An engrossing history of the science of one of the four fundamental physical forces in the universe, electromagnetism, right up to the latest indications that the poles are soon to reverse and destroy the world's power grids and electronic communicationsA cataclysmic planetary phenomenon is gathering force deep within the Earth. The magnetic North Pole will eventually trade places with the South Pole. Satellite evidence suggests to some scientists that the move has already begun, but most still think it won't happen for many decades. All agree that it has happened many times before and will happen again. But this time it will be different. It will be a very bad day for modern civilization.Award-winning science journalist Alanna Mitchell tells in The Spinning Magnet the fascinating history of one of the four fundamental physical forces in the universe, electromagnetism. From investigations into magnetism in thirteenth-century feudal France and the realization...

A retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice set in a mostly-real modern-day London. Behind the corners of our world, there is magic. As the Lord of Ysthar, Raphael is responsible for it. An honest man, his lies are legion. An infamous recluse, his social circle includes Scheherezade, Shakespeare, and the Crown Prince of Faerie. He is a great mage to his enemies, a movie star to strangers, and a hundred pseudonymous half-lives to history. He is dutifully trying to prevent the end of the world when his long-lost twin brother Kasian gate-crashes his life. Raphael is prepared to sacrifice his soul, his reputation, and his crown to save his beloved Ysthar. Saving himself is another matter entirely. There is magic. It’s not enough.

Swedish engineer Viktor Sorensen is a brilliant man who has a knack of inventing ways to solve problems. Still, his job is not devoid of stress. Traveling to remote places and making a difference is what renews him. Now with his son, Frederik, attending university, Viktor decides to return with his wife, Freja, to volunteer in a familiar Sudanese village. Unfortunately, Viktor has no idea that fate is about to dictate what happens next. In this international thriller, a billionaire on a quest for revenge after his parents are murdered takes drastic steps that enrage the Catholic Church and force society to adjust to a new normal.

Magic is out of fashion.Outlaws make their own.Jemis Greenwing has slain a dragon, been acknowledged as the Viscount St-Noire, and not incidentally also been given a raise. After a chaotic first month back in Ragnor Bella, he’s finally feeling confident that he can make it to the Winterturn Assizes and the reading of his stepfather’s will without falling headlong into any more disaster. Then he’s arrested on suspicion of murder.By magic.Of one of the greatest folk heroes of legend. Trained to be a politically radical gentleman-of-leisure, Jemis thought he was doing fairly well as a bookstore clerk. That, of course, is before he ends up on the run in the Arguty Forest confronting highwaymen, illegal distillers, the odd relation, and the Wild Saint—not to mention the secrets a town truly committed to being infamously dull can hold.  Book Three of Greenwing & Dart, fantasies of manners—and mischief.

A snatched child, a cryptic message and a secret that will tear two lives apart. Twenty years ago, one-year-old Lauren disappeared. Now, ex-policeman Tom Lomax gets a mysterious offer from an heiress, Sara. She wants him to fly to her private island, all expenses paid. He cannot help but be intrigued. But Sara has received a troubling message and, despite all the privileges in her life, she now has no one to turn to and doesn't know whom she can trust. In a matter of hours, both will be thrown headfirst into a race against time that will challenge everything they've believed in and change both their lives for ever.

This is the story of two men, and the two decisions, that transformed world history in a single tumultuous year, 1917: Wilson's entry into World War One and Lenin's Bolshevik Revolution. In April 1917 Woodrow Wilson, champion of American democracy but also segregation; advocate for free trade and a new world order based on freedom and justice; thrust the United States into World War One in order to make the "world safe for democracy"—only to see his dreams for a liberal international system dissolve into chaos, bloodshed, and betrayal. That October Vladimir Lenin, communist revolutionary and advocate for class war and "dictatorship of the proletariat," would overthrow Russia's earlier democratic revolution that had toppled the all-power Czar, all in the name of liberating humanity—and instead would set up the most repressive totalitarian regime in history, the Soviet Union. In this...

An 11 year old girl suffers a great loss, but in her backyard are fairies that transport her to a fantasy world where she learns how to heal.

