"Historical fiction at its best." - S.J.A. Turney, author of Caligula and Marius' Mules Judea, AD 66. A Roman legion suffers a catastrophic defeat at the hands of a band of Hebrews. Knowing Emperor Nero's revenge will be swift, they must decide how to defend their land against the Roman invasion. Caught in the turmoil is Judah: a mason who now finds himself rubbing shoulders with priests, revolutionaries, generals and nobles, drafted to help defend the land of Galilee. Denied the chance to marry, he turns all his energy into defending the besieged city of Jotapata. But with a delusional general, friends falling each day, and the Roman army at the walls, Judah must brave a nightmare to save those he loves and preserve his honor.

A Broadway Stage Manager's pandemic memoir! Winner of the 2022 International Impact Book Award Winner and the 2022 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award! March 12, 2020 Last night, after weeks of downplaying and ridiculing the virus, we were finally told by our President, that it is, in fact, serious… And so, it began. Broadway shut down. Instead of sitting in a darkened theatre every night watching Jersey Boys, Richard Hester, like many other people, found himself sitting on his sofa glued to the news, As the days that followed unfolded and turned into weeks and then into months, we all experienced a profound seismic shift. The virus spread, infecting millions. We lost friends and family. Our economies shut down. Our jobs either stopped or changed in radical ways. The senseless murder of George Floyd forced us to take a hard look at who we are and how we treat each other. The Presidential election, drove the country so far apart that it threatened to destroy Democracy, itself. Hold, Please chronicles it all from the particular point of view of a career Broadway stage manager living in Manhattan. Part journal, part blog, these essays attempted to make sense of the crisis and what it was doing to us. By the end, everything had changed. What follows is a journey through one of the most fascinating periods in both our cultural and our personal histories. Written with humor and compassion, Hold, Please provides a unique perspective on this time and delivers the most important lesson of all - Hope. “I’ve watched Richard create order out of chaos for years, so it comes as no surprise when he was able to do it again with these beautiful posts. Together they create a powerful reminder of where we’ve been as well as a thoughtful and compassionate guide for moving ahead.” - Bernadette Peters “It is no surprise to me that Richard Hester is an exquisite companion as he insightfully guides us on the journey through the strange isolation of that endless pandemic. The Elizabethan theatre was frequently shut down because of the Black Death, and I’ve often tried to imagine how the players of that time managed to cope with the stress. Richard’s book makes it vividly clear.” - Des McAnuff, Director “I am so grateful that Richard wrote all of this down so that I don’t have to remember it myself.” - Patti LuPone “Thank you for taking my suggestion seriously (Imaa need you to file these and publish a book good sir.) because we are all better for it.” - Ariana DeBose “Richard Hester is a saint as far as I’m concerned. Anything he writes I would read, however I haven’t had the time to read his book yet as my first grandchild was just born. As soon as I stop changing diapers, Richard’s book is the first thing I’m reading!” - Mandy Patinkin “I have always been in awe of Richard Hester's gift as a storyteller. He has beautifully crafted a diary that reminds us of the journey we have been on for the past two years, and with this book given us the courage to carry on with hope and faith.” - Sergio Trujillo - Director/Choreographer “(Hester) describes such experiences in a warm, conversational tone in a book in which his lyrical writing about the natural world adds dimension to humorous stories about working—and not working—from home....Hester interweaves descriptions of living through Covid-19 with stories of his colorful theatrical career…” - Kirkus Reviews

"Be prepared to burn the midnight oil. It's well worth it." - Historical Novel Society Under Emperor Nero's rule, Rome is a dangerous place. His cruel, artistic whims border on madness, and anyone who dares rise too high has their wings clipped with fatal results. For one family, this means either promotion or destruction. While his uncle Vespasian goes off to put down a rebellion in Judea, Titus Flavius Sabinus struggles to walk the perilous line between success and notoriety as he climbs Rome's ladder. When Nero is impaled on his own artistry, the whole world is thrown into chaos, and Sabinus must navigate shifting allegiances and murderous alliances as his family tries to survive the year of the Four Emperors.

