PADDY THE BEAVER BEGINS WORK Work, work all the night While the stars are shining bright; Work, work all the day; I have got no time to play. HIS little rhyme Paddy the Beaver made up as he toiled at building the dam which was to make the pond he so much desired deep in the Green Forest. Of course it wasn't quite true, that about working all night and all day. Nobody could do that, you know, and keep it up. Everybody has to rest and sleep. Yes, and everybody has to play a little to be at their best. So it wasn't quite true that Paddy worked all day after working all night. But it was true that Paddy had no time to play. He had too much to do. He had had his playtime during the long summer, and now he had to get ready for the long cold winter. Now of all the little workers in the Green Forest, on the Green Meadows, and in the Smiling Pool, none can compare with Paddy the Beaver, not even his cousin, Jerry Muskrat. Happy Jack Squirrel and Striped Chipmunk store up food for the long cold months when rough Brother North Wind and Jack Frost rule, and Jerry Muskrat builds a fine house wherein to keep warm and comfortable, but all this is as nothing to the work of Paddy the Beaver. As I said before, Paddy had had a long playtime through the summer. He had wandered up and down the Laughing Brook. He had followed it way up to the place where it started. And all the time he had been studying and studying to make sure that he wanted to stay in the Green Forest. In the first place, he had to be sure that there was plenty of the kind of food that he likes. Then he had to be equally sure that he could make a pond near where this particular food grew. Last of all, he had to satisfy himself that if he did make a pond and build a home, he would be reasonably safe in it. And all these things he had done in his playtime. Now he was ready to go to work, and when Paddy begins work, he sticks to it until it is finished. He says that is the only way to succeed, and you know and I know that he is right. Now Paddy the Beaver can see at night just as Reddy Fox and Peter Rabbit and Bobby Coon can, and he likes the night best, because he feels safest then. But he can see in the daytime too, and when he feels that he is perfectly safe and no one is watching, he works then too. Of course the first thing to do was to build a dam across the Laughing Brook to make the pond he so much needed. He chose a low open place deep in the Green Forest, around the edge of which grew many young aspen-trees, the bark of which is his favorite food. Through the middle of this open place flowed the Laughing Brook. At the lower edge was just the place for a dam. It would not have to be very long, and when it was finished and the water was stopped in the Laughing Brook, it would just have to flow over the low open place and make a pond there. Paddy's eyes twinkled when he first saw it. It was right then that he made up his mind to stay in the Green Forest. So now that he was ready to begin his dam he went up the Laughing Brook to a place where alders and willows grew, and there he began work; that work was the cutting of a great number of trees by means of his big front teeth which were given him for just this purpose....

The 12th man. How and why is it so important. There is a reason it is. The power won't leave.Hawk is about to battle against impossible odds surrounded by his enemies. Maybe the crowd above will save him. There is always a chance. His family is gone he is alone, but his will to win may be too great to die.

A woman is found dead in her room at the care home she lived in, strangled and left lying on her Chinese rug. The death is motiveless, the room otherwise untouched, expensive objects left unstolen; meanwhile, even the fellow residents admit their friend's life was largely a mystery to them, with "decades left unaccounted for". It is left to the detectives to solve her mystery.A woman is found dead in her room at the care home she lived in, strangled and left lying on her Chinese rug. The death is motiveless, the room otherwise untouched, expensive objects left unstolen; meanwhile, even the fellow residents admit their friend's life was largely a mystery to them, with "decades left unaccounted for".Investigating the crime, detectives discover a whole alternative history of their town; a history that takes in rivalries, crimes, social upheaval, family heartbreak; and ultimately offers the solution to the mystery they are facing.

The first installment in the "Marina's Tales" series, "Between The Land And The Sea" is a sweet romantic suspense. After she discovers a mermaid lurking in the deep waters off the California coast, Marina survives one dangerous adventure after another. Along the way she finds first love, discovering just how strong and brave she really is as she uncovers shocking secrets about her unusual past.Marina is a privileged girl who’s had an unusual upbringing. Traveling the world with her scientist father, doted on by her wealthy and glamorous neighbor Evie, Marina’s life seems perfect.Everything changes in the summer of her sixteenth year when she is sent to live with her Aunt Abby and Cousin Cruz in the lovely seaside town of Aptos, California.Only a few weeks after arriving, sixteen year-old Marina has nearly drowned twice, enchanted the hottest guy in high school, and discovered a supernatural creature. If she can manage to survive some increasingly dangerous encounters with unpredictable mermaids, she might be able to unlock the mystery of her past and appease the mysterious forces that want something from her...And maybe even find true love along the way.

