The Complete Opposite of Everything


Nour Abou Fayad
    He just doesn’t. He doesn’t overthink, he doesn’t second-guess himself, and he most certainly does not cry.YetThat’s all he’s been doing lately.He’s a mess and he just can’t seem to get it together.His friend, Rami, is no help.Nobody is.UntilYasmin comes along to reconnect with her homeland. She’s been away for too long. She needs to know her roots.And she’s the one person who understands what Adam’s going through, even when he doesn’t.But can two people, both with minds that can’t fully be trusted, help each other navigate the other’s journey towards self-discovery?

Tinkle Magazine 612


Rajani Thindiath
    It also inspired us to come out with a delightful article, the ‘Indian Masketeers’, exploring Indian culture through its various masks. We also have ‘Dotty and the Albino Dragon’, the First Prize winning story in the Tinkle Original Story Competition. Moving on, we have three popular characters this issue, Shikari Shambu, Kalia the Crow and the Defective Detectives. Shambu goes on a rollicking ‘Jumbo Adventure in Assam’ while the Defective Detectives have a spine-chilling experience in ‘The Horror’. As for Kalia, can you imagine him, Chamataka and Doob Doob playing together? If you can’t, you should check out ‘Let’s Play a Game’. Next, enjoy a fun story by a reader, ‘Show Business’ in our Fan Fiction segment along with ‘Pranav’s Dadi and the Karate Kid’, where Dadi tries her hand at karate! And to wrap it up we have two diverse stories about two brave men who refused to give up. So check out ‘A Mighty Will’ and ‘No Crazy Ideas’. Enjoy!

Horses Of The Rain (The Outback Riders Book 4)


Leanne Owens - 2019
    The peace is fractured by the brewing storms, and hot days end with lightning in the distance as the monsoonal band heads their way, bringing record floods. There are personal storms, as well, with Dane struggling with depression as his family and friends seek to help, and Amy desperate to discover if her father is still alive. When the record rains arrive, their part of the outback becomes an inland sea, and a neighbor's horses and cattle are doomed to drown unless the outback riders saddle up and risk their lives to save them. Horses of the Rain is the fourth in The Outback Riders series, and the teens are a bit older and facing problems that many teens need to overcome. They are falling in love, making plans for the future, and finding their way through life. Polo, the rock star, returns to ride with them, and the Min Min lights continue to watch over them. Leanne Owens lived in the outback for many years and saw the Min Min lights, she teaches high school students, and has won dozens of national titles with her horses - so The Outback Riders is the perfect 'write what you know' series as she knows the outback, teenagers, and horses. This version has U.S. spelling.

Luna Freed: Beyond the Wall


Margaret McHeyzer - 2019
     After my first escape, I realized that everything I'd believed, everything the Elders told us, and everything I thought I knew were all calculated lies. Now I know the truth will set me free.

Drop Dead Gorgeous


Katie Agnew - 2003
    She's young, pretty and she has a fabulous job on a glossy magazine, which involves interviewing celebrities (and air-brushing their personalities). But when she is offered a job presenting a trendy Friday night television show she can't resist the opportunity to experience fame first hand. Putting her puritanical Scottish upbringing, her intellectual boyfriend and her hippy best friend behind her, she soon hooks up with world-famous actress Lucy Lloyd and gorgeous, infamous rock god Ricky Jones, who introduce her to a hedonistic world of partying where appearance is everything and nothing really matters but sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. But as the stories about her private life become front page news, Laura begins to doubt those closest to her, and her life starts to spiral dangerously out of control. Packed with passion, glamour and danger, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS is a unmissable glimpse into the fame game - and the price you have to pay to play it.

The Spires of Dasny: Dragon Riders School


Cheryl Rush Cowperthwait - 2020
    I scrambled up the Spires of Dasny, even though I knew it once was a haven for dragons and the old Dragon Riders School. The ground thundered. I trembled in the small niche tucked into the mountain. Had the knights returned? I caught my breath as an enormous green eye peered in. A dragon!I awoke in a deep, dark cavern. Staring at me through one opened eye lay a huge black dragon. I had been taught the stories of the dragons, of the days long ago when they ruled the sky and searched for their riders, but this wasn’t at all what I had been taught. Why was I there? Suddenly, pressure built up in my head. My eyes sprung wide in fear and... I heard him.What happens when three dragon riders come together as told in the prophecy? The Blind, the Healer and the Magician…There are secrets to be uncovered, but only if Seyra is brave enough. Discover the intriguing lives of the brash young Seyra and Dreyth, the one who rescues her--or is it she who rescues him?*I loved this story. It had shades of Anne McCaffery to it - and I loved her books.**This was amazing. I loved this line because it says so much. “One dragon eye slowly opened. It is possible. Sleep now. Sleep heals all things. We will talk later.” This has the beginnings of something grand. So good.**I thought of Anne McCaffrey while reading, so you must be doing something right. I liked the way you gave us all the information we needed without it feeling like an information dump. The section on the dragon riders felt natural.*

Shrenik


Indu Jain - 1984
    He would choose as his minister the man who could keep a ram for one month without allowing it to lose or gain any weight. Jinadatta was a man who followed instructions blindly and found himself struggling with losses. These two characters feature in the two tales taken from Jain texts written in the 10th and 14th centuries.

