In celebration of Missy’s birthday, Grandma takes her to buy a plant. Her favorites are the bromeliads, and the variety Missy chooses are called “Fireballs.” The center of the plant is known as the “mother,” while little sprouts—or “pups”—grow next to her. At home, Missy puts her Fireball in a sunny place, and soon, more pups begin to grow. Some of the pups need to be moved to other pots in order to grow properly. The pups and mother worry about the consequences of being separated, but it must be done for the good of the family. Enlisting the help of others in the garden, Mother Fireball and her pups cope with the distance. The kind community spreads love far and wide, proving that families can feel close even when not living together. By working as friends and trusting each other, all the creatures of the garden form a loving bond.

In celebration of Missy's birthday, Grandma takes her to buy a plant. Her favorites are the bromeliads, and the variety Missy chooses are called "Fireballs." The center of the plant is known as the "mother," while little sprouts--or "pups"--grow next to her. At home, Missy puts her Fireball in a sunny place, and soon, more pups begin to grow. Some of the pups need to be moved to other pots in order to grow properly. The pups and mother worry about the consequences of being separated, but it must be done for the good of the family. Enlisting the help of others in the garden, Mother Fireball and her pups cope with the distance. The kind community spreads love far and wide, proving that families can feel close even when not living together. By working as friends and trusting each other, all the creatures of the garden form a loving bond.

Making other paranormal mysteries look tame. Centuries-old vampires who play pickleball. Aging werewolves who surf naked beneath the full moon. Plus dragons, demons, ghouls, and more. They’re all in Florida, land of the weird, where even monsters come to retire. Enter Missy Mindle. She’s started over in midlife as a home health nurse for elderly monsters and as a witch with growing powers. She solves mysteries and fights evildoers with help from a cute reporter. But dangerous secrets from the parents she never knew keep bubbling up. SNOWBIRDS OF PREY Dead bodies, drained of blood, are piling up on the beach beside Squid Tower. Unfortunately, this condo community is full of retired vampires who won’t survive if the police find out about them. Is one of their own responsible for the bodies? Or is someone framing them? Missy must solve the mystery. INVASIVE SPECIES Missy nurses an injured baby dragon she found in the Everglades. And she has to protect it from a deranged python hunter, an evil god, and an almost-as-evil CEO. Meanwhile, one of her vampires has been abducted, and she has to rescue him before he’s staked. FATE IS A WITCH Missy has two mysteries to solve. First, who is making a series of dangerous magick attacks against her? And who is stealing corpses from funeral homes in Jellyfish Beach? When an embalmer is murdered, one of Missy’s patients, a werewolf, is arrested. Can she exonerate him?

A new kind of paranormal mystery with some very old monsters. Book 1 of a complete series. Everyone retires to Florida. Even supernaturals. Working as a home health nurse for retired vampires and werewolves, midlife witch Missy Mindle unexpectedly has murders to solve. A serial killer—human or otherwise—has been depositing bodies drained of blood near Squid Tower in Jellyfish Beach, Florida. If the police discover these beachfront condos are filled with elderly vampires, the residents will be staked on sight. Missy has to play detective with a little help from her magick. She and a cute local reporter try to prove that the murderer doesn’t live at Squid Tower—and not get themselves killed in the process. Snowbirds of Prey kicks off the Freaky Florida humorous paranormal mysteries, a complete, clean, cozy series filled with magic, monsters, and mystery; sarcasm and satire; and, of course, Florida Man. If you’re a fan of paranormal women’s fiction and like mysteries with thrills, frights, and laughs, this series is for you. Grab this book and enjoy a vacation in Jellyfish Beach today. The Freaky Florida humorous paranormal mysteries: Snowbirds of Prey Invasive Species Fate Is a Witch Gnome Coming Going Batty Dirty Old Manatee Gazillions of Reptilians Freaky Florida Books 1-3

This fresh look at Hollywood's "Queen of Screwball," Carole Lombard, presents a first-ever examination of the events that led to the shocking flight mishap that took her life on the side of a Nevada mountain in 1942. It also provides a day-by-day account of the struggles of Lombard's husband, Clark Gable, and other family, friends, and fans to cope with the tragedy. In effect, having just completed the first sale of war bonds and stamps in the nation following its entry into World War II, Lombard became the first Hollywood start to sacrifice her life in the War. The War Department offered Gable a funeral service with full military honors, but he refused it, knowing that his wife would not approve of such spectacle. Based on extensive research rather than gossip, this investigation further explores the lives of the 21 others on the plane, including 15 members of the U.S. Army Air Corps, and addresses one of the most enduring mysteries of World War II. On a clear night full of stars, with TWA's most experienced pilot at the controls of a 10-month-old aircraft under the power of two fully functioning engines, why did the flight crash into that Nevada mountainside? This gripping page-turner presents the story of the people on the plane, the friends and families left behind, and the heroic first responders who struggled up a mountain hoping to perform a miracle rescue. It is a story of accomplishment, bravery, sacrifice, and loss.

