After the captain of the pirate ship, The Flummery, is swept overboard, the cook becomes captain. He saves the ship despite most of the crews' desertion. But finds that he, the remaining crew and ship landed in the middle of West Texas. When the Wind Hag refuses to send them back, the captain seeks revenge by stealing the Hag's power source. He must deal with obstacles to get to the power sources.Captain Pigtail McQueue is not your average everyday pirate. Actually, he was the ship's cook until a hurricane blew the other captain overboard. Captain by default, he manages to save the the great pirate ship, The Flummery, despite the desertion of most of the crew. As the winds die down he discovers the ship has been blown slightly off course. Okay, it was blown off course, big time!The ship and what's left of the crew find themselves stranded in West Texas. With the help of a wagon master and his daughter they seek out the Wind Hag in hopes she will send them back to the Gulf. When she refuses, Pigtail does the only thing a pirate in his position can do - he seeks revenge on the Wind Hag. That means becoming land pirates and going after the Wind Hag's power sources. The crew must overcome obstacles, booby traps and legions of creatures loyal to the Wind Hag in order to gain control over the power sources. This endeavor leads to some seriously humorous situations and exciting twists and turns. Join the crew as they try to outwit the all powerful Wind Hag.

Taking place after the events of SoM: Forerunners, four eccentric mercenaries are challenged with the task of covering up a parasitic outbreak causing the infected to mutate into savage creatures that can only exist through bloodshed. Will they be able to quell the outbreak in time or will their personal agendas cause them, and the rest of the planet, their lives?FREE STORYPublished as part of the The Real Story: Safe Sex ProjectTravis McDonald is fifteen and has never been in love (other than a wicked crush he harbored on his eighth grade sex ed teacher, Mr. Myers). When Jeremy Loper asks him to hang out, Travis's heart is all a flutter. He and Jeremy really hit it off and soon become boyfriends, but when they decide it's time to take their relationship to the next level on Jeremy's sixteenth birthday, Travis is faced with a harsh reality. Can he support his boyfriend at a time he needs him most, or is the situation just way too scary for Travis to deal with?

Life and death emergency onboard a submarine and the effects it has on a small portion of the crewThis work of fiction is about a life threatening emergency onboard a submerged submarine. You are with the damage control party from start to finish. Witnessing the changes that come over the men as the danger increases through to the final climax. Though inspired by several actual emergencies onboard different submarines this is not about any one submarine. At the end of the story the author pays trbute to those men lost and on eternal patrol onboard the USS Thresher SSN-593.

Day of the dead is an action-packed short story that touches the story depicted in the novel Fargoer. This time, the focus is turned towards Vikings and their gloom-filled world.As gods gamble and dance with destiny, mortal fates are trampled without a second thought. Ambjorn and his wife Jofrid must face theirs, when the peace of their home village is suddenly shattered. They have to throw themselves into a game in which every move carries high consequence. Is it possible to win when playing against forces beyond your own comprehension? Day of the dead is an action-packed short story that touches the story depicted in the novel Fargoer. This time, the focus is turned towards Vikings and their gloom-filled world.

Drunken Chaos is a compilation of two epic poems (smaller poetry compilations) called Drunken Poesie and a Chaos Organized. Both collections/poems feature a unique style. The theme of the poems is life progression from drug-induced lifestyle through a depression to resolution.The duo of epic poems go hand in hand as journeys through the growth of individual psyches.The first poem "Drunken Poesie" is an epic about an old man sitting at a tavern, an old anachronistic pub. He trades drinks for stories from his long tired life. After every story, he calls for the listeners to give him more alcohol and he moves on. He draws quite the crowd.a Chaos Organized is a separate epic that, however, tackles same issues. It is a disorganized compilation of poetry that goes on to cover three chapters of inner self-exploration. From comparing inside feelings and outside influences to ancient Egyptian gods to stories of princes, princesses, fires, and stones, each commemorating a part of an entire process. It's hectic, it's dramatic, it's confusing, it makes sense in the end.

