Mary Karr describes herself as a black-belt sinner, and this -- her fourth collection of poems --traces her improbable journey from the inferno of a tormented childhood into a resolutely irreverent Catholicism. Not since Saint Augustine wrote "Give me chastity, Lord -- but not yet!" has anyone brought such smart-assed hilarity to a conversion story. Karr's battle is grounded in common loss (a bitter romance, friends' deaths, a teenage son's leaving home) as well as in elegies for a complicated mother. The poems disarm with the arresting humor familiar to readers of her memoirs, The Liars' Club and Cherry. An illuminating cycle of spiritual poems have roots in Karr's eight-month tutelage in Jesuit prayer practice, and as an afterword, her celebrated essay on faith weaves the tale of how the language of poetry, which relieved her suffering so young, eventually became the language of prayer. Those of us who fret that poetry denies consolation will find clear-eyed joy in this collection.

A ravishing historical novel of one of China's most controversial historical figures: its first and only female emperor, Empress Wu, who emerged in the Tang Dynasty and ushered in a golden age. In seventh–century China, during the great Tang dynasty, a young girl from the humble Wu clan entered the imperial gynaecium, which housed ten thousand concubines. Inside the Forbidden City, she witnessed seductions, plots, murders, and brazen acts of treason. Propelled by a shrewd intelligence, an extraordinary persistence, and a friendship with the imperial heir, she rose through the ranks to become the first Empress of China. On the one hand, she was a political mastermind who quelled insurrections, eased famine, and opened wide the routes of international trade. On the other, she was a passionate patron of the arts who brought Chinese civilization to unsurpassed heights of knowledge, beauty, and sophistication. And yet, from the moment of her death to the present day, her name has been sullied, her story distorted, and her memoirs obliterated by men taking vengeance on a women who dared become Emperor. For the first time in thirteen centuries, Empress Wu flings open the gates of her Forbidden City and tells her own astonishing tale–revealing a fascinating, complex figure who in many ways remains modern to this day.

At the advanced age of three and thirty, the bookish Lady Anastasia has given up on finding love. Consequently, when sparks fly between Anastasia and a brilliant, handsome, and much younger diplomatic attaché, Lady Anastasia questions the young Jonathon Ambercrombie’s true intentions. This novelette-length story is a sweet traditional romance set in Victorian-era Brussels."The King of High Adventure," Starlog. "Immediately convincing, classically brooding," TheCimmerian.com.To the world at large, he is a mercenary and assassin, a brutal killer with a deadly blade. In reality Kormak is a Guardian, one of a near-extinct order sworn to protect humanity from the servants of the gathering darkness.The Ghul are the Stealers of Flesh, an ancient race of demons who possess the bodies of humans to work great evil. Now one of them has been freed from its ancient prison using Kormak's own dwarf-forged sword and the Guardian must pursue it to a haunted city on the edge of the world to end its reign of terror.Stealer of Flesh contains four-linked novelettes that tell the epic tale of Kormak's hunt for a prince of demons. In it he encounters a conspiracy of demented mages, an army of werewolves, Orcish blademasters and a beautiful alchemist and her insane poet brother.About The AuthorWilliam King lives in Prague, Czech Republic with his lovely wife Radka and his sons Dan and William Karel. He has been a professional author and games developer for almost a quarter of a century. He is the creator of the bestselling Gotrek and Felix series for Black Library and the author of the bestselling Space Wolf books which between them have sold over three quarters of a million copies in English and been translated into 8 languages.He has been nominated for the David Gemmell Legend Award. His short fiction had appeared in Year’s Best SF and Best of Interzone. He has twice won the Origins Awards For Game Design. His hobbies include role-playing games and MMOs as well as travel.

Ryan is average in every way - average appearance, average height, average grades. That all changes the day he meets Ed, who invests his time, knowledge of cars and love of God into Ryan's life. When Ed gives Ryan a Bible and a hammer, the once average teenager becomes extraordinary, as God calls him on a mission to the most beautiful and dangerous islands in the world, the Maldives!When Ryan, a lonely teenage boy is befriended by Ed, a steadfast man of God, the once average teenager becomes extraordinary. Armed with a new faith, a hammer and some determined friends, Ryan steps into a mission of secrets, betrayal and survival.Ryan joins forces with Amy, a young lady of incredible faith and unconditional love, to win the hearts of the islanders of Maldives. God calls them into the dangers of these most beautiful islands in the world as they take on the challenge to translate the Bible into the Dhivehi language, and smuggle it into the 100% Muslim country. Ryan and Amy's love for the mission evolves into a love that promises they will never leave each others' side. Will Ryan's strength and Amy's love be enough to win the trust of the islanders? Can their determination make them brave enough to complete Love's Mission?

