You change or you die.” Ashamed of his past and overwhelmed by his future, Ronoah Genoveffa Elizzi-denna Pilanovani feels too small for his own name. After a graceless exit from his homeland in the Acharrioni desert, his anxiety has sabotaged every attempt at redemption. Asides from a fiery devotion to his godling, the one piece of home he brought with him, he has nothing. That is, until he meets Reilin. Beguiling, bewildering Reilin, who whisks Ronoah up into a cross-continental pilgrimage to the most sacred place on the planet. The people they encounter on the way—children of the sea, a priestess and her band of storytellers, the lonely ghosts of monsters—are grim and whimsical in equal measure. Each has their part to play in rewriting Ronoah’s personal narrative. One part fantasy travelogue, one part emotional underworld journey, The Heretic’s Guide to Homecoming is a sumptuous, slow-burning story about stories and the way they shape our lives.

    But nothing prepared him for Milkwood: a fat, ugly bastard who could take a beating like a government mule, but never, ever won. So when Malcolm risks his life to discover Milkwood's secret, he convinces the fighter to stop being a punching bag and to go for broke in the local tournament. Only problem? A beautiful woman called Lash who needs Milkwood for her own purposes, and a fouler creature on her heels known only as Dizzy Colt. But for Malcolm and Milkwood? Hell, it’s just another day of Blood and SawdustPRAISE FOR BLOOD AND SAWDUST!"With wicked, playful prose that blends the best of pulp with the supernatural, Jason Ridler’s Blood and Sawdust creates an unholy, hell-raising hybrid, the kind of tale Christopher Moore and Jim Thompson might swap after a long night of drinking, trying to one-up one another with acerbic absurdity." Joe Clifford, Author of CHOICE CUTS and JUNKIE LOVEPRAISE FOR THE WORK OF JASON RIDLER!"An exciting new writer." Lucius Shepard, multiple-award-winning author of HANDBOOK OF AMERICAN PRAYER. “Jason Ridler is kind of like a bull rider who’s tossed a saddle on a Tiger tank, and he’s riding that bucking sucker for all he’s worth, because, hey, no one told him that he couldn’t do it, did they? So here he is, the Man in the Barbed-Wire Straitjacket." Norman Partridge, Award Winning Author of DARK HARVEST. "Jason Ridler’s work is intense and taut, with incredible characters and plots that keep your mind buzzing long after you’ve reached the final page." Trent Zelazny, author of TOO LATE TO CALL TEXAS, and FRACTAL DESPONDENCY. ABOUT THE AUTHORJason S. Ridler is the author of BLOOD AND SAWDUST, the Spar Battersea thrillers (DEATH MATCH, CON JOB and DICE ROLL), the short story collection KNOCKOUTS, and has published over fifty stories in such magazines and anthologies as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Brain Harvest, Chilling Tales, and more. His popular non-fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, Dark Scribe, and the Internet Review of Science Fiction. A former punk rock musician and cemetery groundskeeper, Mr. Ridler holds a Ph.D. in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada. Visit him at twitter at http://twitter.com/JayRidler, Facebook ,http://www.facebook.com/Ridlerville, or his writing blog, Ridlerville, atwww.jsridler.com

    Now he’s facing eviction and the loss of his precious freedom. If he can’t turn things around, he’ll be one of the have-nots living in the brutal Benefits Towers. A friend gives him the opportunity to enter the fantastic Land of Dreams, a state of the art DreamStateVR game, and he jumps at the opportunity. However, the idyllic village of Brunewood seems cursed. Innocent young girls are disappearing and the ill-fated conjunction of the three moons approaches—the Blood Eye. Dark magic will be unleashed, can John and his friends save the villagers from a horrible fate? Blood Eye is a LitRPG/Gamelit novel. There are no harems in this book, and no sex.

    The characters on the 'Ship of Fools' - a ship that's going nowhere very fast - bicker and struggle for attention: telling tales that bounce off one another to form a compendium of interrelated stories.

    Many play for power and fame; others play to escape the pain and loneliness of real life. One boy, paralyzed at birth, knows no other world. For Ben Shepherd, Verdia is home. The Shepherd is Verdia’s most famous and mysterious blacksmith, constructing armor and weapons for elite and wealthy players while hiding from public view. Players ponder the Shepherd’s true identity, and Ben creates his masterpieces in isolation. Ben discovers friendship in the form of an enormous white wolf - a creature unique in all of Verdia. As news of the boy and his wolf spreads, Ben becomes the target of greed, envy, and fear; Ben’s tranquil life is shattered. A band of strangers, united by compassion, will battle a perilous landscape and unrelenting enemies to deliver the Shepherd and his wolf to a new home. To succeed, they must enlist the help of an enemy - a player who is as powerful as he is hated. They will discover that a small group of friends can face impossible odds, and that a hero can hide beneath a villain’s mask.

