The immortal Cumarun travel the Otherworld guiding mortals toward balance and the way of the First World. When the kingdom of the Deerfolk is afflicted by a mysterious shadowy Death, the Cumarun call Svarnil to the quest to save the Deerfolk... But how is Svarnil to accomplish heroic feats when she's just a young apprentice bard with no experience of warriors or magic? What other ways can there be of meeting the dangers and conflicts she faces? As her adventures among mages, monsters, and spirits unfold, she learns what it means to be a true bard. She must also discover whether the gifts she has will be enough to bring her through the challenges before her. (Book 1 of the Otherworld Series)

When a young dragon rider named Mkel and his dragon, Gallanth, begin having visions of the last horrendous war that the Dragon Alliance Republic fought against the Morgathian Empire, they realize that these visions are warning them of a rising darkness and battle yet to come. But as they train their soldiers for the war ahead, they discover that the Morgathians arent their only enemy; someone within the Alliance is conspiring against them. To make matters worse, a group of power-hungry senators known as the Party of the Enlightened is collaborating to bring about the Alliances destruction. Worried by their newfound foes and forever haunted by the death of his father, Mkel must find a way to put the past behind him and bring his troops together if he and Gallanth hope to win the war. But with the odds stacked against them and many difficult battles ahead, Mkel cant help but wonder if heor the Alliancewill survive.

In the summer of 1955, Madison Lee "Bobo" Murphy was a waiter at the Catskills' Pine Hill Inn. A rural Southerner, he had never heard the word meshugge until Avrum Feldman -- a retired New York City furrier -- became his unlikely friend. For Bobo, nothing about that special time and place ever lost its glow: Avrum's obsession with the haunting voice of a famous opera diva, music that no one else could hear; the exotic mingling of Yiddish and German in the dining room; and the girl he met and loved. In everyone's life, Avrum claimed, there is one grand, undeniable moment that never stops mattering. For Bobo, it was his first glimpse of beautiful Amy Lourie. But, for a wealthy Jewish girl and a Georgia farm boy, the summer had to end, leaving Bobo with the pain of lost love. Nearly forty years later, his children grown and marriage comfortably routine, Bobo comes north once more; there, amidst the haunting hints of Amy's presence, she unexpectedly appears. Nothing has dimmed the passion of their youth, yet two lifetimes and a thousand Catskills sunsets stand between who they were and who they have become. The barriers between them are different now. But mysteriously, miraculously, Bobo reawakens the dream of a love larger than himself....

The sparrow, like the spotted owl of the Pacific Northwest, was the victim—the innocent bystander—of an intense human struggle between those who advocate growth and jobs at any cost and those who insist that each life form that is endangered be protected. This is the story of how the Endangered Species Act failed a small songbird, the dusky seaside sparrow. The sparrow's only habitat lay in the path of the Kennedy Space Center, not far from Disney World. Mark Walters' moving narrative describes how the social and political forces of an era forced irrevocable and profound changes in the environment of Brevard County, Florida, and brought about the extinction of a small bird. Walters begins his story in the late 1950s, before Cape Canaveral was renamed the Kennedy Space Center. Against the backdrop of Merritt Island and the marshlands along the Indian, Banana, and St. Johns rivers—the only places on the planet where the sparrow thrived—he chronicles the struggles of many different personalities, strong-minded individuals whose lives and personal fates become inextricably entwined with those of the dusky. The cast of characters includes the head of Brevard County Mosquito Control, bureaucrats and rangers with U.S. Fish & Wildlife, NASA administrators, real estate developers, ranchers, highway engineers, egg collectors, conservationists, and finally, Disney World itself, home of the last duskies and their hybrid offspring. The sparrow, like the spotted owl of the Pacific Northwest, was the victim—the innocent bystander—of an intense human struggle between those who advocate growth and jobs at any cost and those who insist that each life form that is endangered be protected at any cost, and few, if any, winners in the end.

