An excellent collection of modern fairy tales!

Once upon a time, fairy tales
were for children . . . But no longer.

You hold in your hands a volume of wonders -- magical tales of trolls and ogres, of bewitched princesses and kingdoms accursed, penned by some of the most acclaimed fantasists of our day. But these are not bedtime stories designed to usher an innocent child gently into a realm of dreams. These are stories that bite -- lush and erotic, often dark and disturbing mystical journeys through a phantasmagoric landscape of distinctly adult sensibilities . . . where there is no such thing as "happily ever after."

Highly recommended for fans of erotica, horror and dark fantasy, this collection of original short stories revises well-known fairy tales for the adult reader. Many take place in contemporary settings and feature strong sexual and/or horror themes.

The Scent of Shadows (Signs of the Zodiac #1)
by Vicki Pettersson

“He didn’t look dangerous, not at first glance. Still a girl can never be too careful on a blind date, and that’s why I’d insisted Mr Sand meet me in a popular steakhouse nestled in a casino dead center on the Las Vegas Strip.”

The First Sign of the Zodiac

The main character is Joanna Archer, the eldest daughter of one of the richest men on the planet.

When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert.

By rights, she should be dead.

Now a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset – a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow – seeking answers to whom or what she really is … and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.

But the nightmare is just beginning – for the demons are hunting Joanna, and the powerful Shadows want her for their own.

Update:

The Jackson Sun reports:

Haywood County High School Principal Dorothy Bond has resigned, according to the school system’s law firm.In a statement released through Purcell, Sellers & Craig, Inc., the system said: “”The Haywood County Board of Education acknowledges its student body’s right to free speech. Further, the Haywood County Board of Education strives to provide an atmosphere of tolerance and diversity while maintaining high academic standards.”

Tell the Haywood County, Tenn. School Board to Fire Rabidly Anti-Gay Principal

This is infuriating and makes my blood boil.

In Brownsville, Tenn., Haywood High School principal Dorothy Bond told gay students that they were “not on God’s path.”

According to reports, the obnoxious and offensive comments were made at a school assembly last month. Bond allegedly told students that gay people are “ruining their lives,” and she said public displays of affection among gay students could result in 60-day suspensions and even expulsion.

The ACLU says that this is not the first time Bond has made homophobic remarks, once telling a lesbian student that she would “go to hell” for being gay. Bond also reportedly has incorporated prayers and proselytizing into school events.

This unconstitutional, anti-gay abuse has no place in America’s public schools. Instead of doing her job by nurturing and protecting all students, Bond is singling out LGBT teenagers for ridicule and acting like a schoolyard bully.

Now is your chance to tell Bond to “Go to hell.”

Please tell the school board that Bond must be immediately fired for her outrageous comments and unprofessional, if not illegal, conduct. Clearly, she is unfit to serve in a neutral environment without forcing her backward views down the throats of vulnerable children.

SIGN PETITION NOW

A TOUGH OLD PIRATE FROM NEW JERSEY COUNSELED HER GRANDDAUGHTER THAT IF SHE WANTED TO LIVE A LONG LIFE, THE SECRET WAS TO SPRINKLE A PINCH OF GUN POWDER ON HER OATMEAL EVERY MORNING.

THE GRANDDAUGHTER DID THIS RELIGIOUSLY TO THE AGE OF 103 WHEN SHE DIED.   SHE LEFT BEHIND 7 CHILDREN, 30 GRANDCHILDREN, 45 GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN, 25 GREAT-GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN, AND 
A 15-FOOT HOLE WHERE THE CREMATORIUM USED TO BE.