The Night the World Turned Royal Blue


Jason Sivewright - 2015
    A perfect way for Royals fans, and baseball fans everywhere, to share that magic night with their children and commemorate it themselves with beautiful illustrations and clever rhymes.

Transformers


Bob Budiansky - 1985
    The Autobots are reformatted by the Ark to resemble cars and trucks; the Decepticons take the form of jets, weapons or in the case of Soundwave, a cassette deck with tapes.The Decepticons wreak havoc, steal energy and build a fortress. The Autobots, seen here as very weak underdogs, unsuited for war, fight valiantly to stop their foes.Ultimately, it's the humans that the Autobots befriend that save the day. Buster Witwicky's dad, captured by the Decepticons to formulate a fuel for them, secretly poisons his captors.In the final battle, five Autobots take on the entire Decepticon army. On the cusp of defeat, the tainted fuel concocted by Mr. Witwicky kicks in and the Decepticons fall.The Autobots don't even have time to celebrate, however, as the 4-part mini-series ends with Shockwave making an appearance, blowing the remaining Autobots to pieces. This cliffhanger led directly into the monthly Marvel run, which began 3 months after the miniseries ended. (Issue #4 had a cover date of Mar. 1985; issue #5 had a date of June.)Starting with issue 5, The Transformers had more drastic changes. Before reaching its 30th issue, both Optimus Prime and Megatron had been killed off to make way for newer characters.Starting in issue 35 (cover-dated December, 1987), the events became less Earth-centric, as the Transformers repaired their spacecraft and were able to revisit their homeworld Cybertron and other planets. This aspect was particularly prominent in the Matrix Quest sub-plot.In issue 75 (cover-dated February, 1991), the Autobots and Decepticons had united under one banner after Autobot commander Optimus Prime surrendered to Scorponok, in order to end their civil war. United, they finally faced their ancient nemesis: Unicron. The Transformers won, but with heavy losses, including the deaths of Scorponok and Optimus Prime (again). Peace between the two Transformers factions was shortlived after Unicron's death. Bludgeon, the new Decepticon leader, tried to strand the Autobots on Cybertron, which was apparently destroying itself. His plan failed and the final confrontation between the two factions played out, with the Autobots lead again by Grimlock. Optimus Prime is united with Hi-Q (his Powermaster) and given life by The Last Autobot. He returns to battle to save the Autobots and then exiles the Decepticons forever (until Transformers: Generation 2). After the battle with Unicron, the comic ran for only five issues before being cancelled. The final issue had the mini series banner above the title; "#80 IN A FOUR ISSUE LIMITED SERIES".Most of the issues of Transformers Marvel US were written by two writers. Although the first four issues were written by Jim Salicrup, editor Bob Budiansky was the one who contributed the most to the story, writing the character bios and backgrounds for the Transformers, even giving names to some of them. After the mini-series became an ongoing comic, Budiansky was promoted to constant writer. Except for issue #16 (Plight of the Bumblebee, written by Len Kaminski), issue #43 (The big broadcast of 2006, a Transformers cartoon episode adaptation by Ralph Macchio) and the two-part story Man of Iron (imported from Transformers Marvel UK), Bob wrote all the Transformers comics until issue #55.Most famous story arcs and issues are Warrior's school featuring the introduction of the Dinobots and the first clash between Autobot medic Ratchet and Megatron; Prime Time! when Optimus Prime is finally freed from captivity and battles current Decepticon commander Shockwave; Smelting Pool and The Bridge to Nowhere brought the story back to Cybertron where only a handful of Autobots fight an underground war against Straxus's Decepticons, also introducing Blaster, Budiansky's most-used character who was radically different from his cartoon and Marvel UK version. Afterdeath and Gone but not forgotten saw the deaths (for a while, anyway) of Optimus Prime and Megatron, after which Grimlock took control of the Autobot forces in King of the Hill. Starting at issue #28, Blaster and Goldbug (a rebuilt Bumblebee) defected from the Autobots due to Grimlock tyrannical leadership, which ended with Grimlock and Blaster having a duel in Totaled. The next issue, People Power saw the return of Optimus Prime, as a Powermaster. The "Underbase saga" began in issue #47 and ended in issue #50, Dark Star, where Starscream, absorbing the power of the Underbase, kills most of the active Transformers of the time. (Budiansky admitted in an interview that Hasbro was forcing him to introduce new characters so quickly, he had to do an epic to "make room" for them.) Budiansky's last 5 stories were very mediocre, he himself said that he lost the interest in Transformers, and asked Hasbro to hand over the comics to a new writer.From issue #56, the by then well-known writer of Transformers Marvel UK, Simon Furman took over the reins, having been asked by Marvel US. Furman used the characterisation he used at Marvel UK for the Transformers, and introduced many characters to the US comic who have already appeared in the UK comic. He wrote all the issues until the comic's cancellation at issue #80.Furmnan's most famous story arcs include Back from the Dead, the return of Megatron who kidnaps Ratchet to help him in his revenge against both Autobots and Decepticons; Primal Scream! which introduced Primus and re-told the origin of the Transformer race to the US readers too; the "Matrix Quest" which features the Autobots sending numerous teams to locate the Matrix that was lost when Optimus "died" and his body was shot into space; and the Unicron story arc from #67 to #75, featuring the Transformers' ultimate battle against the Chaos Bringer.Sadly the comic was cancelled shortly after issue #75, so Furman had to "wrap up" the ending. According to some interviews with him, he planned to feature the Neo-Knights and the "demons" inhabiting Cybertron's underground more in the never-written issues

