Fragments of Fear 5

A mysterious, maddening sound. A deadly phone call. A doctor proves his worth during the coronavirus pandemic. Unexpected effects of COVID-19. A dystopian betrayal. A mythical creature. All this and much more await you within these pages. Do you have the fortitude to open the cover?

Meet Michael Kelso

Former Corrections Officer turned Author. I’ve published 2 crime/mystery novels based in a prison, a YA novel, and several short horror story collections. Currently working on part 1 of a 2 part mystery/suspense novel. Some of my stories have been narrated by youtubers, garnering nearly 3 million views over the last year.

Twenty Miles West of Branch, Texas and other stories

From a desert highway in West Texas to the plains of frontier Kansas to an abandoned mine in New Mexico, from a courtroom to a high school girls’ speech contest to a nursing home, from the side yard of a suburban home to a youth revival to the halls of an urban high school, K.C. Knouse puts the main characters of the thirteen short stories and novella included in this collection into circumstances that challenge assumptions they have made about themselves, their lives, and the world in which they live:

The mother who is estranged from her son.
The young woman who has doubts about her relationship with an older man.
The widower who struggles to accept the death of his wife.
The young man who is fearful of becoming his abusive father.
The homesteader who fights to redeem his pride.
The aging salesman whose livelihood is threatened by technology.
The father who relives his past at the expense of his relationship with his son.
The boy who discovers that having money creates as many problems as it solves.
The veteran teacher who crosses an emotional boundary in spite of herself.
The teenage boy whose relationship with God is complicated by a pretty girl and a misunderstanding.
The woman who doubts her decision to put her husband into a nursing home.
The man whose faith in the justice system is shaken.
The high school girl who is self-conscious about a birthmark on her face.
The middle-aged insurance adjuster who receives more than he bargained for when he comes to the aid of an attractive woman.

K.C. Knouse uses compassion, humor and an eye for detail to bring these characters to life and bind their stories to your heart.


Meet K.C. Knouse

K.C. Knouse is the author of Twenty Miles West of Branch, Texas and other stories, a collection of short fiction, A Short Stack of Short Fiction, Three Character Driven Short Stories, and a non-fiction book, True Prosperity: Your Guide to a Cash-Based Lifestyle (1996, Double-Dome Publications).

Knouse began writing for publication in 1985 and has had his short fiction published in print literary magazines and online at Wattpad.com. He wrote a personal finance blog, LiveOnCash, from 2010 to 2021.

A career outside salesperson, Knouse enjoyed a forty-year career in the printed products industry. He spent most of his career as a self-employed person.

K.C. Knouse lives on the U.S./Mexico border in far west Texas. More information can be found on the author’s website, KCKnouse.com.

The Locksmith

A Sufi tale has it that there was once a metalworker who tinkered with locks and was unjustly put in the dungeons by the king. His wife came upon a brilliant plan to gift him a prayer rug with a pattern of the inner workings of the lock woven in which one day he saw in a flash after the fajr prayer. He cajoled the guard to provide him with some scrap metals and after months of procuring such tiny shards he would eventually fashion a key and with the help of the guard escape. He would be reunited with his loving wife and be lifelong friends with the guard in a classic fairy tale ending! He once shared this with Sarah. She was lying on the bed in a bathrobe having just blow-dried her hair and solving New Yorker crosswords. “That’s so silly!” He just didn’t know if she was so absorbed in trying to remember the capital of Eritrea or really thought of this sparkling tale as stupid. But a pang of anxiety clutched his arteries. We often tend to take umbrage and slide these daily idiosyncrasies straight under our emotional rug, but they stay with us forever. (Excerpt)

Meet Zeeshan Mahmud

The Man Who Knew Too Much aka Zeeshan Mahmud was born without a liver on February 29, 1943 at an obscure village in the district of Comilla. Due to his congential disorder, he would experience cerebral hemorrhage which might have led to his unusual powers subsequently deemed near-psi at Rhine Institute. At an early age, the performer realized he could control Nature by virtue of reverse psychology which he repeatedly used at grade school to get marks above 85%. His first insight of powers came when he was walking down promenade at Sher-E-Bangla Nagar and a globe-sized lightbulb-cover fell on his head at age six. It is believed at that precise moment he received the great Cosmic Insight. In order to develop his siddhis he has studied with various masters and adepts at the subcontinent. He has vanished moon, duplicated it, ate raw bricks, disappeared Tuesdays from calendar as well as been stuck in a rock for 498 days and once removed a tonsil from an alligator among various other feats documented in his official YouTube channel! Fun fact: He can also recite pi to 100 digits!

