They promised to meet in four years… He was there. Where was she? Conor Delaney believed he and Shelby Brookes had something special – until the girl he’d loved since fourth grade was a no-show for their romantic reunion. Two years on, Shelby’s back in town! Shelby has her reasons for what she did, and a plan to win Conor back!

This book will help you take your first steps in the WordPress theme development process, with 5 different projects centered around creating unique and responsive WordPress themes About This Book ? Learn the basics of WordPress theme development in a step by step manner ? Make your themes more dynamic by integrating components of Bootstrap and JQuery ? 5 carefully-selected projects to help you get beyond the theory and create highly marketable WordPress themes from scratch Who This Book Is For If you are a blogger or a WordPress user who wants to learn how to create attractive, eye-catching WordPress themes, this book is for you. A basic understanding of HTML5, CSS, PHP, and some creativity is all you need to get started with this book. What You Will Learn ? Simple and advanced themes – covers basic syntax and files along with archives and search pages ? Photo Gallery – add simple animation and use the W3.CSS framework to design a photo gallery theme ? Wordstrap – incorporate Twitter Bootstrap into the theme and use the WP_NavWalker class ? E-commerce theme – build an e-commerce theme using the Foundation framework In Detail WordPress has emerged as a powerful, easy-to-use tool to design attractive, engaging websites. Themes play a big role in making WordPress as popular as it is today, and having an eye-catching, fully-functional theme could separate your website from the rest! This book will help you take your first steps in the WordPress theme development process, with 5 different projects centered around creating unique and responsive WordPress themes. Start with creating a simple WordPress theme using HTML5, CSS, and PHP. Then, you will move on to incorporate different APIs, widgets, and tools such as Bootstrap and jQuery to create more dynamic and highly-functional themes. Whether you want to create a photo gallery theme, a highly customizable e-commerce theme, or a theme designed to suit a particular business, this book will teach you everything you need to know. By the end of this highly interactive book, you will have the required mastery to develop WordPress themes from scratch. Style and approach This book takes a projects-based approach, where every project incrementally builds on your programming skills required to create different kinds of WordPress themes. With the difficulty of the projects ranging from basic to complex, this book will help you get beyond the theory and put your understanding of WordPress theme development to practical use.

South African born Elon Musk is the renowned entrepreneur and innovator behind PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity. Musk wants to save our planet; he wants to send citizens into space, to form a colony on Mars; he wants to make money while doing these things; and he wants us all to know about it. He is the real-life inspiration for the Iron Man series of films starring Robert Downey Junior. The personal tale of Musk’s life comes with all the trappings one associates with a great, drama-filled story. He was a freakishly bright kid who was bullied brutally at school, and abused by his father. In the midst of these rough conditions, and the violence of apartheid South Africa, Musk still thrived academically and attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he paid his own way through school by turning his house into a club and throwing massive parties. He started a pair of huge dot-com successes, including PayPal, which eBay acquired for $1.5 billion in 2002. Musk was forced out as CEO and so began his lost years in which he decided to go it alone and baffled friends by investing his fortune in rockets and electric cars. Meanwhile Musk’s marriage disintegrated as his technological obsessions took over his life ... Elon Musk is the Steve Jobs of the present and the future, and for the past twelve months, he has been shadowed by tech reporter, Ashlee Vance. Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of Spacex and Tesla is Shaping our Future is an important, exciting and intelligent account of the real-life Iron Man.

