In a fractured future, Americans are divided into religious and ideological factions, engaged in never-ending war for territory, fuel, and food. With winter rapidly descending, Bayle Bonner walks 300 miles across what used to be the Pennsylvania Turnpike to honor a promise.Toll Road is a short story of approximately 4,000 words (16 pages).The Pike is long and perilous, patrolled by Catholic knights and the nationalist biker gang that calls themselves the Order of the Coming Dawn. Bayle might have stayed in Pittsburgh, which is doing better than most of the country--but he made a promise, and to keep it he has to cross the battered remains of Pennsylvania. With winter rapidly descending, Bayle sets own alone to keep that promise.Toll Road is a short story of approximately 4,000 words (16 pages).

When astronaut Brett Lockwood mans the first mission to Mars to investigate an atmospheric anomaly and the disappearance of an unmanned spacecraft, he discovers a window through time that will change the entire course of space exploration. Originally published in the best selling time travel anthology "Synchronic."Space exploration is dead and buried. But a strange atmospheric anomaly at Mars single handedly resurrects the program, giving birth to the first manned mission to the Red Planet for an up-close investigation of this fantastic event. For astronaut Brett Lockwood it’s a dream come true. A chance to make history. But what he discovers is a window through time that will change the entire course of space exploration. Originally published in the best selling time travel anthology "Synchronic."

"7 Different Kind Of Smoke" is a collection of short stories by a new African American writer. They are stories of fantasy and mystery, and include "The Greenest Grass", a tale of a woman who undergoes a 'makeover' the likes of which the world has never seen, "Leap Frog", the story of a woman who believes her kiss turns men into frogs and five others. (note: includes explicit language)."7 Different Kind Of Smoke" is a collection of short stories by a new African American writer. They are stories of fantasy and mystery, and include "The Greenest Grass", a tale of a young lady who undergoes a 'makeover' the likes of which the world has never seen, "Leap Frog", the story of a woman who believes her kiss turns men into frogs, "A Void Of Sorts", the story of a mother that takes the law into her own hands when her young son is kidnapped and killed, "The Tell Tail Tale", a loving grandfather's urban fable bedtime story as told to his grandchildren and three others. (Note: includes explicit language and mature themes).

As Jessie prepares to graduate and move forward with a degree in Paranormal Psychology, his haunting past rears its ugly head and weaves him through the web of time until he must question absolutely everything about his current reality."Where am I?" said Jessie. "Botany, Mrs. Turner's class. Does it ring a bell? Light your bulb?" asked Jude. Whatever happened I must have hit my head really hard, Jessie thought. Laying his head on his desk, he tried to remember what he had been doing last, searching for something, the answer to the riddle. He looked down at his desk to see if he could find any clues. There was a botany book on top of the tan colored desk, a pencil, a white sheet of paper containing past notes on the flowers. Mrs. Turner was going on about finals as well as extra credit. Ah! That's right! Jude and I had done a project together on the symbolism of flowers, but why would that be important?Jude interrupted Jessie's concentration. "I thought you said you were going to the lake this weekend? Your grandfather always said we could have the graduation party there." "This weekend," Jessie stammered. “What day is it?" "Monday. Don’t you remember anything from the past twenty-four hours? It's our finals week. Everyone is graduating. You said you'd go check the place out, make sure it's ready. How long has it been since your grandfather has been gone, Jess? Two years now?" Jess sighed, finally remembering the deal he’d made. Jess was going to see what was going on, if the house needed a bit of tidying up before having friends there. It seemed like he was in a time warp. How did he get back from the mansion to his botany class?

An old prophecy, a new quest, new worlds and adventures, new (as well as old) friends and of course a new evil to face and overcome. Daniel's story continues on the second volume of "The Endërland Chronicles", about twenty years after we last saw him. Come along for the ride and find out where the road takes him and his friends next.Twenty years after he first visited Endërland, Daniel and his friends find themselves on a new quest. His daughter, Serena, has gone missing and he, Hëna, Nemo and Séraphin set out to look for her. Their journey takes them out of their dreamworld, to new places and new adventures, where they meet old legends and make new friends. But evil once again threatens to destroy them and everything they know and love, now wearing a new name and a familiar face. Will they be able to fight a prophecy as old as time, find Serena and save their worlds, again?