She’s a singing sensation. She has a secret.When rumors about her private life send her CD sales plummeting, Anastasia is trapped with few options. Desperate, manager Sidney Marcum helps her star client concoct a façade to distract fans and media—and it seems to work...for a while.Sidney has skeletons of her own, life-threatening ones. She won’t tell, even though the compelling connection she feels to Anastasia makes her long for a happiness she can’t have. Instead, she puts on a brave front and hides her feelings to preserve her secrets.Outside forces create cracks in their façades until only Anastasia and Sidney can tell what’s real by what’s in their hearts. But some secrets come at immeasurable expense.ReviewEXCELLENT JOB. RIVETING. Marcoux draws you into the music business and keeps you GLUED TO THE PAGES. -- Lesbian Review of Books, Winter 2001-2002RICH AND WELL WRITTEN. ONE OF THE BEST NEW NOVELS ... Simply fascinated with the characters ... and skillfully woven storyline. -- OutLook Press, March 2001From the AuthorAdvance Reviews on Facades: MUSIC, MYSTERY, MONEY-love & loss. . . . makes a necessary statement about the price of pretense. -Linda Sutton, Author of Love Matters: A Book of Lesbian Romance and Relationships ABSORBING AND ORIGINAL . . . keeps you reading from the time you launch into its first page until you land at its unexpected finale. A beautiful narrative that delicately reminds us of the unpleasant cultural taboos surrounding innocent displays of same-sex affection and devotion. -Raymond Hess, JD, Attorney, Denver, Colorado JOYFUL, SENSUAL, HEARTBREAKING AND SUSPENSEFUL. This book is certain to take its place among the classics in lesbian literature. -Ellen M. Jansyn, MD, North Barrington, Illinois ALEX MARCOUX SHREWDLY COMBINES ENTERTAINMENT AND ENLIGHTENMENT. Through a myriad of voices, each brilliantly portrayed, Marcoux addresses societal issues in a bright and witty way. . . . ILLUMINATES THE POWER OF LOVE AND COMPASSION and will leave few readers untouched. -Sheri Kenney, Novelist, LaQuinta, California WEAVES THE INTRICACY OF HUMAN COMPLEXITIES INTO AN INTERESTING AND CAPTIVATING TAPESTRY, keeping the reader involved and interested until the last page! -Carol Ann Liaros, Psychic, Author of Intuition Technologies AN ENGAGING NOVEL. . . . a story of power and control, of patriarchy and privilege, of gay families and non-gay families. Shows all of us the costly effects of closeted life. -Kevin R. Maly, MDiv, PhD, Director, Voices of Faith for Human Rights, Equality Colorado, Denver, Colorado

The names of Bruce Reynolds, Buster Edwards, and Ronnie Biggs have become synonymous with the Great Train Robbery. But a major contributor solved the question of stopping the train - and he came from another firm. When the question of stopping the train was raised, Buster thought he might know someone . . . who knew someone. A link was made and two 'firms' joined forces, though the recent claim that Roger Cordrey was suggested to Buster grossly over-simplifies the dynamics of the two firms joining.This, the second in a series of essays looking at the Great Train Robbery, plots the known history of the second firm of Roger Cordrey, Bobby Welch, Tommy Wisbey and others who joined up with the main firm to rob the train. They were loosely called The South Coast Raiders and had already had some success with train raids on the southern rails.The narrative traces what is known of their raids, looking at contemporary reports, together with what was discussed in later years. Roger...

Jack Greenwing is good at scouting. He's renowned for being able to hold on in battle long past bravery. He was once given a trophy for his courage by the hand of the Emperor himself.At Loe, where the Stone Speakers can call down avalanches and landslides, he was sent out on a scouting mission as a siege closed in on his company. He returns to see it being lifted because of treachery, and is there to witness the five remaining members of the command staff be led off in chains into the mountains, far from the border of the Empire. He once held a border until the rest of his army joined him: nothing will stop him from attempting a rescue, though snow is falling in the mountains and he must fight those who can walk through stone. "Stone Speaks to Stone" is a standalone short story related to the Greenwing & Dart series. If you've read those, it is the true tale of what happened to Jemis' father at Loe; if you haven't, Greenwing & Dart tells the story of what happens to Jack's son Jemis ten years or so after this story takes place.

A quiet Sunday afternoon takes a deadly turn for real estate agent Ari Adams, who discovers the corpse of a business tycoon in one of her listings. When her best friend, Bob, becomes the prime suspect, Ari's desire to prove his innocence puts her on a collision course with Detective Molly Nelson, the gorgeous homicide detective facing the enormous pressure of finding the power broker's killer - fast. When Bob disappears, Ari enters a world of betrayal and deception, causing her to question Bob's innocence. She realizes that she may need to admit that Molly's hunt for justice will lead to Ari's greatest secret. As both women hunt for Bob, they are drawn to each other - unable to control the desire that surfaces when they are together. While Ari desperately craves Molly's attention, her devotion to Bob may force her to choose between the debts of the past and the promise of a happy future - if she can stay alive that long.