Books by S H Marpel

When the hamburgers all disappeared, along with the buns I was warming, I thought I was seeing things. But when my spatula went through the cast-iron grill top - I had to let it go out of reflex. No way was I going after it - I'd been burned too many times. It wasn't like I had a choice after that. Because the grill itself dropped out through the bottom of the rolling coach we were cooking out of that summer. I looked up at Ham, my order-taker, partner, and lover - only to see her fall through the floor as well. A look of shock and trying to say something, but frozen in time. Then the coach disappeared, and I fell with it - but only as far as the pavement it used to be parked on. I could see the asphalt beneath my feet at least. Until it turned to some sort of foamy waves lapping on a beach I'd never seen before. Green hard-packed sand. Green water. And a long white line that went down this beach like it was some sort of dual-lane highway... Get Your Copy Now.

A collection of short stories from new voices - the breaking edge cross-currents of mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and romance - from works published between November and December 2018. Worlds new or perhaps re-visited - but only you will know if this is the stuff of dreams - or nightmares. - A ghost haunted by her death, since she only appears each year for a few hours, she has little time to work out how she died, and keep it from happening again. - When the amateur detective becomes haunted, it's up to those he's saved to rescue him from his own worst nightmares. - How do you solve someone's problem when they are haunting themselves? A recurring post-apocalypse scenario that only loops on an immortal being trapped at its center, and able to kill anyone who tries to help her. - A Smart Home who kicks out the owners, reassigns their title, and turns off the lights in the neighborhood - except for the red and green lights that pulse in an ominous, haunted glow. Get Your Copy Now.

The adventures of the Ghost Hunters continue - with more exotic locations and hair-raising paranormal adventures than ever before: - A three-part serial which starts by attempting to solve the mystery of a ghost who has been haunting several hundred feet underwater, for 12,000 years or so. And then involves an immortal being who was turned half-human and beaten nearly unconscious. Only to reveal she has a twin sister who she has fought with constantly over the ages - but now has to work with her to regain her own powers and defeat an immortal enemy who has worked out how to exploit the Internet and social media to enslave all of humankind. - Plus, two additional mysteries involving an angel and an immortal goddess who need the human mystery writer John Earl Stark to solve their unsolvable problems... All in short reads that fit into the time you have to read. Delicious mental snacks that will leave you with new ideas to consider long after the entertainment is over. Get Your Copy Now.

Sue had been though a world of pain already.Surviving re-entry to this planet in a powerless escape pod. Learning to speak with telepathic canines that had become the dominant sentient beings on Earth. Finding she could shape-shift and cause illusions.She brought the end to a civil war between their pack and those nearby. Peace on Earth - at least this little part.By learning only a tiny bit of the unknown skills she possessed.One warm summer's night, a messenger brought her to meet a greater being than she thought existed. That being told her about a single key datum.All she wanted to do was rescue her family - only 240 thousand miles away - on the moon.And that single key could unlock what she needed most...Get Your Copy Now.

The result of all these civil wars was complete destruction.Maybe we should have taken a hint from all those wars we fought ""over there"" and the footage came back showing entire cities now only towering, shattered icons that stood in piles of rubble.Uninhabited. uninhabitable.Yet this one woman stayed there. This was her new home, she repeated stubbornly. She wasn't leaving. Even though it meant eventual death.If the warring armies didn't come back to fight again, bombing the remains to gravel, she'd eventually just waste away.But that was the way she wanted it. She at least could remember how all this used to be.When it still was a ""land of the brave, home of the free.""Get Your Copy Now.

Time haunted her. It didn't do what it was ""supposed to"" when she was around.It ran forward, backwards, sideways. Sometimes time helped her solve her problems, sometimes it made them worse.For a lovely young woman, you'd think there would be young men lined up to talk to her at any gathering. But she stayed away from them - to protect them from her curse.What would be the good of a comittment like that if the other person was going to age too fast or too slow - or live forever haunted with the thought of a long lost love?Or was this time-problem contagious? Were other people at risk because of her - or could she pass it onto her children?Life wasn't all that safe, just because you could bend time anyway you wanted.Get Your Copy Now.