Stricken with a terrible fear of poisonous mushrooms, a man’s life has degenerated into an endless cycle of suspicion and brillo pads. When his friend suggests a gravy-coated cure at a local restaurant, he reluctantly accepts. But as dinner progresses he begins to suspect that his friend may have an ulterior motive; namely murder, by way of the very mushroom that he fears the most: the Death Cap.A reflective book of my daily poetry and prayers. I hope this will inspire you in your daily life. In hard times it is hard to understand.

The complete romance series Wolf Lake (Werewolf / Shifter Romance) available here in one single package. All titles also available separately. Wolf Lake #1: The moon is a harsh mistress for those with the curse, as Grace Stevens is about to find out. A two-week vacation with the promise of relaxation lures Grace to Wolf Lake, a posh watering hole high in the mountains. Strange tales, even stranger animal deaths, and a handsome cabin neighbor lead her to believe that something is amiss around the placid waters of Wolf Lake. Wolf Lake #2: Grace Steven’s stay at Wolf Lake grows into a bigger mystery as her neighbor, the handsome Will Campbell, woos and lies to her. She is torn between her growing affection for him and her mistrust toward his actions. The annual lake picnic gives her chance to meet other, more normal people, but Will has other plans for them both. Wolf Lake #3: Howling in the night. Strange shadows, and even stranger explanations from her neighbors. Grace Steven’s vacation is turning into a mystery of furry proportions as she tries to unravel the secret about Will and his unusual servant. She is momentarily distracted by the Hunt, but the mystery deepens when she finds herself on the receiving end of a pair of hungry golden eyes. Wolf Lake #4: Grace is confronted with the truth about her handsome neighbor. Now she must decide where her future lies, with the feral love of a werewolf or her only dreary life as a secretary. Choices become complicated when the other lake inhabitants learn about the wild beast running in the woods at night and enlist the help of the locals to catch and kill it. Time is running out as Grace finds herself on a collision course to destiny.

Grey and Ben fell in love at thirteen and believed they’d be together forever. But three days before their wedding, the twenty-year-old groom-to-be suddenly died from an unknown heart condition, destroying his would-be-bride’s world. If it hadn’t been for their best friend, Jagger, Grey never would have made it through those last two years to graduation. He’s the only one who understands her pain, the only one who knows what it’s like to force yourself to keep moving when your dreams are shattered. Jagger swears he’ll always be there for her, but no one has ever been able to hold on to him. He’s not the kind of guy to settle down. It’s true that no one has ever been able to keep Jagger—because he’s only ever belonged to Grey. While everyone else worries over Grey’s fragility, he’s the only one who sees her strength. Yet as much as he wants Grey, he knows her heart will always be with Ben. Still they can’t deny the heat that is growing between them—a passion that soon becomes too hot to handle. But admitting their feelings for each other means they’ve got to face the past. Is being together what Ben would have wanted . . . or a betrayal of his memory that will eventually destroy them both?

Thirteen Capsules of Terror - Not to be Taken at Bedtime Here is a fantastic journey into a world of terror with thirteen of Bradbury's very best. A baby born with the irge to kill... the couple who leave for a honeymoon - in a cemetery... a husband and wife who have an unpleasant experience with some mummified Mexican corpses... the tombstone in the bedroom... a little boy who examines the macabre entrails of the man upstairs... A chilling collection that will linger long after you have finished reading it. The Small Assassin The Next in Line The Lake The Crowd Jack-in-the-Box The Man Upstairs The Cistern The Tombstone The Smiling People The Handler Let's Play 'Poison' The Night The Dead Man

