A zippy, engrossing, and offbeat work of historical fiction.” –KIRKUS REVIEW "A side-splitting romp...author William Mark expertly uses a riveting narrative and humorous subplots to create a character driven story the reader will remember long after finishing this delightful tale." -IndieReader From criminal to war hero, Zesty’s transformation was unbelievable. Ernest Hemingway was so impressed, he wrote a book about Sundrops’ exploits: starting with him as a boy tracking down the butchers of his mother and father and hanging them, then leaving behind the role as a hired killer for the Dixie mob, joining the army in WWII and redeeming himself with super human acts of daring and bravery, including assassinating the Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, for which Sundrops received the coveted “Distinguished Service Cross.” Even a play about Zesty had a long run on Broadway. But was it all true? And did it matter if he had become a legend?

Part of the regionalist movement that included Grant Wood, Paul Engle, Hamlin Garland, and Jay G. Sigmund, James Hearst helped create what Iowa novelist Ruth Suckow called a poetry of place. A lifelong Iowa farner, Hearst began writing poetry at age nineteen and eventually wrote thirteen books of poems, a novel, short stories, cantatas, and essays, which gained him a devoted following Many of his poems were published in the regionalist periodicals of the time, including the Midland, and by the great regional presses, including Carroll Coleman's Prairie Press. Drawing on his experiences as a farmer, Hearst wrote with a distinct voice of rural life and its joys and conflicts, of his own battles with physical and emotional pain (he was partially paralyzed in a farm accident), and of his own place in the world. His clear eye offered a vision of the midwestern agrarian life that was sympathetic but not sentimental - a people and an art rooted in place.

This user-friendly book is aimed at helping students of Mandarin Chinese learn and remember Chinese characters. At last--there is a truly effective and enjoyable way to learn Chinese characters! This book helps students to learn and remember both the meanings and the pronunciations of over 800 characters. This otherwise daunting task is made easier by the use of techniques based on the psychology of learning and memory. key principles include the use of visual imagery, the visualization of short "stories," and the systematic building up of more complicated characters from basic building blocks. Although Learning Chinese Characters is primarily a book for serious learners of Mandarin Chinese, it can be used by anyone with interest in Chinese characters, without any prior knowledge of Chinese. It can be used alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language. All characters are simplified (as in mainland China), but traditional characters are also given, when available. Key features: Specially designed pictures and stories are used in a structured way to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective, reducing the need for rote learning to the absolute minimum. The emphasis throughout is on learning and remembering the meanings and pronunciations of the characters. Tips are also included on learning techniques and how to avoid common problems. Characters are introduced in a logical sequence, which also gives priority to learning the most common characters first. Modern, simplified characters are used, with pronunciations given in pinyin. Key information is given for each character, including radical, stroke-count, traditional form, compounds, and guidance on writing the character. This is a practical guide with a clear, concise and appealing layout, and it is well-indexed with easy lookup methods. The 800 Chinese characters and 1,033 compounds specified for the original HSK Level A proficiency test are covered.

When Wise Guys meet the Wise Ass and friends, all hell breaks loose. After his brothers are murdered, a New York mob lawyer testifies against his associates and is forced to enter WITSEC (the Witness Protection Program). He and his wife are relocated to a rural area outside a small town in Colorado where he is compelled to adapt to his new life under the constant threat of mafia reprisal. Reflexively resisting his immersion into all things country, this life long city boy meets and adopts a loquacious mule and befriends his closest neighbors, who have even greater secrets to conceal. A renegade US Marshall, a lesbian couple that includes a powerful psychic-medium-witch and an ex-army ranger complete his new circle of friends. When the mob associates are released due to the lawyer's intentionally prejudicial testimony at trial, they come gunning for him before the retrial can occur. "Witty, gritty, and full of heart." –Dr. Nick Atlas, author of The Light Travelers

In The Wise Ass, Jimmy Moran got his life back with the help of Claire the mule and his band of mystical misfits. Jimmy now has to travel through a wormhole with Everett the extraterrestrial to make sure no one else pays for it.

The combination of recipes, anecdotal and historical text and pictures give this book a unique appeal and make it perfect for today's discerning foodies.