Jake Sadler has a secret and along with that secret an unfulfilled dream. He has lived his entire life in the foothills of the Appalachians, working his farm from daylight to dark, and with the help of his wife, raising two children, but those children don’t and can’t know his secret. An inspirational novella.Jake Sadler has a secret and along with that secret an unfulfilled dream. He has lived his entire life in the foothills of the Appalachians, working his farm from daylight to dark, and with the help of his wife, raising two children, but those children don’t and can’t know his secret. When a penniless and strange wandering man enters Jake's life his world is turned upside down and he soon discovers that his secret isn’t safe anymore. Jake is sure the man is not what he appears to be, but he isn’t sure what he is. Could the man be a blessing in disguise—the answer to Jake’s unspoken prayers?

Copyright M.Stow13Published at Smashwords.com2013 Copyright M.Stow13The End of the Universe: Universal Verses3:Breathing in Water:1:6. Oceanic:5. Land ahoy!4. Shellac.3. EndGame:2. RNA/DNA/SEX1.Substrate:In water, a scene faded back gently from the cataclysm, that was dimly lit. The sky above, and earth below, water in between.In water, a scene faded back gently from the cataclysm, that was dimly lit. The sky above, and earth below, water in between. Across the underside of an agitated ocean, below the ebbing tide, extramural silver lightning forked, from above low light glancing, penetrating dark infrared, flicked and glowed, spectred yellow green and red blue glinting, where ultraviolet only reflected, flared and flowed; the upper watery apparent boundary thundering across, granite cliff edge booming breakwater, oceanic interwave rounded weaving through, undertowing merged peaked crested, and troughing, a pounding pumping rhythm moved in, in virtual pitch darkness,

In an alternate Victorian England named Albion, Rufus Cobb, part time private detective, full time drunk, is hired by his old enemy Marcus Quist to find his missing daughter.Destiny conspires to saddle Cobb with the most important case of his life, well, anybody’s life come to that. The fate of the Universe may depend on Cobb. Good job the pubs stay open late.And who is killing all the clowns?Book one of The Londum Series, set in an Alternate Victorian England, called Albion.A sweeping melodrama, full of romance, passion, death and betrayal. A country, torn apart by divided loyalties as great armies battle each other. The story of a woman’s struggle against overwhelming odds. Yes, what a great book “Gone With The Wind” was. However, about this book … In an alternate Victorian England named Albion, Rufus Cobb, part time private detective, full time drunk, is having a rough time. Once a respected police officer at Caledonia Yard, he is now reduced to tracking lost dogs and unfaithful spouses to make ends meet. And just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did. Hired by his old enemy, Marcus Quist, to find his missing daughter, before the case is through Cobb will have to face witches, immortals, oriental bodyguards, dangerous foreign monks and mythical monsters. Oh yes, and his cat hates him, as well. Destiny conspires to saddle Cobb with the most important case of his life, well, anybody’s life come to that. The fate of the Universe may depend on Cobb. Good job the pubs stay open late. And who is killing all the clowns?Although this book is part of The Londum Series, all the books are stand-alone novels and can be read in any order.

The Karluk set out in 1913 in search of an undiscovered continent, with the largest scientific staff ever sent into the Arctic. Soon after, winter had begun, they were blown off course by polar storms, the ship became imprisoned in ice, and the expedition was abandoned by its leader. Hundreds of miles from civilization, the castaways had no choice but to find solid ground as they struggled against starvation, snow blindness, disease, exposure--and each other. After almost twelve months battling the elements, twelve survivors were rescued, thanks to the heroic efforts of their captain, Bartlett, the Ice Master, who traveled by foot across the ice and through Siberia to find help. Drawing on the diaries of those who were rescued and those who perished, Jennifer Niven re-creates with astonishing accuracy the ill-fated journey and the crews desperate attempts to find a way home.

