Truth may be stranger than fiction but reality makes the best fantasy. A system-neutral guide to inspire GMs and players alike. Contains the following 9 articles: Antipopes, Courtesans, Friends & Family, Ghosts, Heroes, Monsters, St. Nick & Krampus, Substitutes, Tisquantum AKA Squanto.

The bad girl of the magical underworld is back and badder than ever Someone wants Marla Mason dead. Usually that’s not news. As chief sorcerer of Felport, someone always wants her dead. But this time she’s the target of a renegade assassin who specializes in killing his victims over days, months, or even years. Not to mention a mysterious knife-wielding killer in black who pops up in the most unexpected places. To make matters worse, an inmate has broken out of the Blackwing Institute for criminally insane sorcerers—a troubled psychic who can literally reweave the fabric of reality to match her own traumatic past. With her wisecracking partner Rondeau reluctantly in tow, Marla teams up with a “love-talker” whose dangerous erotic spells not even she can resist. Together they’re searching the rapidly transforming streets of Felport for a woman who’s become the Typhoid Mary of nightmares, infecting everything—and everyone—she touches with a chaos worse than death itself.

From smartphones to social media, from streaming videos to fitness bands, our devices bring us information and entertainment all day long, forming an intimate part of our lives. Their ubiquity represents a major shift in human experience, and although we often hold our devices dear, we do not always fully appreciate how their nearly constant presence can influence our lives for better and for worse. In this revised and expanded edition of How Fantasy Becomes Reality, social psychologist Karen E. Dill-Shackleford explains what the latest science tells us about how our devices influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In engaging, conversational prose, she discusses both the benefits and the risks that come with our current level of media saturation. The wide-ranging conversation explores Avatar, Mad Men, Grand Theft Auto, and Comic Con to address critical issues such as media violence, portrayals of social groups, political coverage, and fandom. Her conclusions will empower readers to make our favorite sources of entertainment and information work for us and not against us.

Tamsyn Muir's New York Times and USA Today bestselling Locked Tomb Series continues with Nona ...the Ninth? A Finalist for the Hugo and Locus Awards! An Indie Next Pick! The Locked Tomb is a 2023 Hugo Finalist for Best Series! “You will love Nona, and Nona loves you.” —Alix E. Harrow “Unlike anything I've ever read.” —V.E. Schwab on Gideon the Ninth “Deft, tense and atmospheric, compellingly immersive and wildly original.” —The New York Times on Gideon the Ninth Her city is under siege. The zombies are coming back. And all Nona wants is a birthday party. In many ways, Nona is like other people. She lives with her family, has a job at her local school, and loves walks on the beach and meeting new dogs. But Nona's not like other people. Six months ago she woke up in a stranger's body, and she's afraid she might have to give it back. The whole city is falling to pieces. A monstrous blue sphere hangs on the horizon, ready to tear the planet apart. Blood of Eden forces have surrounded the last Cohort facility and wait for the Emperor Undying to come calling. Their leaders want Nona to be the weapon that will save them from the Nine Houses. Nona would prefer to live an ordinary life with the people she loves, with Pyrrha and Camilla and Palamedes, but she also knows that nothing lasts forever. And each night, Nona dreams of a woman with a skull-painted face... At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The crossover literary sensation...now in paperback! Through the lens of Kelly Link's vivid imagination, nothing is what it seems, and everything deserves a second look. From the multiple award- winning "The Faery Handbag," in which a teenager's grandmother carries an entire village (or is it a man-eating dog?) in her handbag, to the near-future of "The Surfer," whose narrator (a soccer-playing skeptic) waits with a planeload of refugees for the aliens to arrive, these ten stories are funny and full of unexpected insights and skewed perspectives on the world. Kelly Link's fans range from Michael Chabon to Peter Buck of R.E.M. to Holly Black of Spiderwick Chronicles fame. Now teens can have their world rocked too!

