This book is a collection of 50 poems. Poems about the beauty of love, the pain of loss, the memories that cannot be erased, the power of dreams, the joy in forgiveness and the harshness of reality. Each poem is a window into a different world, a different moment. Some may make you smile while others may bring tears to your eyes. And I hope, as you hold this book and start turning the pages, you will find yourself lost in the poems.

The world of **Eryndor** is a once-vibrant realm now slowly succumbing to the relentless grip of an ancient curse, its beauty marred by the creeping decay of time and dark magic. The skies are eternally shrouded in a dim, blood-red twilight, a perpetual state of half-light that cloaks the world in an unsettling gloom. The sun, a faint and distant memory, struggles to break through the heavy, oppressive clouds, casting only the weakest of rays upon the land. This weak sunlight creates an eerie, otherworldly ambiance, where night and day have merged into an endless twilight, leaving the inhabitants in a constant state of uncertainty. The landscape of Eryndor is a haunting reflection of its former glory. Once, it was a realm of breathtaking beauty and grandeur, where towering spires and majestic cities stood as a testament to the civilization that flourished there. Now, those same cities lie in ruin, their magnificent architecture crumbling and overtaken by nature. Vines and moss creep over ancient stone, reclaiming what was once theirs, while the wind whispers through empty corridors, carrying with it the memories of a forgotten age. The castles that once housed mighty lords and ladies are now little more than hollow shells, their walls cracked and broken, their halls echoing with the ghosts of the past. Some are said to be haunted, the restless spirits of those who perished in the curse-bound cataclysm unable to find peace. These spectral figures wander the halls, their lamentations a constant reminder of the tragedy that befell Eryndor. Beyond the cities and castles, the wilderness of Eryndor has grown wild and untamed. The forests, once filled with life and vibrant colors, are now dark and foreboding. Towering trees with gnarled branches stretch towards the sky like skeletal fingers, their leaves a sickly shade of brown. The ground is covered in a thick layer of dead leaves, and the air is heavy with the scent of decay. In these haunted woods, strange creatures roam—twisted, nightmarish beings born of the curse, as well as the spirits of the dead, forever trapped between worlds. Rivers and lakes, once sparkling with clear, fresh water, have turned stagnant and brackish. The waters now carry a deep, unnatural hue, and strange shapes can be seen moving beneath the surface. Some say that the curse has given life to creatures of the deep, ancient beings that should have remained buried and forgotten. The people of Eryndor, those who still survive, are a shadow of their former selves. They eke out a meager existence in the remnants of their once-great civilization, struggling to survive in a world that seems to have turned against them. They speak in hushed tones of the curse, of the ancient wrong that brought it upon them, but few know the full truth. Fear and superstition have taken root, and trust is a rare commodity. Many have turned to dark rituals and forbidden magic in a desperate attempt to lift the curse, but these efforts have only deepened the realm's descent into darkness. Eryndor is a world where hope is a fragile thing, easily crushed under the weight of despair. Yet, there are still those who fight against the darkness, small bands of adventurers, scholars, and warriors who seek to unravel the mysteries of the curse and restore Eryndor to its former glory. They venture into the deepest, most dangerous parts of the land, facing the horrors that lurk there in search of answers. But time is running out, and the curse grows stronger with each passing day, threatening to consume everything in its path.

Sensate Haven is profoundly influenced by augmented reality and artificial intelligence, and it symbolizes and acts as an excellent example of technological progress. Nevertheless, there's a shadow—an unintended result of unbridled expansion—somewhere amid the glistening skyline. A digital turbulent strikes the city, revealing the murky side of networked progress. The Bodhisattvas, discovers a malevolent force that seeks revenge with a technological weapon of unimaginable power and threatens to annihilate their worlds. An unfathomable power threatens to destroy their worlds with a diabolical force that demands retribution. The menacing sound of hopelessness reverberates through Sensate Haven's broken urban landscapes, pressing the Bodhisattvas to discover the evil force's mysteries and avert the ultimate convergence—a pit of unending fear. The haunting chorus of despair echoes through misty woods and shattered cityscapes, challenging the Bodhisattvas to unravel the malevolent force's secrets and prevent the ultimate abyss of perpetual dread. The previously praised innovations are now upending the delicate balance between creation and chaos, from holographic illusions to virtual horrors. This is a compelling story about using code to play god. Will the shadows cast by its own advancements kill Sensate Haven, or can the hesitant hero face the nightmare and find a way to restore balance to a planet on the verge of technological chaos? Travel into the digital shadows, a future where creativity as well as ethics collide and where unintended consequences of technology disruption wreak havoc.

Dark gothic poetry reminiscent of Poe...written with a modern hand. Joshua Pavelsky is a true gothic poet and this first volume of his poems shows that.

