The time is the last two weeks of peace in the summer of 1939. The place is Berlin, the most brilliantly lit city in Europe. Cathleen O'Dea has come from Hollywood to Germany to star in a film. But that is not the real purpose of her visit. She is in Berlin to trace her missing mother. As Europe plunges trowards war, we become enthrallingly invo0lved in Cathleen's story - and the story of Admiral Canaris, head of the Abwehr, as he agonises over a secret he has uncovered; of an English aristocrat who was once one of Hitler's favourites, and now tries to battle against her disillusion; of General von Albern as he plans to assassinate Hitler; of the General's son Helmut and his war-threatened romance with an English actress, Melissa Hayes. All this we see through the eyes of Sean Ccarmody, the boy from the Australian bush who has lost his innocence amidst the politics and ambitions of Nazi Germany. Views: 35
Here Is Where chronicles Andrew Carroll’s eye-opening – and at times hilarious -- journey across America to find and explore unmarked historic sites where extraordinary moments occurred and remarkable individuals once lived. Sparking the idea for this book was Carroll’s visit to the spot where Abraham Lincoln’s son was saved by the brother of Lincoln’s assassin. Carroll wondered, How many other unmarked places are there where intriguing events have unfolded and that we walk past every day, not realizing their significance? To answer that question, Carroll ultimately trekked to every region of the country -- by car, train, plane, helicopter, bus, bike, and kayak and on foot. Among the things he learned:Where in North America the oldest sample of human DNA was discovered Where America’s deadliest maritime disaster took place, a calamity worse than the fate of the TitanicWhich virtually unknown American scientist saved hundreds of millions of livesWhich famous Prohibition agent was the brother of a notorious gangsterHow a 14-year-old farm boy’s brainstorm led to the creation of televisionFeatured prominently in Here Is Where are an abundance of firsts (from the first use of modern anesthesia to the first cremation to the first murder conviction based on forensic evidence); outrages (from riots to massacres to forced sterilizations); and breakthroughs (from the invention, inside a prison, of a revolutionary weapon; to the recovery, deep in the Alaskan tundra, of a super-virus; to the building of the rocket that made possible space travel). Here Is Where* is thoroughly entertaining, but it’s also a profound reminder that the places we pass by often harbor amazing secrets and that there are countless other astonishing stories still out there, waiting to be found. Amazon.com ReviewQ&A with Andrew CarrollBrad Meltzer, author of eleven New York Times bestsellers (including The Inner Circle, published January 2013) and host of the critically acclaimed History Channel series Brad Meltzer’s Decoded, talks to Andrew Carroll about his new book Here Is Where: Discovering America’s Great Forgotten History.BRAD: To start, the whole premise of your book is about finding places that are historically significant yet somehow overlooked. Love that. So let me ask: If they’re forgotten and unmarked, how did you locate them?ANDREW: I’m constantly reading a ton of books and newspapers, and I subscribe to about thirty magazines—BM: Thirty?AC: Maybe more, and on a wide range of topics—travel, archaeology, current events, science, history, you name it—and I’m always on the lookout for great, little-known stories. When I stumble onto one, I trace it back to a relevant physical spot to see if it’s unmarked. For example, when I read that television was essentially invented by a fourteen-year-old farm boy named Philo Farnsworth in Rigby, Idaho, I immediately began searching for the farm where he had his epiphany. Sure enough, there was no plaque or marker there, and it became one of the locations I wrote about.BM: You mention in Here Is Where that you hated history growing up. Shame, shame. And what changed your mind?AC: I know, it’s terrible. But I was very intimidated by history at first. I’m horrible at memorizing things, and I just couldn’t remember all those names and dates in my high school textbooks. Then, during my sophomore year of college, our family’s house burned down, and almost everything we had was destroyed. Losing all our memorabilia inspired my passion for preserving letters, and eventually, a general love for history. Whether it’s the war letters books I edited [War Letters and Behind the Lines], which featured previously unpublished correspondence, or Here Is Where, I try to write for both history buffs who want to learn something new and surprising, and for those who are a bit daunted by the subject, as I once was. It’s been especially gratifying to hear from teachers who’ve used the idea behind Here Is Where to encourage their students to seek out unmarked sites in their communities—and, sometimes, literally in their own backyards.BM: I know you also went to almost every state in the U.S. Do you consider Here Is Where more of a history book or a travel book?AC: I think both. It’s definitely about exploring this country as if for the first time, and I wanted to convey the sense of exhilaration and discovery that I experienced. Writing about the journey enabled me to reveal how I found the various sites, and I met so many fascinating people that I wanted to relate some of the more memorable encounters I had along the way. Also, because I spent so much time walking around these different towns and cities, I dropped, like, ten pounds. So I guess we could market Here Is Where as a weight-loss book, too.BM: Speaking of “memorable encounters,” you had several brushes with law enforcement.AC: I did, and I’m shocked I wasn’t arrested. But