But some crabby bureaucrat is standing between him and the permits he needs. He's surprised to discover the culprit is actually beautiful, young Shannon Morgan, and even more shocked when fireworks ignite between them. Unmasking Love: Sparks fly when Julie Payne meets Trace Watkins at a costume party, and they end the night beneath the sheets while literally hiding behind their masks. When the holiday hook-up ends, their real identities present a serious snag: Trace manages the bank Julie happens to be suing. But will they turn this nasty trick of fate into a treat? Lights, Latkes, and Love: Non-profit CEO David Shay can't get enough of the December festivities. As manager of a large retail store, Hannah Jenkins, on the other hand, turns into a jaded Scrooge every year on Black Friday. Can a nice Jewish boy - with the help of some Christmas lights, a little girl, and a latke party - teach Hannah the true meaning of the season and guarantee them both a New Year's Eve kiss to remember? Ringing in Love: When entrepreneur and single mother Catherine Bennett leases office space in Dominic Russo's building, she can't keep her mind - or her eyes - off her new landlord. Only problem is, he happens to be a known womanizer . . . and her professional rival. Then he offers her an irresistible chance at winning a huge contract if she partners with his company. Catherine must decide whether mixing business with pleasure might not be such a bad idea this New Year's Eve. The Gift of Love: Isabella Rodriguez received the worst birthday gift ever - an eviction notice from her family home. Adrift, she accepts an unexpected promotion and transfers to Seattle where she meets Taylor Jordan at a business mixer. They're drawn to each other like candles to a cake. But when Taylor discovers Bella was behind one of the most humiliating experiences of his life, will they be able to find a future together? Thankful for Love: Rancher Jack Richardson needs someone to wrangle his two sons, and Quanna Morales needs a steady job to fund her education and help support her disabled brother. But despite a working relationship, the two can't fight their attraction, even though Quanna worries his family and friends won't accept her Indian heritage. When her worst fears come true and a feud erupts at the Thanksgiving table, will Jack be able to convince her that their love is strong enough to overcome any obstacle? Sensuality Level: Sensual

    Then in "Barbecue Blunder," sometimes it's fun to reminisce about picnics gone by!

    Discworld is a flat planet, supported on the backs of four elephants, who in turn stand on the back of the great turtle A'Tuin as it swims majestically through space.

    Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The Fires of Heaven — Now the Dragon Reborn, Rand al'Thor must conceal his present endeavor from all about him. Lord of Chaos — The White Tower in exile prepares an embassy to Caemlyn, where Rand Al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, holds the throne—and where an unexpected visitor may change the world. A Crown of Swords — Elayne, Aviendha, and Mat come ever closer to the bowl ter'angreal that may reverse the world's endless heat wave and restore natural weather. The Path of Daggers — Nynaeve, Elayne, and Aviendha head for Caemlyn and Elayne's rightful throne, but on the way they discover an enemy much worse than the Seanchan. Winter’s Heart — Rand is on the run with Min, and in Cairhein, Cadsuane is trying to figure out where he is headed. Mazrim Taim, leader of the Black Tower, is revealed to be a liar. The Wheel of Time®New Spring: The Novel#1 The Eye of the World#2 The Great Hunt#3 The Dragon Reborn#4 The Shadow Rising#5 The Fires of Heaven#6 Lord of Chaos#7 A Crown of Swords#8 The Path of Daggers#9 Winter's Heart#10 Crossroads of Twilight#11 Knife of DreamsBy Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson#12 The Gathering Storm#13 Towers of Midnight#14 A Memory of Light By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons The Wheel of Time Companion By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    Elrod's picked 15 of her favorite short works for this multi-genre collection spanning 15 years of publication.Also included is a never before published VAMPIRE FILES story, featuring her urban fantasy vampire PI, Jack Fleming!Each story has been polished afresh for this anthology, with pages of new material added.More information -- and previews of the stories! -- may be found at her website vampwriter-dot-com.Titles:1. A Night at the (Horse) Opera (Vampire Files, Fleming)2. The Breath of Bast (Vampire Files), Ecsott)3. Bossman (Original mystery, no vamps)4. Slaughter (Vampire Files, Fleming & Gordy)5. The Devil's Mark (Original historical vampire)6. You'll Catch Your Death (Vampire Files)7. Izzy's Shoe-In (Historical mystery introducing Izzy DeLeon, fearless girl reporter)8. The Quick Way Down (Vampire Files, Fleming and Gordy)9. The Scottish Ploy (Original romance/mystery)10. Grave-Robbed (Vampire Files, Fleming)11. The Company You Keep (Vampire Files, Gabriel Kroun)12. Death in Dover (Jonathan Barrett before he got vamped, historical mystery)13. Drawing Dead (ALL NEW VAMPIRE FILES, Fleming)14. King of Shreds and Patches (Hamlet from a different point of view, mystery)15. Fugitive (Science fiction/space opera)16. BONUS STORY! The Wind Breathes Cold (Quincey Morris: Vampire)

    

