This is the biography of a contested memory, how it was born, grew, changed the world, and was changed by it. It's the story of the story of how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began. Joseph Smith, the church's founder, remembered that his first audible prayer, uttered inspring of 1820 when he was about fourteen, was answered with a vision of heavenly beings. Appearing to the boy in the woods near his parents' home in western New York State, they told Smith that he was forgiven and warned him that Christianity had gone astray. Smith created a rich and controversial historical record by narrating and documenting this event repeatedly. In First Vision, Steven Harper shows how Latter-day Saints (beginning with Joseph Smith) and others have remembered this experience and rendered it meaningful. When and why and how did JosephSmith's first vision, as saints know the event, become their seminal story? What challenges did it face along the way? What changes did it undergo as a result? Can it possibly hold its privileged position against the tides of doubt and disbelief, memory studies, and source criticism - all in theinformation age? Steven Harper tells the story of how Latter-day Saints forgot and then remembered accounts of Smith's experience and how Smith's 1838 account was redacted and canonized. He explores the dissonance many saints experienced after discovering multiple accounts of Smith's experience. Hedescribes how, for many, the dissonance has been resolved by a reshaped collective memory.
Author Steven J. Harper pays tribute to a well-respected teacher with this biography of a distinguished William Smith Mason Professor of History at Northwestern University, Richard W. Leopold. Harper had maintained contact with his former professor, as had hundreds of other alumni, meeting with him in the apartment to which his age and health confined him. When Leopold invited him to review his biographical materials to prepare a New York Times obituary, Harper began to catch glimpses of a deeper history in Leopold’s life: that of Jews in America after the turn of the century. Across two years of Sundays, Leopold’s life came together and Harper began to notice parallels between the life of his professor and the life of his recently deceased father-in-law. Both grew up in less orthodox households but were still identified as Jewish by others; both attended Ivy League colleges, fighting (and beating) anti-Semitism there; and both served their country with distinction in World War II. The two men persevered through a twentieth century Jewish-American experience that they and many others shared, but rarely discussed. Steven Harper has caught them both on the page just in time to document their lives, their culture, and the nation that grew and changed alongside them.
Vampires, werewolves, and zombies, oh my! Writing a paranormal novel takes more than casting an alluring vampire or arming your hero with a magic wand. It takes an original idea, believable characters, a compelling plot, and surprising twists, not to mention great writing. This helpful guide gives you everything you need to successfully introduce supernatural elements into any story without shattering the believability of your fictional world or falling victim to common cliches. You'll learn how to: • Choose supernatural elements and decide what impact the supernatural will have on your fictional world • Create engaging and relatable characters from supernatural protagonists and antagonists to supporting players (both human and non-human) • Develop strong plots and complementary subplots • Write believable fight scenes and flashbacks • Create realistic dialogue • And much more Complete with tips for researching your novel and strategies for getting published, Writing the Paranormal Novel gives you everything you need to craft a novel where even the most unusual twist is not only possible - it's believable.
The author of Blood Storm and Iron Axe returns with the third Book of Blood and Iron—where Danr the half-troll must stop two vengeful queens from razing the world to the ground... From their sacred Garden, the three fates control all life and maintain balance in the world. But one of the fates has been captured by the evil elf queen, placing the future of every being, including Death herself, in jeopardy. And only one hero can defeat the elf queen: Danr the half-troll. In order to rescue the missing fate, Danr must first acquire the fabled Bone Sword. Normally Danr would expect his companions to help. However, they are currently in pursuit of a mysterious creature who seems both oddly familiar yet dangerously unknown. But one thing is certain for all of the adventurers: failure is not an option.
An original adventure novel based on the hit Battlestar Galactica television series, written by Stephen Harper. The Cylons release a famous singer to the fleet who acts as a Typhoid Mary, carrying a virus that causes nerve and motor tissues to deteriorate. This works to weaken the fleet for a Cylon attack, which will only come when they can no longer fight it off.
