Short Story Press

Tara Mitchell

Short Story Press Presents Jillian’s Days by Tara Mitchell "Jillian’s Days" is the story of a romance that takes several years to develop. Jillian lives with a trusted and dependable friend, Charlie. They had a unique friendship and living arrangement that was comfortable for both of them. Jillian, although happy with the arrangement, felt that one day it would end. She wanted that typical life with a husband and family and did not see that as being a desire for Charlie’s future. He was a wealthy and handsome young man whose goal in life seemed to revolve around fun. While planning a trip in which Jillian would spend two full weeks alone, Charlie challenges her to take a guest with her. She fights the idea at first, but reluctantly after losing a bet over the subject, Charlie had gotten himself in on the trip. Secretly Jillian was pleased that events had unfolded that way. Charlie spiced up her normal trip with new and exciting adventures. When he was suddenly called away from the trip Jillian was sad. In the time left on her trip she pined for Charlie’s company. Upon arriving home she confides to Charlie that it is him that she loves and longs to be with. Charlie in return admits he feels the same. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Jillian’s Days

Lannae Wilson

Short Story Press Presents Washed Ashore Bride by Lannae Wilson Thomas Alexander was a proud man. He loved his high school sweetheart with all his heart and wanted to give her everything her heart desired. Being from a wealthy family, he knew he could do that but his pride wouldn’t let him support her with his family money. He had to make his own fortune before he could make her his wife. He started learning all he could about the oil business and invested in a few oil wells. It took two years of hard work. These two years were spent away from Angela, his Angel as he called her. It was a long time for her to wait on him but he was sure that it would all be worth it. At last, he did it. His oil wells hit and he was now wealthier than his own family. He had enough money to live 10 lives in luxury. He could now offer her marriage and give her everything he wanted and he was proud that he could do it on his own, without relying on his family money. Thomas was sure it would all be worth it. However, as the story unfolds, it reveals that things weren’t going to work out the way that Thomas had dreamed they would. • Thomas is jilted at the altar by Angela and later learns that she ran off with his little brother and was about to have his brothers child. • To make up to Thomas and ease his own guilt, Michael, Thomas’ brother tries to get Thomas a mail-order-bride • Thomas, because of his recent wealth, is now the center of the paparazzi and once the press learns of him being jilted at the altar and that his fiancé was carrying his brother’s baby, they can’t seem to get enough. • Thomas feels that the whole world thinks he is a pity case. He has to get away for awhile. • He buys an island and decides to live his life in solitude while he licks his wounds. • He finds a young woman washed up on his beach wearing a wedding dress and later learns that she ran away from her own fiancé and wedding. The young woman brings all the pain he was trying to put behind him to the surface all over again. Could he ever get past this hurt? Why did she have to wash up on his beach, he wondered and why did he feel an attraction to her? Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Washed Ashore Bride

Matthew Kilpatrick

Short Story Press Presents Another 28 Days by Matthew Kilpatrick “Another 28 Days” is the story of one desperate, damaged man’s constant struggle to manage and control two sides of his nature, both of which are destructive but which also seem to be in direct conflict, making keeping them in check a challenge. Readers of this dark and personal story will discover: •One man’s life story, a dark and twisted one though it may be. •A deeply traumatized man doing his best to adjust and live a normal, balanced life. •A slowly building mystery to reveal the truth of Bill’s condition. •The discovery that no matter how bad one’s problems might be, the best thing to do is work through and overcome them. •A supernatural horror tale interspersed with streaks of gritty reality. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Another 28 Days

Ruth Pettite

Short Story Press Presents Swiveled Craving by Ruth Pettite Ruth Pettite’s “Swiveled Craving” takes you through yet another twisted and turned loop of events that only she can fathom and bring out to us. As we learn the multiple character storyline, pay close attention. Someone has a role in the story, somewhere. Revenge can be sweet for some. For others, it can be deadly. Jennifer McCain has dealt with more than her fair share of mishaps over time. Her wife’s ex, institutionalized for attempted murder, and seems to be the ultimate culprit yet unable to perform the crimes that she has been accused of. Her health has failed her miserably, but Jenny has insisted that Casey is out to get her still. But if Casey is locked away, how can Jenny even think it would be her? Could it be her wild imagination and things just happen to go wrong? Could someone else be copycatting Casey’s original plots? Does Jenny need help for her traumatic stress? The life of Casey, Danny, Jenny and Ava is one that has more turns than most soap operas on television, yet Ruth still keeps us in tune without jumping all over the place. Join Short Story Press and Ruth Pettite in the mysterious vengeance of “Swiveled Craving.” Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Swiveled Craving

