First Responder: Season 1, Episode 1. Day One (A 1-hour Bitesize Read) New York Fire Marshal Elmore James is one of our heroes who run into a burning building when everyone else is running out.Elmore fought fires for more years than is good for his health, and has been a Fire Marshall since before 911, a day that changed his life and the lives of everyone in the United States, and beyond.First Responder: Season 1, Episode 1. Day One (A 1-hour Bitesize Read) New York Fire Marshal Elmore James is one of our heroes who run into a burning building when everyone else is running out.Elmore fought fires for more years than is good for his health, and has been a Fire Marshall since before 911, a day that changed his life and the lives of everyone in the United States, and beyond.He prefers to work alone. Turns out his Chief Ortega has got other ideas. Riley O’Riordan is his new partner, a good looking Irish girl, but anyone who takes her on face value is in for a shock. She grew up with three older brothers. And she’s as tough and as brave as the next man.Their first investigation as partners is a blast. A bomber has blown up a bank in Manhattan. Lots of people want to blow up banks, but few ever do. And this bomber was targeting the staff. Elmore knows there are more to come. The bomber is honing his skill for something big.There is no way to catch him until he makes a mistake. And he can’t make a mistake until he strikes again. It’s just a matter of time. And time is short.Elmore James and Riley O’Riordan are First Responders, not for them standing on the sidelines watching the blaze. They are in it all the way with the heroic New York fire fighters.

Accelerating Returns is about science, progress, and the war for public opinion in the coming century. Rogue extremists known as Blockers perform acts of terror to create spectacles of worst-case-scenario science to spur the masses to action. A young, inspiring CEO takes her biotech firm from zero to empire, only to be undermined by Blockers seeking to show the dark side of technology.Rule #7 of Blocker’s Manifesto: A Blocker does not operate underground. He participates in a group. He is mainstream. All things anathema to him, he must embrace and make central to his life.Inspired by Ray Kurzweil’s Law of Accelerating Returns, Bill Joy’s Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us, and Hugo de Garis’ The Coming Artilect War. The Law of Accelerating Returns states that technology in the coming century will be so “rapid and profound it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history.” On one side will stand those who welcome radical advancement in technology, versus those on the other side who attempt to subvert and destroy it. Accelerating Returns is a novel about science, progress, and the war for public opinion. Rogue extremists known as Blockers perform acts of terror to create spectacles of worst-case-scenario science to spur the masses to action. A young, inspiring CEO takes her biotech firm from zero to empire, only to be undermined by a ruthless executive with his own anti-science agenda. A disgruntled researcher sees his work usurped by a charismatic scientist and is recruited by the neo-Luddites. Blockers are not street thugs throwing rocks. They are scientists and executives in research labs and board rooms whose single purpose is to deter the inevitable integration of man and machine.

For four university students, it was all about fun. They had a week's holiday away from their studies and they intended to get completely wasted on the Suffolk coast. But when they drove though the Cambridgeshire Fenlands, things turned nasty. That was when they drove into the worst nightmare imaginable. An horror that no young people should have to endure.For four university students, it was all about fun. They had a week's holiday away from their studies and they intended to get completely wasted on the Suffolk coast. But when they drove though the Cambridgeshire Fenlands, things turned nasty.That was when they drove into the worst nightmare imaginable. An horror that no young people should have to endure.What began as a fun weekend soon becomes a fight for survival!Sudden Death is a novelette that will grip you from the start to the finish. Pray it never happens to you.

Imagine you could gain any desire: wealth, power, even to reunite with a lost loved one. A tournament in Manhattan promises just that. Adelle and Charlie, two participating challengers, explain the history of their relationship. Garrison’s stepbrother Glen appears from the shadows. And situations intensify as we follow a ruthless mercenary, Benson, in his quest to absolve all ties to his name.Part 3 of The ABCs.With time running out, Jackson heads to Kuroyama Elementary School on a tip. He knows his target this time, but getting to Muritaro Morita and recovering the stolen cards will be a challenge. With grit, luck, and his characteristic attitude, Jackson will let nothing stop him- not even stopped toilets.

