Laced with intrigue and surprise, this Swifty adventure takes the hero into the depths of Somali Pirate country, back to Vegas, and into the inner workings of an exotic criminal organization. Blackmail, betrayal, mystery, and secrecy abound in this tale of friendships gone awry and family members shunned and exploited for pay. Swifty spent two years in federal lock up and was forced to change his name. Unable to find a regular job, Swifty put his jail house education to work. His profession takes him to strange places, but it is right back home when he tries to help his old friend, Count Montecello the Magician, that he finds himself immersed in a caldron of corruption he may never escape. Swifty is aided by the usual cast of characters who enrich this tale of deceit, murder, blackmail . . . and strange friendships.

A charming novel of old Hollywood, first loves, and man with a touch of magic A mysterious young man named Brae Orrack arrives in Venice, California, in 1928, claiming to be a magic man who can turn stones to bees. Brae also comes carrying a curse. He says he will die unless he can find true love---and find it soon. Is he a con man or is he telling the truth? With Brae, it's hard to tell. Like Elwood P. Dowd and Harvey, Brae, with his old-fashioned charm and ease, invites the reader to embrace just a little bit of magic. Desperate for rent money, Brae agrees to become the chauffeur-bodyguard for a spoiled young actor named Frank (Gary) Cooper, whose womanizing ways always seem to land him in trouble. Entering the glamorous world of early Hollywood, Brae falls for a gorgeous, spunky world traveler named Nell Devereaux, who also happens to be the lover of a powerful Cuban dictator. Finally, he has found the love that will save him. Or has he? Brae quickly learns that love does not come easily. New York gangsters, bootleggers, Hollywood producers, and homicidal dictators conspire to complicate Brae's life at every turn. He befriends a young hood named George Raft, saves the life of movie star Clara Bow, and outwits a family of killers in Key West, Florida. He deftly maneuvers his way out of all sorts of life-threatening situations, but time is running out and Brae must somehow win Nell and save his life. Yet even in Hollywood, skepticism of a "magic" man runs high, and Brae battles conventional reality---not to mention his own impending mortality---at every turn. Ron Base writes a witty, charming tale of a man desperately in search of his destiny. Magic Man is part fable and part adventure, a love story about the impossibility of love. "Beautiful women and gangsters, movie stars and dictators all rub shoulders in this delicious tongue-in-cheek debut set in 1920s Hollywood.... Base works his own magic as he crisply choreographs the entrances and exits of his large cast. There will be thrills aplenty before we are done, and disillusionment, but never defeat for the resilient Brae. A page-turner, spiffy and irresistible." ---Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Inventive and evocative...There's something for everyone: humor, mystery suspense, nostalgia and, of course, a little magic." -- Publisher's Weekly "What a rich and vivid portrait of Hollywood as the talkies came in and the magic of the silents ebbed away. Ron Base's naïve romantic young hero leaves a trail of mayhem and chaos in his wake. There are mercilessly funny portraits of Gary Cooper, George Raft, Clara Bow, and many others." ---John Boorman, director of Deliverance, Excalibur, Hope and Glory, and The Tailor of Panama "It takes off with relentless speed, refusing to permit us to catch our breath. Never boring,Magic Man makes for an entertaining and engrossing tale...If (Base) sometimes relies too often on writer-director David Mamet's tried technique, where nothing ever appears as it seems, then we are the lucky, breathless recipients." -- The Edmonton Journal "Superbly crafted...I read it in one sitting...Base kept me guessing to the very end. Luring the reader into believing that a typical Hollywood climax is in store, I was caught completely off guard by Base's end game. Scheduled to make its way into bookstores later this month, Magic Man is a gripping narrative that surprises right to the very last page. Bravo." -- Hour Magazine (Montreal)

"Rice has a magical touch for creating fascinating plots, delicious romance, and delightful characters."—Booklist "You can always count on Patricia Rice for an entertaining story with just the right mix of romance, humor, and emotion."—The Romantic Reader Can the hopes of a lonely laird be answered by a vicar’s daughter with magic in her hands? Convinced he brings destruction wherever he goes, enigmatic Aidan Dougal is alienated from a family he can never call his own. For such a man, affection is impossible and marriage out of the question. Even asking for help is beyond him. . . until a callous enemy forces him to accept assistance from a young woman whose beauty and strange enchantments turn his cool composure into red-hot passion. Left homeless by the death of her adopted parents, Mora Abbott is not the meek vicar’s daughter she appears to be. Inside, she seethes with a desire to live life fully and embrace the magical talents she’s only beginning to discover. Aidan stirs more than her soul, but he presents a formidable challenge. . .and unless he is willing to open his heart and explore the potential of their combined powers, their attraction can never blossom into the full flower of love. MAGICAL MALCOLM SERIES IN ORDER Merely Magic Must Be Magic The Trouble With Magic This Magic Moment Much Ado About Magic Magic Man

Indexes story collections by editor, book title, author, and story title

These short stories reveal moments of stress and life threatening situations experienced by the characters before their deaths from the viewpoint of a police officer.

