Her aging parents have already slipped into a great depression of their own. Her brothers named her 'Queenie' and it stuck. Queenie steps from the barn to welcome a man from a neighboring farm. A frustrated man drunk on corn liquor and rage.Three children, an alcoholic husband and a monkey later, she's living in the city and struggling to keep a clean house and beans on the stove when the "Eye-talian" pilot from New York City asks her opinion on fryer hens in the grocery. He's smooth. He takes her to places with white table cloths.World War II deploys the pilot to Europe and Queenie to the Big Apple. Survival on the streets of NYC for Queenie and her baby girl, Abba Gee, is a war story of another kind. Queenie makes decisions without options. Her's is a story of what can happen to any of us if we are not paying attention."Told from a Southern point of view, funny, sad, and partially true. Queenie is the grandmother I did not know. A lifetime of rumors and over heard gossip painted this character. Others speak of grandmothers who smelled of talcum powder and passed on receipes while Queenie's legacy echos stories of grit and how life can change in the Spit of a Minute.""Dickson's language is palpably evocative of the period--you could vividly imagine the scenes in sepia, peopled by those long-ago characters that now only exist as memory.""Dickson writes with a relaxed, leisurely cadence with confidence in her own literary powers. She effectively simulates the feel and mood of the South, as well as the hustle and bustle of the city--something about the writing, not the plot, that reminds me so much of Harper Lee's classic `To Kill a Mockingbird.'"Dickson's compelling narrative subtly shifts in tone and texture according to the changes in time, and this is one of the qualities in her writing that makes me hope she actually writes more, and soon."

    Twenty-one years old and Annette Roberta Randall is searching, looking for herself. The perception and sensitivity she relied on to bolster her through an isolated childhood have disappeared and with them her sense of self. Nettie also seeks the truth, information about her dysfunctional family and the mysteries that whisper to her in their eccentric family home. She receives glimpses in the alcohol induced monologues of her mother, Delores Cecelia, “DeCe”. However, DeCe lost herself long before Nettie was born, and she buried her secrets so deep, even the spirits haunting her cannot unlock her soul. Pup, Nettie’s peculiar uncle, may have witnessed the most recent chaos, but he cannot communicate what he knows for sure. Nettie’s struggles are apparent to her extended family and neighbors, but only she can resolve to overcome the pull of the notorius Kirkland family and Berclaire mansion. The secrets fester and DeCe clings to them like the neglected ivy tendrils on the shadowed side of the mansion. Slowly, the truth will unfold, but will it be enough to free Nettie, or the undoing of her mother, DeCe? Nettie believed it was possible her grandfather, Old Nate, was responsible for the hauntings at the Berclaire mansion, but the more she learns of her great grandmother, Roberta, she decides he might have been a victim, also. DeCe had been taking pills and drinking alcohol from before the time she was a teenager, attempting to numb herself to her dysfunctional family. Nettie could only guess at a history during her drunken orations about DeCe's childhood. Nettie knows she is the seventh child born to DeCe, the others gone before Nettie was born. Some would filter back into her life, but would they help her learn more about her identity, or bring more pain?

    She immediately connects with some of the quirky but friendly residents and begins to feel at home right away. When a friend invites her to attend a local community church, Charlotte is attracted to the pastor, but refuses to acknowledge that attraction because of some dark things in her past.What is the mysterious thing in Charlotte’s past that seems to dominate everything? Is it enough to keep her from ever finding a lasting relationship?

    The pivotal mark of adulthood and freedom is at last upon her. However, when cast into a strange land, each answer only births more questions. The most prevailing being: Will she make it out alive?

    In desperation, Rose borrows from pagan knowledge and casts a spell.

    This Amish long short story is meant to be enjoyed over the course of an evening. It is a complete story and will definitely leave you satisfied. If You Love Amish Fiction, Scroll up and Grab a Copy Today.

