Corey has dug himself into a hole so deep, he can’t see a way out. His only goal now is to see this rough patch through. But then Bella waltzes into his life and knocks him on his ass—figuratively and literally. Now, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to prove to her that his wild days are a thing of the past. But he just might need some of his rebellious ways if he wants to keep what he’s finally found. Bella isn’t sure why she’s chosen to stay in the small town of Fairplay, Texas, after her aunt’s funeral. But she’s never been one to back out of a situation. And after running into one of the sexiest and most headstrong cowboys she’s ever met, she doesn’t plan to start now.** Views: 636
From USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Evelyn Adams, Won is the final part of Luke and Claire's story.Emotionally constipated billionaire developer, Luke Masters might finally be learning to love. His strong sexy electrical contractor, Claire English has blown down his barriers and claimed his heart. Just because he’s decided to give this relationship thing a try, doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing. Old habits die hard and Luke’s had a lifetime to pick up the bad ones. Claire’s battled desperately to keep her heart safe from the selfish billionaire who owns her body and wants her soul, but against her better judgment, she’s fallen in love. Luke has promised her the world and more importantly his heart. She’s not sure whether to believe him, but she’s already lost. It’s too late to turn back now. With something far more sinister than a broken heart threatening to rip them apart... Views: 636
If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound? When Napoleon crowned himself Emperor, the magnitude of the spectacle was evident to every witness. But did it matter to, let us say, the Siberian farmer who died shortly thereafter, never hearing of the day? This story of Napoleon’s coronation blends philosophy and history to answer the most profound of existential questions.If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound? This ancient philosophical question is not typically associated with Napoleon’s Coronation Day. But perhaps it should be. With the twenty-first century now firmly underway, the meaning, purpose, and raison d’être for life has been repeatedly, violently, relentlessly undermined from all sides. It is said today, quite routinely, that our universe has been around for 13 billion years and that, indeed, the sun is just one of billions of stars in our galaxy, and that our galaxy is just one of billions in the universe. Still more, it is said that each one of these innumerable stars has its own set of planets, leaving our Earth as, to put it gently, just one of many. Indeed, as Freud posited, mankind has suffered three cruel blows upon its “naïve self-love” in modern times. The first came from Copernicus, who showed that the Earth was not the center of the universe, but rather “only a tiny speck in a world-system of a magnitude hardly conceivable.” The second came from Darwin, who theorized that the human species did not have the “peculiar privilege” of having been specially created, but had instead descended from “the animal world.” And the third insufferable blow, Freud proudly stated, had come from himself and his theory that man is not even “master of his own house,” and must live in ignorance of the powerful unconscious forces that motivate his everyday actions. With this backdrop in mind, the Coronation of Napoleon I, the grandest day Europe has ever known, begins to seem trivial and insignificant. It is naturally presumed that a day of such fanfare, jubilation, pomp, and historical importance is, in fact, an inherently special day. But, if Coronation Day were to be put under a microscope, we might find the moment robbed of its preciousness, aimless rather than select. The Eiffel Tower, the Musée du Louvre, and the epithet “City of Love,” all seem forever inseparable from Paris itself. But perhaps this “Paris” is a veneer, behind which is nothing more than a landmass with unimpressive hills, traversed by a meandering river, all resting rather stably atop a vast tectonic plate. In the same manner, it appears God-given that Napoleon Bonaparte was intrinsically greater than other men, and that his title of Emperor of France is as unchallengeable as Newton’s Third Law. But on the other hand, to reference Darwin above, Napoleon is perhaps less a preordained Übermensch than just another “descendant” from the animal kingdom. Immanuel Kant, the greatest philosopher of the German Enlightenment, developed an epistemological theory which speaks to this question. Kant held that the human mind, as it experiences the world, is working actively, tirelessly, to construct meaning from sensory input which is otherwise adrift, purposeless, and nonsensical. The implication here is, of course, that the world does not contain categorical meaning, but that significance only arises when our minds experience this free-floating stimuli and instinctively construct purpose to it. In short, if a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, it does not make a sound. “The Coronation of Napoleon I,” however, offers an alternative. As it takes its reader through the magnificent day of Napoleon’s Coronation, the short story examines this legendary crowning from a multitude of perspectives. By the end of the tale, one might become persuaded (or perhaps not), that the joyous cries and triumphant music coming from Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, on the Second of December, 1804, did, in fact, echo to all corners of the cosmos, even if the mere sounds themselves never extended beyond the city’s borders. Views: 636
