maritime industry hit rock bottom starting in the early 1980's, right around the time the author was graduating from the California Maritime Academy. Even in his yearbook it warned about how bad things were—it was a time of cost cutting, reduced wages, desperate shipping companies and a lack of jobs. Eventually he made his way out to sea as both an able-bodied seaman and as a third mate. He saw first-hand what it was like out there; from the crazy captains to the weary sailors, and from the bad food to the dangerous working conditions. This book covers it all, and while the ships he sailed on were all scrapped long ago, the stories of the industry and what it took to make it on them, are remembered. This is his story.

    

    This boxed set is being released to celebrate the launch of PRICELESS, which is an Amato Brothers/Rixton Falls crossover! ***All books are standalones with interconnected characters. They can be read in any order.*** ROYAL His name is Royal, but he’s no prince charming. He’s not even a prince - though you could say I loved him once upon a time. He was my older brother’s best friend. Growing up, he sat at our dinner table every Sunday, teased me mercilessly, and pretended I annoyed him. When I was old enough, he took me on my first date. Royal taught me how to drive. Escorted me to my junior prom. Gave me my first kiss…amongst other things. He was my first taste of toe-curling, all-consuming, can’t-sleep love. We had our whole lives ahead of us. There was never anyone else for me but him. And then he disappeared. No letter. No explanation. Not even a goodbye. My sisters and brother never forgave him, and my parents forbade me from speaking his name in our house ever again. For all intents and purposes, we were to pretend Royal Lockhart never existed. I’ve spent the last seven years trying in vain to forget my first love, but just when I think I’ve finally moved on, guess who’s back in town? BACHELOR Derek Rosewood is never going to marry. Ever. Again. Fresh off the heels of a bitter divorce, there are only three things he gives a sh*t about: his daughter, his career, and his bachelorhood. An attorney by trade and happily married to his job, he saves the drama for the courtroom and keeps women at an arm’s length. Their fragile, sequined hearts are safer that way. And besides, he's not in any condition to offer them the love and attention they so foolishly seek from him. Believe him, he's not what they need. Not after what he's been through. It’s not until he's assigned as the financial conservatorship for an aloof, enigmatic heiress that he finds his professional – and personal – boundaries pushed to the wayside. They're all wrong for each other. Emotionally unavailable. Bitter. Jaded. And he's supposed to look out for her best interests. Protect her. But *this* wasn’t supposed to happen. And for that reason, Derek Rosewood pleads the fifth. FILTHY Filthy mouth. Dirty mind. Messy past. I’m no saint, and I hear my reputation precedes me, but you can’t believe everything people say. I’ve made a living playing by the rules only when the clock is ticking, the ball has been snapped, and I’m cleat-deep in AstroTurf. But I screwed up last year. I went too far with the girls and the partying and the benders, and I created a PR sh*t storm for my team in the process. As a result, the team owner sentenced me to live in some gated, Floridian retirement village until I can “calm down.” Football is my life, and I love my team. They’re the only family I’ve got anymore, so I’ll do what I have to do to stay where I am. The rules are clear: no girls, less booze, zero publicity stunts. If I lay low and repair my reputation, I won’t get cut. It’s that simple. Everything was going well. For the first time in my life, I was living by someone else’s rules . . . . . .

    Discovering that Rachel, a sports journalist, had been doing a story on the brutal killing of a foreign tourist, they are puzzled by her interest in such a grisly crime. It emerges that Rachel’s investigation went far beyond a single murder, and their lives are soon under threat too.With a traumatic event from their teenage years coming back to haunt them, the trio realises that the mystery has its roots in their own past. In the midst of battling their personal demons, they make a desperate plan to flush out a sadistic killer in the sylvan setting of their old boarding school in the Himalayan foothills. With the body count rising and long-buried secrets tumbling out, will they succeed?

    But a few brave souls struck out into that desolate wilderness, desperate to free themselves from the restrictions of the civilized world…KING OF THE MOUNTAIN: Nathaniel King doesn’t need much incentive to escape the confining, bustling city of New York. When his uncle starts spinning tales of a great treasure hidden in the wilderness, Nathaniel finds the lure of the West impossible to resist. Nathaniel’s trail leads from danger to danger, and into the uninhabited Rocky Mountains. If he can survive, Nathaniel will unearth a treasure far more valuable than he ever imagined.LURE OF THE WILD: Nineteen-year-old Nathaniel King and a rugged mountain man named Shakespeare McNair are headed to a rendezvous of trappers and fur traders in the Rocky Mountains. But hostile Utes and Blackfeet Indians pursue them relentlessly, determined to have their scalps. Despite the protection of a friendly band of Shoshone, Nathaniel and his companion risk the loss of their freedom…and their lives.

    

    

    Wes survived and now, he's plotting his revenge. He's gonna have to stay one step ahead of these self-appointed executioners -- because they ain't likely to make the same mistake twice.

    Encountering one problem after another, she hasn’t been able to catch a break. A ray of light finally breaks through Honey Dipp's gloomy world when she meets super sexy GUY SANTOS. Not only does he give Honey the most breathtaking sex she's ever experienced, but he gives her his heart. Honey is in bliss! But when Honey Dipp's sordid past forges its way into the relationship, will Guy continue to love her or will he leave Honey broken and shattered like so many others have? Exactly how strong is a man's love when it's challenged by a woman's ugly secrets?

