An epistolary novel set on a fictional island off the South Carolina coastline, 'Ella Minnow Pea' brings readers to the hometown of Nevin Nollop, inventor of the pangram 'The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog'. Deified for his achievement in life, Nevin has been honored in death with a monument featuring his famous phrase. One day, however, the letter 'Z' falls from the monument, and some of the islanders interpret the missing tile as a message from beyond the grave. The letter 'Z' is banned from use. On an island where the residents pride them-selves on their love of language, this is seen as a tragedy. They are still reeling from the shock when another tile falls. And then another... In his charming debut, first published in 2001, Mark Dunn took readers on a journey through the eyes of Ella Minnow Pea, a young woman forced to create another clever turn of phrase in order to save the islanders’ beloved language.
Chaos arises when letters begin to fall from a town monument and government officials ban them one by one. The community depends on the strength of a determined teenage girl to fight for their freedom of speech. Adapted from Mark Dunn’s 2001 award-winning debut novel, Ella Minnow Pea, this unique musical is part romance, part clever word game, and part adult fable that reminds us how precious our liberties are and how important it is to have the courage to stand up for what we believe.
“The Girl with Ghost Eyes is a fun, fun read. Martial arts and Asian magic set in Old San Francisco make for a fresh take on urban fantasy, a wonderful story that kept me up late to finish.” —#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs It’s the end of the nineteenth century in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and ghost hunters from the Maoshan traditions of Daoism keep malevolent spiritual forces at bay. Li-lin, the daughter of a renowned Daoshi exorcist, is a young widow burdened with yin eyes—the unique ability to see the spirit world. Her spiritual visions and the death of her husband bring shame to Li-lin and her father—and shame is not something this immigrant family can afford. When a sorcerer cripples her father, terrible plans are set in motion, and only Li-lin can stop them. To aid her are her martial arts and a peachwood sword, her burning paper talismans, and a wisecracking spirit in the form of a human eyeball tucked away in her pocket. Navigating the dangerous alleys and backrooms of a male-dominated Chinatown, Li-lin must confront evil spirits, gangsters, and soulstealers before the sorcerer’s ritual summons an ancient evil that could burn Chinatown to the ground. With a rich and inventive historical setting, nonstop martial arts action, authentic Chinese magic, and bizarre monsters from Asian folklore, The Girl with Ghost Eyes is also the poignant story of a young immigrant searching to find her place beside the long shadow of a demanding father and the stigma of widowhood. In a Chinatown caught between tradition and modernity, one woman may be the key to holding everything together. Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.
FromGeronimo!togesundheittohaminahaminatoholymackerel, and fromabracadabratozoinks, Mark Dunn and Sergio Aragonés show you interjections like you've never seen them before. Often thought of as unnecessary verbal fringe or simply linguistic decoration, interjections (ahem,howdy,mammamia,pshaw,tally-ho,whoop-de-do) may well be the most overlooked part of speech in the English language.ZOUNDS! A Browser's Dictionary of Interjectionsfocuses the spotlight on this most deserving (and sometimes most demented) grammatical group. A light-hearted look at more than 500 interjections,ZOUNDS!explores the origins of these essential words and highlights the contributions of these previously unheralded parts of speech. Perfect for both word lovers and the casual reader,ZOUNDS!brings together the linguistic talents of Mark Dunn, author of the award-winning novelElla Minnow Pea, and the graphic hilarity of Sergio Aragonés, the legendary cartoonist and contributor to Mad Magazine, for a delightful romp through grammar, culture, and the English language. Famous interjections include: "Eureka!" -Archimedes "Badabing-badaboom" -Tony Soprano "Stuff and nonsense!" -Alice,Alice in Wonderland "Bah! Humbug!" -Scrooge "Fiddle-dee-dee !" -Scarlett O'Hara "Leapin' lizards!" -Little Orphan Annie "Nanoo, nanoo" -Mork, from "Mork & Mindy" "Dyn-O-Mite!" -Jimmie Walker, "Good Times" "Bully!" -President Theodore Roosevelt
Gadsby is a novel by Ernest Vincent Wright. A fading fictitious city known as Branton Hills is rejuvenated due to the efforts of central character John Gadsby and a youth organizer. A humorous read!
BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.
For the first time, Shakespeare's Gardens brings together brand new photography of the gardens with beautiful archive images of flowers, old herbals, and 16th century illustrations. It tells the story of Will's journey - from glove maker's son to national bard - and how he came to know so much about plants, flowers and gardens of the Elizabethan era.
A hidden conspiracy. A threat that spans worlds. A fate long foretold. When Arlyn journeys through the Veil to confront her elven father, she’s launched into life-altering quest for acceptance…and a place to belong. Journey into a realm where half-bloods, exiles, scouts, and seers band together to prevent their worlds’ destruction. This collection includes Books 1-4 in the Return of the Elves epic fantasy series: -Soulbound -Sundered -Exiled -Seared -Plus never-before-seen bonus content! “This is a great series. It's full of action, friendships, mystery, magic, fae, elves and love. Great story line and strong characters. So grab your copy and enjoy reading.” ~Amazon review of Seared “The author continues to weave these memorable characters in and around love and adventure. Start the series today. I do not think you will be disappointed!” ~Booknook Reviews
From the award-winning and highly acclaimed author of Ella Minnow Pea comes Mark Dunn's most ambitious novel to date. American Decameron tells one hundred stories, each taking place in a different year of the 20th century. A girl in Galveston is born on the eve of a great storm and the dawn of the 20th century. Survivors of the Lusitania are accidentally reunited in the North Atlantic. A member of the Bonus Army find himself face to face with General MacArthur. A failed writer attempts to end his life on the Golden Gate Bridge until an unexpected heroine comes to his rescue, and on the doorstep of a new millennium, as the clock strikes twelve, the stage is set for a stunning denouement as the American century converges upon itself in a Greenwich nursing home, tying together all of the previous tales and the last one hundred years. Zany and affecting, deeply moving and wildly hilarious, American Decameron is one America's most powerful voices at the top its game.