Thirteen-year-old Chrissy can read minds and do a few other nifty little tricks, such as levitating small objects. She never realized her gift was such a big deal until her principal, Mr. Kerberos, tells her she has to have a brain operation. Soon Chrissy is on the run with an unlikely ally, Michael, a non-gifted. Can she escape Mr. Kerberos and discover her true destiny?In the five kingdoms, the whole civilazation was rooted in a deep magic within the books of power, that lay in The Library of Engriole. General Sarim plans to overthrow the magic of the book, and by that also the power structure in the five kingdoms.The outlander Oakentere, an his tribe of savages is manipulated by the General to assist him with his evil plans. What Sarim had not anticipated, was the pity shown by a savage. When young Oakentere from a savage tribe spares the life of the queen he finds himself in the middle of a race for his own life and the future of the five kingdoms.Promise and betrayal is the first book in the series of The Library of Engriole.

What would you do for your one true love? Would you lie? Would you kill? She lies sleeping in the upstairs bedroom as he paces the halls relentlessly. His world is torn in half, and she is the blade that severed it. His love for her runs deeper than blood, deeper than the boundaries between right and wrong. Tonight, he's going to prove it to her. Tonight, she'll finally see things his way.How far would you go to win the heart of the one you love? Paul would do anything for Alessa, absolutely anything. There are certain lines you cross, however, and you cannot cross back. One jealous moment, one bad decision, one long nightmare you can't escape. This short story offers a twisted version of true love, and all the dirty little deeds it empowers.

A transforming piece of literature offering a rare view of a clash of two individuals with different paths and the reconciliation of their differences. This psychological crime story covers the resolution of two extreme wrongs in two individuals' lives. One was harmed by medicine and has to continue to live with the consequences. The other was unknown till a stumbling realization one day.Not much needs to be said about different perspectives on the world. Can, however, an individual truly see things in the light of different suns? There is richness in diversity, and the most wealthy people of all are those who have seen the world as it is shone upon by the many suns. These five poems explore the theme. 470 words.

When Morgan's father is executed for a gangland deal that goes wrong, he soon finds out that being connected to the underworld is not what it should be. With the mafia on his trail to seize his fathers assets and the police wanting him for questioning and to expose his fathers underworld connections it can only be a matter of time before he's caught or worse ends up dead.When Morgan's father is executed for a gangland deal that goes wrong, he soon finds out that being connected to the underworld is not what it should be. With the mafia on his trail to seize his fathers assets and the police wanting him for questioning and to expose his fathers underworld connections it can only be a matter of time before he's caught or worse ends up dead.A fast paced thriller with a Greek Connection full of twists and turns and a heart thumping finish.

In her latest novel Mary Higgins Clark, the beloved, bestselling "Queen of Suspense," exposes a dark secret from a family's past that threatens the lives of two sisters, Kate and Hannah Connelly, when the family-owned furniture firm in Long Island City, founded by their grandfather and famous for its fine reproductions of antiques, explodes into flames in the middle of the night, leveling the buildings to the ground, including the museum where priceless antiques have been on permanent display for years. The ashes reveal a startling and grisly discovery, and provoke a host of suspicions and questions. Was the explosion deliberately set? What was Kate—tall, gorgeous, blond, a CPA for one of the biggest accounting firms in the country, and sister of a rising fashion designer—doing in the museum when it burst into flames? Why was Gus, a retired and disgruntled craftsman, with her at that time of night? What if someone isn't who he claims to be? Now Gus is dead, and Kate lies in the hospital badly injured and in a coma, so neither can tell what drew them there, or what the tragedy may have to do with the hunt for a young woman missing for many years, nor can they warn that somebody may be covering his tracks, willing to kill to save himself . . . Step by step, in a novel of dazzling suspense and excitement, Mary Higgins Clark once again demonstrates the mastery of her craft that has made her books international bestsellers for years. She presents the reader with a perplexing mystery, a puzzling question of identity, and a fascinating cast of characters—one of whom may just be a ruthless killer . . .