Newlywed Serena Jackson has finally married the man of her dreams. Life is great, broken relationships are on the mend, and serving in ministry is better than ever before. Serena believes that even greater things are on the horizon for her, until her life makes a detour down an unexpected road. Her dream of having the perfect life with what God has blessed her with soon becomes a blur.Everything Serena holds dear to her heart is being snatched away from her. Silenced by her pain and betrayed by the love of her life, Serena's own life-altering decisions will rock her family to the core. She questions whether the God she's served most of her life is really for her. Was everything she worked for all in vain? Views: 636
Amidst the chaos of Rome's civil wars, Quintus Saturnus the mason works hard to produce busts for the Imperial Cult. But constant regime change makes getting paid difficult. Inspired by Robert Grave’s I Claudius and Gore Vidal’s Julian, this is an account of how one man negotiated the anarchy of 68-69AD - the Time of Five Emperors.These two short stories examine the hidden lives of outsiders from society - people who are put on the outside because of mental illness. Their remarkable stoicism and the valuable contributions they can make are put on display here, for the reader to consider.We all know by now that the mentally ill suffer from cruel and crude stereotypes and stigmas of being "defective," "crazy," and "weak", as well as a still-pervasive belief that they are generally prone to committing crimes. Here are two portraits of mentally ill people that show how they often do stand aside from mainstream society, yet inject that mainstream with important insights and inspiration.In the first story, "The Exalted Mortals," Lester, a young man with schizophrenia, finds through the darkness his niche in the world of art - he makes as his subjects the mentally ill and other people with disabilities, conveying to his audiences what contributions the disabled make, and how they strive to love be loved just as others do. He finds in the efforts of the disabled remarkable examples of what the human spirit is capable of, and there is the implication that even more could be accomplished if the seen and unseen barriers to the disabled were lowered.The second story, "Strange Jill," shines a light on the unique perspective of a mentally ill school girl, who knows what "cool" really is, and tries to teach a curious schoolmate what knowing is all about in this world.Neither story contains adult or otherwise explicit content, though the themes might best be discussed with the younger reader. Views: 636
Jeremiah Arkwright's death was sudden and violent. He was a domestic tyrant and uses his strict religious beliefs to control his family. He also had fraught relationships with his farming neighbours. There was another side to Jeremiah, however – a secret life. Has somebody discovered his secret or has someone close to him sought revenge? Edith Horton is drawn into the dark secrets of Pear Tree Farm. Views: 636
New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop Views: 636
As if taking what mattered most to me wasn't enough, i was made to waste 11 years of my life. Now, I'd pay back the favor in Kind...it wont be as long as 11 years, just one tiny sharp pain and they would be out of their misery. Bill settled, debt PAID IN FULL.Sentenced a victim, Discharged a Hit man. She's out on the loose and the only thing on her mind is Payback. After years of torture and survival and pain and gain, she'd stop at nothing to make sure the people responsible for making her life hell these past years are out of the picture.Does Valerina succeed in this quest for payback? or does it only lead her to more heartbreaking truth?There's only one way to find out. Views: 636
Wuhn was a pristine world with lime skies and clear oceans, surrounded by a thin ring system that looked like crumbled glaciers sparkling in the sky. The grass and leaves were royal blue because of the abundance of blue protons seeping through the atmosphere. Its landscape was diverse and luxurious, with cliffs and architecture that reached the clouds.Wuhn was a pristine world with lime skies and clear oceans, surrounded by a thin ring system that looked like crumbled glaciers sparkling in the sky. The grass and leaves were royal blue because of the abundance of blue protons seeping through the atmosphere. Its landscape was diverse and luxurious, with cliffs and architecture that reached the clouds.The Wuhn society was a Type 1 civilization of highly intelligent beings. They were over a billion strong and they had developed a moderate degree of telepathy and other advanced abilities. It took a long lineage of strife and struggle for them to make it to this level.In their early history, life was trial and error, and sometimes terror. For most, life “was toil and no one was spoiled. Them being weaker in strength than the other predatory species of the world, caused them to have to resort to using their intelligence and other physical attributes. This put them on a divine path to gaining advantage over everything on the planet; everything except for themselves. An achievement of that magnitude would take time and wisdom. Views: 636
Adam experience his powers for the first time on the other side and the results where totally unexpected.This is the fifth side story following the adventures of Adam the hero in the novel of the same name, by Chrif Elidrissi.Adam experience his powers for the first time on the other side and the results where totally unexpected. Views: 636
Marines Versus Vampires in the Vietnam War. A mean team of soldiers find an abandoned village in the jungle. and a host of undead enemies.Marines Versus Vampires in the Vietnam war. A mean team of soldiers find an abandoned village in the jungle. and a host of undead enemies. Views: 636
