Set in ancient Greece, Daughter of Sparta follows Gorgo, the real daughter of King Cleomenes I of Sparta, and the events leading up to the Ionian Revolt. Chapter Five focuses on the two foreigners who have come to Sparta seeking support for an Ionian Revolt: Aristagoras of Miletus and his nephew Perseus. This is the fifth installment to this series; Chapters 1-4 are available for free.Historic Heroines is pleased to release the fifth installment in its first original fiction series: Daughter of Sparta by Kristen LePine. Set in ancient Greece, Daughter of Sparta follows Gorgo, the real daughter of King Cleomenes I of Sparta, and the events leading up to the Ionian Revolt. Chapter Five focuses not on Gorgo, but on the two foreigners who have come to Sparta seeking support for an Ionian Revolt: Aristagoras of Miletus and his nephew Perseus. Historic Heroines is an independent publisher of historical fiction and nonfiction that champions the female perspective.

What do you call poetry that rhymes, has rhythm, tells stories (accessible to normal people not just intelligentsia) and runs longer than 20 lines, sometimes far longer? Unsellable in today's market. Also charming, thought-provoking, evocative, even brilliant, the kind of stuff that, if written 150 years ago, would have been taught to you in school. But written today. Sort of.Myths and romance, Armageddon and the occult, teddy bears and fairy tales, anything can be fodder for an epic poem and Stephanie Barr proves that with this collection of poetry from her earliest days writing that is eclectic, quirky, evocative, brilliant but highly accessible while somehow holding to old-fashioned notions on poetry, making it sound as good as it looks. This is poetry made to be read aloud, all but sung. The years seem eons, ages,Since I traveled, young and free,When the songs my harp would whisperWould bring everyone to me.Women young and soldiers agedCame to hear my siren lyre,Came to lose themselves in music,Dulcet sounds of sweet desire.So, if lyric language is your bag, if you still get transported with the poetry of Keats and Poe, but long for messages a little more here and now, this may be the poetry collection for you.

Possessed of an extraordinary telekinetic gift, Dahlia Le Blanc has spent her life isolated from other people. And just when she thinks she's finally achieved some semblance of peace, her well-orchestrated world comes crashing down... For a reason she cannot guess, she has become the target of deadly assassins. Suddenly no place is safe--not even the secret refuge she'd established long ago. Now she must rely on Nicolas Trevane--a dangerous warrior sent to track her down and protect her. Together they generate a scorching heat Dahlia never imagined was possible. But can she trust this man with her secrets--especially when some people would kill to get their hands on them?

“I swear by the stars that you and the others slain tonight will be the first of many. Of that you have my word.” With Aven Dalmarta now hiding in the shadows of Meya, Alex is desperate to save Jordan and keep the Rebel Prince from taking more lives. Training day and night to master the enhanced immortal blood in her veins, Alex undertakes a dangerous Meyarin warrior trial that separates her from those she loves and leaves her stranded in a place where nothing is as it should be. As friends become enemies and enemies become friends, Alex must decide who to trust as powerful new allies—and adversaries—push her towards a future of either light… or darkness. One way or another, the world will change…

Featuring David Sedaris's unique blend of hilarity and heart, this new collection of keen-eyed animal-themed tales is an utter delight. Though the characters may not be human, the situations in these stories bear an uncanny resemblance to the insanity of everyday life. In "The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck," three strangers commiserate about animal bureaucracy while waiting in a complaint line. In "Hello Kitty," a cynical feline struggles to sit through his prison-mandated AA meetings. In "The Squirrel and the Chipmunk," a pair of star-crossed lovers is separated by prejudiced family members. With original illustrations by Ian Falconer, author of the bestselling Olivia series of children's books, these stories are David Sedaris at his most observant, poignant, and surprising.

Vengeance will be hers. Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer. Monster. Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions - her creator Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost - the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie. In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, her triumph will be short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone. THE FINAL HUNT IS ON.

