KIMIKO CHOU is a girl on a mission. Her mother and brother have been killed by robbers in 14th century Japan while her father, a samurai warrior, is off on an invasion of Korea.Chou ("butterfly" in Japanese) narrowly escapes death by hiding while the robbers ransack her home, then-dressed as a boy in her brother's clothes-she goes in quest of her father. Alone on the road, she takes up with Hyōgo Narutomi, a former samurai who has been dismissed by seven previous masters, and Moto ...

Temptation Press brings you Intimate Moments featuring seven erotic short tales on the softer side.Moments between spouses, moments between lovers.Which will be your favorite?Featured Contributors:Evan BalkanAndy BetzCon ChapmanJan DarwynRCL GrahamAndrew MaydenandJustice McPherson

Honorable Mention Recipient for the 2026 Jazz Book of the Year in Biography or Autobiography from the Jazz Journalists AssociationDon Byas (1913–1972) may be lesser known than the counterparts he played with—Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others—but he was an enigma. He never stayed with a band for long, and eventually went solo partly to make more money and partly due to his inability to work with bandleaders. Often drinking to excess, alc...

In his eulogy of saxophonist Johnny Hodges (1907-70), Duke Ellington ended with the words, "Never the world's most highly animated showman or greatest stage personality, but a tone so beautiful it sometimes brought tears to the eyes--this was Johnny Hodges. This is Johnny Hodges." Hodges' unforgettable tone resonated throughout the jazz world over the greater part of the twentieth century. Benny Goodman described Hodges as "by far the greatest man on alto sax that I ever heard," and Charli...