Lux: Volume 1

      Rebecca Lewis
     Lux: Volume 1

This compilation of short stories and art pieces was created by the Literary Journal Club from John C. Kimball High School. Besides including works from members of the club, it also features winning pieces from monthly writing contests held at the school.For a drunk named Holiday the End of the World might just be the worst hangover he's ever had. Or, the beginning of one last post-apocalyptic binge. The end of the civilization is only the beginning as an odd band of survivors pull together to construct a modern-day castle amid the burning ruins of suburbia lost. As undead hordes and strange otherworldly monsters ravage what’s left of civilization, things begin to go from worse to weird as each survivor’s dark past unfolds, revealing that reality might be more than anyone ever thought, and that an ancient force from the outer dark has finally arrived to conquer. Stephen King’s The Stand meets Lost in an epic confrontation between good and evil that spans history, time, and space.

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    The Gold Star Kid & The Dream Angel (Includes MP3 audio book)

      JRP Taylor
     The Gold Star Kid & The Dream Angel (Includes MP3 audio book)

"Dear Soldier," he wrote, "My dad was a soldier. He's in heaven now. I found this $20 in the parking lot when we got here. We like to pay it forward in my family." This, delightful children's story is written by British singer/songwriter Jonathan Taylor. The book is inspired by the true story of Myles Eckbert, a boy of just 8 years of age from Ohio, USA.Ryan is a Gold Star Kid. His father, a British serving soldier, is tragically killed during the Battle of Telic, Iraq: but happiness will return. His dreams bring him hope as he sets off on a series of magical adventures and discovers the secret of the Dream Bond he soon discovers!There is no room for hate within this work; racism and Islamophobia are skilfully tackled along with many other contemporary issues that face our children today. This book encourages all to focus on our common shared humanity and not our differences. It does not glorify war, nor does it focus on unspeakable tragedies that occur. It seeks only to inform children’s understanding of the consequences of it. To honour our fallen and to never forget them. This is a story that every parent will want to share. This wonderful and enlightening children’s story, suitable for both parents and children alike, is inspired by the true accounts of Myles Eckert, a boy of just 8 years of age from Ohio, USA.

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    Minutiae

      Ariadne Burke
     Minutiae

“Minutiae” is a collection of short stories written by Ariadne Burke. These stories focus on the details of relationships and the emotions of different characters, from grieving parents to an abandoned child.“Minutiae” consists of three flash fiction stories that focus on a greater emotional understanding of humans in multiple different situations. But Ariadne never gives an on-the-nose description of a situation, and instead writes about the details of a conflict — the anxiety of a bipolar man checking out at a grocery store, the baby socks that a grieving father hides away, and the stuffed cat of an orphaned child. By not describing a situation, Ariadne forces the audience to truly analyze the characters and read into what they say and feel, reaching a deeper level of emotion that they might not normally come upon. This collection aims to show that people are always more layered than they seem, and that humans always mean more than they say.

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    Max

      Sawyer Bennett
     Max

The ice is a cold mistress. As the league’s most eligible goalie, Max Fournier has access to his fair share of willing puck bunnies, but right now he’s more interested in bringing home another championship than a one-night stand. A romantic at heart, Max believes in love; he’s just not great at relationships. So when he finally meets a nice girl who’s not blinded by his celebrity, he’s feeling the heat—and the pressure to save her from herself. Between working two jobs and raising her sister’s kids, Julianne Bradley doesn’t have time for sports—or men. All she knows about Max is that he’s the sexiest customer to ever grace her gas-station counter. And he sees past her tired eyes and makes Jules yearn for things she can’t have: a glamorous fling, a passionate lover, and the time to enjoy both. Max makes her feel like Cinderella, even though Jules has enough baggage to crush a glass slipper. Luckily, he’s no prince—only a fierce competitor determined to win her heart.