More clever science experiments, funny jokes, and robot hijinks await readers in book four of the New York Times bestselling Frank Einstein chapter book series from the mad scientist team of Jon Scieszka and Brian Biggs. The perfect combination to engage and entertain readers, the series features real science facts with adventure and humor, making these books ideal for STEM education. This latest installment examines the quest to unlock the power behind the science of “all connected life.” Kid-genius and inventor Frank Einstein loves figuring out how the world works by creating household contraptions that are part science, part imagination, and definitely unusual. In the series opener, an uneventful experiment in his garage-lab, a lightning storm, and a flash of electricity bring Frank’s inventions—the robots Klink and Klank—to life! Not exactly the ideal lab partners, the wisecracking Klink and the overly expressive Klank nonetheless help Frank attempt to perfect his inventions. In the fourth book in the series, Frank—along with his best friend, Watson, and Klink and Klank—once again finds himself in competition with his classmate and archrival T. Edison and his sign-language-speaking sidekick, Mr. Chimp, over Frank’s newest invention: the EvoBlaster Belt, which allows the user to evolve and devolve into other forms of life, blasting from one species to another. Integrating real science facts with wacky humor, a silly cast of characters, and science fiction, this uniquely engaging series is an irresistible chemical reaction for middle-grade readers. With easy-to-read language and graphic illustrations on almost every page, this chapter book series is a must for reluctant readers. The Frank Einstein series encourages middle-grade readers to question the way things work and to discover how they, too, can experiment with science. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews raves, “This buoyant, tongue-in-cheek celebration of the impulse to ‘keep asking questions and finding your own answers’ fires on all cylinders,” while Publishers Weekly says that the series “proves that science can be as fun as it is important and useful.” Read all the books in the New York Times bestselling Frank Einstein series: Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor (Book 1), Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger (Book 2), Frank Einstein and the BrainTurbo (Book 3), and Frank Einstein and the EvoBlaster Belt (Book 4). Visit frankeinsteinbooks.com for more information.

Two never-before-published stories from the archives of one of science fiction’s all-time masters The novella “A Necessary Being” showcases Octavia E. Butler’s ability to create alien yet fully believable “others.” Tahneh’s father was a Hao, one of a dwindling race whose leadership abilities render them so valuable that their members are captured and forced to govern. When her father dies, Tahneh steps into his place, both chief and prisoner, and for twenty years has ruled without ever meeting another of her kind. She bears her loneliness privately until the day that a Hao youth is spotted wandering into her territory. As her warriors sharpen their weapons, Tahneh must choose between imprisoning the newcomer—and living the rest of her life alone. The second story in this volume, “Childminder,” was commissioned by Harlan Ellison for his legendary (and never-published) anthology The Last Dangerous Visions™. A disaffected telepath connects with a young girl in a desperate attempt to help her harness her growing powers. But in the richly evocative fiction of Octavia E. Butler, mentorship is a rocky path, and every lesson comes at a price.

Mildred Pierce had gorgeous legs, a way with a skillet, and a bone-deep core of toughness and determination. She used those attributes to survive a divorce in 1940s America with two children and to claw her way out of poverty, becoming a successful businesswoman. But Mildred also had two weaknesses: a yen for shiftless men and an unreasoning devotion to her monstrous daughter. Out of these elements, Cain created a novel (later made into a film noir classic) of acute social observation and devastating emotional violence - and a heroine whose ambitions and sufferings are never less than recognizable. Narrated by Christine Williams.

Bridging three generations, this sweeping saga from renowned bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford tells the story of three extraordinary women, and the acts of will that shape their lives. Orphaned at a young age and later working as a servant to a wealthy suffragette, Audra Kenton finds the love of a lifetime—only to have it ripped away in an unforeseeable tragedy. Now she lives for only one reason: to give her daughter Christina, a gifted artist, everything she needs to succeed in life. But headstrong, vibrant Christina refuses to follow the path her mother has set for her and builds a global fashion empire in the heart of Manhattan. Soon a mother herself, Christina wants nothing so much as for her own daughter, Kyle, to lead the company when she’s gone. From humble beginnings to the heights of wealth and success, these three women face love, heartbreak, and betrayal—each to emerge triumphant in her own way.