    When empath Jade Calhoun moves into an apartment above a strip bar on Bourbon Street, she expects life to get interesting. What she doesn't count on is making friends with an exotic dancer, attracting a powerful spirit, and developing feelings for Kane, her sexy landlord. Being an empath has never been easy on Jade's relationships. It's no wonder she keeps her gift a secret. But when the ghost moves from spooking Jade to terrorizing Pyper, the dancer, it's up to Jade to use her unique ability to save her. Except she'll need Kane's help--and he's betrayed her with a secret of his own--to do it. Can she find a way to trust him and herself before Pyper is lost?Witches of Bourbon StreetJade Calhoun was never fond of her empath abilities. Now she's discovered she has another gift she'd rather not unwrap--magic. But when her mentor, Bea, becomes gravely ill and insists Jade's the only one who can help, she's forced to embrace her witchy side.It's too bad she spent a decade shunning the magical community and never learned to harness her powers. Because time's run out. A trapped spirit has revealed a clue to Jade's long-lost mother. The resident angel has gone rogue and disappeared with Jade's boyfriend, Kane. And if that wasn't enough, her ex appears to be possessed.To save any of them, Jade will need to find a way to control her inner white witch--without succumbing to black magic. Otherwise, she'll lose everything...including her soul.

    All new tales of R. A. Salvatore's epic fantasy series. Unforgettable battles between demons of the dark world and heroes striving to overcome their own inner demons. Welcome to the world of Demon Wars. Best-selling author R. A Salvatore's DemonWars saga comes to graphic novel format with all-new tales of the world of Corona. In the first volume of epic fantasy, the ranger Andacanavar uncovers a plot by the giants of the north to wipe mankind from the face of the world.

    and what happens to the inventions that don't quite work as planned? All thanks to the guiding hand of BTTF co-creator Bob Gale and co.!

    This pair of wicked game masters wants to destroy the human race by turning brainwashed videogamers into an unstoppable army of doom! They're also running an endangered species hunting club on the side, and their next target is none other than Daniel. He'll have no choice but to turn to the aliens' rebellious son who needs help to stand up to his malicious parents. But can Daniel trust the progeny of this treacherous twosome? Or will it be "Game Over" for the alien hunter?

    There're plenty of gangs in Los Angeles: north of downtown it's the

    Roland is the last of his kind, a “gunslinger” charged with protecting whatever goodness and light remains in his world—a world that “moved on,” as they say. In this desolate reality—a dangerous land filled with ancient technology and deadly magic, and yet one that mirrors our own in frightening ways—Roland is on a spellbinding and soul-shattering quest to locate and somehow save the mystical nexus of all worlds, all universes: the Dark Tower. Now, in the graphic novel series Stephen King's The Dark Tower: Beginnings, originally published by Marvel Comics in single-issue form and creatively overseen by Stephen King himself, the full story of Roland's troubled past and coming-of-age is revealed. Sumptuously drawn by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove, plotted by longtime Stephen King expert Robin Furth, and scripted by New York Times bestselling author Peter David, Beginnings is an extraordinary and terrifying journey into Roland’s origins—ultimately serving as the perfect introduction for new readers to Stephen King’s modern literary classic The Dark Tower, while giving longtime fans thrilling adventures merely hinted at in his blockbuster novels. Roland Deschain of Gilead and his ka-tet of Cuthbert Allgood and Alain Johns may have finally returned home, but all is not well in the crown jewel of Mid-World. Roland has voluntarily kept the stolen evil seeing sphere nicknamed “Maerlyn's Grapefruit”—lost in his obsession with peering into its pinkish depths, despite the devastating toll it takes on his health...and what the young gunslinger sees within the glass heralds the darkest of nightmares. Meanwhile, all around him, danger lurks in every form, as the shocking and horrific machinations of Gilead’s sworn enemy, “the Good Man” John Farson, threatens all Roland holds dear and in ways he could never imagine...the cruel hand of fate about to push him inexorably closer along the path to the Dark Tower.

    See the origins of the greatest warrior godhood has e'er known: THE MIGHTY THOR! See how the God of Thunder came to our world, and what awesome adversities shaped him into a champion of man!

    Lost and separated from his family during a vacation in the dense Amazon jungle, Max is chosen by the Earth Spirits as the latest in a long lineage of planetary defenders. Entrusted with a mystical artifact known as the Animus Stone, Max gains the power to absorb the abilities of any animal he touches and transform himself into a human-animal hybrid for seven minutes at a time. Taking on the attributes of lizards, lions, tigers, elephants, spiders, dolphins, and more - sometimes the transformations are gross, weird and bizarre – Max has a power no one else in the world seems to have. Joined by his faithful friends, Chris and Jenny, the three young heroes gradually find a way to use Max’s abilities to protect the planet and all its many creatures.

    Superstar artist Jim Lee returns to the Dark Knight with this premiere issue! The impossible has happened and Batman is on the verge of being taken down by an enemy he cannot defeat: a virus for which there is no cure! And the only hope for his salvation is The Joker! Who infected Batman, what does the Clown Prince of Crime know, and how will the Dark Knight get that information? Together, the enemies crisscross Europe, desperate to find answers before time runs out.Co-conceived by Matteo Casali and Brian Azzarello, this 4-issue miniseries event will feature art by top talents over layouts by the incomparable Giuseppe Camuncoli (HELLBLAZER, Dark Wolverine), with the first issue pencilled and inked by none other than Jim Lee!