This free bonus chapter shares a story not in the main novel, Wide as the Wind. It addresses how Miru, the main character, earned his secret name. Whether you have already read the novel and would like some extra background, or if you want to "test the waters" before you read Wide as the Wind, this standalone chapter will provide extra insight into our young hero, Miru.Tricked into going to Ireland by a wicked leprechaun, Astro and the gang are forced to find the King’s special pet.Only this pet is not the type of animal any dog should be made to save.It’s wicked and cruel and can make you obey its every command just by purring!That’s right - the dogs are sent all over Ireland to save a cat!On the way, they encounter a whole host of magical creatures, stunning scenery and not to mention, a very polite donkey.

Six hundred years after his death, SFC Grant Justice is re-animated by a team of scientists. Grant awakens to a civilization that has abolished war. A civilization that has outlawed violence and cherishes Peace above all else. A civilization that has been enslaved by an alien race called the Minith. Grant is humankind’s final hope against the alien menace. He must be… the Peace Warrior.It’s the mid-21st century when Sergeant First Class Grant Justice is killed during an ambush on an enemy tank column. Six hundred years later, his body is retrieved from the frozen, arctic lake where he perished. Re-animated by a team of scientists, Grant awakens to a civilization that has abolished war. A civilization that has outlawed violence and cherishes Peace above all else. A civilization that has been enslaved by an alien race called the Minith. Grant is humankind’s final hope against the alien menace. He must be… the Peace Warrior.

Death is only the beginning in this fast-paced, science fantasy novella. Caught in the fray of treachery and deceit, Dia Thorpe must unravel the mysteries of her past before her past unintentionally stabs her in the back. She is hurled into a peril fraught journey of incredible discoveries and evil twists. An interplanetary adventure to learn who she is, all the while avoiding the wrath of a God.Death is only the beginning in this fast-paced, science fantasy novella. Caught in the fray of treachery and deceit, Dia Thorpe must unravel the mysteries of her past before her past unintentionally stabs her in the back. She is hurled into a peril fraught journey of incredible discoveries and evil twists. An interplanetary adventure to learn who she is, all the while avoiding the wrath of a God; a logic-bound being, driven by the will to end all suffering. Quickly.Who saved her from imprisonment on Earth? Why? What explained her ability to heal? Did answers to Dia's questions lie in the beautiful city of Avalon?This is a fiction novella of 23,000 words and is part 1 in the Silvaera’s Spire series.Extract:“It’s ready.” Said Kant, who had been busying himself behind a panel in the far corner. “Are you ready?” Dia hadn’t even considered this. The importance of seeing Daniel again was paramount. She looked down at her sword in its sheath and her almost impenetrable outfit, then across to the gun which was now hanging from a loop on her skirt. “I am ready.” She finally replied, her voice calm but serious.Kant wordlessly shifted closer to Dia and clasped her hand. A moment later the room and everything in existence had simply gone, including Dia herself. She could neither feel nor sense.Then Kant was there, she could feel him. Then she could see green light. It was overwhelming at first, but after a few seconds, Dia’s eyes adjusted to the brightness and the green focused into individual objects. There were great trees, vines, bushes and long grasses in all directions but one; to Dia’s side there was a path cutting its way through the jungle. She knew where this led. She remembered it now. It was a path created by herself and Daniel long ago, before peace had become war. Before Ssus. She felt comforted somewhat by the sights before her and the familiar smells of foliage. Beckoning Kant to follow, she began to follow the path through the undergrowth.They walked onwards for some time. It wasn’t a difficult walk as the path somehow prevented itself from becoming overgrown. When they came to rivers or great chasms, there were bridges which seemed far too sophisticated for the area. Once, the path took them directly through a mountain, the underground passageway lit by white-flamed torches which apparently never burned out.

For a long time I didn’t even want to talk about it, or think about it. Then Dr. Denay said if I wrote down the whole story, I might recover better. Then I could make sense of the fire, and the city disaster, and all those men who were after me.This is how Tracy begins her story, and how her special power labeled her as one of the gifted.When youthful wanderlust causes a naive couple from Ottawa Canada to get on a motorcycle, and head to British Columbia, they had no way of knowing just what a life changing adventure they were embarking on. Monica is only one week from her eighteenth birthday and leaving behind her family, and a cat that she adores. While Jeff is taking with him the only thing of any value that he feels he has, his one true love, Monica.Meeting a slightly older and wiser American couple along the way in an old Mustang, Pete and Issy, turns out to be the best thing that happens to them, but also the worst. Will Pete convince Jeff to smoke some of his weed with him, even if Monica is threatening to leave if he does? Or will their new found quest to save the world empower them all to stay together no matter what? And just what trouble does Monica cause when she convinces Jeff yet again to let her take a turn at the controls of the motorcycle? They all enjoy the simple pleasure of roasting marshmallows over a campfire, and are all enchanted by an unexpected encounter with some large wildlife in the Badlands. They even take time to contemplate over a famous battlefield. All of this occurs while on their way to the Rocky Mountains. And once in the Rockies they come face to face with their biggest and most unexpected foe. The outcome is uncertain, but the excitement and passion they all experience is definite. And while all this is happening to the two couples on the highways of North America, Monica’s cat Juniper is back in Ottawa trying to figure out the answers to the universe on her own.

