The family is powerful for the same reasons it is vulnerable. There are deadlines for nurturing and restoring relationships, and, with its intricate makeup, it takes the entire family to save itself. THE CHINABERRY TREE is a rare memoir of a family at war with itself. It lays bare the erosion of the author's family of origin in the absence of divorce and any criminal or heinous behavior. Perception is the pivotal force in the family. This innovative memoir offers a slideshow viewing of the interwoven dynamics that fueled the author's original family life: harmony, humor, separation, sorrow, discord, despair, surrender and death. The youngest of four children, the author presents each and every family member, including herself, from the unusual viewpoint of an insider with no agenda, an insider spreading out pieces of a puzzle with no intention of finding the missing ones. Making no pretense of telling the whole story, she revisits her life within the family. The author began writing THE CHINABERRY TREE long before her family's fate had run its course. In the end, the author discovers that the undying family bond she counted on was a deep-rooted myth she cultivated amidst all the evidence to the contrary. In ruins, the family finally loses its power over her and the grief the author thought she would carry to her grave is put to rest.

    But there's more here than meets the eye — look closely to find the bumblebees, teacups, mushrooms, and other surprising figures hidden amid the wild, swirling designs. Answers are included and illustrations are printed on one side of perforated pages for easy removal and display. Specially designed for experienced colorists, Dream Doodles with a Hidden Picture Twist and other Creative Haven® adult coloring books offer an escape to a world of inspiration and artistic fulfillment. Each title is also an effective and fun-filled way to relax and reduce stress.

    Hidden amongst his cargo is a legendary treasure – its very existence known only to those deemed worthy.500 years later, esteemed history professor William Anson is found murdered in La Rochelle. Around his neck, an ancient medallion, one that has not been seen since 1307. He is the grandmaster of the Knights of Arcadia: a society of men deemed worthy. His killers, a ruthless brotherhood, whose existence is equally legendary. And they will not rest until they have reclaimed what was once theirs.For Anson’s son, navy outcast Matt Anson, his father’s death is just the start of a series of events that turn his life upside down. Meanwhile, in London, journalist Nicole Stocker is sent to look into a string of deaths, including the mysterious demise of Anson. But as progress starts to be made, she is dragged off the case, attacked, and soon running for her life.As the futures of Anson and Stocker become intertwined, it becomes clear there is more at stake than mere history. An explosive secret remains buried, one that threatens to bring half the world to its knees. And some want it exposed…

    Everywhere you look, from group photos, to school graduation or sports portraits, to magazines, movie posters, and DVD covers, chances are, you ve seen compositing. In "Photoshop Compositing Secrets," Matt Kloskowski takes you through the entire process behind creating convincing, well-executed, and captivating composites. You ll see how to create images that run the gamut from real-world portraits for corporate, graduation, or group photos to sports portraits, templates, and collages, and even the surreal, dramatic composites that clients clamor for. You'll learn: One of the most important secrets to compositing: how to master selections in Photoshop (yes, even wispy hair), What background color, and camera and lighting setups work best for compositing, How to move a subject from one background to another, and the Photoshop lighting and shadowing techniques to make it look real, And all the Photoshop tips, tricks, and special effects you need to pull off a convincing, professional composite. No matter if you're a professional, an aspiring professional, or a hobbyist, "Photoshop Compositing Secrets "will sharpen your skills and open up a whole new avenue of photographic expression in an easy-to-understand way that will have you creating your own composites in no time.

    After twenty-three years and three combat tours with the 75th Ranger Regiment, he’s got a Silver Star, a titanium knee and a plan to see America on his Road King motorcycle. No more patrols, no more firefights. Nothing more dangerous than passing the old work van rumbling along in front of him as he rides toward Hunter-Stewart and the sunset of his career in the Army. But just as he twists the throttle to pass, a woman’s bare foot smears a bloody print on the van’s back window. Roman turns back to help, triggering a chain of events that puts his brother Virgil and two old friends in the crosshairs of a murderer. Saving them sends Roman on a desperate ride from Savannah to DC, where he discovers that the past he has been trying to forget has not forgotten him. It’s been waiting patiently, holding his secret like a time bomb.