Alex Eaker

After his mother goes deaf, a young boy must navigate through the many difficulties of his childhood. The boy witnesses his Mom deal with loss, his father becoming distant, his older brother living a life of his own. The protagonist feels alone, powerless, voiceless. At the same time, the boy tries to impress the girl of his dreams at school, leading him into a troublesome situation. He must make choices which could affect him for the rest of his life. Through it all, he must figure out how to endure and grow, how to become the man of the house. • See how the protagonist deals with the struggling relationship between his mother and father. • How to deal with the struggles of puberty and coming of age. • Impressing your crush at school and the holes this can trap you in. • Navigating through a house filled with tension while also trying to take control. • Understand what it’s like to live with someone who has experienced recent trauma. • Read about the importance of a mother-son relationship and how the bond between parent and child can grow. The story is fictional, but tells true experiences of the author. It is a personal story that speaks to what growing up is really like for many young boys, and how they look to their parents or siblings for guidance. This story tells what can go wrong when that guidance is not there, but also the powerful bond between mother and son. About the Writer Alex Eaker grew up in the cold suburbs of Connecticut. At five years old, his parents got a divorce, putting Alex on an early path towards writing. Ever since, Alex has written about his experience as a son and younger brother, operating between his mother and fathers’ homes while also enduring the universal struggles of adolescence. His stories serve to share his experience, an experience not uncommon in today’s world. He hopes his words can reach the ears of readers who are seeking a voice to connect with, a voice they feel they have a common thread between. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

A Young Boy’s Journey to Becoming the Man of the House After His Grandfather’s Death

Short Story Press Presents Man of the House

Short Story Press Presents An Illustrated Warning by Matthew Kilpatrick “An Illustrated Warning” is a carefully crafted and creepy tale designed to unsettle and chill you. You’ll be held rapt to attention as the dread sets in and things go from odd to eerie and then from eerie to utterly frightening. There is plenty of fright in this story, which is made up of several elements that work together to create a terrifying whole. • The mystery of a young man’s missing grandfather • A collection of bizarre and horrid illustrations that serves as a warning against entering a forbidden room • A slowly revealed discovery of exactly what dark secret the room holds • A seemingly inexplicable nightmare for the main characters • A suspenseful attempt to escape • The aftermath of their traumatic experience. “An Illustrated Warning” allows readers who want to give themselves chills to share the experience of the two main characters. It will draw you in and make you think twice before going into rooms in basements. If you want to get the maximum scare quotient, read it alone, at night, in a large house with a dark, musty basement. The frightening pictures found early on are only the beginning of a much more terrifying truth. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents An Illustrated Warning

Skyler Gerard

Short Story Press Presents Friends In Greece by Skyler Gerard ‘Friends in Greece’ is a romantic short story based on the Greek island of Samos. Richard, a writer, and Jennifer, a stockbroker meet en route to the island. He wants to complete his book at Samos, while she simply wants to enjoy a holiday at a villa. The story tells how the two help each other out and become friends and soon, how love blossoms between them in the idyllic environs of Pythagorio on Samos, an exotic island in the Aegean Sea. Brilliantly conceived and written, the story is all about beauty, positive feeling, finding and knowing love, dilemma and sacrifice. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Friends In Greece

Valerie Lizotte

Short Story Press Presents Love In 3D by Valerie Lizotte What happens when you lose all hopes in yourself and in the world? Well, you become vulnerable and that’s what happened to Eddie, only he does not really know what is wrong with him until a meeting that will literally change his world and, in a very real way, his life. One day, as it is his habit, Eddie has stepped in a virtual travel cabin looking for a distraction from his bleak life and on an impulse he has made the journey to the era of 1950’s. An era that is so very different from his universe, somewhere in a not so distant, cold and unfriendly future, that Eddie is immediately fascinated with what he sees, with this much simpler and warmer life. He feels himself becoming alive again. There he also meets Marylyn, a pretty waitress working in a snack bar. She is so different from the women he has been keeping company with that Eddie feels himself attracted to her, attracted to how real and transparent she is. However, his engineer’s mind immediately sees the problem: Marylyn is not real and is the product of sophisticated computer coding. He tries to rationalise his attraction for her, but nothing can convince his heart and that is where the trouble starts. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents A Love In 3D