Learn the techniques for object recognition, 3D reconstruction, stereo imaging, and other computer vision applications using examples on different functions of OpenCV. About This Book ? Learn how to apply complex visual effects to images with OpenCV 3.x and Python ? Extract features from an image and use them to develop advanced applications ? Build algorithms to help you understand image content and perform visual searches ? Get to grips with advanced techniques in OpenCV such as machine learning, artificial neural network, 3D reconstruction, and augmented reality Who This Book Is For This book is intended for Python developers who are new to OpenCV and want to develop computer vision applications with OpenCV and Python. This book is also useful for generic software developers who want to deploy computer vision applications on the cloud. It would be helpful to have some familiarity with basic mathematical concepts such as vectors, matrices, and so on. What You Will Learn ? Detect shapes and edges from images and videos ? How to apply filters on images and videos ? Use different techniques to manipulate and improve images ? Extract and manipulate particular parts of images and videos ? Track objects or colors from videos ? Recognize specific object or faces from images and videos ? How to create Augmented Reality applications ? Apply artificial neural networks and machine learning to improve object recognition In Detail Computer vision is found everywhere in modern technology. OpenCV for Python enables us to run computer vision algorithms in real time. With the advent of powerful machines, we have more processing power to work with. Using this technology, we can seamlessly integrate our computer vision applications into the cloud. Focusing on OpenCV 3.x and Python 3.6, this book will walk you through all the building blocks needed to build amazing computer vision applications with ease. We start off by manipulating images using simple filtering and geometric transformations. We then discuss affine and projective transformations and see how we can use them to apply cool advanced manipulations to your photos like resizing them while keeping the content intact or smoothly removing undesired elements. We will then cover techniques of object tracking, body part recognition, and object recognition using advanced techniques of machine learning such as artificial neural network. 3D reconstruction and augmented reality techniques are also included. The book covers popular OpenCV libraries with the help of examples. This book is a practical tutorial that covers various examples at different levels, teaching you about the different functions of OpenCV and their actual implementation. By the end of this book, you will have acquired the skills to use OpenCV and Python to develop real-world computer vision applications. Style and approach The book is a practical tutorial that covers various examples at different levels, teaching you about the different functions of OpenCV and their actual implementation.

Transform yourself into a Kubernetes specialist in serverless applications. About This Book ? Get hands-on experience in installing, configuring, and using services such as Kubeless, Funktion, OpenWhisk, and Fission ? Learn how to launch Kubernetes both locally and in public clouds ? Explore the differences between using services such as AWS Lambda and Azure Functions and running your own Who This Book Is For If you are a DevOps engineer, cloud architect, or a stakeholder keen to learn about serverless functions in Kubernetes environments, then this book is for you. What You Will Learn ? Get a detailed analysis of serverless/Functions as a Service ? Get hands-on with installing and running tasks in Kubernetes using Minikube ? Install Kubeless locally and launch your first function. ? Launch Kubernetes in the cloud and move your applications between your local machine and your cloud cluster ? Deploy applications on Kubernetes using Apache OpenWhisk ? Explore topics such as Funktion and Fission installation on the cloud followed by launching applications ? Monitor a serverless function and master security best practices and Kubernetes use cases In Detail Kubernetes has established itself as the standard platform for container management, orchestration, and deployment. It has been adopted by companies such as Google, its original developers, and Microsoft as an integral part of their public cloud platforms, so that you can develop for Kubernetes and not worry about being locked into a single vendor. This book will initially start by introducing serverless functions. Then you will configure tools such as Minikube to run Kubernetes. Once you are up-and-running, you will install and configure Kubeless, your first step towards running Function as a Service (FaaS) on Kubernetes. Then you will gradually move towards running Fission, a framework used for managing serverless functions on Kubernetes environments. Towards the end of the book, you will also work with Kubernetes functions on public and private clouds. By the end of this book, we will have mastered using Function as a Service on Kubernetes environments. Style and approach A clear, concise, and straightforward book that will empower you work with clusters and run serverless functions effectively.

