Adult fairy tales don't come any better than this."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) When an ancient gold bear is found walled up in a dilapidated St. Petersburg bathhouse, researcher Daniel St. Clair and his frosty colleague Em Hayward set out for the university in Arkhangelsk to verify its age. Along the way they are mysteriously set adrift. Maps are suddenly useless. Lost and exhausted they turn north, sinking even deeper into the secrets and terrors of the Russian landscape. Daniel's lost love, the wild and beautiful Rosa Kovalenka, fears the worst when Daniel goes missing and resolves to find him. To do so will mean confronting her past and secrets that she has fought to suppress. The only way to save him is to go forward, where she encounters the haunted Chenchikov clan, a family with their own shadowy tangle of grief, desire, and treachery. In the unknowable, impenetrable Russian forest, Rosa meets an enigmatic wanderer who is full of tales and riddles of times past. Who might hold the key to Rosa and Daniel's future--or the destruction of their world. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The path to happiness in writing is always in the process: the imagining and the writing. In these essays, Kim Wilkins—the celebrated author behind Daughters of the Storm, Giants of the Frost, and (as Kimberley Freeman) Wildflower Hill and Stars Across The Ocean—offers the collected writing wisdom she’s accumulated across her career. Drawing on years of experience delivering workshops, lectures, and articles, Headstrong Girl features Wilkins’s collected advice on both living the life of a writer and telling great stories, including topics such as the importance of persistence, turning off social media, anchoring scenes for your audience, and creating an effective protagonist and supporting casts for your novel. With over three million words of fiction in print across multiple genres and pen names, this is a chapbook jam-packed with writing advice from one of Australia’s preeminent experts in genre fiction. Ideal for existing fans seeking a glimpse behind the scenes, or new writers looking for a sound foundation to build upon while working towards a long and successful career.
A book of grimoires (spells for conjuring up demons) was torn into four pieces and scattered around the world during Victorian times. Now, at Humberstone College a group of academics are eagerly trying to piece it together to achieve eternal life.
In the next chapter of a fantasy series featuring five unforgettable sisters—the warrior, the magician, the lover, the zealot, and the gossip—an insidious threat jeopardizes a fragile peace. Four years have passed since the five royal sisters—daughters of the king—worked together to restore their father to health and to the throne while fracturing the bonds among themselves almost irreparably. Only Bluebell remains at home, dutifully serving as heir to her father’s kingdom. Rose has been cast aside by her former husband and hides in exile with her aunt, separated forever from her beloved daughter, Rowan. Ash wanders the distant wastes with her teacher, learning magic and hunting dragons, determined that the dread fate she has foreseen for herself and her loved ones never comes to pass. Ivy rules over a prosperous seaport, married to an aged husband she hates yet finding delight in her two young sons and a handsome captain of the guard. And as for Willow, she hides the most dangerous secret of all—one that could destroy all that the sisters once sought to save. The saga begins in . . . DAUGHTERS OF THE STORM “Five stubborn royal sisters continue to pursue their intersecting and often conflicting destinies in this follow-up to the Viking-inspired epic fantasy Daughters of the Storm. . . . The story gathers more depth and originality in this solidly action-packed middle volume, with the promise of more plot development—and probably a hefty dose of tragedy—to come.”—Kirkus Reviews
The rules for a young English woman in 1799 are simple: Do what you’re told; stay out of the way; and don’t, under any circumstances, ask questions. But Constance Blackchurch is insatiable, headstrong, and complex; and the quest to find her missing mother is too much to resist. . . . . . . as is Alexandre Sans-Nom, the pearl diver who steals her heart, uproots all of her social expectations, and can either ruin or save the family she loves.
When Asa and Rollo discover that Ragni, a sorcerer who has been chained to a rock by the evil Emperor Flood may know the fate of their parents, they set off in their invisible boat to find him.
Sophie Black is a journalist who doesnt believe anything she cant see until her latest interviewee tells her a tale of time gone by which Sophie cant seem to get out of her head. Three sisters, daughters of a caustic, blazingly intelligent blind poet names John Milton find their loyalties tested by the arrival of a fallen angel named Lazodeus. Set against the twin backdrops of the modern urban ritual magic scene and the bustle and colour of Restoration London, FALLEN ANGEL is a tale of angels and devils, art and lies, and sibling rivalry at its most irretrievably complicated.
