With time slipping away, saving the universe takes bravery…and cats. Learning to intermix her regular life with her new, destined life as a guardian of universal knowledge, Erica Randal studies hard, trains hard, and manages the two distinctly different parts of her day-to-day. She’s even getting used to her new cohort of cats, though the tension between her and the leader of her cats, Galahad, leaves her edgy. Getting used to the fact that Galahad has a human form, and that she finds that human form…compelling, makes their new living situation fraught. But even with that, Erica has accepted her new life, her new family. Accepted her fate. Even enjoys the training. What she really craves now, though… Her first chance to retrieve one of the books she and her aunt are fated to protect. So when the opportunity finally arises, Erica jumps at the chance. A retrieval that leads her and her cats into a dangerous desert adventure. A confrontation with deadly magic. And time running out for all of them… Author’s Note: This story is also published in the collection HAUNTS AND HOWLS AND JESTERS BELLS. keywords: Cat shifters, portal fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal urban fantasy, contemporary fantasy, magic fantasy, action and adventure, short story collections, demons and devils, witches and wizards, urban fantasy magic, magic and mayhem, monsters and demons, heroes and warriors, myths and legends, paranormal romance

Fighting an alien invasion requires a good appetite… I’m an out of work dog walker who never expected to confront the end of the world in my lifetime. Especially not when that end of the world comes in the form of an alien invasion. Who expects that to happen for real, right? But there you have it. Aliens. Invading Earth. And only a rough band of us humans to defend the entire planet. With the only weapons we have. If we can stomach using it. Author’s Note: This story is also published in the collection HAUNTS AND HOWLS AND JESTERS BELLS. keywords: Contemporary fantasy, paranormal, alien invasion, humorous alien invasion, science fiction, short story, short story collections, action adventure, science fiction short stories, dolphins and bugs, aliens vs humans, humorous paranormal aliens

When laughter collides with fear… Where humor meets terror, new heroes emerge. Whether laughing, or questing, or simply trying to survive, fate calls to the worthy. They answer only if they dare. Because daring to find light inside darkness, braving the mysteries beneath the surface of reality, brings reluctant champions to the fight. A fight for good. A fight for the luckless. A fight to protect the world. And when the jesters ring their bells, the dangers begin. Spooky humor and creepy thrills fill this entertaining new collection of six original contemporary fantasy stories from bestselling author Kat Simons. Including an all new Destiny Cats novella, and a brand new Friday’s Curious Shop story. keywords: Dark fantasy, Urban fantasy, paranormal urban fantasy, contemporary fantasy, humor fantasy, short story collections, demons and devils, witches and wizards, dragons and mythical creatures, series urban fantasy, urban fantasy magic, magic and mayhem, monsters and demons, heroes and warriors, myths and legends, spooky season stories

Robert Naeye is renowned for his lucid contributions to Astronomy, the world's biggest selling astronomy magazine. In Through the Eyes of Hubble: The Birth, Life and Violent Death of Stars, he uses 100 striking color images from the Hubble Space Telescope to illuminate the mind-stretching story of how stars are born, live, and die. Although focusing on astrophysics, the account is compelling, equation free, and accessible to everyone. In addition, there are eight beautiful paintings to appreciate, including works by the most famous living space artist, Michael Carroll.

Priceless artifact, impossible heist… How can a thief resist? As Myra tries to find her footing in this new world of dragon shifters, one problem clearly stands out above the rest. The dragon king and his dangerous jobs. Avoiding Christopher because of his father proves impossible, though. And when the king offers her yet another job, a heist almost as interesting as it is impossible, she gives in. To both the job, and working with Christopher. Pulling off an impossible theft requires focus, precision, and planning. Precision and planning, Myra has down. Focus… With Christopher around, that focus wavers. Ignoring a seven-foot tall, intimidatingly sexy dragon shifter would challenge even the most determined. Myra’s determined. Just not determined enough to stay away from Christopher. But first they have to pull of his father’s impossible mission and recover a priceless relic. Without getting caught. And without letting her feelings get in the way. keywords: Paranormal Romance; Shapeshifter Romance; Shifter Romance; Dragon Shifter Romance; Urban fantasy; urban fantasy romance; heist fantasy; paranormal urban fantasy; contemporary fantasy; paranormal fantasy; dark fantasy; horror fantasy; mystery fantasy; paranormal mystery; crime fiction; magic fantasy; witches and wizards; urban fantasy magic; dragons and myths; alternate history urban fantasy romance

Beware the noise behind the walls…And the dropped Cheetos Albert just wants some peace and quiet. Work and silence and no disturbances. Instead, a noise…a ringing noise in his apartment drives him to distraction. The noise even invades his dreams. When he realizes the ringing is coming from inside the walls, Albert really starts to worry. Anything could be behind that wall. Anything could be making that sound. Discovering the truth, however, proves more terrifying, and strange, than anything Albert could have expected. Author’s Note: This story is also published in the collection HAUNTS AND HOWLS AND JESTERS BELLS. keywords: Contemporary fantasy, paranormal, portal fantasy, short story, short story collections, action adventure, portal fantasy short stories, dark fantasy, horror, demon paranormal fantasy, alien invasion, humorous alien invasion,

Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas. After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas take refuge with Black Cross, a fanatical group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at their hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend—the vampire Balthazar—hiding is no longer an option. Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run again, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they travel, Bianca can't escape her destiny. Bianca has always believed their love could survive anything . . . but can it survive what's to come?

Jets are ubiquitous in the Universe, but ill-understood. Conservative books base their interpretations on focused stellar winds, ejected "bullets", black-hole central engines, and in-situ upgrading of electron energies via shocks. This volume, however, attempts a uniform interpretation of the bipolar-flow family, involving extremely relativistic pair plasma as the jet substance, and rotating magnets (possibly burning disks) as the central engines. Among the discussed sources are SS 433, YSO jets, planetary nebulae, our galactic center, and the class of extragalactic QSOs, both radio-loud and radio-quiet.

Rough-and-tumble tomcat Midnight Louie, and his redheaded human companion, Temple Barr, are up to their ears in trouble when a Halloween seance to resurrect the spirit of Harry Houdini results in supernatural murder, and it is up to them to find out who--or what--was responsible.

Filled with data about the Earth, Moon, the planets, the stars, our Galaxy, and the myriad galaxies in deep space, this invaluable resource reveals the latest scientific discoveries about black holes, quasars, and the origins of the Universe. It includes maps supported by detailed tables of the names, positions, magnitudes, and spectra of the main stars in each constellation along with key data on galaxies, nebulae, and clusters. MNASSA wrote, "This book fills a niche with detailed astronomical data and concise explanations, all at an accessible level it is an excellent resource, and probably will be the first book I shall reach for.