Though with his parents deceased since he was a boy, and with no way of uncovering who they were, finding a sense of family is more than a daunting task-it seems impossible. Until he goes to Louisiana's Cajun country, with hopes of finding a man who perhaps knew them. After enduring blistering heat, torment from mosquitoes, venturing into eerie, backwater swamps, and fending off alligators, snakes, and a few sinister locals, Sam finds what he had sought all of his life. He's also given a second chance, one to leave behind a pained past that he would rather forget. But finding what he wants most means that he'll eventually have to lose it.

    The one thing that lets him escape the monotony is writing his fantasy novel, Keeper of the Well. Until he discovers something about his book that leaves him terrified, something impossible. Jack’s normal life is thrown into chaos, and he finds himself wrapped up in an adventure wilder than anything he could have written himself. An ancient order from another world threatens to destroy Earth, and mankind will be defenseless without his help. Soon, Jack will realize he must bear the weight of destiny upon his shoulders. Keeper of the Well is a thrilling, unique take on modern fantasy that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

    Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Still Life With Woodpecker, Villa Incognito, Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates, Jitterbug Perfume, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Skinny Legs and All, Another Roadside Attraction, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: Still Life With Woodpecker (1980) is the third novel by Tom Robbins, concerning the love affair between an environmentalist princess and an outlaw. As with most of Robbins' books, it encompasses a broad range of topics, from aliens and redheads to consumerism, the building of bombs, romance, royalty, the moon, and a pack of Camels. The novel continuously addresses the question of how to make love stay. The story is sometimes called a post-modern fairy tale. The book begins in "the final quarter of the twentieth century," at a year never specified, presumably in the early 1980s. It revolves around a family of deposed European royalty living in a small house in the suburbs outside of Seattle, under the protection of the CIA. They consist of: the father, King Max, a former gambler and poker player whose prosthetic heart valve makes a loud scraping noise when he gets excited; the mother, Queen Tilli, an opera-lover with a strong foreign accent and a fondness for saying "Oh, oh, spaghetti-o"; Gulietta, the non-English-speaking maid (and, as it turns out, Max's half-sister) and the daughter, Leigh-Cheri, a redheaded vegetarian liberal princess and former cheerleader, having pulled out of classes after being asked to resign from the cheer squad after having a miscarriage while cheering at a football game. Leigh-Cheri proclaims herself celibate, withdraws from public life and cloisters herself in her room, only to emerge to ask her parents for permission to go to the Care Fest, a lib...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=217300

    He thinks he's prepared for any danger the forest might hold, but his skills prove useless when he's caught in a hi-tech trap. Soon Ran-Del finds himself in a city so alien it might as well be another world—machines speak, vehicles fly, and his captors' weapons can inflict pain without touching him. Every time Ran-Del tries to escape, he's foiled by a technology he doesn't understand. As terrifying as the city is, his kidnapper, the enigmatic Baron Hayden, exudes a jovial affability that worries the Sansoussy even more. What can such a powerful man want with a Sansoussy warrior, who can neither read nor write and knows nothing of city ways? The Baron's daughter Francesca clearly knows more than she's saying, but Ran-Del's psy sense tells him only she's being truthful, not what she's thinking. And it's only after it seems that Ran-Del has escaped the city and its dangers, that he finds out how thoroughly he has been caught.

     Van Vanyushin doesn’t see the point in ever leaving the beautiful digital world of the game he loves—and for good reason. In the industrial wasteland he calls home, it is often the only way people can experience life’s simplest pleasures. But his allegiance to the game is tested when an ambitious CIA agent named Sang Ngo calls upon him to help as she goes undercover in the game to investigate Draco—the corporation responsible for creating the massively popular role-playing game Dragon Kings of the New World. Sang is a gifted hacker who feels nothing but contempt for those who waste their lives in what she sees as a false reality…but when people start dying in the game, she must find out why. Van, a talented gamer, is her guide to navigate the world, level up their newbie characters fast and get into some of the most dangerous areas of the game. He dreams of becoming a pro gamer sponsored by Draco one day, but his partnership with Sang threatens to expose secrets from his past that could jeopardize those plans. Now, they will have to put aside their differences to discover whatever—or whoever—is killing players, but the truth they find is darker than either of them imagined….

