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The Beta Shelf

Complete first drafts—soon to be published—for you to enjoy! Your feedback as a beta reader is extra valuable at this stage as the authors fine tune their novels before publishing them.




Romance
(Fic)
Unexpected Love!
by Keith Slater

Rachel is free! Recently divorced she is determined to prove herself in her fine arts studies. An inner restlessness takes her to Rome and the meeting of new friends. Even so, she wonders: Will s ... More ▼


Chapter 1

“Alone! Rachel, you’ve been alone for nearly eighteen months,” her inner voice kept reminding her.

 

“You were married for eight years. Your marriage to John ended in divorce. You had no children even though you tried. You know that the zip had run out of your relationship - the tender romantic spark had blazed and died. You were living together like sister and brother.”

The inner voice intoned the mantra again:

“Alone! Rachel, you’ve...





Speculative Fiction
(Fic)
All Over Again
by Cathy Cade

Set in a future world evolving (again) after apocalypse. Friends who grew up together are expected to settle together in the village, until one meets someone else. A tale of spreading sophistication a ... More ▼


Prologue: Before

The old world had been here before. It had survived annihilations and apocalypses, each time moving on to rest and regenerate. Its inhabitants had been less fortunate.

Each civilisation’s prophets and scientists had foretold a variety of endings for their world, depending on the information available at the time (and sometimes on their funding). Predictions included alien invasion, meteor collision, solar cooling, global warming, exhaustion, pollution, fire, flood, famine, war, pestilence…<...





Fantasy
(Fic)
Waveborn
by Mikayla Whitaker

The small coastal town in South Carolina was supposed to be a chance at a new life. It wasn't supposed to turn her whole world upside down. When a merman named Delmare arrives she must choose to prote ... More ▼


Chapter 1

I slammed the door of my truck with more force than I intended as the rhythmic sound of my caution lights blinked a soft orange, shining stark against the deep blue hue of the truck's exterior. I cursed under my breath as I grabbed the spare tire and tools from the back of the truck, hurling it all over the side and rolling the tire over to the front near the driver's side. I sighed, dropping the toolbox with a loud thud as I followed after it, getting down on my hands and knees as I placed the jack unde...





Mystery
(Fic)
Love, Or Something Like It
by L. K. Thompson, LTC (Ret.)

Stunned by the discovery that General Jagwi has not only escaped from his prison, but has been able to return to Korea, Team Reliant is forced to mobilize, seek out the General, and take him down.The ... More ▼


Chapter 1

Front matter:

Love,

Or Something Like It

 

Love, or Something Like It

This novel is a Team Reliant series, Book Four

Businesses, brands, places, products, names, and other Marca Registrada referred to in this book are used fictitiously and are the property of the respective trademark holders. There is no association express or implied between the author and any trademark holder. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting t...





Fantasy
(Fic)
Sasha's Journey: Book One of the Transition Series
by Sheri Conaway

All her life, Sasha had been part of a close-knit community. So why did her parents suddenly uproot her to move to the middle of the desert where they were unwanted outsiders? Why did the locals hate ... More ▼


Chapter 1

The blazing desert sun offended Sasha with its efforts to raise her mood above abject misery. The voices in her head had been getting louder, but each carried the same hostile message: “Go back where you came from, Girl. You and your family aren’t welcome here.”ť

Sasha trudged blindly along the now-familiar sidewalk towards the white and yellow clapboard house which was nearly as forlorn as Sasha, surrounded only by Joshua trees and hard-packed sand on the outskirts of town. She s...





Romance
(Fic)
Sea-renity on Sandy Shores (Novella): A Sandy Shores Novella
by Shirley Holder Platt


A straight-laced woman betrayed, seeking solace. A man whose defense against a cruel world is to party like there's no tomorrow. Can these two lost souls find healing in one another's arms? "Sounds interesting!"

Chapter 1 - Joan

I wiggled my toes in the hot sand of my favorite beach and wished I could stay. If ever I needed a break, this was it. The rental I’d be living in for a month was called Sea-renity, and it promised the serenity I needed after what had happened in my life recently. I’d been coming to Sandy Shores for vacation since I was six years old. Dad would load the whole family into the car and drive across country to get there as fast as he could. I remember being lulled to sleep by Disney movies I&rsqu...





Crime
(Fic)
Mama needs new shoes
by Shirley Holder Platt


Car theft "Sounds interesting!"

Chapter 1

He sat low in his restored, midnight blue Buick, flicking the ashes of his cigarette out the window. From behind, all you could see was his closely shaved and greased head, which was very round. It looked like a glossy, new, bowling ball wearing expensive sunglasses and driving the car. Ignoring the muggy heat, he had the windows rolled down to maximize the sound of fuzzy music coming through the partially blown speakers. The deep bass rhythm reverberated and shook the windows of nearby cars. As he pulle...