America sometime in the I950’s- Nazi’s Germany won the Second World War and re-established slavery and the Confederacy in the south. Resistance exists in pockets around the country and the planet. Hannah Arendt, social theorist turned military strategist struggles to unite competing factions of the jewish, mormon and negro resistance. After years of hiding and defeat are they ready to take the batFollowing the death of a rival, aboriginal boy, Yuka, is faced with a choice - stay and die, but be laid to a peaceful rest under the tribe's Great Tree, or suffer life-long banishment from his ancestral home. In an attempt to force a choice, the Kadaitcha Man puts a curse on the boy: Should he leave, Yuka will die while still a young man and unless he is buried on the mountain beneath the Great Tree, as is the tribal custom, then he and future generations will be destined to live between this world and the next, never to rest with their ancestors. Yuka’s choice sees him return with his own son many years later in an attempt to break the curse.Over a century later, Robbie Albion journeys to the now cloud-shrouded mountain with his sick father. As Robbie struggles with what he learns about himself, his father becomes increasingly delirious and irrational. Robbie, himself seriously injured, battles against and with various forces of nature to save his father. All the while Robbie is guided by animals that seem to know what he does not, that he has been chosen for this quest.

The Heroes take on a new, deadlier enemy as Deadguy contends with more personal matters. All this, plus the battle you've all been waiting for: Deadguy verses Valkadaidan!The world of the supernatural is a place of intense horror and blood-chilling danger. Dark, twisted monsters stalk among humanity from the shadows, seeking only to devour us. Seems like somebody should make some money from all that, right? Enter Eric Margrave, semi-professional monster hunter (He'd be a professional, but they really don't have a certification process for this sort of thing.). When the things that go bump in the night start actually knocking on the door, he's the one who serves them their walking papers... for a nominal fee. Prices negotiable. No demons, please.In his debut appearance, Eric has entered the exciting world of real-estate, looking to set up a new safehouse. Good news: the house is haunted, and therefore a steal at the current price if you happen to know how to work an exorcism. Bad news... well, the house might be a bit more aggressively haunted than even a freelance slayer of the paranormal is used to...

When Harshit, Sumit and Katrina rescue Priya from the gun-runners they might as well have signed their death sentence! The gun-runners are now after them because they are afraid the Four might spill the beans to the police. Find out how the Four escaped and brought the gun-runners to justice! Buy this book right now!Harshit is an orphan who runs away because of cruel guardians and meets Sumit and Katrina who are also orphans and who have run away because of similar reasons. They rescue Priya from two gun-runners and they might as well have signed their death sentence, for now the gun-runners are after them. Find out how the Four escaped and brought the gun-runners to justice! Buy this book right now!

From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, the sequel to The Archer's Tale—the spellbinding tale of a young man, a fearless archer, who sets out wanting to avenge his family's honor and winds up on a quest for the Holy Grail. In 1347, a year of conflict and unrest, Thomas of Hookton returns to England to pursue the Holy Grail. Among the flames of the Hundred Years War, a sinister enemy awaits the fabled archer and mercenary soldier: a bloodthirsty Dominican Inquisitor who also seeks Christendom's most holy relic. But neither the horrors of the battlefield nor sadistic torture at the Inquisitor's hands can turn Thomas from his sworn mission. And his thirst for vengeance will never be quenched while the villainous black rider who destroyed everything he loved still lives. "Cornwell writes the best battle scenes of any writer I've read past or present."—George R.R. Martin **** 

Phoebe's life was moving as orderly as the recitation of prayers on a shimmering springtime evening. She was ready to leave the one-room bavith she had shared with her family since birth, at the outskirts of Jerusalem, to wed her betrothed. She would learn to love Joel, she was sure of it. All they needed was time.And then, strolling along the River Jordan with her young nephew, she came across.Phoebe's life was moving as orderly as the recitation of prayers on a shimmering springtime evening. She was ready to leave the one-room bavith she had shared with her family since birth, at the outskirts of Jerusalem, to wed her betrothed. She would learn to love Joel, she was sure of it. All they needed was time.And then, strolling along the River Jordan with her young nephew, she came across a scene which would change her life. John the Baptist was talking with a man who radiated serenity. The visions seared her soul. A baptism - a dove - and a watching Roman legionnaire with steady eyes like a wolf's. When Joel grabbed her arm and scolded her for straying from her path, she had that sense.That sense that nothing would ever be the same.River Jordan is Book 1 of a gently cliff-hangered short story series. The sequence will lead up to a happily ever after ending. The series is clean romance and is suitable for all ages. Half of all author's proceeds benefit battered women's shelters.I would love your input as I'm writing these - it's your suggestions which will help guide the direction the story moves in! If you prefer to read your stories complete, you are welcome to wait until the sequence is complete and then buy the box set. Either way, you support the cause!

