Travel

by John D Bertucci

by Miracle okpa

Supernatural Horror | Mystery | Psychological Thriller When 52-year-old Daniel Whitmore inherits an old house, he hopes to give his family a fresh start. But everything changes when he discovers a mysterious box of vintage film reels hidden in the attic. Playing the recordings awakens an ancient supernatural entity known as the Hush King. Soon, terrifying whispers fill the walls, strange shadows appear, and his daughter, Wren, begins communicating with an invisible friend. As Daniel investigates the house's dark history, he discovers that every family connected to the recordings has suffered a horrifying tragedy. With his wife, Claire, fighting to protect their children, Daniel must uncover his late uncle's secrets and find a way to destroy the entity before it claims Wren. But the Hush King is more powerful than they imagined, and escaping the house may not be enough. **Some evils never die. They simply find another family.**

by Christina Farley

**"A high-action adventure with swoon-worthy romance and a mystery that will keep you turning the pages all night long!" - Beth Revis, *New York Times* bestselling author**\ \ **Your dreams are no longer safe...**\ \ Eighteen-year-old Aria Hale loves her job at her father’s dream therapy company where she enters dementia patients' dreams to save their memories. But when their lab is ransacked, two technicians are murdered, and her father is kidnapped, everything changes for her.\ \ Determined to find her father, Aria and her friends embark on a harrowing hunt across continents using the dreams of their enemies to guide them. But this dangerous journey plunges her into a world she never bargained for: deception, intrigue, and even love. As she races to save her father and hunt down her enemies, she soon realizes she’s in fact, the one being hunted. And her dreams are the greatest danger of all.\ \ In the vein of *Inception* meets *The Bourne Identity*, THE DREAM HEIST propels readers into a fast-paced adventure that will send them racing to the very end.

by Ashley Nelson

A father orders his own daughter's death for daring to protect a creature he calls a beast. Zora, a young woman caught between her family's prejudice and a dragon's plight, defies her father's brutal command to save Ignis, a powerful fire beast trapped in a human form. But the ancient Order of Ash Voild, a ruthless group of non-magical hunters, will stop at nothing to keep Ignis bound, and they have already poisoned the minds of those Zora holds dear. As Zora faces betrayal and a ticking clock, a family of witches, the Zullia sisters, discover a rare Wolf Lily, a plant rumored to bridge worlds. Their paths are destined to collide, but can a group of witches and a time-traveler truly free a dragon from a curse that has held him captive for centuries, or will Zora's sacrifice be in vain?

by Lane Bellweather

Eden Walsh has ninety-nine problems, and the ridiculously handsome man turning her historic inn into a paranormal tourist attraction is quickly becoming number one. After trading corporate hospitality for small-town charm, Eden is determined to make Briar House Inn a success. But between demanding guests, expensive repairs, and a ghost in Room Thirteen who apparently refuses to respect checkout time, her dream is looking more like a nightmare. Enter Kit Wilder. Charming. Infuriating. Unfairly good-looking. And the owner of the ghost-tour company responsible for half her headaches. When a last-minute disaster leaves the town’s biggest Halloween masquerade without a venue, Eden sees an opportunity to save her struggling business. There’s just one catch: she’s stuck planning the entire event with Kit. Suddenly, her October calendar is packed with haunted history, late-night meetings, dangerously flirty banter, and a man who seems determined to make her forget every rule she’s ever made about mixing business with pleasure. Kit might believe in things that go bump in the night, but Eden knows better. The real danger isn’t the ghost haunting her inn. **It’s the man making her heart forget how to behave.** *An irresistibly cozy, deliciously spicy Halloween romantic comedy featuring enemies to lovers, forced proximity, a hero who falls first, and a happily-ever-after worth getting haunted for.*

