This is about how a simple change in jobs changed my whole life forever. I thought I had it made, but unbeknownst to me, my life was about to change and my journey had only just begun. Oh, there were plenty of ups and downs in my life, but I didn't expect it to turn out the way it did in a place I thought I would never have gone. Funny how things work out--after all, a love story has its beginnings, a middle, and an end. You just never know where life will take you.

“I want to tell you a strange story.  I, Esa Salmi, as barber-surgeon to the House of Taivas, ruling family of Valea, the City of Light, am privy to many remarkable, amusing, disturbing, and, at times, horrific secrets…” Thus begins `The Rise and Fall Of the Faerie King’, a tale of two curses, a demon changeling, two Queens, three Kings, a deformed Monk, an old hag, a horny fawn and a simpleton named Mika.  As these unlikely characters whisper their ill-wi...

Who are the monsters? As a giant struggles to raise his young family, he comes into contact with ultra-religious pioneers dreaming to establish their own utopia. Go into the giant's cave and discover how he lives, how he and his kind have kept themselves hidden for centuries, how they propagate and exist in a shrinking world. Unfortunately, when a conflict between man and giant becomes unavoidable, the outcome is fairly easy to predict.In this Dark Fable, elements of environmentali...

The King broods upon a throne he does not want, ruling over a shattered Empire that he despises. Astride a dragon he conquered great cities, following a river of iron that flowed from his mountain stronghold. His followers are fanatics, murderers and cannibals, yet he feels more akin to these freed slaves than he does to their former masters. `Eat the rich!' was screamed through the city streets as his deranged minions tore down the gates.All to kill one man.But on...

A critical examination of how pleasure and pain are constructed, represented, and contested within American public culture.Mainstream news and social media often highlight presentations of pain that invite a voyeuristic, pleasurable experience, whether the result of war, disasters, crime, accidents, or other catastrophes. This collection of essays explores pleasurable pains and painful pleasures, showing how they pervade contemporary western public culture...

This is the first full-length exploration of the work of Laura Wade, providing critical and performance perspectives on one of the UK's most frequently staged female playwrights.Laura Wade is one of the most exciting, challenging and commercially successful playwrights in the UK. Her work has been widely translated and performed across the globe, but despite the prolific appearance of her plays on professional stages, in university studios and school classrooms, sh...

On Election Day in 2016, it seemed unthinkable to many Americans that Donald Trump could become president of the United States. But the victories of the Obama administration hid from view fundamental problems deeply rooted in American social institutions and history. The election’s consequences drastically changed how Americans experience their country, especially for those threatened by the public outburst of bigotry and repression. Amid the deluge of tweets and breaking news stories that...

The winter can be long, cold, and hard. Even the holidays can be terrible.Then, there comes a time of year when some places are no longer used.No longer needed.No longer wanted.It's the coldest part of the year, in nearly every sense.It is when a lot of the world is...Closed for the Season.Sometimes people go into those places anyway.Dare you follow them?Stories by:Lee F. Patrick, Rob Nisbet, Ross Baxter, D.H. ...

America’s War for Independence dramatically affected the speed and nature of broader social, cultural, and political changes including those shaping the place and roles of women in society. Women fought the American Revolution in many ways, in a literal no less than a figurative sense. Whether Loyalist or Patriot, Indigenous or immigrant enslaved or slave-owning, going willingly into battle or responding when war came to their doorsteps, women participated in the conflict in complex and va...

Many people assume that good communicators possess an intrinsic talent for speaking and listening to others, a gift that can’t be learned or improved. The reality is that communication skills are developed with deliberate effort and practice, and learning to understand others and communicate your ideas more clearly will improve every facet of your life.Messages has already helped thousands of people build communication skills and cultivate better relationships with friends...

What lurks inside that mysterious store at the end of town? Only Benny Penny is adventurous enough to find out. . . .In this book, you can read the words and the pictures. Perfect for children just learning to read, this silly, kid-friendly rebus picture book is sure to be a hit in the classroom and at home. (In a rebus, words are represented by images, or by an image plus a letter. And even beginning readers can take pleasure in reading pictures!) The pairing of Valorie F...

This paperback picture book features fresh, quirky poems by two picture-book poetry veterans which explore practically every kid's favorite topic: CARS!The U.S. Children's Poet Laureate and an award-winning children's poet join their prolific forces in this picture book of poems about cars. But they're not just any cars: there's the "Sloppy-Floppy-Nonstop-Jalopy" ("So unique there is no copy"); the Bathtub Limosine ("With hot water heating / And porcelain ...