Carla Turner has drifted for all her thirty-two years. Worn down by the banality of rural life with an abusive husband and resigned to simple existence, she barely recognizes new adventure in the form of a man, even one as gorgeous as Brian DeCanto. But Brian understands the need for escape all too well. After accidentally shooting his boss, he takes the murder's sole witness - his boss's ten-year-old son - on the run with him. Brian and Carla collide in an explosion of star-crossed lust that leads them from passionate fantasy into the harsh reality of the 1980s South and sweeps them to their...

Charlie Barnett loves movies. He's such a fanatic that he's become best friends with the manager at the local theater, Mr. Mankiewicz. But when the mob comes looking for a mysterious object and Mr. Mankiewicz is kidnapped, Charlie is thrust into a real-life adventure more dangerous than any he's seen onscreen. With the help of a master of disguise, Charlie races against time to find Mr. Mankiewicz and save a priceless artifact from falling into the wrong hands.

The human condition - it's what makes us sentient beings, what ties us together, and eventually causes us to face our own mortality. Here is a collection of fiction and poetry that explores the facets of being human - both good and bad - and offers a unique perspective on human existence. An old man reflecting on his last days... A young girl dreaming of life beyond her squalid existence... A woman trapped in her grief for a dead lover... Two brothers coping with the sudden divorce of their parents... A homeless man who meets a young boy that may be his saving grace or his downfall... A...

Two years after his wife died Hamilton Bradford still struggles with his grief. And although he and his new girlfriend have a wonderful life together, Ham still can't shake a feeling of dread. When his father suddenly turns ill, Ham reluctantly reaches out to his estranged brother, Bruce - more out of obligation than anything. But after being falsely accused of rape and imprisoned for seven years, Bruce isn't sure that reconciliation is the best idea. And now Ham's teenage son, Kipp, is exhibiting menacing signs of psychotic behavior, plummeting into a world of violence and madness that...

Sunny beaches. . . deadly secrets. St. Celine boasts secluded pink-sand beaches and sparkling turquoise waters just an hour's ferry ride from Nassau. In the wake of a personal tragedy, Sarah and Amy arrive for a week of sun and margaritas and maybe some romance with the locals. But Sarah's obsession with a pair of honeymooners who disappeared from this paradise leads to the discovery of a bizarre video posted online by the couple just hours before they vanished - images of a purported vodou zombie ritual somewhere on the island. As Sarah and Amy attempt to verify the authenticity of the video...

A lost goldmine... A forgotten ghost town... A terrifying creature "Alaska is a huge place. Easy for a man to get lost and never be seen again." These words ring in 12-year-old Brock Ford's ears as he embarks for the frozen north with his uncle, world-famous anthropologist Dirk Armstrong. But before long Brock and his new Inuit friends Tanaraq and Kalli put that warning to the test. From a ghost-town saloon with a cryptic message scrawled on its wall to the vast uncharted Alaskan wilderness, Brock must rely on his wits and integrity if he wants to make it back alive. But when he crosses...

Sometimes just surviving second period is an accomplishment Zach Ziegler's mom says he's "big-boned." His grandfather referred to him as "strapping." His dad, whom he never sees much, calls him "Sporto." No one uses the F-word: fat. But Zach's arch-nemesis, Trevor, doesn't mind pointing out the obvious, and Zach is horrified when Trevor christens him with a new nickname in front of the whole PE class. If that isn't bad enough, the science fair is coming up, and Zach and Trevor are paired up on a project. And just when it seems things can't possibly get any worse, Zach's cat destroys what...

Across the sea... Over the desert sand... And into the tomb of a missing mummy When 12-year-old Brock Ford joins his anthropologist uncle Dirk Armstrong on an expedition to Egypt, he never imagines he'll be shipwrecked at sea and thrust into an international mystery before he sees his first pyramid. But ancient curses and missing mummies are nothing compared to the real-life dangers that lurk in the dead of the desert night after a hidden tomb is uncovered. Who is trying to sabotage the expedition? And why? Brock and his dog Sparky race to unravel the secret of an antique scroll before they...

It waits. They came for adventure - a day of exploring the caverns and underground vistas of an abandoned tourist trap known as The Devil's Catacombs. But something waits in the permanent night, something that knows their weaknesses, their desperation. Something primordial that can manipulate their minds and distort reality. Suddenly lost in a world of silent darkness, five friends struggle against an unknown horror that feeds off their fear and grows stronger as it consumes them one by one. To see daylight again, they must summon the courage to overcome evil - including the demons within...