Again we join Tommy, Robert S. Thompson and Nona The Waitress, in The Midwest, the Westerly Midwest, of America — as they follow The Swarm on their little bicycles zooming around town, and the activities of Moon Walking, the head librarian, as she fights the city fathers, who have demanded that everyone put up a fence in town, to keep everyone safe, from all sorts of terrible dangers.Following his brother's dealings with the demon Harlem, Elliot takes some time for himself to catch up with an old friend. Storm clouds gather as we enter the Deck's second act.For fans of character driven supernatural drama.(...Back cover write up...)The city of Neppon drifts through the shallows, where the walls circling the mortal realm are thin. Here the daemons gather out of the surrounding night, drawn by its promise of candle flame warmth.As the election for the city's mayoral office approaches, one man stands head and shoulders above the other candidates. His reputation? A bastion for everything that is good and honest, in a world beset from all sides by horrors. But Jaret Roscan carries a secret. A secret that could bring ruin to his political career, and chaos to his beloved city.One person carries the key to his salvation. The question is, will they come forward in his hour of need?Harlem's Deck; a story in instalments. Keep your hand close to your chest...

It is Bombay in 1971, the year India went to war over what was to become Bangladesh. A hard-working bank clerk, Gustad Noble is a devoted family man who gradually sees his modest life unravelling. His young daughter falls ill; his promising son defies his father’s ambitions for him. He is the one reasonable voice amidst the ongoing dramas of his neighbours. One day, he receives a letter from an old friend, asking him to help in what at first seems like an heroic mission. But he soon finds himself unwittingly drawn into a dangerous network of deception. Compassionate, and rich in details of character and place, this unforgettable novel charts the journey of a moral heart in a turbulent world of change.

While clawing her way out of Houston’s worst neighborhood, Lena vowed to never let any man have power over her. After a lifetime of broken promises from her criminal father and a mother who abandoned her, Lena believes that love makes you vulnerable. She’s never been tempted to test that belief…until Yuri. Sexy as sin and with a dark reputation, Russian billionaire Yuri survived a miserable childhood of poverty and neglect to ascend the pinnacle of success. He enjoys the perks of his massive wealth without much thought to the consequences…until Lena. When Lena’s father blunders into an international art theft operation, Yuri seizes his chance to be her protector and save her family from ruin. But when past misdeeds catch up with him and threaten Lena’s safety, Yuri puts her love and trust in him to the test. He’ll show Lena he can be the man she needs—a man she can trust and depend upon—one sensual, wicked kiss at a time.

Jessie lives with her family in the frontier village of Clifton, Indiana, in 1840...or so she believes. When diphtheria strikes the village and the children of Clifton start dying, Jessie's mother reveals a shocking secret -- it's actually 1996, and they are living in a reconstructed village that serves as a tourist site. In the world outside, medicine exists that can cure the dread disease, and Jessie's mother is sending her on a dangerous mission to bring back help. But beyond the walls of Clifton, Jessie discovers a world even more alien and threatening than she could have imagined, and soon she finds her own life in jeopardy. Can she get help before the children of Clifton, and Jessie herself, run out of time?

CRACKER IS ONE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY'S MOST VALUABLE WEAPONS: a German shepherd trained to sniff out bombs, traps, and the enemy. The fate of entire platoons rests on her keen sense of smell. She's a Big Deal, and she likes it that way. Sometimes Cracker remembers when she was younger, and her previous owner would feed her hot dogs and let her sleep in his bed. That was nice, too. Rick Hanski is headed to Vietnam. There, he's going to whip the world and prove to his family and his sergeant -- and everyone else who didn't think he was cut out for war -- wrong. But sometimes Rick can't help but wonder that maybe everyone else is right. Maybe he should have just stayed at home and worked in his dad's hardware store. When Cracker is paired with Rick, she isn't so sure about this new owner. He's going to have to prove himself to her before she's going to prove herself to him. They need to be friends before they can be a team, and they have to be a team if they want to get home alive. Told in part through the uncanny point of view of a German shepherd, Cracker! is an action-packed glimpse into the Vietnam War as seen through the eyes of a dog and her handler. It's an utterly unique powerhouse of a book by the Newbery Medal-winning author of Kira-Kira.

The thirteen best science fiction and fantasy short stories of the year, Illustrated by the most talented aspiring artists!

Maggie O’Farrell takes readers on a journey to the darker places of the human heart, where desires struggle with the imposition of social mores. This haunting story explores the seedy past of Victorian asylums, the oppression of family secrets, and the way truth can change everything. In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend’s attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital - where she has been locked away for over sixty years. Iris’s grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme’s papers prove she is Kitty’s sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme’s face. Esme has been labeled harmless - sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But Esme’s still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit? Maggie O’Farrell’s intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth will haunt readers long past its final page.

The literary debut of a huge storytelling talentStill in her teenage years, Nazneen finds herself in an arranged marriage with a disappointed man who is twenty years older. Away from the mud and heat of her Bangladeshi village, home is now a cramped flat in a high-rise block in London's East End. Nazneen knows not a word of English, and is forced to depend on her husband. But unlike him she is practical and wise, and befriends a fellow Asian girl Razia, who helps her understand the strange ways of her adopted new British home.Nazneen keeps in touch with her sister Hasina back in the village. But the rebellious Hasina has kicked against cultural tradition and run off in a 'love marriage' with the man of her dreams. When he suddenly turns violent, she is forced into the degrading job of garment girl in a cloth factory.Confined in her flat by tradition and family duty, Nazneen also sews furiously for a living, shut away with her buttons and linings - until the radical...

