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  • Don't Be A Mosquito!

    by Kristy Schwartz

    Ricky loves adventures, playing with his dog Buster, and being part of everything, but maybe a little too much! He wiggles, blurts, and buzzes right into other people’s space without meaning to. At school his excitement sometimes gets him into trouble, and making friends feels harder than it should. Then one night, a pesky mosquito won’t leave him alone, and Ricky has a surprising thought: What if he’s acting just like that mosquito? The next day, Ricky looks at things a little differently, learning that small changes can make a big difference. Don’t Be a Mosquito! explores self-awareness, self-regulation, impulsive behaviour, empathy, and belonging in a gentle and humorous way. Using a playful and memorable metaphor, Ricky’s story helps children notice how their actions affect others. Don’t Be a Mosquito! also encourages self-acceptance and growth, celebrating the small moments that help children feel proud of who they are.

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  • A Prisoner Within

    by Nandana Zubair

    I was raised to believe a woman is defined by the men in her life: the father who shelters her, the brother who overshadows her, the husband who is meant to complete her. I was told a woman is nothing on her own, that her value is measured by how well she fulfils assigned roles, how much she endures, and how deeply she sacrifices. I believed it. I carried it like a second skin through childhood, adolescence, and the years leading up to marriage. And when this belief collapsed, I was left with the most terrifying question: Who am I on my own? It didn’t come easily. It was buried beneath years of conditioning, whispers telling me to be quiet, to endure, to not ask for more. But silence doesn’t protect you; it makes it easier for others to diminish you, to shape you into something small and manageable. A woman can endure only so much before she realises endurance is not strength, but survival. And survival is not the same as living. A bad marriage doesn’t only break your heart; it breaks your sense of self. It makes you question your worth, your voice, your right to exist beyond someone’s shadow. And when a man refuses to stand up for you, he is silently telling you that you are not worth the fight. Over time, I began to understand that identity is not something granted by others, but something reclaimed. Piece by piece, I started unlearning the voices that told me to shrink, and relearning the quiet power of choosing myself, even when it felt unfamiliar and unsteady, even when it cost everything. But I was worth the fight. I am Aeiza, and this is a story of being told I was insignificant and learning that I never was.

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  • The Designer

    by Greg E. Allen

    Charlie Martin is an idealistic young landscape architect fresh out of college. He dreams of finding ways to provide a better future for all humankind. His first client, a wealthy businessman with an international organization, offers him a parallel profession of being a paid assassin using his design profession as a cover. Charlie agrees, but he weaves the two professions together like a magician. He keeps the obvious in focus while secretly propelling his own ideals and vision into action. Charlie’s skills at designing assassinations merits his code name, the Designer, yet his real design baffles everyone including the FBI, and offers the world so much more.

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  • Houndsfire

    Embers of Home by Ryelee Arishenkoff

    Baelhast once flourished with magic. Now it withers in the wake of the Cull, when it was hunted to extinction. Arland is one of many cities that rots beneath its new rulers—the Houndsguard—who have put wolves in every alley and blood in every home. Wulf has survived this far in gutters and on rooftops. Stubborn and reckless, he has always learned the hard way—one day, it won’t give him back. With his adoptive brother and a crew of thieves to pick up the slack, it’s just enough to survive a world already coming apart. Until Stix is taken. To get her back, Wulf leads his crew into the kennel—the prison no one escapes. What follows is not a rescue, but a collapse. Cells open. Blood runs. Debts are settled. And something long buried in his blood answers. The band on his arm splits. Fire answers. And he hears his true name for the first time. Aeowulf Osric. Now—the Hounds no longer hunt a thief. But something far worse.

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  • I came to be free

    Poems on grief, love, and renewal by PJ Starling

    Motherless baby Fatherless son A spark in the void Where once there was none … Using original metaphor and lyrical language, PJ Starling examines the deepest sorrows and the greatest triumphs of the human experience. His work touches on the struggle to forgive oneself for past wrongs, the search for hope amidst the chaos of the modern world, and the desire for true intimacy. Each poem is a reflection of personal healing and transformation, providing unique insight into universal struggles. These heartfelt verses invite readers into a space where they are seen and free to feel without judgment.

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  • Whispers from Nova Scotia

    Stories in Poetry by Bernard W Manzer

    I must be off to the sea again Where the waves are rolling high, To feel the wind against my cheek As it scatters the spray in the sky. Whispers of Nova Scotia is a collection of Bernard W. Manzer’s verse, capturing his love for his native Nova Scotia as well as his thoughts and feelings about nature, history, and the many lessons of a long life. In this varied collection, meditations on life and death rub shoulders with playful poems about Jack Frost and water drops, as well as poems that ring with praise and gratitude. Written in the 1970s, they remain as relevant today as ever. In calm or storm, what does it matter? As long as I am on the water. When I die, I hope I'll be Riding the briny waves and buried at sea.

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