Shining Lotus Bookstore Novels & Stories

How did they have books unavailable anywhere but reading apps, and why didn’t her website mention their print availability? “Find a book that caught your eye?” Aidan asked. I felt his breath on my neck and knew he’d snuck up on me to lean over the back of the sofa. I ignored him and looked at the copyright area. And there it was in black and white: Published by Phantomedia. Oh, Byron and I will have words when I go home for winter break. Did his company only do a limited run on publishing the books? Are they only in very select markets? How connected to Well Thumbed is he? Does Shannon know? I saw some of her Dawn Phoenix books on the shelves, too.

They had always been able to maintain the innocence of their bond, but it was couples like Asha and Young that added a little kindling and a lot of reminders as to why those moments were so important. As Young stacked the mountain of books on the counter, the older woman rang them up while the man gently bagged them in their custom tote bags. Young was surprised to find that the actual name of the shop was ‘Book Haven.’ It came extremely close to Asha’s description of ‘book nook.’ “Find everything alright?” she asked. Young paused his unloading to watch Asha’s face light up like the sky on 4th of July. “Yes! It was so hard for me to pick just a few,” she excitedly relayed.

Making a cocky bitch fall from the top of the sky into the deep abyss. Lotus’ expression turned cold the next moment, and she ordered one of the Landry guards that came with her. “Find someone to throw out their things and burn everything they have touched. Refurbish the house. We’ll be moving in three days.” Lotus ordered The burly guard in black bowed to Lotus. “Yes, young miss.” Lotus raised her chin and straightened her back. “Let’s get changed and take a look at the award ceremony…” Before Lotus could complete her words, her phone suddenly rang, attracting her attention.

--- Later That Morning The drive down was quiet. Not silent—just full of soft touches and stolen glances. Raymond tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in time with a mellow jazz track. I rested my feet on the dash, sipping iced tea and feeling… light. Not just relaxed. Free. The bookstore was hidden behind a curtain of ivy, almost invisible from the road. There was no signboard. Just a hand-painted tile near the door that read, “Stories live here.” Inside, it smelled like old paper, warm cinnamon, and sunlight.

I tell myself to be normal for five minutes, to just be a person who buys tea and listens to people read, and not someone who survived a marriage contract, a diagnosis, and a city’s gossip machine with my name in its mouth. It's downtown and it's small. The kind of bookstore that stacks chairs between tall shelves and has a crooked stage made out of two platforms pushed together. There are string lights and a chalkboard that says OPEN MIC — 7PM — 5 MINUTES EACH — BE GENTLE. Someone’s kid is playing with a paper crane by the poetry section, and the woman at the counter is making a big deal out of steaming milk for a stranger because she wants the foam to look like a heart.

"Let us go meet her." Chicago was a five hour drive. Liam drove. Anna sat in the back. I navigated. The rain followed us the whole way. Grey skies. Grey roads. Grey everything. The bookstore was called "Pages." It sat on a corner between a coffee shop and a flower store. The windows were full of bestsellers. A sign on the door said "Open." We walked in. Bells jingled. The smell of paper and old wood wrapped around me. Shelves stretched to the ceiling. A cat slept on a pile of romance novels.

The invitation arrived by email, on an anonymous account created by Luka specifically for literary matters. “Dear L. V. Eclipse, Shadow and Light Publishing has the honor of inviting you to the first exclusive literary event of the ‘Voices in the Dark’ series in São Paulo. There will be only 80 guests—selected readers, survivors, writers, and professionals in the field. No photos, no recordings, no disclosure of identity. Your presence would be a milestone for many women who found strength in your words.

DIANE Shopping was nice. I bought my pencils, socks and gloves. I even got myself Chinese takeout for dinner and a couple new comics from the bookstore near the condo. The bookstore, Supernova Comics, is a lovely sight to behold. The interior is beautiful, serene, filled with tall shelves containing so many cool comics, and there's even a cozy mini reading spot at the far end of the store. Mrs Jones, the bookstore owner, was nice and very hospitable to me. My shopping experience there was amazing, and I even see myself probably visiting there whenever I need to treat myself to a comic getaway.

Chase suddenly noticed something inside, and his eyes brightened. "Huh? The color of the water in this vat seems unusual." It instantly grabbed Chase's attention. The light in the vat was light green and glowed faintly. A lotus the size of a palm was floating in the middle of the vat. This lotus was translucent and bright. It looked very real, like it truly existed. "Could this be the legendary Crystal Lotus?" Chase's eyes widened. He had once read about this spiritual herb in a book. It was a valuable spiritual that took a mysterious Pill Refining Master years of experience and effort to nurture.

"I need to ask you about something." She sipped her tea, waiting. "I found a book. In the special section." He hesitated, then slid it onto the table between them—Fated Bonds: When Instinct Overrides Reason. The wolfskin cover gleamed dully under the café’s warm light. Alice’s brows lifted slightly, but she didn’t reach for it. "And?"