Penned over a period of years by a man living in chronic pain and his young son, this atypical spiritual poetry book is a startlingly visceral series of transient images, seen through dusty windows, flying swiftly by on the authors’ personal road to righteousness. Their art springs forth from the unforced rhythm of the soul – the cry of tell-tale hearts, plagued by darkness and shrouded in light.Many have written about the clichéd “tormented soul of the artist,” but the great dichotomy of my soul is I feel equal parts contentment and torment. While my contentment with life is a constant reminder of how blessed I am, I do have my share of both physical and emotional struggles. But more on that in the book's Introduction. While I feel it is not imperative for an artist—defining “artist” in the liberal sense, meaning “creator”—to have a tormented soul, it does seem tragically characteristic. This is evidenced by great poets such as Ernest Hemmingway, Sylvia Plath and Charles Baudelaire. Despite my struggles of the flesh and spirit, though, I thank God for the happiness I feel. It seems to be progressively intensifying with age, and I pray one day will overtake my whole being completely. As is obvious by the authors listed, my (as of this writing) 13-year-old son, Trey, also wrote some of the poems in the book. Upon what I perceived to be the original completion date of this book, when it only contained three poems by Trey, I told him if he wanted to write a couple more, he could feel free to do so. “No pressure,” I assured him, putting my arm around his shoulder, “Only if you want to. You are listed as co-author whether you write any more poems or not.” He just muttered, “Ok,” and went back to his video game. A few days later, Trey drudged up a half-chewed pencil with no eraser and a gnarled-up notebook with a crooked spiral binder. With this he was all set, and sat about writing a poem immediately. Scribble, scribble, scribble he went on the old tablet, and then ripped out the piece of paper, smiling, and asked, “What do you think?” “Wow!” I replied after reading the poem he had written in less than five minutes.Ten minutes later: scribble, scribble, scribble, and then, “How’s this one?” “Cool!” I answered in shock.This was repeated three more times, until, creatively, he felt drained. Meanwhile, I was absolutely floored, and even more so when I read them and realized they were great, just as they were. They are in the book untouched, word-for-word as Trey penned them.Regarding my aforementioned struggles, it is vital for you to understand that, while my spirit struggles with depression, my body also dwells in a prison of pain. I suffer from four different spinal conditions, and have had two major back surgeries in the last decade and a half. I also suffer from tendonitis in my right shoulder, which some days feels like an angry, little chimp sitting on my shoulder, clawing away at my tendons. But nevertheless, I press on, for God, country, family and heavy metal, the obnoxious and arrogant music which has carried me through much distress and physical agony. For me it is the loud-mouthed, crazy relative at family reunions, who I am equally amused and bewildered by. Metal’s loud and ambitious nature calls to me, and the escapist quality it so beautifully exudes helped me vanquish a grueling adolescence. It remains a vital emotional escape for me, and its drive feeds what I refer to as my “16-year-old soul.” A person has to be driven to choose hope amidst winding tunnels of despair; driven to succeed amidst a life of so-called “failure.”Heavy metal and I are kindred spirits, and one of life’s grandest kicks is writing about it. But this is a minor portion of the book; should you not share my fondness for the genre, there are still plenty of other topics herein. So, it is with great pride that Trey and I bring you, “i bLEed DaRk.” It’s a book he simply stumbled into, but which, through multiple hardships and happiness, I have spent 45 years preparing for. I pray your heart and spirit are deeply touched as you brave the path my son and I have paved for you. Views: 337
Nikki is sad that her boyfriend,Roger will be out of the country on business,and won't be able to be with her on her twenty-fifth birthday. However, her spirits are lifted a little, when she discovers that her good friends will be taking her on a long weekend outing that Roger had planned before he found out about his trip to Europe."I was hooked right from the first chapter..." -- Ray Nicholson (Amazon top 1000 reviewer)"... an engaging story that creates questions you'll be dying to know the answers to." -- Jared J."Witty, well paced and intelligent when it needs to be, I'm looking forward to reading more." -- Craig Whitby"For a novella to inspire a need for more, in me, is quite a surprise. I am off to acquire the whole series!" -- James J. Hughes"This short is outstanding, simply stated it was one of the best reads that I've been exposed to in a while." -- Christopher T.Deacon Shader is a child out of time, removed as a baby from his Ancient world parents and raised on the Isle of Maranore. On his seventh birthday, the philosopher Aristodeus arrives to commence the boy’s training with sword and mind. Nothing short of excellence will suffice, if Deacon is to fulfill his destiny and avert the Unweaving of all things. But as Aristodeus pushes him to the limits, reavers are spotted approaching the coast, and a cloud of horror descends upon the village. For these are no ordinary pirates. They sail under the Impaled Man, the grisly flag of Verusia, land of the undead and realm of the Lich Lord. Ward of the Philosopher is a Shader Origins novella of 15,500 words