Matilda thought she had gotten away with breaking the rules. But when her name appears in blood on a rock, her village elders send her out as the monthly sacrifice. Armed with a steak knife and a flash light, Matilda's not sure she's ready to die. Supposedly the scarecrows will eat her, but she's pretty certain the mayor has something to do with it.Matilda thought she had gotten away with breaking the rules. But when her name appears in blood on a rock, her village elders send her out as the monthly sacrifice. Armed with a steak knife and a flash light, Matilda's not sure she's ready to die. Supposedly the scarecrows will eat her, but she's pretty certain the mayor has something to do with it. Scaring Fields is a stand-alone short story of approximately 4,900 words.

"Can You Imagine…?" Holiday Happenings, Part 2, a ‘never together before’ collection of all G’s Christmas poems based on “T’was the night before Christmas.” Laugh as animal characters deliver gifts and treats in uncanny style. This collection also offers holiday shopping tips, Christmas memories and a resolution everyone should keep. Give yourself a free gift and download yours today!Just in time for Christmas, Part 2, of the best "Can You Imagine?" columns about Holiday Happenings. In Volume IV …read the ‘never together before’ collection of all five Christmas poems based on the classic “T’was the night before Christmas,” each taking weeks to compose. Laugh out loud as St. Bernard, Moby-Dick, or Cock-a-doodle-do stop by to deliver treats and presents. Going holiday shopping…don’t forget your compass, bottled water and power bars. Yes, last minute shopper, or done by June, Bobbi G offers tips on shopping with less stress and less spending. Plus, the entertaining possibility of having a really good excuse ready. Also, enjoy a cup of Christmas memories while imagining a child’s laughter and the joys of spending time with family. Reminded of how the holidays always make us feel, G suggest keeping one resolution on our list every year. This amazing collection will add humor to your holidays and beyond. Download yours today; then tell family and friends!

In the small town of "Three Hands" not much happens. There is one sheriff with no deputy, just an old horse. The day the famous and mythical assassin, Rez Diamond makes camp outside of town things become more interesting for the lonely sheriff. Why would someone so famous come to little Three Hands? Never in history has a single individual been more feared, where Rez Diamond goes, death follows.Requiem For Eden: Season 1: Episode 1: No Good Deed… "A edge-of-your-seat Saturday matinee!" Now in the hugely successful Bitesize Read format! A 1 hour episode.With Lucid’s invasion driven back to the Dark Continent and his attempt to take over The Other Place thwarted, Eden should be the tranquil haven it was meant to be. If only…Like the flap of a butterfly’s wing, the storm that threatens to engulf Eden is started by a single, apparently insignificant decision. The icy blast is too much for the old stork delivering her bundles to their new homes. She changes the schedule and delivers them to a Guardian Knight in Trinity. Nobody will ever know.And now the dark clouds are gathering in the far north, and the Archangel Michael, the Guardian Supreme Commander, and the Leader of the Senate watch the Games that mark the graduation of Trinity’s Knight School in the desperate hope they will find a hero to lead their army against the coming hordes.They need a miracle, but since magic was outlawed by the Senate, miracles have been in short supply. They think they have found Woe and his sister, Anella—the cuckoos the stork left—to fill the hero vacancy. But they have no idea just what they have found.And the Norsemen are coming.The Eden Series was inspired by the Discworld novels. Requiem for Eden is an adventure in 10 1-hour episodes. Each one a complete story with a beginning, middle and end. And a cliff-hanger ending, it the true tradition of the Saturday Matinee genre.

This is the story of two old friendsWho are brought to a world that’s facing its endA fair land of magic and splendour aboutA place ruled by reason and rhyme without doubtThese two allies, called Wot and NottAre in a Race Against Time, and trying to stopMiafra ‘The Evil’who is stealing the landRemoving the seasons, free will and all time...This is the story of two old friendsWho are brought to a world that’s facing its endA fair land of magic and splendour aboutA place ruled by reason and rhyme without doubtThese two allies, called Wot and NottAre in a Race Against Time, and trying to stopMiafra ‘The Evil’who is stealing the landRemoving the seasons, free will and all timeWhich they must restore to their original placeAnd save the land of Onisha in this life and death raceA quest and a mission ensues from thereonAs they battle the forces of darkness anonIt’s not always plain sailing for this unusual duoAnd accidents do happen as they rush to and froSadness and laughter follows them closely behindAs they are helped by the stunning Kakuri, so kindThe Orlu, a race so small and so fastHelp them at times with glorious repastsSpeeding so fast at a furious rate Along with strange creatures created with hasteJoin in with these most unlikely heroesAs they fight their way through and battle their foesUsing rhymes that are mystic and carefully thought outTrying to succeed in their quest, leaving no doubtsCan they achieve it and return to Earth once againContented and happy with the job that’s been done?Follow them on in this tale of intrigueTo find out if their exploits fail or succeed.