Take a deep dive into building data-driven test frameworks using Selenium WebDriver About This Book ? A comprehensive guide to designing data-driven test frameworks using the Selenium 3 WebDriver API, AppiumDriver API, Java-Bindings, and TestNG ? Learn how to use Selenium Page Object Design Patterns and D.R.Y. (Don’t Repeat Yourself) Approaches to software development in automated testing ? Discover the Selenium Grid Architecture and build your own grid for browser and mobile devices ? Use third party tools and services like ExtentReports for results processing, reporting, and SauceLabs for cloud-based test services Who This Book Is For This book is intended for software quality assurance/testing professionals, software project managers, or software developers with prior experience in using Selenium and Java to test web-based applications.This book is geared towards the quality assurance and development professionals responsible for designing and building enterprise-based testing frameworks.The user should have a working knowledge of the Java, TestNG, and Selenium technologies What You Will Learn ? Design the Selenium Driver Class for local, remote, and third party grid support ? Build Page Object Classes using the Selenium Page Object Model ? Develop Data-Driven Test Classes using the TestNG framework ? Encapsulate Data using the JSON Protocol ? Build a Selenium Grid for RemoteWebDriver Testing ? Construct Utility Classes for use in Synchronization, File I/O, Reporting and Test Listener Classes ? Run the sample framework and see the benefits of a live data-driven framework in real-time In Detail The Selenium WebDriver 3.x Technology is an open source API available to test both Browser and Mobile applications. It is completely platform independent in that tests built for one browser or mobile device, will also work on all other browsers and mobile devices. Selenium supports all major development languages which allow it to be tied directly into the technology used to develop the applications. This guide will provide a step-by-step approach to designing and building a data-driven test framework using Selenium WebDriver, Java, and TestNG. The book starts off by introducing users to the Selenium Page Object Design Patterns and D.R.Y Approaches to Software Development. In doing so, it covers designing and building a Selenium WebDriver framework that supports both Browser and Mobile Devices. It will lead the user through a journey of architecting their own framework with a scalable driver class, Java utility classes, JSON Data Provider, Data-Driven Test Classes, and support for third party tools and plugins. Users will learn how to design and build a Selenium Grid from scratch to allow the framework to scale and support different browsers, mobile devices, versions, and platforms, and how they can leverage third party grids in the Cloud like SauceLabs. Other topics covered include designing abstract base and sub-classes, inheritance, dual-driver support, parallel testing, testing multi-branded applications, best practices for using locators, and data encapsulation. Finally, you will be presented with a sample fully-functional framework to get them up and running with the Selenium WebDriver for browser testing. By the end of the book, you will be able to design your own automation testing framework and perform data-driven testing with Selenium WebDriver. Style and approach A comprehensive approach to designing data-driven test frameworks using the Selenium 3 WebDriver API, Java-Bindings, and TestNG Technologies

The common patterns and practices of the microservice architecture and their application using the Clojure programming language. About This Book ? Relevance of the microservice architecture and benefits of Clojure's functional and simple features to implement it. ? Learn best practices and common principles to avoid common pitfalls while developing microservices. ? Learn how to use Pedestal to build your next microservices, secure them using JWT, and monitor them using the ELK stack Who This Book Is For You should have a working knowledge of programming in Clojure. However, no knowledge of RESTful architecture, microservices, or web services is expected. If you are looking to apply techniques to your own projects, taking your first steps into microservice architecture, this book is for you. What You Will Learn ? Explore the pros and cons of monolithic and microservice architectures ? Use Clojure to effectively build a reallife application using Microservices ? Gain practical knowledge of the Clojure Pedestal framework and how to use it to build Microservices ? Explore various persistence patterns and learn how to use Apache Kafka to build event-driven microservice architectures ? Secure your Microservices using JWT ? Monitor Microservices at scale using the ELK stack ? Deploy Microservices at scale using container orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes In Detail The microservice architecture is sweeping the world as the de facto pattern with which to design and build scalable, easy-tomaintain web applications. This book will teach you common patterns and practices, and will show you how to apply these using the Clojure programming language. This book will teach you the fundamental concepts of architectural design and RESTful communication, and show you patterns that provide manageable code that is supportable in development and at scale in production. We will provide you with examples of how to put these concepts and patterns into practice with Clojure. This book will explain and illustrate, with practical examples, how teams of all sizes can start solving problems with microservices. You will learn the importance of writing code that is asynchronous and non-blocking and how Pedestal helps us do this. Later, the book explains how to build Reactive microservices in Clojure that adhere to the principles underlying the Reactive Manifesto. We finish off by showing you various ways to monitor, test, and secure your microservices. By the end, you will be fully capable of setting up, modifying, and deploying a microservice with Clojure and Pedestal. Style and approach This book highlights the merits of the microservice architecture and its implementation with Clojure. Learn to implement microservices by migrating a monolithic application to a microservice-based architecture.

