This collection of stories by young authors covers a wide range of fiction and nonfiction topics. Here is a sampling of works:

"The track looked like a huge water slide built of ancient wooden scaffolding. Instead of a plastic trough and running water, it was a bed of twisting, glistening ice. Now I could see that a sixty-foot run, after making a huge curve, merged into a forty-foot run. Then the run made multiple turns before one final downward plunge. For a second it seemed miraculous that the track wasn´t littered with broken bodies.... I climbed the steep stairs to the lowest run and waited. I felt nauseous, and hoped no one could tell I was a little scared. Too soon it was my turn. There was no escape. I positioned myself on the sled. I fought panic while waiting for the operator to give me the ´go´ signal. Off I went with my heart skipping a few beats. The wind whipped against my face."

--from "Polar Bear Camping"

"It´s 6:50 a.m. I know this time all too well. The ritual has begun. My mom climbs the steps of the ladder to my top bunk to "tickle" my feet: a tactile alarm clock. Oh, it´s Thursday, not just any day of the week. It´s the day when exhaustion and fatigue will rule me and my only salvation will be a special place, on the most comfortable sofa in the family room, where the angle of the television screen is just right and the pillows outline the shape of my body. I call this place THE SPOT."

--from "The Perfect Spot"

"Aaron awoke disoriented and confused. Then suddenly he recognized his surroundings and remembered his fall. He quickly thanked god that he landed in bushes and was only bruised and scratched. He quickly looked down at his watch; it was 8:00 in the morning. He realized that his friends were gone. THEY THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD! He knew that to survive he needed his pack. He looked up and started to climb...without ropes."

--from "Lost in the Australian Outback"

"Suddenly, the ghost appeared and looked around the room impatiently. ´Where is that girl when I need her?´ The ghost listened carefully and heard a gurgling sound. She went through the wall and gently tapped Kary´s shoulder. Kary turned around and screamed, although the foam coating her mouth muffled her scream. She slowly picked up her cup and gurgled while staring at the ghost cautiously."

--from "One´s Pride is One´s Courage"

"The Tooth Fairy wasn´t pretty at all. Her nose was warty and pointy. Her hair was gray and greasy. Then, all of a sudden, the Tooth Fairy picked up Cindy´s favorite blanket from her grandmother and started to run away. The Tooth Fairy dashed to the window and Cindy raced after her. She could hear her heart beat so fast. She didn´t feel shy at that moment at all; she just had to catch the Tooth Fairy. She just had to get that blanket back."

--from "The Tooth Fairy"

"I don´t exactly believe in ghosts or monsters, but I strongly believe that there are strange creatures out there that no one knows about. I´ve heard their cries many times, especially when lying in my bed at night. Sometimes, thinking about the strange creatures gives me the shivers up my spine.... There is no use in calling my mother or father when I´m scared because they never believe me, of course. All they say are things like: "There are no strange creatures making noises, Becca. It´s just your runaway imagination." Or, "We can have your ears checked next week."

--from "The Grand Adventure"

"He galloped down an alley, only to be cut off by a large black wall. The wall seemed to balk and shift. Then he realized it was not totally black, but had small planet-like dots that could almost be scales. Then there was a sudden movement, and the thief was looking into a large emerald, cat-like eye. The eye belonged to a large black dragon. The thief thought he heard something, not with his ears, but in his mind. You may wish to call it telepathy."

--from "Dragon Flight"

"I was out there for the opening face-off at left wing with Rob Neidermayer at center, and Bure at right wing. We were playing Dallas, who´d won the cup last year. The referee dropped the puck. Neidermayer plucked the puck out of the air as it bounced back up off the ice right to me. I flipped a pass across the ice to Bure who streaked down the ice, blowing by the Dallas defenseman with his incredible speed. As he raced in on goal, he faked left, then suddenly shifted the puck to the right, and flipped a backhand over Dallas´s star goalie, Ed Belfour, into the open net. I had gotten my first point!"