Although we might not like to make the association, love and pain do seem to go together. Maybe it’s because when we love someone, we care enough to give more of ourselves, leaving the door open to pain. Whatever the reason, the relationship between love and pain exists, brought to life in The Balance of Love and Pain. Poet/songwriter Troy Sydney Maxwell Pearson has experienced his own struggles in personal relationships but also in the battle for his mental health as schizophrenia lingers in the shadows of his mind. His collection, although sometimes sad, is also one of hope, which can be found through the love of others and love of self. Troy finds happiness after living through hell, but then again suffers the pain of loss. Here, there is also the healing power of love but always the struggles of the mind, as Pearson’s schizophrenia threatens to steal his joy. He has survived a series of triumphs and defeats but has found balance. Find your own balance between love and pain in this collection that portrays the troubles of the world but also the world’s beauty.

Not only has Gracie Mitchell inherited the Diablo Springs Hotel, and with it the curse that has haunted her family for over a hundred years, but now the man she tried to forget has mysteriously returned to town in this latest from the award-winning author of Echoes. Original.

I was captured ... That's just the beginning of my tale. I've survived Purgatory, abuse, and near death. In that abandoned farmhouse I nearly lost everything, but Jacob saved me. We were trapped in this hell together, giving each other the strength to hold on. I fell into darkness with my captor's son. Until I left him behind. She was perfect, my Alana. Brilliant and full of pain. She understood my darkness and fueled the fire. When she left, I waited patiently to find her, and in her honor, I killed men who took away from innocents. Then I found her... She's deadly now, a killer too, and perfectly mine. It was beautiful to behold, but she belongs in a cage. My cage. She'll love me again, or I'll expose her dirty secrets for the world to see while going down in flames with her. In darkness, it's most definitely till death do us part. Warning: This book is full of triggers. It's wicked dark, with created evil falling in love. People die. They are hurt horribly. The bad guys get away, and there is no apology for it. Hardcore trigger within these pages.

You can’t change your destiny. Read all three books of the amazing Halwende’s Legacy trilogy in this box set. After a failed coup to topple the despotic dictatorship on Eridu, Halwende must hide himself and the secret he doesn’t even know he carries. He lives in the backwaters of the empire as a trader until he crashes into a planet that shouldn’t exist. The mystery deepens when he stumbles into a civil war all too similar to the one he fled. As he reluctantly agrees to help the rebel Princess Adala, he treads a path to his own redemption from his past mistakes and cowardice. When a trading vessel arrives answering the call of Halwende’s distress beacon, he decides to use the opportunity to help the restored Helheim kingdom re-establish contact with the rest of the galaxy. But all is not what it seems with his would-be rescuers who imprison him for the reward on his head. Once Halwende escapes, he embarks on a path of discovery, heartbreak, despair and determination to retake what is rightfully his. Can he restore the empire to its past glory? What will it cost him to achieve it?

Raiñ and his companions have achieved the rank of Listeners of the Academy of Dāgahvor, where they continue to hone their magical abilities in relation to the five elements. But following the death of Master Eamon, Raiñ was faced with a fear that he had never expected: the fear of allowing darkness to take over his heart. Understanding that The Damned are the previous Children of The New Dawn, he knows he must help them regain the visions left by Dāgahvor to prevent Ræhˈta’s return. To do so, however, means accepting guidance from both his master’s and friends—guidance that comes with its own complications. When the forces of The Dark Army come for Raiñ and his group, the situation becomes even more challenging to navigate. The question remains: is Raiñ able to embrace this guidance before it becomes too late?

I heard him staggering down the hallway, banging into the banister sloshing his drink of choice, most likely a gin and tonic, along the way. As he reached for her door, I felt my airways constrict and the walls of the room close in around me. My body stiffened, and my senses numbed, as I listened for the faint squeak of my bedroom door to open softly. I am, 17 year-old aristocratic-born Candace Spencer, and I quickly recognized the monster that prowled the darkness of my sanctuary. My breath faded as the muscular figures slithered into my room and onto my body. My nightmare only lasted a few minutes several times a week but I lost a part of my soul a little bit more during each horrific moment. I closed my eyes and lived one more death as he devoured me, but tonight I vowed it would end. The prominent and respected businessman revered by the community would not return to my bedroom again. Never again! I had no idea how long it had been away; a Spiritual Guide's time was measured very differently compared to human lifetime. Was it a day later or had one or twenty years passed? Right now I had my first assignment in my new form, Mari Santiago, a 16 year-old teenager struggling to survive her family's domestic violence and sexual assaults in the tough streets of New York. The Whispers Within reveals the parallel of two dissimilar lives between two teenagers: one alive and the other dead. Mari comes to know Candace in a manner she would have never dreamt. Candace, having lived life at the opposite economic strata from the inner city life Mari was accustomed to, is only equipped with whispers of encouragement to defeat Mari's demons. How will Candace handle returning to earth as a spirit when she did not deal with her own nemesis while alive? Will Mari be consumed by the demons that surround her or will Candace pave a way for Mari to flee them? Will they both come to know each other's demons? Will Candace's whispers be enough for Mari to conquer her demons while building a new life?