When Max—Maxine Zealster—befriends her new robot classmate Fuzzy, part of Vanguard One Middle School’s new Robot Integration Program, she helps him learn everything he needs to know about surviving middle school—the good, the bad, and the really, really, ugly. Little do they know that surviving sixth grade is going to become a true matter of life and death, because Vanguard has an evil presence at its heart: a digital student evaluation system named BARBARA that might be taking its mission to shape the perfect student to extremes!

If Charles Dicken's Pickwick vacationed with the writers of "Portlandia" they might pen this hilarious exploration of North America's undiscovered gentrifying 'hoods. From a magical stew in DC to Atlanta's artisanal cola, from San Francisco's weird starchitecture to NY's off-putting pop-up and New Orleans' gator-friendly hostelry, escape and laugh with intrepid gay travel writer Nate MolinoThis book is based on the philosophy of day to day interviews we have to face in our lives, though I started the book with a real interview for a managerial post where our protagonist Arunuday appeared. On that day he not only able to grab the coveted job but also he got his life partner.But for whom the interview was conducted? Was it a fair interview? Why a deserving candidate did not get the job? Why a candidate was happy after failing in the interview? Why a failed candidate got her job afterwards? To know all these, you have to read my short book, ‘Interview.’The whole book is based on fiction; so any similarity to a real person or to a real situation is mere coincidence only.

Join Hurm, Runt and Father Mephistophiles as they struggle to save the hamlet of Yendour from a marauding dragon.Originally published in Andromeda Spaceways #6.Another Throw of the Dice is the story of a group of individuals from different corners of the world who take a chance on a new life, as aid workers, on an un-named Pacific Island in the 1980s. Morganti skilfully unmasks them, as, pitted against the vicissitudes of island life, the forces of nature and the sinister nuclear presence in the region, they wrestle with the ghosts of lives past, bond together, embrace new lives, forge new relationships, part, depart and finally reunite at another time, in another place. It is a story of love, loss, hope, forgiveness and acceptance, told with humour, sensitivity and style..Mary Clare Morganti has a vast vocabulary and she is not afraid to use it, nor does she shy away from the complex sentence, so her writing is nuanced and fluid. She knows, too, when to hold back and when to give full reign to her talent for description. Her characters are clearly, but lightly, drawn and they speak for themselves while the bush, the sea, the island sunsets and the ravaging cyclone are boldly and lavishly painted.'Another Throw of the Dice transported me to another country, with a fascinating company of fellow travellers. It made me laugh and it made me cry. It’s a damn good read'. (Travelstripe.com)

Meet Abigail Hunter, an investigative journalist. Join her as she interviews a vampire, ghost, werewolf and a witch. Proving once and for all that these creatures of legend really do exist.Every day, thousands of people board an airplane without a second thought. Their minds are full of where they’ve been and their destination. However, sometimes, life has different plans.Flight 437 is such a story. On a flight from Paris, France to New York City, the crew and passengers find themselves trapped on a flight none of them expected. As events unfold, they soon realize they are no longer on the planned flight, but are now, in fact, headed to an unknown destination.

Shortlisted for the 2015 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for comic fiction A rampaging force of nature is wreaking havoc on the streets of Edinburgh, but has top shagger, drug-dealer, gonzo-porn-star and taxi-driver, ‘Juice’ Terry Lawson, finally met his match in Hurricane ‘Bawbag’? Can Terry discover the fate of the missing beauty, Jinty Magdalen, and keep her idiot-savant lover, the man-child Wee Jonty, out of prison? Will he find out the real motives of unscrupulous American businessman and reality-TV star, Ronald Checker? And, crucially, will Terry be able to negotiate life after a terrible event robs him of his sexual virility, and can a new fascination for the game of golf help him to live without… A DECENT RIDE? A Decent Ride sees Irvine Welsh back on home turf, leaving us in the capable hands of one of his most compelling and popular characters, ‘Juice’ Terry Lawson, and introducing another bound for cult status, Wee Jonty MacKay: a man with the genitals and brain of a donkey. In his funniest, filthiest book yet, Irvine Welsh celebrates an un-reconstructed misogynist hustler – a central character who is shameless but also, oddly, decent –and finds new ways of making wild comedy out of fantastically dark material, taking on some of the last taboos. So fasten your seatbelts, because this is one ride that could certainly get a little bumpy…

