A collection of short fiction features "The Girl Who Was Infatuated with Death," an Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter story, as well as "House of Wizards," "Stealing Souls," and "Those Who Seek Forgiveness," a never-before-published Anita Blake tale.

Vietnam veteran Dominick Candiotti has been long estranged from his family. His late parents were close to the ruling mob clan in Youngstown, his sister was a bad-tempered and dissatisfied nag, and his middle brother was a corruptible police lieutenant. But in 1985, their oldest brother Richard Candiotti---beloved by every Italian Catholic in Youngstown as "Father Candy"---dies, and Dominick returns home for the funeral. Dominick is greatly disturbed by Richard's death, which has been ruled a suicide. Dissatisfied with this answer, he sets out to find the truth, revealing secrets and coming face-to-face with brutality and violence. Award-winning author Les Roberts pens a riveting and moving tale about walking the fragile tightrope between love and hatred.

Emily the Strange is not your ordinary thirteen-year-old girl--she's got a razor-sharp wit as dark as her jet-black hair, a posse of moody black cats, and famous friends in very odd places! She's got a broodingly unique way of experiencing the world, and you're invited along for the ride. Legions of fans worldwide have joined forces to make Emily a pop-culture phenomenon.

Things New and Strange chronicles a research quest undertaken by G. Wayne Clough, the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution born in the South. Soon after retiring from the Smithsonian, Clough decided to see what the Smithsonian collections could tell him about South Georgia, where he had spent most of his childhood in the 1940s and 1950s. The investigations that followed, which began as something of a quixotic scavenger hunt, expanded as Clough discovered that the collections had many more objects and documents from South Georgia than he had imagined. These objects illustrate important aspects of southern culture and history and also inspire reflections about how South Georgia has changed over time. Clough’s discoveries—animal, plant, fossil, and rock specimens, along with cultural artifacts and works of art—not only serve as a springboard for reflections about the region and its history, they also bring Clough’s own memories of his boyhood in Douglas, Georgia, back to life. Clough interweaves memories of his own experiences, such as hair-raising escapes from poisonous snakes and selling boiled peanuts for a nickel a bag at the annual auction of the tobacco crop, with anecdotes from family lore, which launches an exploration of his forebears and their place in South Georgia history. In following his engaging and personal narrative, we learn how nonspecialists can use museum archives and how family, community, and natural history are intertwined.

Winner of the World Fantasy Award for best short story collection, this volume by one of the most acclaimed authors of the 20th century takes an intense look at how the specter of death haunts everyday life.

From award-winning journalist David Kushner, a reported memoir about family, survival, and the unwavering power of love—and the basis for the podcast Alligator Candy. David Kushner grew up in the early 1970s in the Florida suburbs. It was when kids still ran free, riding bikes and disappearing into the nearby woods for hours at a time. One morning in 1973, however, everything changed. David’s older brother Jon biked through the forest to the convenience store for candy, and never returned. Every life has a defining moment, a single act that charts the course we take and determines who we become. For Kushner, it was Jon’s disappearance—a tragedy that shocked his family and the community at large. Decades later, now a grown man with kids of his own, Kushner found himself unsatisfied with his own memories and decided to revisit the episode a different way: through the eyes of a reporter. His investigation brought him back to the places and people he once knew and slowly made him realize just how much his past had affected his present. After sifting through hundreds of documents and reports, conducting dozens of interviews, and poring over numerous firsthand accounts, he has produced a powerful and inspiring story of loss, perseverance, and memory. Alligator Candy is searing and unforgettable.

So damn sweet, I cause cavities. S'up? I'm Candy. Excuse the name. The old walking womb was a stripper back in her prime and I was a client gone wrong. She thought after years of group homes and rejection, I'd run back into her arms and join the family business. No thanks. The only circles I run in are the ones my bubblegum bubbles make. Don't worry about my teeth though, sugar-free as always. I'm not a complete psycho. Oh except for my passive-aggressive, potty-mouthed, imaginary best friend who happens to be a gummy bear. That part is pretty nuts. I was thoroughly enjoying myself, doing whatever the hell I wanted until a group of model-worthy bikers try to muscle in on my heist. They don't seem to realise those with barely any personal belongings tend to grow protective of what's theirs, and by taking one of my beloved possessions, they've signed their own death warrants. Fooling them with my sickly sweet smile, I'll slip past their defences and claim back what's rightfully mine, no matter the cost. Despite how hard they try, I won't be deterred from my new mission. Putting bullies back in their place when no one else can. I've got you in my sights now boys, and no one screws over Candy Crystal twice. P.S, yeah, the stripper name game is on point. Trigger Warning: This is book one of the I Love Candy series, featuring a feisty female lead. Candy is spontaneous, impulsive and reckless, which makes this book inappropriate for under 18's. She gives as good as she gets, causing chaos and leaves you wondering who is bullying who! Expect excessive amounts of steam, violence and cursing throughout. This series is a RH trilogy with a HEA...eventually.