This book of faith makes us to realize that the kingdom of God lives in us, rather on us as a location up there. The kingdom of God is a spiritual location and not a geographical one. It is indeed a Kingdom of God, Not a Place Called Heaven. Ye as lively stones have been built up into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5) shows that man is a spirit even though he has a covering called the body. In other words, the kingdom of God is a life and not a location, even though this life also exists in a location. Jesus referred in the scripture about the kingdom of God in us rather on us and said, Neither shall they say, lo here: or lo there: behold, the kingdom of God is within you (Luke17:21). Those actually entering into the kingdom of God are not those just entering the heavens, they are not those entering into the earth, neither are those entering into the waters. But those who are actually entering into the kingdom of God are those entering into Christ, and while in Christ, no doubt they could exist in any location whether heaven or earth, since the kingdom of God is a life. Apostle Stanley Onyenali is a minister of the gospel of Christ in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.He writes because it is an inspiration from the holy spirit teaching me to demystify to the world what the kingdom of God is. He is working on his next book. Publisher's website: http: //sbpra.com/StanleyOnyenal

A beautiful story about two children who lost their parents and went in search of their Aunt the Queen. A lot of things happened along the way, but what a beautiful ending.

Come to Southern Oregon and meet the elders, children, drummers, dancers, vendors, and other pow-wow regulars and hangers-on at the annual Wolf Creek pow-wow. Be there for set-up, shopping and swapping, cooling off in the river. You may even want to jump down the waterfall. You wouldn’t want to miss the tribal salmon feed and potluck supper, would you? Then there’s smudging and drumming around the campfire, plus late night high jinx. Get up early for the flag-raising ceremony the next day, and dance at the afternoon pow-wow. You’re invited to chili night at Pam and Rob’s camp too. What happens, though, when most of the drum groups counted on for the evening event just disappear? Who will save the pow-wow? That task falls to an unlikely group of make-do drummers rounded up at the last minute and aided by Menominee elder, Deep Water. Hurray! They pull it off! Don’t head home yet. The fun is just starting! The ceremonial pow-wow may be a serious and spiritual celebration of Native American culture, but what happens afterwards? Join sisters Sarah and Suzanne in the field under the stars for the annual family naming ceremony and walk with them on safety patrol. All sorts of things are going on out there, and what are those teenagers doing over at the river? It may be getting very late, but the night’s still young. Sit in Les’s teepee as he divides up the drum money from the blanket dance and hang out for marshmallow roasting, crazy talk around the campfire, and teepee creeping. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, but first, there’s tear-down, clean-up, and the raffle. But don’t worry, there’ll be another pow-wow soon, and until then, just keep on the Good Red Road!

My life was full of many unexpected experiences. Some were good, and some were bad. During that time of war, mostly bad times occurred more often than good times. Those good times didnt last longer. I think there is a reason why things happen to people, and as always there are results afterward, either good or bad. My hope all these years of war in South Sudan was that someday, there would be a joyful moment for me as the outcome of my horrible suffering. I do not have many good times to remember in my past life since the day I left South Sudan until the day I arrived in the United States of America. However, even then still, I always felt like I was missing something. Of course, indeed, part of me is missing: my whole family was not with me. I never gave up on myself when I was in that horrible situation. I resisted the pain I was facing. I wish of no ravage that I should do against my foes for what they did to me. I wish for the bad day to get over and hope for better tomorrow. I never except the weakness to engage my mind. Instead, I wish to preach the word of peace to my enemies for the sake of freedom in order to save the lives of the innocent. I wish to just speak out only the word of unification. I want to make the world aware of the war situation that was going on in my hometown and convey peace among the people and avoid more lives to be lost. War is wrong; we are all human beings with only one common goal: the soul. However, the only message you should be saying to your enemies is peace. Bear in mind that when you are torturing someone, you are torturing yourself as well. You might not feel it physically but emotionally, maybe not at the moment, but afterward, in the near future, when peace comes and when justice prevails. My parents used to tell me not to be afraid but to brave and strong. The fear one is the one got kill first in battle because they panic and run randomly into ambush.