The Walking Purchase of 1737 marked the end of negotiated boundaries in Pennsylvania, both geographical and cultural. Dispossessed by the fraudulent purchase and the conspiratorial diplomacy before and after it, Delawares chose variations on several responses, including migration, negotiation, conversion, and violent retribution. This book sensitively reconstructs their world from the time Europeans arrived on their shores to their geographical and ethnic annihilation from the Delaware Valley in the 1760s. Focusing on the Walking Purchase as the central event in this declension narrative, the book observes the transformation of a fragile if generally peaceful middle ground, habitable by Delawares and English on negotiable terms, to an English colony determined to possess a boundless landscape by fraud and force. Stephen C. Harper teaches at Brigham Young University.
Death asks a half-troll and his friends to save the world in this epic fantasy series debut by the author of the Clockwork Empire series. Although Danr is the son of a human mother, his father was one of the hated Stanes, trolls from the mountains. Now the barrel-chested teenager is condemned to hard labor on a farm where he endures taunts of “Troll boy” from the others. Yet no matter how bad things get, he always remembers the advice of his recently departed mother: be gentle and do not unleash the monster inside. One of Danr’s few friends in the village, Aisa, was sold into slavery by her father and is now controlled by an abusive man. She keeps herself covered from head to toe and dreams of a better future. She and Danr hope to escape and make their way to freedom, but a series of dark events soon stirs up chaos. Strange creatures come down from the mountains, slaughtering villagers. Spirits of the dead haunt the land, terrifying those that are still alive. As rumors spread about the Stanes’ involvement, Danr decides to find out the truth, taking Aisa and an amnesiac new friend with him. Soon they are called up by Death herself to set things right. At Death’s request, the group sets out to recover the Iron Axe. Crafted by the dwarves, it is capable of restoring balance in the world—and destroying it, too. Along the way, Danr must call upon the monster within to face fierce and fantastic creatures while discovering truths that will change their lives forever. “[Turns] common tropes on their heads. . . . [Harper’s] reinterpretations of trolls, giants, and fae folk give this series opener a fresh feeling, while his nods to Norse mythology and folklore root it strongly in fantasy tradition.Readers will be eager to see what’s in store for Aisa and Danr.” —Publishers Weekly “Brought back fond memories of a classic fantasy book while still offering a wonderfully unique take on the genre. . . . Steven Harper created a world that I never got tired of exploring.” —The Qwillery “The story holds all of the adventure, magic, and mystery I have come to expect from the genre. . . .[It] follows a hero’s journey . . . with energy and artfulness.” —Wicked Little Pixie
A noblewoman and an airship pilot fight zombies, mad scientists, and more in this steampunk adventure series debut by the author of Iron Axe. A bizarre strain of zombies roam the streets of Victorian London, infecting all they touch with the Clockwork Plague. While most victims die painful deaths, a few become Clockworkers, geniuses who create the greatest inventions of the age—right before going insane. The plague has also taken its toll on the life of twenty-two-year-old Alice Michaels. After her mother and brother die from the disease because of her, she feels obligated to ensure her father’s happiness. Unfortunately, that means ignoring her passion for automatons and instead, pursuing the wealthiest man possible. But when zombies attack Alice’s cab, being tied down in a loveless marriage is the least of her worries. She is quickly swept up into a secret organization chasing down Clockworkers—and into the arms of Gavin Ennock, a former airship cabin boy and talented fiddle player. Together they will navigate a political conspiracy that threatens to consume their country