Michener was an obscure textbook editor working in New York. Within three years, he was a naval officer stationed in the South Pacific. By the end of the decade, he was an accomplished author, well on the way to worldwide fame. Michener’s first novel, Tales of the South Pacific, won the Pulitzer Prize. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein used it as the basis for the Broadway musical South Pacific, which also won the Pulitzer. How this all came to be is the subject of Stephen May’s Michener’s South Pacific.An award-winning biographer of Michener, May was a featured interviewee on the fiftieth-anniversary DVD release of the film version of the musical. During taping, he realized there was much he didn’t know about how Michener’s experiences in the South Pacific shaped the man and led to his early work.May delves deeply into this formative and turbulent period in Michener’s life and career, using letters, journal entries, and naval records to examine how a reserved, middle-aged lieutenant known as "Prof" to his fellow officers became one of the most successful writers of the twentieth century.

    Now all Sean has to do is figure out not only how to reproduce his father's greatest achievement, but to solve the one problem his father wasn't able to. Holed up in a Cold War era bomb shelter, all Sean wants to do now is keep his head down and his family safe while he untangles this latest problem. Like it or not however, Sean has set events in motion that will change the future for all of the mages and supernatural beings involved, should he prove successful. While many may welcome these changes and the freedom it will bring them, some of the more powerful councils will most definitely not.Head Down, Book 4:Things are starting to look up for Sean: he has a safe place to stay, allies, way too many wolves, and a couple of dangerously cute werefoxes around as well. However the other Councils now know that he's serious, after the raid on Gradatim that left several important people dead. Battle lines are starting to be drawn and the Council of the Ascendants realizes that they're next in line and start to take precautions while the other councils start to play politics and jockey for position. Even the Council of Vestibulum, the most powerful in both Reno and the rest of the country, is starting to be concerned. And how could any conflict between these major powers be complete without bringing back the assassin hired 12 years ago to deal with the son of the man he killed?Warning: The Valens Legacy: Publisher's Pack 2 contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language, attempted murder, actual murder, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, military-style raids, mass combat, destruction of private property, vandalism, breaking and entering, tantric magic, polyamory, mayhem, gratuitous sex and violence, an opportunistic goblin, a little girl who knows all about guilt trips, and Sean being completely and totally clueless about why his friend is embarrassed.

    She knows God handed her a life of hardship, especially when her Dad gives her away in marriage to a man she doesn't know. However, she proves to be a true mountain girl with spirit, determination, feistiness and fiery spunk. Laine's unabashed account of events, before and during the first months of her marriage, draws the reader spellbound into a story that will linger like mists shrouding distant mountains.

    

    Now, after celebrating a decade together, everyone thinks they're about to get engaged. A romantic escape to Dubai is the perfect moment, but instead of the proposal Lizzy hopes for, Ian reveals he's not sure he even wants her anymore.Lizzy is heartbroken. But through the tears, she realises this is her chance to seize the opportunities she missed as Ian's other half. But what does she want? How much of her is really Lizzy, and how much was Ian's influence? Determined to discover who she is at heart, Lizzy sets out to rediscover the girl she was before - and in the meantime, have a little fun . . .

    His parents are psychologists, his mom a famous author in the field. A renowned debater and orator, an aspiring poet, and - although it requires a lot of posturing and weight lifting - one of the cool kids, he's also one of the seniors who brings the loner Darren Eberheart into the social scene, with disastrous effects.Deftly shifting perspectives and time periods, The Topeka School is a riveting story about the challenges of raising a good son in a culture of toxic masculinity. It is also a startling prehistory of the present: the collapse of public speech, the tyranny of trolls and the new right, and the ongoing crisis of identity among white men.