Three daughters organize their parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration. The union has been a tempestuous one,but change is about to happen at the most unexpected of occasions.Bella,Bea and Bianca work hard to ensure that their parent's 50th wedding anniversary celebration goes with a swing. Timo and Bertha have weathered the storms of a difficult union,with too many secrets kept quiet for the sake of the family. There's a limit on how long a good man can do the right thing though,and freedom and joy look more attractive than servitude and misery. Someone is about to make their escape bid...

We've got more great stories for you this month, with a god morgue, a few unexplained benefactors, and a xenobiologist who would really rather not be eaten by space slugs. Yep, it's that good.We've got more great stories for you this month, with a god morgue, a few unexplained benefactors, and a xenobiologist who would really rather not be eaten by space slugs. Yep, it's that good.Fiction Vortex publishes science fiction and fantasy stories weekly at FictionVortex.com

A Russian, Jewish farm boy experiences God, and bring his family and to a deeper level of contact with the supernatural. The young boy Jonathan Knowles, grows up, and moves away from the family farm. He has no idea he is going to be the hope and leader to save his culture from annihilation.A Russian, Jewish farm boy named Jonathan Knowles has a supernatural experience on his families' farm. He is young, novice Writer, and is given a vision by God. He brings his family and friends to a deeper level of contact with God. He grows up, moves away from his family farm, and travels where God leads him, like a Missionary. Trouble breaks out in Russia, near where is living, and he is directed by God to hide people underground, and save his people from genocide.

The simple things are the ones that stick: a flash of the eyes, the tilt of a head, a laugh. They endure through time, space, even death. Past lives intersect, intertwine and all debts come due and payable in this life or the next. Love is beautiful, and sweet, and cruel, and deadly. It is not mocked. Find out why in The Laughing Lady.Thessalopolis, a place co-habited by two races, the Garanti and the Talian. Lured there from great distances thousands of years ago to escape their own lands where they had suffered famines and epidemics of disease. It was a paradise island fertile and blessed in rich abundance, with reefs brimming with marine life, bountiful building materials and thriving fields of grass. The two races lived in harmonious union, coexisting peacefully but then enemies were formed from neighbours and alliances broken and a war between states consumed them. Neighbours alike fought over land as they tried to maintain control over the oasis and a long bitter history of protracted violence ensued claiming many lives. To end this constant conflict a great majicker placed a curse on the land of Thessalopolis. Every 100 years a single battle would take place on the Krasian Fields, a place that marks the divide between the boundaries of the Garanti from the Talian people. The rules on the battlefield were brutally simple, kill the King and in doing so the greatest riches awaited the victor. The conquering army and their race were gifted 100 years of unrivalled prosperity in their border whereas the loser in battle a 100 years of widespread poverty ensued. To lead each army the majicker decreed that a child born from tragedy yet pure of heart would be chosen from a land and reality not their own. Upon the eve of the child’s first birthday the gateway between realities would be opened and a representative from each race would be sent to collect the chosen child and bring him back to the land to lead the armies in the one great battle for the greatest prize of them all, Thessalopolis.

This Book which has 34 differently titled Poems , is actually volume 10 of the Book titled – Life = Death – Poems on Life , Death ( 1200 pages ) .This enigmatic collection of poems explores and equates the boundless possibilities of life and death and delves into each intricate inexplicability of survival. Parekh's roving philosophical eye brings the unconquerable richness of life to the fore and yet at the same time explicitly highlights the veracity of 'death' as the absolute certainty of every existence. The poet joyously celebrates the occasions of both life and death with equal panache in each poetic stanza sewn with the uncanny mysteries of this Universe. The poems within immortalize both life and death as the ultimate victories and the two most contrastingly amazing and divine sides of creation. Catapulting the reader to the threshold of ultimate ecstasy; they bring about an impromptu twist with the closure of breath and what lies beyond. This charismatically woven collection of poetic verse would equally enamor the narcissist as well as the simple humanitarian to the core.This book is a humble attempt to enlighten the readers with the equality of life and death-and to live in both of them to the most unparalleled fullest. Embracing only the religion of humanity, as the Lord has commanded every living being on earth. You cant die in life and cant live in death-each of these components are irrefutably equal in every respect and should be worshipped with due obeisance.