and the world . . . “If you love your Victorian adventures filled with zombies, amazing automatons, steampunk flare, and an impeccable eye for detail, you’ll love the fascinating (and fantastical) Doomsday Vault!” —My Bookish Ways “Harper creates a fascinating world of devices, conspiracies, and personalities. . . . Alice and Gavin fight to survive and to find love in this steampunk coming-of-age story. Harper’s world building is well developed and offers an interesting combination of science and steam.” —SFRevu “A goofy excursion in a style reminiscent of Foglios’s Girl Genius graphic series. . . . A highly entertaining romp.” —Locus
A noble profession is facing its defining moment. From law schools to the prestigious firms that represent the pinnacle of a legal career, a crisis is unfolding. News headlines tell part of the story—the growing oversupply of new lawyers, widespread career dissatisfaction, and spectacular implosions of pre-eminent law firms. Yet eager hordes of bright young people continue to step over each other as they seek jobs with high rates of depression, life-consuming hours, and little assurance of financial stability. The Great Recession has only worsened these trends, but correction is possible and, now, imperative. In The Lawyer Bubble, Steven J. Harper reveals how a culture of short-term thinking has blinded some of the nation’s finest minds to the long-run implications of their actions. Law school deans have ceded independent judgment to flawed U.S. News & World Report rankings criteria in the quest to maximize immediate results. Senior partners in the nation’s large law firms have focused on current profits to enhance American Lawyer rankings and individual wealth at great cost to their institutions. Yet, wiser decisions—being honest about the legal job market, revisiting the financial incentives currently driving bad behavior, eliminating the billable hour model, and more—can take the profession to a better place. A devastating indictment of the greed, shortsightedness, and dishonesty that now permeate the legal profession, this insider account is essential reading for anyone who wants to know how things went so wrong and how the profession can right itself once again.
This is the biography of a contested memory, how it was born, grew, changed the world, and was changed by it. It's the story of the story of how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began. Joseph Smith, the church's founder, remembered that his first audible prayer, uttered in spring of 1820 when he was about fourteen, was answered with a vision of heavenly beings. Appearing to the boy in the woods near his parents' home in western New York State, they told Smith that he was forgiven and warned him that Christianity had gone astray. Smith created a rich and controversial historical record by narrating and documenting this event repeatedly. In First Vision, Steven C. Harper shows how Latter-day Saints (beginning with Joseph Smith) and others have remembered this experience and rendered it meaningful. When and why and how did Joseph Smith's first vision, as saints know the event, become their seminal story? What challenges did it face along the way? What changes did it undergo as a result? Can it possibly hold its privileged position against the tides of doubt and disbelief, memory studies, and source criticism-all in the information age? Steven C. Harper tells the story of how Latter-day Saints forgot and then remembered accounts of Smith's experience and how Smith's 1838 account was redacted and canonized. He explores the dissonance many saints experienced after discovering multiple accounts of Smith's experience. He describes how, for many, the dissonance has been resolved by a reshaped collective memory.
Focusing on the Walking Purchase as the central event in the long process of dispossessing Delawares both geographically and ethnically, Steven Harper observes the transformation of a fragile, if generally peaceful middle ground, habitable by Delawares and English on negotiable terms, to an English colony determined to possess a boundless landscape by fraud and force.