    Books 1, 2 & 3. Dive into a dragon filled adventure! When scruffy Seb and noble Thea are paired as dragon riders, they never imagined they'd be the Kingdom's last hope... Book One: Dragon Trials High-born Agathea Flamma intends to bring honor to her family by following in her brothers’ footsteps and taking her rightful place as a Dragon Rider. With her only other option being marriage, Thea will not accept failure. She’s not thrilled at her awkward, scruffy partner, Seb, but their dragon has chosen, and now the unlikely duo must learn to work as a team. Seventeen-year-old Sebastian has long been ashamed of his drunken father and poor upbringing, but then he’s chosen to train as a Dragon Rider at the prestigious academy. Thrust into a world where he doesn’t fit in, Seb finds a connection with his dragon that is even more powerful than he imagined. Soon, he’s doing all he can to succeed and not embarrass his new partner, Thea. When Seb hears rumors that an old danger is reemerging, he and Thea begin to investigate. Armed only with their determination and the dragon they both ride, Thea and Seb may be the only defense against the Darkening that threatens to sweep the land. Together, they will have to learn to work together to save their kingdom…or die trying. Book Two: Dragon Legends Ever since scruffy Sebastian Smith and Lady Thea Flamma were paired as Dragon Riders, their lives have been forever changed. The unlikely duo forged an unbreakable bond, but now with dark stirrings in the south their bond will be put to the ultimate test. Seb discovers Lord Vincent has returned and he wants to unleash an ancient evil that will destroy the lives of everyone in the kingdom – The Darkening. In order to defend the realm against unspeakable foes, Seb, Thea, and their shared dragon, Kalax, set out on an arduous journey to find the sacred Dragon Stones – before their dark power ends up in the wrong hands. But to conquer an old enemy, Thea must find a way to overcome her own inner demons, and Seb has to muster the courage to become the brave leader his kingdom needs . . . Book Three: Dragon Bonds The Darkening has risen... Agathea Flamma and Sebastian Smith now face an overwhelming enemy. The rapid spread of the Darkening, a threat arising from the mists of legend, looms over the entire land. With both their families torn apart by the conflict and betrayal lurking around every corner, one mistake could doom the kingdom. They'll have to decide where to put their faith: blood ties or newfound friends? After the destruction of the Dragon Academy, it’s up to Thea and Seb to gather their loyal comrades—and forge uneasy new alliances—to quell the ancient menace and face the evil Lord Vincent. With civil war raging, the Dragon Riders must race against time to find the legendary Dragon Stone, the only tool they have to fight against the endless darkness that threatens to swallow them all.

    Although they are next-door neighbors in New Haven, they come from different worlds. Elise grew up in a housing project without a father and didn't graduate from high school. Jamey is a junior at Yale, heir to a private investment bank fortune and beholden to high family expectations. The attraction is instant, and what starts out as sexual obsession turns into something greater, stranger, and impossible to ignore.The unlikely couple moves to Manhattan in hopes of forging an adult life together, but Jamey's family intervenes in desperation, and the consequences of staying together are suddenly severe. And when a night out with old friends takes a shocking turn, Jamey and Elise find themselves fighting not just for their love but also for their lives.

     Behind an old dilapidated cottage in a peaceful Shropshire village, is an ancient wishing well. Surrounded by superstition and folklore dating back to the civil war, the well and the house have been left untouched by the locals. When a stranger to the village buys the house, the well is disturbed…. Present Day - Unexpected circumstances lead Milly Lyle to move to The Wishing House, a quintessential country cottage recently restored and renovated by her lover. With its chocolate box looks, quaint location and the pretty well outside, it seems the perfect place for a fresh start. Then she hears of the legend of the Wishing Well Witch and the noises, dreams and strange events begin. 1642 – the turn of the civil war. Constance Yorke, the troubled wife of the parish Clergyman, finds herself turning to the wishing well behind her house for answers to her prayers. Plagued with visions portending a country torn in two by a bloody war waged by the King, it seems that Constance may have dabbled with things that she shouldn’t. Growing more isolated from her distant husband and the other villagers, she is left with nothing but her wishing well and the curious white dog that keeps appearing. When Prince Rupert and his Cavaliers ride through Sleepers Brook after a skirmish at Powick Bridge, it seems that Constance Yorke’s visions are coming true and that perhaps, she really is falling foul of witchcraft. As times collide, one woman’s quest for retribution becomes another’s peril in a chilling story of love, jealousy, betrayal and revenge.

