George R. R. Martin’s Wild Cards multi-author shared-world universe has been thrilling readers for over 25 years. Now, in addition to overseeing the ongoing publication of new Wild Cards books (like 2011’s Fort Freak), Martin is also commissioning and editing new Wild Cards stories for publication on Tor.com!Daniel Abraham’s “When We Were Heroes” is an affecting examination of celebrity, privacy, and the different ways people deal with notoriety and fame—problems not made easier when what you’re famous for are superpowers that even you don’t fully understand. Views: 967
Rick Mills & poker playing nurse Gloria Hesselgrave follow a road filled with gamblers, hookers,hippies,showgirls,poker legends,pot growers & actors as they elude Frank Salucci, a hit man who can’t abide anyone messing with his Cadillac. Rick has destroyed Salucci’s beloved Cadillac & as the hit man closes in Rick & Gloria realize two things: it’s kill or be killed & Salucci is the better killer.Smooth Call What is a “Smooth Call?” Read this novel and you’ll know and be mightily entertained in the bargain! “I guarantee it!” The night after the most eventful poker game of his life Rick Mills sat in a small Italian restaurant with the lovely and witty Gloria Hesselgrave. Gloria, a nurse and avid poker player, had been cheated out of a $500 pot by Frank Salucci, a man who thrived on irritating any player he could. Rick recovered the money, telling Gloria that Salucci had voluntarily turned it over, and now they were celebrating over a quiet dinner. Until Gloria looked up and saw Salucci enter the restaurant. “Damn,” she said, “he followed me.” When Salucci sat at their table and threatened them Gloria grabbed a steak knife and sliced his leg, telling him that the next cut would sever his femoral artery and he’d bleed to death on the restaurant floor. As Salucci hobbled out he let them know that it wasn’t over. And it wasn’t because, as Rick and Gloria soon found out, Frank Salucci wasn’t just a card cheat, he was also a hit man. Frank followed them to Las Vegas but returned home when Gloria hired some heavies to convince him that that was his best choice. Rick bought a hand gun in Vegas but wasn’t carrying when, back in San Diego, Salucci fired at him and Gloria from the back seat of a moving car, hitting Rick once in the side. Forced to leave town again, Rick and Gloria decided to attend the Rainbow Gathering, a yearly get-together of the disciples of peace, love, and weed, or a week long ogre for un-American malcontent miscreants, depending on who you asked. Frank paid someone to find out where Gloria and Rick were but that someone owed Rick and let him know that the hit man was coming. All involved knew it would end there, on federal land in the wilderness, with thousands of potential witnesses. Rick kept his Berretta close and waited. Views: 967
Chinta, a sixteen-year-old girl, did not expect her life to change forever the morning she went to swim in a lake with her friends. She is transformed into the majestic White Naga, forever sealing her fate as a pawn in the struggle of good versus evil. Now Angkora must become a battlefield where a young girl must find her true destiny amongst the corrupting evil...Chinta, a sixteen-year-old girl, did not expect her life to change forever the morning she went to swim in a lake with her friends. During an eclipse of the sun, she is transformed into the majestic White Naga, forever sealing her fate as a pawn in the struggle of good versus evil.For it has been prophesied that a White Naga will emerge to bring peace back to the land of Angkora and rid it from the clutches of the evil Lord Karruva and his Shadow Kingdom.This prophecy is what gives a ragtag group of rebels hope to fight back against the Shadow Kingdom. When Rangga, a fallen prince who is now one of the rebels, discovers Chinta is truly the White Naga, the rebels hatch a plan to use the White Naga to rid Lord Karruva once and for all.Now Angkora must become a battlefield where a young girl must find her true destiny amongst the corrupting evil and to hope that truth and fate emerge victorious... Views: 966
Ten turning points in history, vividly sketched by the great Stefan Zweig, in a new translation by the award-winning Anthea Bell
One of the twentieth century's great humanists and a hugely popular fiction writer, Stefan Zweig's historical works bring the past to life in brilliant Technicolor. This collection contains ten typically breathless and erudite dramatizations of some of the most pivotal episodes in human history.
From General Grouchy's failure to intervene at Waterloo, to the miraculous resurrection of George Frideric Handel, Zweig's selection is idiosyncratic, fascinating and as always hugely readable. Views: 966
Fledgling vampire Sarah Dearly knew what she was getting into when she married master vampire Thierry de Bennicoeur. As an agent of the Ring, Thierry is sent all over the world to solve vampire crimes and keep them secret from humans. And now Sarah’s on the job with him—for better or worse.