In this steampunk adventure by the author of The Dragon Men, a femme fatale offers a vengeful vigilante a simple job that becomes deadly. The Clockwork Plague continues to incite destruction throughout the world. For Thaddeus Sharpe, the only solution for the disease is death. That is why he has dedicated his life to hunting and killing Clockworkers, and his mission brings him to the streets of St. Petersburg. There he meets a mysterious young woman named Sofiya Ekk, who offers him a proposition from her powerful employer, Mr. Griffin. Thad has his suspicions, but it’s an offer he cannot refuse. In a nearby village, a mad Clockwork scientist named Mr. Havoc has taken residence in a castle. His dreadful experiments on men and machine terrify the locals. He has created a dangerous machine, a ten-legged robotic spider. Griffin doesn’t care what happens to Havoc; he only wants the invention. Simple enough . . . But when Thad arrives at the castle with Sofiya, they make a startling discovery. Not only is Havoc hiding the machine, but he has also been experimenting on a little boy. Now Thad finds himself caught in a mystery he must quickly unravel before havoc reigns . . . Praise for the Novels of the Clockwork Empire “Action, adventure, dirigibles, and mad scientists, oh my!” —Night Owl Reviews on The Impossible Cube “Harper creates a fascinating world of devices, conspiracies, and personalities. . . . Harper’s world building is well developed and offers an interesting combination of science and steam.” —SFRevu on The Doomsday Vault “My favorite book in the series yet. I’m not sure whether that’s because I’ve become so enamored with the world of the Clockwork Empire as a whole, or that the action sequences are nearly relentless, which a definite plus in this case.” —That’s What I’m Talking About on The Dragon Men
A half-troll and his companions must recover a forgotten magic to rescue their friends in this epic fantasy adventure by the author of Iron Axe. Danr the half-troll saved the kingdom of Erda from destruction and restored peace to the realm. His own life, however, is far from peaceful. Going out in public, he draws attention from fans and from those who still see him as an evil half-breed. When he learns of a people who once wielded the power of the shape, he dreams of becoming fully human and settling down on a quiet farm with his beloved. But others would like to possess such magic. Slavers abduct Danr’s friends, ransoming them for the power of the shape. Now Danr, Aisa, and their friend, Talfi the undying, must embark on a perilous quest that will force them to confront the Fates, Death, and a giant wyrm that dwells at the bottom of the sea. If he hopes to survive, Danr must become the hero he is so reluctant to be . . . Praise for Iron Axe “[Harper’s] reinterpretations of trolls, giants, and fae folk give this series opener a fresh feeling, while his nods to Norse mythology and folklore root it strongly in fantasy tradition. Readers will be eager to see what’s in store for Aisa and Danr.” —Publishers Weekly “Steven Harper created a world that I never got tired of exploring.” —The Qwillery “The story holds all of the adventure, magic, and mystery I have come to expect from the genre. . . . [It] follows a hero’s journey . . . with energy and artfulness.” —Wicked Little Pixie
In this steampunk sequel to The Doomsday Vault, a pair of adventurers confront technological terrors as they race for their lives from Britain to China. Gavin Ennock once sailed the skies on airships and delighted audiences with his fiddle music. Now a victim of the Clockwork Plague, he is consumed by both madness and brilliance. To save her fiancé’s life, Alice Michaels breaks into the Doomsday Vault to recover a cure, only to incur the wrath of the British Empire and make them both enemies of the Crown. Their only remaining option for a cure now lies across the globe in China. Soon they are up in the clouds with the mad genius Dr. Clef, on the run from an underground police force. But Clef has a plan of his own involving the most destructive force the world has ever seen: the Impossible Cube. With dangerous foes at their heels and trouble brewing aboard their ship, Alice and Gavin must keep their wits about them if they hope to survive . . . “A fast-paced, imaginative story. . . . Exciting chases and nail-biting close calls.” —That’s What I’m Talking About “An exciting adventure thriller that starts off with action and never slows down.” —Genre Go Round Reviews
In this steampunk sequel to The Impossible Cube, two adventurers must find a way inside a kingdom on the brink of war to save themselves and the world. As Gavin Ennock pilots his airship, the Lady of Liberty, to China, his fiancée, Lady Alice Michaels prays they make it in time. The Clockwork Plague consumes Gavin’s body and mind, driving him increasingly mad—and driving a wedge between him and Alice. Their only hope lies in China with the Dragon Men. But a power-hungry general has seized the Chinese throne, intending to conquer Asia, Britain, and the world. He has also closed the country’s borders to foreigners. Meanwhile, the former ruling dynasty is plotting to return the throne’s rightful heir to power. Seeing their opportunity, the two travelers dive into a political power struggle where one false move could spell doom for Gavin and the entire world. “[The Dragon Men] continues to demonstrate its original premise and to showcase the inventive pair who strive to save a world.” —Library Journal “My favorite book in the series yet. I’m not sure whether that’s because I’ve become so enamored with the world of the Clockwork Empire as a whole, or that the action sequences are nearly relentless, which a definite plus in this case.” —That’s What I’m Talking About
This book is a collection of advice and wisdom from a couple of average American dads who shared with their sons their thoughts on family, education, business, religion, and service to their communities. These dads, shaped by events from The Great Depression to World War II, heped create the great American dream - one child at a time.