From the author of The Autumn Castle comes a dark tale of immortal love and loss that brings together Norse gods and mortals. Taking a job on an isolated island in the Sea of Norway, scientist Victoria Scott wants a quiet place to finish her doctoral thesis. But Victoria isn’t prepared for the strange shadows outside her cabin window, the rumors of a murderous hag who sucks one’s soul during sleep, and the tales of mythic monsters lurking in the forest. More frightening than the island’s nightmarish mysteries––to Victoria, everything is hauntingly familiar. When an enigmatic stranger appears on the island, Victoria’s sense of foreboding peaks. For she learns that they are connected by a conflict centuries old—one that can end only with her death…
Since the late 1990s a new language has emerged in film scholarship and criticism in response to the popularity of American directors such as Wes Anderson, Charlie Kaufman, and David O. Russell. Increasingly, adjectives like 'quirky', 'cute', and 'smart' are used to describe these American films, with a focus on their ironic (and sometimes deliberately comical) stories, character situations and tones. Kim Wilkins argues that, beyond the seemingly superficial descriptions, 'American eccentric cinema' presents a formal and thematic eccentricity that is distinct to the American context. She distinguishes these films from mainstream Hollywood cinema as they exhibit irregularities in characterization, tone, and setting, and deviate from established generic conventions. Each chapter builds a case for this position through detailed film analyses and comparisons to earlier American traditions, such as the New Hollywood cinema of the 1960s and 1970s. American Eccentric Cinema promises to challenge the notion of irony in American contemporary cinema, and questions the relationship of irony to a complex national and individual identity.
People have always come to wish at the Silver Well: in Pagan times and Christian, revolution and war. When Rosie arrives in the village of Cerne Abbas with a broken heart, she becomes connected across the centuries with others who have yearned for something. Seven stories, set in seven time periods, reveal the deepest longings of the human heart.
In this first volume of Wilkins' Europa Suite, a woman's world is turned upside down when her childhood friend, abducted as a young girl into a place of magic and myth, rerturns. But now jealousies and betrayals threaten to destroy them both.
Beyond this world, behind the veil of history, lies the kingdom of the Rus . . . When an ancient golden bear is found walled up in a dilapidated St Petersburg bathhouse, researcher Daniel St Clare and his frosty colleague Em Hayward set out for Arkhangelsk to verify its age. But in the deep of night they are mysteriously set adrift. Lost and exhausted, they turn north, sinking ever deeper into the secrets and terrors of the Russian landscape. Daniel's lost love, the wild and beautiful Rosa Kovalenka, knows the only way to save him is to outwit the haunted Chenchikov family. But their home, deep in unknowable, impenetrable forests, is a shadowy tangle of grief, desire and treachery. Only Papa Grigory, full of tales and riddles of times past, seems to have the knowledge they need But will he destroy them all in order for his world to survive?
Young Australian cellist Maisie Fielding is bored with her career and her overpowering, manipulative musical family. Faking a wrist injury, she takes time off to return to England, her mother's home country, to search for her own roots and to find out more about her grandmother, a white witch who settled in a bleak village on the North Yorkshire coast. Maisies mother is set against her going, and refuses to tell her daughter anything about the woman, other than that - even dead - she is dangerous. On her arrival in Solgreve, she receives a hostile welcome from her new neighbours and begins to find clues to her grandmothers mysterious death. Amongst the clutter in her grandmothers house is a diary written by a young French woman who eloped with a penniless English poet and settled in the village. Through this diary, Maisie discovers the existence of an unnatural presence which still preys on the lives of the people of the village, past and present. This book will appeal to the huge Anne Rice market: a gothic, romantic horror story with a credible, strong and extremely likeable heroine at the heart of it, backed by atmospheric descriptions of Yorkshire and a convincing setting in the music world.
The Year of Ancient Ghosts is the first collection of stories by multiple award-winning Australian writer Kim Wilkins. Born in England, Kim Wilkins is the author of over 20 novels for readers of all ages. Her debut novel The Infernal won two Aurealis Awards. Her latest books, contemporary epic romances, are published under the pseudonym Kimberley Freeman, and include Lighthouse Bay and Wildflower Hill. Kim Wilkins is a four-times winner of the Aurealis Award, twice winner of the Sassy Award for popular fiction, and winner of the Romantic Book of the Year award. The book collects 5 novellas, comprising two written especially for this collection and 2 reprints and the first print publication of "Wild Dreams of Blood.
When underwater pirates steal Asa's Moonstone Star, she and her brother Rollo search for it across their vast, flooded kingdom, and along the way face ghosts, sea giants, and secrets about their own past.