After Rome, before the Middle Ages, Italy belonged to the Ostrogoths. A corrupt governor. A young girl. An old man. Argolicus unravels the threads when he discovers his friend has been accused of raping a virgin.After Rome, before the Middle Ages, Italy belonged to the Ostrogoths.A corrupt governor. A young girl. An old man. Argolicus unravels the threads.When a life-long friend disappears, a peaceful retreat to the provinces turns into a challenge to the local governor for Argolicus. A cruel slander originates from the venal governor. When Argolicus visits the governor, he discovers an unscrupulous plot destined to impoverish his friend. When his lifelong tutor overhears a comment, they set out to find their friend only to discover base cruelty and a secret plot..A plot that challenges the King’s people, the roots of Roman civility, and his friend’s life.Affronted, he pursues the thread. Little does he know that his investigation will pitch him in a fight with thugs and ultimately set him head-to-head with the governor.5 Stars “A rich tapestry of interactions that serve to draw the reader deeper in...” “The feel of a time long passed as a mystery unfolds.”

Renewal is the fourth volume in The Nexus Odyssey. The city vessel Phoenix is in its 43rd year of the journey from Mars to the 55 Cancri system. The three species aboard are shocked to find Nexus is nothing like the Axis remembered. Renewal chronicles the struggle between the crew and a lifeform which tries to control them, while Mars is unaware of the same threat as the surface temperature rises.Jennifer Parson loves life. She loves insulting her psychologist about how fat and useless he is. She loves telling all the other patients that she is amazing, a doctor, a philanthropist and thoroughly better than any of them can ever be. They should be blessed to be in her company. Yes, life is good.Then her psychologist decides to suddenly retire, and is replaced by the very irritating ‘Heavy Debbie’, as Jennifer describes her.Thoroughly irritated by Heavy Debbie’s new approach to her treatment, Jennifer doesn’t understand why she is being questioned about every aspect of a life she led several years ago. It must, of course, be Heavy Debbie’s incompetency and lack of understanding about the science of psychology.But when Jennifer receives her first and only visitor several years after being admitted to Grove Hospital for the Mentally Ill not long after the arrival of her new psychologist, her life starts to become a little … well, less good.Paranoia kicks in as Jennifer begins to realise she is no longer safe. Her perfect escape is no longer perfect. He is coming for her.A crime/thriller/satire told in duel narratives, The Institution is a story about hiding from your fears, life ending obsessions and murder. With a little splash of comedy to lighten the mood.

Mexico... the days just prior to the events depicted in the opening pages of ‘Widowmaker.’ A “prequel,” and the final installment of the Cole Matthews Trilogy, finds him besieged by bandits and troubled by dangerous ladies, taking on the Mexican Army, and being thrown into a hole and buried alive...Theft of spirit is no one’s birthright.A quirk of her X chromosome furnished Alexis with an edge few others enjoyed. After fate plunged her into orphan status and an intolerable foster home forced her to the streets, a group of prostitutes sheltered her from their vicious pimp. Seeing something special within, they nurtured and shielded her from their harsh reality until she could forge her own path in life.Destiny frequently takes us back to our roots. Lexi’s return journey begins when a serial killer attacks one of her adopted sisters. Relying on courage and wit, she must stay a step ahead and secure evidence to free her family from a psychopathic murderer.

A short story. Detective Jim Willis, now old and near retirement, can't forget about an old case, and the day he came face to face with a monster.Every young child has a toy that protects them against demons that haunt them until they become a teenager. It could be a smiling doll or a stitched teddy-bear that guards them against the forces of corruption. With the blessed with the magic of innocence, these small toys fight against large dangerous monsters to keep their young charge safe at night. Safe from the nightmares that plague them.

