Chapters: The Demonata, the Saga of Darren Shan, Old Creatures, Demons, Cirque Du Freak, Death, Vampire Blood, Vampire War, Vampire Rites, Vampire Destiny. Excerpt: The Old Creatures are benevolent, god-like entities in Darren Shan's The Demonata series. They appear in Bec, Death's Shadow (though only in flashbacks), Hell's Heroes and Dark Calling. They are also mentioned briefly on two occasions in Demon Thief, the second installment of the series. The Old Creatures are older than time itself, and possess enormous magical power. They are responsible for the development of sentience among the beings of this universe (including humans), but believe firmly in allowing all beings to choose their own path. Therefore, they interfere as little as possible once any species moves beyond a certain point. They were originally believed to be the creators of all life in the universe, but this theory has since been disproven. Indeed, the Old Creatures are unaware of how life developed in the human universe. The Old Creatures appear as floating spheres of light. Since light is 'almost ageless', they therefore have an extremely long life span, although they are, in fact, mortal beings. Though individual Old Creatures speak normally, they appear to merge into a single mind and talk with one voice when in groups. When they speak in this manner, Bec describes the voice as warm and comforting, containing all the accents she has ever heard. She also claims that their words are "both loud and soft. Lyrical and flat". Every word which they speak is capitalised, regardless of its position in the sentence, or whether it is a proper noun. Dark Calling reveals that both the Old Creatures and the Demonata are creatures of the original universe which preceded the two universes... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=16731862

    If you have not yet bought Liane Moriarty’s novel, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial Sidekick.Opening with the myth of Pandora’s Box, this is a tale of lies and secrets—and the ways that people are rarely what they appear. Cecilia has the perfect life: successful career, devoted husband, loving children . . . but when she reads a letter her husband intended her to find only after his death, it changes her world forever.After The Husband's Secret amassed critical acclaim and took off in 2013, Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies debuted at the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list—making her the first Australian author to claim that honor. She has written six novels, as well as a series of three books for children.With this Sidekick, you’ll:• Learn what you might have missed on your first read of Moriarty’s novel• Discover some of the book’s secret gems and underlying themes• Explore possible alternate endings and imagine ideas for a sequel• Spend some more time with the characters you’ve come to know and love, delving deep into their psyches and hidden motives• Get a chance to discuss The Husband’s Secret with other savvy readersSidekicks are entertaining and insightful reading companions, filled with delightful commentary and thought-provoking questions. Readers have raved that they "really put you in touch with the many layers of the novel," "keep you entertained even longer," and are "perfect if you want a vivid understanding of the story." Designed to be read side by side with the novels they complement, they’ll give you even more reasons to love some of today’s best books.

    

    In Between (Carol Award Recipient for Best YA, Christy Award Finalist)Can we overcome our past? Katie Parker is about to get a new life—whether she wants one or not. With her mom in prison, and her father AWOL, Katie is sent to live with a squeaky-clean family who could have their own sitcom. She launches a full-scale plan to get sent back to the girls’ home when she finds herself in over her head...and heart. When Katie and her new "wrong crowd" get into significant trouble at school, she finds her punishment is restoring a historic theater with a crazy grandma who goes by the name of Mad Maxine. In the midst of her punishment, Katie uncovers family secrets that run deep, and realizes she's not the only one with a pain-filled past. Katie must decide if she'll continue her own family’s messed up legacy or embrace a new beginning in this place called In Between.On the Loose What's a girl to do when the glass slipper doesn't fit?Six months into her stay with her foster parents, Katie Parker is finally adjusting to her new family. But when a tornado rips through the town of In Between, nothing is ever the same. When her foster mom, Millie, is diagnosed with cancer, Katie begins to doubt if God really does care. What will happen to Katie? Could she possibly have to leave In Between and the family she's come to depend on? Things spiral even further out of control when Katie juggles a malfunctioning best friend, Spring Break plans, and holding the attention of her own Prince Charming. It's going to take more than a magic wand and some fairy dust to fix Katie's problems. But will help come in time?The Big Picture (Carol Award Winning, Best YA)How do you walk away from love?Katie's bio-mom is fresh out of prison and wants to start a new life with her daughter--in a new town. Katie is forced to walk away from In Between, leaving the family she loves, an endangered town drive-in, and a boyfriend who can't take his eyes off his ex. As life with her mom takes a serious nosedive, Katie must rely on her faith to keep it together. Yet God seems to be nowhere around. Katie struggles to keep it together, taking care of her mother and spending time with a handsome new friend who makes her question everything. Will her big picture ever include a happily ever after?Can't Let You GoAn old love whose kisses make her weak, but whose secrets threaten to destroy all she holds dear...Fresh out of college, Katie Parker had it all—a charming romance, a role in a famous stage production, and an idyllic life in London. Until she found her boyfriend cheating and got herself fired from the play. Leaving everything behind, Katie hops a plane home, only to run into her first love, Charlie Benson. As the couple returns to In Between, Katie questions everything she ever thought she wanted—including a renewed romance with her high school flame.While she attempts to rebuild her life, Katie's plan to manage the family’s theater meets a devastating obstacle, dragging her into a legal battle that will rock her small town. And the boy who once broke her heart seems to have the power to do it again. As Charlie’s secrets unravel, Katie must make a choice. Can she overcome her past and trust Charlie with her heart again?A heart-warming sweet romance.