A Spot of Trouble An innocent piece of Mundane Snail Mail has provoked the dreaded Demon Jupiter to hurl his Red Spot at the magical land of Xanth. As the dire Dot draws closer, the unwelcome ordeal of saving the enchanted realm falls to Umlaut, an unlikely lad with an unknown past and an uncertain future. With a handful of colorful companions at his side, Umlaut must unravel a high-stakes intergalactic puzzle, uncover the secret of his mysterious past, and learn to understand the urgings of his own heart. It might have been the merest chance that brought Umlaut to Castle Zombie that morning and launched him on a harrowing adventure. But in the magical land of Xanth, things are seldom left to chance, and adventures lurk around every corner. An unassuming young man with a uncanny knack for attracting lovely young ladies and an uncommon talent for emulating anyone he wished, Umlaut was forced to flee a flock of overly friendly females by disguising himself as a Zombie girl. In his haste to find a hiding place, he found himself face-to-face with a dreadful dragon and feared he would soon meet his end. But in Xanth, things are seldom exactly as they seem, and he soon discovered that the dragon was really a sinuous female sea serpent named Sesame, with a gift similar to his own, who had become accidentally entrapped in the Castle's dungeon. When the two happen upon a packet of mail from Earth delivered by mischance to the Zombie King, they inadvertently set in motion a sinister scheme that could spell the end of Xanth. A letter they forward to the Demon Jupiter unexpectedly enrages him, causing him to send his own Red Spot hurtling toward Xanth. Soon everything is up in a heaval, for no one knows how to avert this interplanetary peril. Even the Good Magician Humfrey is baffled, for some strange force has obscured the future. In desperation, he instructs Umlaut and Sesame to deliver the remaining letters to their far-flung recipients, in the faint hope that this may somehow stop the Spot. As they set out on their appointed rounds, Umlaut and Sesame are soon joined by two feline friends, Jenny Elf's companion, Sammy Cat, and a lovely, prescient creature named Claire Voyant who can sometimes see the future. Beguiled and bedeviled by the delicious Demoness Metria, who uses her shapely assets to distract him from his goal, Umlaut leads his allies on an unforgettable odyssey to the farthest reaches of the enchanted realm, from the submicroscopic Nth Moon of Ida, and the home of all dreams and nightmares, to the unmagical land of Euphoria, where he meets a sweet and sprightly young girl named Surprise who captures his heart. But before Umlaut can complete his quest and return to his beloved, he must unravel the unfathomable puzzle of his own existence, which is somehow inextricably entwined with the fate of Xanth. A satisfyingly suspenseful tale filled with mystery, magic, and merriment, Up in a Heaval is exciting and entertaining fantasy adventure from the pen of a master storyteller.

Long before Dr. Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly made most readers’ acquaintance in Patrick Taylor’s bestselling novel An Irish Country Doctor, he appeared in a series of humorous columns originally published in Stitches: The Journal of Medical Humour. These warm and wryly amusing vignettes provide an early glimpse at the redoubtable Dr. O’Reilly as he tends to the colourful and eccentric residents of Ballybucklebo, a cozy Ulster village nestled in the bygone years of the early sixties. Those seminal columns have been collected in The Wily O’Reilly: Irish Country Stories. In this convenient volume, Patrick Taylor’s legions of devoted fans can savor the enchanting origins of the Irish Country series . . . and newcomers to Ballybucklebo can meet O’Reilly for the very first time. An ex-Navy boxing champion, classical scholar, crypto-philanthropist, widower, and hard-working general practitioner, Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly is crafty and cantankerous in these charming slices of rural Irish life. Whether he’s educating a naive man of the cloth in the facts of life, dealing with chronic hypochondriacs and malingerers, clashing with pigheaded colleagues, or raising a pint in the neighborhood pub, the wily O’Reilly knows a doctor’s work is never done, even if some of his “cures” can’t be found in any medical text!

5,000-word humorous mini story which takes place immediately after the events of the novel, "The Vampire Shrink." Denver Psychologist Kismet Knight counsels vampires. Apparently, some vampires are easier to counsel than others.Amaris Scott witnesses a murder and now her life is in danger. Jinx Thomlinson is notoriously ruthless, and even behind bars waiting for the trial he still has an extensive reach. Amaris' testimony is critical to keeping him locked up for life, and Jinx isn't willing to go easily. He wouldn't hesitate to have her murdered just like all the others before her.She's put in witness protection by the FBI, but when the murderer makes a call to her temporary place emotions run high. She's quickly removed as her handler struggles to find a more suitable location to hide her. With six more months until the trial, they have to find a way to keep her safe or they can forget about locking Jinx up any longer. He never makes the same mistake twice, and leaving Amaris alive was definitely a mistake. She is right to believe he plans to kill her before she can take the witness stand, but there is something neither of them prepared to face. Noah Constance. Agent Noah Constance, he is the fixer who the FBI calls in on special assignments when the risks are great...and Amaris' teenage crush. Under the circumstances it doesn't seem safe for them to pick up where they left off, but can they really resist what drew them together to begin with?

A professional thief, Bobby Barhoe, has a problem with the Mafia: They want him to do a job which he can't possibly pull off, because one of his most valuable associates, John Staikos, had just had a terrible accident involving an oxygen tank and a blowtorch.In his efforts, he will team up with a shaman, almost die a number of times, fight evil spirits, demons, and the forces of Hell itself.A professional thief, Bobby Barhoe, has a problem with the Mafia: They want him to do a job which he can't possibly pull off, because one of his most valuable associates, John Staikos, had just had a terrible accident involving an oxygen tank and a blowtorch.Desperately seeking to vanish as swiftly as possible, Bobby seeks the help of an old flame of his, Eileen Novorski. On his way there though, he runs over a horse, and the owner is an Alabama tribe shaman with a purpose: Help Bobby to bring John back from the dead, save his life, and perhaps have a couple of drinks while they're at it.Will Bobby be able to really bring John back to life? Will they do the job in time? Or will they end up in the Parking Lot of Eternity, forever trying to find a free spot?In his efforts, he will team up with a shaman, and almost die a number of times, fighting evil spirits, and demons, as well as get involved in a war against the forces of Hell itself.