This is a book of poetry, a book about one man’s fantasy. Poetry comes in many guises and is inspired by untold things, events and people. As with many people, I have had many experiences and some of them I wonder where the hell they came from. Those experiences have been the inspiration for much of what I have written. I have traveled all over the world and have met many wondrous people and they have been part of my inspiration. My love poems came in flashes some days and some days I agonized over a poem for long periods of time. My relationships with women have been a disaster, to say the least and I think the Creator gave me fantasy so I wouldn’t despair too much. Somewhere, I was fortunate to glimpse, to be with, to touch, however briefly, beauty and grace, intelligence and style, innate kindness and humor in a woman. That was my inspiration for my love poems. Never mind that none of it worked out. I am eternally optimistic that somewhere that lady with the Celadon eyes will be waiting.

In her study of Chinese shadow theatre Fan-Pen Li Chen documents and corrects misconceptions about this once-popular art form. She argues how a traditional folk theatre reflected and subverted Chinese popular culture.

Winner of the IPPY Gold Award, the National Indie Excellence Award, and the Foreword INDIES Gold Award Overcoming loss—finding the courage to move on—trying to stay alive Late in the Cold War, a young woman escapes from Communist Hungary, vanishing into the night with a priceless painting and a baby girl—setting events in motion from a decades-old secret that will change lives for generations to come. Many years later, classical pianist Maggie O'Shea is drawn to Cornwall in search of a long-lost Van Gogh and the truth behind her husband's death. A journal from World War II Paris holds many of the answers, but only two people know where the Van Gogh is hidden now—a courageous nun and a man presumed dead. Set against the backdrop of the international music and art world, Maggie finds herself on a collision course with three dangerous Russians who threaten all she holds dear—including her life and the life of the man she has come to love. Past and present converge in this haunting tale of loss, courage, love, and revenge. Perfect for fans of Sandra Brown and Iris Johansen While the novels in the Maggie O'Shea Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is: The Lost Concerto Dark Rhapsody Shadow Music

A stunning, powerful debut novel set against the backdrop of the Cambodian War, perfect for fans of Chris Cleave and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie For seven-year-old Raami, the shattering end of childhood begins with the footsteps of her father returning home in the early dawn hours bringing details of the civil war that has overwhelmed the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. Soon the family's world of carefully guarded royal privilege is swept up in the chaos of revolution and forced exodus. Over the next four years, as she endures the deaths of family members, starvation, and brutal forced labour, Raami clings to the only remaining vestige of childhood - the mythical legends and poems told to her by her father. In a climate of systematic violence where memory is sickness and justification for execution, Raami fights for her improbable survival. Displaying the author's extraordinary gift for language, In the Shadow of the Banyanis testament to the transcendent power of narrative and a brilliantly wrought tale of human resilience. 'In the Shadow of the Banyanis one of the most extraordinary and beautiful acts of storytelling I have ever encountered' Chris Cleave, author of The Other Hand 'Ratner is a fearless writer, and the novel explores important themes such as power, the relationship between love and guilt, and class. Most remarkably, it depicts the lives of characters forced to live in extreme circumstances, and investigates how that changes them. To read In the Shadow of the Banyan is to be left with a profound sense of being witness to a tragedy of history' Guardian 'This is an extraordinary debut … as beautiful as it is heartbreaking' Mail on Sunday

Amidst the celestial battleground of the Western and Eastern Heavens, a young Eastern prince becomes ensnared in a divine conflict, haunted by the ominous shadow of a demonic serpent. As the gods he cherishes endure successive losses, the prince wrestles with the burden of responsibility, stemming from his own perceived cowardice. Upon completing his earthly mission and returning to the Eastern Heaven, he confronts a new conflict within the divine realms. Caught between asserting his own will and adhering to family expectations, the prince must navigate treacherous celestial politics. In a desperate bid to rescue a cherished friend from the escalating conflict, the Western prince makes a harrowing decision: to trade his very soul to the demon. He is prepared to sacrifice everything in the name of the friendship he shares with the other prince.