Rose Brashear enjoys teaching anthropology as adjunct faculty at a Sacramento university while she completes her dissertation. Or, at least she does until a job announcement lands in her in-box and she knows it's time to get serious about the future. Between exploring historic mine sites and scrambling to teach undergrad courses, she's already stretched to the limit, but now she's got to prove she's the best candidate for full-time employment. Competition is fierce and Rose is about to discover the perfect position is hard to find.

Information guides about how to jump into the self-publishing industry litter the internet. There is no shortage of information to assist newcomers in navigating the path to publication. Today, there are more routes leading to that final destination than have previously existed. Finding the best fit can be challenging. The information in this book is compiled from the resources I found most helpful. The contents are bolstered by the many people who offer their anecdotal experience on their websites and blogs. If you're interested in self-publishing, take the workshop approach by building a team of people with common goals. Share your successes and failures. As writers we rely on each other to help us improve our work through critique groups, writing meet-ups, and mentoring from more experienced writers - the same idea works with self-publishing. Start networking. Get educated about the industry. Make friends and catch the wave.

Passing Judgment is a compact collection of twelve short stories about people who deliver their own form of justice. These are tales about breaking the rules and seeking retribution, especially when the law fails. Bad guys sometimes do the right thing. Desperate good guys cross the line. In the end, justice is blind-she doesn't care which side of the law a person lands as long as the scales get balanced. Inside you'll find stories about: A Senator collects historic guns, each responsible for shooting a sitting President. Guilt drives a desperate man to seek redemption through acts of violence. In search of his true identity, a man makes a fatal lapse in judgement. African mythology intersects with an escaped slave imprisoned in a strange world. Social scandal, great wealth, and a bizarre bequest point to old murder. After an error releases a predator, a detective crosses the line to stop the killing. A lottery ticket bought on her birthday propels Ivanka's future sideways. The assassin sent to eradicate a target, discovers he doesn't want to pull the trigger. An orphan journeys home to seek retribution for a mother gone missing. Law enforcement holds itself responsible for the murderous actions of a young man. Bethany's dull marriage takes on new worth when a gunman steps off the elevator. Old acts of violence bring together two men in a reciprocal act of retribution. Excerpts: "Mitch shook out his hands, watched mud and slime splatter against the hard packed dirt. After damn near six hours of slogging through bottomland, he'd found a road. He hiked up one canvas pant leg and inspected the three tiny pairs of puncture wounds on his calf. Almost delicate, the trio of red perforations marked the places where a determined cottonmouth had struck repeatedly. Each bite-mark was an objection to the disturbance Mitch caused as he struggled to hold the woman's head under the surface of the brackish water. At seventy-three, the lady had been a real scrapper, a good fighter." - Last Chance for Redemption "The gun swept the room, the assailant's arm held straight out like an accusing finger until it pointed at her chest. Death would be swift at least. She supposed the end of life offered a resolution of sorts. The upside meant no more strain or deception. Bethany squeezed her eyelids shut and found comfort in knowing that Brian would mourn her passing. Her dumpy husband had wormed his way into her slate heart. That was something." - The Man in the Dark Suit "A car would be waiting at the street level in a matter of minutes; she just had to reach that relative safety. She tightened the straps on her backpack and thought for a fraction of a second about the man who'd fathered her. He'd been an absentee parent for the last few years but it hadn't always been that way. To her surprise, a tear spilled down her cheek. She was an orphan now. Well, as much as any daughter of the Russian District was allowed to be, since the community was family too." -The Tsar's Granddaughter"

Alternate Endings features a dozen short stories of fantastic fiction. These are tales about people who grasp at the chance to fulfill their greatest desires. They suspect the road not taken doesn't always end happily and know the path they're on can lead to unexpected places. Choices change the course of lives. Each new day offers opportunities that propel them toward alternate endings. Inside you'll find stories about: A woman who buys a flea market treasure containing an ancient surprise. An alien invasion unites Jeremiah and his Man-in-Black father as they face attack. A trinket from an Egyptian bazaar brings Roland to a rendezvous with the future. Sam's last chance to recapture fame lands the entire film crew in a fight for survival. Select tourists are invited to participate in a special ritual in a sacred Hawaiian site. Joseph undertakes a startling journey to bring his missing sister home. A scientific breakthrough in genetics has devastating transformative results. The construction of a new lunar business enterprise stirs up passions. A has-been boxer confronts a young tough and gets an unexpected second chance. His grandfather's ghostly return from the grave complicates Zeke's life. Reporting to his new assignment, Corporal Evans faces a legendary enemy. Paul's lifelong handicap turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Excerpts: "Sam flipped his middle finger at the shiny CNN chopper. Damn news vultures would replay the image for days. The studio and the network had sold them down the river. Years of experience in show biz had taught him the best way to survive a season, was to win viewers. If they could get the public rooting for the surviving members of the documentary film crew, they'd have a better chance of climbing out of this caldera while they still had the body parts to do so. Americans love the underdog." - Adventure in the Caldera "Knuck raised his gaze and admired the span of the grand art deco architecture. The graceful lines of the elegantly arched design sat silhouetted against the fathomless gloom of the dark sky. He knew the bridge, all right. Not far from here was the fateful place he should have met his wife so many years before. He recalled every detail of that night with startling clarity. Afterwards his world went numb. Everything good had been stripped from his life. All because he'd been late. Yeah, he knew this place." - Late for Life "Fairy tales turned them into something soft and sweet but that's public relations bullshit. The truth is, they're vicious beasts. Evolution made them beautiful and lethal. Their hooves are natural weapons, sharp as chipped flint. The tail on an immature foal is whip-hard and the feathery wisps of hair can flay skin to the bone with a single swipe. Mature males have venomous bites capable of causing instantaneous paralysis. In the gestation period, the females snort flames and the damned stuff acts just like napalm, sticky as jelly and burns hot as phosphorescence. They live for centuries and mate for life." - Shadow in Moonlight"

The Estate Appraiser is a story about antiques, art and vintage murder. With an art history degree clutched in her freshly graduated hand, Lydia Davenport faces a major problem. She's unemployed, has exhausted the local job market, and the bills are stacking up. In a desperate scramble to find a paycheck, she hits up a former teacher for advice and strikes paydirt when Professor Baumgarten offers temporary work. Soon Lydia finds herself at creepy Melbourne House, the country estate of legendary playboy Machiavelli Montrose. While inventorying the estate for the family lawyers, she learns about the mysterious death that occurred in the old house after a weekend of debauchery. Punctuated by artifacts of an era celebrated for its gratuitous sex and drugs, Lydia stumbles over examples of 1960s kitsch scattered among legitimate pop-art. The nearly empty house is a letdown until an unexpected find brings the task to an abrupt close.