Showing results by author "Nicole C." in All Categories

Coffin Blossoms. A reminder that hope does spring eternal. In death itself, there is often beauty, life, and on rare occasions, even humor. The 24 stories in this anthology straddle the line between humor and horror in unique ways. Some wearing a wry smile. Others with tongue firmly in cheek. Ghosts, demons, vampires, myths, monsters, and murderers turned on their heads and shaken ‘til dizzy, then presented for you here, in Coffin Blossoms....

Lou just found out he’s got a rare cancer, and only has a few months left to live. He’s naturally distraught for a few days, and then he gets a call from an experimental research facility. They’ve been testing a ‘cure’ for that specific cancer, and Lou has been accepted into the trial. He’s not ready to celebrate yet, but he’s hopeful… though the trial is much stranger than he expected, involving a wet-nurse instead of an injection.

When broke and aimless Bert signs up to be an extra in a vampire-themed LARP, he expects foam swords and cringe. He definitely does not expect to meet Vivian, the insanely gorgeous ‘vampire queen’. And he doesn’t expect her to be so interested in him. But things get complicated when Bert discovers the entire LARP is actually a secret reality show, with him cast as some clueless newbie obliviously in love with a beautiful, endowed trans girl.

Benjamin’s the class clown with a reputation for crafting ‘epic pranks’ on his teachers and classmates. But with college coming to a close, nobody seems to find his gags so great these days. But all of that is about to change, because Benjamin just stumbled upon a teacher assistant’s secret dating profile: “Only into femboys.” It’s the opportunity for the perfect prank. First, he needs to create a false identity, and then he needs to work on getting the TA’s trust. But when Mr.

The whole plan is well-intentioned: to give Chris a chance to experiment with his identity. But when Rohan sneaks over for a peek, he’s not expecting to see a gorgeous babe in that storage room—and he’s not expecting to develop so many strong feelings for the secret sissy.

When Quinn Frank, a young man, wakes from a coma convinced he’s a woman named Erica Smith—someone who supposedly died in a plane crash—everyone thinks he’s suffering some sort of delusion. But Quinn knows things that he shouldn’t know: details about a plane crash that happened at nearly the exact moment he was actually in a car wreck.

Xavier Stone, a well-known investigative journalist, doesn’t normally do client work, but it’s hard to turn down Brian Ashdale Sr., who is desperate to find his lost son. Brian Ashdale Jr. had just turned eighteen when he vanished, leaving behind nothing but a cryptic note. Many have tried to find Brian; none have succeeded.

Nate was just supposed to be the designated driver for his cousin’s bachelorette weekend getaway. He wasn’t supposed to get roped into their games… but he’s had a crush on one of the girls in the wedding party for years: Lexie Matthews. So he can’t help it when they start playing Truth or Dare, and the prospect of sharing a cute kiss with Lexie is suddenly on the table.

Enemies become lovers, rivalry turns to romance, and convenient marriages create true love in these 12 addictive tales. Featuring Olivie Blake, Kelley Armstrong, Katherine Arden, Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Tasha Suri, Melissa Marr and more. A gorgeous collection of 12 original fantasy romance...

Ben is going through a rough patch. He’s even turned to entering contests on social media, desperate for a little bit of money to get him back on his feet. He doesn’t win, but his old friend from high-school, Anthony, wins a big one worth one-hundred grand. There’s just one issue: Anthony entered the contest in Blake, his girlfriend’s name… and now she’s his ex-girlfriend. Back in high-school, everyone thought that Ben and Blake were brother and sister. So maybe Ben can help Anthony to accept that prize money and get a small piece of it.

Trevor’s friend, Alan, has been acting strangely recently. He will disappear for days without a trace, and he keeps ending up in the hospital, with doctors thinking that he’s on the verge of death—just for him to be totally fine the next day.

Since the government launched the Department of Pairing—an AI-driven system that assigns every eighteen-year-old their “perfect match”—society has transformed. Divorce rates have plummeted. Productivity has skyrocketed. People have never been happier. Cameron has spent his whole life waiting for the program to hand him the dream girl he deserves. Instead, on his eighteenth birthday, a government email brings a nightmare: the name of his new husband. And worse, the Department of Employment has matched him with the role of housewife. They expect him to play the woman’s part. Dresses. Makeup.

Damian just landed a dream apprenticeship with a famous luthier. There’s just one issue: it’s unpaid. He needs to find a way to live during his apprenticeship, and weekends at Subway aren’t cutting it. Thankfully, an old high-school classmate can get Damian into an experimental drug trial that pays thirty bucks a day, and more than likely, Damian will be put into a control group and given a placebo. What is there to lose?

Mike made a joke about the way his girlfriend dresses, and now he’s in big trouble. On the way home from an out-of-town wedding, Ellie kicks Mike out of her car, way out in the middle of nowhere. He thinks she’s just bluffing when she drives off… but she never does come back. And to make matters worse: Mike is wearing the tiny dress and heels she wore at the rehearsal dinner the night before. He put it on as a joke at that wedding, right before making the joke that prompted their early exit. Now, Mike has to figure out how to get home, stuck in that dress, with no money and no phone.

Brandon tells his wife, Ellie, that he wants more from her in the bedroom. It turns into a big fight, and Brandon assumes he’s going to spend the next week sleeping on the couch. So he’s surprised when Ellie initiates some intimacy… and she throws a finger into the mix, putting it somewhere it’s never been before. It feels weird, but not unpleasant. Maybe Brandon even likes it. So he lets her do it again the next night, and the next.

Every night at exactly midnight, Nate is overcome by an uncontrollable desire to dress and act like a girl. It lasts only an hour, leaving him confused and embarrassed as the compulsion suddenly vanishes. But when the next night arrives, the same inexplicable urge overtakes him again… and again… and again. Nate doesn’t know what’s happening to him, but he knows when it’s going to happen: between midnight and 1:00 AM. Each night, he’s at the mercy of those strange, unshakable desires.

Michael’s life was normal, until his manager convinced him to dress up as a girl for a promotional TikTok video. It was meant to be silly, and then the video went viral. Michael is the reason for the video’s success; his transformation in that ten-second clip has strangers coming into the store to get selfies with Michael. All over the country, guys are sending pictures of a dolled-up Michael to their friends, trying to prank their buddies into admitting they think he looks ‘hot’.

Eli is in an awkward position. An injury has sidelined his twin sister, Madison, just a week before the most important figure skating competition of her season. She can’t compete—but she has an idea. Eli used to skate too, before the bullying at school drove him off the ice. Now, if he wants to help his sister, he’ll have to put the skates back on—and slip into a blonde wig and Madison’s tiny, sparkling skating dress.

Adam and his bandmates have a little ritual: every night, after their performance, they compete to see who can bag the hottest girl. Adam is usually the winner, despite being the short, skinny guy. He’s got a certain charm that girls like.

Gerry is lonely. He’s never been with a woman, and it’s starting to seem like it’s going to stay that way… Until one morning, he wakes up and decides to make some big changes: fresh new clothes, a new look, and new pictures for his Tinder profile. And the effort pays off. Suddenly, he finds himself matched with a beautiful woman, though a bit older than him. The date even goes well—until she reveals that she’s married and has a kid, and that she’s actually looking for someone to help her spice up their marital bedroom.