A Book Of Poems Volume 1, is a poetry collection that focuses on a range of emotions. Whether it be a poem about love or loss, maybe heartache or heartbreak, and other mixed emotions. It has some stranger poems in the mix as well to round it off. Some make you laugh, some make you cry, and the rest make you feel content!Rooh-e-Sadiq is about English poems. The poems are inspired from common and everyday life people. They cover topics of love, motherhood, religion, souls, and many more.

*In a world at war, who can you trust?* The empire rests on the edge of a knife, and sisters Ashyn and Moria are the handle and the blade. Desperate to outmaneuver the evil Alvar Kitsune, whose hold on the people grows stronger every day, Emperor Tatsu begs Moria to put aside past grievances and ally with Gavril—at least long enough to make an attempt on Alvar’s life. Meanwhile, reunited with her long-lost grandfather, Ashyn discovers that she is the key to a ritual that could reawaken an ancient dragon and turn the tide of the coming battle in their favor. But with lies and betrayal lurking around every corner, Ashyn and Moria will have to decide once and for all where their allegiances are. And it may not be where their hearts would lead them… In this breathtaking final book in her epic trilogy the Age of Legends, #1 *New York Times* bestselling author Kelley Armstrong blends fantasy, action, and romance to give readers the unforgettable ending they’ve been waiting for.

Thousands of years ago, King Solomon used a powerful ring, known as the Great Seal, to imprison the fallen angels of heaven in a sacred vessel. Now both the ring and the vessel have been stolen from OIPEP by a double-crossing Mike Arnold. Should Mike choose to wield the demons' power, all hell could break lose . . . literally. Led by the mysterious Op-Nine, OIPEP has a plan to retrieve the artifacts, and their success depends on the least likely candidate, none other than the last descendent of Lancelot, Alfred Kropp. In this thrilling new adventure, author Rick Yancey proves once again that Alfred Kropp's unlikely role as a world-saving hero is definitely no accident. 