What happens when you lose all hopes in yourself and in the world? Well, you become vulnerable and that's what happened to Eddie, only he does not really know what is wrong with him until a meeting that will literally change his world and, in a very real way, his life. One day, as it is his habit, Eddie has stepped in a virtual travel cabin looking for a distraction from his bleak life and on an impulse he has made the journey to the era of 1950's. An era that is so very different from his universe, somewhere in a not so distant, cold and unfriendly future, that Eddie is immediately fascinated with what he sees, with this much simpler and warmer life. He feels himself becoming alive again. There he also meets Marylyn, a pretty waitress working in a snack bar. She is so different from the women he has been keeping company with that Eddie feels himself attracted to her, attracted to how real and transparent she is. However, his engineer's mind immediately sees the problem: Marylyn is not real and is the product of sophisticated computer coding. He tries to rationalise his attraction for her, but nothing can convince his heart and that is where the trouble starts. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Natashiah Jansen

Short Story Press Presents Adjo And The Invitation by Natashiah Jansen A parallel world, a magical crystal, a phoenix and an invitation: These are some of the exciting things in store for you with the latest Natashiah Jansen entitled, “Adjo and the Invitation”. You’ll be transported to the parallel world of Hatshepsut’s temple and learn: • Why Adjo was sent an invitation • Why his mother carried a pouch around her neck • Why his father was killed • The secret of the phoenix • Who Anub is • From where the phoenix originates • Who will be victorious at the end of the day If you love a little bit of everything, you will like “Adjo and the Invitation” Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Adjo And The Invitation

Ken Green

Short Story Press Presents Welcome To Colorful Colorado by Ken Green Anyone who has ever moved to a new city to start a new life knows the obstacles, both mental and physical, that such a move creates. No only does it often involve leaving perhaps the only life you might ever have known, but it means starting a new life in an entirely new location, a location that has its own traditions, customs and style. For writer Ken Green, that transition meant leaving the big city of Chicago for the not-so-big city of Denver. It was the Midwest vs. the real West. Chi-Town vs. Cowtown. The City of Big Shoulders vs. the City That’s Near Boulder. And rather than do it for career purposes, he does it more personal reason: to join his future wife. “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” recounts the initial phase of his journey from Chicago to the Mile High City including: • Leaving behind a life of 49 years in Chicago in a matter of weeks • Encountering a Nebraska blizzard • The possible “omen” of breaking down just after crossing the Colorado border “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” is the sometimes-humorous tale of one man’s decision to begin an adventure on the other side of the “world”, when that world is 1,000 miles away. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Welcome To Colorful Colorado

Katie Farrison

Short Story Press Presents Our Red Thread by Katie Farrison Our Red Thread is a story of love, depression, and finding happiness with the one you love. The red thread theory, or the red string of fate, is the belief that there is a red thread connecting two people who are destined to be together. That no matter what obstacles there are between them, nothing will keep them apart. Cora and Lewis, two youths with seemingly nothing in common, come together in spite of their peers. Unlikely friends fall in love, and four years later their life together seems perfect: Lewis has a high-paying job, the two share a luxury apartment in the city, and Lewis is ready to ask Cora to marry him. But what happens when Cora disappears without a word? How does Lewis react when he sees her lurking in the doorway at one of his conferences? When he decides that he needs to find out why she left, he gets more than he bargained for. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Our Red Thread

Short Story Press Presents Salvaged Quietude by Ruth Pettite Psychologically, Logan Pelham seems like a normal guy with a constructive filled life. He is about precision, exact timing and a little obsessive compulsive at times. Although time limits are a part of his life, he seems to be a normal everyday kind of guy. When an old girlfriend from the past comes back into his life he finds that time is not of the essence. She is lost, upset, and mute. And to top it off, she is definitely not the girl she once was. Her loud political ways from college are gone, leaving her a frail and extremely timid woman with extreme mental issues. After contacting the police, Logan is connected with the forensic psychologist. Doctor Morgan Shiles knows the woman well, and agrees to meet with Logan. Seeing the woman in slight distress although Logan has offered her a meal, a shower and clothing, Doctor Shiles insists they discuss her issues back at his office. The halls of the institution are not the only things in this short story that have exceptional twists and turns. Be ready for an outstanding mind warp as you read page by page in “Salvaged Quietude.” You never know what, or who, is next in line to come up missing, dead, or more. This turbulent psychological mind blow is definitely a don’t put down page turner. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Salvaged Quietude

