POOF! That's the sound Hannah Jayne's well-loved pillow made the night it popped. She was shocked. She never dreamed she would have to sleep a wink without it. That was until one night she had no choice but to bid farewell to her long-time lovey. Mom and Dad had spent countless hours washing, sewing, and keeping track of her pillow that provided her comfort and security over the years. They even sent out a search party to find it when she lost it. But this time, it was different; there was no fixing or replacing it. Hannah Jayne had to face her fear of sleeping without her lovey. No matter what you call it, a blankie, a stuffie, a binkie or some other fun nickname, our lovies play an important part in children's lives; they provide comfort and security for so many. What's the name of your child's lovey?
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2016 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2016 KOBO EMERGING WRITER PRIZE Most of the things Pillow really liked to do were obviously morally wrong. He wasn't an idiot; clearly it was wrong to punch people in the face for money. But there had been an art to it, and it had been thrilling and thoughtful for him. The zoo was also evil, a jail for animals who'd committed no crimes, but he just loved it. The way Pillow figured it, love wasn't about goodness, it wasn't about being right, loving the very best person, having the most ethical fun. Love was about being alone and making some decisions. Pillow loves animals. Especially the exotic ones. Which is why he chooses the zoo for the drug runs he does as a low-level enforcer for a crime syndicate run by André Breton. He doesn't love his life of crime, but he isn't cut out for much else, what with all the punches to the head he took as a professional boxer. And now that he's accidentally but sort of happily knocked up his neighbor, he wants to get out and go straight. But first there's the matter of some stolen coins, possibly in the possession of George Bataille, which leads Pillow on a bizarre caper that involves kidnapping a morphine-addled Antonin Artaud, some corrupt cops, a heavy dose of Surrealism, and a quest to see some giraffes. Andrew Battershill is a writer and teacher currently living in Columbus, Ohio. A graduate of the University of Toronto's MA in creative writing program, he was the fiction editor and co-founder of Dragnet Magazine.
Meet the Ballplayers -- a fearless five with a passion for sports, hanging with friends, and life on Broadway Avenue.... I'm Molly. My friends say I'm like a bull in a china shop when I play soprts. But my bruised knees and elbows never hurt when we win. Penny's my name. Sometimes people call me Big Time or Sweet P because of my smooth moves...and when we lose, I take all the blame. I'm Rosie. I don't really talk much. My coach doesn't like that I'm the only girl on the baseball team. I can't wait to strike him out. Don't let my friends fool ya. I'm Wil, the best and brightest Ballplayer of this bunch. Now can somebody please tell my coach to put me in the game? I'm Angel, the oldest Ballplayer. With my foot injuries and problems between my parents, the Ballplayers help get me through the tough times. As the new summer basketball league kicks off, these five freinds team up to form the Broadway Ballplayers. But Molly and the others run into some serious competition both on and off the court. Can they bring the championship home to Broadway Avenue?
Rocky meets Elmore Leonard meets Miranda July as Pillow Wilson, a past-his-prime boxer, trains for his last title shot. Shenanigans ensue. Boxer ‘Pillow Fist’ Pete Wilson should be preparing for his big comeback fight. But, having recently undergone an ethical awakening, the new vegan is busy trying to find humane new homes for his menagerie of exotic pets (including Jersey Joe the sloth and Rigoberto the shark). His roommate, Sherlock Holmes, who faked his own death by waterfall, is now Pillow’s in-house doping expert. Pillow just can’t get motivated to train, and he’s further distracted from his push-ups when both his car and Rigoberto mysteriously disappear. Luckily, Sherlock is a master of deduction. What follows is part underdog sports story, part work of neozoological surrealism, and part existential mystery novel. "Reckless, desperate, and achingly human, Battershill remains funnier than anyone else on your shelf." – Andrew F. Sullivan, author of The Marigold "The adventures of Battershill’s returning protagonist Pillow are witty and occasionally absurd, but the story never trips on ironies. Battershill twines the humanity of pulp noir with the unsettling play of surrealism to build a world in which pet sloths, Sherlock Holmes, and skilled drug pushers all seem to have found their ideal home." – Naben Ruthnum, author of A Hero of Our Time "Pillow Wilson is one of my favourite characters in CanLit, and he is in fine form in Pet, Pet, Slap, a deeply funny, inventive, bizarre, heartbreaker of a book. Andrew Battershill not only writes with that magical alchemy of humour and pathos that most writers only wish they could pull off, but he somehow also balances surrealism and profound humanity in a way I’m sure I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to figure out. I haven’t had this much fun reading in a long, long time." – Amy Jones, author of Pebble & Dove
A witty collection of short stories from the author of "Pleasure Victim". Modern stories which reach into the art of romance in a modern northern city. The stories move quietly like a summer breeze carrying whispers of encouragement. Not completely romance stories but a bit independent urging the reader to explore today while it lasts.
The History Channel ran a program on July 16, 2007 and again on July 25, 2007 with many facts about how pirates are rampant in the South Pacific, murdering, pillaging, and plundering no less than happened in the 19th Century by such as Blackbeard and his crews and others who had no regard for human life. Driven by only greed, these pirates take for profit and have no concern for human life. Pirates still roam the seas. The South Pacific is almost a haven for these vandals. They intercept shipping, steal the cargo they can, leave the ship in shambles, and run off to sell the things they steal to buy arms and fund terrorist operations. The navies of the world are almost powerless to do anything about them. This story is about one person, one boat, and the crew who decide to do their own protection. Of course, it's illegal to do what they do, but they would rather be alive to defend themselves than dead and have no say in their defense.
THE LOST GIRLS is book #2 in the #1 bestselling Suburban Murder series, which begins with THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS, book #1 (a free download)! The brutally beaten body of a young girl is discovered in a marsh in Jamesport, one of New York’s most elite suburbs. Police comb the area, while many speculate her murder might be connected to the abduction, six months earlier, of three girls from Jamesport. The FBI has evidence of an underage prostitution and trafficking ring which may be related. At the request of the FBI, Billy Dee, captain of the Ninth Precinct in the Bronx, head of its Sex Crimes Unit, sends two of his most seasoned detectives to Jamesport to conduct their own investigation: Bella de Franco and Jimmy “Mack” Menendez. They are sent north, back into the land of the beautiful. Between local politics, fractured families, a heroin epidemic and a dark secret that the wealthy town strives to keep hidden, the unspeakably dark and twisted reality lurking behind Jamesport life is uncovered. As they learn that everything is not what it seems in this wealthy suburb, Bella and Mack must race against the clock to save one last girl before she is sold across state lines, where she will vanish forever. Book #3 in the Suburban Murder series will be released soon!
