StoryRoom

For Halloween, a short little Do-Over story.

More ancient history for Jake, or whoever he is. Enjoy!

A Tramp Abroad is a work of travel literature, including a mixture of autobiography and fictional events, by American author Mark Twain, published in 1880. The book details a journey by the author, with his friend Harris, through central and southern Europe.

“Do you really think James Bond was born James Bond? Or was he actually born Joey Numbnuts and then changed it after he became Double-Oh-Seven? How do you get to be James Bond? Where do you start? And how do you leave? How does James Bond retire? What happens when he runs out of spies to catch? Does he go back to being Joey Numbnuts?”
Added Chapter 5

A Story in the Anthony Carter, Family & Friends Universe
Will Potter, an orphan and merchant’s apprentice in a small Devon port, runs afoul of the law when he beats up a landowner's son. Given a choice between prison and volunteering for the Royal Navy, he joins the company of a small Navy sloop bound for New South Wales. Read how young Will finds his calling as a ship's purser and a sweet wife, how he prospers and is decorated for saving a shipmate in the Battle of Trafalgar.
Added Chapters 5,6

Chapter 4 will fill in some of the blanks about how our hero (?) learned his trade. Enjoy!

In which I am not amused/amorous/amiable (damned thesaurus) by which way the story goes. "THEE END" is not a farewell so much as a bitter wish/decree/curse. It does not work as an end to a story. THE END (see)

So far, people seem to like the story. Many thanks to all who have purchased it. My wife appreciates it. She tells me, “Just remember, you earn it, I spend it.” It’s basically a direct line, Boo ... more

It has been three years since Ginny B's awful tragedy and death. James Mercer had moved on and is now married. He had a bright future at a large university in Chicago, as well as a profitable sideline that provided him with financial stability. Then one fateful day, his pal FBI special agent Lawrence Foster appears with two pretty apparent government employees. They make him an offer he can’t refuse.
Added Chapters 36-38

I received a couple of interesting comments that I thought I would pass along. First, one reader commented that longhorns are in Montana. In 1866 a fellow named Nelson Story drove 1,000 longhorns from ... more

Following the Equator (sometimes titled More Tramps Abroad) is a non-fiction social commentary in the form of a travelogue published by Mark Twain in 1897.
Added Chapter 3

A Story in the Anthony Carter, Family & Friends Universe
On a rainy spring day, Ellen Trilby, the daughter of Major George Trilby and his wife Siobhan, both dear friends of Harriet Carter, appears on Anthony Carter's estate, asking for shelter to escape an unwanted suitor. Wary of the Carters' son Richard at first, they grow together through a tragedy and danger, but they must overcome a cunning enemy and their own insecurities before they can become a couple. This continues the Anthony Carter stories.
Added Chapters 3,4

The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today is a satirical and political novel by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner first published in 1873. It satirizes greed and political corruption in post-Civil War America.

Roughing It is a book of semi-autobiographical travel literature by Mark Twain. It was written in 1870–71 and published in 1872, following his first travel book The Innocents Abroad (1869). Roughing It is dedicated to Twain's mining companion Calvin H. Higbie, later a civil engineer who died in 1914.

The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrim's Progress is a travel book by American author Mark Twain

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a picaresque novel by American author Mark Twain that was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885.
Added Chapter 3

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (also simply known as Tom Sawyer) is a novel by Mark Twain published on June 9, 1876, about a boy, Tom Sawyer, growing up along the Mississippi River.
Added Chapter 2

It’s time for a new story. This one will be considerably different than my previous story. The hero isn’t all that heroic. “Do you really think James Bond was born James Bond? Or was he actual ... more

Jordan, an ordinary man with a dark past, transforms into a brutal vigilante known as "The Night Stalker" after being disillusioned by the justice system. Operating in secrecy, he hunts criminals who prey on the innocent, leaving a trail of destruction and mystery that captures the public's imagination. His actions, while violent and morally ambiguous, earn him a mix of admiration and fear. Detective Abigail, a relentless investigator with a strong aversion to vigilantism,takes personal interest

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is an 1889 historical novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. In the book, a Yankee engineer from Connecticut named Hank Morgan receives a severe blow to the head and is somehow transported in time and space to England during the reign of King Arthur.

Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain of his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War published in 1883. It is also a travel book, recounting his trips on the Mississippi River, from St. Louis to New Orleans and then from New Orleans to Saint Paul.

At least one reader pointed out that the various North Sea ferries don’t just handle traffic between England, Scotland, Norway, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. Other North Sea destinations in ... more

Time traveling Vikings! Do we need more of a description than that? How did they get here and what do we do with them? Enjoy!
Added Epilogue (final)

After their harrowing trials on Black Star, Ryan and Eclair return home to the Fire Ministry. Ryan puts aside his feelings for Eclair to train with Zanderius Alastar, the Prime Minister of Elemency. His goal, to attain ultimate power in order to finally defeat the Dark Dragon Lord and avenge his family. Meanwhile, on the distant planet of Atlantis, home of the Merfolk, a sinister plot is underway that could spell dire consequences for the entire universe.
Added Chapter 14

We are getting to the end of the story. The Vikings are heading to England. Can we say ‘culture shock!’ For those curious, the MV Sudreyjar was modeled as a sister ship to the MV Hjaltland and M ... more

Jordan, an ordinary man with a dark past, transforms into a brutal vigilante known as "The Night Stalker" after being disillusioned by the justice system. Operating in secrecy, he hunts criminals who prey on the innocent, leaving a trail of destruction and mystery that captures the public's imagination. His actions, while violent and morally ambiguous, earn him a mix of admiration and fear. Detective Abigail, a relentless investigator with a strong aversion to vigilantism, takes a personal inte

A poem that is an allegory on creation and the Creator (as portrayed in the Gospel of John, chapter 1). "The creator came to the people he created, but they rejected him. Yet he gave his life for their sake, so they could become part of his family." A version of this produced for radio broadcast – including music – can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d01Jaf1OjQ

It was pointed out to me that the British king never really beat the Scottish king. “I don't know what your Scottish readers will say to your comment that the King of England beat the King of Scotla ... more

A Florida Boy's Adventures Story
Just another little tale.

Made a mess of things, trying to fix them now. When I get it right hope you enjoy it.

A Florida Boy's Adventures Story
How a young man finds a different way to make a living. If you like the short story I have several ideas to keep it going.
Added Chapter 2

Chapter 16 is about the future plans of Lars and the Vikings. The Vikings are moving to England. God help the Vikings and God help England! I know that everybody will have their own take on what shoul ... more

For those curious, the usage of Private Military Contractors is ubiquitous on military bases. Many think it is limited to overseas conflicts, but the reality is that they are used in military bases ar ... more

This tale begins in southwest Virginia in "the colonies" a few years before the American Revolution. For my readers in Britain, sorry 'bout that. It follows James through being a long hunter, starting a new estate in North Carolina, and his involvement fighting against the British.
Added Chapter 5 (final)

When I wrote the story, I had completely forgotten about The Technicolor Time Machine by Harry Harrison. At the end of that story, the hapless hero is presented with a producer who wants to do a movie ... more

As Travis says in this chapter, “I have the feeling this thing, whatever it is, is moving into the end game.” We are now in the final third of the story. Some of the chapters will be a little shor ... more

Researching and writing Chapter 12 proved one of the most humorous of the entire book. Norse wedding rituals came up, specifically the negotiations involved in a marriage. Why so amusing? For one thin ... more

In Chapter 11 I mention the Runic alphabet. I know there are several, but I just couldn’t figure out which one would have been used, and I just couldn’t get WLC to display them properly. I don’t think it’s that critical, but please don’t complain. Thank you in advance. Enjoy!

Just uploaded chapter 1 of 5. Story is complete and edited and I'll upload all the chapters so they post a new chapter every 2 days. Enjoy.

For those curious, the Red Arrows are the UK version of the US Air Force Thunderbirds or the US Navy Blue Angels. They belong to the RAF. Enjoy!

For those curious, it seems that Yanks and Brits really do speak different languages. What Americans call sheetrock and lumber, the British call plasterboard and timber. There are a few other instances like that throughout the story. One of my English editors pointed this out. Interesting! Enjoy!

