A group of very different young people, all with diverse backgrounds and agendas, share a beach house in Cape Cod.

Life and deathif one is lucky, they are far between, the latter negligible. Death does not choose who she takes, but she always has the chance. I was fortunate to be chosen, my end bloody and truly unforeseen. She waited for me on the other side, my new standards of life in hand. Once sealed, I was sent on my way. But not to Earth. Mertha, where humans were a minority compared to the dagger-toothed elves, omniscient angellum, and giggling goblins teeming on the four continents. Magic was the norm, technology now the taboo. I arrived in Sildred on Idoliam, an area waged in a war rekindled centuries after. I had much to learn, mostly through trial by fire. Many a danger lies ahead, some from myself. I will not bow; I will make the if to a when. I will complete my end of the bargain. I will return home but what truly awaits me there? Would it be better to stay? Death and lifeif one is lucky, they are far between, but neither is an end. Not when you sign the Contract Made after Death. Oh, and do play nice.

In this new Zippy collection, Zippy visits his doppelganger atop the Leaning Tower of Pizza, talks Republicanism with several symbolic elephants, imagines he's in a Deputy Dawg cartoon and deconstructs King Kong—and that's just between breakfast and lunch.

Twenty-one year-old Rosie Ross has graduated from college in 1955, and now prepares for a Catholic marriage. By the time she is thirty-three, she has had six children and is spiritually and emotionally fulfilled by caring for them full time, even though she senses her physical exhaustion. She also realizes she needs to get away from the husband who isolates and belittles her. As the children become more self- reliant and independent, it opens the way for Rosie to think about her choices. She receives a series of phone calls from her son in medical school encouraging her to think about becoming a doctor. As unlikely as it seems, Rosie recognizes it as a chance at a new life and a way to use the skills she's learned for the greater good. Eventually, Rosie makes the decision that will change the lives of her and her family. As Rosie follows her dream, the heartache of being separated from her family and her home take a cruel toll on her. Meanwhile, fate has intervened and the decision is now out of her hands and part of the "great plan". Arbor Lane is an American family saga, not only about Rosie Ross, but about the many courageous women like her, all over the world, who transform their lives daily by following their destinies, while they continue to be responsible to their obligations.

This sizzling collection of two stories of coast-to-coast summertime scandal and drama is sure to satisfy. Includes "CC (Cape Cod)" and "Partiers Preferred."

The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.