introducing the character of Deacon Shader as a child. The Shader Origins novellas (Ward of the Philosopher and The Seventh Horse) serve as an introduction to the bestselling Shader series: 1. Sword of the Archon 2. Best Laid Plans 3. The Unweaving In this brief introduction to the world of Urddynoor, D.P. Prior slots squarely into the sword and sorcery and heroic fantasy traditions pioneered by Michael Moorcock, R.E. Howard, Lin Carter, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. With a strong sense of good against evil set against a post-apocalyptic background of deception and the remnants of long buried ancient civilizations, one cannot help but place this series in the company of Stephen King's The Dark Tower and Steven Erikson's Malazan books. Ultimately, though, the discerning reader will not miss the huge debt the author has to David Gemmell. For anyone considering taking the plunge into the bestselling Shader books and braving their enormous scope, Ward of the Philosopher presents the perfect entry point to the series. Views: 337
Set in rural Kentucky, Leaves of Departure is the story of a man and his estranged daughter, dealing with a painful anniversary.The first episode of a series of short stories.The Alaris nebula is home to over a million colonists from the planet of Irakillion. They exchange rare minerals from the nebula for desperately needed supplies. Always kept on the edge of starvation they are looked down upon by Irakillion and ignored by the rest of the galaxy.When a group of pirates begin attacking the supply convoys the Alaris Defense Force is re-founded with a handful of outdated ships and a dozen inexperienced pilots. Outnumbered and outgunned no one expects them to last more than a week or two. Only one pilot proves them wrong.After six months of attacks Marack Nor is the last of the original pilots. Numbed by repeated losses and defeats he has become convinced that the Irakillion government is behind the attacks. All he needs to do is survive long enough to prove it. Views: 337
Imagine going about your daily life observing and walking past different people not knowing if that one face could be the last one you see.Each of the short stories explore this with emotion and courage. Prepare to open your awareness and think about that face your mind never traced.This is a fictional book but can be seen as a reality for a lot of people.I hope that the reader will be able to relate to some of these life experiences.I would invite you to think about the different emotions that are evoked whilst paying particular attention to the actual conclusion as it was this real life experience that the concept for this book was derived.EnjoyMark A. Cherrington. Views: 337
A short story dedicated to the author's mother, who is here in body but not in mind. And to all those lives that have been changed by a family member living with Alzheimer’s or dementia.The story recounts a Mother's Day visit with her mother. The title represents the state of dementia patients. With so little memory left and dwindling abilities to care for themselves, they may as well be naked.Former lovers are reunited as a hurricane approaches the island of Oahu.Once, Julianna was plain Julie Ann, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who dared to love the son of the town's most powerful family. Gray loved her, too, and married her to give their unborn child a name, but sometimes love isn't enough. Ten years later they meet again. She is successful, beautiful, and certain that a decade ago he betrayed her, but despite their painful past, both are helpless to deny a love that never died. As secrets are slowly revealed and new and surprising friendships develop with otherrefugees from the storm, the past and present come together in one tumultuous explosion.From Glowing Embers is the first book of a four book series set among four islands in the Pacific. Smoke Screen, Rainbow Fire and Out of the Ashes follow, featuring characters introduced here. Views: 337
Excerpt from The Ranche on the Oxhide: A Story of Boys\' and Girls\' Life on the FrontierLate in the fall of 1866, Robert Thompson, a veteran of one of the Vermont regiments, hav ing read in his village newspaper such glowing accounts of the advantages offered by Kansas to the immigrant, decided to leave his ancestral homestead among the barren hills of the Green Mountain State, and take up a claim in the far West. The family, consisting of father, mother.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works. Views: 337
MRS DANBY’S DESTINY by Liz Wainwright is an astrology themed comedy drama. Original BBC Radio Production was directed by: Marion Nancarrow for BBC Radio 4 Drama ‘Thirty Minute Theatre’ Broadcast November 1993. Running Time: 30m Cast: SUSAN: Pauline Yates, GREG: James Taylor, JULIA: Lynda BaronLiz's Drama Press Reviews'...dry and kindly observation ...with real passion.' The Guardian'... a good ear and understanding.' The Sunday Times'...with sharp characterisation....and a density of emotion...compelling entertainment.' The Stage'...a strong and realistic play.' The Times'... a dryly comic play....' Northern Star'An entertaining play... and a Dahl-like twist' The Independent on Sunday'...poignant depiction of budding friendships...could be appreciated by anyone' Theater Forum (USA)' ..best ... driven by urgent concerns with real people.' The Times Higher Educational Supplement Views: 337
In this latest novel from bestselling author John Verdon, ingenious puzzle solver Dave Gurney puts under the magnifying glass a notorious serial murder case – one whose motives have been enshrined as law-enforcement dogma - and discovers that everyone has it wrong.
