Curiosity Quills: Chronology

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2015 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

It's time... for time! Embark on a literary journey through the ages with Curiosity Quills Press in our latest, greatest, and BIGGEST annual anthology yet. Filled with short stories by greats the likes of Piers Anthony, J.R. Rain, Richard Roberts, Scott Nicholson, Tony Healey, and more, Chronology will send your imagination down unexplored tunnels of history, from the earliest days to a far-flung future.

Included Short Stories:

Draconic King, by James Wymore
A young king inherits a desperate situation with his kingdom on the brink of ruin. The only way he can keep his lands from falling into the hands of his enemies is to subdue the ancestral dragon and ride into battle as a Draconic King.

Wind-Up Hearts, by Stan Swanson
If one’s heart is constructed of metal and considered indestructible, can love and romance still find a place within? That is the question facing Henry Thackery who spends over a hundred years pursuing the woman of his dreams. A tale of romance more than science fiction, Wind-Up Hearts will tug at the strings of your heart whether it be mechanical or flesh and blood

Flight of the Pegasus, by Darin Kennedy
In an alternate 1890, where airships rule the sky, automatons service the brilliant and wealthy, and hard steam powers the world, Captain Craig Carruthers stands in the breach. The only survivor of a government experiment gone horribly awry, Carruthers uses the strength and resilience granted him by Professor Lydon's hard steam infusion along with his keen intellect and honed reflexes to battle the nefarious Klaus Behringer, the Butcher of Berlin.

That Which Is Hidden, by Julie Frost
Gideon Bassett needs to solve the triple mystery of his sweetheart's murder, a train robbery, and a bank heist. Problem is, he's been outed as a werewolf and is a fugitive himself...

Whitechapel, by Andrew Buckley
In Victorian England, something evil is lurking through the shadows. A young man comfortably comes to terms with the fact he’s a useless failure. An old man is searching for a student. The bartender at The Sickly Bunny is named Gilbert. There’s also a horse who may be the world’s greatest detective. Welcome to Whitechapel.

The Lair by, Tony Healey
Legendary adventurer Jack Axle can always be counted on to do whatever it rakes to get the job done... even if it entails a one-way ticket up the river of death!

Signs Unseen, by J.P. Moynahan
Seeking to live out his retirement days doing what he loves, a man buys a cheap motor shop on a whim. As he sets out living his new life in the attached house next to the garage, he discovers just how deep - and bloody - the prejudice runs in this late 60's .

In The Clutches of the Mummy Prince, by B.C. Johnson
Hog McMasters (ex-gambler, ex-Zen Master, former Olympic gold medalist) is hip deep in bandages and blood. From the jungles of Chile to an elaborate supervillain lair off Costa Rica, Hog squares off against dire mummies, grinning malefactors, and the power of friendship

Bait and Witch, by J.P. Sloan
Dorian Lake travels across the Chesapeake Bay to help a client who is being harassed by a backwoods sect of religious extremists. However Dorian quickly realizes that his client is anything but helpless. Caught in the crossfire of forbidden magic, Dorian must find a way defuse the situation before someone gets killed... or worse

Inmate # 85298, by Andrew J. Rausch
Convicted killer Frank "The Hammer" Peretti is scheduled to be executed by the state, but things just refuse to go as planned...

Lava, by Piers Anthony
The unlikeliest of unions - that of a stranded sailor and a girl made of lava, the creation of a legendary volcano - is the only thing standing between the picturesque Hawaiian island and the creeping bulldozers of industry. Awakening the dormant volcano may be their only hope to preserve the island's future. Unless it destroys it first.

Strange Flesh, by Katie Young
Three Cambridge students and latter-day members of the infamous Glutton Club visit a remote, rugged island, in search of a mysterious fish documented by Darwin himself, and said to be the most delicious flesh he ever sampled. But the solitude and howling wind soon take their toll on the young men as the island keeps its secrets, and a strange song is heard drifting in on the tide...

Wampus Cat, by Scott Nicholson
A Southern redneck college girl camping in the Appalachians on Halloween finds little comfort in her ineffectual WASP boyfriend as the darkness creeps in, filled with unspeakable beasts of legend who stare from bows and branches. And something within her hillbilly heart stares back, answering the call of the dark.

Yours Until the Ink Dries, by Jordan Elizabeth
Zuby Bloom hates her name, her family, and her school, but she loves her island home. She writes her life down in a journal, and includes pictures of the Enchanted Ones. These fairy creatures may not only exist in her imagination, and a stranger she meets at the abandoned remains of the island’s castle might shatter the secrets surrounding her life.

The Room Below, by Wilbert Stanton
Here at Haven Falls we offer cognitive therapy, coping skills, psychoanalysis, and a positive environment for controlled interactions to give you the best chances of rejoining society. Haven Falls offers you second a chance at life. Please be aware that as a resident, you must always be in your room before dark, and must never open your door regardless of the scratching, screaming, and/or heavy breathing you may hear outside. Please do not ask about the missing girls because it will upset the other patients, and whatever you do, under no circumstances should you ever go into the Room Below...

The Comeback, by Tara Tyler
Tragedy strikes young love, but a mysterious witch claims she can bring Jeremy back, for a price.

The Bull, by J.R. Rain
Temporary blurb: an origins story of a hapless rodeo clown turned superhero when a freak lightning melds him and a bull into a lean mean evil-fighting machine. With elements of humor.

After-Party, by Mark W. Woodring
In the afterglow of last night's party, Jeff slowly awakens to the fact that the world is not quite as he remembers it. But is it already too late to fix it?

The Unattended Life, by J.E. Anckorn
Joe Russo will get it cleaned, whether it’s blood stain removal after a homicide, or a body left to rot alone in an abandoned house, or worse. He’s seen it all, and it don’t bother him no more. Death is almost like an old friend to Joe; but sometimes old friends pay unexpected visits.

The Colorado King, by Nathan L. Yocum
Eight years after the showdown in Tucson, Lead is still fleeing from the Zona; fleeing his past. The Colorado Kingdom holds the promise of refuge and escape, if he and his daughter can only get through colonies of feral humans and the ravages of nature in their way.

Gookie Visits Her Moma, by G. Miki Hayden
When a female intergalactic crime fighter extraordinaire hires on to take home a runaway of her species, she winds up in an impossible pickle. Of course Gookie has lived most of her life in pickles, and she's determined to visit Nonser to see her moma... Or she could just run like heck.

Above the Clouds, by Richard Roberts
Red and Rosie - misunderstood by their parents, scorned for their love, and kept apart against their will. If the story sounds familiar, there's another twist: Red and Rosie are two sentient skyships, contending with the folly of their human pilots. Will these two unlikely star-crossed lovers find their happily-ever-after above the clouds?

Innocent Deception, by Matthew S. Cox
Citizens live carefree lives in gleaming cities, free of the worry of The Fade. The vicious alien infection drains its victims to slow, painful deaths. Ascendant Pharmaceuticals has a cure, but charges an exorbitant amount per dose. Nine-year-old Maya Oman is the heir to an empire built on suffering, and the key to a risky plan.

Limited Liability, by Matthew Graybosch
Men of power often take calculated risks - but when an uncertain asteroid mining process is involved, one wealthy CEO weighs meta-profits against the destruction of lives. In abandoning reason for greed, his actions draw the scrutiny of Morgan Stormrider - and painful lessons about what the future holds... 

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Published by

Curiosity Quills Press

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