     After her husband's suspicious death, her father and uncle arrange for her to head West as a mail order bride to secure her safety. Once she arrives she is married to a local dirt farmer with big dreams and an even bigger heart. Samantha has no intentions of falling in love with her handsome new husband or making friends in the small town that is so different from the vast city she came from. She is just going to pass the time until she gets word that she can return home. Seth Jenkins wanted a real marriage, so he placed an ad in a nationwide paper advertising to mail order brides. He never expected to receive a letter from an attorney offering his niece in marriage, along with a hefty sum in exchange for Seth ensuring her safety. When danger follows Samantha from the East, can Seth keep his promise to keep her safe? Can Samantha overcome her past and embrace the love standing right in front of her?

    

    The excitement dulled somewhat through the weeks of hardship, exhaustion, dust and barren land. Until something happened to quell the excitement, hopes, and dreams, of the girl forever. Now, with an end to the life they expected to lead out west, what was left other than to just survive? Dillon Goodman, saw her, with her mother and father sat beside the fire in the ring of wagons. The picture of perfection. He had to get to know her, but was a little shy to talk to her, until that dreadful day. Now with only a plot of land and a dream, can Dillion do what is needed to win over Trinity? Or will she fall for the handsome and rich Kirby Thornhill? Son of the biggest landowner, and most powerful man in the area, Bart Thornhill. Will Dillon risk life and limb to ride the dangerous bucking bronco, Thunder, against Trinity’s wishes? Will Kirby Thornhill get his way and claim Trinity for himself, like everything else he ever wanted? Find out in the exciting new sweet and inspirational western romance book by bestselling author Indiana Wake. This book is a complete stand alone story about those brave men and women who headed west along the Oregon Trail.

    His wife Rita has disappeared. His credit cards are invalid. A stranger is living in his house and he keeps running into people who are convinced he was killed in action months ago. Worst of all, his wealthy father has suffered a stroke.Psychologist Charlotte Phillips claims to be his comatose father’s legal guardian. Rich is determined to learn what has happened, gain control of his father’s money, and unmask Charlotte as the gold-digging schemer he’s certain she is. He is shocked to find his father’s crusty old attorney has been taken in by her along with everyone else.Can Rich straighten out the mess his life has become?

    She’s smart, pretty, and single. Oh, and a year ago she won forty-five million dollars in a magazine sweepstakes. But, as luck would have it, hitting the jackpot triggered an avalanche of misery. Her former boss claims the money is his and he’s spent the past year dragging Monica to court and feeding lurid stories to the tabloid press. Former friends and newly-discovered “family members” pester her day and night demanding cash for their illnesses, their business schemes, or for just being “kin.” Sick of hassling over her newfound riches, Monica abruptly moves to Maui, Hawaii. She’s looking for a new start, a blank slate. Soon after arriving she’s accosted at a Honokowai grocery store by a brawny, and wickedly handsome, local guy who hits her up for a donation to the Maui Food Bank. Will it never end? She meets Derek Chambers, a good-looking single guy in her classy Kapalua neighborhood whose wealth far surpasses her own. Finally, a guy who “gets” her. But who is he, really? And how much will it cost her to find out? Her fortune, her self-esteem—maybe even her life?

     Instead of going backpacking in Europe for the summer, pregnant eighteen-year-old Chloe Parrish ends up in Fields Corner. Her parents send her there to work in her aunt’s restaurant. Chloe’s parents and her boyfriend Logan want her to consider adoption. Amish and happily married, Beth Byler is pregnant with her first baby. When she sees how sad Chloe seems at the doctor’s office, Beth asks if everything is okay. Although they come from different backgrounds, their pregnancies give them something to share and they become friends. During their prenatal visits, Chloe and Beth meet a new obstetrician, Dr. Tony Cunningham. He becomes interested in the lovely Chloe. Tony and Chloe find themselves at crossroads in their lives—she’s torn about what to do about her baby, and Tony isn’t sure he wants to do Amish home births. After a baby is kidnapped, anger explodes between Beth and Chloe. Can both women recover from a heartbreaking situation, and trust God still knows what is best for them?