Australian musician Lisa Sheehan has got life sussed. Then, one by one, her fans start to turn up dead. As her sleep becomes haunted by strange memories, Lisa finds herself caught in a mystery that leads to Elizabethan England
EVER SINCE EMPEROR Flood drowned their kingdom and overthrew their parents, Asa and Rollo have been hiding out in Two Hills Keep. Then a mysterious stranger tells them their baby sister wasn’t killed along with their mother and father. Instead, she was kidnapped by Flood’s half-sister and secreted away in a castle to the north. If Una is still alive, there’s only one thing for Asa and Rollo to do. They must take Northseeker, an invisible ship built of mist and shadows, and cross the danger-filled sunken kingdom.
`Witchcraft is a lot tougher than it looks. It's not like on television, where witches airily wave their hands and chairs start flying around the room. In fact, it's a lot of hard work, sometimes even boring. My introduction to witchcraft was in Alyce Nightingale's kitchen, in the summer leading up to my senior year.' Gina is learning the biggest lessons of her life as an apprentice witch to Alyce Nightingale. Impressed with Gina's ability, Alyce passes on an old amulet that used to belong to a famous Siberian sorceress, and that's when Gina's nightmares begin- haunting dreams of a child lost in the forest, a cruel shadow in pursuit. In a botched psychic experiment, the shadow crosses over into Gina's world. Now, with a malicious spirit on the loose, Gina is going to have to focus all her brainpower on solving the mystery and sending the shadow back. Meanwhile, Gina's friend Vanessa is acting strange, and her boyfriend Dali is going seriously off the rails. It's not an ideal way to spend the summer holidays, but Gina thinks she's coping.
Five very different sisters team up against their stepbrother to save their kingdom in this Norse-flavored fantasy epic—the start of a new series in the tradition of Naomi Novik, Peter V. Brett, and Robin Hobb. FIVE ROYAL SISTERS. ONE CROWN. They are the daughters of a king. Though they share the same royal blood, they could not be more different. Bluebell is a proud warrior, stronger than any man and with an ironclad heart to match. Rose’s heart is all too passionate: She is the queen of a neighboring kingdom who is risking everything for a forbidden love. Ash is discovering a dangerous talent for magic that might be a gift—or a curse. And then there are the twins—vain Ivy, who lives for admiration, and zealous Willow, who lives for the gods. But when their father is stricken by a mysterious ailment, these five sisters must embark on a desperate journey to save him and prevent their treacherous stepbrother from seizing the throne. Their mission: find the powerful witch who can cure the king. But to succeed on their quest, they must overcome their differences and hope that the secrets they hide from one another and the world are never brought to light. Because if this royal family breaks, it could destroy the kingdom. The saga continues in . . . SISTERS OF THE FIRE Praise for Daughters of the Storm “[Daughters of the Storm] is a twisty high fantasy . . . exploring political machinations and the relationships between sisters; betrayal lurks at every turn.”—The Washington Post “This fantastic series opener, powered by an engaging, female-led cast of characters, is riveting from page one right through to the end, with almost every scene bringing new excitement and intrigue. All of the five leading women are richly drawn, with distinct voices and multidimensional personalities that never slip into caricature. [Kim] Wilkins sketches these royals with nuance and sensitivity, making even the vexing characters like careless Ivy and the villainous Wylm feel worthy of our sympathy. . . . Wilkins has struck gold with her thrilling high fantasy world. Book two can’t arrive soon enough!”—RT Book Reviews “Readers who enjoy epic journeys and strong female protagonists will enjoy Wilkins’s first installment of her new Sisters of the Fire series.”—Booklist
Asa and Rollo are the royal children of the Star Lands. Emperor Flood, the court magician, has usurped the power of their parents. With only loyal friends and their shape-shifting abilities, Asa and Rollo must pit themselves against Flood to reclaim the kingdom.
This spell binding true story will keep you captivated as you travel with one girl on a humbling voyage. You will laugh and you will cry as you see a girl try to save herself with her "pk" title, along with any other label she can find, just to find herself lost in an identity she wishes not to claim. In the middle, she slips onto a few crossings that prove in the end to be quite beautiful. On one such passage, this "dignified Christian" finds herself unwed and pregnant. Standing before her father and eighty churches he represents, rumors quickly fly. Unveiled and about to be thrust in to motherhood, the woman marries the father just to learn the father is addicted to steroids and alcohol. Abused and anorexic, the woman finally flees and has her daughter's father arrested. One would think that is the end of the story. However, the woman finally lets her boring religion grow in to an exhilarating relationship with an exciting Daddy. She comes to find in that charismatic place, away from labels and far from any human man's grip, she can never fall too far without landing gently in Daddy's arms. Cradled safely in this newfound place of faith, she remarries her daughter's father in a blind belief her husband will become a godly man. She is inspired to journey on a gut wrenching expedition, walking every step with a tenacious faith, declaring to all of Heaven and hell she and her family will leave a legacy that will change her community, her world, and perhaps a part of eternity. Somewhere in the middle she too forever is changed, as she finds the highest accolade and her preordained destiny not in any man's title, but instead resting securely inside of her Daddy's arms.
