Roxie has the best night of her life until the popular kids decide they want to celebrate her birthday in a way Roxie never expects––in her attic, with a gift that’s out of this world, and a pact to never tell a living soul what happens next. Roxie astral projects to Planet Popular where she becomes seventeen instantly and gets everything she’s always wanted, but nothing is as it seems.Roxie has the best night of her life until the popular kids decide they want to celebrate her birthday in a way Roxie never expects––in her attic, with a gift that’s out of this world, and a pact to never tell a living soul what happens next.Twelve-year-old Roxie wants to be like Adrianne, the popular girl who gets everything she wants––a flock to prowl around the mall with; invitations to parties; and for Hayden, the cutest guy in the eighth grade to, you know, notice her. When Roxie invites all the eighth grade peacocks (code word : popular kids) to her first ever thirteenth birthday party on Halloween, they all come and give her a gift that’s literally out of this world. Roxie astral projects to Planet Popular where she becomes seventeen instantly and gets everything she’s always wanted, but nothing is as it seems. Being a high school peacock is complicated and Roxie will risk everything to be who she thinks she wants to be. Oh yeah, there’s Prom, doppelgangers, a mysterious map, and lots of bad peacocks too. BONUS EXCERPT: two chapters of Shadow Slayer, book 2 in The Shadow Series which releases Sept. 2012!13 on Halloween, (Shadow Series #1) is now available as an audiobook Views: 637
Thirteen year old Jason finds himself trapped in an inn that turns out to be nastier than it looks. Fallen under the crutches of the evil Boogeyman and his pet, the gargoyle, Jason is thrown into various alternate dimensions. Will he escape this ordeal or get captivated in a portal that has no return along with these hideous creatures?It’s raining in Port Isabel and everyone’s indoors except Larry Monkey, a brilliant young chimp deeply troubled by the past. He wanders the winding laneways of the old stone town to be alone. And it’s a good thing, because trouble’s brewing and he might be the only one able to stop it. Flossy Fairweather, a remarkable girl with courage beyond her years, has seen something lurking in the shadows too and goes to investigate, sword in hand. It could be a trap and if the pirates are back they’ll want revenge. But Flossy’s not afraid because she’s amongst friends, mostly anyway.By the end of the next ice age, all that remains of the once great, world-spanning human civilisation are myths and ancient, inexplicable artefacts lying at the feet of melting glaciers. Thanks to the red-hot Heat Tree reefs that keep the ice at bay, the lands above the Gulf of Mexico are some of the few places still warm enough to support life. On the western shores of the Gulf is Port Isabel, a town conceived and built by owls who mysteriously vanished hundreds of years before without even bothering to say goodbye. The animals that live there are industrious, peaceful and vegetarian; except for those that aren't, which is where all the trouble starts.Mark Douglas Stafford is an award winning writer living in Sydney, Australia. His novels, fables and short stories are adored by children and adults alike. Views: 637
Kole Smith will soon become the leader of his pack, and not just any pack. He will lead the Royal Guard of the Werewolf Society. Before he accepts his role, he has unfinished business and her name is Sarah.
Sarah’s family ran the Casino Operation used as a front for The Werewolf Society, until the greed of the rebels trying to overthrow their government led to her families murder. Kole saved her life, gave her the opportunity to live, and to deliver the vengeance she craves against the rebels.
When they meet again, their passion will explode in a firestorm that will either heal the pain of the past or destroy them forever. Views: 637
A short guide to the works in The Ostraka Plays collection. Here you will find some thoughts and observations behind the plays.The following Companion outlines in some detail the works collected together as The Ostraka Plays, together with some observations behind the writing process and a larger overview of the theatre these plays occupy. Each play is discussed in some detail and all are grouped together under the rubric of the ostracised: those people and characters who are ejected or abandoned from the social body. Views: 637
Nick Caine is a part-time archaeologist and full-time antiquities thief—a looter. And a very good one, too. So good that he catches the attention of the beautiful Marie Da Vinci, who offers him the chance of a lifetime: to locate the legendary Ciudad Blanca. The lost White City. A city purportedly filled with riches beyond belief. Against his better judgment, Nick agrees to help...and soon finds himself on a trail into the unknown. And close behind is someone who will stop at nothing to beat them to the prize. Nick Caine, of course, has a few surprises up his sleeve. After all, he's no ordinarily looter. Acclaim for the authors "Gripping, adventurous, and romantic—J.R. Rain’s The Lost Ark is a breakneck thriller that traces the thread of history from Biblical stories to current-day headlines. Be prepared to lose sleep!" —James Rollins, international bestselling author of Bloodline "Aiden James has written a deeply psychological, gripping tale that keeps the readers hooked from page one." —Bookfinds on The Forgotten Eden "J.R. Rain delivers a blend of action and wit that always entertains. Quick with the one-liners, but his characters are fully fleshed out (even the undead ones) and you’ll come back again and again." —Scott Nicholson, bestselling author of The Red Church "The intense writing style of Aiden James kept my eyes glued to the story and the pages seemed to fly by at warp speed. Twists, turns, and surprises pop up at random times to keep the reader off balance. It all blends together to create one of the best stories I have read all year." —Huntress Reviews for The Devil’s Paradise** Views: 637