Monsters have been infesting London's dark places for centuries, eating every child who gets too close. That's why ten-year-old Birdie McAdam works for Alfred Bunce, the bogler. With her beautiful voice and dainty looks, Birdie is the bait that draws bogles from their lairs so that Alfred can kill them.One life-changing day, Alfred and Birdie are approached by two very different women. Sarah Pickles runs a local gang of pickpockets, three of whom have disappeared. Edith Eames is an educated lady who's studying the mythical beasts of English folklore. Both of them threaten the only life Birdie's ever known.But Birdie soon realises she needs Miss Eames's help, to save her master, defeat Sarah Pickles, and vanquish an altogether nastier villain.Catherine Jinks, one of Australia's most inventive writers, has created a fast-paced and enthralling adventure story with edge-of-your-seat excitement and chills.

The Best Works of Arthur SchnitzlerBertha GarlanCasanova's HomecomingThe Dead Are SilentThe lonely Way Intermezzo Countess MizzieThe Road to the Open

On a frozen mountain range, Elwood and Rodeena adopt disguises to try and scare away a bunch of workers from constructing an oil pipeline.Dylan Blake has never had a home before and he isn't expecting to find one in New Elphame, Michigan. But his new town is nothing like he expected. Between the foster parents who don't seem quite sure what to make of him and the kids at school who act a little afraid of him, Dylan is pretty sure that he's not going to stick around too long. But then someone tells his a crazy story about another new kid at Seelie High and the mysterious door she opened. It's all a little hard to accept, but Dylan might start believing when he steps through the door himself.Find out what life is like on the other side of the door in this third installment in the Tales from Seelie High collection. Whether you have been keeping up with the series or this is your first introduction to the students of Seelie High School, you will find yourself drawn into the mystery of New Elphame's strange, and possibly magical, past and the exciting adventure of its future. This edition also includes two mini-stories involving the students of Seelie High—a collection of interviews conducted by the intrepid Greer Douglas, student reporter for the Daily Chronicles, and a personal account of one student’s discovery of a magical heritage.

Deep in the heart of Cairo, a shady deal concludes. Jackson's late father, a highly respected world traveler, had uncovered mysteries and treasures untold and undreamed of. One final mystery remains, not only in how, but what—Omar's well. Will all of Jackson's traveling and risking his life pay off, or is Omar's well no more than a hole in the ground?Omar is the kind of guy that can get you anything…as long as the price is right. Under the guise of a simple shopkeeper, the man knows how to get people what they want, no matter what it might be. The more arcane the prize, the more difficult the payment. You know how it is.His know-how and resourcefulness are world renown. When Jackson chases a whim his adventurer father whispered about in rumors, Omar's fee carries its own price.Double-crossings, assassins, and a daring escape on camelback won't stop him from uncovering the final prize. In the end, one question remains:Will this turn out to be a dead-end, no more than a sand-filled fairy tale? Or is Omar's well real, and far beyond Jackson's wildest dreams?

In the words of Alexander McCall Smith: "You feel the rocking of the train, you hear the sound of its wheels on the rails; you are in the world rather than suspended somewhere above it. And sometimes there are conversations to be had, which is what the overarching story in this collection is all about. It is a simple device: people brought together entertain one another with tales of what happened to them on trains. It takes place on a journey I frequently make myself and know well, the journey between Edinburgh and London. It is best read on a train, preferably that one."

A tale of good and evil, where neither is what it seems! Aiden Fleischer, a bookish priest, finds himself transported to an alien world. With him is Miss Clarissa Stark, a crippled hunchback of exceptional ability, wronged by an aristocrat and cast out from society. On the planet Ptallaya, under two bright yellow suns, they encounter the Yatsill, a race of enthusiastic mimics who shape their society after impressions picked up from Clarissa's mind. Creating a faux London, the alien creatures enroll Clarissa in their Council of Magicians and Aiden in the City Guard. But why does the peaceful city require guards? After a day that, in earthly terms, has lasted for months, the answer comes, for on this planet without night, a red sun also rises, and brings with it a destructive evil. The Blood Gods! Hideous creatures, they cause Aiden to confront his own internal darkness while trying to protect his friend and his new home. With a sharp eye for period detail and a rich imagination, Mark Hodder establishes a weirdly twisted version of Victorian London on a convincingly realized alien world, and employs them to tackle a profound psychological and moral question. A Red Sun Also Rises breaks new ground by combining the sword & planet genre with Victorian steampunk while adding an edgy psychological twist.