--from "The Way Things Go"

This collection of stories by young authors covers a wide range of fiction and nonfiction topics. Here is a sampling of works:

"The track looked like a huge water slide built of ancient wooden scaffolding. Instead of a plastic trough and running water, it was a bed of twisting, glistening ice. Now I could see that a sixty-foot run, after making a huge curve, merged into a forty-foot run. Then the run made multiple turns before one final downward plunge. For a second it seemed miraculous that the track wasn´t littered with broken bodies.... I climbed the steep stairs to the lowest run and waited. I felt nauseous, and hoped no one could tell I was a little scared. Too soon it was my turn. There was no escape. I positioned myself on the sled. I fought panic while waiting for the operator to give me the ´go´ signal. Off I went with my heart skipping a few beats. The wind whipped against my face."

--from "Polar Bear Camping"

"It´s 6:50 a.m. I know this time all too well. The ritual has begun. My mom climbs the steps of the ladder to my top bunk to "tickle" my feet: a tactile alarm clock. Oh, it´s Thursday, not just any day of the week. It´s the day when exhaustion and fatigue will rule me and my only salvation will be a special place, on the most comfortable sofa in the family room, where the angle of the television screen is just right and the pillows outline the shape of my body. I call this place THE SPOT."

--from "The Perfect Spot"

"Aaron awoke disoriented and confused. Then suddenly he recognized his surroundings and remembered his fall. He quickly thanked god that he landed in bushes and was only bruised and scratched. He quickly looked down at his watch; it was 8:00 in the morning. He realized that his friends were gone. THEY THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD! He knew that to survive he needed his pack. He looked up and started to climb...without ropes."

--from "Lost in the Australian Outback"

"Suddenly, the ghost appeared and looked around the room impatiently. ´Where is that girl when I need her?´ The ghost listened carefully and heard a gurgling sound. She went through the wall and gently tapped Kary´s shoulder. Kary turned around and screamed, although the foam coating her mouth muffled her scream. She slowly picked up her cup and gurgled while staring at the ghost cautiously."

--from "One´s Pride is One´s Courage"

"The Tooth Fairy wasn´t pretty at all. Her nose was warty and pointy. Her hair was gray and greasy. Then, all of a sudden, the Tooth Fairy picked up Cindy´s favorite blanket from her grandmother and started to run away. The Tooth Fairy dashed to the window and Cindy raced after her. She could hear her heart beat so fast. She didn´t feel shy at that moment at all; she just had to catch the Tooth Fairy. She just had to get that blanket back."

--from "The Tooth Fairy"

"I don´t exactly believe in ghosts or monsters, but I strongly believe that there are strange creatures out there that no one knows about. I´ve heard their cries many times, especially when lying in my bed at night. Sometimes, thinking about the strange creatures gives me the shivers up my spine.... There is no use in calling my mother or father when I´m scared because they never believe me, of course. All they say are things like: "There are no strange creatures making noises, Becca. It´s just your runaway imagination." Or, "We can have your ears checked next week."

--from "The Grand Adventure"

"He galloped down an alley, only to be cut off by a large black wall. The wall seemed to balk and shift. Then he realized it was not totally black, but had small planet-like dots that could almost be scales. Then there was a sudden movement, and the thief was looking into a large emerald, cat-like eye. The eye belonged to a large black dragon. The thief thought he heard something, not with his ears, but in his mind. You may wish to call it telepathy."

--from "Dragon Flight"

"I was out there for the opening face-off at left wing with Rob Neidermayer at center, and Bure at right wing. We were playing Dallas, who´d won the cup last year. The referee dropped the puck. Neidermayer plucked the puck out of the air as it bounced back up off the ice right to me. I flipped a pass across the ice to Bure who streaked down the ice, blowing by the Dallas defenseman with his incredible speed. As he raced in on goal, he faked left, then suddenly shifted the puck to the right, and flipped a backhand over Dallas´s star goalie, Ed Belfour, into the open net. I had gotten my first point!"