Get to grips with the essentials of deep learning by leveraging the power of Python About This Book ? Your one-stop solution to get started with the essentials of deep learning and neural network modeling ? Train different kinds of neural networks to tackle various problems in Natural Language Processing, computer vision, speech recognition, and more ? Covers popular Python libraries such as Tensorflow, Keras, and more, along with tips on training, deploying and optimizing your deep learning models in the best possible manner Who This Book Is For Aspiring data scientists and machine learning experts who have limited or no exposure to deep learning will find this book to be very useful. If you are looking for a resource that gets you up and running with the fundamentals of deep learning and neural networks, this book is for you. As the models in the book are trained using the popular Python-based libraries such as Tensorflow and Keras, it would be useful to have sound programming knowledge of Python. What You Will Learn ? Get to grips with the core concepts of deep learning and neural networks ? Set up deep learning library such as TensorFlow ? Fine-tune your deep learning models for NLP and Computer Vision applications ? Unify different information sources, such as images, text, and speech through deep learning ? Optimize and fine-tune your deep learning models for better performance ? Train a deep reinforcement learning model that plays a game better than humans ? Learn how to make your models get the best out of your GPU or CPU In Detail Deep Learning a trending topic in the field of Artificial Intelligence today and can be considered to be an advanced form of machine learning, which is quite tricky to master. This book will help you take your first steps in training efficient deep learning models and applying them in various practical scenarios. You will model, train, and deploy different kinds of neural networks such as Convolutional Neural Network, Recurrent Neural Network, and will see some of their applications in real-world domains including computer vision, natural language processing, speech recognition, and so on. You will build practical projects such as chatbots, implement reinforcement learning to build smart games, and develop expert systems for image captioning and processing. Popular Python library such as TensorFlow is used in this book to build the models. This book also covers solutions for different problems you might come across while training models, such as noisy datasets, small datasets, and more. This book does not assume any prior knowledge of deep learning. By the end of this book, you will have a firm understanding of the basics of deep learning and neural network modeling, along with their practical applications. Style and approach This step-by-step guide is filled with real-world practical examples and use cases to solve various deep learning problems.

Learn, develop, and design applications using the new features in Microsoft Dynamics CRM About This Book ? Implement business logic using processes, plugins, and client-side *s with MS Dynamics 365 ? Develop custom CRM solutions to improve your business applications ? A comprehensive guide that covers the new features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and increasingly advanced topics. Who This Book Is For This book targets skilled developers who are looking to build business-solution software and are new to application development in Microsoft Dynamics 365, especially for CRM. What You Will Learn ? Discover new designers tools included in Dynamics 365 CRM ? Develop apps using the platform-agnostic Web API ? Leverage Azure Extensions to design cloud-aware applications ? Learn how to implement CRUD operation ? Create integrated real-world apps using Microsoft PowerApps and Flow by combining services such as Twitter, Facebook, and SharePoint ? Configure and use Artificial Intelligence Azure Cognitive Services for Recommendation and Text Analytic services In Detail Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM is the most trusted name in enterprise-level customer relationship management. Thelatest version of Dynamics CRM comes with the important addition of exciting features guaranteed to make your life easier. It comes straight off the shelf with a whole new frontier of updated business rules, process enhancements, SDK methods, and other enhancements. This book will introduce you to the components of the new designer tools, such as SiteMap, App Module, and Visual Designer for Business Processes. Going deeper, this book teaches you how to develop custom SaaS applications leveraging the features of PowerApps available in Dynamics 365.Further, you will learn how to automate business processes using Microsoft Flow, and then we explore Web API, the most important platform update in Dynamics 365 CRM. Here, you'll also learn how to implement Web API in custom applications. You will learn how to write an Azure-aware plugin to design and integrate cloud-aware solutions. The book concludes with configuring services using newly released features such as Editable grids, Data Export Service, LinkedIn Integration, Relationship Insights, and Live Assist. Style and approach The book takes a pragmatic approach, exploring Dynamics 365 and its CRM features with the help of real-world scenarios.

