Human Interest

By Annie Reed

Paradise. A wind-swept mining town on a far-flung planet, and the latest stop for Samuel, a burned-out vid reporter stuck on the human interest circuit.

Paradise. A town on the edge of the Big Nothing, the black emptiness between galaxies.

Paradise. A town with a chilling secret. A secret that will change Samuel’s life forever.

"The appearance of a new Annie Reed story is a treat. Try one and you'll be hooked." —Dave Hendrickson, author of CRACKING THE ICE

"A friend recommended the works of Annie Reed. I was not disappointed. In fact, if her other shorts are as good as this one, I plan to read many more." —Carol Davis Luce, author of NIGHT GAME

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thunder Valley Press
• Release date: Mar 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458174376

Annie Reed

Award-winning author and editor Kristine Kathryn Rusch calls Annie Reed “one of the best writers I’ve come across in years.”Annie’s won recognition for her stellar writing across multiple genres. Her story “The Color of Guilt” originally published in Fiction River: Hidden in Crime, was selected as one of The Best Crime and Mystery Stories 2016. Her story “One Sun, No Waiting” was one of the first science fiction stories honored with a literary fellowship award by the Nevada Arts Foundation, and her novel PRETTY LITTLE HORSES was among the finalists in the Best First Private Eye Novel sponsored by St. Martin’s Press and the Private Eye Writers of America.A frequent contributor to the Fiction River anthologies and Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Annie’s recent work includes the superhero origin novel FASTER, the near-future science fiction short novel IN DREAMS, and UNBROKEN FAMILIAR, a gritty urban fantasy mystery short novel. Annie’s also one of the founding members of the innovative Uncollected Anthology, a quarterly series of themed urban fantasy stories written by some of the best writers working today.Annie’s mystery novels include the Abby Maxon private investigator novels PRETTY LITTLE HORSES and PAPER BULLETS, the Jill Jordan mystery A DEATH IN CUMBERLAND, and the suspense novel SHADOW LIFE, written under the name Kris Sparks, as well as numerous other projects she can’t wait to get to. For more information about Annie, including news about upcoming bundles and publications, go to www.annie-reed.com.

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Human Interest

Annie Reed

Published by Thunder Valley Press at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 by Annie Reed

www.annie-reed.com

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Human Interest

Annie Reed

Dusty, windblown sand pelted Samuel in the face when he stepped off the shuttle.

Great. Just great. Welcome to Paradise. Another piece of shit town on a piece of shit planet at the edge of nowhere. The absolute perfect place for the latest in a long string of crappy assignments for a vid reporter who knew his star had risen about as far as it was ever going to go.

Samuel ducked his head and raised his gloved hands to protect his face. His travel gear protected his body from the worst of the scouring sand, but he hadn't covered up his face before he stepped out of the shuttle in case someone from the outpost expected a little meet and greet. Over the years Samuel had discovered initial meetings worked best face to face. When he established a personal connection early on, his interviews had the comfortable feel of two old friends sitting down for a chat. Just the kind of vid shows his bosses wanted, and the kind of work that bored Samuel to death.

Only no one from Paradise had come