Showing results by narrator "Kevin T. Collins" in All Categories

A lot had changed in "The Holy Sky" School during the six weeks that Hadjar Darkhan was away. Everyone who was in the capital at the time became much stronger, thanks to the regular skirmishes along the Imperial road. By the emperor's decree, all the disciples of the Imperial martial arts schools were allowed to visit the infamous and highly coveted Wastelands. "The Holy Sky's" disciples were especially fortunate - they'd been given a two-week head start to find the map leading to Emperor Decater's tomb, as well as the key that would allow them to enter his chambers.

Over 50 years, Charles M. Schulz created a comic strip that is one of the indisputable glories of American popular culture. Some 20 years after the last strip appeared, the characters Schulz brought to life in Peanuts continue to resonate with millions of fans, their beguiling four-panel adventures and television escapades offering lessons about happiness, friendship, disappointment, childhood, and life itself. Here, 33 writers and artists reflect on the deeper truths of Schulz’s deceptively simple comic, its impact on their lives and art and on the broader culture.

I never wanted to be a killer. Not until my entire family was slaughtered. Now, though? Now, killing is what I live for. And I've gone so far down my path for vengeance that there's no going back. I made a deal with a demon, and I liked it. The power that comes with demon possession is heady. The more I use it, the more addicted I become, even if it does come with a little catch. Sex demons need sex to survive, after all.

Kirill Klevanski presents book seven in the Dragon Heart series.

In the world of Alterra, forged from the ruins of Ragnarök and a nearly forgotten Earth, magic is everywhere. Despite this, half-elf Kiru and his mother live a quiet existence in a remote village where nothing ever happens. Nothing, that is, until the day Kiru gets into a fight with a rich lordling who breaks his spine.

In tales from 21 knitters, Clara Parkes examines a subject that is irresistible to us all: the yarn stash. Anyone with a passion has a stash, whether it is a collection of books or enough yarn to exceed several life expectancies. With her trademark wry, witty approach, Parkes brings together fascinating stories from all facets of stash-keeping and knitting life - from KonMari minimalist to joyous collector, designer to dyer, spinner to social worker, scholar to sheep farmer.

Why were the American POWs imprisoned at the Hanoi Hilton so resilient in captivity and so successful in their subsequent careers? This book presents six principles practiced within the POW organizational culture that can be used to develop high-performance teams everywhere. The authors offer examples from both the POWs’ time in captivity and their later professional lives that identify, in real-life situations, the characteristics necessary for sustainable, high-performance teamwork.

Furs are the creative subculture of people who identify with animals. You can find them at furry conventions, furfests, around the world-tens of thousands of people donning their most elaborate fursuit. In costume, at conventions, with friends or alone, furries unleash the animal within, letting their inner beasts roar and their inner cats purr, aware of the power—and joy—to be found in bringing forward one's animal side and encouraging others to do the same.

Welcome to the challenge. You're an absolute nobody here - nothing; a zero; a useless lump of meat filled with bones. You're but a delicious morsel for your antagonists and those who got lucky at the start. The only goal you can have in your miserable existence is to kick the bucket as soon as possible.

Bud is now the captain of a small capital ship, and so tactics must change. And once again, Navy Mage Squadron One leads the way. But the more the Imperium ups their game, the faster the Trixone adapt. And in the middle of things changing around Bud, the new prototype dreadnought is stolen. While seemingly unimportant to the war, Navy Mage One and Eagle Wing will find out just how wrong that perception is. Just when is a mysterious invitation a good thing or a bad thing, and will they be able to tell the difference in time?

Gerald Livingston is an orbital garbage collector. For a hundred years, people have been abandoning things in space, and someone has to clean it up. But there’s something spinning a little bit higher than he expects, something that isn’t on the decades’ old orbital maps. An hour after he grabs it and brings it in, rumors fill Earth’s infomesh about an "alien artifact".

Forgiveness Is a Choice is a self-help book for people who have been deeply hurt by another and caught in a vortex of anger, depression, and resentment. As a creator of the first scientifically proven forgiveness program in the country, Robert D. Enright shows how forgiveness can reduce anxiety and depression while increasing self-esteem and hopefulness toward one's future.

The Dervan Empire has at last triumphed over Volanus, putting the great city to the torch, its treasures looted, temples defiled, and fields sown with salt. What little remains of Volanus is scattered across the empire, its wealth plundered and its survivors sold into slavery. It is an absolute victory for the Dervans in every way but one. Hanuvar, last and greatest general of Volanus, still lives. He now travels the length of the Dervan Empire that conquered his homeland, driven by a singular purpose—to find what remains of his people who were carried into slavery across the empire.

During an unacknowledged mission inside the Syrian border, a government operative had unwittingly triggered an incredible worldwide event that irrevocably shaped the future of the United States. In the aftermath of the crisis, families have struggled to survive in a world short on food, water, and electricity. Hyperinflation cripples the United States economy, and postwar armored military vehicles are patrolling the streets. One man has now stepped forward and continues to push back the dark wave of tyranny.

Bud is back, and he's finally in the Keerah war! It is thought that back in the far past, the Dragon Host pillaged the galaxy. But something must have happened for them to lose everything they were. Now they have a champion. Someone who knew he had to bring back two genocide populations of dragon kin. A mage who leveled up in power by doing so. The Imperium learned a hard lesson, and is moving forward. And Bud isn't as angry now. The Keerah war goes on, and the dragons need training. But it seems there's one important thing needed to establish a true Dragon Host.

Frank Cascio was a close friend of tragic superstar Michael Jackson for more than twenty-five years. In My Friend Michael, Cascio offers a deeply personal, behind-the-scenes look at the Michael Jackson he knew. Filled with never-before-told stories and intimate details, My Friend Michael is the...

When Basch encountered an injured creature outside his town, he hadn't expected it to be a dragon. Nor had he expected its hunter to be a fire-wielding mage. But the very last thing he expected was to bond with this injured dragon and defeat the fire mage with his very own magic.

Welcome to the challenge. You're an absolute nobody here—nothing, a zero, a useless lump of meat filled with bones. You're but a delicious morsel for your antagonists and those who got lucky at the start. The only goal you can have in your miserable existence is to kick the bucket as soon as possible.

Becoming the Hero of the Dragon Lands isn't easy. You have to survive a ruthless tournament. However, even after his victory, one he'd earned with sweat and blood, Hadjar's deadly adventure had just begun. The winner gets everything he could ever ask for: accolades, a wreath that symbolizes his greatness, and the Emperor's undivided attention. His duty is to escort the dragon Princess to the Ruby Mountains, the dwarves' homeland. But the wreath isn't what it appears to be. And the path that leads to the mountains runs through the Red Mist Lands, place only a chosen few could survive.

Theo has been bested. On the hunt for missing children, he encounters a man who has more magical weapons than Theo could ever believe existed. Their confrontation may have ended with Theo managing to wound the abductor, but it leaves him spelled in the shape of a goat.