Short Story Press Presents Ultimate Hunt by Sarah Zachary Archer, a hunting dog bred solely to devote his abilities to catch his prey at any cost, is taken on the strangest hunt he’s ever experienced. Hagar, his master, is set on catching the elusive legendary creature, the unicorn. Once caught, Hagar plans to cut off her horn and use its magic for his own purposes. At first, the prospects of catching a mythical creature seem laughable to Archer, but after he encounters the unicorn firsthand, it is no longer a joke. He gives chase and corners the beast in a cavern, and unforeseen danger gives way to a cave in, leaving both creatures alone together. It’s through these circumstances Archer learns there’s more to the legend of the unicorn than meets the eye, and perhaps the ultimate hunt will change him far more than he realized. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

ALSO INCLUDES ALL-NEW MATERIAL When it Comes to Hunting Stories, Go Big or Go Home! For more than 20 years, hunter, humorist, and one-heck-of-a-storyteller Steve Chapman has been entertaining and inspiring his fans with his many adventures in God’s great outdoors. Now, he brings you this trophy case collection of his most awesome anecdotes—tagged, bagged, and ready for you to read and enjoy! Revisit some of Steve’s most memorable moments along with some all-new, never-before-published stories. From the wide-eyed anticipation of his very first outing as a teenager to a disappointing day in the deer stand many decades later, you’ll experience all the highs and lows of hunting as only Steve can describe them. And far more important, with each thrilling tale, you’ll draw closer to the One who created this big, bountiful world where you can pursue your ultimate passions. That’s where these unforgettable hunting stories really hit the mark!

Short Story Press Presents They Are Everywhere By Matthew Kilpatrick “They Are Everywhere” is a story that combines the elements of the most spine-tingling supernatural horror with the funniest comedy. Never before have malevolent spirits, poltergeists and haunted houses been so funny. Make no mistake though, the terror is real; it’s the witless protagonists and their incredibly inappropriate reactions that give the story its humor. In “They Are Everywhere” you will encounter: • A pair of dimwitted and entirely earnest main characters • Three separate investigations into paranormal activity that do not go the way you might expect • An interesting back story for the two main characters, hinting at past exploits • Elements based on other famous and well-known stories of hauntings • Scenarios whose truth, whether supernatural or mundane, can easily be discerned by the reader if not by the protagonists • A final and interesting secret revealed to the reader if nobody else Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

The strange odysseys of two young women animate this “hypnotic and glowing” American gothic novel that blurs the line between the real and the supernatural (Gregory Maguire, The New York Times Book Review). A New York Times Editors’ Choice A Paris Review Staff Pick Ruth and Nat are seventeen. They are orphans living at The Love of Christ! Foster Home in upstate New York. And they may be able to talk to the dead. Enter Mr. Bell, a con man with mystical interests who knows an opportunity when he sees one. Together they embark on an unexpected journey that connects meteor sites, utopian communities, lost mothers, and a scar that maps its way across Ruth’s face. Decades later, Ruth visits her niece, Cora. But while Ruth used to speak to the dead, she now doesn’t speak at all. Even so, she leads Cora on a mysterious mission that involves crossing the entire state of New York on foot. Where is she taking them? And who—or what—is hidden in the woods at the end of the road? “[A] gripping novel…The narratives, which twist together into a shocking dénouement, are marked by ghost stories.”—The New Yorker

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “My favorite kind of whodunit, kept me guessing all the way through, and reminiscent of Agatha Christie at her best -- with an extra dose of acid.” -- Alex Michaelides, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Silent Patient Everyone's invited...everyone's a suspect... During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves. The trip begins innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps, just as a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world. Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead. . . and another of them did it. Keep your friends close, the old adage says. But how close is too close? DON'T BE LEFT OUT. JOIN THE PARTY NOW.

Short Story Press Presents Not So Professional by Brandon Dowless Tub the ogre is tired. Tired of the unfounded stereotypes placed upon ogres by humans. They parade around his woods, hunting his prey and gathering his berries, all the while assuming that ogres are a bunch of stupid, ugly, smelly (okay, maybe that one's not “unfounded” per se) human-eaters. He also happens to be bored. Bored of the same menial tasks day in and day out; hunting prey and gathering berries to help feed the village until they move on to the next piece of land they stake for themselves. As we have found throughout history, being tired and bored is not an ideal state of mind for coming up with great decisions. And so, Tub comes up with a bad decision. Tub decides to become a hired killer for a mysterious contact. He believes that the life of a professional hit man will give him all the excitement found in his spy novels, while striking fear into the heart of the humans. Alas, Tub ends up a mere pawn in the hands of someone who doesn't have his best interests at heart. The ogre finds all the excitement he could ask for, and more, but will he survive? Or will his escapades be a mere footnote in time? Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Short Story Press Presents The Tronik Gambit by Salim Farhat The Tronik Gambit is the story of a rag-tag group of air pirates. Like their older, sea-borne brethren, they spent years terrorizing aerial shipping, raiding ships on the seas with float-planes, and robbing towns and remote outposts on land, and using their machines to make the fastest getaways imaginable and were a huge thorn in the side of the authorities. Operating from a massive flying aircraft carrier, and using clouds, mist, and forbidding terrain to hide their presence and move around with impunity. Their weapons and machines are makeshift, and purchased from corrupt industrialists, and created entirely from scratch with nothing but stolen parts and material, or outright stolen from the legitimate governments of the world. Amid all this, there is a massive war going on between the Drakameer and the Ukarin, two nations with a history of bitterness that runs so deeps that neither side has any qualms against using criminals, madmen, or psychopaths against each other. While they’re still officially wanted, air pirates were used to do thing that would be too difficult for them to explain to their own citizens. For all their success, most of the gang has grown weary of their life on the edge and yearn to go back to the society that they had turned their backs on, so long ago. So they use their connections with some shady individuals in the Ukarin military, men who have no qualms selling their country’s secrets for a fistful of cash and some favors. Discovering that the ruthless General Tronik, a psychopath with a pathological need to undertake military ventures that border on the suicidal, they realize they not only have their ticket to securing their pardon, but to ending their careers with the biggest bang imaginable. All while taking on the most monstrous war machine they had ever produced: the flying battleship Briesmonis. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.