An old clock tower, with an unsolved death - that the ghost still haunted.Once a year she appeared. Right on the calendar date of her death. Not that she wasn't also seen during the day, some rumors said, but that was a real person. A flesh version.Who was also haunted by the mysterious death.The mystery was who pushed the young woman - or did she simply slip? Why the lights in the upper bell tower - and why three of them? Too many for a single person to carry...For hundreds of years, the clock never moved - frozen at the time of her death, it was said.Yet the bell still tolled once a year. Two minuted before her anniversary - of dying. Get Your Copy Now.

I was Queen of the World. Until I wasn't. One moment I was in chains and bleeding, the next I was fine - but dressed in red.Someone had played a dirty trick on me. They'd dressed me in a red cartoon outfit - like a Queen. But not my usual goth black.And I also couldn't get out of it. Buttons too high on my back. Hoops and petticoats I couldn't reach under to get free of. Someone was going to pay for this.That little Sue Regniald was the last person I'd seen. And here she comes now.Are you kidding me? She's got a baby-blue fluffy dress, white apron, red sash around her middle, a blue ribbon in her blond hair - where have I seen that?NO. We're in Looking-glass Land! Like I said - somebody's going to pay...Get Your Copy Now.

Trapped by a vicious self-appointed Queen, the entire slave population of the moon colony was imprisoned next to fusion drive exhaust ports.When the fusion drives ignited to lift the colony off for the moons of Saturn, they'd all be turned to ash.In all this, some of the imprisoned still held out hope. Because they could hear voices in their minds telling them not to be afraid, that rescue was coming. Their guards outside only heard their Queen's broadcast.The question was whether that unseen rebel rescue could free all these prisoners in time. Thousands of prisoners, hundreds of cells. Dozens of different locations.And now the countdown began - as broadcast through every space in the colony...Get Your Copy Now.

Now that Malia of 'Cagga had her little city under perfect control, she was ready to export her efficiency plans to the rest of the moon cities. And help them achieve a perfect society under her rule. Martial law, automated mining equipment to replace human workers, constant surveillance of everyone else. Meaning that due to her improvements, they could lift off for their next target much sooner than expected. Because they didn't have to take anyone except Royals and a few assistants with them.Whatever happened to all those unnecessary people after they lifted was not their problem.The only problem she still had was to get rid of those nuisances who keep helping people escape to Earth. But now they knew who was doing it. And the trap to catch her was already baited.Get Your Copy Now.

When someone sends boulder-sized rocks down to planet Earth from the moon, they approach like meteors.On the right trajectory, they don't burn up in the atmosphere, but can come down with the force of a nuclear blast.Our tiny outpost of sentient shape-shifting wolves and escapees from the slave-labor moon colonies had caused a stir up there. They probably still didn't figure out how we managed to help all those people disappear, cross 250,000 miles of space, and wind up on Earth - healthy and smiling in the videos we sent back.But they did figure out where our headquarters was - and targeted it with a string of flaming rock-meteors, all falling in a straight line toward our little valley.If we evacuate in time, we can still avoid that impact.But all it really means is: Earth and the Moon are at war - and they have the better weapons. Or so they think...Get Your Copy Now.

When the unknown "X" lost her job and any way to make a living, she only wanted her life back.But she settled for revenge.In a way she wouldn't expect - cleaning up the elitist government messes.Because having dead bodies around did no one any good. And someone was on a purge in those self-named "royal" houses that ran the moon colony cities.Her particular mindset and training as a medical clinician allowed her to view death with a singular frame of mind. While all the people she'd helped in that medical clinic gave her loyal, fast friends among the "down-belows" who did the mining and kept everything running.The opportunity to now work for an ambitious executive who had a nasty habit of eliminating her bosses was just too good to pass up - and maybe find out who had wrecked her life.Get Your Copy Now.

