"Throughout history, the religious imagination has attempted to control nothing so much as our bodies: what they are and what they mean; what we do with them, with whom, and under what circumstances; how they may be displayed-or, more commonly, how they must be hidden. Religious belief and mandate affect how our bodies are used in ritual practice, as well as how we use them to identify and marginalize threatening religious Others. This book examines how horror culture treats religious bodies that have stepped (or been pushed) out of their 'proper' place. Unlike most books on religion and horror, This book explores the dark spaces where sex, sexual representation, and the sexual body come together with religious belief and scary stories. Because these intersections of sex, horror, and the religious imagination force us to question the nature of consensus reality, supernatural horror, especially as it concerns the body, often shows us the religious imagination at work in real time. It is important to note that the discussion in this book is not limited either to horror cinema or to popular fiction, but considers a wide range of material, including literary horror, weird fiction, graphic storytelling, visual arts, participative culture, and aspects of real-world religious fear. It is less concerned with horror as a genre (which is mainly a function of marketing) and more with the horror mode, a way of storytelling that finds expression across a number of genres, a variety of media, and even blurs the boundary between fiction and non-fiction. This expanded focus not only deepens the pool of potential examples, but invites a much broader readership in for a swim"--

From creature features to indie horror flicks, find out what happens when sex, horror, and the religious imagination come together Throughout history, religion has attempted to control nothing so much as our bodies: what they are and what they mean; what we do with them, with whom, and under what circumstances; how they may be displayed—or, more commonly, how they must be hidden. Yet, we remain fascinated, obsessed even, by bodies that have left, or been forced out of, their “proper” place. The Forbidden Body examines how horror culture treats these bodies, exploring the dark spaces where sex and the sexual body come together with religious belief and tales of terror. Taking a broad approach not limited to horror cinema or popular fiction, but embracing also literary horror, weird fiction, graphic storytelling, visual arts, and participative culture, Douglas E. Cowan explores how fears of bodies that are tainted, impure, or sexually deviant are made visible and reinforced through popular horror tropes. The volume challenges the reader to move beyond preconceived notions of religion in order to decipher the “religious imagination” at play in the scary stories we tell over and over again. Cowan argues that stories of religious bodies “out of place” are so compelling because they force us to consider questions that religious belief cannot comfortably answer: Who are we? Where do we come from? Why do we suffer? And above all, do we matter? As illuminating as it is unsettling, The Forbidden Body offers a fascinating look at how and why we imagine bodies in all the wrong places.

“An action-packed, satisfying love story gets this supernatural series off to a rousing start.”—Kirkus Reviews Lori Adams puts a twist on paranormal romance with the first novel of The Soulkeepers, a series that blends ancient legends and new myths with an enchanting mix of thrills, humor, and high drama. When Sophia St. James learns that she’ll be moving from Los Angeles to a podunk town somewhere in Connecticut for her senior year of high school, she isn’t expecting an otherworldly encounter. But there is more to Haven Hurst than meets the eye: it’s home to a family of Guardian Angels, and she is the only one who can see them in spirit form. Sophia soon realizes she wants to see much more of Michael, an irresistible yet volatile Guardian who seems drawn to her too. As Michael battles his forbidden desire for the beautiful young newcomer, one of Hell’s most notorious Demon Knights arrives. Handsome and charismatic, Dante has come to claim the reincarnated soul of his lost lover trapped in Sophia. Cursed with the demon of Persuasion living inside him, Dante will use his seductive charms to lure Sophia into a dangerous game that ends with the kiss of death—unless Michael, who has captured Sophia’s heart, can now capture her soul. Praise for Forbidden “A perfect blend of fantasy, humor, romance, and thrills, Forbidden had me laughing, biting my nails, and swooning all over the place.”—Cassie Mae, author of The Real Thing “I read Forbidden in one day because I just could not put it down.”—Good Choice Reading “Simply put . . . this book was amazing! Not only was it captivating, but it was intriguing as well.”—Just Us Book Lovers “I strongly recommend this book if you are looking for a well-developed paranormal romance. . . . Can’t wait for the next one!”—TJ Loves to Read “Definitely recommend this book.”—Books by Night, Mommy by Day