    Our world is truly strange that so many good and helpful people find themselves preyed upon by the criminal elements. In case of an emergency or a catastrophe those odds may become even worst. My name is Roy Shepard and I’m a former IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) Special Forces Operator. During my military service, I took part in countless missions behind enemy lines and later trained young cadets as a Master Sergeant. I specialize in weapons training, stealth and camouflage, and Krav-Maga. I’ve been in active reserve duty for the past 20 years and spent much of that time formulating and implementing defense strategies and drills in military bases all over Israel. Highly trained in martial arts, I specialize in Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Aikido, and Russian Systema—with both hand-to-hand combat and melee weapon handling. I am also an expert marksman with both close-quarters and long-range weapons. The IDF is one of the most effective militaries in the world with proven strategies and tactics that have kept Israel safe for the last 70 years. The harsh reality is that Israel is a small country surrounded by hostile nations that have been intent on destroying it since it was formed in 1948. The IDF has defended Israel in eight full-out wars and fended off many incursions and terrorist attacks. The skills that I’m about to share with you are the same ones used by the IDF Special Forces Operators to stay safe in hostile situations and will allow you to do so as well. Be it fending off a mugger in a dark parking lot or surviving a post-catastrophe scenario. The reality is that we are always only moments away from danger and knowing the exact step-by-step response can be the difference between life, injury, or even death. Using the knowledge in this book you will learn how to avoid, escape, or survive numerous dangerous situations using minimal effort. The number one thing you must remember is that being efficient can save your life. If you don’t take steps to conserve your energy, you will get tired very quickly and may lose the battle. Professional fighters can hold a full combat event for a few seconds and after that they rely solely on technique to survive and accomplish the mission. This book will teach you eight of the most effective techniques to stay safe: 1. Situational awareness 2. Tactical relocation 3. Planning for emergencies 4. Survival self-defense 5. Team roles 6. Communications 7. Fitness 8. Survival tools I look forward to seeing you as part of our community at Prepper Legend and hope you enjoy this book at least as much as I enjoyed writing it. And above all else stay safe! Your friend always, Roy Shepard

    With her deadline looming, she finds the only way she can write is by ditching her laptop and reverting back to pen and paper. But the story which flows from the pen is not just another work of fiction. Unbeknown to her, a gang of powerful and deadly criminals will stop at nothing to prevent the book being written. Will Natalie manage to finish the story and expose the truth before it’s too late? Or could the only final chapter she faces be her own?

    Three years after being chased from office, the former president discovers the identity of the man who released his secret file. The ex-President begins to exact revenge while plotting his return to power. A fatwa makes CIA pilot Duncan Hunter the most wanted man in America. Then an airliner disappears over the Pacific Ocean. The new President gives the CIA two time-sensitive missions: find and eliminate his traitorous predecessor, and stop a self-radicalized computer scientist before another airliner goes missing. Duncan Hunter is in the race of his life to stop a jumbo jet from crashing. The CIA believes they have finally located the former president. All roads lead to Dubai where a showdown between good and evil begins on the top floor of the world’s tallest building.

    These stories have accumulated over 300 five-star reviews and have been boxed together for the first time! The Missing A detective nearing retirement must solve a string of child abductions before it’s too late Detective Charles Knight has seen a lot in his long years as an investigator for the Melville County Police Department. Nothing, however, can prepare him for a missing children’s case involving two young girls, eerily abducted around the same time. The search leads to several potential suspects and one mysterious person who sends anonymous letters to Detective Knight’s home, promising more abductions to come. The clock is ticking, the town is on edge, and Knight must use all his resources to save the girls, with the aid of newly-arrived FBI Agent Tanya Garrett. Will they save the girls in time, or will the kidnapper’s deadly game spiral to the point of no return? The Secret Letter A mysterious chain letter is only the beginning to an inescapable nightmare. Homicide Detective Michael Dobson has seen many things in his long years on the force, but nothing can prepare him for a series of murders linked through the same mysterious chain letter mailed to the victims before their untimely demise. The answers lie in the victims’ pasts, leading Dobson and his rookie partner on a serpentine quest through the dark recesses of vengeance and betrayal. Can he stop the killer in time, or will a brutal fate await all who have made the killer’s list?