    Until one night in London. Just two months before graduating from a posh London Ladies college, and while planning her lavish wedding to her childhood sweetheart, Noora is framed by her sister who masterminded a plot to destroy Noora's happiness. Believing she has shamed him and in order to preserve his family name, Noora's father attempts to drown her in an act of "honor killing." Unbeknownst to him, she survives. Barely clinging to life, she flees from her father's mansion and is rescued by a tribe of Bedouins. Still in danger, Noora travels nearly half way around the world in search of sanctuary. All along her path she must hide her true identity, while hoping to return one day and prove her innocence. However, she is relentlessly stalked by her fundamentalist former bodyguard who discovered she is still alive and vows to bring her back to "justice." Follow Noora on this remarkable journey of courage and survival against all obstacles. Light of the Desert shares the moving tale of a Middle Eastern woman's remarkable journey of survival, courage, and the ultimate act of humanity. "... A truly inspiring and engrossing novel..." -Connie Harris, MyShelf.com

    On the way he encounters many adventures, strives to solve a mysterious theft, and meets an old friend getting ready for gladiatorial combat. In other stories we visit Elissa, the evil priestess, and Vespillo, the trusty watchman, and discover more about their colourful histories. We see a young boy’s first battle, and travel all the way to the barbaric Hadrian’s Wall. These are vivid tales of ancient Rome, perfect for fans of Wallace Breem, Simon Scarrow and Ben Kane.

    It was to be an age of post-Impressionistic color, form and wonderment that the art world discovered only after the master's death. Bouts of anxiety, mental illness and epilepsy may have tormented him and brought about his suicide at the age of 37. But they may also have been catalysts for emotionality and vibrance in his art that reveal a turbulent search for grace.The compilation of Vincent Van Gogh's 500 finest color paintings in this online volume comes to you in a digitally restored state: the eye-popping brilliance and vitality are just as on the day Van Gogh finished them. Unless noted otherwise, all of them were originally oil paintings on canvas or wood (the few exceptions are watercolors). The arrangement is by genre (see the list below) and is chronological within each genre section. There are a few duplicates, that is, some paintings from one genre are also shown within the scope of another genre in order to emphasize their "dual nature." This is especially true for the images in "Skyscapes," many of which are reprised from "Landscapes" or other relevant genres to afford you, the viewer, with a fresh perspective on a different aspect of the composition.Technical Note: All 500 images are in color -- they render beautifully in optimized gray-scale tones for black-and-white e-book readers, but exhibit even more stunningly in full color with color readers and inside Kindle apps for color-enabled computers and portable or hand-held devices.The masterpieces are organized into the following genres (with the tally of images in each):PORTRAITS (24)SELF-PORTRAITS (18)CHARACTER AND ACTION STUDIES (31)LABORERS (37)TOWNSCAPES: FROM A DISTANCE (17)TOWNSCAPES: FROM INSIDE THE TOWN (30)BUILDINGS: FROM AN EXTERIOR PERSPECTIVE (35)BUILDINGS: INTERIOR DESIGN (17)BIRDS (2)ANIMALS (7)FLOWERS AND GARDENS: LIVING AND GROWING (20)FLOWERS: FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS (29)STILL LIFE (45)TREES (50)LANDSCAPES (50)WATERSCAPES: THE SEA (6)WATERSCAPES: RIVERS, CANALS AND BRIDGES (23)SKYSCAPES (38)NIGHTSCAPES: AT SUNSET (14)NIGHTSCAPES: BY MOONLIGHT (3)NIGHTSCAPES: STARRY NIGHTS (5)NIGHTSCAPES: AT SUNRISE (1)

    Acclaimed professional wedding photographer Glen Rea Johnson not only teaches you how to take memorable photos, it also shows you how to start a wedding photography business. Packed with great tips and savvy advice, this new edition helps you set up efficient workflows, choose camera equipment, manipulate images, make impressive presentations, and launch smart, photo-based marketing strategies to build your business. The book is loaded with new, superb photos that illustrate photography techniques but it is not a portfolio of Glen's best work, and in fact a large percentage of the images in this book were actually pulled from the trash bin because those are the most valuable in showing what not to do, or how to avoid certain mistakes. This book shows you how to set up and capture beautiful photos, posed or candid, in all kinds of settings, for weddings and other special events. You will find information and practical marketing strategies for building your own photography business, including how to build a Web site that attracts clients. Covers camera equipment and accessories, post-shoot digital darkroom techniques, digital editing software, and how to print your images successfully. Gives you invaluable insights and tips from the author, who is one of the country's top wedding and special events photographers. Capture better pictures of some of life's most memorable events, and build a successful photography business with this indispensable guide!

    As one of the first agents to represent athletes, he's been negotiating mega-deals for almost forty years with a hugely successful record on behalf of stars like Arthur Ashe, Michael Jordan, Jimmy Connors, Patrick Ewing, Stan Smith, and Boomer Esiason. Now Dell shares behind-the-scenes stories of his dealings with some of the most powerful sports owners and executives. He brings the inner workings of the negotiating room to life and offers lessons that readers can apply to their own tough situations. A sample: ? "Never make the first offer" You're not seeking an offer at all; you are seeking information. ? "Business is emotional" If you are less than genuine people will pick up on it, which is much worse than losing your temper every now and then. ? "Know your audience" I finally figured out the key to Jimmy Connors-play to his stubbornness. Don't force Jimmy to do something and he just might do it. ? "Decide what's important" Something extremely important to the other side may be trivial to you, in which case you can gain leverage by giving it to them.

    In Planning Pack he is in the Arabian desert taking on a group of dangerous terrorists. The short story also appears in the collection Spider Shepherd: SAS Volume 2.