by Donald N Walker

*"What happens when a fifteen-year-old dishwasher discovers that professional kitchens and hard liquor both offer the same thing? An escape from the noise inside his head."*\ \ For Donald N. Walker, the answer is a thirty-five-year journey through some of America's finest kitchens and darkest corners—a story of extraordinary culinary achievement built on a foundation that was crumbling from the very first drink. At thirteen, Walker blacked out for the first time.\ At forty-eight, standing in a parking lot in Victor, Idaho, with everything he owned in a borrowed pickup truck, he'd been fired, laid off, or escorted out of more kitchens than he could count without a piece of paper. He had five DUI arrests across three states. He had slept in a homeless shelter while employed at one of the most exclusive resorts in the American West. And he was about to do the single best thing he would ever do. This is the instruction manual on how not to do it—and the hard-won wisdom of a man who finally learned to put down the shovel. **How NOT to Do It** weaves three powerful narratives into a singular, unforgettable memoir. First, it's a culinary coming-of-age story that takes readers from the chaos of an Ohio smorgasbord's dish pit to working alongside Certified Master Chefs at elite country clubs, from the pirate-ship energy of Florida's Mad Hatter restaurant to catering thousand-person events with Secret Service oversight. Walker apprenticed under some of America's most decorated chefs, learning mother sauces, classical technique, and the particular satisfaction of plating food that earns a nod from people who don't give easy praise. For anyone who has ever loved the controlled chaos of a professional kitchen, this is your story told with the precision of a chef's knife and the honesty of a man with nothing left to hide. Second, it's an addiction and recovery memoir of brutal honesty. Walker's first blackout came at thirteen with a glass of mixed liquor stolen from his parents' cabinet. What followed were fifteen years of drinking without attempting to stop, then fifteen more years of starting and stopping, then finally—on January 1, 2022—sobriety that held. Between those bookends: multiple DUIs, jail time, lost relationships, geographical solutions that stretched from Ohio to Florida to Maryland to the Florida Keys to Idaho, jobs abandoned, opportunities squandered, and the slow, grinding realization that the thing he was running from was inside him the whole time. This is not a redemption story wrapped in a bow—it's the raw, unglamorous accounting of how addiction works, how it doesn't, and what it finally takes to stop digging. Third, it's a coming-of-age narrative about a boy who grew up on an Ohio apple orchard with a beloved Irish Setter named Sandy, watched his schizophrenic brother's eyes go empty, survived the bankruptcy that took the family farm, and learned early that the storm always felt more exciting than the calm. Walker carries readers through the geography of American restlessness: port cities and country clubs, college attempts and spectacular failures, the basement room with the back door that let him slip in and out unannounced, and the long road to Sweetwater, Tennessee, where he would finally stop running. For readers who love memoirs of resilience, Kitchen Confidential-style kitchen culture, or the hard-won wisdom of recovery literature, **How NOT to Do It** delivers all three with unflinching prose and dark humor.

by Sammie Settlemire

How to Survive a '94 Bounder Without Losing Your Shit is a raw, funny, and painfully honest documentary about life inside a worn-out 1994 Fleetwood Bounder. What begins as a simple plan for freedom quickly turns into a relentless battle against breakdowns, leaks, electrical gremlins, mechanical failures, and the daily reality of living in a machine that's older than some of the people offering advice online. Armed with limited money, questionable repair skills, and an unhealthy amount of determination, the filmmaker documents every setback, small victory, and hard-earned lesson from the driver's seat of an aging RV. Along the way, the film becomes more than a story about fixing a motorhome. It's a story about resilience, self-reliance, and finding humor when everything seems to be falling apart. Part survival guide, part road diary, and part cautionary tale, How to Survive a '94 Bounder Without Losing Your Shit proves that sometimes the road to freedom is held together with duct tape, zip ties, and sheer stubbornness.

by Lola Blackwell

After being robbed by the caravan meant to guide him across the vast desert, an affluent man is left to die beneath an indifferent sun. As starvation, dehydration, and isolation erode his body, his mind begins to fracture alongside it. To survive the unbearable agony, he recounts the life he left behind: a refined home, a kind wife, and a brilliant but cruel son whose arrogance he believes he cultivated through years of emotional distance. The desert strips him apart piece by piece. Hallucinations blur the boundaries between memory and imagination. He agonizes over the man he should have been and for the son he believes he destroyed. Part survival story, part psychological horror, and part tragedy, this story follows a dying man whose journey across the unforgiving desert becomes a devastating confrontation with memory, guilt, and identity. Exploring the way shame reshapes memory, the stories we tell ourselves to survive our own failures, and whether redemption remains possible once every illusion has been stripped away.