When another escape pod crash-lands to Earth, a call for searchers goes out to several sentient species to rescue its passenger.The passenger is human - the search parties are not.The previous escape pod brought to Earth one of the most powerful sentients ever known before - and she was human as well. Together with her adoptive wolf pack, they brougth peace to a wide area around them and brought those species into balance once again.In this escape pod, a message was brought for the first escapee from that moon colony. Her sister is now in as much danger as that she escaped from.The idea of somehow launching a rescue across those 248,000 miles of space becomes more vital with every passing day here on Earth. Even with no remaining rockets or ships to lift them out of Earth's heavy gravity.Get Your Copy Now.

Four witches have something in common - and must find each other before an ancient enemy harvests their magic for her own use.They themselves cannot remember how they got their talents or when, and often don't know why they showed up where they did. A single male wood nymph finds himself at the crossroads of helping these witches regain control over the powers they have. He doesn't know that by doing this, he puts himself right in the cross-hairs of that single ancient enemy.She wants to harvest their power for herself, to regain the power and total control of Earth. So she is protecting these four witches and their nymph. For now. When she has what she wants, are all bets are off?This Anthology Contains: - Witch Mystery: Beth - Wish Me Luck, Witch Me Love - Witch Mystery: Ruby - Witch Mystery: Raven - Witch Mystery: Dixie - Last Witch DanceGet Your Copy Now.

Four women, with unique super-abilities - who each could save or destroy humankind.Each came to this planet for their own reasons, deeply flawed. Victims of time and circumstance.Any one of these, just by themselves, could end all life on this planet in a heartbeat.Why would anyone want to assemble a team of feminine time bombs?Maybe to get them to save their own lives...(Contains the complete 4-part anthology.)Get Your Copy Now.

A evil sorceress escaped after being imprisoned for 12,000 years.To accomplish that, she tricked the oldest goddess still remaining on earth, and crippled another one shortly after.Now the Ghost Hunters have to solve a problem they helped create. One who was more powerful than any they had faced to date.Individually, she could probably destroy any one of them. Only working together as a team could she be stopped.Her secret was - she was building her own team.One that could enslave the Western world in a single afternoon of app updates...This anthology contains:- The Case of the Sunken Spirit- Harpy Redux- The Harpy Saga: Sister MineGet Your Copy Now.

Have you ever thought some very dangeous thoughts? Ones that could destroy all life as you knew it?In these six stories by three authors, they do just that. Of course, fiction is safer than real life, so it's much easier to test things here. ...Or so we've been told.In these stories are ideas that will captivate, and excite you to new thoughts and ideas of your own. Because the universe we live in is just a hair's-breadth away from the fictional ones we create.If history is any judge, these authors may be writing are things that will be in our own present any time now.Of course, that's only if you think their thoughts through...Get Your Copy Now.

Being able to escape into the wonderful world of romance is always a pleasure.This set of six short stories are an amusing way to find yourself into new worlds, with new lovers working out their difficulties and eventually end up with their happily-ever-after result.Some are ghosts, some introspective writers, some CIA-government types, a couple of futurists, some socially disadvantaged, and a young couple with hidden abilities.All in contemporary settings (for the most part) and perhaps something you can relate to (well, we can always want the superpowers, anyway.)Lose yourself in these worlds and become young at heart again with these short reads to fit into any schedule...Get Your Copy Now.

Hunted by evil, her only escape was to find the light, but her broken wings couldn't carry her to safety.Why this tiny, suffering pixie was hunted by a monster troll seemed to be a simple urge - he needed to feed off her energy to keep living.Only a few hours to daylight, when the troll had to sleep to avoid the burning rays of sunlight, or being found by Truth-Seekers and forever imprisoned in stone. After the sun rose, she could heal herself by bathing in sunlight and escape forever.But why was this troll out of his territory and why was he hunting her? Not just his hunger, that much was certain. The troll needed food, but she had a secret message to deliver.And that one message could prevent humans as well as fairies from being enslaved to troll masters after losing the coming war...Get Your Copy Now.

