When Josie Miller is called out to Minnie Tate's old farmhouse right before Halloween, she doesn't suspect that she'll get involved with a cold case that her father, previous Sheriff, did not solve. Strange rustlings and whisperings are coming from the pumpkin patch and Minnie's favorite scarum-crow, "Ol' Crowbait," is keeping secrets.

In Hot Thespian Action! Robin Whittaker argues that new plays can thrive in amateur theatres, which have freedoms unavailable to professional companies. He proves it with ten relevant, engaging playscripts originally produced by one of Canada's longest-running theatres, Edmonton's acclaimed Walterdale Theatre Associates. This collection challenges notions that amateur theatre is solely a phenomenon of the pre-professional past. Whittaker makes an important contribution to Canadian theatre studies with the first North American anthology in 80 years to collect plays first produced by a nonprofessionalized theatre company.

Mary Frances Willard, a public-school principal from Chicago, was one of thousands of American women who served as welfare workers for U.S. troops in France during World War I. During the war's final months, she operated a canteen and post exchange in Troyes, attended to convalescing servicemen, arranged their burials and wrote letters to their families. After the Armistice, she headed canteen operations in Le Mans for hundreds of thousands of returning servicemen in embarkation camps. In her final months in France, she toured battlefields and the decimated towns along the Western Front. Presented in historical context, her weekly letters home--from August 1918 through July 1919--relate stories of her service to the doughboys and her interactions with French citizens.

It is Twain's travel diary, published in 1869. This trip took place in 1867 on the decommissioned warship "USS Quaker City". The voyage led from New York via the Azores and was frequently interrupted by short-term land stays at the coastal cities of the Mediterranean, such as Gibraltar, Athens, Smyrna, Beirut, a railroad trip from Marseille to Paris for the World's Fair Paris 1867 and a railroad trip through Italy with Genoa, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples. The book - written a good ten years before the first wave of immigration of political Zionism - gained particular fame for its description of the Holy Land. Gröls Classics - English Edition

Though best known for his adventure novels and humorous stories, Twain was a passionate world traveler and he recorded his journeys in several travel books which were all very popular at the time: "The Innocents Abroad" humorously chronicles Twain's "Great Pleasure Excursion" on board the chartered vessel Quaker City through Europe and the Holy Land in 1867. "Roughing It" follows the travels of young Mark Twain through the Wild West during the years 1861–1867. The book illustrates many of Twain's early adventures, including a visit to Salt Lake City, gold and silver prospecting, real-estate speculation and a journey to the Kingdom of Hawaii. "Old Times on the Mississippi" is a short account of Twain's experiences as a cub pilot, learning the Mississippi river. "A Tramp Abroad" details Twain's journey through central and southern Europe with his friend. As the two men make their way through Germany, the Alps, and Italy, they encounter situations made all the more humorous by their reactions to them. "Life on the Mississippi" is a memoir by Mark Twain of his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War, recounting his trip along the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New Orleans after the War. "Following the Equator" – In an attempt to extricate himself from debt, Twain undertook a tour of the British Empire in 1895, a route chosen to provide numerous opportunities for lectures in English. The book is a social commentary, critical of racism towards Blacks, Asians, and Indigenous groups. "Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion" presents a series of stories about a trip that Twain and some friends took to Bermuda from New York City. "Chapters from my Autobiography" comprises a rambling collection of anecdotes and ruminations of Mark Twain, assembled during his life. Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer.

Yes, it’s our annual Halloween kickoff issue—for the next four Black Cats, extra spooky stories will be creeping and crawling into every issue. This time, we have vampires and scarecrows and werewolves (oh my!) as well as scarecrows and sinister strangers for your reading pleasure. Plus some other tricks and treats. As always, special thanks to our Acquiring Editors for helping round up great stories, and to the volunteer readers who keep discovering great stories for us. If you’re a writer (published or not) we welcome appropriate submissions through our portal at our website. Here’s the complete lineup— Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Skip Trace,” by Angela Zeman [Michael Bracken Presents short story] Skip Rose swore he’d never return to his childhood home, but a desperate family hires him to find out why their daughter was murdered. His investigation drags him back to dark memories and deadly secrets. “The Treasure Map Intrigue,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] After her uncle’s death, Marcy and her cousins find a cryptic note attached to an old map. As they search for treasure, Marcy discovers a hidden clue. Can you solve it before Marcy uncovers the truth? “Special Delivery,” by Linda Cahill [Barb Goffman Presents short story] When a young girl takes over her friend’s paper route, she encounters strange men, dark stories, and a house feared by all the neighborhood kids. What begins as a simple errand turns into a chilling mystery. “Ol’ Crowbait,” by Bobbi A. Chukran [short story] When pranksters target Minnie Tate’s farm, they uncover more than Halloween mischief—triggering events that unravel a long-buried disappearance. As Sheriff Josie Miller digs deeper, eerie scarecrows and strange whispers lead to a chilling discovery. Scotland Yard Can Wait, by Zenith Brown [novel] Inspector Lord investigates a decades-old bank heist. As bodies pile up, can he unravel the mystery before the cunning mastermind escapes with the loot? Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Howl At the Moon,” by John S. Glasby [short story] A cursed castle, a full moon, and an ancient, terrifying secret. When Robert Temple arrives, determined to unearth the truth, he finds himself face-to-face with a horror beyond his worst nightmares. “He Who Stakes,” by Phyllis Ann Karr [short story] In Prince Vlad’s cruel court, Father Clement’s faith is tested when martyrs rise from their stakes. Can mercy and justice prevail over a ruler blinded by righteous fury. “Waystation,” by Hannah Birss [short story] In a rundown bar on Space Station SOL, a lonely miner share a fleeting, intimate encounter with a mysterious woman on a pilgrimage for a new sun. “The Jackson Killer,” by Philip E. High [short story] Sent to a frontier planet to track down a highly intelligent and dangerous mutant, Lassen must outwit his prey while grappling with the morality of his own role as an Eliminator. “The Scientific Pioneer,” Nelson S. Bond [short story, Horsesense Hank series] A farmer with uncanny “horse-sense” shocks university scholars by solving complex scientific problems with ease. But when offered fame, fortune, and love, his unyielding logic leads him on a different path.