Alex got run over by a beer keg while visiting his grandparents. Fiction, of course, but for any normal child suddenly disfigured the fight to accept and create a new kind of order in his or her world is real. All kids need heroes and unwittingly Alex becomes one to his family and friends. Alex, the voice of reason, and his alter ego Zach learn limitations and possibilities through hilarious adventures (often schemed up by Zach). They save Mario's house from drowning; try out a new slingshot; use Alex's new "stealth technology-shaped" body to beat the tag-out in baseball games; get locked out of their motel room, after they got out of the hot tub in twenty-degree weather and waking up all the motel guests. This story takes place in the Pacific Northwest and stars protagonist Alex, antagonist Zach, and two friends, Mario, an Italian, and Lars, a Norwegian. Among other characters are; old Mr. Delaney; Jo Jo, Alex's brother; Sidonia, Alex's baby sister; Mr. Messier's chickens; and Larissa, a ghost who becomes Alex's friend, all play a role in Alex's new life where he walks a fine line between participation in the boys' activities and suspicious observation of Zach's schemes. Ms Brettmann grew up with an older brother surrounded by boys from the neighborhood where she was raised by her father, a scientist, with whom she spent hours talking about his work and evolution. After graduating from Northwestern University she and her husband moved to Seattle. They raised two sons and were both active in soccer and a Boy Scout troop. She continued her education and received her master's degree. Alex Got Run Over by a Beer Keg is a fictional book based on her years of experience with pre-pubescent boys and a good memory of stories about her two sons; their friends, including stories her father and husband told about their growing up. She has always been fascinated by how children are influenced and what motivates them.

King Oberon visits the planet Gaia and forms a friendship with a child, Lilyana. He casts spells but loses his Queen Tatinia to King Leonauric of the leprechauns. The planet, Gaia, floods land and parches soil. The child, Lilyana, grows up to marry a brilliant man who works with her to innovate life style changes on Gaia insuring their survival. Humor, friendship and deception follow Lilyana as Oberon watches over her. Lilyana's husband is a talented gamer and inventor who offers a new life to everyone with his Hollow Man and Wishing Well Games. Queen Titania learns self-esteem apart from being royalty. King Oberon learns magic does not replace a heart. Lilyana learns to accept love in a world where everyone is broken.

Is a dream a lie if doesn’t come true? Or is it something worse? When Van’s brother goes missing, he places his career in Chicago as an artist, on hold, and reluctantly returns to his hometown of Oneida Valley. Digging deeper into a string of disappearances and murders linked to his brother’s case, the mounting clues point to an evil entity holding the inhabitants of the town under its sinister control. Destroying the lives of anyone who defies it or attempts to flee the confines of the Valley’s peaks. As old memories and traumas resurface, the lines of reality distort. To find the answers he seeks, Van must sacrifice everything, and journey into the depths beneath the town to discover the truth hidden in the heart of The Valley.

This hilarious Off-Broadway hit, set in a run-down apartment on Staten Island, concerns three gay roommates coming to a crisis during one frantic Christmas weekend.

Once dominated by megabreweries like Miller and G. Heilemann, the Midwest has in recent years become home to a dynamic craft beer industry at the core of America's current brewing renaissance. Beer writer and Certified Cicerone® Michael Agnew crisscrossed Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin sampling the astonishing variety of beers on offer at breweries and brewpubs. The result is a region-wide survey of the Midwestern craft beer scene. Packed with details on more than 200 breweries, A Perfect Pint's Beer Guide to the Heartland offers actual and armchair travelers alike a handbook that includes: Agnew's exclusive choices on which beers to try at each location Entries on every brewery's history and philosophy Information on tours, tasting rooms and attached pubs, and dining options and other amenities A survey of each brewery's brands, including its flagship beer plus seasonal brews and special releases Brewery equipment and capacity Nearby attractions In addition, Agnew sets the stage with a history of Midwestern beer spanning the origins of the immigrant brewers who arrived in the 1800s to the homebrewers-made-good who have built a new kind of brewing culture founded on creativity, dedication to quality, and attention to customer feedback. Informed and unique, A Perfect Pint's Beer Guide to the Heartland is the essential companion for beer aficionados and curious others determined to drink the best the Midwest has to offer. Includes more than 150 full color images, including the region's most distinctive beer labels, trademarks, and company logos.

After catching her husband cheating on her, craft-brew expert Sloan Krause leaves the family business to work for a hip, new nano-brewery, only to discover a competitor dead in the fermenting tub, clutching a secret recipe.

A frightening, gripping and unputdownable thriller A BESTSELLER IN EUROPE, FIELD OF GIRLS IS A TERRIFYING THRILLER FOR FANS OF JO NESBO AND SHARON BOLTON. She is young. She is beautiful. And no one heard her cry. Three years ago, Alex Lindner was the investigating police officer in a series of murders committed by 'the beasts', as the media dubbed the killers. When a young colleague was killed during the investigation he resigned from his post and now lives a quiet life in a small village. But when another girl disappears, Alex is convinced that the beasts have returned. Obsessed with bringing them to justice, Alex determines to finally track them down, even if it means putting his own life in danger . . .

Kings of the Diamond is based on historical events in Winnipeg in 1950, drawing on the city¿s great sporting heritage. The main storyline follows the 1950 season of the Northern Hotel team of the Twentieth Century Community Softball League, the powerhouse team that went on to play in the Western Canada Softball Championship that year under the direction of the story¿s chief protagonist ¿ author Robert Diamond¿s father, Lazar Diamond. That legacy is brought to life in this story of the Diamond family and the Northern Hotel and of many of the players and principals of the Twentieth Century Community Softball League. The entire narrative builds inexorably towards the final championship game, when 8,000 people crammed the Aberdeen School Grounds to watch it. Kings of the Diamond is the story of one of the most colourful chapters in the sporting and cultural history of Winnipeg, and of the legendary characters who were the main players on this stage. It is also a story of family and friendships that survive tests of emotional strength, love, and commitment, and of how they find final vindication. From Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz¿ foreword: ¿Winnipeg had its share of larger than life characters in those days. [The author] aptly and authentically describes them all in this tale of Winnipeg sports and other games ... Ex-pat Robert Diamond pays homage to his hometown, offering fascinating insights into how Winnipeg earned its moniker, the Chicago of the North, and to a very special era in softball history.¿