There it sat, gleaming softly. Small, but perfect. A symbol of purity and, for Alexandre, freedom. A pearl. In the warm waters of the Indian Ocean Alexandre dives for pearls. When Constance Blackchurch arrives from England to search for her lost mother, Alexandre's world becomes a far more dangerous place . . .
Asa and Rollo, acting on information they received from Ragni, the sorcerer, sail their invisible ship to Emperor Flood's stronghold, Castle Crag, to find out once and for all whether their parents are alive.
Sophie needs to pay the rent and a story on the occult would sell around Hallowe'en time. The Lodge of the Seven Stars is good for research but Sophie's a sceptic and doesn't believe in any of the rituals. Until she meets The Wanderer who has a story to tell her.
Is there a serial killer at large in Blackwater Bay? Residents are fearful and the police are desperate. When they approach Gina Champion for psychic help on the case, she suspects that a black sorceress might be behind the killings. Meanwhile, Gina has to cope with real life. It is the end of the year. Her boyfriend Dali is away for Christmas, and her older sister has come to stay, causing more trouble than she is worth. But if Gina doesn't solve the case quickly, she could be next on the killer's list . . .
While the term 'bestseller' explicitly relates books to sales, commercially successful books are also products of individual creative work. This Element presents a new perspective on the relationship between art and the market, with particular reference to bestselling writers and books. We examine some existing perspectives on art's relationship to the marketplace to trouble persistent binaries that see the two in opposition; we break down the monolith of the marketplace by thinking of it as made up of a range of invested, non-hostile participants such as publishing personnel and readers; we articulate the material dimensions of creative writing in the industry through the words of bestselling writers themselves; and we examine how the existence of bestselling books and writers in the world of letters bears enormous influence on the industry, and on the practice of other writers.
It s up to two best friends to beat the boogers. At St Groan s Boarding School, all the smart children are mysteriously going missing. And since Linus s best friend Ang is a genius, he is clearly in danger. What or who could be behind the disappearances? When a bit of eavesdropping outside the principal s office reveals the truth, the boys are in for a nasty shock: St Groan s is being invaded by space boogers!
While other girls earn money babysitting, Gina sets up her own psychic practice and her clients can't get enough of her. When one of her customers, the mysterious Professor Anstible, goes missing under sinister circumstances, Gina has to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Works of genre fiction are a source of enjoyment, read during cherished leisure time and in incidental moments of relaxation. This original book takes readers inside three popular genres of fiction, including crime, fantasy, and romance, to reveal how personal tastes, social connections, and industry knowledge shape genre worlds. Attuned to both the pleasure and the profession of producing genre fiction, the authors investigate contemporary developments in the field?the rise of Amazon, self-publishing platforms, transmedia storytelling, and growing global publishing conglomerates?and show how these interact with older practices, from fan conventions to writers? groups. Sitting at the intersection of literary studies, genre studies, fan studies, and studies of the book and publishing cultures, Genre Worlds considers how contemporary genre fiction is produced and circulated on a global scale. Its authors propose an innovative theoretical framework that unfolds genre fiction?s most compelling characteristics: its connected social, industrial, and textual practices. As they demonstrate, genre fiction books are not merely texts; they are also nodes of social and industrial activity involving the production, dissemination, and reception of the texts.
The boy-next-door is troubling Gina - he's cute, but his ramblings about them seem crazy. Her life is in turmoil and her new job at the visiting Egyptian exhibition isn't working out as hoped. Then one artefact - The Heart of Ryhotep - brings her face-to-face with a centuries-old curse. This book is for those aged 12 and above.
The book can be used effectively as an aid to Bible study. Each session contains information and scriptural references as well as discussion questions, prayers, responsive readings and suggestions for songs. It seeks to raise consciousness towards a theology of 'persistent resistance' against all forms of oppression and exploitation, sexual and gender discrimination, degradation of human worth and destruction of the earth. Although designed primarily for women, this book is suitable for anyone who is interested in learning more about the female figures in the Book of Revelation or those who are supportive of women's issues and concerns.
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