It's not what he was trained for!
Former Navy SEAL Martin Billings thought he was through with special ops, but when he gets word that his brother is in jail in Venezuela, charged with killing a fisherman he knows he is the only one who can do anything about it. Arriving he finds that the Venezuelan police, a mysterious and gorgeous woman lawyer, a vicious gringo called Highball, a seemingly affable drug lord, and a guy named Raul would all much rather Martin just turned around and went home.
When trying to investigate the crime gets him implicated in another murder, Martin realizes that his SEAL training, and experience as a freighter captain, have uses, but limits.
It’s a good thing Ugly Bill is on his way. Views: 639
After reading a few outstanding books on Taoist immortals over the years in the midst of other things, I had just moved to a new place with access to a backyard. I ended up getting myself an alchemy starter kit at Home Depot, and started communicating with the universe; I met the sun and moon, and developed a ritual, “clever and lofty”, and I’ve explained it here.After reading a few outstanding books on Taoist immortals over the years in the midst of other things, I had just moved to a new place with access to a backyard. I ended up getting myself an alchemy starter kit at Home Depot, and started communicating with the universe; I met the sun and moon, and developed a ritual, “clever and lofty”, and I’ve explained it here.Ge Hong, and Han Xiangzi: they let you make your own theories as you go through their various stories; they make no effort to preach but you end up making connections between what methods the various people used and how effective and powerful their transformation was, and you might want to be creative after that study and go invent your own method, after they’ve made you such an expert on what works, supposedly.You come up with your own theory on how you might go about this wild pursuit of “living as long as heaven and earth”, like it's a game, let's see who's ritual is most effective, whose liturgy attracts the attention and beneficence of the heaven.Taoism is a very do-it-yourself religion, the old ways only a learning trove of what might work, what's worked for others, while you twist and turn in the Way and speculate on the universe for yourself; a ritual, they said, need only be clever and lofty; there’s no pope of Taoism sending out letters of ex communication for false beliefs, or for heretical actions; they pretty much encourage that stuff.I set aside the “Ge Hong” ideas about alchemy for a few years, but then just recently I read Han Xiangzi, and I started speculating again. Fortunately this speculation led me not to consume poisons like Ge Hong’s characters, but to set up a tripod, a communication between heaven and earth. I invented my own little Taoist immortalism plot, a plan where I am initiating a 101 year study, clinical trial for mankind and the universe around him, plangence of the dark cores study, levels and depths of human kindness study, and magical Taoist ritual for the gathering, storage, and ritualistic release of chi, cosmic energy.It’s Chan or Zen Buddhism, it’s Taoist alchemy, it's Aztec Nagualism, it's an astrology updated to the modern age of cosmology and astrophysics, where all those things intersect.So I've invented an irrational little religious ritual for myself, and presented it here - a River-of- Heaven open-topped ferry-ride, all mystery and wonder. Views: 639
Troubled relationships, abusive partners, and lonely hearts. They exist in the world, and sometimes not even the best psychiatrist can dig people out of these messes. That’s where Mr. Eres’ Sensual Sweets shop comes in. The shop is a plethora of delights to satiate any sweet tooth, but hidden beneath those sugar-flavored foods are concoctions of recipes to fix any love problem.The first installment of the Sensual Sweets series.Troubled relationships, abusive partners, and lonely hearts. They exist in the world, and sometimes not even the best psychiatrist can dig people out of these messes. That’s where Mr. Eres’ Sensual Sweets shop comes in. The shop is a plethora of delights to satiate any sweet tooth, but hidden beneath those sugar-flavored foods are concoctions of recipes to fix any love problem.Bob is one of these miserable souls in need of a fix. His relationship with his wife has deteriorated to the breaking point. He ponders whether divorce isn’t an option until he stumbles on a certain sweet shop. There he finds a chocolaty fix to his problem. Views: 639
Bright and handsome Nico Gonzalez, now approaching thirty, feels like he's finally got his life in order when he starts dating the sexy high-tech whiz Shane. After being dumped by a guy who suddenly bolted back into heterosexuality, Nico's delighted to be dating a genuine gay man. But life has different plans for our confused suitor when, during a rousing game of basketball, he meets and falls for Grady, the kind of stunning blond he finds all too easy to idolize. Grady eagerly reciprocates Nico's flirting, but he takes his sweet time to reveal that he's in a monogamous relationship with Kim, a luscious Polynesian lawyer. Nico's been here before, but despite the self-recriminations, he can't stop himself. He and Grady embark on a maddeningly unpredictable relationship, filled with outdoor adventures, wild sensuality, and a shared love of the Seattle Mariners. The odd couple thrives in ways both courageous and devious, but while the fluid Grady readily accepts massive doses of... Views: 639
In his quest for arcane knowledge Zozimos the Mage uncovered a dark secret which rather curbed his enthusiasm.In his quest for arcane knowledge in the ruined city of Quadesh Zozimos the Mage uncovered a dark secret which rather curbed his enthusiasm. Views: 639
In The Golem and the Jinni, a chance meeting between mythical beings takes readers on a dazzling journey through cultures in turn-of-the-century New York.
Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic and dies at sea on the voyage from Poland. Chava is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York harbor in 1899.
Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert, trapped in an old copper flask, and released in New York City, though still not entirely free.
Ahmad and Chava become unlikely friends and soul mates with a mystical connection. Marvelous and compulsively readable, Helene Wecker's debut novel The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of Yiddish and Middle Eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale. Views: 639
Unemployed Dr. Anne Conner is returning to Seattle to interview for her dream job with Stanford Enterprises. While there, she decides to combine her trip with a trip home to Orcas Island where she meets Ben Carlson. She never planned on having a vacation romance with Ben or agreeing to end it after the vacation was over. But she did. She also never knew that Ben was her new boss. But he is.After years in Boston and a year of working for herself as a contract consultant and adjunct professor, unemployed Dr. Anne Conner is ready to return home to work in her field as a marine biochemist and research scientist. With money running low, Anne jumps at the chance to interview for her dream job as a research scientist with the world famous Stanford Enterprises research company.When she makes the final round of interviews, Anne decides to combine her time in Seattle interviewing with a vacation trip to her family's inn on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands. The last thing she expected was to run into her childhood friend and object of her teenage dreams, Ben Carlson, who is on the island for his sister's wedding. Nor did she plan on the passion that erupts between them. Is their relationship only a vacation romance as they agreed from the beginning or will it turn into something more when Anne moves back to Seattle?Just as Anne begins to hope for more, the unthinkable is revealed. Ben is none other than her new boss. Worse yet, he thinks that she only used him to get the job. Views: 638
On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can scarcely believe it when he's forced off the train by a retired outlaw and presented to the man's daughter as the minister she requested for her birthday. Worried this unfortunate detour will ruin his chances of finally serving a congregation of his own, Crockett is determined to escape. But when he finally gets away, he's haunted by the memory of the young woman he left behind--a woman whose dreams now hinge on him.
For months, Joanna Robbins prayed for a preacher. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. A man to help her discover answers to the questions that have been on her heart for so long. But just when it seems God has answered her prayers, it turns out the person is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett to stay in her little backwoods community? And does the attraction between them have any chance of blossoming when Joanna's outlaw father is dead set against his daughter courting a preacher? Views: 638
Detective Steve Fischer was as tough as they come. Then he goes to the scene of a robbery and winds up being injected with an experimental drug before he's shot by notorious gangster Artie Luther. But Steve doesn't die. Instead, the experimental drug causes his body to regenerate as that of a young woman. Now as she tries to adjust to her new life, she sets her sights on repaying Luther.Detective Steve Fischer was as tough as they come. Then he goes to the scene of a robbery at a pharmaceutical company and winds up being injected with an experimental drug before he's shot in the head by notorious gangster Artie Luther.But Steve doesn't die. Instead, the experimental drug causes Steve's body to regenerate as that of a young woman. Now as she tries to adjust to her new life, she sets her sights on repaying Luther and his cronies. Views: 638
An old flame rekindled . . .