    R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are found guilty of the Watergate cover-up, the Weather Underground bombs the U.S. State Department, and Bill Gates founds Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As Communist forces take Saigon and the Vietnam War winds down, Tray Dunaway, an ordinary teenager from a poor Southern family, longs to become part of the popular clique at school.Tray's mother, Evelyn, lies in bed most days with her bipolar tendency toward extreme highs or desperate lows. Meanwhile, Tray's grandmother Ginny, still grieving over the loss of her husband, would love to move out and find a place of her own. Maybe even a bit of romance to replace the loss she feels. But given the sorry state of the family's finances that's not possible.Then the Dunaways' luck changes. Or so it seems.Tray's father drives a down-and-out friend of the family, Pee Wee Johnson, to Hazard, Illinois, so Johnson can buy lottery tickets. As a gesture of thanks, Johnson gives a ticket to Tray's father. And what do you know? The Dunaways' are suddenly rich.When Johnson demands his cut of the winnings, Tray's dad refuses. As Evelyn's illness spirals toward madness, Johnson threatens the family. Out of time, Tray makes one poor decision after another until what initially seemed like a stroke of good fortune quickly becomes a dangerous game of life and death for the Dunaways.

    King Lucius Firesbane has disappeared without an heir and goblins have been seen on the horizon. In the face of chaos, a disgruntled paladin sets out to find his king.

    It was the way it had to be, the way I needed it to be. Haunted by the supernatural murder of her family, Leah McKnight is obsessed with getting revenge on the vampire that killed them. When she meets the heroic and handsome Finlay, the pair is bound by tragedy, an obsession for revenge and a fiery passion for each other. They embark on a mission, travelling to the darkest corners, hunting down creatures that most believe only exist in their nightmares. For them, hunting evil isn't just a job. It's an obsession. Warning – A Grave Hunger contains adult themes (Strong language, mild violence and scenes of a sexual nature. Recommended for 18+ audience)

    Due to an accident and his own blunder, Nick Sobolev, an intern of the Space Courier Service, ends up on a mysterious planet tucked away in deep space. The planet is named Terrius and resembles Earth. At the site of his starship wreck, Nick meets local hunters. He follows them to the Forest and the City, hoping to find a way to communicate with Earth and to find out why the planet at the level of development of a feudal society is equipped with structures and devices capable of shooting down interstellar vehicles. The events unfold quickly and are full of unexpected turns. Nick finds himself deeply immersed in solving ancient secrets of the local civilization. To save his new friends, he has to participate in the brutal Ritual reminiscent of Earth’s ancient gladiator fights. This does not go unnoticed. Nick’s participation attracts attention of many powerful locals, all of whom have their own plans for the stranger they believe to have come from the wild steppe. Some want to kill him; others see in him the messiah from an ancient prophecy. The Forbidden World book series is written in sci-fi/fantasy fusion, a genre gaining more and more popularity. In the books of this series, the readers will find a whole new world – planet Terrius with its wondrous flora and surprising wild fauna. Its rich social life is full of legends, myths, its own games of thrones, and stories of individuals who are either endowed with a mysterious Gift or cast a powerful wicked Spell by someone unknown.

    After her husband dies unexpectedly, Sassy struggles to find new meaning in her life. When she goes exploring in the Cohutta Wilderness, she falls through a hole in time, and finds herself in the Indian Territory in 1778, falling in love with Big Sexy Will Selk.Will Selk, one of Washington’s spies, falls in love with the spunky widow who came to live at McCarron’s Corner after her husband’s death. When he learns she came from Beyond, both Will and the Commander-in-Chief are eager to pick the historian’s knowledge of the American Revolution – and in the process, Washington identifies the Culper Ring’s Madame X, who turns the tide for the patriots to win the war when Sassy provides vital information.

