Artaria This is the story of Lars, the warrior and hero for throughout the ages. His story begins when he is still, admittedly, an unknown and unimportant boy. On a predestined night the very foundation of his life is broken when two armored warriors arrive on dark steeds to capture him. His home in the forest, the only one he has ever known, is burned to the ground and his grandfather, the only family he has ever known, is murdered. Thus Lars embarks on an adventure across a diverse and fantastical landscape of drakes and wyverns, and of warring nations and errant knights. He will cross from adolescence into manhood. He will meet a prince turned vagabond and the spoiled son of a tribal chief. In the midst of battle he will befriend a gruff swordsman and will be reunited with other friends thought long abandoned. Unfortunately for Lars and for those he will come to know, the adventure does not stop there. An ancient enemy From Beyond the Grave has crossed over to the reality of the living. A mysterious man of impossible years has come to fight on the side of light and life but his means to victory may be so dark and ruthless that Lars does not know if he too is an enemy. And a woman from another world and another era will cross the very stars to find him. Epic in its scope and spanning worlds and history, the Black Phoenix Cycle will take you to the nightfall of an interstellar civilization, and back through time to its pinnacle. And through all the millennia, two enemies will play out a game where the barrier between the living and the dead is ruptured and those closest to them...regardless of love, loyalty, or sacrifice...are merely pawns. The Cycle begins...on Artaria.

After spending her life in foster care, Ava has finally found home. But all it takes is a chance encounter with hot nerd Wyatt Wilcox for it to unravel. Now, things are starting to change. First, the flashes of memories slowly creeping in. Memories of other lives, lives that Wyatt is somehow in. Then, the healing. Any cut? Gone. But when Cade and Nick show up, claiming to be her brothers, things get even weirder. They tell her she’s a Phoenix, sent to protect the world from monsters—monsters she never knew existed. It’s a little hard to accept. Especially when they tell her she has to end the life of a Phoenix turned rogue, or Cade will die. With Wyatt’s increasingly suspicious behavior, Ava’s determined to figure out what he’s hiding. Unless she can discover Wyatt’s secret in time and complete her Phoenix training, she’ll lose the life, love, and family she never thought she could have

This is the story of Lars and his companions...time-lost and scattered across the Worlds of a fallen empire. A year ago two Black Phoenix warriors appeared out of the dark of night to capture Lars. His home was burned and his grandfather murdered. From there Lars embarked on an adventure across the fantastical land of Artaria. He became a soldier and fought in battle, journeyed the realm with a tribal prince and a wizened warrior, and mourned the death of a childhood friend. All the while an ancient enemy From Beyond the Grave had crossed over to the reality of the living. Aemellion, a mysterious man of impossible years, had emerged from myth and scorn to fight on the side of light and life. And Anna, a woman from another World and another era, had crossed the stellar reaches in search of Lars. Now the story takes Lars into manhood and to another World. But he does not go there alone. Aemellion opened the Gate for Lars. And Anna stepped with him. There is Alikae, the former prince of Artaria turned Brethren hunter. Gallion, the trepid and unfocused Elemantalist. And Sir Sheldon, the Last of the Wyvernknights. They will sail on the endless oceans and traverse the coldest mountains; they will meet new companions and confront old enemies; and as plans unravel and victory eludes them death may be the only choice that remains. Epic in its scope and spanning Worlds, the Black Phoenix Cycle will take you to the nightfall of an interstellar civilization, and back in time to its pinnacle. And through the millennia, two enemies will play out a game where the barrier between the living and the dead is ruptured and those closest to themregardless of love, loyalty, or sacrificeare merely pawns. The Cycle continueson Camroon.

In this USA Today bestselling novel, a woman with power over fire and illusion and the enslaved son of a chieftain battle a corrupt empire in this powerful and deeply emotional romantic fantasy. Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire's capital--her fate to be burned alive for the entertainment of the masses. For the last five years, one small village's tithe has been the same woman. Gilene's sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses. But this year is different. Azarion, the Empire's most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion--and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. Unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan. To protect her family and village, she will abandon everything to return to the Empire--and burn once more.

Of the eight million dedicated cyclists in this country, just 32,044 own amateur racing licenses. There's a reason for that: Racing is not only incredibly difficult, it's downright excruciating, with the possibility for public humiliation never more than one pedal away. So when Natalie, Bill Strickland's preschool-aged daughter, asked him if he could win ten points during one racing season -- the bicycling equivalent of taking an at-bat against Randy Johnson or going one-on-one with Lebron James--a sensible man would've just said no and moved on. Instead, Strickland decided to try. In the process, he discovered that he was racing toward the loving home life he cherished and, at the same time, trying to get away from something far worse -- his legacy of horrific childhood abuse. Strickland's memoir is filled with lyrical insights on training and dedication, racing scenes packed with nail-biting suspense, and powerful reflections on the meaning of family. Because for Strickland, it's definitely not about the bike.