"There is something special about the relationship we all have with our mothers . . . " Meet Pat McNab, forty-five years old, and about to embark on a homicidal rampage sparked by matricide. Or is he? Pat spent endless hours chain-smoking and propping up the counter of Sullivan's Select Bar (not that Mrs. McNab knew anything about it—she and Timmy the barman didn't get along at all) or sitting on his mother's knee singing away together like some ridiculous two-headed human jukebox. But that was all before the story really began—Emerald Germs of Ireland is in essence Pat McNab's post-matricide year. Pat, who now spends many of his waking hours sitting by the window in his old dark house, watching videos and nibbling abstractedly on pieces of toast, reflects on those long-gone days with Mommy, while fending off the persistent interferences of his small-town neighbors: the puritanical Mrs. Tubridy; that irascible seller of turf, the Turf Man; Sgt. "Kojak" Foley, and other unwanted snoops who could soon come to regret their inquisitive, nose-poking ways. This is Patrick McCabe at his fiendish best. Dark, emotionally powerful, and surreal, Emerald Germs of Ireland is also his funniest work to date, masterfully displaying the anarchic twists and turns that are the hallmarks of his comic genius.

Julian Bowen is young, good looking but not so wealthy as he seems. When he meets a moneylender who's making fat profits from his friends' excesses, Julian sees a chance to wipe out his mounting debts and make a new start; but his plan leaves a group of innocent tourists in deadly danger in the middle of Africa; and meanwhile there are some people in London who want more than their money backJulian Bowen is young, good looking but not so wealthy as he seems. When he meets a moneylender who's making fat profits from his friends' excesses, Julian sees a chance to wipe out his mounting debts and make a new start; but his plan leaves a group of innocent tourists in deadly danger in the middle of Africa; and meanwhile there are some people in London who want more than their money backFor Jill Stevens, more at home in an accounts department than the savannah, a wildlife safari turns into a nightmare ordeal that she must find new strength within herself to survive.Set in the parched heartlands of south east Africa, this unusual tale mixes an intriguing and violent crime mystery with a gripping struggle to stay alive.

Drone Wars is a wild new YA Dystopian Adventure series by William Hrdina (Author of Dhalgo and Agharta). Follow the continuing battle of Evelyn, Jenna, Tasha, and Michelle, to defeat Clint Fleener and his army of surveillance drones.Drone Wars is a wild new YA Dystopian Adventure series by William Hrdina (Author of Dhalgo and Agharta). The aftermath and a new hope. Follow the continuing battle of Evelyn, Jenna, Tasha, and Michelle, to defeat Clint Fleener and his army of surveillance drones. Drone Wars is meant to be a 'bus book.' A long story that comes in bite sized chunks of 2500 words or less - about the time it takes to ride the bus to and from school. Or, you can always stock up on a whole six-issue arc and take a road trip.

A masterful blend of Christian scholarship and thrilling adventure, The Last Cato is a novel about the race to find the secret location of the Vera Cruz, the True Cross on which Christ was crucified, and the ancient brotherhood sworn to protect it. Holy relics are disappearing from sacred spots around the world—and the Vatican will do whatever it takes to stop the thieves from stealing what is left of the scattered splinters of the True Cross. Brilliant paleographer Dr. Ottavia Salina is called upon by the highest levels of the Roman Catholic Church to decipher the scars found on an Ethiopian man's corpse: seven crosses and seven Greek letters. The markings, symbolizing the Seven Deadly Sins, are part of an elaborate initiation ritual for the Staurofilakes, the clandestine brotherhood hiding the True Cross for centuries, headed by a secretive figure called Cato. With the help of a member of the Swiss Guard and a renowned archaeologist, Dr. Salina uncovers the connection between the brotherhood and Dante's Divine Comedy, and races across the globe to Christianity's ancient capitals. Together, they will face challenges that will put their faith—and their very lives—to the ultimate test.

Brenna's summer vacation on a ship sailing to the Florida Keys turns deadly when her best friend goes missing... (2012's YA Novelette)Brenna Maren just graduated high school and is in desperate need of some fun and relaxation. When a group of her closest friends decide to spend their summer sailing to the Florida Keys, Brenna is all in... Until tragedy strikes. When she learns her best friend, Marissa, is lost at sea, she instantly suspects foul play. Now Brenna will do anything to find out who pushed Marissa overboard.Review:"[Overboard is] a mystery that keeps you guessing. It is wonderful to read stories from an author who's very versatile in her writing." - Josie Epping, Josie's Haven Blog