Midlife manatee insanity Who’s behind the plot to kill off Florida’s sea cows? While midlife witch Missy Mindle tries to solve this mystery, she must nurse a rescued manatee back to health. The problem is, he’s actually a human shifter, Seymour, who wants to celebrate manatee mating season with her. Missy and her reporter friend Matt face corporate villains and team up with the ruthless Mothers4Manatees. Throw in a vengeful vampire who wants to kill her, and Missy’s magick is pushed to the limit. Meanwhile, she discovers what life would have been like if she hadn’t divorced years ago: living with a flabby, middle-aged guy who leaves the toilet seat up. Dirty Old Manatee is Book 6 of Freaky Florida, a humorous paranormal mystery series filled with magic, monsters, and mystery; sarcasm and satire; and, of course, Florida Man. If you love the thrills of urban fantasy, the wit of cozy witch mysteries and paranormal women’s fiction, plus a big splash of comedy, this series is for you.

A novel of high-tech terrorism from “the equal of any top-selling thriller novelist, such as James Rollins, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child and others” (The Oklahoman). THIS IS NOT A TEST It begins with a computer malfunction. A 737 passenger jet drops from the sky from 34,000 feet. Then another. And another. At the same time, the unthinkable happens in our nuclear power plants. Water pumps fail. Nuclear cores melt. Untold millions could die . . . THIS IS THE FUTURE OF TERROR With each passing hour, orchestrated cyber attacks unleash a massive wave of death and utter destruction. Chemical plants explode. Floodgates burst open. Power grids self-destruct. From Wall Street to Washington, the fear is going viral—and the panic could lead to the total annihilation of America. THIS IS WORLD WAR 3.0 Missiles and guns are useless. Generals and diplomats are powerless. America’s last hope lies with two specially trained FBI agents: Hank Goodnight and computer programmer Paige Randall, who must penetrate the darkest recesses of the web and infiltrate the twisted network of a faceless enemy. And dare to fight fire with fire—apocalypse be damned . . . Praise for the writing of Tim Washburn “Washburn brings a new kind of terror.” —Marc Cameron,New York Times–bestselling author “Like a nuclear reactor, this story heats up fast!” —Anderson Harp, author of the Will Parker Thrillers “Apocalypse has come . . . Unsettling . . . Washburn shows formidable storytelling skills.” —Mystery Scene

Know your frenemy. ‘I’ve had adventures too. My whole life doesn’t revolve around you, you know.’ When she's not busy amassing armies of Cybermen, or manipulating the Doctor and his companions, Missy has plenty of time to kill (literally). In this all new collection of stories about the renegade Time Lord we all love to hate, you'll discover just some of the mad and malevolent activities Missy gets up to while she isn't distracted by the Doctor. So please try to keep up.

Chasing Hepburn is the story of the Lee family—a saga spanning four generations, two continents, and a century and a half of Chinese history. In the masterful hands of acclaimed author Gus Lee, his ancestors’ stories spring vividly to life in a memoir with all the richness of great fiction. From the time of her birth in 1906 it was expected that Gus Lee’s mother, Tzu Da-tsien, would become an elegant bride for a wealthy provincial man. But she was shunted onto a less certain path by age three, when her warmhearted father rescued her from her foot-binding ceremony in response to her terrified screams. This dramatic rejection of tradition was the first of many clashes that would lock the family in a constant struggle between Chinese customs and modern ways. Later, with the Chinese countryside in the grip of civil war, the Tzu family moved to Shanghai, seeking financial stability. There Da-tsien met Lee Zee Zee, the dashing son of the Tzus’ landlord, who lived across the street. With their patriarch succumbing to opium addiction, Zee Zee’s family was on the brink of ruin, and Da-tsien’s mother was working hard to secure her big-footed daughter’s marriage to a wealthy older man. But not even the protests of both families could keep the lovers apart, and these two socially displaced clans were reluctantly united. Over the course of their courtship and marriage, Zee Zee and Da-tsien would encounter the most important movements and figures of the times, including underworld gangsters, Communist students and workers, revolutionary armies, Christian missionaries, and legions of invading Japanese soldiers. Zee Zee became an ardent anti-Maoist and an ally of the highest-ranking leaders in the Chinese Nationalist movement. But his flights from tradition took him away from his young family—first into Chiang Kai-shek’s air force and later to America in search of his idol, Katharine Hepburn. Faced with this abandonment and with the chaos of the Japanese occupation, Da-tsien would rely on all of her resources, traditional and modern—faith, superstition, tremendous courage, and her strong feet—in an attempt to preserve her family. Gus Lee takes us straight into the heart of twentieth-century Chinese society, offering a clear-eyed yet compassionate view of the forces that repeatedly tore apart and reconfigured the lives of his parents and their contemporaries. He moves deftly from recounting intimate household conversations to discussing major historical events, and the resulting story is by turns comic, harrowing, heroic, and tragic. For most of her life, Da-tsien prayed for a son who would honor his family and respect his Chinese heritage. In this enthralling tribute, Gus Lee lovingly accomplishes both.