Betreten auf eigene Gefahr! Die Geschichten in diesem Buch entführen dich an "Verbotene Orte", die du besser nicht betreten solltest. Taste dich durch stockfinstere Eisenbahntunnel, entdecke geheime Militärstützpunkte und gefährliche Traumstrände. Verharre ewig lange Sekunden Auge in Auge mit einem Eisbären und renne am Mittelschnittpunkt der Erde so schnell du kannst um dein Leben. Lass dich nicht erwischen in Nachbars Garten, traue dich am Mittelmeer (fast) in einen verlassenen Wohnwagen, fürchte dich vor den bösen Geistern in Großmutters Haus und wache am nächsten Morgen im Schlafzimmer eines Ehebrechers auf ... Verbotene Orte haben manchmal eine düstere Schönheit, immer haben sie den Reiz des Unbekannten, des Unheimlichen. Tauche ein in eine Welt voller Spannung, Nervenkitzel und unerwarteter Wendungen. Alle Geschichten in diesem Buch wurden im Rahmen der Story-Challenge "Verbotene Orte" auf www.story.one veröffentlicht.

The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut. Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear. Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake. Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him. But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate. Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.

Gedicht, Märchen, Roman, Theaterstück? Du musst dich nicht entscheiden. Du kannst alles haben. Die Regierungen verbieten Bücher, Musik und Kunst - schließlich gibt es wichtigere Probleme auf der Welt. Die Welt des zwölfjährigen Noam aber ist die Welt der Bücher. Sie sind sein Rückzugsort, seine Freunde aus Papier. Also schmiedet Noam einen Plan. Wäre doch gelacht, wenn so ein kleiner Junge nicht das komplette Parlament umstimmen könnte - oder!? Ein besonderes Buch über die Liebe zu Büchern und den Glauben an sich selbst.

Heat Wave is a second-chance standalone romance that will sweep you off your feet. From the NYT bestselling author of The Pact and Smut.Still grieving the loss of her sister who died two years ago, the last thing Veronica "Ronnie" Locke needed was to lose her job at one of Chicago's finest restaurants and have to move back in with her parents. So when a window of opportunity opens for her - running a kitchen at a small Hawaiian hotel - she'd be crazy not to take it.The only problem is, the man running the hotel drives her crazy:Logan Shephard.It doesn't matter that he's got dark brown eyes, a tall, muscular build that's sculpted from daily surfing sessions, and a deep Australian accent that makes your toes curl.What does matter is that he's a grump.Kind of an asshole, too.And gets under Ronnie's skin like no one else.But the more time Ronnie spends on the island of Kauai, falling in love with the lush land and its carefree lifestyle, the closer she gets to Logan. And the closer she gets to Logan, the more she realizes she may have pegged him all wrong. Maybe it's the hot, steamy jungles or the invigorating ocean air, but soon their relationship becomes utterly intoxicating.There's just one major catch.The two of them together would incite a scandal neither Ronnie, nor her family, would ever recover from.Forbidden, Illicit, Off-limits - sometimes the heat is worth surrendering to, even if you get burned.

In Venice, magic is not unusual. Merle is apprenticed to a magic mirror maker, and Serafin—a boy who was once a master thief—works for a weaver of magic cloth. Merle and Serafin are used to the mermaids who live in the canals of the city and to the guards who patrol the streets on living stone lions. Merle herself possesses something magical: a mirror whose surface is water. She can reach her whole arm into it and never get wet. But Venice is under siege by the Egyptian Empire; its terrifying mummy warriors are waiting to strike. All that protects the Venetians is the Flowing Queen. Nobody knows who or what she is—only that her power flows through the canals and keeps the Egyptians at bay. When Merle and Serafin overhear a plot to capture the Flowing Queen, they are catapulted into desperate danger. They must do everything they can to rescue the Queen and save the city—even if it means getting help from the Ancient Traitor himself.

Current findings from anthropology, genetics, prehistory, cognitive and neuroscience indicate that human nature is grounded in a co-evolution of tool use, symbolic communication, social interaction and cultural transmission. Digital information technology has recently entered as a new tool in this co-evolution, and will probably have the strongest impact on shaping the human mind in the near future. A common effort from the humanities, the sciences, art and technology is necessary to understand this ongoing co- evolutionary process. Interactivity is a key for understanding the new relationships formed by humans with social robots as well as interactive environments and wearables underlying this process. Of special importance for understanding interactivity are human-computer and human-robot interaction, as well as media theory and New Media Art. »Paradoxes of Interactivity« brings together reflections on »interactivity« from different theoretical perspectives, the interplay of science and art, and recent technological developments for artistic applications, especially in the realm of sound.