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    Once Upon a New Year's Eve

      Kait Nolan
     Once Upon a New Year's Eve

It should have been the perfect New Year's Eve date. But when Gemma Forester gets called to bail her older brother out of trouble, she comes face to face with some of her own. Aaron Hendricks never forgot his best friend's little sister, but ten years wasn't enough to prepare him for the woman she's become. Will a chance meeting allow them to overcome the past? Once Upon A New Year's Eve is a novelette of approximately 8,500 words. “Meet cute” is a term used to describe a situation in which a future romantic couple meets for the first time. Meet Cute Romance is a series of romantic shorts celebrating the possibilities of that first meeting.

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    Indian Killer

      Sherman Alexie
     Indian Killer

A gritty, smart thriller from a literary superstar A killer has Seattle on edge. The serial murderer has been dubbed “the Indian Killer” because he scalps his victims and adorns their bodies with owl feathers. As the city consumes itself in a nightmare frenzy of racial tension, a possible suspect emerges: John Smith. An Indian raised by whites, John is lost between cultures. He fights for a sense of belonging that may never be his—but has his alienation made him angry enough to kill? Alexie traces John Smith’s rage with scathing wit and masterly suspense. In the electrifying Indian Killer, a national bestseller and New York Times Notable Book, Sherman Alexie delivers both a scintillating thriller and a searing parable of race, identity, and violence.

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    The Naturals

      Jennifer Lynn Barnes
     The Naturals

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie. What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

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    Smooth Talking Stranger

      Lisa Kleypas
     Smooth Talking Stranger

Jack Travis leads the uncomplicated life of a millionaire Texas playboy.  He makes no commitments, he loves many women, he lives for pleasure.  But no one has ever truly touched his heart or soul.  Until one day, a woman appears on his doorstep with fury on her face and a baby in her arms.  It seems Jack is the father and this woman is the baby’s aunt. The real mother has abandoned the child to her more responsible sister.  And now, Jack is being called upon to take responsibility for the first time in his life.  With delicious romantic tension, characters so real they walk onto the page and into your heart, Lisa Kleypas delivers the kind of novel that makes you laugh, love; cry and cheer. 

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    Talk Before Sleep

      Elizabeth Berg
     Talk Before Sleep

What do women talk about when they know they don't have forever? They talk about what they have always talked about, only they go deeper and more honest: with outrageous humor they try to mitigate pain. Intimate and uncensored sharing, the kind of connection women prize, is at the heart of this deeply moving novel about the grit and power of female friends. Ann and Ruth have always talked as only great friends can--honestly, and about everything: husbands and marriages, sex lives and children, their work, their hopes, their disappointments, and their dreams. For Ann, cautious and conventional, her closeness to the outspoken and eccentric Ruth brings about discovery and liberation, a chance to say whatever she wants, and, most important, under the insistent tutelage of Ruth, to become herself. Over the years, the women have shared recipes, quilting patterns, child care, delicate and dangerous secrets. Each rests secure in the knowledge that they will be friends forever. Then something happens that will change their lives forever, and the women begin to share something more profound than either of them might have predicted. Written with an unerring ear for how women talk, laugh, and cry together, and with a gift for capturing the uniqueness of personality, Talk Before Sleep is sure to find a place in readers' hearts. From the Trade Paperback edition.

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    Rock the Heart

      Michelle A. Valentine
     Rock the Heart

For the last four years, good girl Lane has regretted breaking up with Noel Falcon. She thought she was sensible when she told him his dreams of being a rock star would get him nowhere, but now that he's a rock god and her career is stagnant, she realizes just how wrong she was. When Noel hires the marketing company where Lane is an intern, she’s forced to see him again. If she wants to land her dream job as executive within the company, she has to win him over and secure his account. Too bad Noel is still pissed at her for breaking his heart. When Lane’s company flies her to a Black Falcon concert to gain Noel’s attention, emotions run high the moment she sees him and realizes she’s far from over him. But Noel’s countless trysts with groupies and his cocky attitude make Lane believe he isn’t the same guy she once loved—now he seems to only want her body. Then after Lane discloses she needs him to procure a job, Noel proves he’s a changed man by forcing her to go on the road with him in order to get it. After Lane reluctantly takes Noel up on his offer, she becomes willing to do whatever it takes to keep him satisfied, even if it means succumbing to his seductive ways. Lane soon finds deception is a dangerous game and she’s not the only one playing. Join Michelle's Facebook Reader Group: Valentine Vixens

