The story of the audacious showman who built the greatest carnival dynasty in North America. Enter the realm of the carnie king, Patty Conklin, the flamboyant founder of what would become the world’s largest carnival company. Patty started on the mean streets of New York selling peanuts before becoming a a small-time operator. Willing to try anything to promote his show, he established himself as a carnie celebrity. Winning the midway contract for the Canadian National Exhibition in 1937, he made it his personal world’s fair. It became the foundation for his son and grandson to expand Conklin Shows until they were playing the biggest fairs and exhibitions throughout North America. Carnie King begins with the birth of Joseph Renker to German immigrant parents, tells of his personal transformation into Patty Conklin, and follows his incredible life through to his death in 1970. It covers his company's history after Jim Conklin took over, expanded it beyond recognition, then handed it on to his own son. Not only a history of Conklin Shows, Carnie King explores how midways work and their commercial and popular presence in North America The story it tells is based on dozens of interviews with carnies and access to the Conklin archives. It includes anecdotes about a range of characters and insights about life on the midway. Carnie King is at once a revealing look at a unique part of twentieth-century culture and a vivid account of three generations of showmen and their dominance of midways across the continent.
Every gift has consequences . . . FEARLESS Let's get this out of the way upfront: I can hear minds. And yes, that's about as much fun as it sounds. As long as I can remember, I've been the loner, the crazy girl who answers words that no one has spoken out loud. It doesn't help that I'm the perennial new kid in town, too; my family moves around so much that I'm constantly learning how to tune out a fresh set of voices. But then we move to King, Florida. It doesn't take me long to realize that this town is different. King was founded by magic and steeped in mystery, and I'd be intrigued if I wasn't worried about surviving. Ms. Lacusta, the science teacher, leads some weird exclusive club of girls, and she's trying to recruit me. That doesn't sit well with Nell Massler, the ultimate mean girl whose extracurricular activities include blood rituals. And mine is the blood she wants next. Entangled in a web of first love, quirky and secretive townsfolk, magic and blood spells, I discover the town's secrets aren't just bizarre . . . they're deadly. BREATHLESS I am not having the senior year I wanted. First of all, my boyfriend--and the love of my life--Michael goes off to college, leaving me on my own in the mystical--and sometimes scary--town of King. I think I can take care of myself during my last year here, but it turns out there are all kinds of threats ready to prove me wrong. First, I'm being stalked by a local preacher who suspects I have supernatural gifts. (He's right.) The hot new boy at school is flirting with me like crazy. Oh, and I'm being blackmailed by my chemistry teacher--who just might be a witch. I'm going to need all of my many talents--and a little help from unexpected sources--just to keep my head above water. . .literally. RESTLESS Aside from the fact that I can hear other people's thoughts, I used to be a fairly boring girl. But then I moved to King, Florida . . . and everything in my life went crazy. When I agreed to allow Ms. Lacusta to help me develop my powers, I had no idea how deep and dark the journey would become. Trapped between fascination and fear, I end up moving farther away from my friends and family, even from my boyfriend, Michael. Leading a double life forces me into decisions that will threaten my sanity and my future... and the very lives of those I love. ENDLESS After the insanity that was my senior year in high school, my life is back to what passes for normal. No witches are trying to kill me. No preachers are threatening to drown me. I'm away at college with my boyfriend, and I'm learning to control my powers. Everything is finally perfect . . . until it isn't. When my new part-time job leads to more than I bargained for, I'm thrown into a deadly fight against forces of evil that I didn't even know existed. Mastering my extraordinary gifts--and drawing on the strength of an endless love--may be the only weapons that can guarantee my happily-ever-after. Save Tomorrow is a series of paranormal romances that begins in the small town of King, Florida, winds through the Serendipity and Recipe for Death books, and finally culminates in Age of Aquarius, the inevitable showdown that ties all the characters together in a fight to stop the ultimate evil.
Stephen King, "America's Favorite Boogeyman," has sold over 350 million copies of his books, becoming in effect the face of horror fiction. His influence on popular culture has drawn both strong praise and harsh criticism from reviewers and scholars alike. While his popularity cannot be overstated, his work has received relatively little critical attention from the academic world. Examining King's fiction using modern literary theory, this study reveals the unexpected complexity of 22 short stories and novels, from Carrie to End of Watch. The author finds King using fantasy and horror to expose truths about reality and the human condition.
There are thousands of websites devoted to all aspects of military history from ancient Greece to the modern Gulf. This unique book helps you find the ones that will help with your research whether you are checking out a soldier ancestor or an airman or researching a naval campaign. It also features sites that are entertaining or controversial. Sections cover the British armed services and their long military history, but the author also describes in detail websites that focus on American and Canadian forces. A Guide to Military History on the Internet is a companion volume to Pen & Sword's best-selling Tracing Your Army Ancestors by the same author.
Every gift has consequences . . . Let's get this out of the way up front: I can hear minds. And yes, that's about as much fun as it sounds. As long as I can remember, I've been the loner, the crazy girl who answers words that no one has spoken out loud. It doesn't help that I'm the perennial new kid in town, too; my family moves around so much that I'm constantly learning how to tune out a fresh set of voices. But then we move to King, Florida. It doesn't take me long to realize that this town is different. King was founded by magic and steeped in mystery, and I'd be intrigued if I wasn't worried about surviving. Ms. Lacusta, the science teacher, leads some weird exclusive club of girls, and she's trying to recruit me. That doesn't sit well with Nell Massler, the ultimate mean girl whose extracurricular activities include blood rituals. And mine is the blood she wants next. Entangled in a web of first love, quirky and secretive townsfolk, magic and blood spells, I discover the town's secrets aren't just bizarre . . . they're deadly. Save Tomorrow is a series of paranormal romances that begins in the small town of King, Florida, winds through the Serendipity and Recipe for Death books, and finally culminates in Age of Aquarius, the inevitable showdown that ties all the characters together in a fight to stop the ultimate evil.