Adele of Berron; the lone suvivour of her family's murder.Rafe of Valrek; the stranger she is betrothed to.The Enemy? Wants them dead.Dear Reader, I wish to tell you a tale that began with a promise destined to change the lives of many. When only a child, Lady Adele of Berron lost her family during a dreadful battle and was betrothed to a stranger.Lord Rafe of Valrek, only a boy himself when the battle of Calis raged, grew to be a feared warrior and trusted advisor to his King. But sadness filled his past and Adele served only to remind him of all he had lost.However the promise that bound these two together caused great anger to some.What, Dear Reader, happened in those days of treachery and darkness? Incline your ear that I may whisper the secrets that you so desire to hear......Lady Quill

Ava's story is now being written as a reader write-a-long. Details can be found on my website. http://www.kellyelliottauthor.com/bro...

Aithne thought her dreams had come true when Hadrian, a Fae prince, stepped into her life and filled it with wonder . . . that is until her friend William declared his love, promising her more than mere moments. Three enchanted hearts . . . two honorable men . . . one important choice . . . an unforgettable Midsummer Night's Festival.How do you choose between mere moments and a lifetime?Aithne was raised on fairytales, spending hours daydreaming about meeting one of the elusive Fae. Little did she know, hidden in the shadows, a Fae Prince stood watching. All it took was one glance and Hadrian became enchanted, unable to stay away. Revealing his presence, Aithne's life was forever changed as her childhood fantasies of magic became a reality.With each encounter, Aithne fell deeper in love and even though she knew Hadrian couldn't offer her the future she craved, it was enough. That was until William, the local blacksmith's son and friend, stepped forward. Wearing his own heart on his sleeve, and eager to claim Aithne as his wife, there was nothing William wouldn't do for the girl he loved. Even if it meant risking it all at the Midsummer Night's festival.Three enchanted hearts . . . two honorable men . . . one important choice . . . an unforgettable Midsummer Night's Festival.

When a bratty Hollywood child star and an English aristocrat exchange souls at the dentist in Laughing Gas, the result is transatlantic mayhem at its funniest.

In his historical novel, Requiem for Athens Dr. David Alkek invites his readers to participate in the daily life of Ancient Greece.In his third book, 'Requiem for Athens', Dr. David Alkek invites his readers to participate in the daily life of Ancient Greece.Immersed in the turbulent politics and fratricidal wars of Ancient Greece, the fictional character, Phidias, is wounded in battle and joins Aristotle as a student of Plato. He falls passionately in love with the beautiful Thais, but is torn away to join Aristotle, then Alexander the Great on his glorious conquests.As a witness to epic battles, bloody assassinations, and twisted conspiracies, Phidias struggles to guide the young conqueror through his personal turmoil. After giving birth to the great library of Alexandria, Phidias is at long last allowed to return to Athens to fulfill his destiny and find his long lost love.This epic tale of love and war, sex and murder deftly captures the setting in Ancient Greece to stunning effect. Historical characters such as Aristotle and Plato, Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander, and the great orator, Demosthenes, surround the character Phidias in his adventure through a drama-filled part of history.A longtime lover of history and a student of philosophy, Alkek deliberately chose one of the most dramatic periods in Greek history as a background for his book. About the Author:David Alkek is the author of three books, a contemporary mystery set in Dallas and a book of science and philosophy that investigates the purpose of the universe. His newly released third book, 'Requiem for Athens' is historical fiction.A dermatologist for over 40 years, David draws from his medical and scientific background to create his books. He is an avid reader and credits Arthur Conan Doyle, John Grisham, Ken Follett, and Isaac Asimov for providing his inspiration.In his free time David likes to write, play poker, garden, and attend writer's workshops and book clubs. What David does not enjoy is being bored.

Isao is a young, engaging patriot, and a fanatical believer in the ancient samurai ethos. He turns terrorist, organising a violent plot against the new industrialists, who he believes are threatening the integrity of Japan and usurping the Emperor’s rightful power. As the conspiracy unfolds and unravels, Mishima brilliantly chronicles the conflicts of a decade that saw the fabric of Japanese life torn apart.