by Toxiktweet

In the magical world of Tropius, gods, goddesses, and demi-beings possess extraordinary powers and experience every emotion imaginable—except for one goddess. Flora, the most beautiful goddess in existence, has never understood happiness, sadness, anger, or love. When she accidentally unleashes a mysterious power while trying to help a young demi girl, Flora is exiled from her home and sent to the mysterious world of Mirrorland.\ There, enchanted mirrors reveal the lives of people across countless worlds. Flora becomes fascinated by Nyla, a twelve-year-old girl struggling to survive in the dangerous streets of Oaktown. Through an extraordinary twist of fate, Flora's journey becomes intertwined with Nyla's, forcing her into a world filled with violence, friendship, heartbreak, and sacrifice.\ Alongside her loyal companion Grillo and her courageous new friend Jordan, Flora begins to experience emotions for the very first time. As a ruthless killer named Silas hunts her down, Flora discovers that the mysterious power hidden within her is tied to an ancient destiny that could change both the human world and the world of the gods forever.\ Flora is a captivating fantasy adventure about friendship, courage, self-discovery, and the transformative power of emotions. It is the story of a goddess who must learn what it truly means to be human before she can become the hero both worlds desperately need.

by Ella M Hayes

It's never easy getting home for the holidays, but especially this year for two strangers whose paths keep crossing on their way from Miami to New York. After their plane is rerouted to Chicago due to an intense and growing storm, Drake and Lulu become unlikely partners in an attempt to get home. But there's just one problem (on top of all the forces of nature seemingly against them), Drake is a bit of a perfectionist prude, and Lulu gets by in life by making adult content. Will their clashing personalities and perceptions of each other make it through to New York, or, more immediately, the night they're forced to spend together in a one-bedroom hotel?

by Broken Pencils 4363

The Great Lakes Deaf Men's Group \[GLDMG) Retreat is held annually for deaf and hard of hearing men to learn about God. This retreat was founded by Chris, who saw the need for a retreat for his fellow deaf men in Michigan 15 years ago.  Our deaf men's fellowship is a good opportunity to meet and make new friends as well as keeping. Participants come from Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Some car pool, stopping for lunch, after arriving in town, they'd have a bite to eat in town before camp. Some drive themselves or their wives would drop them off.

by H. de Vere Stacpoole

In the late Victorian era, a ship sailing to San Francisco catches fire, forcing two young cousins, Richard and Emmeline, to flee in a lifeboat alongside the ship's cook, Paddy Button. The trio drifts out to sea and washes ashore on a lush, uninhabited tropical island in the South Pacific.

by Frederic S. Cozzens

"Acadia" by Frederic S. Cozzens is a travel narrative written in the mid-19th century. The work captures the author's experiences and observations as he journeys through Nova Scotia, reflecting on the culture, history, and beauty of the Acadian region. The narrative includes insights into local customs, notable personalities, and the impact of historical events, particularly the exile of the Acadians. The opening of "Acadia" sets the stage for a delightful travelogue filled with humor and vivid imagery. The author begins by describing his arrival in Halifax after a journey at sea, capturing the quaintness and charm of the town through his observations. He discusses the uniqueness of Nova Scotia, its hospitable inhabitants, and the vibrant market scene that highlights the region's cultural richness. Along with the humor, there is a sense of nostalgia as the narrator hints at the historical significance of the Acadians, eventually leading into an exploration of their stories and experiences. As he embarks on his adventures throughout the province, he conveys an underlying ethos of appreciation for the natural beauty and the simplicity of Acadian life.

by L.A. Peña

Kaelin was bred for control, a subject engineered with a fragile spine augmented by ruthless technology. When the Cradle burns and her world shatters, she escapes into the inhospitable wasteland of Ashkaru with a silent, feverish child whose eyes see too much. The Drifting Truth, an old patched ship, becomes her sanctuary - but the Core reclamation teams are relentless, their reach stretching into the broken edges of space. As alliances shift and secrets emerge, Kaelin must navigate a maze of trust, technology, and survival. Will she protect those she loves, or become the weapon they made her to be?

by Fred Koehler

To whoever finds this notebook… This is what really happened to Jim Hobbins, the boy lost out of Cedar Key. I’m drifting somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. Out of food. Only a couple sips left of water. And, well… I don't write a lot of stories so I might get my order mixed up.  Still, don’t let nobody tell it different. I just hope that whoever finds this notebook also finds the *Montauk* and figures out how to get it back to my family.  It's a good boat.

