Are you intrigued by the intricate puzzles, compelling narratives, and fascinating worlds of adventure games? Have you ever dreamed of crafting your own digital narrative labyrinth? Dive into the world of interactive storytelling with "Look Door, Get Key: A Guide to Writing Adventure Games" and unlock the door to your game development journey! In this comprehensive guide, you'll traverse the rich history of adventure games, from the first text-based explorations to the era of graphical point-and-click adventures. You'll learn the foundational elements of game design, such as creating immersive worlds, developing memorable characters, and designing captivating puzzles. Discover the art of branching narratives and player-driven choices that provide a unique experience each time one plays. Explore the fascinating realms of meta-narratives, recursive storytelling, and the artful balance of unpredictability and player agency. Dive into case studies of classic games and learn from the successes and failures of the industry. "Look Door, Get Key" goes beyond just mechanics, venturing into the deeper context of adventure game creation. Explore the psychological and ethical implications of interactive narratives, and ponder the future of the genre in the light of emerging technology. Whether you're a budding game designer, a seasoned developer looking to branch into adventure games, or just a fan of interactive fiction wanting a deeper understanding of this art form, "Look Door, Get Key" is your treasure trove of insights, practical advice, and inspiration. Embrace the intersection of technology and storytelling, and who knows-you might just write the next groundbreaking adventure game!

“Well written fantasy with strong character emphasis and empathy” from the author of the sci-fi classic Escape to Witch Mountain (Kirkus Reviews). At night, Little Jon’s people go out to watch the stars. Mesmerized by a meteor shower, he forgets to watch his step and falls through a moss-covered door to another land: America. He awakes hurt, his memory gone, sure only that he does not belong here. Captured by a hunter, Jon escapes by leaping six feet over a barbed-wire fence. Hungry and alone, he staggers through the darkness and is about to be caught when he is rescued by a kind family known as the Beans. They shelter him, feed him, and teach him about his new home. In return, he will change their lives forever. Although the Beans are kind to Little Jon, the townspeople mistrust the mysterious visitor. But Jon has untold powers, and as he learns to harness them, he will show his newfound friends that they have no reason to be afraid.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A superb suspense writer…Brava, Ruth Ware. I daresay even Henry James would be impressed.” —Maureen Corrigan, author of So We Read On “This appropriately twisty Turn of the Screw update finds the Woman in Cabin 10 author in her most menacing mode, unfurling a shocking saga of murder and deception.” —Entertainment Weekly From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lying Game and The Death of Mrs. Westaway comes this thrilling novel that explores the dark side of technology. When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family. What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder. Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the home’s cameras, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman. It was everything. She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder—but somebody is. Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, The Turn of the Key is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Looking for a suspense novel that will keep you up until way past midnight? Look no further than Lock Every Door, by Riley Sager.”—Stephen King No visitors. No nights spent elsewhere. No disturbing the rich and famous residents. These are the rules for Jules Larsen’s new job apartment sitting at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan’s most high-profile buildings. Recently heartbroken—and just plain broke—Jules is taken in by the splendor and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind. As she gets to know the occupants and staff, Jules is drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who reminds her so much of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew has a dark history hidden beneath its gleaming façade, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story—until the next day when Ingrid seemingly vanishes. Searching for the truth, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew’s sordid past. But by uncovering the secrets within its walls, Jules exposes herself to untold terrors. Because once you’re in, the Bartholomew doesn’t want you to leave....

"A collection of ten short stories that all take place in the same day about kids walking home from school"--

*NOW A NETFLIX LIMITED SERIES—from producer and director Shawn Levy (Stranger Things) starring Mark Ruffalo, Hugh Laurie, and newcomer Aria Mia Loberti* Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist, the beloved instant New York Times bestseller and New York Times Book Review Top 10 Book about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris, and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel. In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the Resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge. Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) are dazzling. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, he illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent, deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” (Los Angeles Times).

A Nobel Prize–winning economist tells the remarkable story of how the world has grown healthier, wealthier, but also more unequal over the past two and half centuries The world is a better place than it used to be. People are healthier, wealthier, and live longer. Yet the escapes from destitution by so many has left gaping inequalities between people and nations. In The Great Escape, Nobel Prize–winning economist Angus Deaton—one of the foremost experts on economic development and on poverty—tells the remarkable story of how, beginning 250 years ago, some parts of the world experienced sustained progress, opening up gaps and setting the stage for today's disproportionately unequal world. Deaton takes an in-depth look at the historical and ongoing patterns behind the health and wealth of nations, and addresses what needs to be done to help those left behind. Deaton describes vast innovations and wrenching setbacks: the successes of antibiotics, pest control, vaccinations, and clean water on the one hand, and disastrous famines and the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the other. He examines the United States, a nation that has prospered but is today experiencing slower growth and increasing inequality. He also considers how economic growth in India and China has improved the lives of more than a billion people. Deaton argues that international aid has been ineffective and even harmful. He suggests alternative efforts—including reforming incentives to drug companies and lifting trade restrictions—that will allow the developing world to bring about its own Great Escape. Demonstrating how changes in health and living standards have transformed our lives, The Great Escape is a powerful guide to addressing the well-being of all nations.

Offers one hundred concise methods of surviving dangerous situations based on the skills of military special forces operatives, covering such topics as evading ambushes, escaping confinement, and winning a knife fight.

Includes a FREE CD of Guided Meditations by Debbie Ford, the Author of The Best Year of Your Life The beauty of Key to Yourself is seen through Venice Bloodworth's insightful approach to combining modern psychology and the very same principles taught thousands of years ago by master teachers such as Jesus. In searching for her own spiritual enlightenment, Venice Bloodworth found the root of true happiness based on concepts of spiritual psychology that disclosed the power of the mind to thinkitself to wellness, prosperity, and peace. Although the world has changed drastically over time, people are still confronted with the same fears and inner conflicts. Key to Yourself meets these challenges with ageless wisdom and boundless compassion.

"If you are struggling to find your footing in the coming out process, these pages will take you by the hand and gently guide you to overcoming your fear, embracing your spirit and learning to live your life out loud." - Karen McCrocklin This uniquely powerful book by Chelsea Griffo is a guiding light in the darkness. It will give you hope and encouragement and lead you on a journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and the joy and peace that only unconditional self-love can bring. It provides understanding and insight into the internal mental and emotional process of coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, not only for the LGBTQ community but for their family and friends as well. While helping you unlearn the damaging and false beliefs that have been subconsciously ingrained into the self-images of so many LGBTQ people, this guide will teach you relevant and practical strategies for: * Coming out to yourself, your family, and friends * Overcoming internalized homophobia * Releasing harmful negative emotions through forgiveness * Navigating religion and spirituality as an LGBTQ person * Coping with bullying and standing up for yourself * Healthy ways to approach sex and dating * And much more A closet is a lonely prison of the soul. Self-love will set you free.