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    Waterfalls

      Robin Jones Gunn
     Waterfalls

Meredith Graham's job as a children's book acquisitions editor takes her to Glenbrooke, Oregon, where she meets the only man who has ever made her heart leap: Jacob Wilde. Trouble is, his heart doesn't seem to be leaping in response to hers. But then, Jake's a movie star. Out of her league. Still, she can't get him out of her mind. So when circumstances continue to throw the two of them together, Meri decides to pull out all the stops to win her "dream man" -- but all of her schemes can't prepare her for what happens when they meet again in this bestselling former Palisades release, now book six in the new Glenbrooke series by award-winning author Robin Jones Gunn. Fun-loving Meri Graham has never met her match… until now? Meredith’s trip to Glenbrooke , Oregon , takes a decidedly interesting turn when she finds herself sharing a picnic with a man who makes her heart beat in triple time. Pretty, spunky, Meri has never had a problem holding her own with attractive men. But when she discovers her picnic partner is movie star Jacob Wilde, she loses her characteristic cool, puts her foot in her mouth, and ruins everything! The next time she meets Jacob, the tables are turned. He’s written some children’s books and wants her company to publish them. As acquisitions editor, Meri’s the woman he needs to impress. She’s more than willing to let him work at it. When Meri lands an unexpected walk-on role in a film, Jacob finally begins to see her in a different light—and discovers what it feels like to be starstruck himself.

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    Bittersweet

      Sarina Bowen
     Bittersweet

Bittersweet (True North, #1) by Sarina Bowen Farmers make the earth move. The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago.  At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price.  Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way.  They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some.  Warning: Contains sexual situations, gourmet yumminess, a steamy outdoor shower and proof that farmers don't mind getting dirty.

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    Eclectica: An anthology

      Publishing Portfolio
     Eclectica: An anthology

Take sixteen authors, add twenty stories, poems and non-fiction pieces. Mix it all together and you get an eclectic collection, spanning many styles and genres, that is sure to inspire a wide range of emotions. Whatever your reading tastes, you will be satisfied, so sit down, relax and enjoy 'Eclectica'.Take sixteen authors, add twenty stories, poems and non-fiction pieces. Mix it all together and you get an eclectic collection, spanning many styles and genres, that is sure to inspire a wide range of emotions.This anthology is the result of the writing talents of students of the University of Ballarat's Professional Writing and Editing Course, and members of Ballarat Writers.Whatever your reading tastes, you will be satisfied, so sit down, relax and enjoy 'Eclectica'.

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    The Window

      Julie Maitrejean
     The Window

Danielle has always lived in a tiny, mysterious world, alone save for a single strange window that looks out upon a another world much bigger and far more intriguing than her own. When the window breaks one fateful day, she embarks on a journey on which she discovers not only who she is, but also her purpose.Brought to you free. Your opinion matters. Please leave a rating for others to enjoy.Salunas Tac always wanted to do something more. To be something more. When Gaiana, the Druid Mother, visits Aazronia for her Reconcilement blessing, she regales him with tales of the Gift Giver. Inspired to do something for the families of Aazronia, Salunas takes on the mantle of Gift Giver, using his Coercer powers to help spread joy throughout the land.On Whetu, a powerful Abomination has arrived through the Great Portal. Flying to the Druid village under the cover of darkness, it attacks, taking two children and infecting others. When Magistrate Marcus appears on Whetu, with information about the powerful Abomination that is lurking there, he must convince the Druids to take deadly action. On the eve of Reconcilement, this is one thing they refuse to do. Seeking out the help of the Earth Mother, and friends they have gathered along the way, they strive to bring about a resolution that will save humanity.

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