A second collection of eccentric, pragmatic, imaginative encounters with everyday life from the Wishbone Soup Cures Everything blog.A second collection of eccentric, pragmatic, imaginative encounters with everyday life from the Wishbone Soup Cures Everything blog. Wishbone Soup is an edible metaphor for finding happiness in a variety of circumstances. Not the blank happiness of owning stuff: the deep real kind that people need if their lives are going to hold meaning. Through the medium of everything; spider webs, frozen fish, a glove with a hole in it; contentment and jolliment appears.

When her plane crashes into the ocean, Zanas is dropped into a brutal world of survival. She soon learns that this is no ordinary place, as the land mutates all that live within its borders. Her sister is kidnapped and taken beneath, thrusting Zanas into the middle of a primitive society, where she will find her death, or her destiny.Martin awakes naked on the shores of a silent and hungry world. He has no memory of how he got there, no memory of anything beyond his name. Now he must journey through the Eating Wastes in which the very land he walks on tries to consume him. His only hope of escape are massive gateways that call to him to enter, all he has to do is make it to one. The journey will test both his will and flesh as nightmarish creatures stalk his every move, wanting to claim him for their own.*THE RED MAN is a 9000 word short story.

A Greek demigod reincarnates in a gaming computer of the future to fight an alien god for the freedom of humanity. Torn from his wife by Zeus's thunderbolt for resurrecting the dead, Asklepios now fights for our future, aided by gamer Darla Kaplan. In this struggle for the freedom of mankind, the most powerful weapon of all may be the love of a woman for a man who is only a ghost in the machine.A demigod fights for Earth's freedom -- in the mind of a computer -- as two pantheons fight for the right to guide the future of humans. But can Asklepios -- Homer's "Blameless Physician" -- defeat the The Devourer of Millions? AES is the story of a man who wakes up after 3,000 years to find himself thrust into a fight for the independence of Earth from the control of alien superbeings. His battle is real and the stakes are real, but he will fight in a simulated battlefield -- in the memory of an online gaming computer. He is as real as his comrades, but while they have real-world bodies, his self-driven avatar is all he has -- an incarnation as living software. For the mortals who log in to help him, the prize is freedom from the aliens who want to control humanity's development to further their own power. For Aes himself, the reward for success is his own apotheosis -- the right to dwell with the superbeings of Olympus. His only chance is the help of Darla Kaplan and her gamer friends. In this struggle for the freedom of mankind, the most powerful weapon of all may be the love of a woman for a man who is only a ghost in the machine.

After a lifetime of unsuccessful attempts, Hope Matthews may have finally found a way to escape her undead pirate guardian. That is, if she can make sense of the map her foster father left behind and locate the legendary amulet, Poseidon's Tear before her demonic pursuer finds her and drags her back to to his lair.Darrel Bird and Barbara Yoder team up to bring you this powerful allegory.Two children find the way out of the dome they were made to live under by their ancestors, A painted dome under a painted sky where the clouds do not move and the birds do not fly.They rush back under the dome one more time to tell their friends and family there is a world outside the dome, but they will not listen.The children must rush to freedom before the escape route closes.

Cor Pelson, a commoner in the Kingdom of Aquis, is no common boy. The gray pallor of his skin and his coughing attacks separate him from those around him. He learns that the world is no safe, secure place as his parents and the priests would have him believe. He must learn to tap the power within his blood to survive the brutality of those who would control him and return his race to the world.The Shining West, free from the yoke of the Loszian Empire, has long stood as a beacon of freedom, guarding its people from the evils of the Loszians. Aquis is the largest of the Western Kingdoms, ruled by its benificent Queen Erella, High Priestess to Garod, leader of the gods of light.The son of a farmer in the bountiful kingdom Aquis, Cor Pelson had always been different. Shortly after he was born came the horrific coughing attacks, and his skin changed color to a gray reminiscent of the grave. He is a Dahken, a race the Loszian necromancers fear, reviled by the Western priests, and thought extinct by both. As a child, strangers entered his life, even if only briefly, and drove home that there are those that would bend him to their wills. Frightened and determined to protect those he loves, Cor steals away from home. He finds that the world is not the good, safe place that his parents taught him of, but in fact is a cruel, brutal place where blood flows readily and the ability to protect himself is paramount.He finds, even on the open sea, that those who would control the power within his blood follow him, intent on inflicting harm upon those around him. He must learn to tap the power within his blood to find his own path, take revenge and build a new world for his kind.

