Daren was always ahead of the curve, a prodigal son without focus or direction. That's why the drifters, the shamans of chaos, and the castaways of broken humanity were drawn to him. As his supercharged empathy begins to manifest, revealing brief glimpses into higher dimensions most humans are not equipped to endure, he falls in love with Lee, an enigmatic, dystopian gypsy who might be an ancient Native American demigoddess. Ever challenging conventional taboos held by his conservative suburbia, Daren straddles the thin line between excess and addiction with his two closest friends, Alex, a prince of hedonism peering perpetual into the abyss, and Keith, a Zen surfcat aficionado of sweet riffs and a-frame waves. Daren soon discovers balancing different worlds, the ethereal and the material, is no simple task even for a supposed whiz kid. Set against the decadent backdrop of 1980's California, his journeys will take him from the idyllic ranch country of the gold coast to the sweat-soaked concert arenas of the Angel City, from the white sands of Malibu to the underground sex clubs of San Francisco. Owing allegiance to Generation X predecessors like Bright Lights, Big City and Less Than Zero, as well as the stream of consciousness styles of Kerouac and Castaneda, 'The Kindness Of Ravens' is a postmodern tale of magical realism that will take readers on a heartbreaking exploration of the human condition, wherein a young man's struggles with substance abuse and the perils of spiritual revelation may result in nightmare, death, or worst of all, madness itself.

Librarian Greer Hogan matches wits with a deviously clever killer in M.E. Hilliard's chilling series debut, ideal for fans of Louise Penny and Dorothy L. Sayers. Greer Hogan is a librarian and an avid reader of murder mysteries. She also has a habit of stumbling upon murdered bodies. The first was her husband's, and the tragic loss led Greer to leave New York behind for a new start in the Village of Raven Hill. But her new home becomes less idyllic when she discovers her best friend sprawled dead on the floor of the library. Was her friend's demise related to two other deaths that the police deemed accidental? Do the residents of this insular village hold dark secrets about another murder, decades ago? Does a serial killer haunt Raven Hill? As the body count rises, Greer's anxious musings take a darker turn when she uncovers unexpected and distressing information about her own husband's death...and the man who went to prison for his murder . She is racked with guilt at the possibility that her testimony may have helped to convict an innocent man. Though Greer admires the masters of deduction she reads about in books, she never expected to have to solve a mystery herself. Fortunately, she possesses a quick wit and a librarian's natural resourcefulness. But will that be enough to protect her from a brilliant, diabolical murderer? And even if Greer manages to catch the Raven Hill killer, will living with her conscience prove a fate worse than death?

A dead bard on a desolate hill, giants on a cliff-edge, a heroin-addict in a dumpster, blood-soaked shattered glass on a window-ledge, and midwinter sunlight streaming through the tomb of Newgrange... A Kindness of Ravens is a collection of forest-edged words arrayed against the theft of meaning and the death of dreams. Find within essay on civilisation and its end, poems on gods & love, and journals from an unlikely pilgrimage each haunted by the songs of the Singers in the Darkness and the rage of the Raven King.

A bestselling novelist, world-renowned photographer, artist, and inventor, Jakeb Hoke loves life and loves being in control. But one fateful evening, a simple climb up his basement stairs finds his world crashing into oblivion and leaves his life hanging by a thread. The trouble is, Jakeb has a lot to live for. His newest invention, Hoke’s Focus, has the power to transform the manipulation of light, imagery, and even time in photography. Plans are already underway to unveil the discovery, one that has remained a closely-guarded secret—an amazing feat considering how famous he is—to all but Jakeb’s closest friends. Now, crushed under the weight of his collapsed house, but still very much alive, Jakeb can smell and taste death—but has not yet succumbed to it. Instead, his mind wanders to what was and what will be. In the context of space and time, such thoughts can carry more power, and bear witness to more darkness, than he could ever imagine. Brilliant, dark, and daring in scope, Through the Kindness of Ravens delivers a fascinating, complex glimpse into the post-modern future where the survival of art and humanity cannot be promised, where the art of light becomes a catalyst for survival.

Collective nouns are one of the most charming oddities of the English language, but have you ever stopped to wonder where these peculiar terms actually came from?

A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts--even as she falls in love with a faerie prince--in this gorgeous debut novel. 6 x 9.

Writer Dan Panosian (Slots) and artist Marianna Ignazzi present a supernatural mystery, where not all the witches burned during the Salem Witch Trials—and the ones that survived did so together, protecting the ancient secrets entrusted to them for generations. They call themselves the Ravens. Wilma is the new girl in school, and she plans to go completely unnoticed—except that she bears an eerie resemblance to the Raven member Waverly, who just went missing. The truth behind Waverly’s disappearance will put the entire coven in danger—and Wilma will have to rely on power she never knew she had to save her new friends.