Checkmate

Checkmate

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

With billions killed by a global swarm of voodoo-hexed ghosts, New Orleans paranormal expert Tyson Lynche is the only person left alive who can put an end to the genocide. But a local spirit - a chess grand master - steps in to stop the ghost hunter. When the deceased genius makes his move, will Lynche have what it takes to become the last man standing?Two half brothers, Peter and Jim in Sydney Australia discover the phenomenon of short selling equities or shares on the global stock markets and set out to make their fortunes. With a little early bending of the rules the crime spree that follows encompasses industries as diverse as agriculture to manufacturing, banking and finance to horse racing. Crime and betrayal are not just the prerogative of the central characters however as others are drawn from across the globe to join in the frenzy. Regulators who should be there to supervise and prevent errant behaviour are themselves subject to human frailty when vast amounts of money are involved. The crime spree expands to major markets and ensnares even some rich and powerful players. In the end blind greed leads to an unwelcome denouement for some of the players while others may perceive that a certain amount of crime does, in fact, pay.
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Turn the Page

Turn the Page

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

When a lonely girl escapes in her books, she gets more than she bargained for - including real-life mystery, twisted history, and a threat to her life! That, and a little love, should keep you turning these pages...Kari Marriner’s earliest memory is her father’s death in a car crash back in small-town Wisconsin. Now, 12 years later, her mother has been hired by a pseudo-religious organization in Manhattan called the Temple of Truth (a.k.a. the ToT). At Chelsea Prep, Kari develops a crush on classmate Cruz. But when she realizes that Noon, another attractive guy at school, is involved with the ToT, her curiosity gets the better of her. Kari stumbles upon a secret tunnel leading from her apartment to another in the building, where an ancient book holds images she can scarcely believe, and a cavernous room contains... something inexplicable. As Kari pieces together the incredible evidence, she discovers that the ToT is run by other-worldly beings called The Embodied who influence human behavior and have established a global long-term human breeding program. But why? And what is her role in all this? Just as she starts wondering whether the love she feels for Cruz is genuine or if her emotions are being controlled by The Embodied, her mother is kidnapped and Kari has to figure out who is human, who is Embodied, and who she can count on to help rescue her mother. Silent Symmetry is the exciting first novel in JB Dutton’s EMBODIED trilogy. The second installment, Starley’s Rust, was published to critical acclaim in January 2015, followed by book 3, Diamond Splinters in May 2016. Goodreads ravesGoodreads raves“so hard to put down” 5-star review“The concept is unique, interesting, gripping” 5-star review“a bizarre and scary world” 5-star review“Kari's adventure was thrilling!” 4-star review“It's unique (never read anything like it before)” 5-star review“really, really good” 5-star review“filled with mystery and danger” 5-star review“can't wait for the sequel.” 5-star review“Who doesn't love hot aliens?” 5-star review
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A Slave to Race

A Slave to Race

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

What would it take for you to trade a life in the skies, earning your freedom, for a death sentence deep within the lunar mines?When you're racing for your life, you don't let a thing like death slow you down. Love, on the other hand, can seal your fate.The Latrodectus mactans species of the black widow spiders are cannibalistic by nature, but Ebony is not a normal black widow. When she murders her husband by accident, instead of eating him, she is tormented by guilt. Her best friend can't understand her unusual behavior, and Ebony believes she is a freak of nature, spending the rest of her life obsessed with searching for happiness and self acceptance.
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The Only

The Only

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

Who can save your world, when your gods have abandoned it?Aedlem is one of the few left in Panlithia who believes they are not really gone. In fact, the rising generation doesn't believe they ever really existed. When a cruel alien species invades and enslaves the population, can Aedlem's faith in the mysterious Ghosts of the Sky help him lead his people to freedom once again?Pel has a story to tell. There's the girl who grew up destitute, addicted, single mother to a son she can't protect; the father who left the family, then disappeared; the old family friend, angel and demon both; the Dandelion Knight. But why tell it tonight, before a crowded theater in a city under siege? A companion novella to THE DANDELION KNIGHT.
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Convergence