THE VALLEY OF TEN CRESCENTS SERIES Book 1: Thieves at Heart Born in poverty, a half-elf in a human city, Tavera lives in a world where she doesn't belong -- until the day she meets Derk. Initiated into the elite group of self-made scoundrels known as the Cup of Cream, Tavera must choose between loyalty to her father and a place as one of the THIEVES AT HEART. Book 2: Self-Made Scoundrel Dershik Cartaskin's life is one of power, wealth, privilege... and lies. Son to an ambitious father, husband to a wife he cannot love, and father to a child who is not his own, Dershik has everything, and yet nothing to call his own. When the price of power and the weight of lies grow too great for him to bear, Dershik decides to leave everything he's ever known behind, and makes a deadly choice that will irrevocably alter his future. Rejecting his former life, Dershik takes on a new name and a new identity, and sets out to forge his legacy as Derk -- member of the band of thieves known as the Cup of Cream, and SELF-MADE SCOUNDREL. But soon Derk finds that even a dishonest man can't hide from the truth... Book 3: Red Moon Rising The rise of a deadly cult threatens life in the Valley of Ten Crescents. Alone, betrayed, and on the run from the law, Tavera finds herself charged with rescuing Kella, a priestess with a powerful secret who has been kidnapped by the cult. Tavera finds she can no longer be a little girl lost, but must become a leader and a savior if she is to survive the RED MOON RISING. Bonus: Little Girl Lost Tavera is a child passed from hand to hand as a source of cheap labor in the underworld of the Valley. When she finds herself at the mercy of the vicious sausage maker, the elderly Madame Greswin, she discovers secrets from the woman's past and the consequences leave Tavera fighting for her life.

From the ever-flowing pen of Parker Highland comes five tales for young adults that range in topic and tone from dark to bright and from fantastic to utterly real. What happens to the mind of boy facing real horror? What goes through the mind of a girl just existing? What kind of an epic battle is really possible to win? Five stories that are certain to touch, move, and in some cases even anger. 1. BATTLE AT GRENOBLE: Young Adult Fantasy Tale The Pauper district has been burned to the ground except for a few houses on the outskirts of town. However, amongst the rubble still stands the Elsinige Cathedral, where the young Lord Jean Krell and his first Knight Pierre, fought a battle against Lord Rismund Krell. The eldest brother Rismund, has sold his soul to the black arts of sorcery and alchemy, and in order to have immortality, he must kill his younger brother. During the first battle, all of Jean Krell’s men fought bravely and lost their lives, except for Sir Pierre. How will the young Lord and his first knight defeat the heartless monster and his evil minions when they return for blood? 2. FROZEN IN TIME: Young Adult Tale of Mystery and Suspense Two boys, Stew and Jared set out to play on a warm, sunny day in their familiar surroundings. As they spend the day playing several “backyard games,” Jared decides to tell Stew about a voice he hears coming from the storage house, near where they were playing. They become curious and decide to listen closely and see if they might hear that same voice. The voice is now much too real for them. But together, they finally muster up the courage and face whatever it is, once and for all. Will Stew and Jared have each other’s back or is someone just playing a trick on them? But what is it that has them frozen in their steps? They are not alone, that’s for sure. 3. IN THE SHADOW OF THE INN: Young Adult Short Story A young girl finds herself in an unembellished motel, where people such as tourists check in and out daily. She takes a look around at her surroundings and ponders at the idea of how she got to The Sandalwood Motel in the first place. She wonders how she became so comfortable in a clearly unordinary place. Some of which call it paradise and others a sleazy motel. She struggles to find meaning in her life and in the life others. She can’t help but to occupy her time and thoughts by examining her neighbors closely and the crazy life of many that have checked in and out of The Sandalwood Motel. 4. SCATTERED THOUGHTS: A Young Adult Short Story Donny was a projectionist at the local movie theater. The only problem was each film reel had to be started on time and time management was defiantly not his strong suit. On this particular day Donny not only was an hour and half late for his shift, but feeling a little on the disgruntle side. His employee file had already been filled with write ups and who knows what else he was doing wrong. But today was different. He felt he had a sense of seniority and let his egotistic thoughts take over the best of him. Everyone knew something was different about Donny but didn’t expect this to be his last day at work. What could have possibly sent him off the edge? 5. THE BEAST WITHIN: Young Adult Werewolf Short Story While trying to get home one night, Justin keeps hearing sounds in the distance and what should be a short walk home, changes his life forever. Justin is a high school senior and he has a secret that can’t get out, or he would be hunted for the rest of his life. He begins to notice little changes after the walk home, and can’t wait to talk to his best friend Phoebe about it. She is the only he can trust. She decides to take him away to a trusted and safe area in order to find out the truth. What will the truth bring? Will it be something that Justin and Phoebe can handle or will it be too much to keep a secret?

