Decades of theory, research, and practice have singled out sense of belonging (in its many derivative forms) as a pivotal component of healthy development: psychologically, socially, culturally, academically. The human need for belonging, and therefore its essential nature, have been well established across multiple arenas. Despite growth in this field, answers to the barriers to belonging among marginalized groups and contexts remain especially elusive. For decades, this work was anchored...

Popular media can spark the national consciousness in a way that captures people’s attention, interests them in history, and inspires them to visit battlefields, museums, and historic sites. This lively collection of essays and feature stories celebrates the novels, popular histories, magazines, movies, television shows, photography, and songs that have enticed Americans to learn more about our most dramatic historical era.From Ulysses S. Grant’s Memoirs to Abraham Lin...

This collection of dark, Lovecraftian horror contains stories that would please Cthulhu and the rest of The Ancient Ones, and they're difficult to please.

**NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWith this darkly intriguing original e-short story, Dean Koontz sets the stage for his masterly new novel of mystery, suspense, and strange wonder—Innocence.**“The world is a machine that produces endless surprises and mysteries layered on mysteries.”Addison Goodheart is a mystery even to himself. He was born in an isolated home surrounded by a deep forest, never known to his father, kept secret from everyone but...

A chilling short story prequel to Dean Koontz’s forthcoming full-length novel, INNOCENCE. Addison Goodheart is only eight years old, but he already knows he is not like other people.Addison Goodheart is a mystery even to himself. He was born in an isolated home surrounded by a deep forest, seeing no one but his mother, who barely accepts him. She is haunted by private demons and keeps many secrets – none of which she dreads more than the young son who adores her.Only in the...

Strange things exist on the periphery of our existence, haunting us from the darkness looming beyond our firelight. Black magic, weird cults and worse things loom in the shadows. The Children of Old Leech have been with us from time immemorial. And they love us...Donald Miller, geologist and academic, has walked along the edge of a chasm for most of his nearly eighty years, leading a charmed life between endearing absent-mindedness and sanity-shattering realization. Now, all things...

The Sorceress Of Zoom (a public domain villain from the 1940s comic book) returns to wreak havoc on Earth. Can the heroes of Arcadia, Cobalt Tiger and Shardstar, stop her?Zoom sends it's mythical warriors to attack Earth. Two costumed heroes must work together to stop the approaching menace.While elsewhere a pick-pocket among the crowd of onlookers is about to discover...The Hero Within.

They say the Malar Dorah is unbreakable.For five centuries, the Realm’s mightiest fortress has stood unconquered. Now it is the final bastion of a retreating northern army, and the culmination of the long-raging Diamond Wars. The warlord Belerod stands at the Dorah's doorstep with a southern horde at his back, set on testing the meaning of unbreakable with his war-golems.Fourteen of Belerod’s creations waded into the Diamond Wars. Only eight remain. Their s...

When Will and Mina discover an abandoned mine shaft, they quickly plan a treasure hunt. The two friends dream of the riches they’ll unearth together and can’t wait to get started, but they quickly discover that they very different ideas about what treasure is! Torn between searching for mobs and potion supplies and seeking out the chest at the heart of the mine, the duo is on the verge of splitting up.But then a trio of treasure hunters challenge Will and Mina, and a poorly aimed p...

Ten Fantasy Stories by Ten Authors.Of all paranormal creatures, demons are the most dangerous. Intelligent and deceitful, they are masters of disguise and crafty manipulation. They stir evil desires, exploit moral weaknesses, disguise the boundaries between right and wrong, plant convictions in the victim's mind, and persuade humans that they want the thing the demon aims to bring about.Every culture in the world has demons, but their shape, nature and purpose varies so much ...

Part four of A Game of War is here!A fast paced sci-fi adventure, A Game of War blends dizzying excitement with a whirlpool of emotions to keep you gripped from beginning to end. Like ‘The Hunger Games’? You’ll love this!Ally flies and Stem shoots…Ally and Stem are free. They’ve escaped the Atrile and are finally on their way to earth. But the universe is a big place and as they already know, little is as it seems.In need of oxygen, Ally and...

"Growing up in Arkham, you hear things. Ghost stories wrapped in magickal moon lore with a heaping helping of elder gods and forbidden books, all swapped between boys and girls over dwindling campfires. We collected alternate histories like kids on TV traded baseball cards. As a child of Arkham, you just took for granted you lived in a special town, but seeing that difference up close and personal, in the place where you gave up evenings and weekends so college admissions might think you w...