Reissue (Original Publication Date: April 1997) His brother loved her... When Kayla Grey travels from Boston to Montana, the last thing she expects is to find her life in danger from a sudden, treacherous blizzard. And after she’s rescued, she certainly doesn’t expect to share heated, fireside kisses with the handsome, blue-eyed cowboy who saved her life. But then she discovers her hero is the very person she’s flown so far to find—he’s the brother of the man who’d proposed marriage mere weeks before dying in a tragic accident. Montana rancher Cal Bartlett devoted his life to his younger brother, Liam. Ten years older, he’d raised the kid, giving him everything his heart desired, including the top-notch education that helped Liam win his job as a foreign correspondent for a major newspaper—a job that got him killed two long, bleak years ago. But now Kayla—the woman his brother loved, a woman Cal shouldn't desire—has come to ask a favor. She’s heard the whisper of a rumor that Liam is alive—held in a secret prison, deep in the jungles of the tiny nation of San Salustiano. Kayla’s determined to travel to the dangerous, war-torn island with Cal, on the pretense of a romantic vacation, but in truth to search for clues. Together, they’ll risk their lives on the slim hope that Liam might still be alive. It’s an impossibly risky and dangerous journey—and the dead last thing either Cal or Kayla expects is to fall in love along the way.... Set in 1998 in Asylum, Montana, San Salustiano, and Boston, Massachusetts, Forbidden is a full length novel of 50K words or 212 pages. It’s the first in Brockmann’s two-book Bartlett Brothers series. Forbidden was originally published in 1997 by Bantam Loveswept.

When Carson Reynolds gets hired to produce a documentary film at a gathering of Native American medicine men, he never suspects it will be a portal into a world that will radically change his life. Despite his resistance to the Call, he is ineluctably drawn into a realm of shamans, priestesses, deities, and plant-medicine work, where he becomes engaged in a searing struggle with extra-dimensional forces that threaten the future of humanity as we know it.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • When this relentless rogue FBI agent comes knocking, her adversaries will have to answer—with their lives—in this thrilling Jane Hawk novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Corner. “Koontz continues the incredible saga of the robust character of Jane Hawk, and it’s as terrific as the others in the series.”—Associated Press “We’re rewriting the play, and the play is this country, the world, the future. We break Jane’s heart, we’ll also break her will.” She was one of the FBI’s top agents until she became the nation’s most-wanted fugitive. Now Jane Hawk may be all that stands between a free nation and its enslavement by a powerful secret society’s terrifying mind-control technology. She couldn’t save her husband, or the others whose lives have been destroyed, but equipped with superior tactical and survival skills—and the fury born of a broken heart and a hunger for justice—Jane has struck major blows against the insidious cabal. But Jane’s enemies are about to hit back hard. If their best operatives can’t outrun her, they mean to bring her running to them, using her five-year-old son as bait. Jane knows there’s no underestimating their capabilities, but she must battle her way back across the country to the remote shelter where her boy is safely hidden . . . for now. As she moves resolutely forward, new threats begin to emerge: a growing number of brain-altered victims driven hopelessly, violently insane. With the madness spreading like a virus, the war between Jane and her enemies will become a fight for all their lives—against the lethal terror unleashed from behind the forbidden door. Don’t miss any of Dean Koontz’s gripping Jane Hawk thrillers: THE SILENT CORNER • THE WHISPERING ROOM • THE CROOKED STAIRCASE • THE FORBIDDEN DOOR • THE NIGHT WINDOW Praise for The Forbidden Door “Compelling and enthralling.”—New York Journal of Books “Mind-blowing. . . [a] gripping series . . . a thrill ride. [Dean Koontz is] able to distract you for hours.”—Bookreporter “Koontz is on another roll with a new series that boasts a juicy premise and a compelling star. . . . Pure gold.”—Booklist