--from "The Way Things Go"

AND STILL WE CELEBRATE by The Writers of Chantilly.

Welcome to Chantilly!  We come together twice a month in body and spirit to share our stories and characters.   Like knights of old, we gather around a long table to talk and laugh and cry together.  The past, present and future begin to blur as we listen to each writer’s whispered words.  These authors spin us away to enjoy a dizzying ride.  We hold on tight, and when it ends, we can’t believe it’s time to leave.

Won’t you join us this time?

January White Sale tells about a woman who collapses under the weight of her catalog problem. . . .Trash Day describes how a slovenly neighbor pushes a man to the brink of insanity. . . .A Tribute To Grace Staton Peile is a loving eulogy to a ninety-seven year old grandmother from her grieving granddaughter. . . .A Day In The Week After That Surprise St. Valentine’s Day Wedding tells what can happen when a man is secretly engaged to two neighbors at the same time. . . .The Downs And Ups Of An Indian Easter shows how two young matrons experience the pleasure and perils of a visit to a hill station in India. . . .ariadne is poetic beauty. . Hell Is An Aisle Seat begs you to step aboard and experience the airplane trip from hell. . . .Bad Day At The Office reveals how a secretary humiliates the office equipment. . . .The Easter Playhouse portrays a young father’s struggle with madness. . . .Roses For Donald takes us on a visit to the Vietnam War Memorial that brings pain and healing to a mother and son. . . .Mother’s Day is poetry for the heart. . . .Peeping Patti follows a newly divorced woman and her young son as they venture out on their own to find a strange woman spying on them at their new apartment. . . .The Singing Tower tells us to forget harps; it’s the bells they have in heaven. . . .Wedding Belle shows how Iris learns that shopping for a husband and shopping for underwear are not mutually exclusive endeavors. . . .Confessions Of A Marital Renegade explains how a trip to Martha Stewart’s website sends a woman on a personal odyssey. . . .The Wedding Cake proves that baking for a wedding is not always a piece of cake. . . .A Letter To Missy a father’s letter to his daughter on her wedding day explains where she came from. . . .Barbara’s Party describes a wild and crazy party that took place in the sixties. . . .Room And Board tells what happens when a pregnant mongrel shows up on the Fourth of July. . . .Astor’s Independence acknowledges that she was old and dying, but something keeps her clinging to life until she finds what she had waited for all her life. . . .The Commuter shows how sometimes the Metro takes you places you didn’t expect. . . .What Did You Do In The War, Mom? describes a girl who dances through World War II right up to VJ Day. . . .Hot August Date Night proves that choosing the wrong romantic location such as a favorite golf course could really dampen a great August date night. . . .Wrong Place - Wrong Time lets the author tell how she was lured into a psychological test that peeked into her fears. . . .The Fortieth Anniversary warns that a surprise drink can really surprise a recovering alcoholic. . . .Odd Mom Out takes us on a hike in the Great Smokey Mountains that turns a mother’s thoughts to her role in the family. . . .A Stormy Samhain lets us ride along with two women as they search the stormy night for a psychic who claims to be speaking with their dead husbands. . . .Christmas In October recalls memories of childhood Halloween haunts. . . .A Handful Of Fire depicts a young boy’s misadventures with fireworks during Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights. . . .South China Sea takes us to an American Destroyer on patrol in the South China Sea during a 1950’s Thanksgiving. . . .We Won’t Be Home For Christmas tells what it’s like to ship out on December 23rd aboard a troop ship bound for Europe. . . .Some Christmas Rabbits describes a Christmas rabbit hunt in the Australian Outback. . . .The B&O recalls a military family’s unforgettable train ride home for Christmas. . . .The Frozen Tree reveals how a fir tree frozen to the ground changes a family’s Christmas. . . .A Happy Christmas Story explains that all Trudy Hogan wanted for Christmas was her dad, but what she got was better. . . .The Wish, A Christmas Story reveals that a daughter resents her mother’s favoritism.