Chapter 8 looks at military medicine. Until I wrote this story, what I knew about military medicine was based on MASH, a 1970s TV show about a 1950s war, where Hawkeye and BJ performed ‘meatball sur ... more

Two Family Court lawyers are bitter enemies. How can the finding of a toy rabbit change anything?

The coins the Vikings had in their possession would have been very different from what we would consider coins. A typical coin of that period might have had a profile of the local ruler and a year of ... more

I did the best I could, using both an Old Norse translation site and another site with an Old Norse dictionary. Is the grammar perfect? Are the word choices optimal? Are the tenses and verbs properly ... more

The part about the CIA having people on tap for information on just about anything is true. I once had a history professor who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency back in the ‘60s. He was one ... more

Several odds and ends to think about. Two new characters are introduced, one of whom can seemingly speak every language known to mankind. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration. It sounds impossible but ... more

I’ve been a science fiction fan since I was a young boy, and I remember reading H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine before I ever saw any of the movies. The one thing that is never shown in any of these ... more

Had to get it down to where I could say it out loud without crying at the eulogy. Now I cry even harder. yeah, yeah. Life. Can't live without it.

I hope everybody is enjoying the story so far. FineStories is having a problem linking stories to the appropriate bookapy listing. Here it is: https://bookapy.com/s/351/vikings Enjoy!

When Miami Vice began back in the ‘80s, the ‘elevator pitch’ given to investors was ‘MTV Cops!’ The elevator pitch for this story is ‘Time Traveling Vikings!’ It came about from the Hist ... more

he she love death love she he life

Santa Claus is forced to carry out market research on how families enjoyed Christmas. (Note: this is set in a Southern Hemisphere country, where Christmas is celebrated in summer.)

Albert Namatjira (1902–1959) was an Aboriginal painter from Central Australia. Widely considered one of the most notable Australian artists, he pioneered contemporary indigenous art. He was the first Aboriginal artist to become widely popular, and the first of his people to be given Australian citizenship rights, a mixed blessing. (See Wikipedia.) Time gets bent a little in this retelling.

How to get a taxi driver’s licence the easy way! This story is 100% true, dating from a time I lived in Sydney in the late 1960s. Names are not changed to protect the innocent – there were no innocent.

Some times the wayward son is not the problem.

A celebration party is not what it seems. The death of an enemy is reason to rejoice – but who is the real enemy?

Every Christmas, Father McEvoy – the humble priest of an inner-city church – assembles a small crib or tableau for his people. It features the usual characters – Mary, Joseph, the Christ-child, animals and shepherds. But this year it comes to life in an unexpected fashion.

Life is normally harmonious at Poggitty Farm, where the animals run the place themselves. (I sugggest you read “The Poggitty Farm Choir” first, if you haven’t already done so.) This time, a hard winter brings a strange visitor, and an even stranger consequence.

Christmas can be the loneliest time, particularly when you long for the touch of a loved-one who is not there and you may never see again.

Poggitty Farm is a most unusual place. The animals run the entire farm themselves, and life runs very smoothly. That is, until one day a stranger showed up with a promise to make the animals famous.

This tale is based on a personal trip in 1969, when I hitch-hiked from Sydney to Perth, some 3,000 miles. This, in the middle of a very hot Australian summer. The main road, a lot of it unsealed at that time, runs across the Nullarbor Plain, a desolate land inhabited mainly by kangaroos, with a few small settlements along the way. I must have been mad, but I did actually complete the journey, taking only 3-and-a-half days. The latter portion of the story is fiction, but the majority is true.

CiT book 6 will be on Bookapy until this coming Friday. Then it is being moved to that unmentionable site.

David was in trouble. A broken window was discovered, and Police Chief Daddy strongly suspected he was the culprit. Lawyer Mummy was not so sure. But David knew he had to quickly find out the cause, or he could be in real trouble.

After Matt's wife is killed in a wreck, he starts putting his life back together. While trying to heal he is thrown back to the late 1860s. Follow as he rebuilds and watch others come into his life.
Added Chapter 10

I let a few rough feedbacks knock me off the mood. Yet I also got a lot of good ones and this last week I got several that brightened things up.. I'm doing this for fun and hope some of you have fun reading it!

