NCW Libraries

Morgan Berry's mother had always wanted a daughter and when she gives birth to a son, she simply dresses him as a girl and treats him as she would a daughter. When he's picked on and teased at kindergarten, she homeschools him herself. Morgan is eight when his mother brings home a new beau, a no-nonsense man called Dennis O'Rourke. He compliments his new 'daughter' on how pretty she is and when his mother doesn't correct the man, Morgan flees the...

James is running late for a meeting, and he's so used to getting everything he wants that he's almost purple with rage when his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. To make matters worse, there is no mobile reception and an advancing storm is about to unleash hell on earth. After weighing the pros and cons of going in search of shelter, the decision is made for him when rain starts pelting down. James runs to a small grove of trees for cover,...

For the past twenty years, Dane has taken care of his wealthy Aunt Beatrice. One rainy day, she's killed in a car accident, and Dane is devastated. When he returns to the large, luxurious home they once shared, he falls into a depression. Lonely, he places an advertisement on Craigslist, in part to find someone to keep the house clean and take care of maintenance, but also to keep him company, as he did Aunt Beatrice. The next morning, Ryan is at...

When Caleb arrives at the psychologist's office, he doesn't know what to expect. He carries with him thirty-two years of troubles, which he is desperate to rid himself of. Yet at the end of the first session, it appears he has another desire. A forbidden desire he has no right to expect to become reality. As the sessions continue, they are peppered with extremely unorthodox methods which only add fuel to the flame that something might happen between...

Dis, the ancient word for Hell, is a world parallel to our own, close enough for its inhabitants to pass back and forth from their realm into ours, collecting souls and tormenting believers. Charam is a handsome devil who can easily pass for human. It's an ability that brings him both pleasure and punishment. He loves his partner, Raum, a minor member of Dis aristocracy, but sometimes he slips. He can't seem to control himself and he strays. It's...

Evan is a man lost in the modern world. He has a job, a house, and a best friend, Claire, who lives just across a small patch of lawn from him. He also has a hole in his soul he hadn't even realized was there until one night he meets a mysterious stranger, lurking in the shadows of a tree-lined lane where men meet for anonymous, casual sex. There's something striking and a little terrifying about this stranger, who visits his house one night while...

Stuart is eighteen, but more boy than man. When his uncle offers him a job rousabouting in the shearing shed during his mid-year break from university, he has no idea what to expect. He's always been more of an indoors kind of guy. He knows he'll be working with some pretty rough men. Men who work the shearing circuit, going from farm to farm shearing sheep until there are no more sheep left to shear. His only hope is to try and fit in. As it turns...

Pan is a simple, honest farm boy. In all his nineteen years, he has only ever known his father's farm. Yet in the few moments each day he has to himself, he dreams of another life -- something more than the back-breaking work, the loneliness, and the dirt of the farm. One morning his prayers are answered in a most surprising and unexpected way. Roused from his sleep by one of King Seronisis' hulking Hapsid Troopers, Pan is escorted from the bosom...

Benjamin is Mr. Average, but has big dreams. Every week he buys two lottery tickets in the hope of striking it rich. So imagine his surprise when, one Saturday night, his numbers finally come up. Ten million dollars transforms his life. He buys his dream house and outfits it with every beautiful thing he has ever wanted, complete with a real British butler. He also donates to animal charities and adopts Sasha, an abused dog. Yet with everything perfect,...

Karl and Daniel are driving back to their small farm after celebrating Daniel's birthday when they strike something in the road. Whatever it is lands on the roof of their pick-up truck. Not keen to find out what it might be, Karl floors the accelerator as Daniel leans out of the window. Despite the light from a full moon, nothing is seen on the road behind them. When they arrive home, their relief is short-lived. As Karl turns into their driveway,...