    ________________________________1,300 pages of MAGIC, INTRIGUE, TWISTS, and BETRAYAL________________________________Meet the Wardens of Issalia:Quinn's relentless determination fuels her desire to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Trained as a spy, she infiltrates an enemy stronghold. If only she knew whom she could trust.Brandt is a prince who lacks a sense of purpose. As a warden, he is forged into something more, building upon his fearless nature and his ability to wield frightening magic. Will his courage be enough when the fate of thousands hangs in the balance?Cassie, Brandt's twin sister, possesses magic abilities unlike anything recorded. What new ability will she discover next?Everson is an awkward, disabled teen and a brilliant inventor, melding magic with science. His greatest discovery could liberate him and change the world...or, it could destroy everything. Puri, a highly skilled archer, is assigned the role of ranger, destined for missions rife with danger. How many will die if she fails?Curan, is a warrior augmented by magic, capable of slaying dozens of enemy soldiers with ease. Can he overcome the ghosts of those who die by his sword?______________________________A thrilling fantasy adventure filled with magic, intrigue, and betrayal, perfect for fans of Mistborn, Kingfountain, or Six of Crows.

    He must understand and survive the perils of a savage new world, a world of purple skies over canyons and prairie, where everyone and everything – be they outlaws and mountain men, or monstrous creatures of the dark, seem to want him dead.And if that wasn’t problem enough, a man with green eyes is hunting him, a man from another dimension who will stop at nothing to put the universe right.The Fifth Place is about the universe under mysterious control, and the group of antiheroic misfits determined to survive it and be free no matter what comes. Ideal for fans of Stephen King's The Dark Tower books, Garth Ennis’s Preacher comics, Joe Abercrombie, and the Farscape TV series, The Fifth Place is for those who want a pull-no-punches adult series merging western, sci-fi, gritty fantasy, dystopian, adventure and horror genres, with a diverse, irreverent and tragically flawed cast of characters to root for against all odds.

    But now, at age fourteen, the world class couch potato finds out she has inherited a spot at the brand new Miller's Grove Academy, a school designed to train a wide range of the best and brightest teens into the leaders of the 21st Century.Instead of the usual cliques of geeks, nerds, jocks, and cheerleaders she was prepared to deal with in high school, Sam finds herself the least talented student in a school full of video game champions, eccentric inventors, monster hunters, pop stars, and wannabe world emperors.As if things weren't bad enough she is framed for the theft of a powerful magical artifact that could spark a war between the forces of science and magic. With both sides gearing up for battle it is up to Sam and her new friends to find the real thief, prevent a war, and confront the most powerful sorcerer in history.Worst. Freshman Year. Ever.

    At fifteen, she has adjusted to moving without notice and never fitting in, but everything changes with her adopted mom's hometown. There Jes falls for her mom's nephew, a love she hides when his betrayal leaves her isolated and driven to unravel the past.After Jes befriends a strange new student, she discovers an amazing secret: he's from another planet and searching for a missing girl who might be her. As Jes will learn, truth comes at a cost, but will she give up love to find out?

    Then she learns she's fighting for the wrong side. Fleeing for her life, she seeks out Max, the one wizard who can help save her people. Michael is a simple carpenter. While other eighteen-year-olds seek adventure, he loves his quiet life. Then nightstalkers attack and everything turns to chaos. With the world on the brink of Armageddon, a mystical gem known as the Eye calls on Michael to wield its great magic, but its power is useless if he can’t learn to embrace the magic within himself. Thrown into a war of wizards and warlocks, demons and dragons, Michael and Falon follow Max on a daring mission to save the world. Racing headlong toward the fight of their life, Michael must wield powers he barely understands while Falon must embrace skills she abhors and Max must become the wizard he failed to be in the past.