About the Book In the Appalachian foothills, Judy and her three young boys are left to fend for themselves while her husband leaves for work on a sheep ranch out west. Life isn’t easy in the Hawkins house during Ken’s absence, and Judy struggles to survive and provide for her sons, helped only occasionally by her brother-in-law, who also happens to be her former lover. Stark necessity and a determination to keep her family alive and safe forces Judy to make unorthodox —and often immoral—decisions. And times become increasingly difficult as her boys encounter violence, death, alcoholism and tobacco abuse as they come of age in the isolation of the Appalachia foothills in the 1950s. About the Author Bill Lawson grew up in an impoverished family of fourteen in the rural Appalachians of Virginia in the 1950s and ‘60s. He worked his way to a bachelor’s degree in education and taught English in Florida before joining the Air Force in 1970, where he became trained as a medical technologist. In the years that followed, he settled in the Spokane, Washington, area and worked for a number of hospitals. He enrolled in the University of Washington Physician Assistant Program and worked as a family practice PA until his retirement in 2017. He now enjoys camping, hiking, fishing, reading, and writing fiction based on his experiences growing up in the Appalachians. He still resides in Spokane with his wife, Stephanie, who he refers to as the center of his universe.

Abstract Rachel A. Frias an adult fiction writer, offers an eclectic entertaining collection of 24 short stories in Short Bedtime Stories volume 1, titled Straight Up. Volume 2 of this Short Bedtime Stories collection is called Spice Up and offers and assorted amusing selection through 21 short stories. Controversial topics are presented inviting the readers possible curtailed stimulation to be uplifted, and provoke thoughts otherwise committed to the discretion of others. I have summarized the topics in each book below and addressed questions 1-5 from the press release questionnaire. Straight Up In Straight Up the variety of themes and issues, including character decisions are listed here: A mechanics cold world, the run down state of some school buildings, how financial investments rise, the fiction of replaying living organisms, uneasiness and terror due to skepticism, the value of frivolous antiques and candy, identity theft, fitting new furniture in old buildings, in addition some other themes in Straight Up by Rachel Frias are the dangers of trespassing, neighborhood quality, military giving away their lives, reaching for more than one can achieve, unexpected accidents and also family intrusion. Straight Up uses themes that can be summarized into: Feelings, socioeconomic status, science fiction, value of antiques and candy, id theft, obesity, casual love at first sight, military betrayal, passionate accidents, family and queers. Providing proof: By including a bit of reality and dressing these naked themes with fictional garments, the author of Straight Up, Rachel A. Frias, brings fiction to life in narrative conversation. Each of the 24 stories in Straight Up is original and contains at least one element of surprise as one reads the daring writers composition take for instance Wisk Away where and overweight and lesbian Josephina pulls out a cell phone and surrenders John as a drunken driver because of her vengeful personality. Being original: To illustrate the originality of these 24 short stories in Straight Up by Rachel A. Frias check that such a modern topic as stem cells is approached by Helena and she- as a character, takes advantage of this procedure to have a vertebral disk regenerated. Counter Objections: Straight Up is a work of fiction not meant for children because some topics are censored to minors. These short stories address situations that can occur in a community, and are a mild recall in awareness that what could happen, can be prevented and avoided: As what could happen in The Generals Apple which is another short story where generals betray each other.

Put a shapeshifting demon hunter in charge of policing paranormals. That's a great idea. When Dexx Colt followed Paige Whiskey to Oregon and then helped her set up the Red Star Division, he had no idea she'd abandon him--to other responsibilities, mind you--and leave him in charge. He's a demon hunter. He breaks rules. He doesn't enforce them. But when bodies start appearing and all the evidence points to his team, he has a decision to make. Step up and protect the team he never asked for, or cut and run. He's been called many things. A coward was never one of them. When he discovers that angels and djinn are working together, he gathers the few team members who aren't in jail; his 1970 Dodge Challenger, Jackie, and Hattie, his spirit animal. He's taking the fight to the djinn's front door. One way or another, this killer is going down. After all, hunting demons is what Dexx does best.