one of my run-ins did lead to a good story. I was speeding through a rural area of Missouri and got pulled over by a state trooper. I had sort of zoned out and wasn’t paying attention to how fast I was going, which is pretty much what I told the officer, and he, understandably, was furious. After giving me a ticket, he sternly instructed me to use my cruise control, and, honest to God, this prompted me to scribble on the ticket: “Cruise control inventor?” I did some research and discovered that, incredibly, the guy who invented cruise control, Ralph Teetor, was totally blind. Thanks to his daughter, I was able to locate their old house in Hagerstown, Indiana, where Teetor created the prototype in the late 1950s.BM: You write in the book’s introduction that your cross-country trip had to be more than a “grand sightseeing adventure” and that you hoped to explore “why any of this”—meaning, history—“matters.” What are some of the lessons you want readers to take away from the book?AC: That’s a hard question to answer succinctly. There’s no question that history shows us patterns of human behavior over time and can serve as both a warning, cautioning us to beware of our capacity for violence and destruction, and an inspiration, reminding us our more admirable qualities like courage, resilience, and selflessness. But most of all I wanted to express how a love for history can influence the way we live our lives on a more day-to-day basis. At its best, history shows how interconnected we are and, ideally, can nurture within us a sense of humility and gratitude. It helps us remember the sacrifices made by those who’ve come before us and how much we’ve benefited from them—whether they’re medical pioneers, inventors, veterans, or activists—in ways we often take for granted. There’s a quote I keep in my wallet by the author Lewis Thomas that reads: “Statistically, the probability of any one of us being here is so small that you’d think the mere fact of existing would keep us all in a contented dazzlement of surprise.” Dr. Thomas was a scientist, not a historian, but I think his quote perfectly captures what Here Is Where, ultimately, is all about.Review“Carroll takes readers on an eye-opening and entertaining grand tour of America in this lively exploration of lesser-known or overlooked historical sites. From birthplaces to gravesites and high points to low, from those that inspired inventions to those that sparked change, he leaves no stone unturned or landmark unvisited…Part travelogue, part history, this book should be required reading for anyone interested in America’s past.”--Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Andrew Carroll has always been a top-notch editor. I had no idea he was as fine a storyteller. Great storytelling can be wonderfully addictive. Here Is Where captured me completely -- I couldn't put it down."--Jeff Shaara, New York Times bestselling author of Gods and Generals, Last Full Measure and Blaze of Glory “Here is Where is remarkable for the painstaking research on display and its yield of rescued-from-obscurity stories. Many of the true incidents Andrew Carroll has uncovered aren’t just surprising but powerful. Others are simply laugh-out-loud funny, but all are described with considerable skill. America has always had among its citizenry a number of individuals whose legacy is immense but unappreciated, and Carroll has truly done them justice.” --Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of Gates of Fire, Tides of War and Killing Rommel "Impressive...Carroll has discovered a way of doing history that, once yousee it, seems so obvious, indeed right under your nose or feet. But to the best of my knowledge, no one has done this before."--Joseph J. Ellis, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Revolutionary Summer and Founding Brothers“Both a fascinating excavation of under-appreciated events and agents and a compelling analysis of what binds us together, Here Is Where makes for rich and vivid reading. It seems to me that Andrew Carroll has become the Charles Kuralt of American history.”--Les Standiford, author of Desperate Sons and Last Train to Paradise*“Writing with a historian’s insight and the skill of a master storyteller, Andy Carroll reminds us to look for the fascinating bits of history that lie just behind the curtains of our modern surroundings. Here is *Where is a captivating, thoroughly enjoyable journey across the country with a friend who knows all the cool places to stop and have a look.”--Gregory A. Freeman, The Last Mission of the Wham Bam Boys and The Forgotten 500 "In Here Is Where, one of our best historian-sleuths, Andrew Carroll, has given us a fresh and irresistible approach to experiencing history. Until someone invents a time machine, it's the next best thing to being there--and he's such a vivid, engaging writer that it's probably more fun."--James Donovan, author of A Terrible Glory and The Blood of Heroes "Andrew Carroll takes the reader on a fascinating journey of discovery to uncover the forgotten history that lies hidden around us. This is a terrific book: refreshingly original, fast-paced, entertaining, and always insightful. It’s full of fun and interesting stories that bring the past to life and remind us that we are surrounded by the artifacts of history." --Steven M. Gillon, Scholar-in-Residence at The History Channel and author of Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America Views: 35