No More Fairy Tales; Stories to Save Our Planet: Mini Taster

A collection of inspiring short stories written by a variety of authors, with the aim to inspire readers with positive visions of what a sustainable society might look like and how we might get there. This is a four-story mini-taster of the full anthology which has 24 stories. It includes one story which is not in the original anthology and three that are. If you like these, we encourage you to read the full anthology which is available in paperback and eBook from habitatpress.com/ and most online retailers. ‘Inspirational and entertaining.’ Dr Matt Winning comedian and author of Hot Mess. ‘Bursting with powerful stories and brilliant ideas.’ Rachel Trezise, Prize-winning Author. 

Meet D.A. Baden

D.A. Baden is Professor of Sustainability at the University of Southampton and has published numerous book chapters and articles in the academic realm, and several novels. Her first work of fiction was the eco-themed rom-com Habitat Man (2021), followed by The Assassin in 2022. She edited the anthology, No More Fairy Tales: Stories the Save Our Planet and contributed several stories. She wrote the script for a musical, performed in Southampton and London in 2016, and has written three other screenplays. Denise set up the series of free Green Stories writing competitions in 2018 to inspire writers to integrate green solutions into their writing (www.greenstories.org.uk). Follow on https://www.dabaden.com/ and @DABadenauthor

Artificial Stories: An Intelligent Collection

Artificial Stories is a collection of intricately crafted and thought-provoking tales that will take you on a journey of self-discovery and introspection. From heart-wrenching romance to thrilling adventures, these stories offer something for every reader. Each one is a unique and captivating exploration of the human experience, featuring complex and relatable characters who will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Whether you’re looking for a quick escape or a deeper look into the human condition, Artificial Stories has something to offer. So, if you want to immerse yourself in a world of imagination and wonder, look no further than Artificial Stories.

Meet S Ceche

Magnificent Tales of Doomed Kingdoms

Once upon a time, there was an age of kings. An age of mighty kingdoms and dynasties ruling over vast stretches of land with unlimited wealth and unmatched renown. But the memory of man is fickle and short lived. Common tales passed unto history, history became lore and lore faded into myth.

These stories will give you a momentary glimpse into the lives of the kings and the queens. They would tell you of the lives these men and women lived and the challenges they faced – from incapable princes to indecent relations, from sharp swords to seductive traps and from single minded greed to selfless sacrifices.

Be warned however, that you will feel their fears and their pains. Your heart will burn with rage, and chaos will stupor your thoughts. It would be sad, and it would be ruinous, but it would surely be magnificent!


Meet Rupendra Dhillon

Rupendra born in New Delhi, India, observed, at a very early age, his father burning the midnight oil on his trusty writing pad and Remington typewriter.

Now settled in the rural outskirts of Toronto, Canada, with his wife and two dogs. he has taken up a hobby very similar to his father’s. His aim is to tell stories that grab the reader’s attention and pack an emotional punch.

To get in touch with him visit his website at rupendradhillon.com

Afro-Bougie Blues: A Collection of Short Fiction

Afro-Bougie Blues is a collection of twelve original, engaging, and occasionally edgy short stories that dig into the souls of ordinary black women and men meeting life’s challenges with courage and care. A newlywed considers her past abortion after having a miscarriage. An Army veteran subdues his war memories with alcohol. A woman who loses weight watches her marriage crumble around her. A single father reflects on his pre-teen daughter’s complicated questions about love. A married woman falls in love with a jazz singer. Watch as the protagonists find their way, find love, or find themselves amid the chaos. Explore the world of Afro-Bougie Blues. An extraordinary assortment of stories awaits you. Dig in.


Meet Lauren Wilson

Lauren Wilson has been writing poetry and prose off and on for over 40 years, beginning with a series of poems to commemorate a cousin who passed away at age 19. She finds inspiration for her stories from a muse, an inner voice that propels her to put thoughts and emotions into words. When she isn’t writing, she uses her engineering background to work as a safety consultant, assessing machines and robotics in preparation for sale to European companies. Lauren is married to Howard Wilson; they have one dog, Petey. Lauren and Howard also have five precious nieces who provide much fulfillment and joy. In her spare time, Lauren is working on a labor of love – a 5 story miniature apartment building, filled with African-American art. She has been a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. since 2004.