The Mage


A. Giannetti - 2011
    When his old enemy Drusus unexpectedly reappears, Elerian attempts to rid the countryside of an ancient danger. The resulting struggle taxes Elerian's strength and magical powers to the utmost. It also inadvertently rekindles his curiosity about his origins, which are shrouded in mystery. With his grandfather's encouragement, Elerian leaves the safe countryside where he grew up, embarking on a series of journeys to the wild lands to the north and east with the hope of finding information that will unlock the secrets of his past. During his travels, he encounters a variety of strange, sometimes magical creatures and finds himself thrust into one dangerous situation after another. Elerian discovers that the Goblins are stirring again in the Middle Realm and accidentally reveals himself to their Dark King, with disastrous consequences for himself and the two old men who raised him.If you enjoy reading The Mage, look for the release of The Warrior in August, 2012. It will be followed by The Dwarf Kingdoms, The Quest, and The War of the Rings.

Evil In Disguise


Deborah McClatchey - 2010
    Little do they know that the unsuspecting, yet odd-looking turtle, is a fiend in disguise. The town bully, Victor Lockett, kidnaps the reptile and finds out he’s made a terrible, terrible mistake! The turtle is now on the loose and the killings begin. Elmer Jacks, the pet shop proprietor, finally reveals the true identity of the turtle to the two boys. He says there is an old scroll that was lost which holds the answer to the cursed tortoise and can revert it back to human form. Charlie’s pretty neighbor, Sunni Russell, joins them on their hunt for the beast. With her help, they search the Internet for the answer to the reversal of the curse. But will they find it? And most importantly, if they find the turtle, will the special words on the scroll even work?

FURY RISING (Children of the Mountain Book 4)


R.A. Hakok - 2019
     Exiled from Mount Weather, Gabe, Mags and Johnny make their way north, seeking shelter from the coming storms. With the furies awakening across the country they stumble into the middle of a feud between two unlikely adversaries.

To Kill a Mockingbird: Harperperennial Modern Classics by Harper Lee | Recap and Analysis


Instarecap - 2015
    Told through the eyes of the feisty Scout Finch, the story was set in the Southern United States in the 1930’s where racism was as common as a cold. The novel is packed with admirable and memorable characters. This novel remained the only book Harper Lee published for more than five decades but proved its value to American literature by becoming a favorite classic and making Lee one of America’s beloved authors. This is also one of the top choices of many teachers for studying societal issues. This Pulitzer-winning novel is a must-read. Read more.... Download your copy today! for a limited time discount of only $2.99! Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. © 2015 All Rights Reserved by Unlimited Press Works

Midnight Hunter (The Midnight Trilogy Book 3)


Dani Hart - 2020
    Does she have what it takes?

Plants vs. Zombies: Grown Sweet Home #6


Paul Tobin - 2015
    Zomboss launches a strike at the heart of Neighborville . . . and also sparks a series of all-star plant- versus-zombie brawls! Brian Churilla (_Hellbreak_, _Creepy Comics_) draws this month's bonus stories! * Eisner Award winner Paul Tobin continues his hilarious _PVZ_ run! * More than 500,000 _PVZ_ collections sold!