The Newbery-winning novel in Cynthia Voigt’s timeless Tillerman cycle. When Momma abandoned Dicey Tillerman and her three siblings in a mall parking lot and was later traced to an asylum where she lay unrecognizing, unknowing, she left her four children no choice but to get on by themselves. They set off alone on foot over hundreds of miles until they finally found someone to take them in. Gram’s rundown farm isn’t perfect, but they can stay together as a family—which is all Dicey really wanted. But after watching over the others for so long, it’s hard for Dicey to know what to do now. Her own identity has been so wrapped up in being the caretaker, navigator, penny counter, and decision maker that she’s not sure how to let go of some responsibilities while still keeping a sense of herself. But when the past comes back with devastating force, Dicey sees just how necessary—and painful—letting go can be.

2008 Retailer's Choice Award winner!In preparation for their long-awaited wedding day, Dayne and Katy are determined to keep the ceremony a secret from the paparazzi. Their relationship grows closer and stronger as they plan together, but in the end it takes the help of the Baxter family and many of the CKT kids so that they'll even have a chance at a private wedding. John Baxter is thrilled that his oldest son will be settling down a few miles away, but he isn't sure how any of his kids will handle a situation he can no longer run from--the feelings he is having for his friend Elaine. In the meantime, the Flanigan family is struggling with their young boarder, Cody Coleman, Jim Flanigan's star receiver. After an alcohol overdose, Cody fights for his life. Only God's grace and a miracle can bring him back from the brink of death--physically and spiritually.

In a windowless cell, a man hangs from a pair of handcuffs. He is an American. His torturer will stop at nothing to extract the information he requires. He, too, is an American. A Day and a Night and a Day is a Grand Inquisition for the twenty-first century, in which love, loyalty, reason, and truth are on trial, and morality hangs in the balance. It is the story of Augustus Rose, an unlikely operative in a terrorist network, and his interrogator, Harper, a ruthless ambassador for the darkest forces at work in our times. Beyond the law and without hope of escape or reprieve, Augustus endures an emotional and physical assault that brings his whole life under brutal scrutiny: his race, religion, politics, and past, the people he has loved, and the few he is still desperate to protect. Alone and certain of death, Augustus raises the only shield he has: memory. He remembers his outcast Euro-American mother, Juliet, whose erratic love was refuge from the unforgiving streets of Harlem in the 1950s; he recalls the strange solace of Elise Merkete, the ravaged vigilante who recruited him into the ranks of her underground army; he relives the cool touch of the young Spanish prostitute, In�s, perhaps the last female tenderness he's ever likely to know. Outshining them all is the memory of Selina, a stunning, troubled, and rebellious white New York aristocrat. Their epic, taboo love affair, begun in 1960s Manhattan, would yield a lifetime's worth of passion, heartbreak, and wanderlust, leading Augustus from Harlem to Greenwich Village, from El Salvador to Barcelona, from Morocco to a bleak British island where death seems his only companion. Dramatic, far-reaching, and beautifully written, A Day and a Night and a Day is both a piercing love story and a timely, harrowing evaluation of the shape the Western world is taking.

When M.J. Holliday and the crew of her cable TV show, Ghoul Getters, venture to the haunted ruins of Dunlow Castle in Ireland, drawn by the legend of hidden treasure, they hope the road will rise up to meet them, that the wind will always be at their backs-and that the resident phantom won't push them off a cliff. If they treasure their lives, M.J. and her ghost busters need to get the drop on the menacing phantom...