Kim Chase

Short Story Press Presents Ben's Missing Pin by Kim Chase Ben enters a Spelling Bee at school. He was thrilled when he was named the winner for the second grade class! As a special award, Ben was given a pin as first prize! This pin meant a great deal to him; especially since he had to study so hard just to be in the contest. Ben loved to look at his pin every day. Everything was going well; at least until the day Ben’s pin disappeared. In the blink of an eye, it seemed to have vanished; right into thin air! Will you be able to unravel the mystery, and put the pieces of the puzzle together? To find out exactly who took Ben’s special pin? Even if you think you have it all figured out, you might want to guess again, as the ending of the story will surprise you! The tale of “Ben’s Missing Pin” is a challenging mystery that can have you laughing, in places; but mostly it will keep you wondering… What, exactly, did happen to that pin? In fact, you may find yourself asking that question right up to the very end. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Ben's Missing Pin

Shanika Patrice

Short Story Press Presents Dating My Boyfriend's Brother by Shanika Patrice Skyy Conrad is a single woman, approaching her 30s, who has decided to give online dating another chance after her first online experience failed. Never one to give up too easily, Skyy “meets” Bruce in a chat room and another online romance begins for the beautiful, wannabe writer who is also a full-time counselor at a correctional facility. Unlike Skyy, who is single with no kids, Bruce is divorced, with experience, who may have baggage that prevents the two from completely connecting on a few levels, especially physical. Along with the obstacles of trying to have a successful long-distance relationship with Bruce, Skyy also works hard at advertising a blossoming, promising online relationship to doubtful outsiders to online and long distance dating, such as her parents and friends, while questioning whether the relationship does actually have a chance of making it. Dating My Boyfriend’s Brother is an example of what can happen in a relationship that begins online, and what can happen when you match a determined, driven single woman ready for a man to put a “ring on it” with a divorced man who although is lonely and looking for companionship also has a weird way of showing how much he needs Skyy. Maybe it is indeed his fault that she begins to fall for his brother Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Dating My Boyfriend's Brother

Jasmine Bowen

Short Story Press Presents Uncertain Throne They were princesses that were never supposed to inherit the throne, but to live happily ever after with their princes. Everything changed when a mass slaughter took the lives of the generation before, leaving an elderly king with no heirs, save them. Felicia rules the kingdom with a heavy heart, separated from her long term love to love a man who makes her choose; love or the throne. Eva, the sickly but strong-hearted princess, and James, the navy commodore and trusted advisor of Felecia, no longer have to hide their long term love affair. Eva and James think they finally have peace after being separated for 15 years by Eva's arranged marriage: an alliance once made to help fortify the country. Now, Felicia must choose her own love and happiness or the throne. Will she disrupt the finally peaceful and relaxing lives of Eva and James to have them take the throne? Or will she choose to live in misery without the man she loves; a man she cannot marry? “The Uncertain Throne” makes us realize what we must do in the most desperate of times and realize our true self. Not all of us would respond the same way; not all of us would become the same person or make the same choices we think we would make. Suitable for ages 13+ up, the morals of this story transcend age and time Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Uncertain Throne

