Sparks in Darkness is composed of four stories, three of which are interconnected stories that deal with living with blindness. Blindness is addressed in terms of the challenges it presents and the ways in which its limitations are overcome. For example, a blind couple raises their little girl successfully, despite their double handicap. In spite of dire predictions, with the help of relatives and friends all the characters manage to surmount their difficulties. These stories may perhaps shed light on the plight of blind people in the seeing world. The last story, The Haven, is based on the idea of the Ospedale della Piet institution of seventeenth-century Venice. It attempts to underline the role of loving mothers in the healthy development of abandoned and rejected children. In The Haven, the roles played by the mothers and the fathers, such as Dr. Haven and Mike, together create a wonderful environment for unwanted children
For centuries the bloody hands of Dhoranka, a death hungry warlord with the power over earth, water, and fire, have terrorized mankind. Battling his savagery stood the Oranthium, an ancient secret order determined to crush the ugly face of evil. Finally, news breaks that Dhoranka has been killed, but under the most mysterious circumstances, as no body was ever recovered. Years later, with balance restored, a young boy emerges in the Oranthium with Dhoranka's power. They decide to send him on his first mission to the World of Laughter. It is a test of power and virtue. Without power, evil will destroy him. Without virtue, the Oranthium must kill him. His true nature will decide his fate.
More standards, tests, and mandates are not the answer to improving literacy. Sparks in the Dark inspires educators in every subject area to be intentional about instilling a love of reading and writing in all students.
Amber Sparks holds her crown in the canon of the weird with this fantastical collection of “eye-popping range” (John Domini, Washington Post). Boldly blending fables and myths with apocalyptic technologies, Amber Sparks has built a cultlike following with And I Do Not Forgive You. Fueled by feminism in all its colors, her surreal worlds—like Kelly Link’s and Karen Russell’s—are all-too-real. In “Mildly Happy, With Moments of Joy,” a friend is ghosted by a text message; in “Everyone’s a Winner at Meadow Park,” a teen coming-of-age in a trailer park befriends an actual ghost. Rife with “sharp wit, and an abiding tenderness” (Ilana Masad, NPR), these stories shine an interrogating light on the adage that “history likes to lie about women,” as the subjects of “You Won’t Believe What Really Happened to the Sabine Women” will attest. Written in prose that both shimmers and stings, the result is “nothing short of a raging success, a volume that points to a potentially incandescent literary future” (Kurt Baumeister, The Brooklyn Rail).
The paranormal? It's all nonsense but proving it might just get them all killed. When a master vampire starts killing people in his hometown, paranormal investigator, Tempest Michaels, takes it personally ... ... and soon a race against time turns into a battle for his life. He doesn't believe in the paranormal but has a steady stream of clients with cases too weird for the police to bother with. Mostly it's all nonsense, but when a third victim turns up with bite marks in her lifeless throat, can he really dismiss the possibility that this time the monster is real? Joined by an ex-army buddy, a disillusioned cop, his friends from the pub, his dogs, and his mother (why are there no grandchildren, Tempest), our paranormal investigator is going to stop the murders if it kills him ... ... but when his probing draws the creature's attention, his family and friends become the hunted. 'Steve Higgs can be counted on to keep you amused, with vivid imagination, characters you can sink your teeth into, plenty of action, and delicious snark.' If you are a fan of fast-paced paranormal thrillers, then this urban fantasy series is sure to please.
Though author Karen Higgs-Faretta has lived through some dark and traumatic times, she was never left without a spark—a glimmer of hope. In this memoir, she shares the story of her life against the backdrop of those dark moments, revealing how the spark was always there and how it helped form the person she is today—a person who has peace and joy within herself. A Spark in the Darkness narrates the difficult times in Higgs-Faretta’s life: the death of her oldest daughter, a divorce, a brain aneurysm, and subsequent paralysis on her left side. The dark experiences led her to a dark path that was filled with light. She encourages the reader to look and to ask for their own sparks during dark experiences. Full of hope and inspiration, A Spark in the Darkness delivers the messages that there is a purpose and a reason for every life and that life is truly good.
Sparks in the Dark is an anthology of fictional short stories. Sit back and enter a world where the ties of family are put to the test; where a coffee shop conversation turns to the future of mankind; where a television show may be a little too real; and where a young man may be just a little too eager to burn rubber on the road. There's these and many others that will make you laugh, make you cry and throw chills down your spine. Caution: Due to the extreme possibility that these stories may induce goosebumps, you're advised to read during sunlight, surrounded by many people. Enjoy!
“Suspenseful…emotionally compelling. I found myself eagerly following in a way I hadn’t remembered for a long time, impatient for the next twist and turn of the story."—NPR An Afghan American woman returns to Kabul to learn the truth about her family and the tragedy that destroyed their lives in this brilliant and compelling novel from the bestselling author of The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, The House Without Windows, and When the Moon Is Low. Kabul, 1978: The daughter of a prominent family, Sitara Zamani lives a privileged life in Afghanistan’s thriving cosmopolitan capital. The 1970s are a time of remarkable promise under the leadership of people like Sardar Daoud, Afghanistan’s progressive president, and Sitara’s beloved father, his right-hand man. But the ten-year-old Sitara’s world is shattered when communists stage a coup, assassinating the president and Sitara’s entire family. Only she survives. Smuggled out of the palace by a guard named Shair, Sitara finds her way to the home of a female American diplomat, who adopts her and raises her in America. In her new country, Sitara takes on a new name—Aryana Shepherd—and throws herself into her studies, eventually becoming a renowned surgeon. A survivor, Aryana has refused to look back, choosing instead to bury the trauma and devastating loss she endured. New York, 2008: Thirty years after that fatal night in Kabul, Aryana’s world is rocked again when an elderly patient appears in her examination room—a man she never expected to see again. It is Shair, the soldier who saved her, yet may have murdered her entire family. Seeing him awakens Aryana’s fury and desire for answers—and, perhaps, revenge. Realizing that she cannot go on without finding the truth, Aryana embarks on a quest that takes her back to Kabul—a battleground between the corrupt government and the fundamentalist Taliban—and through shadowy memories of the world she loved and lost. Bold, illuminating, heartbreaking, yet hopeful, Sparks Like Stars is a story of home—of America and Afghanistan, tragedy and survival, reinvention and remembrance, told in Nadia Hashimi’s singular voice.
'A RIVETING EMOTIONAL READ THAT KEPT ME ON THE EDGE!' -- Melissa Marr, author of the bestselling Wicked Lovely series, on The Darkest Minds Sam didn't think things could get worse at Thurmand rehabilitation camp. Then the Reds arrive. Everyone assumed the kids with firepower had been killed years ago. Instead they were taken away, brainwashed, and returned as terrifyingly effective guards. To her horror, Sam recognizes one of them: Lucas, the one spark of light in Sam's dark childhood. Lucas has a deadly secret - he beat the brutal training that turned his fellow Reds into mindless drones. When Sam defends herself against an attack by a vile PSF guard and faces a harrowing punishment, Lucas must risk everything to save her. Don't miss the thrilling novella that connects the second and third novels in the New York Times bestselling series The Darkest Minds. MORE PRAISE FOR THE DARKEST MINDS 'The story's quick-paced action leads to a heartbreaking cliffhanger that will have readers eager for the next book ...' -- Publishers Weekly 'Haunting ... Bracken creates a gripping and terrifying dystopian world.' -- Kirkus Reviews 'HELL TO THE YES, I love this story and these characters so much!!' -- Goodreads 'THE DARKEST MINDS was, without a doubt, one of the best books I have read!' -- Goodreads