The tales of this book, as Ursula K. Le Guin writes in her foreword, explore or extend the world established by her first four Earthsea novels. Yet each tale stands on its own. "The Finder," a novella set a few hundred years before A Wizard of Earthsea, presents a dark and troubled Archipelago and reveals how the school on Roke came to be. "The Bones of the Earth" features the wizards who taught the wizard who first taught Ged and demonstrates how humility, if great enough, can rein in an earthquake. "Darkrose and Diamond" is a delightful story of young courtship showing that sometimes wizards can pursue alternate careers. "On the High Marsh," from the brief but eventful time of Ged as Archmage of Earthsea, tells of the love of power--and of the power of love. "Dragonfly" shows how a woman, determined enough, can break the glass ceiling of male magedom. Taking place shortly after the last Earthsea novel, it also provides a bridge--a dragon bridge--to the next Earthsea novel, The Other Wind. The author concludes this collection with an essay about Earthsea's history, people, languages, literature and magic, and provides two new maps of Earthsea.

Birds Without Wings traces the fortunes of one small community in southwest Turkey (Anatolia) in the early part of the last century — a quirky community in which Christian and Muslim lives and traditions have co-existed peacefully over the centuries and where friendship, even love, has transcended religious differences. But with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and the onset of the Great War, the sweep of history has a cataclysmic effect on this peaceful place: The great love of Philothei, a Christian girl of legendary beauty, and Ibrahim, a Muslim shepherd who courts her from near infancy, culminates in tragedy and madness; Two inseparable childhood friends who grow up playing in the hills above the town suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of the bloody struggle; and Rustem Bey, a wealthy landlord, who has an enchanting mistress who is not what she seems. Far away from these small lives, a man of destiny who will come to be known as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is emerging to create a country from the ruins of an empire. Victory at Gallipoli fails to save the Ottomans from ultimate defeat and, as a new conflict arises, Muslims and Christians struggle to survive, let alone understand, their part in the great tragedy that will reshape the whole region forever. From the Hardcover edition.

Distinguished psychotherapist and survivor Elhanan Rosenbaum is losing his memory to an incurable disease. Never having spoken of the war years before, he resolves to tell his son about his past—the heroic parts as well as the parts that fill him with shame—before it is too late. Elhanan's story compels his son to go to the Romanian village where the crime that continues to haunt his father was committed. There he encounters the improbable wisdom of a gravedigger who leads him to the grave of his grandfather and to the truths that bind one generation to another. From the Trade Paperback edition.

"A Must Read Romance. This is one of the best books I've read this year. It has everything a book should have: action, adventure, violence, a butt-kicking heroine and one hot hero." —USA Today This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergiesmake it increasingly difficult to live a normal life, and after a completely humiliating incident ruins her first (and perhaps only) real party, she's ready to disappear. "Come and be the most powerful person in the world." Suddenly, Lily finds herself in a different Salem. One overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women—including Lillian, this world's version of Lily. "It will be terrifying. It was for me." What made Lily weak at home, makes her extraordinary here. It also puts her in terrible danger. Faced with new responsibilites she can barely understand and a love she never expeceted, Lily is left with one question: How can she be the savior of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy?

ALAN There she is. The dream rushes back to me. We were falling, clutching at each other, with twisting darkness all around us... The girl looks up at me and I realize I've stopped walking and am staring at her. I see something in her eyes, something like recognition. AIMEE And in that second I know, absolutely know, that something in my life has changed irrevocably. This is the guy from my dreams. Right here. And we are going to have to do something, save something, together. I just don't know what. TOGETHER Alan and Aimee have just met, but already they are bound to each other by something they can't quite name. Something that rattles the windows, haunts the waters... and threatens to tear them apart before they get a chance to find out what their connection means.

A New York Times Bestselling AuthorThe bestselling author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves turns a fiendishly clever eye to the literary world. Tennyson's Gift is an imaginative cocktail of Victorian seriousness and farce that re-imagines the world of the nineteenth-century English poet laureate, placing him in the midst of eccentric company that includes dodgy Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll).

A new book by Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout is cause for celebration. Her bestselling novels, including Olive Kitteridge and The Burgess Boys, have illuminated our most tender relationships. Now, in My Name Is Lucy Barton, this extraordinary writer shows how a simple hospital visit becomes a portal to the most tender relationship of all--the one between mother and daughter. Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn't spoken for many years, comes to see her. Gentle gossip about people from Lucy's childhood in Amgash, Illinois, seems to reconnect them, but just below the surface lie the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy's life: her escape from her troubled family, her desire to become a writer, her marriage, her love for her two daughters. Knitting this powerful narrative together is the brilliant storytelling voice of Lucy herself: keenly observant,...