Miles gets the worst feeling from his neighbor's kid, Seven. When he spies on him and his family, he finds they like to consume a strange gold liquid.Miles gets the worst feeling from his neighbor's kid, Seven. When he spies on him and his family, he finds they like to consume a strange gold liquid.At the same time, a dark hole has appeared under his bed. From it, invisible things come in and out. After his neighbors have had enough of Miles' suspicion, they plan to get rid of him. But Miles has already allied with their enemies whom he thinks are good folk, until they betray him.When Seven and his clan surprise attack Miles in his room, he has no choice but to go down the shrinking hole.Down the Shrinking Holes is the first in a new series of short stories for kids.

When a man pulls into a gas station in the middle of nowhere, he finds out he's not alone out there. In both the bad and good sense.Cassiea never thought returning a necklace would get so complicated. Because of that one decision, she was transported to a world, hidden from Earth by the Elvains. They were magical beings who, for centuries, been waiting for her to appear. They told her that she was the reincarnation of an evil witch name Keya. And the necklace, she thought she had found by chance, held the witch's magic. A magic that was the source of Keya's powers and what had turned her evil and ultimately her death. Cassiea was not thrilled to learn that she had inherited the evil witch's magic and that other magical beings would stop at nothing to get a hold of it. One in particular, was Keya's sister, Nara, whom wanted the powers for herself and to avenge Keya's death. Now Cassiea's ordinary life became extraordinary. And all she wanted to do was to go home to her quiet, comfortable and normal life. But the Elvains insisted that her destiny laid with them. Destiny. A word that Cassiea never gave much thought to. A word that never held any meaning to her became the bane of her existence. As she struggles through the acceptance of the keeper of this magic, she had to fight her way out of Nara's grasp while keeping everyone she loved safe and to prevent herself from becoming evil like Keya.

This is a historic fiction, a novel of the life of Apostle PeterThis world, which is enmity to God, throws out a net to contain and capture as many as would follow its empty rules, and the façade of the glamour it offers, with its so-called great morals, and the pie-in-the-sky attitudes reveals itself to all those that are seeking God and the relationship with Him, wanting more than this world can proposition.Struggles, we will always have and this story shows many, but it will also show that these same struggles aren’t there to bring us down, but to take us to an appreciation of a greater life than this world, and its circumstances, are offering. These things that we call church are counted among those that are letting us down. This is a historical fiction, a novel of the life of the apostle Peter.

Time Coins Stolen! An Impossible Crime And The Thief Remains At Large!Greg Thompson is nothing more than an average 16-year-old boy living a carefree life in Grass Valley, California. But that all changes when he witnesses a hit and run accident. Before the homeless man dies, he hands Greg a handwritten notebook leading to a treasure cache.Time Coins Stolen! An Impossible Crime And The Thief Remains At Large!Greg Thompson is nothing more than an average 16-year-old boy living a carefree life in Grass Valley, California. But that all changes when he witnesses a hit and run accident. Before the homeless man dies, he hands Greg a handwritten notebook leading to a treasure cache.Greg plucks an all too familiar coin from the loot, and is thrust into an adventure he never saw coming.The Keepers of Time are on the hunt for the stolen time coins, and will wreak havoc to recover their loss devices, including unraveling the lives of any who stand in their way.Greg Thompson, aided by a mysterious ally, will jump across space and time to avoid the unimaginable grasp the Keepers hold over the ARROW OF TIME!

Technology is everywhere; in almost everything we do, everything we see and everything we have there is some form of technology. Think, for a moment, what life would be like without technology. How would you communicate? How would you live? Where would you live? When it comes down to it, technology is responsible for our present. This then stems the question: how will technology shape our future?I don’t even remember hitting the ground. I remember the hyper drive cutting out and I remember the jet engines failing as I tried to land this old crate. But I don’t remember the damn thing hitting the surface of the planet. I suppose that’s what I get for stealing it in the first place. But I just couldn’t work for those jerks for another second. I open my eyes to be met with a belting headache. One so bad it feels like I’ve been out on the drink last night, and I’ve had a very good time. Shame that isn’t true. I’m starting to wish this had all been a dream. My back hurts like I’ve snapped every one of my vertebrae on the way to the floor and all of my muscles are burning in pain.