Have you ever wondered how far a grandmother would go to get the hottest Christmas toy for her baby granddaughter? I never did until I witnessed how desperate my mother was to get a Cabbage Patch doll for my baby niece in the early 1980s. A violent incident that would forever changed my life.

A shorter version of this 875-word essay was first published in Soft Whispers Magazine (November 2009).

A man wakes up at midnight to find the devil waiting to collect his little boy soul for a sin committed in kindergarten. A wild chase in a locked bedroom with no means of escape. Was it only a nightmare or all too real?

This 1,245-word short story is being published for the first time.

When the restaurant owner has high standards, expects perfection from the people around him, and has cannibalistic tendencies, it's best to stay on his good side to avoid becoming the main ingredient of a special dish. Four 500-word flash stories featuring Charles Goodwin of The Giggling Mongoose.

The four flash stories —"Salt of The Air," "Swine of The Earth," "Honey of The Fire," and "Rice of The Water" — were first published in the Elements of Horror anthology (Elements of Horror Press, April 2010).

A collection of nine flash stories about the sacred and profane in an ironic kind of way, featuring two previously published and seven original flash stories.

"The Forgotten Sinner" — An old man stands at the pearly gates of Heaven, explaining to Peter why he never got right with God.

"Uncle Fred's Wild Splash Hit" — Uncle Fred ends up in a world of hurt when the baseball he batted lands somewhere else than the neighbor's swimming pool.

"Blind Faith" — Two roommates discuss the spiritual significance of having the patio blinds closed on a hot day.

"The Old Frenchman" —An American Army private suspects the old Frenchman is stealing something but doesn't know what from the makeshift military camp behind the front lines in World War II.

"Jesus Saves You Money" — A phone call to Jesus is answered by the guy who fixes broken toilets.

"Pure Indulgence" — Caught cheating with a pint of double fudge ice cream by his wife, a husband considers the marital consequences.

"An Old Man's Confession" — An old priest wakes up in his booth to listen to the astounding confession of a Christian impostor who fooled the leadership of an evangelical church.

"Bubbles & Stickers" — Two men challenge each other to a dancing duel over their pet peeves: popping bubble wrap and stickers on the floor.

"Walking Home" — A fearful woman is almost run over by a man who looks like Mr. Magoo from the old cartoon TV show.

When Johnny the pot washer is humiliated in front of the whole kitchen by Alejandro the waiter performing a new magic trick, he comes up with his own new magic to serve up a dish of cold revenge.

This 2,190-word short story is being published for the first time.

Read 18 flash and short stories in this first omnibus volume for one low price, including: "The World's Best Coffee," "The Uninvited Spook," "The Forgotten Sinner," "Uncle Fred's Wild Splash Hit," "Blind Faith," "The Old Frenchman," "Jesus Saves You Money," "Pure Indulgence," "An Old Man's Confession," "Bubbles & Stickers," "Walking Home," "The Unfaithful Camera," "The Devil Came A-Collecting," "The Pot Washer's New Magic Trick," "Walking Into The Night," "Paying Taxes, American Style," "The Bomb Hole Incident" and "The Nowhere October Surprise."

Note: These titles were previously published as short story ebooks or part of a flash collection ebook.

With 15 minutes on the clock until the courthouse closes for the weekend, Leticia is all alone at the front desk and deep into her brodice-ripper paperback when an old man walks in to pay the taxes that he owe—in pennies, no less—and then some. A battle of wits unfolds between a love-starved government worker and a determined taxpayer.

This 1,825-word short story is being published for the first time.

Diving for the world's best coffee is a simple affair for Mark. When the store is crowded with people ordering and waiting for their coffee, he waits for the right order to be announce, steps forward to pick it up, and walks out the door to enjoy. That is until Georgia follows him all over the shopping center to get back what belongs to her.

A 1,000-word short story that was first published in The MacGuffin (Fall 2009).

When Little Danny comes home angry that his Daddy didn't pick him up from school, he finds Daddy and his older sister Tammy doing the bouncy-bounce in bed. Turning away helpless, he noticed his sister's new cell phone with the built-in video camera on her bed. A smile blossoms on his sullen face.

This 1,195-word short story was first published in the print edition of Transcendent Visions (January 2009).

On the last day of summer before their junior year in high school, two boys finishing blasting off fireworks inside the bomb hole out in the front yard. Together they annoyed the lady across the street and grinned at the police doing a slow drive by through the neighborhood.

This 2,050-word short story is being published for the first time.

While 75-year-old George is late for his own surprise birthday party, and his wife Gracie is promising to kill him if he doesn't show up soon, three veteran spymasters step out on the balcony to discuss his future with the Agency. The uninvited spook across the street listens in and disagrees with every word.

A 1,215-word short story that was first published in The Storyteller (July/August/September 2008).

A little boy watches the darkened street from behind the barbershop window after midnight, all alone until a passing streetwalker notices him. She looks past him to see the entwined legs of his mother and his barber sticking out from behind the cash register, understanding his situation too well.

This 1,220-word short story is being published for the first time.

Jeremiah Smithfield returns home after a twenty-five year absence to attend the funeral of Davy Jefferson, his former FBI partner and vampire hunter turn lay minister. The widow, Abigail, a professional assassin with a sharp machete, blames him for the death of her husband. The Jefferson's son, Junior, a local homicide cop, informs him that a serial killer is killing pregnant teenage girls to suck the blood of their unborn babies, and may somehow be connected to his father's death. A mysterious pregnant girl in white and a cigarette-toting raven leads him to the family crypt where he discovers his greatest fear. He confronts the consequences of his past that threatens a lifetime of work as family and friends turn against him.

This 22,500-word novella is being published for the first time.

A collection of one poem and nine haiku poems, featuring seven previously published and three original poems.

The first poem, "A Pumpkin's Life," is about Dear Old Jack who was born small on the vine but lived an exciting life as a pumpkin for one Halloween night.

The nine haiku poems include "A Writer's Fury," "At The Potter's House," "Before Winter Approaches," "Black Bumble Bee," "Gone Swimming," "Green Peas," "Mount Wilson," "Spider Plant," and "The Lord's Pasture."

A bored intern at the U.S. Department of State mail room takes home misrouted diplomatic letters to keep the colorful stamps for her collection, inadvertently starting a war with an obscure island in the South Pacific. After a missile strike destroys a boarding school misidentified as a terrorist haven, the Nowhere government takes the White House hostage during the 2008 presidential election.

This 5,560-word short story is being published for the first time.