PORTALS: What mysteries...or horrors...await you on the other side? The lure of an open doorway is hard to resist. What lies beyond? Where will it take you—and how will you be transformed? Will it lead to paradise...or a living hell? You’ll never know, unless you have the courage to take that first step. In this anthology you will find sixteen stories of portals to exotic destinations, whether it’s a doorway in the desert that appears out of thin air, a fairy ring of mushrooms in the backyard, a crack in the road, or a train headed straight to Hell. Science fiction and fantasy authors Nancy Holzner, Esther Friesner, Ian Tregillis, Jacey Bedford, John Linwood Grant, Kate Hall, Gini Koch, Violette Malan, Juliet Kemp, James Enge, Steven Harper, F. Brett Cox, Jaime Lee Moyer, Jason Palmatier, Andrija Popovic, and Patrick Hurley invite you to step through a host of doorways to other realities with infinite possibilities, some horrible, some comic, and some just plain weird. So take my hand—not too tight!—and let’s journey into another world. The door is open. The portal awaits.
A prophecy is fulfilled when Peter Attis is rescued from the Cylons in order to save humanity with "the plague of the tongue." Or so it seems... While harvesting algae for conversion into food, the beleaguered human/refugee fleet is discovered by a small group of Cylon raiders. A brief battle ends with the destruction of a Cylon heavy raider. A colonial issue escape pod found floating among the debris reveals two survivors inside: Singer Peter Attis . . . and his captor, a Cylon Number Eight. Soon after Peter's liberation, people begin babbling incoherently and dropping into comas. Unwittingly, Peter has been spreading a highly contagious, nerve-deteriorating Cylon biological weapon -- and he just performed for half the fleet. As Dr. Gaius Baltar begins work on a cure, word starts to spread that a fanatical sect believes that Peter is the religious leader who will save humanity and that this virus is their path to salvation. They are willing to do anything to keep Baltar's vaccine from being distributed. While the fleet is in chaos, a larger Cylon force appears. A weakened humankind, now threatened on two fronts, may be unable to defend itself... At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
On a spring day in 1961, over-the-road trucker Jim Harper was en route from Mauston, Wisconsin, to his home in Minneapolis. At 70 miles per hour, with a combined 60,000 pounds of man, machine, and material, he approached a curve along the Great River Road and hit the brakes. The tractor-trailer didn't slow. Harper's brake lines had been cut. In preceding months, Harper had led an insurgency in his Teamsters' Local 544 to clean up corruption among its leaders. His efforts drew the attention of none other than Jimmy Hoffa, at the time focused on securing his right to lead the national Teamsters organization without government intervention. Jim Harper had his reasons for confronting his local's leadership--a hardscrabble childhood and a stint in Angola prison had left him seeking redemption, and Jimmy Hoffa had publicly called for union reform. But Hoffa, under federal investigation for questionable financial dealings, had deep, dark secrets; the last thing he needed was a spotlight on Minneapolis. Despite the increasing threats to his life and those of his young family, Harper continued to press his case. In this fascinating account, Harper's son traces the interwoven paths of these two men--a criminal icon and a determined vigilante--from their formative years through their unbelievable face-off.