When Ziggy wakes up in a field of snow, he has no memory of where he is or what he has been doing. With only a few items to help him, he knows he must escape out of the snow or he will be in real trouble.GENRE: Children’s Adventure (An Unofficial Minecraft Book for Kids Ages 9 - 12 (Preteen) When Ziggy wakes up in a field of snow, he has no memory of where he is or what he has been doing. With only a few items to help him, he knows he must escape out of the snow or he will be in real trouble. After getting attacked by skeletons and wolves, a girl appears out of the woods to help him. She tells Ziggy her name is Blue and she lives in the mysterious Snowfall Village. After sneaking him into her village, Ziggy knows he must figure out his memories or fall farther in trouble. As the village is attacked, he stumbles across a secret in his pack. With only answers in front of him and danger ahead, he knows he needs to figure out what his connection is to the group of outsiders trying to find him. Do they want him for good or evil? Why does Snowfall Village protect a snow dragon? Why can he not remember anything anymore? Ziggy and Blue must defend the village and discover the secret of the rare snow dragon before it is too late. Author’s Note: This short story is for your reading pleasure. The characters in this "Minecraft Adventure Series" such as Steve, Endermen or Herobrine...etc are based on the Minecraft Game coming from Minecraft ®/TM & © 2009-2013 Mojang / Notch

This Book which has 50 differently titled Poems , is actually volume 1 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.

In this enthralling, freestanding sequel to Earthly Joys, Gregory combines a wealth of gardening knowledge with a haunting love story that spans two continents and two cultures, making Virgin Earth a tour de force of revolutionary politics and passionate characters. As England descends into civil war, John Tradescant the Younger, gardener to King Charles I, finds his loyalties in question, his status an ever-growing danger to his family. Fearing royal defeat and determined to avoid serving the rebels, John escapes to the royalist colony of Virginia, a land bursting with fertility that stirs his passion for botany. Only the native American peoples understand the forest, and John is drawn to their way of life just as they come into fatal conflict with the colonial settlers. Torn between his loyalty to his country and family and his love for a Powhatan girl who embodies the freedom he seeks, John has to find himself before he is prepared to choose his direction in the virgin land.

Woman of the Inner Sea is Thomas Keneally’s strongest, most compelling work since his Booker Prize-winning Schindler’s List. Like that book, the story of Woman of the Inner Sea arises from a true incident, and once more the imagining of it is utterly convincing. Kate Gaffney-Kozinski, an attractive, well educated woman, has gone on “walkabout” to the inner reaches of the Australian outback. Fleeing her wealthy husband, Paul Kozinski, and his unscrupulous clan, Kate is trying to obliterate herself and the grief that haunts her. At first we do not understand its source, but as the story unfolds a kind of mystery evolves around the tragic loss of her two children. In a small town she tries to change herself into a different woman, seeking the companionship and protection of a reticent but rough local man, an explosives expert known as Jelly. But the violence of the west country’s unpredictable weather forces her on and soon she must confront her husband. No one knows Australian society better than Thomas Keneally, who offers here a rich cross-section of his people: from Kate’s prominent father to her controversial uncle, a renegade priest; from the grasping Kozinskis who rule Sydney’s construction business to colorful small-town men like Jelly and his friend Gus, who travels with a kangaroo and emu he has rescued from an entertainment park. And at the center of this panorama stands Kate, a passionate woman of great integrity caught in a nightmare of grief and deception. Woman of the Inner Sea, with its evocation of the heroic in the midst of disaster and evil, will be remembered as one of Thomas Keneally’s best works.  

Two hundred years after his humiliating defeat at the hands of Earthman Elijah Baley, Keldon Amadiro still dreamed of revenge. Now, finally, he set into motion a plot that would totally destroy the planet Earth. But Amadiro had not counted on the power Baley still exerted long after his death. For Baley's vision continued to guide his robot partner, R. Daneel Olivaw, and the extraordinarily gifted robot Giskard—and they were the only ones who could save Earth. Fortunately for Amadiro, Daneel and Giskard were restrained by the Three Laws of Robotics. Or were they?

*Stacey Daniels has always been attracted to the wrong type of man . . . * And she knows in her heart the virile, wounded Viking at her front doorstep will certainly be no exception. A vision from her most secret erotic fantasies—a glorious god of a man—he excites her with his tantalizing aura of dangerous sensuality. Stacey knows in the deepest depths of her soul that submission will bring unforeseen peril into her life, and yet she is helpless to resist him—for he is a master of decadent pleasures and sweet sensuality . . . and all she has ever wished for. But loving Conor carries a burden that no mortal woman can bear. Though he finds solace in Stacey's passion and the warmth of her welcoming body, his true realm is one of darkest dreams, torn by violence and strife, that is now following him into Stacey's world . . . .

