Across A Distant Shore is a compilation of fictional pieces covering a variety of subjects written by members of the Coastal Dunes Branch of the California Writers Club.Larry Greco HarrisBe BeautifullyA poem that calls us to fly beautifully straight into whatever life presents.Car Wreck in the Woods: the driverAn eerie poem exploring a willingness to step right into the idea of death, and to allow oneself to feel it.Jenna Elizabeth JohnsonThe Curse of Inis SeachtOnce a year, the Collector visits Aneira's village to gather the annual tithe. When her family's contribution goes missing, Aneira volunteers herself as payment instead, wondering if the Collector is as kind as his unusual glamour suggests. Renee GeffkenIn the Waiting Line and Island Soul are about finally accepting and bravely playing the hand Life dealt you.The poem, The Final Forging, is how all tasks, no matter their perceived value, should be carried out like a dedicated craftsman.Hint Fiction is my personal challenge to climb the mini Mount Everest of writing.And Ming? It really isn't 'ming, ' but actually kind of sweet.Judythe GuarneraIn Let the Games Begin: The Case of the Controlling Pants, a forty-something woman humoring her college-aged classmates laugh by leading them through the painful and hilarious process of buying a new pair of jeans. In the essay, My Vision and My Risk-Takers Belt, the author, Program Director of a National Senior Corps Program, attends a leadership training at the Presidio in San Francisco. She is inspired to become a better leader by identifying her vision for the program. In the process, she scopes out her personal vision, as well. Len KoepsellThe Dragons of WestburyVeronica and Emery, two 8th century teenagers, get to grow up fast in The Dragons of Westbury, a short story set in an English town along the Irish Sea. Emery dreams of becoming an architect and marrying his childhood sweetheart. The evil Earl of Westbury, however, has other plans.Loren DenkerIn Safe Place a woman works through a traumatic event in her last therapy session.Carole WagenerRosie and the RockfishRecently widowed Gilbert, a retired minister, decides to use an online dating service to meet women his own age. His first responder is a red-head named Rosie who reminds him of his own mum. Going Live: S.T.E.P.C.O. InfomercialIn the style of Saturday Night Live, Going Live, S.T.E.P.C.O. Infomercial pokes fun at lengthy commercials. Madeline Mercier's first infomercial for an amazing new cleaning product, "Sure to Eliminate Pee Cat Odor", turns disastrous.M.J. SewallThe End of War is Just the BeginningSoldier Mayberry is shot down astride his dragon over a lush Philippines island. In a race to save his dragon, Mayberry discovers how hard it is to escape the war that is far from over. Louise MassoniThe Hawk was inspired by a hawk circling, then landing on top of a tree outside my bedroom window. My poem, Life After You, is about losing my dog Rocky.Cathie Carroll OrtizAlchemy Of CaliforniaA young untamed woman coming of age and responsibility. Learning lessons of courage and love in a fast changing untamed and ruthless world around her. The alchemy that is California.Judith Chumlea-CohanTo the Dogs with Dad might just be a memoir in the making; an effort to pull out of the past one shared moment, of which there were very few.J.F. LangtonRiver of SkullsEmily is determined to survive and beat the odds against her; to find Joseph and save their gold claim in the Sierra Nevada foothills. But she is frightened when an old miner tells her she is going to El Rio de las Calaveras, the River of Skulls.Terry Willey & Carol BakerA Spot on the MoonWhat happens when two spacecraft fabricators stumble upon the greatest technological discovery of the century? Wealth, fame, adventures, and consequences.