Convergence

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

It's Temperance Hall's big day - her chance to exact revenge and ruin some lives. Just the kind of thing she relishes. But when all the skeletons in her closet converge in a tragic car wreck, only her mind-reading chauffeur understands the full significance of this life-changing event.This slipstream short story may leave you with second thoughts about . . . your thoughts.After a tragic accident, football superstar Joel Harper finds himself rolling his wheelchair into a new school in a strange town. Soon he's making friends of misfits, taking lessons in Iron Maiden, and dodging a ruthless bully with a penchant for switchblades. Little is he aware, something ancient and wounded has awoken deep beneath the tiny mountain community, and all of Honaw will know its pain."Classic horror and true romance . . . Barnett's writing is pure poetry, and this one is his goriest, grittiest yet," Sarah Wathen - YA Books Central
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Red Death

Red Death

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

A group of random strangers from around the world, including Dr. Jim O'Connell, reunite following an out-of-this-world alien experience. But something's changed...and now they must work together to protect the planet from a sinister and powerful threat decades in the making.Sweet, fat, theatrical Billy-Boy was never cut out to be a farmer, but as his father’s only son he’s obliged to try. The cows are wayward and the chores are gruelling, but Billy finds escape in a fantasy world. A place where the turnip paddock becomes a lunar landscape, a lavender bed jacket a slinky space suit, a cow’s tail a head of beautiful blonde hair, and where Billy can become Judy Robinson, heroine of TV’s 'Lost in Space'.But in an isolated conservative farming community in 1970s New Zealand, not everyone approves of Billy’s transformation. On the brink of adolescence, Billy is beginning to discover that growing up is far more complicated and confusing than he could ever have imagined. While the mysteries of sex confound him, emotions are unleashed which urge Billy to betray those closest to him.'50 Ways of Saying Fabulous' is a poignant and endearingly comic novel. Anyone who grew up in a small town, grew up feeling that they didn’t fit in, or simply grew up will find this book funny, touching and unforgettably evocative of childhood lost. Praise for '50 Ways of Saying Fabulous':'I loved this funny sad tale of growing up a sissy in New Zealand. Graeme Aitken proves that even the most extraordinary events can occur to wonderfully ordinary people. If I knew fifty ways of saying fabulous, I’d use them all to praise this charming first novel.’ EDMUND WHITE'Thoroughly engaging.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY'A funny but also achingly sad first novel'. OBSERVER'A sort of gay Adrian Mole ... There are laughs aplenty but also moments of agony ... Told with bare faced honesty, it is a warm, cruel, funny tale.' THE SUNDAY AGE'Touching and sad, '50 Ways of Saying Fabulous' also has some very funny moments.' THE TIMES'An entertainment, a gentle, poignant story of a fat boy who fantasises romance and glamour without yet having a name for what he is ... Aitken writes with a distinctive voice, one that is wonderfully evocative.' DENNIS ALTMAN, THE AGE'... an important work ... What Aitken has demonstrated fabulously is his skill in the art of telling a good story ... his honesty and fearlessness in confronting those squirmy adolescent secrets is to be admired.' CANBERRA TIMES
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Old Wounds