Explore the concepts and tools you need to discover the world of microservices with various design patterns About This Book ? Get to grips with the microservice architecture and build enterprise-ready microservice applications ? Learn design patterns and the best practices while building a microservice application ? Obtain hands-on techniques and tools to create high-performing microservices resilient to possible fails Who This Book Is For This book is for architects and senior developers who would like implement microservice design patterns in their enterprise application development. The book assumes some prior programming knowledge. What You Will Learn ? How to break monolithic application into microservices ? Implement caching strategies, CQRS and event sourcing, and circuit breaker patterns ? Incorporate different microservice design patterns, such as shared data, aggregator, proxy, and chained ? Utilize consolidate testing patterns such as integration, signature, and monkey tests ? Secure microservices with JWT, API gateway, and single sign on ? Deploy microservices with continuous integration or delivery, Blue-Green deployment In Detail Microservices are a hot trend in the development world right now. Many enterprises have adopted this approach to achieve agility and the continuous delivery of applications to gain a competitive advantage. This book will take you through different design patterns at different stages of the microservice application development along with their best practices. Microservice Patterns and Best Practices starts with the learning of microservices key concepts and showing how to make the right choices while designing microservices. You will then move onto internal microservices application patterns, such as caching strategy, asynchronism, CQRS and event sourcing, circuit breaker, and bulkheads. As you progress, you'll learn the design patterns of microservices. The book will guide you on where to use the perfect design pattern at the application development stage and how to break monolithic application into microservices. You will also be taken through the best practices and patterns involved while testing, securing, and deploying your microservice application. At the end of the book, you will easily be able to create interoperable microservices, which are testable and prepared for optimum performance. Style and approach Comprehensive guide that uses architectural patterns with the best choices involved in application development

This new edition of the legendary Dago Red, first published in 1940, contains seven new stories, including "A Nun No More" and "My Father’s God."

Discovering the Body is a gripping novel filled with psychological suspense, sensitivity, and emotional complexity. With this stunning debut, Mary Howard has crafted an electrifying and hauntingly evocative novel of truth and perception, of the ties we tell others-and the lies we tell ourselves.Two years ago Linda Garbo left her graphic design job in Minneapolis to open a printmaking studio in a small town in Iowa with the encouragement of Luci Cole, a weaver and an old friend from art school. Arriving in Linden Grove for good, Linda agrees to stay with Luci and her boyfriend, Charlie, in their old farmhouse outside of town until the renovations to her new studio space are completed. But the following afternoon as she is driving down the long winding road toward Luci's house, Linda sees Luci's neighbor, Peter Garvey, walking out the front door-and when Linda enters the house a few minutes later, she discovers her friend's lifeless body on the kitchen floor.Now, two years later, Peter Garvey has been convicted of Luci's murder. Linda is married to Charlie and living in the very house where Luci died. And she is convinced someone is following her. As she begins to confront her fears-approaching the man she believes is spying on her, visiting Peter Garvey in prison-she finally faces the cause for her frequent panic attacks: she was too traumatized by her discovery of Luci's body to be a reliable witness. And if she's identified the wrong man, the killer may still be close by, ready to react if she admits she might have made a mistake. Compelled to unravel the mystery surrounding Luci's final days, Linda finds that Luci was a master at weaving her true colors into a complex tapestry, preferring involvements that required secrecy.A beautifully crafted tour de force of significant depth, passion, and power, Discovering the Body is a completely beguiling meditation on perception, loss, memory, and redemption whose conclusion proves to be as significantly haunting as it is satisfying.

In this darkly beautiful and hauntingly vivid novel, Michelle Lovric, acclaimed author of The Floating Book, embarks on an unforgettable journey through the winding alleys and shadowy streets of eighteenth-century Venice and London. With vibrant prose, she weaves together the stories of three disparate yet intertwined characters who find themselves embroiled in a world of murder and secrets. There is Mimosina Dolcezza, the Venetian actress employed as an agente provocatrice by surreptitious European power brokers. By fortune and circumstance, she begins an affair with the elusive Valentine Greatrakes, a roguish fixture within London's medical underworld. Complicating matters for the pair is the presence of the eccentric and strange child-woman Pevenche, a figure whose fate and identity lie at the heart of the book's mystery.Following this shadowy group from the dark environs of London's Bankside to the lively streets of Venice, The Remedy guides us through playhouses, brothels, and convents with luscious details that breathe intoxicating life into the era. Long-listed for the prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction, The Remedy is a seductive and suspenseful tale that stays with you long after you've turned the final page.

