About the Book Tales from a Distant Star is a short story anthology following a crew and their seemingly never-ending journey through space, which it very well could with the ever-expanding size of the universe. Using real science, the tales within stay as true as possible to the current understanding of space and space travel, and how it may look hundreds of years from now. Raymond Hardcastle’s years of studies in physics and engineering and his love for storytelling are now combined into one fascinating collection. About the Author Raymond Hardcastle spent his childhood in orphanages and foster homes until his teenage years, and attended one-room schoolhouses, where he would learn from the higher grades. He went on to take courses at vocational school to learn a trade. Until he was seventeen, he worked mowing lawns, shoveling snow, shining shoes, and as a store clerk until he could join the navy. At twenty-one, he was discharged and practiced his trade while attending college. He now holds a BS in physics and an MBA. He has worked as an engineer on a space shuttle and as an administrator of a scientific research laboratory, and taught technical college classes until his retirement.

"Delany has a grasp of the evolutionary nature of mythology, a subtle comic touch, and a lyric sense of the outsider making his unorthodox way in the world--or worlds--that give his work a dimension unusual..."

Award-winning director and author Makoto Shinkai offers a romantic sci-fi tale about young love and space adventure, based on his animated film. This new novel gives readers more insight into Mikako and Noboru's relationship. Fans of the original series will again be immersed in the beautiful world of Shinkai. The word, “world”... I vaguely thought it meant anywhere there was cell phone reception. It’s the year 2046. Mikako Nagamine and Noboru Terao are middle school classmates, tentatively sharing an unspoken first love—but unbeknownst to him, Mikako has been recruited into the UN Space Force, and instead of going on to high school, will join the spacecraft Lysithea to search for alien Tarsians. As she travels further and further to the outer reaches of the solar system, the time it takes for a text message to reach the Earth grows longer and longer. Back on Earth, time passes normally for Noboru, but as the years pass he still can’t forget the voice on the other side of the cell phone… Steeped in nostalgia and memory, Arata Kanoh brings to the page the award-winning OVA by acclaimed filmmaker Makoto Shinkai, director of She and Her Cat, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Garden of Words, 5 Centimeters per Second, and the highest-grossing anime film of all time, Your Name. Arata Kanoh is a writer who has produced novelizations of Makoto Shinkai’s other works, including 5 Centimeters Per Second (also available from Vertical).

For Doctor KT O’Bannon, a near-fatal tragedy derails a career and disrupts everything she thought she knew about herself and her future. Battered and nearly broken, she turns for solace to the one woman who knows her best, her ex-lover Doctor Tory King. Their unexpected reunion in Provincetown uncovers old wounds, forges new bonds, and awakens long-buried passions. While Tory’s lover Sheriff Reese Conlon struggles to uncover a deadly drug ring and Officer Bri Parker navigates the torturous path between friendship and desire, Tory and KT—and those who love them—are forced to examine the boundaries of love, friendship, and the ties that transcend time.

Every night, a pageant of Greek mythology circles overhead. Perseus flies to the rescue of Andromeda, Orion faces the charge of the snorting Bull, and the ship of the Argonauts sails in search of the Golden Fleece. Constellations are the invention of human imagination, not of nature. They are an expression of the human desire to impress its own order upon the apparent chaos of the night sky. Modern science tells us that these twinkling points of light are glowing balls of gas, but the ancient Greeks, to whom we owe many of our constellations, knew nothing of this. Ian Ridpath, award-winning astronomy writer and popularizer, has been intrigued by the myths of the stars for many years. Star Tales is the first modern guide to combine all the fascinating myths in one book, illustrated with the beautiful and evocative engravings from two of the leading star atlases: Johann Bode’s Uranographia of 1801 and John Flamsteed’s Atlas Coelestis of 1729. This classic book, now in a revised and expanded edition, presents additional information on the constellations with new and enchanting illustrations. For anyone interested in the stars and classical mythology, for anyone who is an armchair astronomer, this is the perfect gift.