The Organizing, a standalone supplement to the Living Needle series, is about Tom Wood, a man incapable of recognizing when something is strange. Unfortunately, his boring job as a zero counter is interrupted by the daisy growing out of his computer. Now the oblivious Tom must navigate the chaos around him as the whole building seems to be going through some sort of metamorphosis.The Organizing, a standalone supplement to the Living Needle series, is about Tom Wood, a man incapable of recognizing when something is strange because of a childhood swing set accident. Unfortunately, his boring job as a zero counter at multinational corporation FKM -- with its routines and comforting cubicle patterns -- is interrupted by the daisy growing out of his computer. Now the oblivious Tom must navigate the chaos around him -- roots growing from the floor, people turning into gold bugs, a cute dadaist named Hope Lesko-Van Heffenbeuler trying to get his attention -- as the whole building seems to be going through some sort of metamorphosis.

Edna Ferber was a 20th century American author whose novels, short stories, and plays were extremely popular during her era. She wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big, Show Boat, Cimarron, and Giant.

Martin has a problem, he has a beer, he has a cigarette, but he doesn't have a someone. After the fall and during the crash, Martin's tale examines not so much the often inevitable end of whirlwinds, but the dizzy, unsettling world we're left to when they stop spinning.Ian Evans gave his heart to the girl he had loved since high school, but she broke it when she threw his ring in his face and walked away. Three years later, when Kat reappears engaged to a powerful politician, Ian feels the burn of betrayal all over again. Kathleen Woods never stopped loving Ian, not even when he glared at her with hatred in his eyes. Her father, a man who stops at nothing to get what he wants, made it clear Ian was unacceptable and forced her to give him up in order to save his life. However, neither Kat nor Ian knows that fate has unfinished business with them. For while Kat hides the truth, he is covertly investigating her powerful father. Their secrets collide when John Woods’ cruelty, threats and crimes are exposed, and Ian must protect Kat at the risk of his life. Can Ian trust her long enough to take down the drug and smuggling ring he has long been trying to bring to justice? Will he and Zach be able to solve the case and bring peace to a grieving widow when Kat’s distracting him at every turn? As ghosts are finally laid to rest, more secrets are revealed. Good will triumph over evil, law enforcement will have their revenge but can Ian Evans forgive the past and accept that true love is forever?

My Life as a book. A tale of being recycled.Every now and then all the books in the world get recycled,but only the characters remain to become the new lead in the book they have become, with often funny results.

A peek into a future when America becomes the utopia long sought by liberals like Professor Felix Schwartz. Schwartz awakens from a coma in 2050 to discover his theories have become reality. There are no borders, English has be relegated to the dungheap, rioting and something resembling football with hockey sticks have become the national pastimes. Absurd? Yes. Likely? Maybe. You decide.By 2050 the country has gone through some slight changes thanks to a dramatic shift in the makeup in the country's populace giving liberals, referred to by various uncomplimentary names, control over Washington. In that thirty years the country becomes the veritable paradise moonbats have long sought to create, but more resembling a third-world banana republic where English is replaced by twenty-five variations of gang slang, no one gets beyond third grade, rioting and something resembling football with hockey sticks are the national pastimes. There is now a "Forever President," welfare moms have replaced small business, corn is the cornerstone of industry, and people drive around in either battery-powered bubble cars or Latino lowriders. All the while, non-thinking Schwartz is led around on a doggie leash, and has become a 'pinball,' with names ranging from Vic to Dick to Bic, and spends his day bouncing around the fenced playground of a former elementary school turned asylum for the insane. One fine spring day the gate to the compound suddenly opens and Schwartz, along with a hundred or so inmates, unthinkingly escape. While walking aimlessly down a highway, he is struck by another truck (an electric bus) and suddenly awakens from his long sleep to find the liberals' variation of paradise has really arrived in America! Schiessen!

In the thirty-third thrilling escapade in Piers Anthony’s rousing Xanth fantasy series, an adventurous arachnid named Jumper must assume human form to save the enchanted realm from a cosmic peril. A cataclysmic battle between two all-powerful Demons has severed a mystical connection that joins Xanth to our own world. The key to restoring it is hidden within a cryptic prophecy that Jumper discovers when he is suddenly transformed from spider to man. As he sets out to discern the prophecy's meaning, he gathers about him a half dozen alluring damsels who do their best to help him solve the riddle while vying for his attentions. But a seductive siren and her demonic consort have determined to use their wiles to lure Jumper and his lovely companions away from their urgent mission.  In a madcap adventure that is alternately harrowing and hilarious, they soon discover that danger, deception, and even true love may be found where they least expect it. In Jumper Cable, master storyteller Piers Anthony spins a wild and witty web of wonder that is sure to captivate fans of fantastic adventure everywhere!