Showing results by author "C. S. Johnson" in All Categories

Could you live a perfect life, knowing someone else took on all your pain and despair? Skyla has always lived a perfect, happy life - just like everyone in her community. Even if there are brief moments where she is certain she has experienced pain and regret, those moments are brief and quickly forgotten. But when Aiden, Skyla’s next-door neighbor, reveals the truth of the community and their perfect lives, Skyla is faced with an unexpected choice regarding her future. Will her actions lead her community to a better life? Or will she doom them all?

Not all legends are born of lies ... Bjorn Kyvansson was never supposed to outlive his brother. After his older brother Sterlig dies on the mysterious island of Eydis, it falls to Bjorn to avenge his brother. But Bjorn, along with his abusive father and his anxious mother, is content to suffer...

Nightmares slither from the shadows in Scare Street’s latest spine-tingling collection. Thirteen tales of the macabre await in this chilling new volume - a never-ending stream of ghosts, ghouls, and other horrors to haunt your dreams.

As one of the popular girls at her high school, Kallie Grande-White knows how to influence the crowds as her model-ready un-super self. But when a pair of campaigning politicians come to Cuttingham City in hopes of winning Fatgirl's endorsement, Kallie is quick to send them packing. Between all the attention from the Model Middle America show, social media, and the news, she's had enough people talking for her that she doesn't want to actually say anything - and it doesn't help that she's not sure how John Weber and James Walter are really that different from each other.

There's nothing that 17-year-old Kallie Grande-White hungers for more than to be a famous model like her mother - except maybe actually food. But that's a small inconvenience, especially with the Model Middle America reality show holding auditions for the Next Top Heartland Teen Heartthrob Model right in Kallie's hometown. Nothing's going to stand in Kallie's way as she claws her way to the top. But when Kallie downs half a dozen of her PhD-in-nuclear-nanotechnology grandmother's radioactive doughnuts in a momentary fit of rage, everything changes - starting with her own body!

As a Ghost Child and Handmaiden to Ceru, the Great Sea Serpent and Guardian of the Laenite Tribe, all 17-year-old Thessa wants is a family of her own. When Ceru tells her she will marry an outsider and bear a child of prophecy, Thessa is more than excited - especially when the boy she loves, Garrison Rico, the son of the Arian Kingdom’s ambassador, agrees to marry her.

Upon their return from a largely disappointing trip to Florida, Kallie and AB are both expecting a slow week. However, their expectations are quickly subverted when AB finds out there are still more radioactive doughnuts out in the city—and one's been eaten by none other than Officer Max Powers, the same man who'd helped Kallie the night of her Model Middle America audition. And when Officer Powers becomes his greatest fear—a man with nothing left to lose, wildly desperate to enact vengeance against his brother's killer—Kallie and AB have new, unpleasant questions to answer.

After a lifetime of failure and half-hearted successes, Edith Hennessey is far from content with her life—but she's still grateful to at least be alive. When her best friend and next-door neighbor, Martha Davidson, is found dead, Edith strives to think of a way to honor her passing. 

Pamela Pearson grew up knowing it was best to fend for herself, and meeting Asher Davidson didn't really change that. After they argue over their future, Pamela wonders if maybe she was wrong, especially as she sees Asher's dedication to his family following his mother's death.

Garland Morris is an easygoing guy—eager to please, quick with a smile, and always interested in a good gamble. For years, he's enjoyed his job at the First Bank of Fairmont, especially since it provides him the stability he needs to be a little adventurous when it comes to hedging his bets. But when Charles Piper and Orpah Abraham, Fairview's most respected judge and one of Alabama's most prominent media figures, approach him, each asking for a "special request" regarding the bank's financial records, Morris finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

Sixteen-year-old Hamilton Dinger leads a charmed life. He's got the grades for the top of the class, the abilities of a star athlete and Tetris player, and the charisma to get away with anything. Everything seems to be going along perfectly, including his plans to ask out Gwen Kessler, as he enters into tenth grade at Apollo Central High School.

As if Hamilton Dinger needs any more frustration at the moment. Not only has he accepted his duty as a Starlight defender, he's got swim meets to prepare for, his little brother to babysit, and an annoying new girl in his class. Plus he's got his 'mentor' dragon, Elysian, on his back every chance he gets, and his 'co-defender,' Starry Knight, urging him to quit the superhero business after every battle.

With her dad held captive at the Darling Donut factory, Kallie and AB race to the scene. And while Kallie's too scared to do much more than follow AB's lead, she's left speechless as AB does the unthinkable: Consume one of her own radioactive doughnuts.

After locating the man who betrayed AB, and uncovering the mystery of the Alternants, Kallie's happy to only think of never being Fatgirl ever again when Zeus is captured. She has no choice but to save him, and with the help of her friends, family, and allies, Kallie vows to just that—but even with all their resources, it's still not enough to prevent devastating loss.

Donnie Hennessy is a man who's dedicated his life to service, and he knows all about the pain it brings—the pain he feels, and the pain he gives to others. He knows it's best that he contain it as much as possible, before his past ruins everything he has....

Dennis "Dezmo" Moreland grew up on the streets of Chicago, and he's had his share of trouble, even if he's learned how to stay out of it. When he's caught up in a bad investment, and his best friend and business partner owes him the money to get out of it, driving in the car for several hours after a shake-down is worth the trouble. But when he arrives in Fairmont, the last thing he expects is to be caught in the middle of the town pie contest, with its battling egos, family drama, and possible murder.

Sama Davidson always loved being Mama's girl. But now that her mother's gone, she has to find a way to carry on.

Joe Davidson didn't anticipate coming back to Fairmont after his family broke apart. But when the news of Martha's death reaches him, he finds his way home, just as the annual pie contest is getting judged. When they need a new judge, he steps up and offers his services, even if he doesn't know why. But he gets a clue or two as he makes his way through the selections, and he relives the sweetest moments of his life...back when he had his own peach of the pie...

Benedict Svoboda knows what it means to experience loss. After the death of his mother, the rejection of his father, and the loss of his mentor, Ben is determined all the more to protect those in his care—and none more so than his beloved wife, Marguerite. However, Marguerite is no stranger to espionage. Having worked with Lady Penelope Ollerton-Wellesley and the Order of the Crystal Daggers for many years, Marguerite is able—and perhaps too eager—to work with Ben on his various missions, despite his objections.

After a long, adventurous and exhausting spring break, Kallie's almost ready to go back to school just so she can forget about her mother, trouble with Azure, and especially everything that happened with Zeus. But trouble never takes a break, especially when Kallie's certain AB's enemy is targeting her friends and turning them into Alterants—and when Amory reaches out to Fatgirl over her website, Kallie fears the worst. But her worst fears are nothing compared to Amory's.