About a Gardener

“About a Gardener”This book is filled with an abundance of delightful surprises, but you don’t have to be a gardener to appreciate the 111 chapters that provide practical advice, share personal experiences and offer a rich harvest of wisdom for your life. “My Father is a gardener,” Jesus once said. That is the foundation of this book and the author, Werner Langer, introduces us to many wonderful gardening metaphors that will enrich the reader’s personal landscape. We are all gardeners, the author claims, whether we are aware of it or not, each one of us in possession of a valuable allotment, our inner garden, where love and a noble character ought to grow. This book will bless your life, because it is about God, a gardener, who loves us very much.A wonderful book, containing many surprises for readers who seek inner growth and perhaps enjoy gardening.


Meet Werner Langer

Werner Langer is a retired professional photographer, who lives in the city of Brisbane/Australia. His birthplace though was on the other side of the world, in a small town, named Wetter. Born in June 1949, Werner grew up in post-war Germany and was educated in his home country. During his final three years he served as a police-officer. In October 1969 Werner migrated to Australia, soon settling in the outer suburb of Sandgate, in the city of Brisbane, Queensland. In 1972 he entered the College of Art to study photography and these skills equipped him for a forty year long career, twenty-eight of those years as a professional freelance photographer.

His introduction to writing began at the age of forty-two, when an unusual experience on a lonely beach changed his life. “I once was lost, but now I’m found.” These words, written by John Newton, became Werner’s personal possessions on that day, shaping the remainder of his interesting life.

“Nowadays my aim is to follow an invisible guide,” the author writes.

The solid foundations of his Werner’s books are his faith in Jesus Christ, written to bless and provide clarity for his readers.

Werner Langer is the author of three books, titled “About a Gardener” and “About a Relationship”, plus “About a hidden Garden”, all available on the Amazon website.

Werner Langer served as a volunteer chaplain for seven years in the local Magistrates Court. Nowadays the author enjoys a quiet life with his wife and family, a little gardening, sailing and fishing. Watercolour landscape painting is another one of his creative outlets, two of his book-covers feature his paintings.

All Shorts of Crime

Does crime pay? Not quite in the way a burglar wanted in THE OTHER ROOM – it will deter you from life on the wrong side of the law. A Manhattan detective finds that being murdered is more than just bad luck in A BUSINESS OF CHANCE. Blackmail is an ugly crime, but someone turns things to their favour in HUSH MONEY. You can push a woman so far…and no further… in THE CHINA DOG.

Crime has many guises. From the authors of LITERARY ALLSHORTS come the above tales and 15 more short stories, of events which are by turn dangerous, atmospheric, occasionally humorous and even poetic…but always written with criminal intent.

The TEN GREEN JOTTERS consistently keep you hanging on for more…

C.G. Harris, Tony Ormerod, Richard Miller, A.J.R. Kinchington, Glynne Covell,
Richie Stress, Janet Winson, Julia Gale, Jan Brown and Lilly.


Meet Ten Green Jotters

The Ten Green Jotters are a group of writers ranging from award winning authors to travellers to New Guinea, India, South Africa, Thailand. Their love of writing brought them together and following on from the success of their first anthology (Literary AllShorts) have plunged into the crime genre for this collection of eclectic criminal tales – All Shorts of Crime.

Ekleipsis

The sun has finally set on humanity…

What happens when we give in to the darkness?

Ékleipsis is a debut short story collection written by Canadian author Tamel Wino, with hints of Chuck Palahniuk’s and Cormac McCarthy’s stripped, vivid writing styles. This gripping book explores the havoc wreaked when ordinary people abandon their humanity to pursue their darkest desires, and questions just how far people will go to follow their baser instincts.

Each story takes a version of a person we’ve known in our own lives and transforms them into something completely unnerving—yet all too familiar.

These dark, complex characters and twisted tales of the once ordinary will change your perception of humanity forever.


Meet Tamel Wino

Tamel Wino is a horror/thriller short fiction writer from the resplendent British Columbia whose works focus largely on madness and human morality. He attended the University of Western Ontario, majoring in health sciences and psychology which only furthered his interest in human nature.

With inspirations including Alice Munro, Joe Hill, Stephen King, Margaret Atwood and Edgar Allan Poe; Tamel’s expositions are strongly grounded in traditions of dark fiction. Yet, with his bold, evocative narrative voice and incisive plot construction, Wino is paving a new movement within the space.
When he’s not reading or scribbling away on his laptop, Tamel loves listening to jazz, rewatching good ol’ classic movies and travelling.