by James Crenshaw

Jacob is a young man carrying the weight of loneliness, regret, and a life that never quite turned out the way he imagined. His only constant companion is Korra, his loyal dog, who stays by his side through long nights spent sleeping under the stars and wandering roads with no clear destination. As Jacob struggles to find purpose, strange events begin to unfold around him. He experiences moments that feel out of place—small cracks in reality that he can't explain. Dreams blur with waking life. Familiar places seem different. Time itself begins to feel unstable. Throughout his journey, Jacob is unknowingly being watched by an ancient and mysterious figure known only as The Watcher. While Jacob believes he is simply trying to survive another difficult chapter of his life, forces beyond his understanding have already taken an interest in him. As the story progresses, Jacob is repeatedly confronted with choices that test his character, forcing him to decide whether he will continue running from his pain or face it head-on. Along the way, Korra becomes more than just a companion—she becomes Jacob's anchor to reality. The climax of Book One reveals that the strange occurrences are not random. Reality itself is beginning to shift around Jacob. Though he doesn't fully understand it yet, he has become connected to something far larger than himself: a series of worlds, timelines, or realities that may not be as separate as they seem. The book ends with Jacob standing at the edge of a truth he cannot yet comprehend. The Watcher remains hidden, the mystery unresolved, and the first hints of Jacob's true role in the unfolding story finally begin to emerge. Themes: survival, loss, redemption, friendship, destiny, and the search for meaning in a fractured reality.

by Audrey Connor

Audrey is no stranger to impulsive decisions. She once decided to move to China and was on the plane within 2 months. Quitting her job as a kindergarten teacher was no big deal. Hiking El Camino de Santiago was. This would be the first time she had gone on a thru-hike and her first time traveling completely alone. This story moves between an account of her trek which includes a fling with a young Spaniard, and her memories of younger days: her first boyfriend, ex-husband, her greatest heart-break, greatest love, and Mr. Perfect/Not-So-Perfect. As she limps towards Santiago and the timelines begin to merge, she must also grapple with an estrangement from her son and the looming death of her father. Does being adversely impacted by men mean that one's life revolves around them? This is a story intended for all the women who would choose the bear. Audrey is a solo pilgrim, and sometimes pilgrimages begin long before ever setting foot on the trail.

by H.B. West

When Sam’s terse hospital text arrives—"I’m still in California. Diagnosed with breast cancer today" ([#](https://wd.autocrit.com/editor/858686#id-fy7d))—the old man slips a whiskey under his coat, buys a one-way ticket, and heads for the rain-washed coasts of the British Isles. He is a man of small rituals: one more fly to tie, one more pub to learn, one more fish to catch. Along the way he collects strangers—Slick behind a bar, a red-haired Tralee traveler in a blue dress ([#](https://wd.autocrit.com/editor/858686#id-ebm9)), a cranky taxi driver who pins a daddy-long-legs fly to his lapel ([#](https://wd.autocrit.com/editor/858686#id-cmtz))—and each encounter loosens a knot he didn’t know he carried. But this is not just a travelogue; it is a reckoning. As storm Lorenzo drives him from the Isle of Man to the Lake District and across Scotland’s Spey ([#](https://wd.autocrit.com/editor/858686#id-pshp), [#](https://wd.autocrit.com/editor/858686#id-gur9), [#](https://wd.autocrit.com/editor/858686#id-jb4j)), the old man measures the steady tick of time against a bucket-list dream: to catch an Atlantic salmon on the fly ([#](https://wd.autocrit.com/editor/858686#id-no5k)). Wry, tender, and quietly fierce, this is a story about why we keep making plans in the face of good sense—and what happens when the future finally insists on being lived

by Jonathan Swift

Lemuel Gulliver encounters the tiny inhabitants of Lilliput, the giants of Brobdingnag, and the intellectual but detached residents of Laputa. Through these fantastical journeys, Swift delivers a biting satire on European politics and the flaws of the Enlightenment.

by Judah Ray

In 1955, a secret experiment at the Large Hadron Collider tore open a doorway to another realm.\ \ Extradimensional beings came through, possessed the top scientists and military officials in the room, and kept the portal open.\ \ One of the first crossed over and took a human infant as its host. That infant was Christina.\ \ The only issue is that Christina forgot what she was,  and the others could not enter or control her, but she could see them. So they declared her unstable and institutionalized her.\ \ Years later, world leaders, billionaires, media figures, and political dynasties are all possessed. The New World Order is not a conspiracy theory. It is literal possession.\ \ A decade later, Christina escapes and resurfaces in Berlin. The forces that have tracked her since childhood want her reclaimed or eliminated.\ \ With the help of Jory, who has been able to see the entities inside people since surviving a near-death experience as a child, Christina uncovers a power structure that has ruled humanity from within for generations.\ \ When she learns she is one of them, she must choose between her own kind or the man she loves and the humanity she chose to protect.\ \ They have ruled the world from inside us.\ Now one of their own stands against them.