    Heart of Texas Collection Volume 1 by Debbie Macomber released on Sep 11, 2017 is available now for purchase.

    To the world around us, this kind of unconditional love makes little sense. The world is really good at loving some people, sometimes. Most of us are. But what about loving people who don't talk like us, think like us, vote like us, or see the world like we do?In this five-session video Bible study (DVD/streaming video sold separately), Bob points the way to embodying love by doing the unexpected, the intimidating, the seemingly impossible--to love everybody the way Jesus loved them--without fear, insecurity, or reservations...Love everybody: Begin by loving people right where you are through serving and helping the neighbors God has placed in your world.  Love always: Love people when they mess up, and help them move past the place of shame to acceptance.  Love God: Be courageous and follow where God leads one step at a time--even if you feel like you're flying blind.  Love now: Don't just agree with Jesus, but actually step out and do what Jesus said. Each session explores a different aspect of unconditional love:Love People Where You Are  Catch People on the Bounce  Don’t Play It Safe  Look at What’s in Your Bucket  Love Even the Difficult PeopleFollowing Christ means more than just putting a toe in the water when it comes to loving others. It means grabbing your knees and doing a cannonball! And, as Jesus revealed, it means loving the difficult ones. The Everybody, Always Study Guide provides practical steps to help you take that journey.Includes video discussion questions, Bible exploration, personal study and reflection materials for in-between sessions, and a leader's guide.Designed for use with the Everybody, Always Video Study (9780310095361), sold separately.

    Blessed. How can those two words possibly go together? Considering just how shattering life’s blows can be, can we honestly believe God will bring good out of our most heartbreaking crises? “It’s difficult to discern the blessing in the midst of brokenness,” says Dr. Charles Stanley. “Certain circumstances in life hurt, at times so intensely that we think we will never heal.” The catalysts for brokenness all possess a wrenching pain and the power to forever alter our life. But they also possess one thing more: the potential for discovering a richness in living we otherwise never would know. Perhaps you’ve already experienced circumstances so shattering you may wonder today whether it’s even possible to pick up the pieces. And maybe you can’t. But God can. “After brokenness, we can experience God’s greatest blessings.” In Finding God’s Blessings in Brokenness, Dr. Stanley will carry you through the hard times and show you how God’s glory is consistent throughout and always available. A gentle, encouraging way to explore God’s purpose and power as only experienced through the darkest times of life, this book will encourage you as you journey through the dry seasons.Set amidst beautiful photography and a timeless design, Dr. Stanley’s words of encouragement and hope will guide you to growth and the joy of the Lord. Finding God’s Blessings in Brokenness is a thoughtful and inspiring gift to encourage anyone struggling through a dark season, as well as a thoughtful gift for anyone going through loss.

    The clock is ticking.In poll after poll, one of the threats facing our nation is the use of an electromagnetic pulse weapon to cause a grid down scenario. There are many bad actors on the international stage capable of unleashing a devastating electromagnetic pulse attack. The list is long, including Russia, China, North Korea, and  Iran. Each is capable of wreaking havoc in the US by shutting down our power grid and enjoying the resulting chaos.Sixteen time bestselling author, Bobby Akart, provides a non-fiction primer on the threats we face as a nation from the bad actors mentioned above. It explores the history of the electromagnetic pulse technology, and discusses its use for both military and non-military purposes. EMP: Electromagnetic Pulse provides a detailed, non-fiction analysis of the EMP threat, whether man-made or naturally occurring.  It also provides the reader suggestions on how to prepare for a grid down scenario.MORE BOOKS IN THE PREPPING FOR TOMORROW SERIESCyber WarfareEconomic CollapseMORE BOOKS FROM BOBBY AKARTTHE BLACKOUT SERIES (An EMP post-apocalyptic survival series)36 HoursZero HourTurning PointShiloh RanchHornet's NestDevil's HomecomingTHE PANDEMIC SERIES (A medical thriller post-apocalyptic survival series)BeginningsThe InnocentsLevel 6QuietusTHE BOSTON BRAHMIN SERIES (A political thriller post-apocalyptic survival series)The Loyal NineCyber AttackMartial LawFalse FlagThe Mechanics Choose FreedomBOSTON BRAHMIN NOVELSPatriot's Farewell

    Realizing he had retired too soon from police work, he signs on as the head of security aboard a Caribbean cruise ship. Shortly afterwards, he becomes involved in the investigation of the disappearance, seemingly into thin air, of a bride on her honeymoon. In the process of finding out what really happened to her, he uncovers an international plot involving a Chinese entrepreneur and a Miami trial lawyer. Just like P.D. James' Adam Dalgliesh, Morales conducts his investigation strictly according to the rules and solves another crime that had gone unnoticed.