Right after their wedding in Las Vegas, Sarah and Thierry get their next assignment: Three vampires have gone missing in Salem, Massachusetts, and they need to find out why. Their contact in Salem turns out to be a local lothario with a penchant for witches, but before he can help them, he suddenly goes up in smoke—leaving behind nothing but a stain on the ground and a seemingly impossible mystery.
Did a witchy ex-mistress cast a deadly spell, or is there something even more sinister happening to the vampires of Salem? Getting to the truth may require raising the undead, with a little help from the owners of a vampire-friendly bed and breakfast. But uncovering Salem’s darkest secrets may drag some of Thierry’s own past into the light. Views: 966
Little Spirit is a fictional 3-piece pop-rock band seeking musical success in the 1980s. It's a lengthy mix-paced novel ideal for readers of all ages; an underdog story full of adventure, romance, poverty and 80s excess, family dramas and pitfalls. The characters will illuminate anyone wanting to know how things were and seeking musical success in today's music industry.June 1983. Before dawn, the uncommonly beautiful Katherine wakes up on yet another luxury yacht in Saint Tropez. Calvin, having slept on a beach nearby, is woken by seagulls. 800 miles away in London, Danny wakes up in his messy student flat having fallen asleep playing guitar. And Amy, she isn’t sleeping. Following another agonising one night stand, she returns to the student flat she shares with Danny and Calvin.Katherine has a secret which strangles her paradisiacal life Saint Tropez. Calvin has a dilemma that rational thought can’t help with. Danny has a problem with a bullying drummer. And, Amy’s sick with love for Danny. As the story’s layers unfold these characters come to rely on each evermore. They just require one more soul to begin their Rock ‘n’ Roll adventure.Raphael has the talent and the desire but will Calvin and Danny have enough impact to sway him to join their band or will they need Amy’s help?Years in the making, Little Spirit is DaNeo Duran’s debut novel. Within the interweaving plot threads, Little Spirit’s journey calls on industry studies from the era and DaNeo Duran’s personal experiences in signed and unsigned bands. Views: 965
Every Nightmare Has Its Beginning Tara Mason wants more than tourist sights out of her trip to the city of dreams, something strange and off the beaten path. But is it her own curiosity that draws her to an ancient cemetery on the outskirts of Paris? Or is she lured by a dark, immortal force she is powerless to resist? When she realizes someone is chasing after her, a shadowy figure getting closer and closer, how quickly the dream becomes nightmare. . . In The Dead Of Night He calls himself a guardian. He is sworn to protect the innocent from an evil most never see. Now that he has caught up to her in the abandoned ruins of a country estate, he insists Tara must trust him. She has carelessly exposed herself. The evil has seen her, but he vows it will not claim her. . . Views: 964
In the gripping conclusion to the action-packed standard bearer (Booklist) of zombie series, the threat of death is given new life.
Benny Imura and his friends have found the jet and Sanctuary, but neither is what they expected. Instead of a refuge, Sanctuary is a hospice, and the soldiers who flew the plane seem to be little more than bureaucrats who have given up hope for humanity's future. With Chong hovering between life and death, clinging to his humanity by a thread, Benny makes a startling discovery: A scientist may have discovered a cure for the zombie plague. Desperate to save Chong, Benny and his friends mount a search and rescue mission. But they're not the only ones on the hunt. The reapers are after the cure too, and they want to use it turn all the zombies into superfast shock troops and wipe humanity off the face of the earth.