“By whatever alchemy, it serves the greatest collection of stories ever written — adds to them, modernizes them, makes them feel fresh, forces you to see them both strange and familiar...There has not been anything quite like this ever before.” - THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE A contemporary Festival of Dionysus! This massive work by playwright Sean Graney undertakes a day-long play retelling of the thirty-two surviving Greek tragedies. PART IV: POETICS includes: HELEN AGAMEMNON THE LIBATION BEARERS ELEKTRA ORESTES THE FURIES ANDROMACHE IPHIGENIA IN TAURIS "All Our Tragic is a sprawling, messy, at-times-brilliant show, much like the lives of those it portrays and would hope to honor. It is a singular achievement, one not likely to be repeated any time soon." - GAPERS BLOCK, CHICAGO "We see the full range of relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, sisters and brothers, politicians and citizens, generals and soldiers. We see the horrors and insanity of war in all their extremity, the gruesome payback for sexual betrayals, the high price paid for loyalty, the futility of prophecy and the wages of guilt. We see people driven to acts of both devotion and madness. We feel the lust for power, the ache for home, and the inevitability of death." - CHICAGO SUN-TIMES "An ambitious production that exceeds expectation (as if it's possible to even know what to expect of a 12-hour performance!), All Our Tragic is simply unforgettable, on so many levels. It's not really a show or even a play, but an experience, a total immersion into the imaginations of Sean Graney and the Greeks. The end result is that the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides really do become ours: they are all our tragic." - STAGE AND CINEMA

"Blixt is a man of many talents - actor, director, author. In his hands, history comes to bright, blazing life." - Sharon Kay Penman, author of Lionheart and The Sunne In Splendour Dive into the treacherous landscape of Renaissance Italy, where alliances shift like shadows and betrayal is a constant companion, with the explosive fourth novel David Blixt’s critically acclaimed Star-Cross'd Series! Triumphant in its clash with Padua, Verona now stands at the precipice of a foretold disaster. The Montagues and Capulets continue their epic feud, threatening to plunge Verona into chaos. The once-promising Cesco, a rising star in his own right, plunges headlong into the shadows, steering his extraordinary talents toward a tumultuous existence that defies not only the Veronese lord and the Church but challenges the very constellations themselves. The heart of the struggle is a love that could either be the key to lasting peace or the catalyst for utter destruction. In a bid to reclaim Cesco’s faltering spirit, Pietro Alaghieri welcomes the seething plots and intrigues of the Veronese court, hoping they'll jolt Cesco from his languor. Yet, as the first lifeless body hits the ground, it becomes starkly evident that this new game is a lethal gambit, a perilous trial that threatens to doom them all. Brace yourself for a whirlwind of swashbuckling adventure, smoldering passion, and ruthless betrayal, as this epic tale unfolds—an electrifying odyssey reminiscent of the best works by Bernard Cornwell, Sharon Kay Penman, and Dorothy Dunnett. The stars may have foretold the doom, but the chaos that ensues is beyond even their celestial predictions. Prepare to be swept away by the intricate web of alliances and enmities in The Prince's Doom, a gripping addition to the Star-Cross'd Series that will leave breathless readers eagerly anticipating the next twist in this captivating saga.

Sabatini Finds Justice For Cesare Borgia! Cesare Borgia, former cardinal, Duke of Valentinois and Romanga, tyrant and warlord, has been a figure of awe and scorn for generations. The romance of Borgia’s tumultuous life has been the topic of romances, tragedies, operas, and films, television shows. Friend and patron to Leonardo da Vinci, his rise and fall inspired Machiavelli to write The Prince and Friedrich Nietzsche to write Beyond Good And Evil. Among those inspired by this prince of Italy was famed author Rafael Sabatini (Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk). In Borgia, Sabatini finds a real-life version of his fictional heroes—a brilliant man betrayed and wronged. Only this time, the man is not just wronged by his friends and foes. He is wronged by all of history. Compelled to explore this fascinating historical figure’s true nature, Sabatini wrote a biography and a play. But his best work is in his favourite writing style: historical fiction. With characteristic Sabatini flair, the master of the genre brings Borgia life as no one has before. Drawn to the passion, suspicion, betrayal, and ambition of Borgia’s brief but exciting life, Sabatini presents seven short stories set during the Italian Renaissance: The Honour Of Varano, The Test, Ferrante's Jest, Gisimondi's Wage, The Snare, The Lust Of Conquest, and The Pasquinade. These stories are collected in the volume Sabatini entitled The Justice Of The Duke.

"PLUCKY NELLIE BLY!" “No young writer has ever leaped into such sudden fame in New York as Miss Nellie Bly, who did that lunatic asylum exposure for the New York World. She is a bright, handsome young lady, less than twenty years old, who came to the metropolis from Pittsburg a few months ago, and pluckily undertook to make her living by newspaper work in the great city. She deceived the expert physicians who examined her, and pronouncing her insane they consigned her to one of the insane wards of Blackwell’s Island, where she dwelt among horrors for ten days, noting down in her quick brain all that she saw and heard. The old song says: “Nellie Bly, shuts her eye When she goes to sleep,” but she seems never to have closed a peeper during the whole of that trying ordeal. Her narrative of the horrors of the place—the indifference of doctors, the neglect and cruelty of the nurses and the tortures inflicted upon the unfortunates, is told in a plain, straightforward manner and attests at once to her humanity and truth.” - November, 1887 This volume collects for the first time ever all the reporting surrounding Nellie Bly’s blockbuster undercover story that launched her to fame, including all three versions from her own pen: - Bly's initial account across three articles for the New York World - Bly's bestselling book Ten Days In A Mad-House - Bly's long-form 1889 article Among The Mad for Godey's Lady's Book Also included are over two dozen contemporary articles relating to Bly's madhouse stay, including the attempt by the New York Sun to scoop Bly on her own story! With a foreword by David Blixt, author of What Girls Are Good For: A Novel Of Nellie Bly, The Master Of Verona, and Her Majesty's Will.