Steven James Bartlett Senior Research Professor of Philosophy, Oregon State University and Bartlett is known for his fiction, including When the Owl Cries and Adiós Mi México, historical novels set during the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and descriptive of hacienda life, Forward, Children!, a powerful antiwar novel, and numerous short stories. He was also the author of books of poetry, including Spokes for Memory and Wherehill, the nonfiction work, The Haciendas of Mexico: An Artist’s Record, the first extensive artistic and photographic study of haciendas throughout Mexico, and numerous articles about the Mexican haciendas. Bartlett was also an artist whose paintings, illustrations, and drawings have been exhibited in more than 40 one-man shows in leading museums in the U.S. and Mexico. Archives of his work and literary correspondence have now been established at the American Heritage Center of the University of Wyoming, the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection of the University of Texas, and the Rare Books Collection of the University of California, Los Angeles. I am deeply grateful to my wife, Karen Bartlett, for her faithful, patient, and perceptive help with this long project

A historical novel of the Clan Gregor in Scotland based on real events in the 1745 Rising.A historical novel of the Clan Gregor in the 1745 Rising in Scotland. Based on documentary evidence of real people who took part in the last Jacobite Rising in Scotland - 1745/46. With appendices including some of the source material. The principal character is Rob MacGregor, second son of Lt-Col Gregor glun dubh MacGregor of Glengyle who commanded part of the clan regiment.

Abra, an intellectually gifted woman from a family with mentally retarded parents and siblings, is the family caretaker until she goes away to college severing all family ties. Sixteen years later she learns that her sister died starting her on a quest to understand why she abandoned her family. She falls in love with Adam who helps her cope with her view that she has "dirty genes."Abra, an intellectually gifted woman from a family with mentally retarded parents and siblings, is the family caretaker until she goes away to college severing all family ties. Her high school teacher helps her find a small college far from home where she begins to weave a fictitous life as an orphan. She becomes a successful psychologist and creates an independent life that she likes. Sixteen years after leaving home, she learns that her sister died. She decides to share her family secrets with her friends and colleagues as the starting point on her quest to understand why she abandoned her family. She falls is love with Adam, her high school teacher's nephew, who helps her cope with her view that she has "dirty genes" which should never be passed on.

Enjoy this free sampler of 8 character-driven flash stories by J. Timothy King.Character author J. Timothy King's character-flash sampler contains the following 8 stories:* "Disorder," about a woman with an unusual addiction;* "A Comedian's Motive," and the experience of the stage;* "Too Much Information," when information overloads;* "Abigail White," a woman who denies herself for too long;* "An Indelible Design," in defense of wallowing;* "Just a Bite of Coffee and Ice Cream," and a good listener;* "Perhaps to Dream," or to lose them while pursuing them;* "Baby Boy," on growing old and stupid.

A storm of desire…When Tatiana nearly uses her powers in public, Kit saves her from shocking the Georgian English society and revealing her abilities. Despite Kit's own magic strength, Tatiana is certain their marriage would never be possible.The only way to survive the storm looming on the horizon will be to have the courage to shed their secrets and discover their true destinies together.A woman with no choice…For Tatiana Ashurst, there’s no escaping destiny. Magically powerful and preordained to give birth to the most powerful Vallen priestess in seven generations, it’s her duty to marry well. But she wants the same thing her twin sister has—the right to choose her own husband. For a woman like Tatiana, however, such a thing can never be permitted.A man who must choose…Kit Vallentyn would rather devote himself to overseeing the family estate. But his father insists it’s time for an advantageous marriage—one centered on power and wealth. Reluctantly scouting the new crop of debutantes, he finds himself unaccountably attracted to a mysterious woman who is plain, penniless, ineligible… and utterly enchanting.A storm of desire…When Tatiana nearly uses her powers in public, Kit saves her from shocking the Georgian English society and revealing her abilities. Despite Kit's own magic strength, Tatiana is certain their marriage would never be possible. She just can’t help being drawn to this handsome man who extends a spell of desire over her more powerful than any she can conjure. The only way to survive the storm looming on the horizon will be to have the courage to shed their secrets and discover their true destinies together.This is a 28,000 word novella.What Others Have Said About Storm on the Horizon[Meredith Bond] “knows how to write romance, and write it well! This book has everything I love in a good romance book: strong, intelligent heroines; sexy and intriguing male leads, and an interesting and unique storyline (along with some sexy moments--ooh-la-la!). I couldn't put this book down, and it stayed with me for days.” – ReaderUSA from Amazon“This is one sweet, enjoyable, romantic read. I read Magic in the Storm first, and I must admit that reading this novella makes me want to read Magic again! Both are such great reads; I had trouble putting them down!” – Tamara Ward, author“Although a short story this will send the reader on an emotional journey with a hope of a perfect outcome.” – lindsayandjaneviewsandreviews.com

In a case of love at first sight an amorous bank teller falls for a masked robber.Scarlett Lang always dreamt of becoming an Interpol agent. When her hard work pays off and she's given the chance to work as an undercover agent with London's biggest drug lord, Armand Sayer, she can't help being ecstatic about it.She's employed by Armand's sister (to aid in his recovery from a gun attack) as both caregiver and bodyguard. Her resourcefulness in both areas helps her win much more than Armand's trust, to the dismay of both his right-hand man and her ex-boyfriend / colleague.As she makes her way into the business she swore to help tear down, she's faced with the dilemma of choosing between being loyal to her profession or her heart. And we all know it can't be both.