Mystery
(Fic)
Love's Critical Deception: Team Reliant
by L. K. Thompson, LTC (TXSG, Ret.)

Mrmbers of Team Reliant continue their hunt for the elusive and cunning General Jaqwi, Washington has ordered a hit on Jaqwi. The General continues his dogged pursuit of supplying the Middle Eastern t ... More ▼


Chapter 1

Dedication

 

This novel is dedicated to the following:

 

SSG John Thompson for his Army experience, foreign service, and honest reflections of events.

Amy Stell for her steadfast and keenly insightful copy reading.

Sharon Henderson for enduring friendship and willingness to read my work for errors.

COL David Osterhout for his eye for detail and because he isn’t afraid say, “This is not your best. Fix it!”

  

And t...





Mystery
(Fic)
Love's Critical Ploy
by L. K. Thompson, LTC (TXSG, Ret.)

Ordered to prepare a clandestine mission to Europe, Team Reliant's task is to prevent the transfer of deadly radioactive material to terrorists. They must kill General Jagwi. Things were going well un ... More ▼


Dedication

 

Dedication

 

This novel is dedicated to the following:

 

SSG John Thompson for his Army experience, foreign service, and honest reflections of events.

Amy Stell for her steadfast and keenly insightful copy reading.

Sharon Henderson for enduring friendship and willingness to read my work for errors.

COL David Osterhout for his eye for detail and because he isn’t afrai...





Biography
(Non-Fic)
Making A Run For It From Berlin To Texas Book One
by Larry Thompson

Young Manny Kaiter suffers through being buried alive in bomb devastated Berlin of 1945. He narrowly escapes being strafed by a Russian fighter plane as he hides in an outhouse. he learns notto trust ... More ▼


Chapter 1

As I ran for the outhouse, the roar of the engine on the Russian fighter plane filled the air. I knew he was shooting at me because I could hear the rat-a-tat-a-tat-tat of his machine guns, and I could hear the whack-whack-whack of the bullets as they chewed up the moist earth behind me. I jumped into the outhouse and slammed the door on the one-holer. I covered my face with my hands and cringed as I heard the bullets tearing up the path to the outhouse. I thought, God, what a place to die. Please do...





Mystery
(Fic)
Love's Critical Ground: Team Reliant
by L.K. Thompson, LTC (Ret.)

A team of Army Intelligence Operatives is ordered to find and thwart a North Korean sneak attack aimed against US Army installations in South Korea. The strange love story is set against the sometimes ... More ▼


Prologue

OPSEC: Operations security is a process that identifies critical information to determine if friendly actions can be observed by enemy intelligence, determines if information obtained by adversaries could be interpreted to be useful to them, and then executes selected measures that eliminate or reduce adversary exploitation of friendly critical information.



Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

The Pe...





Biography
(Non-Fic)
Making A Run For It From Berlin To Texas Book Two
by Larry Thompson

While young Manny Kaiter will mature to become the man who marries Buddy Holley's sister, in this volume, he faces more threats to his life. He and older brother, Siegie, play with explosives and load ... More ▼


Chapter 1

Things were pretty dreary after Gunther left. Since we weren't on the road running from the Russians and the SS, Siege and I bad time to locate things. We discovered that Castle Willigrad had its own little theater. We found it, and we investigated it. We returned to the cottage at lunch wearing costumes and carrying ceremonial swords. I was carrying an extra suit of clothes, and Siege had on a baron's ceremonial robes. We had barely shown our prizes to Mom when we beard a knock on the door.

One of...





Coming of Age
(Fic)
They Call Me Nothing: There's a hidden hero lurking in the least of us.
by Jenny Young


A homeless housebreaker consults a counselor from another culture in a quest to uncover the hero he longs to be. "Sounds interesting!"

Chapter 1
Lutho

Coming to the church was probably a mistake. What if they know? What if they call the Police? I listen intently, ready to run. No gunshots, no running feet, only the uneven pounding of my heart. I feel exposed. For seven years I have been invisible, a nothing. Nobody sees me. Nobody knows me. Am I really willing to give up my only protection? It seems to me now, in the light of day, that my decision of last night was only a dream. A foolish, childish dream.

I picture in my mind what might happen…...





Thriller
(Fic)
Pins and Needles
by Barry B. Wright

Edward Slocum, vice-president of Kemkor Pharmaceuticals, becomes suspicious of the possibility of illegal activity by his present employer. As his suspicion mounts, he finds himself mired in events th ... More ▼


Chapter 1
Building 3C

Pins and Needles

Billy Talent



SHE WAS DEAD, THERE was nothing he could do about it, now; he had to accept it. But there was more. He had stumbled badly; he had come up short. He knew that he had unwittingly failed in what he had come to realize was the only worthwhile endeavor. Still, there must have been signs before she, they, were swallowed whole forever. In his self-made purgatory of grief and shame, he found no solace where once triumph and achievement reigne...



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