Poetry is something I always loved to do never really thought about it, I just loved to write about life and its ups and downs and all the trials and tribulations of family and friends along with my own experiences through life the best part about writing poetry is everything, nothing is off limits the only thing that can Hinder you is your own imagination, so be free speak your mind.

Animals have been with us since the state of existence or being. The bible tells us God created the animal kingdom for his pleasure. When God created the heaven and earth and all life that exist, he obviously saw a need for animals or they would not be here. Why God created them in the shapes and forms as they were we do not know; the choice was his and as I mentioned "He chose to do so in a way that pleases him." Animals have a mind that gives them the ability to think and have feelings. Animals have a certain intelligence we do not possess such as an internal guidance system. Both dogs and cats have this ability and I would imagine there are other animals as well. God created everything with a purpose and a need; the animals kingdom is one such example. Many people believe God's purpose for animals is to serve humankind, and upon death they are to perish with no possible chance for eternal life. However, does the bible teach this? In the first chapter of the book of Genesis the bible tells us God considered the animals a creation that was very good; he was pleased with them. Many people consider the life of an animal as having a very small worth. To them an animal just lives and dies. Many people have the attitude of so what. The bible tells us God doesn't care for an attitude such as this because he values the life of his animals very much. Throughout the entire bible the information found pertaining to the animal kingdom is very precise. The bible tells us the animals are to be forever. God had this intention when he created them and this application of thought remains today and forever. The bible never mentions mankind alone is to receive eternal life. How different would our lives be without animals? There would be no pets for those who are lonely and without family. There would be no zoos for family outings. There would be no circus acts with animals. There would be no dog as a best friend. There would be no Seeing Eye dogs. There would be no animals to alert their owners of an ever-present danger during the night such as fires, burglars etc. I believe we simply overlook the fact there is a purpose for all of God's creatures. The purpose for this book is to reveal the truth in what the bible tells about the animal kingdom. We need to know God's purpose for them. The bible explains in detail God's plan for his animals even after death. God wants us to know about them or he would never have emphasized their importance in his word. Many people are reluctant to discuss the animal kingdom from a biblical point of view. I find this strange to say the least. God has included them in his written word but many ministers will say very little if anything about them. The scriptures in this book are from the King James Bible. What the bible tells us is 100% accurate and lest we never forget, God simply made no mistakes in his word. The bible is never contradictory. We will read scriptures that clearly explain that animals will be in heaven and why God wants them to be there with us. If we had the power to give our pet(s) eternal life would we want the life of our animals to be temporal? If God loves his animals more than we could ever love them shouldn't this type of love indicate his love for them is tremendous? Since we know God can give animal's eternal life could be there any single reason to give them life that would be only temporary. First we should know the bible is not dull, dismal or neutral. The bible is not an area between two extremes having mingled characteristics of both of them: a situation in which there are no clear-cut distinctions. The interpretations of scriptures have been defined several ways over the years and this has cause confusion in many churches. We will read scriptures about the animal kingdom that many of you may not know are in the bible. We will read scriptures that are clearly stated to mean one thing and one thing only, and that is, "Animals are to be in heaven." By the time you have finished this book you will have a better understanding for the purpose of the animal kingdom. You may then decide if the scriptures do indeed tell us animals have a soul: do they have a spirit: did God create them with a purpose in this life: is he going to give them eternal life? With God's help you will decide. For more information please visit: www.dutchman3d.com