Showing results by narrator "Fred Wolinsky" in All Categories

This set of 5 tales from the noir school of crime and mystery highlights the dark spot on the human psyche that haunts people with the siren call of revenge, destruction, or ill-gotten gain. Here are featured a variety of characters and crimes, with different outcomes. Everything from cool, calculating killers to tortured souls caught in a net of circumstance beyond their control. Plotted heists, schemes, and cons, along with acts of passion committed in the heat of the moment.

In Babbling Brook Society, an old-timer reminds us that our future is linked with the past. A handful of Polar Caves Park staffers learn how climate change, pollution, and friendship influence hidden societies of tiny, ancient residents. Our relationship with the world and biodiversity go hand in hand with good manners and friendship. The Earth is our home, and how we treat it has far-reaching impact.

When Jay's hand puppet, Yeti Booger, comes to life and defends him against Greg, the school bully, he thinks it's the coolest thing in the world. But after the creature becomes more than he can handle, Jay must figure out how Yeti Booger came to life and stop him before anyone else is hurt. It truly is a Hand Pupper Horror.

In this sample of the Diner Tales, Princess Dee'la is kidnapped as part of a conspiracy to start a war and offered to a monster. Nothing goes according to plan when the Monster gets a crush on his intended victim. Told from the viewpoint of the monster this story asks the age old question, "Who really is more civilized?"

In this sample of from the Diner Tales, we follow terminal-nice-guy, Eddy and his dream girl, Promise. Will Eddy finally grow a spine, and if he does what will it cost him?

When James fell asleep, he woke up to find himself at an otherworldly library with two other strangers. Upon entering, they learn that they can read the lives and thoughts of those who have died. The catch? They have to review each story but aren't allowed to read their own. When James befriends Penelope, they both realize that the library isn't what it seems. Can James and Penelope unravel the secrets of the afterlife before the afterlife unravels them?

Fate will determine the destinies of several characters while introducing new ones, carrying the human race towards a troubling reality that seems to lack answers.

When journalist-turned-author, Tyson Palmer visits retired FBI profiler Reardon Meeks for research for his next book, a beloved minister is murdered and his dark, secret life is exposed. It is the first in a series of murders of respected, high profile people, each leading a secret, separate life that will cause everyone to question just how well they really know their neighbors... and themselves.

Audie is in trouble, and Finn must return to Nesteryia to save her. When Finn and Audie get back to Nesteryia, nothing is the same. The magic is dwindling and they must figure out how to save the land before they can help Audie. They hear of an enchanted isle…where an ancient evil resides. Will they find the answers they so desperately need? Will Finn be able to save Audie in time?

Vampires Éduard and Larthia just want to live the good life in West Hollywood. When the Halloween street festival turns into a feast for zombies, they try to find a way to return civilization to normal. With their friends Lazarko the Russian werewolf and Gary the Gay Ghost, they travel through an apocalyptic Los Angeles, meeting trolls, fairies, pixies, a famous movie director, and an angry god or two. Can they unite the supernatural creatures of LA against the undead horde?

Landon and Broden have been successful in defeating Gage twice. With him safely trapped in the hourglass and locked away, they can go on with their lives without a care in the world. And the first thing they are going to do is enjoy a banquet with Slade and his Ifs where the brothers are the guests of honor. But it doesn’t take long for them to realize that something sinister is buried just beneath the surface of celebration and fun.

We ran for a reason.

Dr. Demetrios Demopoulus and his gang of time traveling misfits are back, and this time they're trying really hard to keep the universe from going kaput. Or are they? Helping them stay alive is Erob, a robot who suffers from a split personality disorder. Service with a smile is not his strength, but if you need to threaten an unsuspecting humanoid or two, he's your man, er, robot. Their mission, should they wish to accept it, is to travel back to 1950s Iran and flush out alien meddlers. Why Iran? Iran so far way? Let's just say it's a mystery.

At 13, one passes from childhood into teen-hood. For Malakai Ian LeCrue, turning 13 also means coming into an inheritance he wants no part of. But someone has to take up the mantel of Sentinel, passed down from generation to generation through Kai's family. He hopes this tell-tale mark will simply pass him on by. He has none of the qualifications needed to become part of the secret Sentinel Society. Not like his little 10-year-old sister, Wyndee, who is a regular scholar of Weirdology.

Duncan Emeris loves to write. His imagination creates a world of dragons, wizards, and magic. His writing helps him cope with the reality of his world. When one of his stories draws the interest of Merrill Templar, his English teacher, Duncan discovers that the world of his imagination has become a reality. Saving the Last Dragon becomes Duncan's quest. He finds himself facing dangerous mythical creatures bent on stealing the dragon's egg to wield its power.

A crew that desperately wants to find its way home, revolutionary physics, space battles with a powerful superweapon, and a showdown between two civilizations which definitively intertwines the destinies of multiple universes.

Figures in Blue is the story of Esteban Espiritu, a young Spanish artist who is commissioned to paint the portrait of Kristena von Lichtenberg, an elderly Baroness living in a deteriorating mansion that overlooks a provincial German village. However, Esteban uncovers a local mystery regarding the disappearance of her brutish husband, the Baron. The novelette is set in the beginning of the twentieth century and references classical mythology.

This blend of previously-published stories crosses many genres: science fiction, crime, fantasy, horror, humor, magic realism, and mainstream. There are fractured fairy tales, cautionary parables, peeks into disturbed minds, and amusing little romps. Everything from people with problems to giant lobsters, demonic creatures, small-time gangsters, and perverted dwarves. Stories of odd happenings, of criminals, of ordinary people with issues, of strange worlds. Something that gives you a shiver of frisson or a chuckle, or a chance to think about the world in a new way.

Kevin Chandler lives next door to Bill the butcher - the meanest man in town. Bill's son, Dylan, bullies Kevin and his friend, Ben. One night, on his way home from Ben's house, Kevin sees Dylan going into the ramshackle garage behind the Butcher house and he thinks he hears a dog whimpering. The Butchers don't own a dog and everyone knows Dylan hurts dogs, so Kevin decides he must find out what's happening in that garage.