Short Story Press Presents An Unexpected Revenge by Valerie Lizotte Mark is handsome and he knows it. He is also ruthless and arrogant. It is often a very dangerous combination, and Mark is no exception. He uses his good looks to seduce beautiful women and do terrible, unspeakable things to them. He enjoys it immensely and considers this occupation the real purpose of his life. Then, one night as he is on the prowl for his next victim, he spots Jasmine. She is beautiful, intriguing, and he wants her. Her appetite for life is an irresistible turn-on for Mark. Soon, he makes his move and Jasmine lets herself be seduced by that handsome, confident, and refined man. They go back to her place. After an amazing night spent with Jasmine, things unexpectedly start to change for Mark. Strange, unsettling, inexplicable things start happening to him. His apartment is no more the sanctuary it used to be. He first tries to deny it, but he soon finds himself afraid of stepping into his apartment and, worse, questioning his sanity as he comes to believe that Jasmine is behind what is happening to him. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Mark is handsome and he knows it. He is also ruthless and arrogant. It is often a very dangerous combination, and Mark is no exception. He uses his good looks to seduce beautiful women and do terrible, unspeakable things to them. He enjoys it immensely and considers this occupation the real purpose of his life. Then, one night as he is on the prowl for his next victim, he spots Jasmine. She is beautiful, intriguing, and he wants her. Her appetite for life is an irresistible turn-on for Mark. Soon, he makes his move and Jasmine lets herself be seduced by that handsome, confident, and refined man. They go back to her place. After an amazing night spent with Jasmine, things unexpectedly start to change for Mark. Strange, unsettling, inexplicable things start happening to him. His apartment is no more the sanctuary it used to be. He first tries to deny it, but he soon finds himself afraid of stepping into his apartment and, worse, questioning his sanity as he comes to believe that Jasmine is behind what is happening to him. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

"It's not just Murakami but also the shadow of Borges that hovers over this mesmerizing book... [and] one may detect a slight bow to the American macabre of E.A. Poe. Ogawa stands on the shoulders of giants, as another saying goes. But this collection may linger in your mind -- it does in mine -- as a delicious, perplexing, absorbing and somehow singular experience." -- Alan Cheuse, NPR Sinister forces collide---and unite a host of desperate characters---in this eerie cycle of interwoven tales from Yoko Ogawa, the critically acclaimed author of The Housekeeper and the Professor. An aspiring writer moves into a new apartment and discovers that her landlady has murdered her husband. Elsewhere, an accomplished surgeon is approached by a cabaret singer, whose beautiful appearance belies the grotesque condition of her heart. And while the surgeon's jealous lover vows to kill him, a violent envy also stirs in the soul of a lonely craftsman. Desire meets with impulse and erupts, attracting the attention of the surgeon's neighbor---who is drawn to a decaying residence that is now home to instruments of human torture. Murderers and mourners, mothers and children, lovers and innocent bystanders---their fates converge in an ominous and darkly beautiful web. Yoko Ogawa's Revenge is a master class in the macabre that will haunt you to the last page. An NPR Best Book of 2013

Short Story Press Presents Lies We Tell One Another by Don Codner A woman that was living a normal, mundane existence with her fiancé is thrust into a world that she isn’t equipped to deal with. Her life is shattered, and she must pick up the pieces with the help of a strange man that appears in her room. • Samantha is a woman that finds herself attacked by what she can only describe as a Werewolf. • After the attack, she is taken to the hospital, where she meets an old man who can answer her questions. • She finds out the bite of the wolf will transform her into something that is no longer human. • Samantha is given a way to suppress the change, and she begins to learn what goes bump in the night. The lies we tell one another are going to be cold comfort for her on her quest of vengeance. • There is very little chance to train, as the werewolf and its pack are about to leave. • This will be a journey that is fraught with danger and unpredictable, because the wolves know that she is coming and are ready for her, or so they think. • It will be a learning experience for Samantha, as she comes to terms with what she is and what she can do. • Her life is turned upside down, and all she sees is the bloodlust to find the wolf responsible for all that she’s endured. The time for words is over, now she and the old man are on a trail of a killer that has been known forever, but no one actually knew they existed. Now, Samantha is about to find out first hand that things are not what they appear. This fight will not be without casualties, but will it be their lives, or the wolves’, that are lost? Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

"It is only at the end of the world--among the glacial mountains, cleaving icebergs, and frigid waters of Antarctica--where Deb Gardner and Keller Sullivan feel at home. For the few blissful weeks they spend each year studying the habits of emperor and Adaelie penguins, Deb and Keller can escape the frustrations and sorrows of their separate lives and find solace in their work and in each other. But Antarctica, like their fleeting romance, is tenuous, imperiled by the world to the north"--Dust jacket flap.

A dark, twisty thriller about a centuries-old, ivy-covered boarding school haunted by its history of witchcraft and two girls dangerously close to digging up the past. The dangerous romance and atmospheric setting makes it a perfect read for fans of dark academia. Felicity Morrow is back at the Dalloway School. Perched in the Catskill Mountains, the centuries-old, ivy-covered campus was home until the tragic death of her girlfriend. Now, after a year away, she's returned to finish high school. She even has her old room in Godwin House, the exclusive dormitory rumored to be haunted by the spirits of five Dalloway students—girls some say were witches. The Dalloway Five all died mysteriously, one after another, right on Godwin grounds. Witchcraft is woven into Dalloway's past. The school doesn't talk about it, but the students do. In secret rooms and shadowy corners, girls convene. And before her girlfriend died, Felicity was drawn to the dark. She's determined to leave that behind now, but it's hard when Dalloway's occult history is everywhere. And when the new girl won't let her forget. It's Ellis Haley's first year at Dalloway, and she has already amassed a loyal following. A prodigy novelist at seventeen, Ellis is a so-called method writer. She's eccentric and brilliant, and Felicity can't shake the pull she feels to her. So when Ellis asks Felicity to help her research the Dalloway Five for her second book, Felicity can't say no. Given her history with the arcane, Felicity is the perfect resource. And when history begins to repeat itself, Felicity will have to face the darkness in Dalloway—and herself.