"When I met Oliver Perry, I had no clue he was the lead singer for The Heartbreakers. And he had no idea that I was the only girl in the world who hated his music."Stella will do anything for her sick sister, Cara—even stand in line for an autographed Heartbreakers CD...for four hours. She's totally winning best birthday gift this year. At least she met a cute boy with soft brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes while getting her caffeine fix. Too bad she'll never see him again.Except, Stella's life has suddenly turned into a cheesy love song. Because Starbucks Boy is Oliver Perry—lead singer for the Heartbreakers. And even after she calls his music crap, Oliver still gives Stella his phone number. And whispers quotes from her favorite Disney movie in her ear. OMG, what is her life?But how can Stella even think about being with Oliver—dating and laughing and pulling pranks with the band—when her sister could be dying of cancer?Ali Novak wrote her...

As one of the genetically enhanced Kyndred, Lilah's mind-reading powers make her vulnerable to a mysterious biotech company willing to murder to acquire her superhuman DNA. But her true fear may come from her own Kyndred brethren. . . As one of the genetically enhanced Kyndred, Lilah's mind-reading powers make her vulnerable to a mysterious biotech company willing to murder to acquire her superhuman DNA. But her true fear may come from her own Kyndred brethren...

You'd think that life would finally be dealing Mack Smith a kind hand. Living in London, and with the opening of the new improved city version of Clava Books mere days away, things appear to be settling down. Other than the terrible nightmares about dragons, that is. Or the fact that she's being constantly tailed by a string of mages, shifters and faeries, all of whom are constantly demanding her attention. And that's without even bringing the temptation of Corrigan, Lord Alpha of the Brethren, into the equation. Then, when a local dryad asks her for some help, things really start to fire up. There are some long hot summer days ahead. . .

A chill falls over Christina Hardy's housewarming party when talk turns to a recent murder that has all the hallmarks of the so-called 'Interstate Killer' murders from fifteen years before. To lighten the mood, the guests drag out an old Ouija board for a little spooky fun -- and that's when things become truly terrifying. Summoned by the Ouija board, the restless spirit of Beau Kidd, the lead detective -- and chief suspect -- on the original case, seeks Christina's help: the latest killing isn't a copycat crime, and he wants his name cleared. Back in the real world, cop-turned-writer Jed Braden is skeptical of Christina's ghostly encounters, but his police sources confirm all the intimate details of the case -- her otherworldly source is reliable, and the body count is growing. The spirits are right. The Interstate Killer is still out there, and Christina's life is hanging in the balance between this world and the next.

True love . . . and an undying obsession Catlyn Youngblood has a secret life. Despite being a natural-born vampire hunter like her two older brothers, Cat has fallen for Jesse--an ageless boy from a centuries-old vampire clan. Cat's job cataloguing rare, mystical texts at a bookstore allows her to meet with Jesse alone every evening. But when girls who look disturbingly similar to Cat start disappearing from town, Cat and Jesse discover frightening clues to their whereabouts within the book collection. Together, they must stop a crazed man from realizing his dark scheme-- one that would claim Cat's life.

A man is found murdered in a locked Manhattan apartment, the only other inhabitants of which were his niece and a servant. The niece, under suspicion, will be indicted unless Otis Landon, a young lawyer from the apartment across the hall can discover the real killer. The clues, a safety deposit key, a woman’s hat pin without a head, a railroad timetable, and two music hall tickets, each point to a different person, none of whom can have committed the crime. From these clues, Landon, with the help of the noted detective, Fleming Stone, must forge the chain of evidence with which he can convict the killer and prove the innocence of the niece.Curl up with this classic cozy mystery from the author of The Clue.

Six men have lived for centuries in the mist of Minyon Dar. Then one catches a glimpse of life beyond, and nothing-- past, present or future-- will ever be the same.Six men have lived for centuries in the mist of Minyon Dar. Then one catches a glimpse of life beyond, and nothing-- past, present or future-- will ever be the same. A short story from the author of 'The Brightest Light'.