No matter what your age or your family and medicalhistory, you can take steps to prevent debilitatingstrokes. And you can start today.No one plans to have a stroke, but too many people think that avoiding them is impossible. Written by the director of the Stroke Research Center at Mayo Clinic, this book helps you determine your risk for stroke and offers you a personalized prevention program based on your own risk profile.This book is the first of its kind to offer such thorough information about our nation's #1 disabler and #3 killer. Based on decades of research, Dr. Wiebers shares crucial information you need to know, including: The six different types of stroke Simple dietary changes that can help prevent stroke Common heart conditions that are little-known stroke risk factors Where to get the best treatment during a strokeYou and your loved ones don't have to live in fear of suffering strokes. This book gives you specific, positive steps to reduce the risk of stroke and to help you lead a more healthy, balanced, and enjoyable life.

What happened to Eden?The New York Times bestselling author of Ahab's Wife, Four Spirits, and Abundance returns with an audacious and provocative novel that envisions a world where science and faith contend for the allegiance of a new Adam & EveHer books have been hailed as "exceptional" (People); "enchanting" (Entertainment Weekly); "of great cultural and historical importance" (New York Times Book Review); and "original and affecting" (Los Angeles Times). One of the most imaginative and inspired writers of our time, Sena Jeter Naslund masterfully uses her craft to lay bare the poignant complexity of humanity—the passion and despair, the ignorance and frailty, the genius and resilience that define us. From Victorian London to civil-rights-era Alabama, from nineteenth-century New England to revolutionary Paris, her novels offer profound insight and startling truths about human experience. Now, with Adam & Eve, she delivers her most ambitious and encompassing tale to date.Hours before his untimely—and highly suspicious—death, world-renowned astrophysicist Thom Bergmann shares his discovery of extraterrestrial life with his wife, Lucy. Feeling that the warring world is not ready to learn of—or accept—proof of life elsewhere in the universe, Thom entrusts Lucy with his computer flash drive, which holds the keys to his secret work.Devastated by Thom's death, Lucy keeps the secret, but Thom's friend, anthropologist Pierre Saad, contacts Lucy with an unusual and dangerous request about another sensitive matter. Pierre needs Lucy to help him smuggle a newly discovered artifact out of Egypt: an ancient codex concerning the human authorship of the Book of Genesis. Offering a reinterpretation of the creation story, the document is sure to threaten the foundation of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions . . . and there are those who will stop at nothing to suppress it. Midway through the daring journey, Lucy's small plane goes down on a slip of verdant land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Middle East. Burned in the crash landing, she is rescued by Adam, a delusional American soldier whose search for both spiritual and carnal knowledge has led to madness. Blessed with youth, beauty, and an unsettling innocence, Adam gently tends to Lucy's wounds, and in this quiet, solitary paradise, a bond between the unlikely pair grows. Ultimately, Lucy and Adam forsake their half-mythical Eden and make their way back toward civilization, where members of an ultraconservative religious cult are determined to deprive the world of the knowledge Lucy carries.Set against the searing debate between evolutionists and creationists, Adam & Eve expands the definition of a "sacred book," and suggests that true madness lies in wars and violence fueled by all religious literalism and intolerance. A thriller, a romance, an adventure, and an idyll, Adam & Eve is a tour de force by a master contemporary storyteller.