Old Wounds

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

Colonizing the moon is hazardous work...made more dangerous by political bickering back on Earth. Now Jack Chang must face either the starvation of the colony he leads, or the deadly terror threat posed by his former Marine buddy who's trying to extort the government and keep the colony alive. Some choice.With the advent of the timequake ships, mankind spread so rapidly out into the galaxy that chaos and corruption soon became the order of the day. So Union Fleet was formed to defend and protect mankind from his worst enemy — himself. To keep the peace, Union Fleet enforced the laws on all of the planets of the Union. For the most part, the people of Union Fleet were good and decent folks. For the most part, this all worked just fine on all of the civilized planets, but in the outworlds … well, that was another story. In the outworlds, where civilization was thin, evil thrived. Pirates plied their ancient trade in the outworld spaceways.Even so, the pirates were not the worst that mankind had to face. The Jatarian Alien Group was mankind's worst nightmare. But there was one ship that fought them off and saved the people of Benara-3 -- the Crystal Dragon. It defeated the whole Jatarian battle group and sent what was left of them back to their own with a message -- don't come back!Created with alien technology, this ship single-handedly did what a whole fleet of Union starships could not. But that was a long time ago. The people of Benara-3 forgot and went on with their lives. Corrupt Union Admirals tried to confiscate the Crystal Dragon to steal its secrets. When it slipped their grasp, in spite, they declared it an outlaw ship. As time went on, everybody forgot the Crystal Dragon and got on with their lives.But the Jatarians did not forget ...
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Aliens Don't Dance

Aliens Don't Dance

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

Gary has one chance - and one chance only - to ensure first contact with the humans goes as smoothly as ancient history records it to have occurred. Unfortunately, the fate of the future galactic alliance all rests on his very questionable ability to . . . boogie down.A collection of short stories, poems and 'other scribblings' by Sian Turner.Read 'Hot Under the Collar,' a tale of jealousy and its consequences, 'Poor Law,' the story of young Will Thompson's life in a 1903 Cottage Home (or workhouse for children) and what happens when he is unjustly accused of theft, 'Watching,' the story of Luke Peterson's ghostly encounter in the woods, plus other stories, poems and what the author describes as 'other scribblings.'
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Tag-Alongs

Tag-Alongs

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

It was the vacation of a lifetime - the chance to experience a day in the life of a famous person from history - as a "hitchhiker" inside their mind. What could possibly go wrong?GENRE: Children’s Adventure(An Unofficial Minecraft Book for Kids Ages 9 -12)Book 1: The Angry GhostSteve can't wait for the carnival to come to town. Excited, he drags his sister to see the creature they brought as the main event - a ghost called Herobrine. But it all goes horribly wrong as Herobrine escapes. Steve realizes he has a connection to Herobrine - but what could it be? Steve and his sister must set off to a journey that takes them to the capital city and to the Nether to find out more.Author’s Note: This short story is for your reading pleasure. The characters in this "Minecraft Adventure Series" such as Steve, Endermen or Herobrine...etc are based on the Minecraft Game coming from Minecraft ®/TM & © 2009-2013 Mojang / Notch
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Broker

Broker

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

Eli Yon thinks nothing of slipping through time, "correcting" history by making sure the right people die. That's his job. But he may be starting to lose his edge, and the last thing he needs is some young hot-shot making him look bad by saving his latest assignment from failure. But he may have a solution...The number one vampire law was broken. Nosferatu has set Eura Falton to find the culprit with an impossible deadline. Trained as an assassin, and one of the best in her field, she is far outside her depth with a target that is stronger, faster, and deadlier than her. Will she find the rogue before panic sweeps across the city, or will she join them and succumb to the bittersweet taste of power?
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Predict THIS

Predict THIS

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

The world's most famous augur - the man responsible for a host of astounding predictions throughout history - embarks on his final epic quest: to witness the end of the world. But will Nostradamus ever live to see the final fate of man? Follow his amazing journey in Predict THIS - a short story.Jack Landry, a notable wire-form artist seems to not be feeling like himself. He woke up one morning and discovered he was a robot, or more correctly, an android! Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed!He enlists the help of his brother Bruce, who is an MD to help him get to the bottom of this problem. Jack has all his human memories and experiences. So what's going on???Part of my "Snack Reading" series that can be read in about an hour.
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AaBack's Grimm: Dark Fantasy Fairy Tale #2 Friends Reunited: The Janus Beast, The Rose Beauty, And The Cursed Duckling