    It is 1904. When Frederick and Jette must flee her disapproving mother, where better to go than America, the land of the new? Originally set to board a boat to New York, at the last minute, they take one destined for New Orleans instead ("What's the difference? They're both new"), and later find themselves, more by chance than by design, in the small town of Beatrice, Missouri. Not speaking a word of English, they embark on their new life together. Beatrice is populated with unforgettable characters: a jazz trumpeter from the Big Easy who cooks a mean gumbo, a teenage boy trapped in the body of a giant, a pretty schoolteacher who helps the young men in town learn about a lot more than just music, a minister who believes he has witnessed the Second Coming of Christ, and a malevolent, bicycle-riding dwarf. A Good American is narrated by Frederick and Jette's grandson, James, who, in telling his ancestors' story, comes to realize he doesn't know his own story at all. From bare-knuckle prizefighting and Prohibition to sweet barbershop harmonies, the Kennedy assassination, and beyond, James's family is caught up in the sweep of history. Each new generation discovers afresh what it means to be an American. And, in the process, Frederick and Jette's progeny sometimes discover more about themselves than they had bargained for. Poignant, funny, and heartbreaking, A Good American is a novel about being an outsider - in your country, in your hometown, and sometimes even in your own family. It is a universal story about our search for home.

    As a teenager, she covers up the terrible truth of her father's death and she and her pregnant mother go on the run. Little does she know that fate has more cruel twists in store.Determined to build a life for her herself against all odds, Trixie becomes a singer in the pubs and clubs of Gosport - but her heart is still set on finding the little brother she had to leave behind in Portsmouth years before.It will take Trixie many years and many tears before the truth can finally emerge - but will it finally give her the courage she needs to fall in love?

    

    Six-year-old Birdie Adams wants to run away and join the circus but guesses she’ll have to go to the first grade and hang around with her new baby brother instead. Maybe her big sister needs a little help, too. The circus will have to wait.Twelve-year-old Melanie Adams wants her friend to stop bugging her to get her first kiss. Melanie’s already had her first kiss, but won’t spoil the special secret by talking about it. Norah Adams is a good mother and wife who wants to keep her family safe and happy, but tucking the order form for dogtags in her daughters’ lunch boxes is a big change from the everyday bologna sandwiches.Lola Carter wants the life her sister, Norah, has. Instead she has a factory job, an alcohol and prescription drug addiction, and an abusive boyfriend. Even if President Kennedy prevents World War III, these women’s lives will be changed forever.

    Sparks fly whenever Camerons and Farthingales meet in If You Kissed Me and If You Loved Me. In Never Dare A Duke, Frances Cameron makes a wish upon a falling star and gets far more than she bargained for. If You Loved Me appeared previously in Under The Kissing Bough boxset and Never Dare A Duke appeared previously in A Duke’s Desire boxset. Never Dare A Duke: Frances Cameron ought to be spending the month planning her wedding, but when a casual toast on the night of her betrothal escalates into a battle of the sexes, she finds herself obligated on a dare to spend the next thirty days working closely with the handsome and powerful Duke of Kintyre. In winning the dare, will she also lose her heart to the duke? If You Kissed Me: As the beautiful granddaughter of a powerful duke, Lady Evangline Cameron is much sought-after on the Marriage Mart, but the only man who will ever claim her heart is Dr. George Farthingale. How can Evie gain the respected doctor’s attention? If only he would kiss her. If You Loved Me: Adelaide Farthingale’s journey from York to London as Christmas approaches takes an unexpectedly romantic turn when she meets Desmond Cameron, the handsome Marquis of Blackfell. She’s on her way to London to meet her intended husband and can’t possibly fall in love with Desmond... can she? Adelaide tucks a kissing bough under her pillow in the hope of dreaming of the man she’s supposed to marry, but Desmond keeps popping up in her dreams.

    Near destitute. But brave and determined. Can Maddy beat the odds to create a new home in the Hunter Valley? An exciting Australian historical debut, perfect for readers of Darry Fraser.1831, New South WalesReeling from her mother's death, Madeleine Barker-Trent arrives in the newly colonised Hunter River to find her father's promises are nothing more than a halcyon dream. A day later, after a dubious accident, she becomes the sole owner of a thousand acres of bushland, with only three convicts and handsome overseer Daniel Coulter for company.Determined to fulfil her family's aspirations, Maddy refuses to return to England and braves everything the beautiful but wild Australian country can throw at her - violence, danger, the forces of nature and loneliness. But when a scandalous secret and a new arrival threaten to destroy all she's worked for, her future looks bleak ... Can Maddy persevere or should she simply admit defeat?A captivating historical tale of one young woman's grit and determination to carve out her place on the riverbank.