The most decorated homicide detective in NYPD history, Dave Gurney is still trying to adjust to his life of quasi-retirement in upstate New York when a young woman who is producing a documentary on a notorious murder spree seeks his counsel. Soon after, Gurney begins feeling threatened: a razor-sharp hunting arrow lands in his yard, and he narrowly escapes serious injury in a booby-trapped basement. As things grow more bizarre, he finds himself reexamining the case of The Good Shepherd, which ten years before involved a series of roadside shootings and a rage-against-the-rich manifesto. The killings ceased, and a cult of analysis grew up around the case with a consensus opinion that no one would dream of challenging -- no one, that is, but Dave Gurney.
Mocked even by some who’d been his supporters in previous investigations, Dave realizes that the killer is too clever to ever be found. The only gambit that may make sense is also the most dangerous – to make himself a target and get the killer to come to him.
To survive, Gurney must rely on three allies: his beloved wife Madeleine, impressively intuitive and a beacon of light in the gathering darkness; his de-facto investigative “partner” Jack Hardwick, always ready to spit in authority’s face but wily when it counts; and his son Kyle, who has come back into Gurney’s life with surprising force, love and loyalty.
Displaying all the hallmarks for which the Dave Gurney series is lauded -- well-etched characters, deft black humor, and ingenious deduction that ends in a climactic showdown – Let the Devil Sleep is something more: a reminder of the power of self-belief in a world that contains too little of it.
From the Hardcover edition. Views: 337
Newt Run is a town that shouldn't exist, a town of artists, drug dealers, miners and steam. It’s a town at the center of a broken universe, and broken universes have the bad tendency to fall apart. In this tale, a young man's dead grandfather shows up with a bottle of whiskey and a story about what happens after you die.A town at the center of a broken universe, Newt Run was never meant to exist; it is a town of artists, drug dealers, miners and steam. There are holes here, gaps in the fabric of things, and some of them are wide enough for people to slip through. Rumours have been spreading about disappearances in the mines, and someone has been defacing the town's walls with rings of painted blood. Strangest of all are the tales of outsiders - mysterious visitors who can only be seen by users of the drug known as powder.Newt Run is also a novel, but the world of Newt Run was much too large to fit inside a single book. These short stories, or 'modules', extend this world, probing into its deepest, smallest secrets.In 'Ghost Story' a young man is visited by his dead grandfather, who shows up with a bottle of whiskey and a story about what happens after you die. Views: 336
John and Julia went to a small island to relax. But an old pirate risen from a long sleep and some spiders have a different idea.An old pirate, awakened once again to fulfill his obligations. A flood of giant spiders, washing across the island. John and Julia only wanted to relax, to take a break from their official duties. This wasn't the sort of vacation they had in mind. Views: 336
Steffa thought that by moving across the country and changing her name, she could start a new life free of the stifling old-money and high-society obligations of Hartford Cove.She should have known better. Her ex-mother-in-law doesn't give up that easily. When Virginia Vandermere wants something, there's no distance too far, no lengths too extreme, and no hurt too deep.Steffa thought that by moving across the country and changing her name, she could start a new life free of the stifling old-money and high-society obligations of Hardford Cove.She should have known better. Her ex-mother-in-law doesn't give up that easily. When Virginia Vandermere wants something, there's no distance too far, no lengths too extreme, and no hurt too deep. Views: 336
When Carter Hoffman, leading biochemist of Lovelace Cosmetics, is found clubbed to death with a microscope, CEO Lillian Lovelace is distraught. She's lost the originator of a breakthrough anti-aging cream, and she suspects Vince Gallegos, her competitor. After all, he'd been trying to wheedle Carter into working for him. Then there's Kate Daly, Vince's assistant, who has a bad crush on Carter and who suspects Lillian of pulling a few tricks of her own.Detective Deb Summers has seen some interesting cases, but this one screams: looks aren't everything.A super-short work from our Fingerprints mystery line. Views: 336