The erotic fantasy is dedicated to the loneliness of lovers.
Added Chapter 2

Anya and Kael's epic romance transcends time and space. Their enduring love profoundly influences the fate of the universe, guiding them through perilous adventures across diverse realms. Facing seemingly impossible obstacles, their unwavering bond leaves a lasting legacy of hope, inspiring future generations. Their story celebrates the strength of human connection and the immortality of the spirit.

A science fiction / mathematical fantasy originally written for the short-ticed Christmas of 2013 when Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday, fell on November 28 meaning that Black Friday, start of the Xmas Shopping Season fell on November 29th giving only 26 shopping days until Christmas: the shortest possible Xmas Shopping Season. Oh, yeah. No grinches were harmed, indeed, none appear in the story. Originally on Tumblr under a different pen name.

Christmas grown too big to fail.

It's about a meadow

Seven young Genius Native Nation girls, Family and friends who face predigest and disdain from those who believe they have a right to rule because of who they are. Those in power or those who believe they should be in power will destroy all those who stand in their way. Those who do not recognize their right to rule will be eliminated by any and all means available.
Added Chapters 64-66 (final)

Operetto in the Key of Rest. You know, the stuff the piano player is playing in all them old silent films. Yet another story, I guess. But it's a poem. Don't tell.

There's a saying about... well, most everything. This time that one about me complaining about a speck of sawdust in your eye which I can barely see for the log in mine. (Likely a story with a moral. ... more

Chapter 16 is in the pipe to be published. This was a fun chapter to write. I hope you enjoy it. Von

Country Roads (5)
After the loss of both his parents and his music career, Charlie gets a second chance when he lands a spot on a hit music competition, The Stage. But his journey of redemption is paved with heartbreak, betrayal, and ambition.
Added Chapter 14

This is the second in my Tugboat Man series. This time, Tug is in the race of his life against some very bad...well... not quite people. The title tells the tale. No, it has nothing to do with the Da Vinci code. But it's in the ballpark. The wife is from Atlantis, so there are some unavoidable sci-fi aspects. But this is actually nothing more than pure romantic adventure. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. D.T.

This is the most frequently downloaded of all my stories, so I thought I would post it here. It is the first of four in a series. I am posting the second one along with it. I'll add the other two if you like these. I consider myself the poet-laureate of the nerd world. And I want my stories to have a lot of twists and turns. That's what I am giving you here. I hope that you enjoy this as much as I did writing it.

I broke ground on my next story, or rather I typed in a few paragraphs today. I have the characters defined and the outline worked out. I'm excited to be making progress again. The main character ... more

In a kingdom torn apart by war and political intrigue, William Whitton must navigate a treacherous landscape of political machinations and conflict following the death of the King. Sent to war by his stepfather the young prince learns the harsh realities of leadership and the toll of conflict on both soldiers and civilians. Back in the capital, the new king, begins to impose oppressive laws to limit the power of the barons and consolidate consolidate power, pushing the kingdom toward Rebellion.
Added Chapter 13

Hope you enjoy and thanks for the kind words and help!

Ed discovers he can see and hear ghosts. After that everything changes. He helps ghosts or helps others with help from ghosts.
Added Chapter 39 (final)

The final chapter of Ghost Whisperer will be out on Monday. It's also available in full on Bookapy. For my next project, I want to write some kind of mystery, perhaps a thriller or a cozy. Other tha ... more

I downloaded Grammarly as was suggested. I have done an edit on chapter 7 only. When I am done with the story I will try to do a much better edit. I am not an editor, I read a lot but seldom write any ... more

He's a hard headed County Sheriff with one failed marriage. She's a beautiful and mysterious lady with a past that doesn't make sense. It might sound crazy. But he is beginning to suspect that the woman he is falling in love with is the victim of an eighty-year-old murder.

We all have problems come up and I have had them the last several weeks. No excuses just not getting things done as fast as I should. I will finish this story and hopefully in a timely manner. Can't p ... more

As time allows I will be working on Ginny B, correcting grammer errors and hopefully make the story line flow more smoothly. The story line is good but it just needs some tweaking to allow it flow mor ... more