Identify dragons in the wild with the Dracopedia Field Guide! Have you ever stumbled upon a dragon egg and thought to yourself, "I wonder which type of scaly beast will burst forth from this delicate and dappled shell?" Well, wonder no more. This fantasy field guide is required reading—and required packing—for both budding and expert dragon enthusiasts. Don't leave home without it. This comprehensive and elucidating manual identifies the dragons of the world from Amphipteridae through Wyvernae. Each genus of dragon is meticulously chronicled—from winged Coatyls and Sea Orcs to itty, bitty Feydragons to fire-breathing Great Dragons—then broken down into additional subsets to help you discover what sets these magnificent creatures apart. Uncover the biology, history, behavior and habitat of each stunning and primeval beast through written and illustrated descriptions. Each dragon specimen entry includes the following important... Views: 637
These nine stories describe people who live on the margins of society, people who are often oppressed and always ignored. These stories give them voice and let the reader into their worlds on the edge.Cavers: A Vampire Tale (Cavers#1)Looking forward to her fifteenth birthday and a new school, Allie Carter finds that all is not as it seems. Curiosity leads to the discovery of vampires at her school, in her classrooms, and in her town. More curious is the fact that her new best friend, Sara Johnson, is in league with them or a vampire herself. As she seeks to prove her friends role, Allie is drawn into an unforgiving world of power and death. Instead of running for her life, she joins a secret society dedicated to helping the vampires remain hidden. Allie becomes a caretaker to the adorable five-year-old Lila and must teach her to blend into human society, but if she fails, the young child will be killed.To navigate the vampire world and educate the children, Allie (and girls like her) receives injections: she runs faster, leaps higher, hears and sees better with increased strength and agility. These girls are one-step away from becoming vampires themselves, influencing their children, fighting in their wars, and becoming the hallmark for integrity and dedication as they help to shape the future of the vampire world. Will Allie have so much fun that she forgets the danger or to educate and protect young Lila or will she rise to the challenge before her? And what of the parents she loves? Will turning her back on them be worth risking all when the vampire princess wants to kill her for pure pleasure? Only time will tell. Views: 636
Do ghosts really exist, or is "ghostly phenomena" just strange stuff that gets blamed on dead people? Giving you the real story, professional ghostbuster and skeptic Adam Selzer of Weird Chicago Tours delves into a mysterious death at a former funeral parlor, nightly ghost sightings at Hull House, and more. Proving that not all ghost hunters are kooks (some are just geeks gone wild), Selzer showcases true spooky tales worldwide, a history of hauntings, the art of ghost hunting, and cool evidence of paranormal phenomena and the supernatural. These ghost stories will make you want to investigate that cemetery down the road to see if it's haunted—or just dark and creepy. Views: 636
A rather ordinary day on the USS Magic Carrot turns rather special when Captain Andy's happy talk dinner is interrupted by something that must be explored.It started off as just another normal day for Captain Andy of the USS Magic Carrot. After entering his log he was hungry and wanted some happy talk. But a strange alarm interrupts his dinner, sending him and some of his crew on a strange, albeit short, adventure. Views: 636
Jake’s grandfather, Billy, hears the talk of birds, is eighty-eight years old, and is going to live forever. Even when Billy gets sick, Jake knows that everything will go on as always. But there’s one thing Billy wants: to rebuild the sod house where he grew up. Can Jake give him this one special thing?
From beloved author Patricia MacLachlan comes a poignant story about what we do for the ones we love, and how the bonds that hold us together also allow us to let each other go. Views: 636
Most women found Slade McClintoch irresistibly attractive, with his dark charisma and hardmuscled physique. But Brionny Stuart vowed she wasn't one of them. If anything, she had always been turned off by Slade's arrogant sort! So why couldn't she forget how skillfully Slade had tried to seduce her? She must concentrate on taking the Eye, an ancient, legendary, Inca emerald, back from Peru to New York!However, her expedition went tragically wrong, and suddenly Brionny, the cool, city girl, was at the mercy of the steaming jungle...and Slade. Would he help her back to civilization, or tempt her into making fierce, primitive love...? Views: 636
The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a web-design drone, and serendipity, sheer curiosity and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey have landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than its name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything. Instead they “check out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he has embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behaviour and roped his friends into helping him figure out just what’s going on. But once they take their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the secrets extend far beyond the walls of the bookstore.
Evoking both the fairy-tale charm of Haruki Murakami and the enthusiastic novel-of-ideas wizardry of Neal Stephenson or Umberto Eco, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like—an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave. Views: 636
Substitutions - Michael Marshall Smith Michael Marshall Smith recalls: "This story came about in the simplest way, the way I always enjoy most - something happening in real life that makes you think 'What if?' "Our household gets a lot of its food via an online delivery service, and one day when I was unpacking what had just been dropped at our house I gradually realised there was something...not quite right about the contents of the bags. "There's two things that are strange about that experience. The first is that - given that every household is likely to buy at least some things in common - you don't realise straight away that you've been given the wrong shopping. You don't immediately think 'This is wrong', more like . . . 'This is weird'. The second is how personal it is, gaining accidental access to this very tangible evocation of some other family's life. You can't help but wonder about the people the food was really destined for. "In real life, I just called up the delivery... Views: 636