    The Georgia townsfolk’s true Southern charm is the unexpected prescription needed to heal her soul, and the sexy carpenter who touches her heart are distractions she didn’t plan on, but they might offer her a chance at a new life, if she can let go of her past. Town heartbreaker Spencer Malloy isn’t looking for anything serious. His days are perfect working as a contractor, attending his nephew’s baseball games, or taking him fishing. He never expects to fall for the big city girl, Samantha. She’s not his type, timid and closed off, but in her unguarded moments, he’s intrigued by the woman he can’t get out of his mind. The urge to get closer to her grows stronger each day, and when the shadow of evil resurfaces, he vows to protect Samantha, even if it means abandoning his home and joining her on the run. When confronted by the man who’s bent on revenge, Samantha must choose between running again to save the people she loves, or, if she has the strength, to stay and fight for her new life.

    THE AMERICAN’S COUSIN combines wit and suspense, in a dark and unsettling first case for investigator Edie Fox − one that blurs the professional and the personal with terrifying results.Edie Fox is a Private Investigator. Or at least that’s what she aspires to be. From her cramped office above a shop on the wrong side of town, she just about manages to stay afloat with the odd job spying on cheating spouses.This all changes when a wealthy young American, desperate to find his missing cousin, hires Edie to track her down.But things are not as they seem. People are telling lies, lots of them.Edie needs to work out why, but time is running short. As she gets swept up in the hunt for the American’s cousin, she realises that she’s out of her depth. And as personal and professional boundaries blur, she fears she could lose everything: her business, her family … her life.Combining a sharp and compelling investigator with an increasingly suspicious first client, THE AMERICAN’S COUSIN keeps readers gripped, as Edie finds herself drawn into a world of secrets, lies and, ultimately, great danger.

    After a disappointing love affair with a sexy and powerful man she’s looking forward to some downtime. She’s pleasantly surprised when a driver delivers her to a penthouse room in a luxury hotel. Aching with sorrow over the way the man she enjoyed in so many ways disappointed her by not being the take-charge dominant male she needed in the bedroom, she collapses on the sumptuous bed only to wake to find him in her suite.Sheikh Kasim Harram, leader of a small middle-eastern kingdom, is not used to a woman thwarting his advances. He’d expected the love affair with Sara, the woman of his dreams, to blossom, but she said a final farewell in Hong Kong. He doesn’t know why. After all, he always treated her with the utmost respect, withholding his more wild appetites. When her plane makes an unscheduled layover in London, where he happens to be on business, it seems the fates have conspired to give him another chance at seduction. With nothing more to lose perhaps the time has come to show her his real nature, but will it backfire causing him to lose her forever?When does a layover in Heathrow airport turn into a weekend of pleasure...and maybe forever? When you're claimed by the sheikh.

     Going through a tough time in her life, the only thing on Haze’s mind is getting away from anything causing her pain. Her heart feels empty. Her thoughts bring her sadness. Feeling like she has no choice, she packs everything that she owns and leaves town. But in the midst of her escape, someone special crosses her path and does something for her that no one else could. When Dominic approached Haze, his only concern was turning her frown into a smile. He never expected one encounter to spark an instant friendship and a love so strong that he couldn’t imagine his life without her. Without a doubt, Haze was the one woman in his life that could make him see things in a way that no one else could. But even with the bond that they share, their complicated lives continue to keep them apart. Someone has to give in and take a real chance on love. The question is, who? And when that time comes, will love win? Or will the smallest obstacle, continue to keep them apart?

    There are many surprises, and shocks too, as events steer them on an unpredictable course. They learn that their children are not the individuals they had imagined them to be; their perception of each changes and they suffer bitter disappointment. Is there any escape for either of them, and if there is, will their health allow it?