    Grandmaster of American Kenpo Karate Ed Parker Sr. decided to document and share his findings in a monumental series of books. Writing with the intent to expound upon the merits of his American KENPO Martial Arts system, he wrote of it's many facets as, "a discipline, a way of life, a philosophy, and an art and a science." With each book intended to offer a unique and exciting adventure into KENPO knowledge, he called the series of five volumes " Infinite Insights Into Kenpo." Early in 1982, Mr. Parker completed and published the first book in the "Infinite Insights Into Kenpo" series, titled "Mental Stimulation". He wrote, "I was sensitive to the need of innovations during my early years of training. Analyzing the methods of fighting in Hawaii, the place of my birth and early rearing, verified the unquestionable need for an updated approach to the Martial Arts." Mr. Parker broke the bonds of tradition and experimented with more logical and practical means of combating modern day methods of fighting. What emerged was, in his own words, "my own interpretation of the Art." It was this perspective that he introduced in this initial volume and developed and expanded upon through his subsequent works. Mr. Parker introduced an unparalleled number of combative predicaments, indicating the need for several viewpoints. Thee mystic "Universal Pattern", introduced to the public for the first time some twenty years earlier, was put into context. In an effort to develop and articulate definable qualities in the Martial Arts, he sought to set the backdrop for the unknown to become known, the intangible to become tangible and for the mysticism to disappear.

    Names of Kings and major political/military persons have been updated and major typographical errors found with the previous Kindle edition have been corrected. Combined with copious illustrations, maps and images, the newly revised Dark Ages is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand a critical period in Western history that saw the transition from Roman Imperial rule to conquest-driven tribal rule and, ultimately, a flowering into the High Middle Ages. Oman provides one of the best historical examinations and explanations about the period widely known as the Dark Ages, when the end of total and complex Roman Imperial rule over Europe and the Mediterranean collapsed, taking the institutions that provided so much cultural sophistication and stability with it. Very much a work about how Europe, and the Western Tradition, survived after the Roman collapse. The Dark Ages has also been split into three books, mainly for ease of reading; the original book published in 1893 was a massive tome that covered the period from 476 CE to 918 CE. This first book in the new edition covers the period from 476 CE to 603 CE:ODOACER AND THEODORIC 476-493THEODORIC KING OF ITALY 493-526THE EMPERORS AT CONSTANTINOPLE 476-527CLOVIS I AND THE FRANKS IN GAUL 481-511JUSTINIAN AND HIS WARS 528-540JUSTINIAN 540-565 CETHE EARLIER FRANKISH KINGS 511-561THE VISIGOTHS IN SPAIN 531-603

    Secrets dug up from the grave. The truth about vampires has been unearthed. These are the journals of an ageless woman, a hybrid half human, half "Pet Mer," (Sky Gods in ancient Egypt). A blood drinker from the ancients. Their story is scarce told, but Kesi's is all too clear... She appears a delusive goddess, wanting more than anything a family. Unable to bear children, and after the death of her husband, she travels the world searching for a way to share her bloodline ("creating" children, later known as "Vampyre"). She offers aid to those who need her. But her deep desire to have kin of her own blood is not met, until she comes across a Chinese alchemist named Yin - another of her race. Hope for a life with him is banished, however, by his dark desires to destroy all the world's hybrid offspring, to find a "cure" for the "blood drinking aberrations" created by those of his and Kesi's kind. Taking what she needs and leaving behind chaos, Kesi runs, always searching. Her everlasting quest takes her through history, from one continent to the next; from her home in Egypt, to China, Rome, Scotland, and finally France. But she is never able to outrun Yin, and eventually she must face her enemy and the darkness within herself in order to have that which she truly desires. Read her story, learn the truth behind the "myth" of what humans call the vampire, read about Kesi’s unique take on her species and those they create, and discover the mayhem and bloodshed caused by a man determined to put an end to vampires forever.

    

    P. Verneuil, Alphonse Mucha, and other Art Nouveau masters, 31 elegant designs celebrate the sensuous Art Nouveau style. The imaginative illustrations feature patterns of graceful swans, peacocks, butterflies, and other creatures, as well as intertwined vines, flowers, and other plant life. Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. Specially designed for experienced colorists, Art Nouveau Animal Designs and other Creative Haven® adult coloring books offer an escape to a world of inspiration and artistic fulfillment. Previously published as Art Nouveau Animal Designs Coloring Book. Each title is also an effective and fun-filled way to relax and reduce stress.

