly to not take the world around us seriously. This anthology contains: - The Tunnel People - Mind Timing - Becoming Michelle - A Sweet Fortune - Keyboard in the Sky - Cats Typing Romance - The Maestro - Rise & Fall of President Frump - The Integrity Implosions - The Chardonnay Conspiracy Note: Mind TIming and Becoming Michelle were co-authored with C. C. Brower

Carol and Reggie were different. They thought different.Reggie could talk "the ears off a corn stalk." He was an expert on history, like a walking Wikipedia on ancient times (if people could stand to listen to him.)Carol hardly talked, but her hugs could tell you the world. She could solve quintic polynomial equations. And a 4x4 Rubic's cube with one hand.They were autists. "Special needs" people. Savants, kind of.They were perfect for each other. Or maybe not. So different.Between them, they understood the universe.It was no small surprise that they were part of the next stage in human evolution. The one that's already here. Of course they knew it. But most of humanity didn't... Excerpt: Reggie could talk until tomorrow came. Gawd that guy liked to talk.When he couldn't talk, he'd write.Me, I liked to hug.And children. I love children.And what most people think are "difficult" math problems.They just don't try to understand what that equation wants. How it smells right when it's accomplished what it wants.So they use math to solve really dumb things like how a rocket jerks in flight. Instead of looking for things that want to fly, they have to build something truly inefficient that makes a big sound and blows up with a louder one. Because they don't feel when it's right.I moved into Reggie's apartment after we danced that one time. His room mate swapped apartments with me, since I lived near a bunch of other girls and he was tired of listening to Reggie. (But I don't think so, it's probably that he'd rather listen to girls giggle while they co-flirted.) Is "co-flirted" a word? Too bad if it's not. Bag and Cat are now disjointed from mutual proxmity.]So I'd come back in from work to find Reggie tapping out yet another over-long essay on his computer.I'd hug him and he'd pause. And his heartbeat would slow to match mine.Then I'd let him go and move into the kitchenette to make a couple of sandwiches for us. I knew he probably hadn't eaten. Or he would eat a sandwich I made just to make me happy.And he would finish up whatever he was blogging about. I'd have the sandwiches on a plate and a big mug of sweet tea or something cold (or hot, depending on the season) with two straws. Then I'd come out of the kitchen and bring them all out into the great room. (Why people call it a "living" room is non-sequitur. Living is an action. But they sit and watch do-less TV in it, which is couch-potato logic.)Our big screen was set to a live feed from one of Cal-Tech's telescopes. (No commercials. No fake news.)We'd sit and cuddle the night away watching stars without having to be uncomfortable outside.Sometimes we'd have sex or make love.Felt good either way... Anthology containing: The Autists by J. R. KruzeIdylls of a Lazurai by S. H. Marpel, J. R. KruzeThe Autists: Jenna by J. R. Kruze, S. H. MarpelThe Autists: Brigitte by J. R. KruzeMind Timing by R. L. Saunders, C. C. BrowerThe Girl Who Saved Tomorrow by J. R. KruzeNaN by J. R. Kruze Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

2020 was a year none of us will soon forget, but we'd rather...At least we have some decent fiction - fantasies and mysteries in exotic surroundings as well as the ordinary.Our latest anthology of this year's works has all of these in a single volume. And we collect the last of this election year's artistic output into this single volume.Of course, we also have a little satire, with a president making his appearance in two of our stories. And while his opponent didn't appear, the riots did. Even our authors are not immune to being inspired by the reported events, though I can assure you none of them were ever in personal danger from these or that pesky virus which only spread worse the more you tried to lock it down...And that sounds like some editor should put a bug in one of their ears with a new idea for a story.For now, I'll leave you to this marvelous collection of these New Voices stories.Excerpt: THE SMALL TWIN-ENGINE plane rocked in the sudden thunder storm, lightning flashed outside. Cabin lights flickered on and off. Along with the sky flashes exposing the passenger's drawn faces to alternate pitch black and brilliant white.Besides the pilot and the stewardess, the only occupants in the rocking craft were a man, his very pregnant wife, and an attending doctor.In the midst of the thunder and whining engines, A cry rang out, then another.Two young children entered this world inside that small airplane.In the next minute, that craft pitched forward, pushing all the occupants against their seats. The husband and wife each holding tight onto one child each, while the doctor grasped his black medical bag to his chest with one hand, and the arm of his chair with the other - both hands white from a straining grip.Seconds turned into eternity as the plane plummeted through the flashing clouds.In the cockpit, the pilot was furiously working to level out the plane at least into a gliding pattern. All by brute force of his straining arms, legs, and back. At his side, strapped into the co-pilot seat, the stewardess was working through the re-start sequence to get the engines powered again, to get the hydraulics and electrical working once more.With her practiced moves, any observer could see they had been through similar scenes before. Their quick, sure actions coming from repetitive training and sheer muscle-memory - despite the steep angle of descent and the continual rocking that shook the craft.At last, the engines caught again, and lights flickered back on in the cabin. Thrusting the throttle full forward, the young woman in the co-pilot seat then helped the straining pilot pull back on the shared yoke of that plane, using the controls on her half of the small cockpit.They got their too-rapid descent back under control only a few thousand feet above the storm-whipped waves. There the clouds left them as a retreating ceiling, and they were now below the cloud-to-cloud lightning. As the pilot pulled the throttle back to a more normal speed for the new conditions, the stewardess patted his shoulder. "I'd give you a kiss, lover, but I need to check on our guests."Anthology containing: The Autists: Jenna by J. R. Kruze, S. H. MarpelIdylls of a Lazurai by S. H. Marpel, J. R. KruzeRiot Wall by S. H. Marpel, R. L. SaundersThe Eye In Team by J. R. Kruze, S. H. MarpelThe Case of the Tenacious Typist by S. H. Marpel, J. R. KruzeThe Girl Who Believed Tomorrow by J. R. KruzeThe Projector by S. H. Marpel, R. L. SaundersThe Panic of 2020 by S. H. Marpel, R. L. SaundersDoppel by S. H. Marpel, R. L. SaundersScroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

