Manhattan Tower Twelve, Manhattan, New York:
Rita and the cleaning company she was hired to work for have been on site since eleven at night. The nighttime guards had cleared her and all the other cleaning members. Carla had managed to come by and give her the EMF scanner she needed to scan for the magical artifact.

The Heart of January Bliss
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I don’t know where she came from. That is the funny thing about being a creator. Sometimes it is not a deliberative process – it just happens. She just happened.

Sure, I was looking for a new comic strip to develop and publish, and I had read somewhere that strips are more often read by men. So, I suppose the idea was that I would come up with a strip that women could enjoy.

Dan waited outside his boss’s office bedside the door. He could smell the sweet perfume coming from Cindy, his boss’s secretary. He looked at her as she faced away from him photocopying. She was slim but had a nicely rounded bottom. She wore a narrow black skirt and black stockings. He wasn’t sure. He knew she did sometimes, as he had seen the bulges of the clips outlined in her skirt before. She had a silky white short sleeved blouse on and 3-inch heels.

Scarlett was shooting pool down at Big T’s pool hall. She has been coming to Big T’s since she was capable of walking. Her father uses to hustle people for money, while she watched. When the former owner of Big T’s decided to retire, she bought the place.

She used the money she saved up from hustling people like her father. Everyone that came into the pool hall always underestimated her. There were only a few times that she lost, but she won more than she lost.

Morgan begins college life, and Faye has Morgan come in for a physical exam.

“Auntie Stephie!” The tiny voice calls as I enter the dance studio, immediately bringing a smile to my face as she toddles over to me in her pink leotard and dance skirt.

Every day, all the time it seemed, the guys just made fun of me. Sure I was smart, but I was small, smaller than most of them. It was terrible, as they turned into men, I seemed to stay behind, with my soft hairless features. And puberty, well that didn’t seem to be happening either.

Tomes and Tiaras, Brooklyn, New York:
Carla pulls into the parking lot of Tomes and Tiaras. She had questions about the servant of Nyx she encountered the other night and if there was one person who could give her answers, it was Iris. She knew Iris has been around for a very long time. There were only a handful of people who knew what Iris truly was.

Immune Response
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

What are allergies? An allergy is an immune system response to a foreign substance that’s not typically harmful to your body. Your immune system’s job is to keep you healthy by fighting harmful pathogens – things that could put your body in danger. It does this by attacking those things. The allergic response can be inflammation, sneezing or something much more serious. Shock is the extreme – the body shuts down to destroy the pathogen, even though it might not even be slightly harmful to the body.

"What do you want with him?" I yelled as Mikey rushed to my side.

I watched in dismay as both police officers stood on either side of Ollie and gestured for him to walk.

"What did he do?" I screamed panicked but neither of them would say a word to me.

"Harris, I need you take her to the parking lot. Her mother is waiting there" was all Coach said. He wouldn't even look at me.

"What did you do?" I raised my voice at Coach but even that couldn't get a response from him.

"Now, Harris" Coach repeated sternly.

Link: The Road to Hell Title Page and Description

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To give him a room of his own, Hank and Joyce Edwards worked every spare minute to convert their den into another bedroom. Previous foster children had shared a room either with Tracy if they were a girl or David if a boy, but the family quickly realized that Joss didn't really fit either and did their best to adapt.

The Woman He Deserves
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I said it to Hannah: “How can she do that? It is like she is tormenting him.”

It was supposed to be a double date, but Tammy had insisted on bringing a friend. A man friend to make five at the table. Then she spent the whole night playing footsie under the table with Rafe (that was his name), while Jack was right there. I could see it, and I was damn sure my date Hannah could see it too.

But Hannah’s response left me cold.

Skater Girl
A Short Story from my Latest Anthology on Amazon
By Maryanne Peters

Allie - The teenage years of Alexander Horten

January 10-16 , 2016