    Chosen by the Ascended. Destined for Darkness.Valrin was born of the sea. Raised by his adopted elven aunt on a small fishing island he knows nothing of his past and wonders of his future.... until the unexpected arrival of a mysterious ship changes everything.Joining a misfit crew running from a dangerous dwarven empire, Valrin learns quickly what it means to be Stormborn. In this epic three book set, you will meet the strangest of the strange. From men forbidden to die to cannibalistic shadow elves and a dwarven necromancer. Embark upon the cold, dark Glacial Seas and unlock the power of an ancient lost race.Embrace this epic fantasy adventure and discover that sometimes the most dangerous enemy can be your own dark desires.

    A promising e-sports competitor, he’s lost everything—his career, wife and kid—to alcohol and gambling. Today, the once famous gamer is but a shadow of his former self, struggling to keep his head out of the water and the loan sharks at bay. Because Harrison is not only broke, he owes a lot of money to the wrong people. Unable to pay off his debt, he’s sent to spy on a revolutionary game that will make its creator rich beyond belief and forever change the face of the gaming world. Harrison will use those skills that made him a champion to navigate these new intriguing lands where demons roam free, and steal the software running the simulation. But as he gets deeper into the game, connects with a few other players and rediscovers the meaning of friendship and loyalty, he’s going to have to betray the trust of his friends to save his own life. Will Harrison be able to escape the clutches of the loan shark and his goons? Is he forever doomed to repeat the same mistakes and hurt those close to him? When the virtual becomes real and the lines between good and evil become blurred, it gets increasingly difficult to make the right decision.

    The Goddess raised us, sheltered us, and defended us from the Demon Lord and their horrifying minions that roamed the wasteland. The sacred aurora that surrounded The City was the ultimate sign of her benevolent protection, keeping us safe.My name is Mal, and ever since I was a boy I've been treated as an outcast, a freak, and a malcontent because of my ability to see magic. For the other citizens, magic was the invisible manifestation of Goddess’s love, but to me, it was just a colorful spread of enchantments, cantrips, blessings, and hexes. And once I’ve seen a spell, I can understand it, and then I can break it apart.When I graduated from school, I had expected to be given the job of a ditch-digger. Instead, I was shocked when I was dubbed the next hero.Heroes are sent out in the wasteland, to slay monsters and to challenge the Demon Lord. It’s a suicide mission. But once I was shoved out of the aurora, I found out that the outside world was drastically different than what I had been told. The demons, dragons, and orcs might be my best shot for surviving the insanity I’ve been thrown into.Warning: This novel contains descriptions of violence, graphic sex, unconventional relationships (M/FF+ harem), and limitless adventure.

    She wanted to explore the world and escape from the strict etiquette of British nobility. With her father fighting in India, the governess assigned to raise her controlled every aspect of her life. The financial downturn of a friend of the family would lead to her sister's longtime engagement turning into an immediate marriage. Victoria's thirst for adventure and tomboy ways would not prepare her for the sudden advent of the apocalypse. Can Victoria and her friends survive this new world of Classes and Skills? Join Victoria and her family on a LitRPG adventure, unlike any other!

    But the past? This is nuts!Talk about ruin-your-day flights. I'm headed to Florida, when the elderly man seated next to me collapses on my tray table. I swear, if I'd known this was his final boarding call, I would have offered him my pretzels or my New York Times. But no, I was too busy feeling bloated, anxious, depressed, unloved, a failure, and did I mention bloated?You'd be bummed too if you were almost thirty, living back home in Plainview, Long Island, with your at-war parents and loser siblings. If your acting career was such a bust your last film was an X-ray. If your boyfriend and your agent dumped you the same week, but great news! -- They're in love with each other.Could things possibly get any worse? Do you even need to ask?That man on the flight? We were related. And my life story? Nothing like I thought. Oh, and then this fall in the shower? Opened up my psychic senses. Bottom line? I knew nothing about my real past, but suddenly my future was coming in loud and clear!You've got to follow me on this amazing spiritual adventure that sent my life into a tailspin. I promise you love, laughter, oh-my-God secrets, and a ride to the "other side" you'll never forget. But lock the bathroom door. You're not coming out until you've heard it all.Love, Claire

    Many of them have rules and laws that are utterly alien to the world that we know. Most never leave the world they were born into, never even know or suspect that other worlds even exist. Their souls simply go through the cycle of reincarnation again and again, always forgetting their past lives, and living as they please. But some few are given the gift of Transfering after death, to live their next life in a different world, with memories of their past lives to enrich the world they go to with new concepts and new ideas, and bringing back those same from the world they visited when it is time for their next cycle in their old world. A young woman suffers a tragic fate, and is granted the ability to Transfer. She is reincarnated into a new world, full of monsters and magic, things that would be mere myths and legends to her in her old life. This time, she promises, will be different. She doesn't have to be weak here. She doesn't have to be a victim. She can be strong, and no one will ever control her again!