Some satire is timeless. Others predict the near future with uncanny accuracy.When you're faced with a violent, dangerous present - perhaps it's some relief to blow it all up into an exagerrated future history. Then you can tell yourself that it's all just entertainment....And hope it doesn't really turn out that way.- - - -She could still remember the look on his face when they closed the Riot Wall for the final time.She could barely find him at first beyond the chain-link fence a few hundred yards away. If not for that red-plaid shirt he always wore when he visited her. Standing in the closed "visitor" queue on his side of that wall.After this day, there would be no more visits. Because this wall was the long-overdue solution to the long-running riots.Riots meant businesses closed, meant tax payments dropped, meant fewer jobs - even if you worked for the government. And the government jobs were the safest, as they only really depended on sucking up to whoever was in charge at the time.It was a coward's way of surviving. But at least you survived.Beyond the walls were more jobs, but lower wages for them. Still, those people seemed to like it out there. They liked working for themselves.Rob had promised he was going to take her there. And one thing after another kept making him break his promise.When the Riot Walls shut for good - that was the final straw.It didn't mean her heart wasn't breaking. And she knew his was, too.But she had to turn away. Because everyone had to turn away. Someone in power was addressing their "citizens" over the city's PA system. And they had to listen "attentively" -If they wanted to keep their jobs, their housing, and what they considered a life here inside these walls...Anthology containing: Riot Wall by S. H. Marpel, R. L. SaundersThe Panic of 2020 by S. H. Marpel, R. L. SaundersOur Second Civil War by R. L. Saunders, C. C. BrowerBecoming Michelle by R. L. Saunders, C. C. BrowerA Sweet Fortune by R. L. SaundersThe Projector by S. H. Marpel, R. L. SaundersScroll Up And Get Your Copy Now.

Boy meets girl at a diner - and condemns thousands of ghosts to haunt forever.Young John Earl Stark met Mary in a diner, an innocent girl who was just getting over a tragic outcome in her life. He helped her regain hope and gave her the tools to sort out her life.A simple gesture. He also gave her his phone number.But then hell broke loose.John found himself in a time loop, so that he never made the decision to become a Ghost Hunter. He job should have been to help ghosts move on.To his rescue came one of those ghosts-turned-spirit-guide, the great aunt of the original Mary. Who would return to being a ghost if she didn't succeed at this mission.In the background are two humans who had to seek that time loop to excape their own chasers. Could they help Mary help John to break that time loop and make the best decision?Find out what happens to John, to the young Mary, to great-aunt Mary, to the world of ghosts that John may or may not be destined to save...All in five short stories collected into this single anthology.This Anthology Contains: - The Case of the Walkaway Blues by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel - The Case of the Walkaway Diner Redoux by J. R. Kruze, S. H. Marpel - Walkaway Redemption by S. H. Marpel - Walkaway Mary by S. H. Marpel - The Case of a Cruising Phantom by S. H. MarpelExcerpt: WE SHIMMERED INTO PLACE right outside a diner. Looked like L.A. because of all the asphalt, cement, and palm trees. The diner had a lot of glass and chrome. And it was decorated for Christmas with plastic wreaths and synthetic ribbons.The sky overhead was clear, with a tinge of smog between us, the sun, and the cloudless sky. Still a West Coast idea of what passed for morning out here.Carol turned to me and smiled, then wrapped her arms around me to hug me in a bear grip that showed her relief and thankfulness.Not uncomfortable, though. This was the old Carol I knew better.She let up and pushed back to look at me, her arms on my shoulders."It's been so long, Mary. You look great." Carol's smile was back, and the tenseness had dropped out of her voice.I had to smile in return. "It's good to see you, too. And thanks. Now, what is going on? What's this all about?"A slight frown crossed her forehead. "Now you and I are safe here. The others, well, not so much. Did you get through those books and the briefing file?"I nodded. "Just barely.""I wish you'd had more time, but no one has that luxury anymore. Thing's are unraveling.""How's that?""You saw your old ship?""Sent to salvage, it said, Before John could rescue me."Carol nodded. "That's the problem with most of the Ghost Hunter network. Every since John decided not to join. In fact, he never moved to that farm we all know and love."I was speechless, even though my jaw was open - nothing was coming out. So I closed it."Wait - how did that happen?"Carol hiked a thumb over her shoulder at that diner. "Since he was trapped in there..."Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