Eight years after the tumultuous events of THE MASTER OF VERONA, Pietro Alaghieri is living in exile in Ravenna, enduring the loss of his famous father while secretly raising Cesco, the bastard heir to Verona's prince, Cangrande della Scala. But when word of Cangrande's death reaches him, Pietro must race back to Verona to prevent Cesco's rivals from usurping his rightful place. But young Cesco is determined not to be anyone's pawn. Willful and brilliant, he defies even the stars. And far behind the scenes is a mastermind pulling the strings, one who stands to lose - or gain - the most. Born from Shakespeare's Italian plays, this novel explores the danger, deceit, and deviltry of early Renaissance Italy, and the terrible choices one must make just to stay alive.

An astonishing discovery! Available for the first time in 125 years, the Lost Novels Of Nellie Bly! Pioneering undercover journalist Nellie Bly is rightly famous for exposing society's ills. From brutal insane asylums to corrupt politicians, she exposed all manner of frauds and charlatans. She was also a skilled interviewer and reporter. What no one has known was that she was also a novelist. This is because, of the twelve novels Bly wrote between 1889 and 1895, eleven have been lost. Until now. Newly discovered by author David Blixt (What Girls Are Good For, The Master Of Verona), Nellie Bly's lost works of fiction are now available for the first time! Complete with the original artwork! These are The Lost Novels of Nellie Bly! Alta Lynn and her best friend, Pet Darlington, are out riding one day with two young men when, on a lark, they agree to hold a mock wedding. Only afterwards do the ladies find the marriages are legal and binding! Furious, Alta Lynn rejects her new husband and flees to New York, throwing herself into her education. Three years later she is a doctor with an active practice. A midnight summons to a patient who has attempted suicide leads to several new acquaintances, and Alta Lynn finds herself the personal doctor to the wealthy Osborne family. That summer, while vacationing with the Osbornes, she finds herself face to face with her husband! Worse, a blackmailer is threatening the Osbornes over a dreadful secret that would ruin their daughter. When a man is thrown off a cliff to die in the sea, Alta suspects her secret husband of the deed. She decides to cover for him, unwittingly opening herself up to the blackmailer’s threats. Secrets, scandals, and murder all surround. . .Alta Lynn, M.D.! Extra feature: includes the New York World articles that inspired her stories!

This omnibus edition of the Hard as Stone series brings the entire trilogy together in one volume! Hard as Stone Seventeen-year-old Raven Thane wants an adventure...and she’s going to get one. Just not the way that she expected. Bored and disinterested with a routine life in her remote underground community, she fails to notice a thief during her turn at guard duty. Zander, a charming sharpshooter, tasks her with helping him retrieve the mysterious stolen item. Posing as a couple on the road, they’ll face deadly automatons and Gray Elite soldiers, entangle themselves in a complicated world of spies and freedom fighters, and hide secrets of their own. Can Raven fix her mistake and prove herself more than a simple country girl? Or will she create even more chaos? Thick as Blood With the stolen centrum recovered, Raven’s adventure with Zander is over. Or is it? Raven’s lingering fever worries the Dwellers, and Zander is set on returning her to Silver Glen, pushing her out of their plans to rescue Princess Rosaria. But even when the Hammel Forest seems quiet, a dangerous automaton is always around the next tree. After Raven finds herself in the midst of another rebel caravan, she has a choice to make. Will she return to life underground, find her way back to Zander and the mission, or get swept away on an exciting new journey? Strong as Steel After a harrowing escape from the Gray Elite, everything is in shambles: Zander’s lost his arm, General Deacon will hunt Raven at any cost, and an unexpected ally seeks asylum on their airship. But one thing is going right for Raven—she has magic, thanks to the centrum, and now she needs to learn how to use it. When Raven and her friends seek information about her strange power, she is offered a chance to become a Wraith like Zander. The journey brings more answers than Raven has ever dreamed of as she discovers as much about her own heart as her magic. Will the truth behind her power be enough to change the world or protect the ones she loves? Authors 4 Authors Content Rating This title has been rated 17+, appropriate for older teens and adults, and contains: -Brief strong language -Brief graphic violence -Brief sex -Mild alcohol use -Mild negative illicit drug use -Mild positive and negative fantasy drug use For more information on our rating system, please, visit our Content Guide.