A collection of fiction, poetry, and essays, this anthology collects work by the members of the online Local Writer's Workshop. Contributors include Rachel Barenblat, Ben Bohnhorst, Julie McCarroll Duffy, Noah Grey,Jenn King, Hazel Muller, Luis Nunez, RH Peat, Neca Stoller, Lawrence Thomas, Bonita Valdez and Michellia Wilson.

The Local Writer's Workshop is an online writing community that's been active since early 1997. The work showcased in this anthology all comes from the workshop, and was all critiqued in the workshop.

The book's contributors range in age from early twenties to late seventies; in education, from high school diplomas to PhD's. We are freelance writers, businesspeople, retired professors and farmers. The diversity and variety of our lives is reflected in the range of our writings.

A collection of fiction, poetry, and essays, this anthology collects work by the members of the online Local Writer's Workshop. Contributors include Rachel Barenblat, Ben Bohnhorst, Julie McCarroll Duffy, Noah Grey,Jenn King, Hazel Muller, Luis Nunez, RH Peat, Neca Stoller, Lawrence Thomas, Bonita Valdez and Michellia Wilson.

The Local Writer's Workshop is an online writing community that's been active since early 1997. The work showcased in this anthology all comes from the workshop, and was all critiqued in the workshop.

The book's contributors range in age from early twenties to late seventies; in education, from high school diplomas to PhD's. We are freelance writers, businesspeople, retired professors and farmers. The diversity and variety of our lives is reflected in the range of our writings.

Book X: the secret writings of 5th and Walnut is a compilation of writings from the staff at Xlibris between June and October of 2000 (when these works were submitted). We hope this book inspires its readers to seek the artistic inclinations that may surround them at their jobs and compile them together in a similar endeavor. The royalties from the sale of this book go to the Philadelphia Free Library Foundation.

Book X: the secret writings of 5th and Walnut is a compilation of writings from the staff at Xlibris between June and October of 2000 (when these works were submitted). We hope this book inspires its readers to seek the artistic inclinations that may surround them at their jobs and compile them together in a similar endeavor. The royalties from the sale of this book go to the Philadelphia Free Library Foundation.

With this stunning debut collection, Feet, Exit 5 presents stories as diverse as the five authors who penned them. Of African descent, they are American, Caribbean, and British. They are male and female. They are writers whose tales of passion, intrigue, loss and survival lie at the heart of human experience. Their characters populate an unpredictable world in which some make bad choices while others surmount incredible odds. All of them struggle to make sense of their lives in voices that force us to listen. Figments of their creators´ imaginations, nevertheless, they mirror our own human need to have our stories, in all their infinite variety, heard.

Quietly, But With Force … is a short story anthology from the twisted minds of editors and authors Rhonda K. Baughman and Scott Barker. They asked their writing cohorts for forceful, memorable, and edgy fiction, and so they received. The short stories in this collection have the power to defy gravity and change the fate of civilization as we know it. Well, not really, but they’d like to think it could. Instead, inside this book is just a little piece of the whole epiphany pie, a chunk of baked goodness, topped with a little sweet fruit, accompanied by a strong cup of bitter, hyper-caffeinated coffee to wash it all down. The authors in this anthology want you to savor the taste, though, not choke on it.

Rhonda Baughman is a graduate student at Antioch University McGregor, enrolled in the MA Creative Writing Program. She likens this particular literary experience to a restful and spiritual retreat, complete with humming mantras and peaceful solitude (later come the buff men in loincloths and well-oiled women fanning her naked body). Baughman resides in Canton, Ohio with her dog, Puggy.

Scott Barker is a connoisseur of all things fiction and is currently the Executive Editor of the not-so-fictional Tucson Lifestyle Magazine. Barker has attended the University of Arizona and taught at Pima Community College. Barker may or may not liken this particular literary experience to the same peaceful retreat as Ms. Baughman, but he wouldn’t mind her loaning him a few of those well-oiled women. Barker resides in Tucson, AZ with his two cats, who due to legal matters, request anonymity.