Pinky Promise

I'm Becs, and I'm a Summoner. I can call Powers—fae, demons and the like—to the mortal plane. Does this always go the way I want? No. No, it does not. It's caused a lot of complications. Just ask anyone who knows me. Fortunately, I've got a host of friends, a gorgeous boyfriend, a magic shop, and an over-eager magic wand with an itch for dark witches. What I don't have is my dearest friend, Pinky, because the six-foot-tall fairy returned to the Fae Lands after he sacrificed his magic to help capture a dangerous djinn. I'm battered and bruised but I made a solemn vow—a literal pinky promise—to find a way to restore my friend's magic, and I am determined to do it—even if it means facing the terrifying Queen of All Faerie, Queen Titania herself. But that's not my only problem. The djinn magic infected the tether between Earth and Faerie. If the bindings's not restored, it could mean the end of both worlds. No pressure. Every time I think I've got things sorted out, something else happens, and the laws of unintended consequences follow me like a dog looking for a bone. Speaking of which, King Oberon just dropped off a huge Irish Wolfhound puppy, and I haven't the faintest idea what to feed her. It's going to take more than a little magic to pull this off.

Wish Magic

Hi, I’m Becs. And I’m a Summoner. The Kiss on my wrist--a mark I’ve had since birth--signals my rare ability to call on immortals and negotiate with them on behalf of my clients for information, favors, or other services. In the past few years, these powers got me entangled with the demon Valefar, a bevy of fae and even Lucifer himself! It’s complicated, dangerous, and exhausting…especially when dealing with a guy like my pseudo-friend, businessman/mobster Gregory Adamos. When Gregory told me he was having a package delivered to my door, I was suspicious. After all, I know he’s desperate to get his very human hands on any sort of magic. So, I opened the package…and found a crystal that had no business being in the United States, much less Smokey Point, Ohio. Worse--this crystal contained a djinn. And when Gregory released it, all hell broke loose. Gregory thinks he can control this ancient creature, but I know better. The djinn has to be put back in his prison and locked away forever. But Gregory wants to use the genie’s power for himself. Before long, the entire magical community of Smokey Point is in chaos. And if that isn’t enough to keep me busy, Asher has returned. Only he’s human this time, not an angel. I don’t know which will be harder to do--imprison a genie or trust the love of a man I thought long dead. I wish I knew.

Never Too Old to Save the World

Once every generation there is a Chosen One, who will stand between humanity and darkness. But why is the Chosen One so often a teenager? Why do only children get swept through portals to save the fantastic world on the other side? Whose idea was it to put the fate of the world in the hands of someone without a fully developed prefrontal cortex? In Never Too Old to Save the World, nineteen authors explore what would happen if the Chosen One were called midlife. What would happen if the Chosen One were: a soccer mom a cat lady a nosy grandmother a social worker a retiree an aging swordmaster? The Chosen One could be anyone— because when the universe calls, the real question is whether the hero will take up the mantle and answer their midlife calling. Sometimes the world needs a hero who's already been in the thick of chaos and survived. In those cases, age does matter.

The Jewish Book of Horror

Edited by Josh Schlossberg Horror is part of the human condition, but few peoples across the ages know it quite like the Jews. From slavery to pogroms to the Holocaust to antisemitism, the "Chosen People" have not only endured hell on Earth, they've risen above it to share their stories with the world. Whether it's pirate rabbis or demon-slaying Bible queens, concentration camp vampires or beloved, fearless bubbies, THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR offers you twenty-two dark tales about the culture, history, and folklore of the Jewish people. TABLE OF CONTENTS An Orchard of Terror: Scary Stories and the Jewish Tradition by Rabbi John Carrier Origins of The Jewish Book of Horror by Josh Schlossberg Torah-fying Tales: An Introduction to Jewish Horror by Molly Adams On Seas of Blood and Salt by Richard Dansky The Last Plague by KD Casey The 38th Funeral by Marc Morgenstern Same as Yesterday by Alter S. Reiss How to Build a Sukkah at the End of the World by Lindsay King-Miller Demon Hunter Vashti by Henry Herz The Horse Leech Has Two Maws by Michael Picco The Rabbi's Wife by Simon Rosenberg Ba'alat Ov by Brenda Tolian Eighth Night by John Baltisberger Bread and Salt by Elana Gomel In the Red by Mike Marcus A Purim Story by Emily Ruth Verona Catch and Release by Vivian Kasley Phinehas the Zealot by Ethan K. Lee The Wisdom of Solomon by Ken Goldman Welcome, Death by J.D. Blackrose Forty Days Before Birth by Colleen Halupa The Hanukkult of Taco Wisdom by Margret Treiber The Divorce From God by Rami Ungar The Hand of Fire by Daniel Braum Bar Mitzvah Lessons by Stewart Gisser