From “one of the great American writers of our time” (Los Angeles Times Book Review): a raw, explicit memoir as high-intensity and riveting as any of his novels. The year was 1958. James Ellroy was ten years old. His mother, Jean Hilliker, had divorced her fast-buck hustler husband. She gave her son a choice: live with his father or her. He chose his father, and Jean—“half gassed”—attacked him. He wished her dead. Three months later, she was murdered. Ellroy writes, “I owe her for every true thing that I am. I must remove the malediction I have placed on her and on myself,” and in The Hilliker Curse, he narrates his quest for “atonement in women.” He unsparingly describes his shattered childhood, his delinquent teens, his writing life, his love affairs and marriages, a nervous breakdown and the beginning of a relationship with an extraordinary woman who may just be the long-sought Her. It is a layered narrative of time and place, emotion and insight, sexuality and spiritual quest. And all of it is reported with gut-wrenching and heart-rending candor. A brilliant and soul-baring revelation of self—and unlike any memoir you have ever read.

A devastating novel of desperation and revenge from Laura Wiess. In this follow-up to her heartbreaking debut, Such a Pretty Girl, once again spins a shattering tale of the tragedies that befall young women who are considered society's Leftovers. Blair and Ardith are best friends who have committed an unforgivable act in the name of love and justice. But in order to understand what could drive two young women to such extreme measures, first you'll have to understand why. You'll have to listen as they describe parents who are alternately absent and smothering, classmates who mock and shun anyone different, and young men who are allowed to hurt and dominate without consequence. You will have to learn what it's like to be a teenage girl who locks her bedroom door at night, who has been written off by the adults around her as damaged goods. A girl who has no one to trust except the one person she's forbidden to see. You'll have to understand what it's really like to be forgotten and abandoned in America today. Are you ready?

(Suncoast Society 47, MM, MMM, MMF, MF, FF, BDSM) Cali, Max, and Sean are hosting a kinky St. Patrick’s Day party for the Suncoast Society. From unicorn shibari photo shoots to crazy party games, it’s bound to be a wild night. Even if Cali’s bondage-loving cat, Baxter, has been confined to a back room for the duration of the festivities. Yet it’s not all fun and games. Before the party even happens, tragedy overshadows the evening, driving home the point that life is short and uncertain, friends are everything, and each moment should be fully appreciated. It also brings a lingering, unsettled question back to the forefront for the triad. For tonight, they’ve been asked to carry on, and that’s what they’ll do. But as the party plays out around them, will their future path finally solidify in their minds, or will it leave them with more doubts and questions than answers?

A widow comes home to her large house in a wealthy, exclusive suburb to find blood on the walls, no body — and her college-age daughter missing. She's always known that her daughter ran with a bad bunch. What did she call them — Goths? Freaks is more like it, running around with all that makeup and black clothing, listening to that awful music, so attracted to death. And now this. But the police can't find the girl, alive or dead, and the widow truly panics. There's someone she knows, a surgeon named Weather Davenport, whose husband is a big deal with the police, and she implores Weather to get her husband directly involved. Lucas gets in only reluctantly — but then when a second Goth is slashed to death in Minneapolis, he starts working it hard. The clues don't seem to add up, though. And then there's the young Goth who keeps appearing and disappearing: Who is she? Where does she come from and, more important, where does she vanish to? And why does Lucas keep getting the sneaking suspicion that there is something else going on here... something very, very bad indeed?

Abby and her twin sister, Anna, recently turned thirteen. They are preparing for their Bat Mitzvah, which is a big deal for the twins and their mother. And now, just when Abby should be acting like an adult, she is caught cheating on a math test and is suspended from school. Even though Abby didn't cheat, she refuses to tell what really happened. She even keeps the suspension a secret from her mother. Abby is heading for big trouble on the biggest day of her life. Will she be able to get it together without disappointing everyone - including herself?