Big Brothers Are Watching Legendary science fiction icon Arthur C. Clarke, who in recent years has cowritten The Trigger with Michael Kube-McDowell and several Rama novels with Gentry Lee (Rama II, Garden of Rama, Rama Revealed) collaborates here for the first time with British author Stephen Baxter (Moonseed, Voyage, Titan, and Manifold Time) on a powerful, near-future speculative story of our world on the brink of radical change. The authors envision what the social consciousness and culture shock of life would be like when all privacy is irrevocably gone. Driven by Clarke's vision and fleshed out by Baxter's easygoing narrative, The Light of Other Days is intriguing conjecture supported by deep-seated principles in a time when total indifference has taken root. In the early 21st century, industrialist Hiram Patterson isn't content with his multimedia conglomerate called OurWorld and dedicates himself to further innovation. While attending an OurWorld event, journalist Kate Manzoni prepares to break a major story on Hiram's latest invention, which is shrouded in secrecy. Her previous cutting-edge bit of news was the disclosure of the Wormwood, a comet which is set on a collision course with Earth and destined to destroy all life on the planet in 500 years. Drug use, suicide, and apathy are at an all-time high across the globe. Still, that doesn't stop Hiram from doing what he does best: making money off scientific breakthroughs. His latest invention, as Kate learns, is a "WormCam": a stabilized wormhole of atomic size that is only large enough to send a radio signal through. His next call of order is to enlarge the wormhole until it is big enough to allow for visual images. Hiram's long-abandoned son, David, a top physics scientist and devout Catholic, is called back to OurWorld in order to oversee the WormCam project. The debonair Bobby Patterson, Hiram's younger son, is soon wooing Kate even while she uses him to get closer to Hiram's secrets. Bobby learns that the brain implant he had embedded as a child was actually designed to make him lack emotion and religious faith, as well as allow him to be easily coerced by his father. When Kate helps him to shut down the implant, Bobby is opened to a whole new world of exquisite love, anger, and pain. Eventually his brother David enlarges the WormCam until visual imagery is capable of traveling back and forth. David also determines that the WormCam is not only capable of bending space, but also time. As Kate uses the WormCam in an attempt to take down a notorious religious leader who uses a deadly form of virtual reality on his followers despite its ill effects, she begins to make herself powerful enemies, among them Hiram. Bobby and Kate set out on personal missions intended to keep the wormholes out of the wrong hands and put them to use for mankind's benefit. However, that's easier said than done, as government agencies and corporate competitors learn of the invention and a chain reaction is started -- everyone spying on everyone else across the globe and across time. Stephen Baxter deserves all the praise he's received in recent years for his thought-provoking and evocative novels. As a winner of the John W. Campbell Award, Baxter again proves he has what it takes to hold his own with such a visionary as Arthur C. Clarke. The authors are at ease fusing their ideas and techniques, moving between the hard-science elements and the credible, emotionally dense circumstances propelling the characters forward. The constant tension between Hiram, Kate, and Bobby is put to wonderful use, as Bobby sees life for the first time with an open soul. Possibly the strongest scene comes when Hiram realizes the WormCams can look backward into time. He turns a challenging gaze to the heavens for all the future watchers staring at him to see. As the world undergoes extreme change and privacy is done away with, our protagonists are forced to take personal stands for their beliefs despite all the conflict taking place around them. This is made even more difficult for them by the ever-present threat of the Wormwood comet that will eventually decimate all life. The theme is a strong one: How hard will you strive for your ideals when the world is going to end in the not-so-distant future? How strong is your faith? Clarke and Baxter have given us a moving and believable story, bringing together various scientific threads and philosophical ideology. They not only grab the reader's interest but also fire one's imagination on how technology leads to radical social and political change. The Light of Other Days doesn't sink under the inertia of the secular debates in the novel: Clarke and Baxter's unraveling of the intense subplots of faith and fear is impeccable. It's rare to find authors so cognizant of cultural transformation, who understand the ethical dilemmas that influence a world on the edge of upheaval in the name of progress. This is an enthralling inquiry into the effects of a major scientific breakthrough on values and belief systems; it will draw the reader into the brilliant light of powerful storytelling. —Tom Piccirilli

I’m ready to move on. Please don’t search for me. Please just let me go. ~Ellie The note on the kitchen table shatters Jay Wentworth’s world into bits. Ellie is his lover, his soulmate, his best friend…she’s the woman who stood by him through the aftermath of a horrible explosion, the woman he’s planning to propose to. He’d do anything for her…except let her go. With his fierce protectiveness kicked into overdrive, he teams up with Ellie’s Hotel Serafina boss, billionaire Wyatt Christiansen, to find her. Ellie is family at the casino and they take care of their own. Ellie is devastated when her secret past finally catches up with her. Stupid to think she could bury the mistakes of her youth and find happiness with a good man. Leaving Jay rips her heart to shreds, but it’s the only way she can protect him from the dangerous people she once ran with. And deep down, she fears he’ll never be able to forgive her for hiding her past from him. The closer Jay gets to the truth about Ellie, the deeper he plunges into danger. He’ll move heaven and earth to save her, but if she can’t trust in Jay’s love it might be too late for both of them. The Serafina: Sin City Series, #2

Charles Bukowski is one of America's best-known contemporary writers of poetry and prose, and, many would claim, its most influential and imitated poet. He was born in Andernach, Germany, and raised in Los Angeles, where he lived for fifty years. He published his first story in 1944, when he was twenty-four, and began writing poetry at the age of thirty-five. He died in San Pedro, California, on March 9, 1994, at the age of seventy-three, shortly after completing his last novel, Pulp (1994).

