Showing results by author "Riano McFarland" in All Categories

In 1955, the Soviet Union introduced the Moscow Water Dog in a canine show to great acclaim. However, in real world situations, they fell far short of the expectations Russian cynologists had set for them, and in 1979, the Moscow Water Dog project was shut down. Supposedly the last of the breed died out in 1990, but did they?

The Great Vegas Escape chronicles the bizarre, often bewildering series of events that accompanied my move from Sin City to Music City. At times humorous, at others mysterious and downright terrifying, this story explores the emotional and logistical chaos of uprooting a life deeply rooted in a city that doesn’t let go easily.

With the ascension of T’Aer Bolun Dakkar, a new king now rules the northwestern dragon kingdom. In the unseen world of dragons, even kings must prove themselves worthy, and the appearance of challengers is inevitable. As Jake and T’Aer Bolun Dakkar work tirelessly to address problems plaguing both dragon and human civilizations, dragoneers and eco-terrorists seek to derail their efforts at every turn.

Since the dawn of mankind, there have been extraterrestrial entities observing our development as a civilization from afar. They have watched as our knowledge and our numbers have grown, while still feeling the need to shield themselves, as our intolerance for those who are unlike us has kept us from evolving to a higher level of enlightenment. While entities of pure energy may possess the knowledge of the ages, having traveled the tides of time and space for millennia, even they are easily enthralled by the uniquely human temptation of touch.

When you’re 11 years old, it’s tough convincing people to take you seriously. When you’re an 11-year-old savant, It’s exponentially more difficult. Since Jake’s inability to connect with others had made him somewhat of an outcast for most of his life, he’d learned to divert his energy into his artistic talent, creating mesmerizing images capable of literally paralyzing anyone who should gaze upon them.

When a district marshal is trampled while in pursuit of the band of cunning outlaws, a new lawman is called in to shut the gang down. His name was Oliver Blackstone, and unlike the faint-hearted posses that preceded him, Marshal Blackstone never gives up.

When Terrance picks up a rideshare client at Logan International Airport in Boston, he has no idea how pivotal a moment in his life it will be. Within minutes of their introductions, the stranger offers Terrance the fulfillment of his dreams in less than one month. All he asks in return is that Terrance agrees to open and distribute the contents of one box per day, for 21 days. Although it would appear to be such a simple task, the dynamic quickly changes when he's faced with the decision of fulfilling his own dreams, or the dreams of otherwise total strangers.

Following 10 years of service under four different presidents, the legend of Marshal Oliver Blackstone has grown far beyond his district headquarters in Santa Fe. Throughout the new US territories between Texas and California, law-abiding citizens respect him, while outlaws and wayward fugitives are wise to avoid coming face-to-face with him. After drawing the ire of a wealthy Russian immigrant, he discovers that a $100,000 bounty has been placed on his head, collectible by the first gunman able to take down the marshal and claim it.

With each new recipient, the artifact expands its knowledge while passing the sum of its experiences on to them. Although its mission is quite specific, its very existence is the closely guarded secret of a society sworn to recover it—a task which proves to be far more challenging than they could ever have suspected.

Bandit’s love for everyone close to him is matched only by his unquestioning respect for Malcolm—the alpha of the Abernathy Pack. Your acceptance into the pack hinges solely on the alpha’s approval or disapproval, and the last place you want to find yourself is at odds with the pack’s fearless gatekeeper. Bandit’s autobi-dography is an endearing tale of love, dedication, and unwavering loyalty by man’s best friend, and an enemy’s worst nightmare!

When Barney, a clever little dachshund, looks for a place to escape the chaos created as movers load the family's belongings into a moving truck, he discovers a box of warm laundry fresh from the dryer, and burrows himself comfortably inside it. After a refreshing snooze, he awakens to find that his makeshift doggy bed has been loaded onto the truck, and he is already on the way to Denver, Colorado. Although the rest of the family intended to follow the moving truck, when they were unable to locate Barney, they remained in Pueblo, Colorado.

The Search for Broken Sky is a story of unconditional love, uncompromising friendship, and unassailable loyalty between a young Native American woman, her faithful dog, and a horse of legendary intelligence, grace, and beauty. As their expedition takes them north toward Montana, they are unaware of the predator stalking them from the cover of night, and the showdown they will face on the search for Broken Sky.

As Marshal Lofton would soon discover, not only was his new deputy deadly accurate, but he was also unbelievably fast, and with the ruthless Scorpion Hill Gang operating in Marshal Lofton's district, Oliver's skills would be tested time and again. Although the citizens of Texas revered him as a guardian angel, the members of the outlaw gang would come to fear him as the Grim Reaper. But, unlike most gunslingers, Oliver's reputation spread slowly, because by the time an outlaw learned his name, they were already dead.

The thing is…when your intention is to remain below the radar, an ever-expanding reputation is the last thing anyone needs, and soon, old problems and long-forgotten adversaries begin to resurface. Despite his reluctance to revisit the ghosts of his past, sometimes in order to move forward, you have to go back again. In doing so, Malcolm realizes that a few of the broken things requiring his attention…aren’t things at all.

Following an emergency landing in an experimental spacecraft on an uncharted planet in an unknown solar system, Major Åt will embark upon a journey that tests the very limits of his patience and tenacity. During his mission to acquire the materials needed to repair the ship’s propulsion system, he soon discovers that some things, even when they are abundantly available, are not necessarily easy to procure.

When an unusual chain of drownings occurs in Upper Mystic Lake, two families are pitted against one another as they attempt to lay the blame for the loss of their only begotten children, at the feet of the other family. The Shakespearian tragedy forces everyone to reassess their own culpability as well as their way forward, while attempting to find closure.

After inheriting a 400-year-old family estate from her aunt, Patrice Lafleur returns to her childhood home on the outskirts of Shreveport, Louisiana, to find that not much has changed. Of course, still waters run deep, and the long-forgotten memories lurking beneath the surface of Patrice’s childhood are there to greet her when she walks through the front door 20 years later.

Over 70 percent of Earth is covered in water, yet over 80 percent of that water remains unexplored. There are currently over 10 billion people on Earth, but terrestrial humans are only aware of those who live on land. The other three billion humans took a decidedly different evolutionary path, adapting to live in the largest combined area on the planet–the water.

Although Alex had no idea which of his yet-to-be monumental achievements would be the one to launch him on his road to success, that was of little concern to him because the path was irrelevant, as long as the destination fulfilled his desire: to be famous. As Alex reaches for his goals of fame and fortune, he finds love along the way, but there are those who live to turn his dreams into a nightmare that even a classic muscle car—known as The Black Phantom—cannot outrun.

In a family that has everything, one tends to forget that some things are beyond even their control. After fate sends the family an unmistakable message, Christopher suddenly finds himself on the receiving end of a financial avalanche, yet fully incapable of managing or even understanding the full magnitude of it. In a world beset with vipers and jackals, he would be as helpless as a sheep led to slaughter in handling the family’s substantial financial assets.