In this riveting conclusion to the Rot & Ruin series, the battle to end all battles is just beginning. Views: 964
The unclean places of Jashandar have come alive with a vengeance, hollows of slime, treetops of flesh, the heart of a bog where the beasties run wild. As Brine and Jaysh set out to salvage their homeland, they soon learn their homeland has a mind of its own.Jaysh and Brine have their backs against a wall: Royal subjects are fleeing, rivers run black, the bulk of the livestock are being wadded into mush. Our heroes would love to deploy troops against these happenings, but sadly enough they have no troops to deploy. All able-bodied soldiers have been called upon to occupy the Mad Man’s Pass, the one place in Jashandar where actual people are being slaughtered. Jaysh and Brine have no choice in the matter; they must now venture into the unclean places of their land. Views: 964
This is a short story:Brett Finlay killed himself.Things get weird when he regains consciousness right before his funeral.When an epidemic turns most New Yorkers into vampires, a handful of remaining humans find themselves struggling to survive in a quarantined Manhattan. As their numbers dwindle, Ailis Laurent undergoes a transformation of her own: she becomes a hardened vampire killer.City of Whispers is the first book in the City of Whispers series. The sequel to City of Whispers is titled The Old City and is now available. Thank you for your support! Views: 963
In a world that had to adapt to a drastic new climate, society follows the seasons and migration is law. When the son of the Exalted Leader decides to test his mettle against the unforgiving Summer, he learns that nothing is really what it seems, and the life he thought he understood may be no more than a mirage.After an asteroid collided with earth and changed the tilt of the axis, humanity had to adapt. The survivors of the impact slowly rebuilt, creating a migratory society that followed the short growing seasons. Migration was more than a suggestion, it was the law.Tenet Bradwin, the son of the nation's Exalted Leader, spent weeks gathering supplies and making plans to go through the modern day rite of passage and off-season through the Summer. Others had done it. Others had hidden from the transports and guards to test their mettle against the brutal elements. Others had done it and been considered heroes by their peers. He was certain he could handle it.But he hadn't planned on wraiths. He hadn't considered the enormous gilla and raptors and other preditors that prowled in the sun. He hadn't known his food would spoil in days, or that all his practical training at the Academy was useless in the brutal reality of Summer. In a very short time, Tenet learned that all he thought he knew was no more than a story. He didn't just have to prove his mettle. In the scorching Summer sun, he quickly learned that he had to prove himself. Views: 963
"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" *—Midwest Children's Book Review*
Sammy knew that getting to know her new rockstar dad on a cruise would be a little uncomfortable. . . . But when the heiress to a perfume empire disappears from the ship, it turns out everyone's in for a rocky ride.
In this penultimate book in the Sammy Keyes mystery series, Wendelin Van Draanen pays homage to the mystery genre. This book is a classic locked-room whodunnit—Sammy Keyes style.
The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it's the drama in Sammy's personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.
From the Hardcover edition. Views: 963
Claire's life revolves around Starbucks, stilettos and her career. Until her boss decrees she must visit every British YHA hostel as part of a marketing campaign. used to five-star spa resorts than 'flea-infested hostels' Claire only takes the assignment to fund a much-needed vacation to the Maldives.'Two-Hundred Steps Home Vol 1' contains 31 instalments of the daily blog by WriterMummy"Claire's life revolves around Starbucks, stilettos and her career as an Advertising Account Director for AJC. That is until her boss Carl decides to send her on a mission to visit every one of the 200 YHA hostel in England and Wales as part of a marketing campaign. More used to five-star spa resorts than 'flea-infested hostels' Claire only takes the assignment to save face. It becomes clear to her the 'mission' is a ruse to make her resign.Together with her hated 1980s Skoda Estelle - another part of the assignment - Claire sets off for Berwick-Upon-Tweed and a new way of life. Will Claire get used to sharing a room, going without skinny lattes and travelling in an Eastern European rust bucket. More importantly, will travelling the length and breadth of her home country enable Claire to forget her lost love Michael?"Volume 1 of 'Two-Hundred Steps Home' contains the first 31 instalments of Amanda Martin's daily challenge on her WriterMummy blog. February's instalments will be published as Volume 2 in March 2013. Views: 962
Erotic Romance Serial Novel | ~17,000 words | Part 4 of 5
"There is more than one way to be strong, Julia. You know one of them, I can teach you the other."
Julia has found out the secret that Mark has been keeping from her all this time. The photos of Mark sleeping with Valerie have shocked her to her core and now the ball is in her court.
Is there any hope for their relationship? Is there any hope for saving Lynx? Is there any hope for Julia?
Excerpt:
“Son of a bitch!” I shout, throwing the pictures down on the table as if they burn my fingers. Truth is, they are burning my eyes and incinerating my heart. Mark and Valerie? Under my nose? Behind my back? In front of my face? How can this be happening?
My mind snaps back and forth so quickly I’m worried I might get the bends. One minute I’m revelling in the joy of breaking down the walls that have held my passion in check for so long and the next I am cast into the cold light of this ugly reality. I turn away from the table and walk to the window hoping to see some sun, or smog, or children playing or an old woman getting mugged – anything but those pictures. Then, before I get halfway across the room I go back and look at them. Mark and Valerie James making love, his hands on her hips, his cock in her mouth, her playful, disgusting smile and his deep beautiful eyes looking at her – the way I thought he only looked at me.
Am I mad because he’s the jerk who used me or am I mad because I’m the fool who loved him for it? Views: 962