Somewhere in North Dakota, there is a town called Owl that isn't there. Disco is over, but punk never happened. They don't have cable. They don't really have pop culture, unless you count grain prices and alcoholism. People work hard and then they die. They hate the government and impregnate teenage girls. But that's not nearly as awful as it sounds; in fact, sometimes it's perfect. Mitch Hrlicka lives in Owl. He plays high school football and worries about his weirdness, or lack thereof. Julia Rabia just moved to Owl. She gets free booze and falls in love with a self-loathing bison farmer who listens to Goats Head Soup. Horace Jones has resided in Owl for seventy-three years. He consumes a lot of coffee, thinks about his dead wife, and understands the truth. They all know each other completely, except that they've never met. Like a colder, Reagan-era version of The Last Picture Show fused with Friday Night Lights, Chuck Klosterman's Downtown Owl is the unpretentious, darkly comedic story of how it feels to exist in a community where rural mythology and violent reality are pretty much the same thing. Loaded with detail and unified by a (very real) blizzard, it's technically about certain people in a certain place at a certain time...but it's really about a problem. And the problem is this: What does it mean to be a normal person? And there is no answer. But in Downtown Owl, what matters more is how you ask the question.

Sometimes, where you think you're going isn't where you end up... In the middle of the year, in the middle of her life, Bethanne Hamlin takes a road trip with her daughter, Annie, and her former mother-in-law, Ruth. They're driving to Florida for Ruth's 50th high-school reunion. A longtime widow, Ruth would like to reconnect with the love of her teenage life. She's curious and maybe even hopeful. Bethanne needs time to reflect, to ponder a decision she has to make—whether or not to reconcile with her ex-husband, Grant, her children's father. Meanwhile, Annie's out to prove to her onetime boyfriend that she can live a brilliant life without him! So there they are, three women driving across America. They have their maps and their directions—but even the best-planned journey can take you to a turn in the road. Or lead you to an unexpected encounter... From Seattle's Blossom Street to the other end of the...

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Leland struggled with an inner protest that wouldn’t let him slip into some mold of pretense.Evanna is struggling through her turbulent life with a mom who doesn't pay any attention to her, a new school, and a fake friend who is sure to turn on Evanna as soon as possible. But her crazy life is going to become even more so as she is thrust into the dangerous and terrifying world of the Land of Au. There, she learns that a murderous villain named Arachne is taking control of Earth, and everything Evanna has ever known is in mortal peril. She has only a month and mysterious powers to defeat Arachne. She also meets six people, Holly, Kae, Stephanie, Eli, Phillip, and Mallory, who are going to help her. If she doesn't manage to defeat Arachne. . . well, we don't want to go there. Follow Evanna's adventures as she and her friends learn to work together to try defeat Arachne and save the world.

Here is a collection of one-act plays, shorter sketches, and monodramas (one-person plays) that can be used in Christian ministry.Here is a collection of one-act plays, shorter sketches, and monodramas (one-person plays) that can be used in Christian ministry. Simple to produce with single sets and casts of under ten characters, these pieces may be performed in just about any venue. I am making these scripts available free in e-books so that people who are interested in them may read them before purchasing the production kits that include performance rights.

Painter Eric Snyder harbors a secret known only to his wife, Lynne. When Eric’s latest disappearance raises the suspicions of best friends Sam and Renee Ahern, Lynne can no longer keep the truth under wraps. While the Aherns ponder this phenomenon, Eric embarks upon a search for his father, once again taking him far from the woman he loves.In this first part of a series, set in the early 1960s, painter Eric Snyder harbors a secret known only to his wife, Lynne. When Eric’s latest disappearance raises the suspicions of best friends Sam and Renee Ahern, Lynne can no longer keep the truth under wraps. While the Aherns ponder this phenomenon, Eric embarks upon a search for his father, once again taking him far from the woman he loves.

The Elders' Wisdom is a collection of hundreds of the most powerful Liberian Parables along with their meanings. The author gives some in depth explanations in some places to make understanding these parables easy for those that are unfamiliar to Liberian culture.The Elders' Wisdom is a collection of hundreds of the most powerful Liberian Parables along with their meanings. The author gives some in depth explanations in some places to make understanding these parables easy for those that are unfamiliar to Liberian culture. It is hard to overate the value of parables and proverbs in the Liberian setting. A large part of our history remains orally transmitted. As if this is not enough, an immeasurable portion of our culture, traditions and customs are learned from our elders. These great minds often transmit this knowledge using one parable or another. It is a way of speaking that is unique to them. They use parables in almost every sentence when they are teaching. These wise words carry weight because they are practical, logical and expose the younger minds to the true meaning of life. It is a accumulation of decades of experience that they pack into few lines, which are enough to the serious learner.This book is just a tip of the ice berg. It is my hope that readers will learn and wish to gain more knowledge when they read this book. They shall find lodge in these pages some of the wisest sayings of the sages from all over Liberia, it is suitable for all ages.