In book two of the Ashland Pack: Mace, the alpha of the Ashland Pack, is restless, irritable, and starting to be quite unpleasant even with his family and friends. Mace recognizes the changes in himself but for the life of him, he doesn't know what the problem is. Or does he? He plays it off as pressure from the influx of new members to his pack along with members from the vampire clan and Twisters Council. Plus, the stress from an unknown evil that is still plaguing the town. Yeah, that’s his story and he is sticking to it, but the people close to him feel it is something else and decide that maybe he needs a little shove in the right direction.After Lexy's and her parents' petition to the become members of the Ashland Pack is accepted, they move into town. Lexy is thrilled, she is powerful in her own right, but life for her hasn't been easy. She finally feels she is given the opportunity to make a life for herself, instead of depending on others. When her newfound freedom is challenged and her past troubles catch up with her, does she run as per her usual response? Or does she stay, stand her ground, and hope that in the end she is still alive to enjoy her newfound freedom?Reece and Star move into Ashland with great hopes of finding a place to call home. It has been a long road for Reece since he has been on his own for quite a while. Now he is response for his sister, Star, after their parents' death. Once without a pack to call his, he finds friends and a job that he would never expect, considering he is the new wolf in a developed pack with powerful leaders. Can he find a place for himself and give his sister a chance to thrive within a pack again? Or will he be the lone wolf again, never finding his true place?The Ashland Pack faces many changes along with evil, and the added strain of added members. Follow their story as you read how separate groups come together to start building a defense against an evil that is coming, but they have yet to find out what the evil is or whom? How do you prepare when you don't know what you are facing?Warning: Sexually explicit content. Ménage – MFM. Views: 35
The place: EnglandThe time: the 1880sSir Mortimer Brobury dies suddenly, and his son David inherits his title. With his new wife Judith, he moves into Ladygrove Manor, the ancestral home. At first their lives are untroubled—until Judith falls pregnant. Suddenly there's a sinister change in the atmosphere at Ladygrove. An invisible presence prevents Judith from entering the Maze in the Manor gardens—where previously she had wandered freely. And the ruins of the old chapel seem haunted by some evil spirit. Judith becomes frightened, recalling her late father-in-law's warning not to have her first son born at Ladygrove. David calls in his friend, Dr. Alexander Caspian, the famous occult investigator. Caspian and his wife Bronwen eventually uncover a terrifying ancient mystery—but will they be in time to save Judith and her child?The third stunning entry in this great historical horror series. Views: 34
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR Dear Readers, A CHRISTMAS WISH is a continuation of Dane MacKenzie's story, DANE, which can be found for free at all retailers. It is highly recommended that you start with DANE since A CHRISTMAS WISH takes up where that novella ends. The response to the MacKenzie Brothers Novellas has been overwhelming, and I can't tell you how much it warms my heart that you fell in love with this family. I've decided to revisit each of the brothers because of all the wonderful emails I've received over the past couple of years asking, "What happens next?" Dane MacKenzie has made mistakes, but despite them all, he's reconnected with the woman he's always loved and the son he never knew he had. But things haven't gone the way he hoped. Charlotte still hasn't set a wedding date, and he's a stranger to his son. The only thing Dane wants for Christmas is for them to be a real family. A carefully planned seduction, an old legend, and a family that never gives up on each other will give Dane the chance to get his Christmas wish. Views: 34
What if what you call fantasy were real? For ages, the supernatural beings hid their existence. The advance of technology destroyed the secret and they were forced to show that they weren’t only something from people’s imagination. But the Otherworld wasn’t ready for humanity’s reaction – and for what soon became a real hunt. Views: 34
A cop's craving to know more about the woman next door could prove fatal in the steamy new novel from New York Times best selling author Lori FosterAs the person responsible for taking down a brutal human trafficker, Alice Appleton fears retaliation at every turn. No one knows about her past, which is exactly how she prefers it…until the sexy cop next door comes knocking.Detective Reese Bareden thinks he knows what makes women tick, but his ever-elusive neighbor keeps him guessing like no other. Is his goal to unmask Alice's secrets? Or protect her from a dangerous new threat? One thing is certain: their chemistry is a time bomb waiting to explode. And with no one to trust but each other, Reese and Alice are soon drawn into a deadly maze of corruption, intrigue and desire—and into the line of fire….Review"A red-hot page-turner."--#1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole on When You Dare"Foster has an amazing ability to capture a man's emotions and lust."--Publishers Weekly on A Perfect Storm"A sexy, believable roller coaster of action and romance."-Kirkus Reviews on Run the Risk"Steamy, edgy, and taut."-Library Journal on When You Dare About the AuthorLori Foster is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author with books from a variety of publishers, including Berkley/Jove, Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin and Silhouette. Lori has been a recipient of the prestigious RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Fantasy, and for Contemporary Romance. She’s had top-selling books for Amazon, Waldenbooks and the BGI Group. For more about Lori, visit her Web site at www.lorifoster.com. Views: 34
