The Reluctant Storyteller includes: The Energy of Thunder Beings by Art Coulson and Roy Boney, Jr. and Cherokee Life Today by Traci Sorell. Chooch is reluctant about many things. He is reluctant to be a storyteller like the rest of his Cherokee family, and he is reluctant to spend spring break in the small town of Greasy, Oklahoma, with Uncle Dynamite. But Chooch will find out there's more than one way to tell a story.

I'm called Esther-a Persian name, and yet I'm a Hebrew. Had I been able to do so, one of the questions I would have asked my mother and father when I grew older was, "Why did you give me this name?" But now, of course, I know why. The story of the orphaned Jewish girl who saves the Jewish nation from extinction is the stuff of fantasy and legend. Did such a person exist? Could an anonymous girl have been selected to be wife of the ancient Persian king of kings? "Esther, soldiers will soon be combing the cities and countryside to look for the most beautiful young virgins. They will take hundreds of young girls for the king's harem. Then the king's eunuchs and servants will spend many months preparing the women for their night with him." His words came faster and faster, wanting to get through this." The author of the award-winning I, Claudia and My Name is Saul ancient novels returns with the story of Esther. Wilder's skills at blending historical fact with vividly imagined, well-founded characters have become her trademark. The Reluctant Queen is guaranteed to captivate both her loyal fans and eager newcomers, right down to its last riveting page.

Filled with political intrigue, violent magic, and malevolent spirits, the mesmerizing second book in Sarah Beth Durst’s Queens of Renthia epic fantasy trilogy that started with the award-winning The Queen of Blood. Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . . And those spirits want to kill you. It’s the first lesson that every Renthian learns. Not long ago, Daleina used her strength and skill to survive those spirits and assume the royal throne. Since then, the new queen has kept the peace and protected the humans of her land. But now for all her power, she is hiding a terrible secret: she is dying. And if she leaves the world before a new heir is ready, the spirits that inhabit her beloved realm will run wild, destroying her cities and slaughtering her people. Naelin is one such person, and she couldn’t be further removed from the Queen—and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Her world is her two children, her husband, and the remote village tucked deep in the forest that is her home, and that’s all she needs. But when Ven, the Queens champion, passes through the village, Naelin’s ambitious husband proudly tells him of his wife’s ability to control spirits—magic that Naelin fervently denies. She knows that if the truth of her abilities is known, it will bring only death and separation from those she loves. But Ven has a single task: to find the best possible candidate to protect the people of Aratay. He did it once when he discovered Daleina, and he’s certain he’s done it again. Yet for all his appeals to duty, Naelin is a mother, and she knows her duty is to her children first and foremost. Only as the Queen’s power begins to wane and the spirits become emboldened—even as ominous rumors trickle down from the north—does she realize that the best way to keep her son and daughter safe is to risk everything. Sarah Beth Durst established a place of dark wonder in The Queen of Blood, and now the stakes are even higher as the threat to the Queen and her people grows both from within and beyond the borders of Aratay in this riveting second novel of the Queens of Renthia series.

Chooch is reluctant about many things: he is reluctant to be a storyteller like the rest of his family, and he is reluctant to spend spring break going to Greasy, Oklahoma, with Uncle Dynamite. But Chooch will find out there's more than one way to tell a story.

No matter how hard twelve-year-old North Olson tries to do what's right, he can't seem to please his dad. When a major flood threatens to destroy his hometown, North is left in charge of his little sister Rosie. A blizzard blows in and his great-grandmother disappears. Can North find his great-grandmother and keep Rosie safe as the flood waters continue to rise? Will he finally make his dad proud?

"This book provides a theoretical-analytical framework for a hermeneutic narrative ethics, which articulates the ethical potential and risks of narrative practices. It analyzes how narratives shape our sense of the possible by enlarging and diminishing the dialogic spaces of possibilities in which we act, think, and re-imagine the world"--

Scooter has been wheelchair bound ever since the accident that took her mother's life. Carrying on her mother's ghost hunting work, Scooter and her best friend Harlan create a YouTube show called Spirits Among Us. Wanting to get a message from her mother before she passes over, Scooter buys a special ghost hunting camera and places it in her family's cemetery. But, when a string of robberies frighten the locals, will the camera capture more than a ghost?

An American traveler in India chances upon an old storyteller, who joins him on his pilgrimage to the top of a holy hill and along the way shares the authentic flavor of India through stories of courtesans and kings, holy men and thieves, talking animals, and mythical lands. Many of them are translated here by Glucklich for the first time from the ancient Sanskrit.

The Alchemist meets fantasy with a splash of space opera.Viola Alerion, a renowned storyteller in the Haldrian Empire, wants to be left in peace. For years, she's been hounded by her past, never to find a moment's rest. Then she meets a boy who wants to become her apprentice. He refuses to take no for an answer, and she reluctantly yields, even though she knows taking him with her could endanger his life.As their journey progresses, Viola begins to understand she's not the only teacher in the equation. The nameless boy also has something to teach, but Viola makes for a reluctant student.Can she give way to possibility and embrace a future in alignment with what she's always wanted? Can she find the courage to embrace the principles that will transform her life? Can she overcome her circumstances and face her past? Or will she keep on running with nowhere to hide?And what of the boy who guards untold secrets and exhibits mysterious powers that defy belief?The e-book of The Apprentice Storyteller also includes exclusive access to "Viola's Guide to Achieving the Impossible". This workbook to help guide you through the first steps towards achieving your own dream is based on key transformational principles from the DreamBuilder(TM) Course and is not intended for publication. The workbook is only accessible through The Apprentice Storyteller e-book. The link to Viola's Guide to Achieving the Impossible is embedded in a concealed place. This is a treasure hunt. Good luck!

The cold war is in its twilight hour. But Soviet spymasters have one final plan to defeat America. "Splendid! Damned fine read. A real page-turner." --Joe Galloway, NYT Bestselling Author of We Were Soldiers Once...and Young After Eduardo "Atcho" Xiquez's daughter is taken hostage by Russian operatives, the former West Point graduate is forced to become a KGB sleeper agent. If he resists, his daughter will be killed. His handlers have orchestrated Atcho's rise into the elite social circles of Washington DC. There, he must navigate a labyrinth of conspiracy and betrayal. Spying for a nation he despises. All the while secretly working to turn the tables on his KGB masters. But when the KGB commands him to assassinate a head of state, he is forced to make an impossible choice: Save his daughter... Or ignite the next World War. From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Lee Jackson comes an expertly crafted espionage series perfect for fans of Daniel Silva, W.E.B. Griffin, and Ken Follett. ____________________________ Praise for THE RELUCTANT ASSASSIN: "Atcho is at his best when he's being Atcho--taking names and kicking ass. Highly enjoyable..." --Kirkus Reviews "...action-packed, riveting, adrenaline-pumping reading... Superb historical thriller!" --Viviane Crystal, Crystal Book Reviews ____________________________ What readers are saying about LEE JACKSON and THE RELUCTANT ASSASSIN: ★★★★★ "A great writer--he can fill Ludlum's shoes!" ★★★★★ "Absolutely wonderfully written! I highly recommend." ★★★★★ "I was sucked into the evolving plot lines...until I couldn't put this novel down. Get this book!" ★★★★★ "WOW! I am really glad to add another author to my must-read list of military, spy, techno-thriller genre." ★★★★★ "Excellent book. Well written and great facts woven into an historical fiction setting. The hero, Atcho, is a fascinating character."