For all John's genius, he had overlooked a simple clue. And the mystery would kill him if he didn't solve it.The discovery was a freak chance crossover between scammer business plans and half a dozen statistical anomalies. Completely unexpected. Accidental.And led to a vast conspiracy hidden in plain sight. Or so he thought.It took one of his spirit guides to make sense of it for him. By taking him on a tour thorugh time and space so he could see for himself.Her mssion: to change him forever, and cure the mistake his mind had created. One that was driving him insane.Because his mind was the most potent weapon they had. Aimed at the wrong target, and it would destroy itself. She had this one chance to help him...Get Your Copy Now.

A nude woman collapsed on my doorstep. Someone I knew somehow. Of course, I carried her in and cared for her. Gave her shelter, clothes, and food to heal. In her normal form, she was one of the most powerful entities on this planet, in all known history. Harpy. But for now, she was simply human. And to regain her strength, she said she needed to make love with me. The weird part was the last time we met, she tried to kill me. And now I had to save her life. Ironic, as she had sent so many to their own death through her actions over the centuries. And now she was here, maybe because she said I was the only human she could trust. Get Your Copy Now.

In the days when people were owned by the land, two young girls found their power by becoming ghosts, then spirit guides. This is their origin-story...Their parents were serfs, and belonged to two different dukedoms. Falling in love endangered them both. Becoming pregnant with twins made this even worse.Their Dad had to raise them by himself, as Mother died shortly after birthing them. But her spirit remained on Earth to watch over them. Sal and Jude could see her, and knew their Dad could feel her presence. But the problem in survival was staying hidden, because they were on hunting land the King claimed as his own. And forces were at work to find them...Get Your Copy Now.

It all started with visiting a city where falling was ""up"".And brought John, Sal, and Jude into a situation they'd never seen before. Ghosts are a problem of when the soul is left over after the body dies. Solving those scenes are simple for the Ghost Hunters.But what happens when the soul disappears and the body remains? How do you solve that?It takes all the resources of their team to solve this mystery. Plenty of clues laying around.John Earl Stark has already faced worse than death - and now his choice was beyond hell or heaven, beyond even an afterlife...**Another cosy mystery/clean romance from S. H. Marpel - reading you can trust has never been so exciting!**Get Your Copy Now

The Continuing Saga of the Ghost HuntersA mystery-detective writer is recruited by two enticing young spirit guides, who are capable of transporting him through space and time to solve the problems of ghosts stuck in this dimension. A follow-up anthology with their continuing adventures, as they further explore the unseen enemies they face who want to keep the ghosts haunting here. As well, the relationships between a young man and two very female guides develop as they continue working side-by-side. All learning from their various adventures and mysteries.This anthology contains:- The Haunted Ghost- Faith- Harpy- The Ghost Who LovedExcerpt from The Haunted Ghost:Jude and Sal phased in like before. They phased me outside, on a rock outcropping outside a second floor window opening. Narrow, but still wide enough if there wasnÕt a harsh wind or earthquake.The apparition started as before...Get Your Copy Now.

Two Months of Published Short Stories in One Collected AnthologyThe third in our series, Featuring original works by S. H. Marpel, C. C. Brower, R. L. Saunders & J. R. Kruze published between May and June, 2018. A baker's dozen stories from our archives.Excerpt from The Tunnel People:We only had a half-hour or so before it would be too dark to make our way down the trails without stumbling. And from these heights you used the existing light, or you set yourself up to be spotted from your flashlight beams.So maybe 15 minutes to talk was all the chance I was going to get. And he knew it.""So? You are up here to either seduce me or hire me or blackmail me - or some combination of the above,"" Rob said.I just smiled, ""Or some combination of the above...""The clouds were slowly turning from red through violet into black as we sat there. Patient watching would almost let you see the changes.""OK, five minutes. Make your pitch, Marj, and then I leave.""Get Your Copy Now.