Science Fiction. 119559 words long. First published via Abintra Press

An expose of contemporary life seen from the perspective of an eleven-year-old boy.Shaun, a country boy, is orphaned after a bushfire and must now live in the city where he meets many lonely, mixed-up residents. Can his world of benign nature and theirs of dispirited culture, be reconciled?It is a story of polarities: the country and the city; nature and culture; the material and the digital; the spirit and the flesh; lost faith and renewed hope.

IT'S HARD TO BE RESPECTABLEJasper Sinclair, Earl of Saxton, made a bargain with his devil of a father to marry in one month’s time. But instead of shackling himself to an acceptable debutante, he indulges his baser needs. He joins a fighting club and pursues a delectable woman who may not be what she seems. Soon he finds himself battling addictions that threaten his already wicked heart.WHEN YOU'D RATHER BE WICKEDOrphaned seamstress Olivia West wants the chance to lead an honest, respectable life, but the arrogant Earl of Saxton launches a daunting campaign to make her his mistress. Destitute and desperate, she agrees to one night with the dangerous lord, hatching a scheme to take his money and keep her virtue. However, Jasper uncovers her deception and vows to claim what he's owed—not his money, her.“Intense and intriguing. Cinderella meets Fight Club in a historical romance packed with passion, action and secrets.” –Anna Campbell, Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed“A romance that is going to make you smile and sigh…a wonderful read!” –Rogues Under the CoversAbout the AuthorDarcy Burke wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. An RWA Golden Heart® Finalist, Darcy loves all things British (except tomatoes for breakfast, or any other time of day, actually) and happy ever afters. A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her devoted husband, their two great kids, and three cats. In her “spare” time Darcy is a serial volunteer enrolled in a 12-step program where one learns to say “no,” but she keeps having to start over. She’s also a fair-weather runner, and her happy places are Disneyland and Labor Day weekend at the Gorge. Visit Darcy online at http://www.darcy-burke.com, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/darcyburke, or like her Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/darcyburkefans.

Beth Lapointe has her hands full--her teenaged sister is struggling with new motherhood, her job as a waitress is becoming more strenuous as her boss is pulled in different directions, and her alcoholic father is demanding she help him or he’ll return to Bluestone. The last thing she needs is her high school sweetheart to show up live and in person and to realize she still has feelings for him.

Lawrence Anthony devoted his life to animal conservation, protecting the world's endangered species. Then he was asked to accept a herd of "rogue" wild elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand. His common sense told him to refuse, but he was the herd's last chance of survival: they would be killed if he wouldn't take them.In order to save their lives, Anthony took them in. In the years that followed he became a part of their family. And as he battled to create a bond with the elephants, he came to realize that they had a great deal to teach him about life, loyalty, and freedom. The Elephant Whisperer is a heartwarming, exciting, funny, and sometimes sad memoir of Anthony's experiences with these huge yet sympathetic creatures. Set against the background of life on an African game reserve, with unforgettable characters and exotic wildlife, Anthony's unrelenting efforts at animal protection and his remarkable connection with nature will inspire animal lovers and adventurous souls everywhere.From Publishers WeeklyIn 1998, prize-winning conservationist Anthony (Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo) purchased Thula Thula, "5,000 acres of pristine bush in the heart of Zululand, South Africa," transforming a rundown hunters' camp (dating to the 19th century) into a wild animal preserve and a center for eco-tourism. In 1999, Anthony agreed to take in a herd of "troubled" wild elephants, the first seen in the area in more than a century. Winning their trust, becoming deeply attached, and even learning how they communicate (deep, rumbling "whispers," sensed rather than heard), Anthony took enormous risks in the form of enraged elephants, distrustful neighbors, and poachers. Over time Anthony succeeds in his larger goal, winning support from the six Zulu tribes whose land borders the reserve ("most Zulus ... had never set eyes on an elephant"); they eventually join Anthony's venture as partners in a larger conservation trust. An inspiring, multifaceted account, Anthony's book offers fascinating insights into the lives of wild elephants in the broader context of Zulu culture in post-Apartheid South Africa. 8 page color photo insert. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistAnthony, conservationist and author (Babylon’s Ark, 2007), owns a wildlife reserve in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. A former hunting preserve, rumored to be part of the legendary Shaka’s exclusive hunting territory, it has become a game reserve with a lodge for ecotourists. Home to Zululand’s full suite of wildlife, Thula Thula had everything—except elephants. When he was offered a herd from another game reserve Anthony accepted wholeheartedly, despite the fact that these elephants were known escape artists. During their first night at the park the traumatized elephants broke out, and after days on the run had been given a death sentence by the local wildlife authorities, only averted when the author pleaded for one more chance. The story of how Anthony saved his elephants by making friends with them, reversing their negative perceptions of humans and earning their trust, is both heartwarming and heartening. Life on a game reserve is never easy, particularly when elephants are added to the mix, but Anthony’s enthusiasm and obvious love for the bush shine through in hair-raising, sad, and funny tales. This life with elephants is a real winner. --Nancy Bent

