Annie Reed

Humans prove great fodder for fiction. But what about the universe of possibilities offered by the nonhuman protagonist? The eighteen daring humans of Fiction River's latest volume explore just that. From a goblin who must choose whether to risk everything for love to a heroic rat adventuring at sea to sentient underpants (yes, underpants), these nonhuman tales demonstrate why Adventures Fantastic says: "If you haven't checked out Fiction River yet, you should. There's something for everyone." "...a great set of unique and fast-paced tales of the imagination " -Astro Guyz on Fiction River: Recycled Pulp Table of Contents "In the Beginnings" by Annie Reed "At His Heels a Stone" by Lee Allred "In the Empire of Underpants" by Robert T. Jeschonek "The Sound of Salvation" by Leslie Claire Walker "Goblin in Love" by Anthea Sharp "Slime and Crime" by Mich le Laframboise "Always Listening" by Louisa Swann "Here I Will Dance" by Stefon Mears "Rats at Sea" by Brenda Carre "Sense and Sentientability" by Lisa Silverthorne "When a Good Fox Goes to War" by Kim May "The Game of Time" by Felicia Fredlund "The Scent of Murder" by Angela Penrose "Still-Waking Sleep" by Dayle A. Dermatis "Inhabiting Sweetie" by Dale Hartley Emery "The Legend of Anlahn" by Eric Kent Edstrom "Sheath Hopes" by Thea Hutcheson "We, The Ocean" by Alexandra Brandt

The Uncollected Anthology series sprang from the minds of six fabulous authors who love fantasy, short stories, and each other's writing. Every three months, the authors pick a theme and write a short story for that theme. Now, for the first time, you can buy the "collected" uncollected and get all the stories written the first year in one place The themes for the first year: Magical Motorcycles Winter Witches Heartspells Portals & Passageways For more great stories, visit the Uncollected Anthology website: www. UncollectedAnthology.com

Imagine paying a fine for walking across town. Or hiding an illegal marriage. Or losing your life for playing the harp. Strange crimes, dangerous activities, some from the not-so-distant past, return to life in Hidden in Crime. See why Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine says Fiction River's crime volumes have "high quality throughout," and why Publishers Weekly states "... fans of the unconventional will be well satisfied." Join some of the best authors in the business as they uncover once-hidden crimes. "Readers will find many impressive voices, both familiar and new." -Publishers Weekly on Past Crime

A BRUTAL MURDER PITS SHERIFF JILL JORDAN AGAINST THE GOOD-OLD-BOYS NETWORK THAT RUNS A RURAL WESTERN TOWN IN A DEATH IN CUMBERLAND. Embroiled in a hotly contested race for re-election against her own chief deputy, Sheriff Jill Jordan finds herself going up against the town's most influential citizen when she investigates the bludgeoning death of a reclusive resident of the rural Nevada town of Cumberland. Hal Taylor, the head of Cumberland's good-old-boys network, used his money and influence to put Cumberland on the map. Hal would like nothing better than to see Jill's investigation fail, especially since Hal's son and his buddies had a history with the murder victim. A violent history that Hal paid good money to make go away. Hal's not above throwing his weight around to make sure that Cumberland's first female sheriff loses the election-provided her opponent makes sure the investigation goes away. But when Jill first took office, she swore to uphold the law for all of Cumberland's citizens, not just the rich and powerful. If she has to dig up a past everyone would prefer stay buried in order to solve this crime, that's what she'll do. Even if it costs her the election. Even if it costs her life.

Predator or prey? On the Internet, how can you tell? When private investigator Abby Maxon answers a call for help from an old college friend, she never expects to find herself searching for a missing teenage girl. Abby investigates accidents and tracks down reluctant witnesses for a living. The last thing she wants is to get involved in a missing person case, especially when that case leads to murder. Pretty fifteen-year-old Rachel Ellison got in over her head when she played a flirtatious online game of "let's pretend" with a married man. Now Rachel's dead and Abby's old college friend is the prime suspect. The only clue to the identity of Rachel's killer is a ceramic horse missing from the dead girl's bedroom. Online chat rooms can be a dangerous place for the unwary. Including Abby's own teenage daughter, another pretty fifteen-year-old who wants to meet a boy she's only talked to online. "In Private Investigator Abby Maxon, Annie Reed has created a believable, sympathetic character readers can relate to. I can't wait to read Abby's next adventure " -Marcelle Dub , award-winning author of THE WEEPING WOMAN