Never Too Old to Save the World

Once every generation there is a Chosen One, who will stand between humanity and darkness. But why is the Chosen One so often a teenager? Why do only children get swept through portals to save the fantastic world on the other side? Whose idea was it to put the fate of the world in the hands of someone without a fully developed prefrontal cortex? In Never Too Old to Save the World, nineteen authors explore what would happen if the Chosen One were called midlife. What would happen if the Chosen One were:a soccer mom, a cat lady, a nosy grandmother, a social worker, a retiree, or an aging swordmaster? The Chosen One could be anyone— because when the universe calls, the real question is whether the hero will take up the mantle and answer their midlife calling. Sometimes the world needs a hero who's already been in the thick of chaos and survived. In those cases, age does matter.

The Valkyrie’s Initiative

Female Assassins—Apply Here! In Hit World, everything is legal—if you pay the right amount to the right person with the right paperwork. LifeEnders, Inc. has made a lot of money taking all kinds of targets off the board—everything from an annoying boss to a rampaging monster from another dimension. But there are some things no contract can cover. When a rival organization threatens to eat LEI from the inside out, they’ll need something beyond their licensed Shooters to counter their new enemy. They’ll need Valkyries. Meet the first fifteen women who may be tapped for the Valkyries Initiative. Through murder, magic, and mayhem, these women might save the world… or end it. With stories by: Marisa Wolf JD Blackrose Matt Novotny Melissa Olthoff Charity Ayres Joelle Presby Becca Lee Gardner Mel Todd Kayla Krantz Kristi Bradley Jordan Comeaux April Kelley Jones Mary McKenna Rob Howell Kacey Ezell

Pose & Cons

Waylon and his friends take a much-needed vacation to Disney World only to find themselves caught up in another murder mystery when Joy Lucky drowns in their hotel pool. Attack flamingos and the past catch up with Waylon as he has to once again clear his name. Mitzi (one name only) and Amalia are invited to ride on a Disney float, the zombie teams checks out an alligator farm, and Dr. Sang gets cozy with the sexy local medical examiner in this raucous romp through the happiest place on Earth.

A Wrinkle and Crime

Zombie Waylon Jenkins is dead set on proving that cosmetology can save the world... What’s a zombie--who also happens to be a cosmetologist--do when dead bodies show up with missing limbs and the local police captain thinks the zombie did it? After all, the captain reasons, who else needs the spare parts? For Waylon, it drags him into a deep cover zombie military unit where good moisturizer isn’t enough to protect his friends or the peaceful life he’s struggled to build. Besides, all he really wants to do is die. If Kevin J. Anderson and Michael Connelly had a baby, they’d name it Waylon Jenkins.

Samhain’s Bargain

Though I've been waiting for Lucifer to make his move, I never expected it to come on Halloween, a year after Gregory and I made our escape from Hell. I'm not ready for it. I'm still grieving the loss of my father and my angel boyfriend. And the last thing I need or want is another confrontation with the Prince of Lies. Especially when he's bent on vengeance. Still, a confrontation is what I'm going to get. Because I've just learned that Lucifer is riding to Earth with Samhain, the Lord of All Hallows' Eve, to tempt Gregory with promises of power and put Gregory's immortal soul in jeopardy. He wants revenge on Gregory—the mortal who escaped his grasp. And on me—the summoner who killed Duke Valefar, a powerful demon who'd served Lucifer since the Fall. So now, we're both in his crosshairs. And it's going to take all of our willpower—not to mention some help from Lord Samhain himself—to slip Lucifer's noose.  

Hell Bound

My mother named me Rebecca Naomi Greenblatt. Folks who know me call me Becs.And those who know what I'm capable of call me Summoner.   The Kiss on my wrist—a mark I've had since birth—signals my rare ability to call on immortals and negotiate with them on behalf of my clients for information, favors, or other services. These powers got me entangled with the demon Valefar and his sidekick, a warlock… not to mention a bevy of fae, a medium who communed with the dead, and a conceited library cat. It's complicated, dangerous, and exhausting. Recently, I found out that my father, a summoner himself and the person who taught me what little I know about my summoning powers, was trapped in Faerie by Titania. I rescued my dad, at great cost, only for Valefar to steal him away to literal Hell — yes, with a capital H. Now, I need to gather the correct magical doodads, wrangle the town's biggest mobster who has his own axe to grind in the underworld, and track down my guardian angel lover who's been MIA since I got back from Faerie. Then I'm breaking into Hell to get my father back. And God Himself help anyone who stands in my way.