He'd said goodbye to his life on the reservation without regrets. He'd asked Tanya Rattling Blanket to come with him too many times, and Nick Longhair never begs. But when business brings him back to his ancestors' land, he finally understands what he exchanged for money and power.In the years he's been in Chicago, Tanya has been raising his baby, a son he didn't know.... Determined to give his child every advantage, Nick isn't about to leave again...at least not alone. But that means winning back the love of those he left behind.About the AuthorAward-winning author Sarah M. Anderson loves to put characters from different worlds into new situations and see how their backgrounds and cultures take them places they never thought theyu2019d go. When not helping out at her sonu2019s school or walking her two rescue dogs, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians, which is surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful husband and son. Find out more about Sarah at www.sarahmanderson.com. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Nick Longhair got out of his Jaguar, his Italian loafers crunching on the white rock that made up the parking lot at tribal headquarters for the Red Creek Lakota. The building might have had a fresh coat of paint in the past two years, but otherwise, it was as he remembered it. Narrow little windows, low ceilings and an overall depressing vibe.For the past two years, he'd worked out of a corner office on South Dearborn, one of the priciest blocks in Chicago. Marble floors, custom furnishings and floor-to-ceiling views of Lake Michigan. It had been the height of luxury, and a true measure of how far he'd come.He looked around his current surroundings. A three-legged dog hopped across the lot a few feet away from him. The other vehicles weren't Bentleys or Audis or even Mercedes, but rusty pickup trucks and cars with mismatched hoods and plastic sheeting for windows. This wasn't a measure of how far he'd come. It was a measure of how far he'd fallen.All he had ever wanted was to get off this rez. He could still remember seeing The Cosby Show on the working TV at a friend's house and discovering that other folks lived in great big houses where kids had their own rooms, water came out of the sink and lights turned on with the flip of a switch. The shock of realizing that some people had those things—and that those people weren't always white—had made him look at his childhood with brand-new eyes. The discarded trailer with cardboard patched over the windows and the holes in the roof? Not normal. Having to share a bed with his brother and mom? Not normal. Having to haul buckets of water from the stream and then hope he didn't get sick drinking it? Not normal. Not even acceptable.Yeah, it sounded stupid to say that a sitcom had changed his life for the better. But at the age of eight, he'd realized there was a different life off the rez, and he wanted the big house, the fancy cars, the nice clothes. He wanted it all. And he'd spent his entire life earning it.So being forced to come back to the rez felt worse than any demotion. If he hadn't been ordered to take this case—and if his future promotions didn't rest upon a clean victory—he wouldn't be here. Maybe he should have quit instead of taking this assignment. He didn't want to feel the stink of poverty on his skin again. It had taken years to clean the poor out of his pores. But he was the best at what he did, and what Nick did was lead lawsuits against energy companies. This was the kind of case he couldn't walk away from. This was the kind of case that made a person's career.Nick shook his head, forcing himself to focus on what he was here to accomplish.As the youngest junior partner in the history of the law firm of Sutcliffe, Watkins and Monroe, he'd won judgments for clients against BP for the oil spill in the Gulf, coal mines for the toxic runoff they dumped into the groundwater and even nuclear power plants with lax security. In the past five years, he'd gotten very good—and very rich—being environmentally friendly. He'd earned his place at the table.Then his tribe, the Red Creek Lakota, had hired Sutcliffe, Watkins and Monroe to sue Midwest Energy Company for polluting the Dakota River when they used hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to drill for natural gas. The tribe claimed the chemicals used in the drilling had seeped into the groundwater and contaminated the Dakota. They wanted Midwest Energy to clean up the water and pay for any health problems that resulted from the pollution. But this kind of case was beyond the scope of general counsel. The tribe's lawyer, Rosebud Armstrong, had needed someone who specialized in this kind of case. And that someone was Nick.Nick had been surprised the tribe could afford the Sutcliffe, Watkins and Monroe price tag, but they'd recently built a dam and the funds from the sale of hydro-electricity had actually put the tribe in the black for the first time ever. Of course they'd picked Nick's firm. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that Rosebud had gone looking for him, but it still irked him. He'd always felt his tribe didn't want a damn thing to do with him when he was a dirt-poor nobody.Now that he was a somebody who'd made something of himself, though, the tune had changed. No one had missed him when he'd left—not even Tanya Rattling Blanket, his high school sweetheart. But now that they needed him and his uncanny ability to win in the courtroom, they wanted him to come home. Nick had been informed that the tribal council wanted him to lead the legal battle on-site. It wasn't enough that he had to work for people who'd rejected him. Now he had to go back and live with them.Marcus Sutcliffe, the founder of the firm, had never been one to turn down a paying client. In no uncertain terms, Marcus had told Nick to pack his bags. And he did it in such a way that made it clear "no" was not an