Just as a compass provides direction for an explorer, so does motivation provide direction for characters in fiction. The "compass" of character motivation is composed of four points: Lack, Yearning, Resistance, and Desire. In The Compass of Character you'll learn to deeply consider the key question "What does my character want?" and learn techniques to answer that question by writing realistic and empathetic characters without falling into formulaic, unsatisfying results that onl...

The most notorious love letters in American history-supposedly destroyed a century ago-mysteriously reappear, and become the coveted prize in a fierce battle for possession that brings back to life the lawless world evoked in the letters themselves.Lisa Balamaro is an ambitious arts lawyer with a secret crush on her most intriguing client: former rodeo rider and reformed art forger, Tuck Mercer. In his newfound role as expert in Old West artifacts, Tuck gains possession of the supp...

A saxophonist's murder is only the first shot fired in a citywide warAll great blues musicians chase something. Raymond "Strong" Carlisle calls it "the deep sweet"—that perfect note that always seems to sit just out of reach. For decades he has made crowds swing, made women smile, and earned the respect of some of the greats. But as long as he strained for the deep sweet, nothing he did with his baritone sax seemed to matter. Chasing that fantasy has led him here, t...

A country descending into civil war . . .A young artist forced to cross a nation in chaos to retrieve her stolen masterpiece . . .Her guide and guardian—whose past remains strangely obscure . . .Georgie O'Halloran created an artistic and literary wonder—only to have it stolen from her and published under the thief's name. Worse, it's the inspiration for a wildly popular video game that's become a favorite among the ...

Marybeth met Jamie at the Horn & Whistle, a neighborhood pub warm enough to keep out the chill on a bleak January day. Over a pint of stout, he won her heart with bad jokes and cynical Irish charm. Two years later, she loves him more than ever, but she can see that he's bracing for a fall. When everything collapses, when Jamie's job disappears and the house is foreclosed on and Marybeth feels death creeping into her bones, it's up to her to save them both - even if it means doing something...

Seven stories of desperation and death from a master of crime fictionSterling Associates recruited Satcher in the killing fields of Iraq. A marine who learned the brutalities and frustrations of war in Fallujah, Satcher was ideal for Sterling, a shadowy corporation whose business is to kill for America when the CIA can't. He comes to Guatemala, the deadliest nation in the Americas, to kidnap a Sinaloan cartel member and turn him against his family. There he meets O...

First Published in 1965 Politics and the Airlines looks into the making of airline policy in five countries, Australia, Britain, Canada, India, and the United States. It shows the part played by political parties, ministers, government departments, regulatory bodies, and the boards of management of airlines themselves. In four of the countries the major airlines are publicly owned and have been involved in the cut and thrust of political controversy between enthusiasts for public ...

Caught up in a scheme to smuggle his deported uncle back across the border, a young American must fight to save his family, himself, and the woman he loves .At eighteen, Roque Montalvo is a gifted guitarist and a hit with women, but the rest of his life is a struggle. Orphaned at birth and scraping by in a rough Northern California town, he helps support his hardworking aunt and tends to his ex-marine brother -- a physical and emotional wreck after his tour in Iraq...

Colonel Jack Adams crashes an AV-8B, Harrier in the middle of a North Carolina Bean field. The task of sorting out the cause of his friend’s accident falls to Colonel Dan Breakheart, the Second Marine Air Wing’s Safety Officer. Within days of the start of his investigation, Breakheart realizes that, not only sabotage was indeed a factor, regarding his friend’s death, but that it may be murder as well. Using information Jack’s wife provides, Breakheart begins delving into the last few days ...

Colonel Jack Adams crashes an AV-8B, Harrier in the middle of a North Carolina Bean field. The task of sorting out the cause of his friend's accident falls to Colonel Dan Breakheart, the Second Marine Air Wing's Safety Officer. Within days of the start of his investigation, Breakheart realizes that, not only sabotage was indeed a factor, regarding his friend's death, but that it may be murder as well. Using information Jack's wife provides, Breakheart begins delving into the last few days ...

An asteroid strikes the west of Africa, causing devastation to the world as we know it. The track and time the asteroid will hit is known by the US government, which places fifteen hundred men and women underground in the Rocky Mountains. The US Air Force once used this habitat during the Cold War of the 1950s.When Africa was hit, the following earthquakes, tidal waves, and winds higher than ever recorded causes almost complete destruction of the world as we know it. As one of thos...

This anthology of " genuinely haunting noir fiction " set in the Golden City features new stories by Jim Nisbet, Alejandro Murguía, Michelle Tea and others ( Publishers Weekly).Oscar Wilde once quipped that anyone who disappears is said to be seen in in San Francisco. With its famous fog, winding streets, and hazardously steep hills, it is certainly an ideal place for getting lost. It's also an ideal sett...