Alicia Danielle Voss-Guillén

Short Story Press Presents A Final Kiss By Short Story Press & Alicia Danielle Voss-Guillén o Alicia Danielle Voss-Guillén, author of Price World Publishing’s Tori Series for middle grade readers, as well a previous short story (“One Winter Moment”) for Short Story Press, returns with another poignant tale of the difficulties and dilemmas imposed by impossible loves. o “A Final Kiss” relates the wedding day of Natalie St. John, an educated young woman from a wealthy New England family who must come to terms with the fact that she’s made a life altering mistake. o As an idealistic seventeen-year-old, Natalie meets and falls in love with Joey Renetti, a charming young waiter at a local Italian café. From the very beginning, it is evident to Natalie that the two are a match made in heaven. But Natalie’s uppity parents are far from being in agreement with their daughter. o Natalie’s mother insists that a life with a lower-class restaurant worker is not any kind of a future for a girl of Natalie’s breeding and social standing. She insists that her daughter meet and mingle with other young men. At first, Natalie is defensive of her relationship with Joey and goes to all lengths to protect it, even after she leaves home to attend a prestigious university. o But slowly and steadily time works it wiles, and Natalie’s parents succeed in driving a wedge between their daughter and the young man she truly loves. They are ecstatic when Natalie meets Adam Pennington, a well-to-do businessman and New England socialite who can provide their daughter with the finer things in life. Resigned to a future without Joey, Natalie embarks on a relationship with Adam, and the two soon become engaged. A mere month after Natalie’s graduation from university, the wedding will take place. But as the big day draws close, Natalie finds herself experiencing niggling doubts about Adam, and try as she might, she is unable to put Joey Renetti out of her mind. Even so, she goes through with the ceremony, assuring herself that everything will be all right. After all, Adam is kind, loving, and caring. Natalie has no doubt that he will make a good husband. o But when Natalie unexpectedly runs into Joey Renetti at her wedding reception, all her old longings resurface, and she must confront the reality of the life-changing mistake she made once and must live with for the rest of her days…. o Told through an alternating series of present-day happenings and flashbacks to Natalie’s eighteenth year, A Final Kiss explores the consequences we bring about ourselves when we close our hearts to their inmost desires. o Alicia Voss-Guillén was inspired to write A Final Kiss as she pondered the possibility of such a life-altering regret as Natalie faces in the story. “The concept of a bride meeting up with her one and only true love on the day she is married to a different man was just too good to pass up,” she says. The author infuses her character with the human emotion that she believes would be inherent in a similar scenario, and she hopes that none of her readers will ever have to deal with Natalie St. John Pennington’s level of regret. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents A Final Kiss

Aivan Antonio

Short Story Press Presents Love Doesn't Exist by Aivan Antonio If you are a person who see failing not as a negative thing but a learning experience, this story will resonate with you. “Love Doesn’t Exist” is a story about an 18-year old boy named Bruno who experiences a lot of embarrassment and faces a lot of his internal demons only to achieve one of life’s greatest joys – searching for that eternal love. After suffering from a devastating rejection from Maria, Bruno decides to do whatever it takes to find the girl of his dreams. He found a book that he believes will cure his awkwardness with girls. Discovering the book gave Bruno the urge and confidence to interact with women. He approaches girls in his school. He approaches girls in his community. He approaches girls in whatever place he could think of but every encountered failed. Being an amateur in meeting women, he fails miserably. But all hope is not gone. He is a young man full of determination that even a mountain blocks his way, he will make a hole through it only to achieve his goal in life. Each rejection Bruno faces, gives him a little knowledge in achieving his goal. Do you think he will finally find his true love? Let’s see and find out. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Love Doesn't Exist

Blaise Marcoux

Short Story Press Presents Fix, Reset, and Reload by Blaise Marcoux Crusher Bruskiewicz doesn't believe he can be stopped. The fifteen-year old takes every challenge thrown his way, bolstering his fearsome reputation and encouraging his bullying ways. Some of his adventures are hazy in his mind, though, and hard to remember specifically. What the teenager doesn't know is that he keeps dying from his misadventures, only to be teleported into the future and repaired before being sent back to his own time. • Who is Crusher's real father, and how does that play into why the boy keeps being patched up by medics from a completely different century? • What strange future keeps its watchful eye on a young hooligan as he risks life and limb far in the past? • What plans are being made concerning Crusher's fate by his father? How could it spell a very bleak destiny indeed for the misbehaving kid? Welcome to a future where corporations own people completely and time travel is a study option at the university. A time full of hovercars and holograms, space aliens and a totally privatized military industrial complex. Crusher had better prepare himself for another Fix, Reset, and Reload, because next time, he could very well meet his doom. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents Fix, Reset, and Reload

Alicia Pesce

Short Story Press Presents Valerie's Tale by Alicia Pesce Valerie’s Tale is a story about a little girl with a heart filled with courage and strength living in a world plagued with war and where magic is divided by Clerics who believe in using magic conservatively and mages who use it for whatever their heart’s desire. Valerie is force to grow up quickly when her mother contracts a life threatening illness, one that a Cleric cannot heal. With hopes of saving her, Valerie would have seek out an old wizard, a gentle man with a silly personality and unusual powers to heal her, but ends up getting frozen and brought to the future filled with odd machines powered by steam. She meets up with an old friend offers to help her through this dark new world, mostly occupied by Dark Mages who dominate the land with their dangerous magic, and find the kindly old wizard who helped her in her childhood. In her adventure, she must learn to accept things that she can’t control and she learns of patience, death and the toll that one takes when one messes with forces in which they don’t understand. But could magic really be such a dangerous force to mess with? Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press

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