For untold years, the perfectly preserved mummy had lain forgotten in the dusty basement of Boston s Crispin Museum. Dubbed Madam X, the recently rediscovered mummy is, to all appearances, an ancient Egyptian artifact. But medical examiner Maura Isles discovers a macabre message hidden within the corpse horrifying proof that this centuries-old relic is instead a modern-day murder victim. When the grisly remains of two other women are found, it becomes clear to Maura and Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli that a maniac is at large. Now Maura and Jane must unravel a murderer s twisted endgame before the Archaeology Killer adds another chilling artifact to his monstrous collection."

For the first time Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are available in the United States in quality paperback editions. The first book in the legendary Lymond Chronicles, Game of Kings takes place in 1547. Scotland has been humiliated by an English invasion and is threatened by machinations elsewhere beyond its borders, but it is still free. Paradoxically, her freedom may depend on a man who stands accused of treason: Francis Crawford of Lymond. From the Trade Paperback edition.

A warrior dragon prince must claim his Earthling to save his throne -- without even touching her ... All Sophia Castillo has ever wanted is to be a space pilot. But the Space Academy has kicked her out for being too cocky and rebellious -- with no second chances. After the Draconian lottery matches her with a faraway dragon shifter, she’s torn -- until she learns the smoking hot alien will die without his mate. Even across the galaxies, his image tugs at her. Ready to take the biggest gamble of her life, she sets out on the long journey toward Galaton … already impregnated with her distant mate’s seed. Elair Purr is the Air Prince of Galaton, one of four elemental rulers who control the planet. As soon as he learns about Sophia, his mating thrall rises, confirming that she belongs to him. Besieged by rebel dragons, Elair struggles with the urge to abandon everything and claim Sophia, his inner dragon roaring for his mate. When Sophia gives birth to his child on board her bride ship, their longing to be together grows even stronger. When Sophia’s bride ship is almost at Galaton, it is attacked by the Mulgor -- the Draconians’ ancient enemy. Elair must leave his planet to rescue his mate and infant son ... and Sophia must cope with the magnitude of their joining. Once they’re together at last, the consummation of their mating can no longer be delayed. They’ve risked everything for love … will their Galatonian home be waiting when they return?

Sometimes fate works in mysterious ways … A desperate woman ... Fox shifter Dana Myers is on the run. After two years of indentured servitude to the Updike hyena pack on Fate Mountain, she finally makes her escape in a stolen car. When it breaks down, she discovers that mechanic and bear shifter Jessie Kincaid is her match on a shifter dating website. Out of options, she asks her unknown mate for help. A reluctant man ... Jessie is in no hurry to settle down. Playing the field is fun -- and besides, he saw how his dad fell apart after his mom’s death, and he never wants to be that vulnerable. But knowing that Dana is his mate changes everything. He’s determined to take care of her … and she’ll need all the help she can get. A dangerous dilemma The car she used for her getaway has a body in the trunk, making Dana the prime suspect in a murder case. Jessie knows she’s innocent, but all the evidence is pointing her way. Can he clear her name in time, or will he lose his mate to a deadly plot? Mechanic Bear is a 25k word novella and the last book in the Timber Bear Ranch series.

She's destined to be his ... if he can keep her alive. Underground ... Gauge Stockwell is a detective working to infiltrate a drug ring. He’s eager to find his mate, and has just gotten a match on the human-shifter mating website started by one of the shifters on Fate Mountain. But before he can meet her, he gains access to the criminal gang and has to go undercover. Under lock and key ... Lola Lockheart is a prisoner inside the gang’s compound, held there by her stepbrother Justin, the leader of the drug ring. She used a secret phone to register on the mating website, but when she gets a match, the man’s profile is mysteriously blank. Even his name is redacted. Under fire As soon as Gauge sees Lola, he knows she’s his mate -- but the slightest hint from him will get them both killed. It’s clear from how the gang treats her that she’s not there willingly. Can Gauge and the rest of the Bear Patrol free Lola and shut down the drug ring? And even if they can, will a woman who’s spent years as a captive trust the stranger who yearns to claim her for his own?