Zara Cinders always knew Ham Reece was the one, but he wasn't interested in settling down. When she found someone who was, Ham walked out of her life. Three years later, Zara's lost her business, her marriage, and she's barely getting by in a tiny apartment on the wrong side of the tracks. As soon as Ham hears about Zara's plight, he's on her doorstep offering her a lifeline. Now, it will take every ounce of will power she possesses to resist all that he offers.
Ham was always a traveling man, never one to settle down in one town, with one woman, for more time than absolutely necessary. But Ham's faced his own demons, and he's learned a lot. About himself, and about the life he knows he's meant to live. So when he hears that Zara's having a rough time, he wants to be the one to help. In fact, he wants to do more than that for Zara. A lot more. But first, he must prove to Zara that he's a changed man. Views: 638
At the time of his unexpected death, never did it dawn upon Aidan Connor that he was The Chosen One, a mortal chosen to become a God. He was, after all, a mere barbaric mortal, who grew up fighting wars and conquering lands, all because he wanted to expand his territory. Aidan Connor, the mortal was now also known as Taran, God of Thunder. As an unofficial God, he was now the protector of mankind.At the time of his unexpected death, never did it dawn upon Aidan Connor that he was The Chosen One, a mortal chosen to become a God. He was, after all, a mere barbaric mortal, who grew up fighting wars and conquering lands, all because he wanted to expand his territory. Aidan Connor, the mortal was now also known as Taran, God of Thunder. As an unofficial God, he was now the protector of mankind. When as God, he stayed in the Realm of the Gods with Dea. His friends were Agrona and Mars, who trained him in harnessing and perfecting his skills. He receives a surprise when his Mother, his pillar is strength is now by his side, providing him the guiding light which he needed. His mother left him with the words which would be forever etched in his mind, ‘focus, visualize and create!’ Views: 638
When Trin was given the medallion as a child, he was told it was a talisman for hunters that could save his life. He'd never found the need to test the superstition until he is well into adulthood. When he does, however, it works in a way he could have never imagined.Part of the Blyssfully Abnormal Anthology; What happens when you take a group of writers, the most talented & twisted that you can find, and put them into one publishing house? They form into the strangest dysfunctional family we've ever seen. No one asked the question, but Charity found the answer. So she wondered, what would happen if she gave us a list of seemingly normal situations and asked us to give them our own unique twist? The answer is the Blyssfully Abnormal anthology, a collection of stories that gives the reader a peek into the somewhat abnormal minds that bring us together.In The Medallion when Trin was given the medallion as a child, he was told it was a talisman for hunters that could save his life. He'd never found the need to test the superstition until he is well into adulthood. When he does, however, it works in a way he could have never imagined. Views: 638
The Centaurs (1904) chronicles the last days of the Era of the Beasts that preceded ours, when Fauns, Tritons and other now-mythical creatures shared the Earth. In that wild world, the balance of nature is maintained by the Centaurs. The One Law is Thou Shalt Not Kill. But one day, Klevorak, the King of the Centaurs, learns that the One Law has been broken by the new creatures called Men, whom he calls The Accursed Ones. Meanwhile, the beautiful Katilda, one of the few remaining female Centaurs, refuses to bear offspring with the males of her species and instead falls in love with a young hunter, who only sees in her a coveted prey. Soon, the Elder Races are slaughtered by Men. Can Klevorak still save the remnants of his people by taking them across the ocean to the legendary Sacred Isle? This beautiful, timeless classic of French fantasy, inbued with violence and melancholy, is translated here for the first time, with three other stories; literary homages to Jonathan Swift, Rudyard Kipling and H.G. Wells. Views: 638
The Great War has been stuck in stalemate on the Western Front for forty-seven years since 1914. Jimmy is a lonely private at the front, forced to battle from the enormous deathly wall that faces the Germans across no-man's land. Esme is the factory girl he met in Brighton. The girl he dreams of...The Great War has been stuck in stalemate on the Western Front for forty-seven years since 1914. Jimmy is a lonely private at the front, forced to battle from the enormous deathly wall that faces the Germans across no-man's land. Esme is the factory girl he met in Brighton. The girl he dreams of... Separated by the enormity of the war machine that surrounds them they write to each other, sharing their hopes and dreams of a better time... An epistolary novel set in an alternate history. Views: 638