From stories that take you to the stars, to stories that span into other times and realms, to stories set in the magical now, Reclaim the Stars takes the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world. Follow princesses warring in space, haunting ghost stories in Argentina, mermaids off the coast of the Caribbean, swamps that whisper secrets, and many more realms explored and unexplored; this stunning collection of seventeen short stories breaks borders and realms to prove that stories are truly universal. Reclaim the Stars features both bestselling and acclaimed authors as well as two new voices in the genres: Vita Ayala, David Bowles, J.C. Cervantes, Zoraida Córdova, Sara Faring, Romina Garber, Isabel Ibañez, Anna-Marie McLemore, Yamile Saied Méndez, Nina Moreno, Circe Moskowitz, Maya Motayne, Linda Raquel Nieves Pérez, Daniel José Older, Claribel A. Ortega, Mark Oshiro and Lilliam Rivera.

"One of the most original thriller writers around." —Kirkus Reviews DIFFERENT KINDS OF DEAD AND OTHER TALES A mysterious and beautiful girl who teaches arrogant young men about true love A lonely traveling salesman who learns that his passenger is death Children who can absorb the psychic pain of their parents A desperately pursued serial killer who hides his face under gauze in a hospital room A woman who loves the alien infant nobody else wants These stories and ten others make up the new Ed Gorman collection Different Kinds of Dead and Other Tales, stories that have earned him such accolades as "One of the most original writers in crime fiction today" (Kirkus) and "One of the world's great storytellers" (Million, UK). Here you'll find the extraordinary range of storytelling skill and powerful emotions that won Gorman the prized International Fiction award and caused Mystery News to say of his previous collection: "A powerful, disturbing, often poetic collection filled with writing that is a model of clarity and right narrative control."

The #1 New York Times bestselling author and “inspirational fiction superstar” (Publishers Weekly) presents this high stakes love story of danger, passion, and faith. She was a child caught in a riptide in the Caribbean Sea. He was a teenager from the East Coast on vacation with his family. He dove in to save her, and that single terrifying moment changed both of their lives forever. Ten years later Jack Ryder is a daring undercover agent with the FBI and Eliza Lawrence still lives on that pristine island. She’s an untainted princess in a kingdom of darkness and evil, on the brink of a forced marriage with a dangerous neighboring drug lord, a marriage arranged by her father. This time when Jack and Eliza meet, there’s a connection neither of them can explain. Both of their lives are on the line, and once again, the stakes are deadly high. Can they join forces in a complicated and dangerous mission, pretending to have a breathtaking love…without really falling? Sometimes miracles happen not once, but twice…along a distant shore.

When Barbra Streisand sends Dick Gephardt a personal fax, it makes headline news. When international relations expert Sean Penn leads his own "tour of peace" in Baghdad, every news desk across the country reports it. It's no secret that Hollywood has a leftward tilt when it comes to politics. But what the celebrity-fawning media fail to show is how Hollywood's liberal bias affects actors, movies, and even public policy. In Tales from the Left Coast, author and political commentator James Hirsen digs deep into the liberal underbelly of Hollywood to reveal how biased politics have corrupted the entire entertainment industry. Through extensive research and scores of interviews, Hirsen uncovers some of the most ridiculous, infuriating, and damning political stunts pulled by celebrities of yesterday and today, and he traces the tangled web of influence the Hollywood elite have over politicians in Washington, D.C.

A Captivating Tour Behind the Camera on Some of Hollywood’s Most Beloved Films Tales from the Pumpkin King’s Cameraman is a thrilling and entertaining memoir that relates the behind-the-scenes on some of the most renowned cult classic films ever produced including The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Star Wars. Author and long-time cinematographer, Pete Kozachik writes about his personal experience working as a cameraman alongside some of the most acclaimed directors and producers including Tim Burton and Henry Selick. Exclusive Look. With a career spanning nearly four decades as director of photography specializing in stop-motion and filming model trick recordings, Kozachik compellingly combines his extensive expertise with his funny and colloquial prose to enchant readers in this inside look into the film industry. With insightful and technical details juxtaposed with the author’s personal interludes about filmmaking, the memoir also includes a collection of rare photographs, both in front and behind the camera on sets including: • The Nightmare Before Christmas • Corpse Bride • James and the Giant Peach • Coraline • The Matrix Reloaded Lights, camera, action. Kozachik’s autobiography is filled with personal observations and unique anecdotes sure to inspire and educate. With great intimacy, Kozachik offers a divulging tour off camera for the very first time.