    She is Sylvie, a beautiful young woman who was recently murdered, who wants to influence Self's latest novel before she moves on... Her dead body was discovered by Richard, a twenty-something idler and literary wannabe. He discovers that Sylvie was a member of the W.S.C. - a mysterious cult of charismatic writers who appear to worship Will Self in a strange and secret style. Gradually, he gets sucked into their dark world of absinthe, cloaks and bizarre Initiation rites. Richard begins to lose his sense of perspective. What is the WSC and what is their relationship to the mysterious Hemingway potions? What did they do to Sylvie... and what will they do to him? Ranging from the present day to 2049, from dictionary rape to literary orgies, from lesbian book reviewers to the Great Vowel Shift, The Will Self Murders is a quirky, comic novel, reminiscent of Being John Malkovich - with the acclaimed novelist, Will Self, as the centre of fascination.

    Throughout the realm, magic lies dormant, sleeping, almost forgotten until Zollin discovers that he is a wizard. While he revels in his new powers and the realization that his life has purpose, malevolent wizards from the Torr, led by the scheming Branock, tirelessly seek him out. When at last they discover Zollin, a confrontation will ensue that will change the five kingdoms forever. Zollin is forced to flee his home and, with a small group of friends, find a way to survive until he can learn to use his powers to protect the people he cares about. Wizard Rising is a coming of age story that dives headfirst into a realm where magic is about to reawaken. So buckle up and hang on; the action comes fast and you won’t be able to put it down. Magic Awakening Power always comes at a price. In the Realm of the Five Kingdoms magic has been strictly controlled for centuries. Only a small group of wizards, known as the Torr, exercise the greatest magical powers, but their quest for control has pushed magic in the Five Kingdoms to the brink of extinction. When a young wizard named Zollin refused to submit his power to the Torr, he started more than just a desperate race for survival, his defiance sparked a magical awakening. As Zollin wrestles to understand and control his amazing powers, the world will change forever. Fantastic creatures will once again roam the Five Kingdoms, prompting a frenzied struggle from the people who seek to exploit Zollin’s power for their own gain. As nations clash and the powerful maneuver for supremacy, no one is safe, especially those closest to Zollin. Will the people he cares for the most be lost? Or can a young wizard, only just beginning to comprehend his purpose, risk everything to save what has become most precious to him? Hidden Fire What does it take to face a dragon? When a young wizard named Zollin begins to awaken the magical world, he also sets events in motion that will change the Five Kingdoms forever. In the north a dragon ravages villages and towns. The King's armies are powerless to stop the beast. Refugees begin fleeing to the larger cities in hope of finding safety. In the south, the Council of Kings plot an invasion. Under the influence of the Torr, a group of wizards who have held the Five Kingdoms in their power for three centuries, they turn their attention to bringing Zollin into their fold. They will stop at nothing to control his power, even if it means the assassination of the Crown Prince. As Zollin and his friends strive to bring peace to the Kingdom of Yelsia, they are faced with harrowing dangers and heart wrenching decisions that threaten to tear them apart.

    Built by the greater god Helion, each floor is like a vast and ever changing realm equipped with its own challenges, its own dangers, and its own rewards for those willing to risk it all. And for any strong enough to reach the tower’s peak comes the right to fight for the ultimate prize...Valin Frost was a common thief from earth with little desire to risk his life in the tower. However, a twist of fate plunged him through its large, onyx doors. Now, Valin must join the ranks of the mana wielders, master his abilities, and learn how to fight if he plans on surviving the trials of Helion’s tower... and perhaps, one day carving his name into the book of legends.This is a tower ascension novel with litrpg and cultivation elements.

    In the small town of Moline, Virginia, folks struggle to survive, relying on hybrid seed sent by the faraway Departmet of Reintroduction and Agriculture and their own faith in God and hard work. But when a mated pair of dragons starts hunting the countryside, stealing sheep, and attacking children, the townsfolk quickly learn that they don't have the weapons or the skills to fight off such predators.David Anderson is a farmer's son who has explored the world through books. When he meets the new healer in town, Callan Landers, he doesn't quite know what to make of the strange warmth stealing over him. It's not until he surprises Callan with another man-and both men are promptly arrested for sodomy-that David finally realizes the truth about his own feelings.When David and Callan stumble over a secret in a nearby abandoned town, their personal problems fade before government politics and corruption that threaten lives. It seems the dragons aren't the worst dangers facing Moline.