AaBack's Grimm: Dark Fantasy Fairy Tale #2 Friends Reunited: The Janus Beast, The Rose Beauty, And The Cursed Duckling

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

Based on the Grimm short story series. The fairy tales you know with a wicked twist.Jane finds that the World of Grimm is more frightening and dangerous than she first believed. She meets the Beast from Beauty and the Beast and discovers the curse that is on him is nothing like anything she could imagine.Based on the Grimm short story series. The fairy tales you know with a wicked twist.Jane finds that the World of Grimm is more frightening and dangerous than she first believed. She meets the Beast from Beauty and the Beast and discovers the curse that is on him is nothing like anything she could imagine.AaBack's Grimm Dark Fantasy Fairy Tale Series:#1 Tale Of Two Worlds: The Wizard, The Battle Mage, And The Werewolf#2 Friends Reunited: The Janus Beast, The Rose Beauty, And The Cursed Duckling#3 Dragon Scorned: The Towering Mountain Citadel, The Sword Of Cross-Worlds, And The Maximus-curse
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Unsettling Things & Other Stories

Unsettling Things & Other Stories

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

An anthology of four flash fiction stories. One of fear, one of sentience, one of love, and one of death. (Includes bonus: first chapter of the science fiction novel RUFUS QUINCE: BOUNTY HUNTER - Dreams of a Fool.)The true events that inspired Goldilocks And The Three Bears! A NOVELETTE - also includes VIKING RESURRECTION Preview "Not all stories are passed on in sincerity. Some truths have remained untold; some have been spun but false. This one must now be woven in honesty's light, for it has been twisted through the generations since its inception. The childhood favourite tells of a spoilt little girl with hair of sunlight and three speaking animals, but this belies the darker threads of its reality. She was not just some little brat, and they were not mere animals. Children: sometimes the monsters are the ones that look just like you..."
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Ask Grench

Ask Grench

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

Life as a galactic minion can be tough - you have to be cunning, wise, patient, conniving; and above all, willing to kiss a lot of backside. That's where Grench comes in. Not only is he the ultimate suck-up, but he has a foolproof plan to move up in the kingdom...I'm not who they think I am. A docile girl who meekly obeys her stepmother and stepsisters. Some kind of sick angel who cheerfully bears their mistreatment. That's what I WANT them to think. Because then they won't suspect what I'm really up to.The ball, the prince - it's all part of my plan to come out on top. Stepmother and her demented daughters will pay for every floor I have scoured, every sneer I have borne. They don't know about the white magic, how I use it to enhance myself. They can't see that my heart is black as midnight, rotten as a poisoned apple.They're about to find out.Book Description•Length: Novella (about 100 pages)•Genre: Fractured Fairy Tale•Mood: Dark / Humorous•Content: Moderate violence. A few mild sexual references. No sex scenes or erotica.•Audience: Teens and Adults
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Strings

Strings

Michael D. Britton

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality

A courageous sacrifice for a noble cause? Or a craven suicide pact as part of a massive conspiracy? This is the story of one man, one life with every detail pre-planned, and one perfect example of absolute power corrupting absolutely. And it'll make you think twice the next time you step into the voting booth...FIND OUT EVERY SCHEME OF THIS DIABOLIC SYSTEM. DONT BE IGNORANT OF IT. IT IS DECEPTFUL, IT IS HEARTLES, IT IS EVIL WHEN MEN REAPS WHERE THEY DID NOT SOW. DIPLOMATIC BAG, IS THRILLING, EXPOSITARY, EDUCATING.WATCH OUT HOW YOUR MONEY BECOMES OTHER PEOPLES PLEASURE-DONT BE DECIEVED, KNOWDLEGE IS POWER. KNOW EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MONEY LAUNDRY SCHEME CALLED ADVANCE FRAUD 419 FROM THIS DIALOGUE MOVIES- DONT PLAY IGNORANT OF IT... WATCH OUT NOW.
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