In his newest heart-pounding novel, #1 New York Times bestselling author Terry Goodkind introduces the world to his most unforgettable and deadly character yet. Angela Constantine is a girl born broken. When Angela was young, before she came to realize she had a rare ability, she was a rather ordinary girl. At least, that was what everyone said. But Angela is anything but ordinary. The daughter of a meth addict, she is convinced she was born a freak. Haunted by an abusive childhood, she was forced to become a woman far too soon. And in the process, she became more. Angela Constantine has a secret life. Angela juggles multiple jobs to live a secluded life in a cabin in the mountains. But she also lives a secret life, right under everyone’s noses. Because her family’s bloodline carries the ability to recognize killers, she adopts a solitary, violent existence in service of her own, personal mission in life. When Angela unexpectedly finds herself the prey of a group of international terrorists, she is the only one who knows the truth of what they are about to do. She might look like an unlikely hero. She might also be our only hope. *Angela Constantine is . . . * The Girl in the Moon.

Erethizon Dorsatum—better known as Ereth, the self-centered, foul-tempered old porcupine—is having a birthday. And he fully expects his best friend Poppy, a deer mouse, to help him celebrate in a grand manner. But Poppy has gone off somewhere with her husband, Rye, and it appears she has forgotten all about it. "Belching Beavers," says Ereth, "I am not angry!" (Though, perhaps he is—and more than just a little.) Ereth knows his special occasion deserves a special treat—even if he has to get it for himself. And what treat could be more special than tasty salt? But the nearest salt is located deep in the forest, in a cabin occupied by fur hunters, who have set out traps to capture the Dimwood Forest animals. In one of the traps, Ereth finds Leaper the Fox—who, with her dying breath, begs the prickly porcupine to take care of her three boisterous young kits, Tumble, Nimble, and Flip. "Jellied walrus warts!" Ereth exclaims, but reluctantly agrees. Certainly this day is not going as he planned—and it's only just the beginning! Not only does Ereth suddenly have a rambunctious new family to take care of, but he's being stalked by Marty the Fisher, the one creature in Dimwood Forest who can do him harm. And Bounder, the father of the three little foxes, remembers all too well the nose full of quills he got a while back from the grumpy old animal who now fancies himself the leader of the den. He too sets out to show Ereth who's boss. Throw in an unexpected snowstorm, and all in all, it adds up to one brithday Ereth the porcupine is never going to forget, not even if he lives to be a hundred and twenty-two!

Welcome to Anara, a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation, where nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be tested beyond their limits. For there are monsters-some human, some not-that also want the relic's power and will stop at nothing to get it. Watch a Video Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 5/17/2011 Pages: 384 Reading Level: Age 12 and Up

THE MAD MASK is book two in critically acclaimed author Barry Lyga's Archvillain series! Things haven't been going well for Kyle since Mighty Mike became the new town hero. He's pretty sure he could fix this disaster if he could expose Mike's secret (he's an alien), but to do that Kyle would have to admit he is the Azure Avenger -- the unintentional town archvillain. One night a new masked hero, aptly named the Mad Mask, arrives, boasting to the Azure Avenger of an off-the-charts IQ and superior superpowers. Yet the Mad Mask has come seeking intellectual assistance in building Ultitron (the robot of all robots). In exchange he offers to allow the Azure Avenger to use the awesome Ultitron to rid the world, or at least Bouring, of Mighty Mike. Forging alliances isn't usually Kyle's style, but it seems he has no choice. While Kyle agrees to help, he also has another plan: finding out who the Mad Mask is and how he got his powers. Because the last thing the Azure Avenger needs is another mindless archvillain hanging around town!

This charming, magical story from award-winning author Elizabeth Goudge beautifully depicts early twentieth century English country life while conjuring an air of magical adventure. Written by the author who inspired J.K. Rowling, it is full of vivid characters, battles between good and evil and wonderful spell-binding moments. Locked away in separate rooms as punishment by their ruthless grandmother, Nan, Robert, Timothy and Betsy decide to make their escape ? out of the house, out of the garden and into the village. Commandeering a pony and trap, the children and their dog are led away as the pony makes his way nonchalantly home. The pony's destination happens to be a house that belongs to the children's uncle Ambrose. Gruff but loveable Uncle Ambrose agrees to take them under his wing, letting the children have free reign in his sprawling manor house and surrounding countryside. Befriending the motley collection of house guests including an owl, a giant cat and a servant who converses with bees, and getting to know the miscellaneous inhabitants of the village, the four siblings discover a life in which magic and reality are curiously intermingled and evil and tragedy lurk never far away. Winner of Hesperus Press' "Uncover a Children's Classic Competition", The Runaways is a truly charming story from a bygone era."

Love is all you need... or is it? Penny's about to find out in this wonderful debut. Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways . . . which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like. . . .