No one craves an escape more than Alice Carradine. Six years ago, her future was stolen by an unexpected accident. Now a quadriplegic, Alice is confined to bed and mired in depression.Her saving grace is the "The Darker Ages," a complex virtual world that offers its players a chance at a new life. In this virtual reality, Alice escapes into the body of Princess Arienne, whose life is infinitely more thrilling. As Princess Arienne, Alice gets to experience the fantastical medieval adventure of her dreams. But her virtual life is far from perfect.Her fiance is a pain in the ass. Her secret crush is murdered in front of her. Then she's abducted by pirates, led by the wickedly charming Alfred Du Bois. Arienne's roguish abductors dedicate their time to plundering, brawling and flirting. Not necessarily in that order. The Darker Ages is an epic fantasy with a virtual reality twist.

After getting captured by her father's usurpers, Princess Arienne is imprisoned in her own castle. As the day of her execution draws near, she needs help. She needs her sister. In the real world, pop superstar Zena Carradine has little interest in virtual reality. When her sister begs her to enter "The Darker Ages," she has her doubts. However, Zena is swept away by Arienne's world... until she realizes she's the wife of a twisted king. Meanwhile, the real world identities of several characters are revealed, including the pompous Prince Jonah.The Darker Ages 2: Rebirth is a historical fantasy set in a virtual world. To fully enjoy the story, reading the previous novel is recommended.

Princess Arienne has awful luck. First, she's betrothed to the world's most pompous prince. On the way to her wedding, her secret crush is murdered in front of her. Then she's abducted by pirates, led by the wickedly charming Alfred Du Bois. But none of it is real. Arienne exists in a realistic virtual world called the “altsphere.” In real life, the princess is a quadriplegic named Alice. Paralyzed and mired in depression, Alice craves an escape. Virtual reality lets her live again. The Darker Ages combines elements of fantasy, romance and mystery, as the real world identities of various characters are gradually revealed.

Written with a great ear for mimicry, Burksey is the spoof ghosted autobiography of the world's most infamous footballing celebrity - Steve 'Burksey' Burkes. Comically charting the sensational, ludicrous and yet strangely believable world of the fictitious superstar, Manchester United, Chelsea, Spurs and England striker, Burksey, reveals the 'real' reasons why Gazza cried at Italia 90, why footballers wore such tight shorts in the 1980s, how London really won the 2012 Olympics, how Gabby Logan became addicted to lip gloss and why Gareth Southgate missed that penalty at Euro 96. Burksey is never short of a controversial word about his contemporaries. Of England manager Graham Taylor he says: 'A motivational tool? He certainly was.' Of the hated German foe: "Just looking at the cocky Matthias Sammer made me want to stick one on him. And that also went for Reuter, Scholl, Kuntz; the lot of them." And of himself, Burksey rails: "Steve Burkes was a trainee drunk and a hyperactive pervent who enjoyed interfering with dead goats. And people complain there are no characters in the game any more." No areas of modern celebrity culture are left untouched by the satire in this book. From BritArt to Politics, Rehab Clinics to the Mafia, Feng Shui to Prison, Burksey examines them all from his own unique angle. Although the three Ds - drink, drugs and dolls - form the cornerstone of his leisure activities, Burksey's takes on his other interests - politics, contemporary art and any number of modern cultural phenomena - are never less than provocative. As are his views on the numerous sporting and national celebrities with whom he crosses paths during his rumbustious career; including David Beckham, Wayne Rooney. Tony and Cherie, Sven, Jeremy Clarkson, Damien Hirst, Eric Cantona, Lord Sebastian Coe, Sir Bobby Robson, Glenn Hoddle and Mother Theresa. This ground-breaking book will delight all lovers of football, sport in general and modern celebrity culture. It is not a book to be sold solely to football fans, but a satire for the 21st century, which everyone should read.Is Burksey a winner or a w***er? You decide

"[A] breezy, entertaining crime novel... an auspicious debut" Publishers Weekly on Impure Blood It is carnival time in Nice, and for three weeks the boulevards are alive with dancers, jugglers and musicians. Amid the colour and pageantry, a man suffers a fatal fall - the first in a series of suspicious deaths. Captain Paul Darac of the Brigade Criminelle is sure the answer lies in the mystery surrounding a daring bank heist, supposedly resolved years ago. But the reopening of the case awakens powerful enemies, and soon the safety of his friends, his colleagues and his family is at stake.

Captain Paul Darac of the Brigade Criminelle arrives at a crime scene to find a woman's mutilated corpse. Initially routine, the case deepens and darkens into a complex enquiry that threatens to close in on Darac himself. But allegiances past and present must be set aside to unravel a tale of greed, deception and treachery that spans the social spectrum. It is among the winding streets of his own neighbourhood in Nice's old town, the Babazouk, that Darac faces his severest test yet.

'Outcasts' examines the much tarnished reputation of FIFA, the governing body of world football, and just how they justify the exclusion of some 'nations' from their organisation while welcoming others.