What could possibly happen when two cultures meet for the first time? In WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, anything. WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE presents fourteen original stories where two different societies intersect and deal with the aftermath of that meeting. Will the conflicting cultures merge and adapt and find peace? Or will they clash, unable to either accept their differences or acknowledge their commonalities? Who will survive when the last of the Fae battles a world-killing AI? What happens when a being who is part of a vast collective-consciousness is forced to face their own individuality? Can a werewolf ever break free of the unholy pact its fae creator has made with humanity? Will Earth really manage to commit the biggest and most egregious faux pas in history when it’s on the cusp of joining the Galactic Union? And why is it that two very different kinds of elves are angrily facing off at a simple dinner party? Whether your taste runs to humor, horror, science fiction, or fantasy, the stories collected in this latest anthology from Zombies Need Brains and written by some of today’s hottest SF&F authors will delight, thrill, and terrify you. Join Christopher Leapock, Howard Andrew Jones, Gary Kloster, Louis Evans, Peter S. Drang, Esther Friesner, S.C. Butler, Nancy Holzner, Auston Habershaw, Violette Malan, Stephen Leigh, Alan Smale, Steven Harper, and Jordan Chase-Young as they delve into what may happen...WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE.
Debut novel from the author of the true-crime award winner "Crossing Hoffa: A Teamster's Story" "The Partnership" opens a window into a secret world. A mysterious death, illicit romantic liaisons, courtroom drama, and crises of personal conscience frame a titanic struggle at the nation's most lucrative law firm. A twenty-first-century legal thriller with a twist, "The Partnership" reveals what happens to rich and powerful insiders as the business school mentality extends its tentacles across a once-noble profession. The themes resonate; "The Bonfire of the Vanities" still burns. Albert Knight has reached the pinnacle of power as one of the "magnificent seven"-leaders of the international legal powerhouse Michelman & Samson. Only one step remains: Knight and his archenemy Ronald Ratkin are front-runners to replace the Executive Committee's retiring chairman. Knight and Ratkin were once best friends, but that was long ago. Despite their twenty-year animosity, each has embraced the firm's transformation to a bottom-line business and the stunning wealth it produces. As the price of success, they endure and inflict profound personal damage along the way. When gifted trial lawyer Ronald Ratkin's $100 million client defies protocol by interrupting the sacrosanct Executive Committee meeting, all seven attorneys are suspicious. The news, Ratkin suspects, could upset his ongoing billion-dollar trial, send stocks plummeting, and destroy his client, his law firm, and his personal wealth. But the wily Ratkin has a foolproof plan. Or will his own greed and that of his fellow partners undo him? *** Praise for "Crossing Hoffa" "One of the Best Books of the Year" -Chicago Tribune "Gripping, tender, and intriguing" -Scott Turow "A tale of mystery and intrigue . . . unique and personal" -Booklist "Tightly woven and gritty . . . poignant and personal" -American Lawyer "Riveting eyewitness history . . . Bravo " -Charles Brandt "A must-read" -Prof. Steven Lubet
Battlestar Galactica" earned its status as a classic American drama series after its very first, Peabody Award-winning season. For the first time, all three original "Battlestar Galactica" novels--"The Cylons' Secret, Sagittarius Is Bleeding," and "Unity"--are collected in one volume.
Focusing on the Walking Purchase as the central event in the long process of dispossessing Delaware both geographically and ethnically, Steven C. Harper observes the transformation of a fragile, if generally peaceful, middle ground, habitable by Delaware and English on negotiable terms, to an English colony determined to possess a boundless landscape by fraud and force.
On the night of Sunday, October 16, 1859, hoping to bring about the eventual end of slavery, radical abolitionist John Brown launched an armed attack at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Among his troops, there were only five black men, who have largely been treated as little more than 'spear carriers' by Brown's many biographers and other historians of the antebellum era. This book brings one such man, John Anthony Copeland, directly to center stage. Copeland played a leading role in the momentous Oberlin slave rescue, and he successfully escorted a fugitive to Canada, making him an ideal recruit for Brown's invasion of Virginia. He fought bravely at Harpers Ferry, only to be captured and charged with murder and treason. With his trademark lively prose and compelling narrative style, Steven Lubet paints a vivid portrait of this young black man who gave his life for freedom.
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