option. "Those are your people," Marcus had said, a look of distaste flitting across his face as he waved Nick away. "You handle them."The hackles on Nick's neck still stood up just thinking about Marcus's dismissive tone. With a wave of his hand, Marcus had reduced Nick to the token Indian. His legal victories, top-notch law degree, his years of experience and dedication to the firm—meaningless, if Nick only earned them in the name of affirmative action. He'd fought for years to be recognized for what he could do, not what he'd been born. Apparently, he still had a long way to go.The question Nick hadn't been able to answer was if Rissa Sutcliffe, Marcus's daughter, felt the same way. Nick didn't think so. He and Rissa had been dating for almost two years—exclusively dating for the last year. He knew she was attracted to what she called his "tall, dark and very mysterious" appearance, but that had never bothered him until Marcus had thrown "those people" onto the table.But the fact was, if Nick won this case, he'd be first in line to succeed Marcus when he retired—an event that was only a few years off. So Nick nodded and smiled and acted like he was thrilled to be handling "those" people and their case. Better than giving the case to Jenkins, Nick's rival in the office.So Nick wasn't here for the rez. He was here for his career. The sooner he won this case, the sooner he could get back to Chicago.Then he took a deep breath, the smell of last night's rain and the grass surrounding him. No, this wasn't the Magnificent Mile. But that smell—the scent of wide-open spaces—was something he couldn't find in Chicago. Last night, he'd sat on his new front porch and done something he hadn't been able to do in two years. He'd watched the stars.Maybe some time away from Sutcliffe, Watkins and Monroe would be a good thing. The interoffice sniping had reached new levels of Machiavellian backstab-bing—so much so that Nick spent more time fending off sideway attacks from the likes of Jenkins than he did building cases. Some days, he felt less like a lawyer and more like a pawn struggling to be a knight.If that had been all he'd been dealing with, Nick could have sucked it up and dealt with it. But it wasn't. For the last few months, Rissa had been buying bridal magazines and discussing an outdoor summer wedding versus a Christmas-themed wedding. Even Marcus had been calling him "son" more and more. On paper, that had been the plan—marry the boss's daughter and take over the family business. No doubt about it, Nick would have arrived. No one would have been able to take that success away from him.Nick should have proposed to Rissa before he left to seal the deal. Should have, but didn't. He had always enjoyed Rissa's company, but he couldn't wrap his head around Rissa and the Red Creek Reservation in the same thought. Rissa wasn't exactly high-maintenance, but she required a certain amount of upkeep—shopping, spas, servants. Nick had enjoyed the hell out of being on the receiving end of that upkeep, but the moment the tribe had barged back into his life, his expensive lifestyle had suddenly felt forced. Almost unreal. Untrue, at the very least. Up until that exact moment, he'd been so certain of his plan, but now...he didn't know if he loved who Rissa was or the fact that she had been born a Sutcliffe. Which meant he was in real danger of being the world's biggest living hypocrite.So he'd taken the job. He'd given Rissa a little talk about how some time apart would be good for them, help them know for sure if they were meant to be together. She'd taken it well enough, he supposed. "So you won't mind if Jenkins takes me to the Parade of Sails, then," she had said, her voice needle-sharp and her words just as pointed.But Nick had already made up his mind. He was a big fan of clean breaks anyway. He'd reassured Rissa that she was free to see whoever she wanted, and when Nick's case was over, they'd "catch up" and "reevaluate" where their relationship stood. He needed a break from the whole lot of them—Jenkins, Rissa and Marcus. As much as he told himself he was back on the rez involuntarily, a small, hidden part of him was relieved to be here. Even though he was no longer the same man who'd left this rez behind, he still felt more like himself just being here.The case would probably take a year, maybe two, before all the dust settled. That left him plenty of time to catch up with his family. He could look up Tanya Rattling Blanket for starters. True, he hadn't seen her in—man, it had to be almost two years—but he knew she was still here. She was one of those idealistic people who was determined to make a difference. She had made her preference for the rez over the real world clear back when they were dating. But if she was here and Nick was here, he didn&#...

Issue #102 of Beneath Ceaseless Skies online magazine, featuring stories by Peter Darbyshire and Nahtaniel Katz.

At Gram’s Country Cooking School, Isabelle “Betts” Winston and her grandmother share their home-style culinary secrets. But what they keep to themselves are the secrets of Broken Rope, a quiet little Missouri town, that isn't nearly as quiet as it seems...A fresh school year begins as Gram and Betts anxiously await the arrival of their new crop of students. But their enthusiasm is thwarted when a stranger named Freddie O’Bannon arrives and claims to have proof that he was accepted to the school despite what is in their files. And when the ghost of Cylas Gent, a young man who might have a romantic past with Gram, also appears, there are suddenly two mysteries demanding their attention.But just as Gram and Betts start sifting through the past, one of their new students is murdered. Does the seemingly sweet Freddie O’Bannon have something sinister to hide, or are Gram’s ghosts trying to teach her a lesson? Either way, it’s up to the country cooks to catch a killer before another living soul gets burned. Includes delicious recipes!