    The forty-five illustrations face text excerpts, highlighting never-before-illustrated scenes from The Mortal Instruments. With gorgeous original black-and-white drawings by Cassandra Jean, illustrator of The Bane Chronicles and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, The Mortal Instruments Coloring Book is a must-have gift book for every Cassandra Clare fan in your life.

     The perfect stocking stuffer gift for anyone who loves a coloring book challenge! A coloring book like you've never seen before--perfect for colored pencils, crayons, or markers!In Imagimorphia, animals and objects morph and explode into astounding detail. Bring each intricate image to life with color and find the objects hidden throughout the book. Printed on quality paper, Imagimorphia is a quirky coloring and search book for fans of adult coloring books like no other.An amazing adult coloring book challenge, featuring the strange and superdetailed images of artist Kerby Rosanes. Find your zen as you bring this beautiful art to life!Imagimorphia is packed full of intricate images of stunning creatures and landscapes morphing and shapeshifting into Kerby's signature, breathtaking scenes. The world that he imagines will excite and transport drawers, as he brings this beautiful fantasyscape and its creatures to life. Imagimorphia is an amazing adult coloring book challenge featuring his trademark strange and super-detailed images, and perfect for coloring then posting on the wall or framing. The perfect gift for anyone in your life who loves adult coloring books!

    Gibson. The pages explore hurt, healing, love, forgiveness, self-discovery and the journey towards becoming a woman. Written in four chapters each piece encourages healing and the journeying of self.

    Jenny Harper is a most gifted storyteller." Alexander McCall Smith‘Thoroughly entertaining’ Katie FfordeFor readers of Jojo Moyes, Jodi Picoult, David Nicholls - you'll love Jenny Harper's "People We Love".Her life is on hold – until an unlikely visitor climbs in through the kitchen window.A year after her brother’s fatal accident, Lexie’s life seems to have reached a dead end. She is back home in small-town Hailesbank with her shell-shocked parents, treading softly around their fragile emotions.As the family business drifts into decline, Lexie’s passion for painting and for her one-time mentor Patrick have been buried as deep as her unexpressed grief, until the day her lunch is interrupted by a strange visitor in a bobble hat, dressing gown and bedroom slippers, who climbs through the window.Elderly Edith’s batty appearance conceals a secret and starts Lexie on a journey that gives her an inspirational artistic idea and rekindles her appetite for life. With friends in support and ex-lover Cameron seemingly ready to settle down, do love and laughter beckon after all?

    Maybe it’s the noble title or the chivalry. Perhaps it’s the dashing sense of danger. No matter your preference, prepare to fall in love with five heroes who know how to make a girl swoon in any century:Truth Within Dreams: Claudia’s plan to stage her own ruination and escape marriage to the churlish and elderly Sir Saint seemed foolproof. She was sure the kindly Henry De Vere wouldn’t mind helping her out … but somehow she hadn’t counted on him actually proposing. Can a fake scandal lead to real dreams coming true?The Winter Promise: In the fall of 1053, Lady Imma has one loyalty: to help her uncle, the king of Wales, win his war against the English. Lord Robert, the steward of Wessex, has one loyalty as well: to keep his beloved Wessex safe from enemies. When she is forced to seek shelter in his keep, they must decide if they can listen to their hearts – or if they would be wiser never to trust each other. Revolutionary Hearts: To complete his mission in India’s fight for independence, General Carton—aka U.S. undercover operative Warren Khan—must hide both his true objective and his heritage. But once he meets the captivating Parineeta, who holds the key to both his freedom and capturing her brother, a suspected anarchist, he finds the subterfuge more difficult than anticipated. Merry’s Wonderful Christmas Gift: The winter holidays used to be Miss Merry Damonson’s favorite time of year. Until her almost-fiancé Edward Everton abandoned her two days before Christmas. Now he’s returned to their country village, but is it too late to reignite old flames? A holiday ball might just offer these unlucky lovers a second chance. An Unconventional Courtship: George Fitzpatrick had boarded the new omnibus intent on nothing more than a ride from one point to another. Until a gorgeous young blonde named Charlotte Ashcroft suddenly claims he is her chaperone. What’s an up-and-coming young banker to do but help a lady out?