While the major fighting of the war moves to the south in the summer of 1779, a British force of fewer than a thousand Scottish infantry, backed by three sloops-of-war, sails to the desolate and fog-bound coast of New England. Establishing a garrison and naval base at Penobscot Bay, in the eastern province of Massachusetts that would become Maine, the Scots—the only British troops between Canada and New York—harry rebel privateers and give shelter to American loyalists. In response, Massachusetts sends a fleet of more than forty vessels and some one thousand infantrymen to “captivate, kill or destroy” the foreign invaders. Second in command is Peleg Wadsworth, a veteran of the battles at Lexington and Long Island, once aide to General Washington, and a man who sees clearly what must be done to expel the invaders. But ineptitude and irresolution lead to a mortifying defeat—and have stunning repercussions for two men on opposite sides: an untested eighteen-year-old Scottish lieutenant named John Moore, who will begin an illustrious military career; and a Boston silversmith and patriot named Paul Revere, who will face court-martial for disobedience and cowardice.Grounded firmly in history, inimitably told in Cornwell's thrilling narrative style, The Fort is the extraordinary novel of this fascinating clash between a superpower and a nation in the making.

If Night falls, all fall . . .In the far north of the world of Haarth lies the bitter mountain range known as the Wall of Night. Garrisoned by the Nine Houses of the Derai, the Wall is the final bastion between the peoples of Haarth and the Swarm of Dark—which the Derai have been fighting across worlds and time.Malian, Heir to the House of Night, knows the history of her people: the unending war with the Darkswarm; the legendary heroes, blazing with long-lost power; the internal strife that has fractured the Derai's former strength. But now the Darkswarm is rising again, and Malian's destiny as Heir of Night is bound inextricably to both ancient legend and any future the Derai—or Haarth—may have.

Mad Bean Events is on the job catering the glorious Hollywood season wrap party for the surprise hit gourmet game show, But when one of the key game show writers seems to have disappeared, Maddie′s producer friend needs a replacement -- fast. And who better to write culinary questions than MaddieWhen Maddie joins the oddball crew of game show pros, she finds she has a talent for writing clues as well as following them -- since the office she takes over offers tantalizing hints as to the whereabouts of the missing writer. And Maddie aims to hit the jackpot by answering: Who wrote off the writer?

Can the secrets of one woman's past change another woman's future?A gifted artist, Cate has come to London from New York to escape her recent past. Working for her aunt's auction house, she is sent down to Devon to value the contents of Endsleigh House, the once gracious but now crumbling estate of a former socialite. There, hidden in the back of a dusty bookshelf, Cate discovers an old shoebox. Inside is a strange assortment of objects: an exquisite pair of dancing shoes circa 1930; a diamond brooch; a photograph of a young sailor; a dance card; and a pearl and emerald Tiffanys bracelet.Intrigued by her find, Cate sets out to solve the mystery of the box, becoming immersed in the story of its owner, Baby Blythe. Bright, beautiful, and reckless, Baby was the most famous debutante of her generation . . . and the most dangerous. As the clues begin to reveal a shocking tale of destructive, addictive love, Cate finds herself being drawn deeper into Baby's tragic life story—a story that will force Cate to face some dark truths about her own.Includes an excerpt from The Perfume Collector.

The Secret of WritingIts misleading to think of writers as special creatures, word sorcerers who possess some sort of magic knowledge hidden from everyone else. Writers are ordinary people who like to write. They feel the urge to write, and scratch that itch every chance they have. Writers get their ideas down on paper using particular strategies that seem to work for them. These strategies are available to anyone who wants to be a writer... Revealed!There is no secret. But there is a process. If you like to write, there are definite steps you can take to help you reach your goals. Good writing isn't forged by magic or hatched out of thin air. Good writing happens when human beings follow particular steps to take control o their sentences-to make their words do what they want them to do.This book will show you how writers work, how you can become a writer, and how you can find a process that works for you

Maybe you've heard before that poetry is magic, and it made you roll your eyes, but I believe it's true. Poetry matters. At the most important moments, when everyone else is silent, poetry rises to speak.I wrote this book to help you write poems and to give practical ideas for making your poems sound the way you want them to sound. We're not going to smash poems up into the tiniest pieces. This book is about writing poetry, not analyzing it. I want this book to help you have more wonderful. moments in the poetry you write. I want you to feel the power of poetry. it's my hope that through this book you will discover lots of ways to make your poems shine, sing, soar...-- Ralph Fletcher