A second collection of short stories from C. C. BrowerIn addition to later earlier novellas and novels, Brower continues her prolific output with short stories - all full of wonder and high imagination.Contemporary, Fantasy, Science Fiction - 14 wonderful stories from a different view of life. New ways to look at the world you live in, and ask yourself "what if" things were different...For Brower fans, this includes the final installments of the Hooman Saga, where a single human female escapes from a moon colony prison and crash-lands back on earth. Wanting to rescue the rest of her family, she has only the sentient wolf pack she befriended, a decimated human population returned to the Dark Ages, and elemental spirits - but no space technology remaining to cross that 240,000 miles of empty space. And yet...This anthology contains: The Lazurai Returns by C. C. Brower & J. R. KruzeHam & Chaz by C. C. Brower & J. R. KruseThe Spirit Mountain Mystery by S. H. Marpel & C. C. BrowerThe Lazurai Emergence by C. C. Brower & S. H. MarpelFor the Love of 'Cagga by C. C. Brower & R. L. SaundersWhen the Crow Calls by C. C. BrowerTotem by C. C. BrowerMoon Bride by C. C. Brower, S. H. MarpelBlood Moon by C. C. Brower, S. H. MarpelThe Moon Cleaner by C. C. Brower, S. H. MarpelMoon Shadow by C. C. Brower, S. H. MarpelMoon Queen by C. C. Brower, S. H. MarpelMoon Rebels by C. C. Brower, S. H. MarpelAlice in the Moon by C. C. Brower, S. H. MarpelScroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.

Escape to happily-ever-afters on a moment's notice -- and stay there for hours or days if you want...This huge anthology of romance short stories all happen in the land of fantasy. Whether worlds where magic rules, or dystopian societies where love conquers technocracies.If you have a weekend for binge-reading, or just a few minutes. You'll be transported to worlds where the only laws are those of the heart.And once that story has tickled your heart strings, maybe there's time for just one more...From two years of published short stories, out of four author's output, this anthology has only one theme throughout - how does the couple get together regardless of the fantastic world around them?Come. Open the first story. Get entranced. Let your heart soar.Romance has never been more entralling than in fantasy worlds - and in small bites.This anthology contains: - On Love's Edge by J. R. Kruze- Root by J. R. Kruze- The Autists: Brigitte by J. R. Kruze- The Case of the Naughty Nightmare by J. R. Kruze- The Girl Who Built Tomorrow by J. R. Kruze- Ham & Chaz by J. R. Kruze, C. C. Brower- The Case of the Forever Cure by J. R. Kruze, C. C. Brower- One Thought, Then Gone by J. R. Kruze- 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- Our Second Civil War by R. L. Saunders, C. C. Brower- The Ghost Who Loved by S. H. Marpel- Story Hunted by J. R. Kruze- The Tunnel People by R. L. Saunders- Becoming Michelle by R. L. Saunders, C. C. Brower- Mind Timing by R. L. Saunders, C. C. Brower- A Sweet Fortune by R. L. Saunders- The Autists by J. R. Kruze- The Caretaker by C. C. Brower- Keyboard in the Sky by R. L. Saunders- Her Eyes by J. R. KruzeScroll up and Get Your Copy Now.

The Complete Hooman Saga - to date...There are stories before and after the moment a single young girl crash-landed on Earth and was rescued by telepathic wolves.Those stories explain how the major cities seceeded from their national governments on Earth and rose as one to take off for the moon.And there are stories that tell how Sue brought peace to the wolf clans, rescued her family, and de-powered the elites who had condemned the rest of the human species to extinction.This first library of the Hooman Saga starts off with the dystopian world not too far removed from where we are now - and then extends it to its logical conclusion.A general overview of the story conflicts (without spoilers): The US major cities seceded from the rest of the country - and were let go without incident. (One newspaper headline read "...And Good Riddance ") Since the major violent protests were all occurring inside them, it was "no biggie" for the peaceful countryside and small towns to wish them luck with that.Of course, this meant that the major "social" and "news" media also wound up in those walled-in areas. Again, loss of those didn't seem to mean anything to the rest of the country. These major cities were joined by other major global cities as one Compact. And then, sharing their technology, they used their new fusion-powered protective domes to lift off the surface. All under their announced plan to "save the planet from ourselves". Soon after that, the outlying areas were affected, however.Once in orbit, they removed all the man-made satellites from orbit, absorbing them for re-cycling or destroying them with their shields. And then left to start moon-mining colonies.While the Earth below them was not only plunged into a new Dark Age, but the virulent infections created in the metro-area hospitals were loosed on the planet once they left.Soon after, a new sentient species replaced humans as dominant. Lupus Sapiens - the new evolution of wolf.This is the saga of one girl who escaped the moon prison colonies, and returned to earth with the purpose of somehow saving the family she left behind. Against all odds...This box set contains the entirety of Book One and Book Two, parts 1 and 2.Over 180,000 words, and over 600 pages of text. Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.