Chris had tried to forget Slater James. He'd betrayed her in the worst way possible - with her cousin. And when her cousin had become pregnant, he married her. Now Slater was widowed, and Chris had to face him again, as guardian of his six-year-old daughter. To her surprise, he seemed set on a passionate vendetta, claiming she owed him. Owed him what? Only little Sophie knew the truth. The trouble was, since her mother's death, she hadn't uttered a single word. Originally published in 1984
Two young men, living separate lives more than a century apart, are hounded by the same dark entity. Against the backdrops of nineteenth century Louisiana and Paris, through to modern day Florida, they each struggle to save their souls and to find love and happiness. This is a story about the battle between good and evil."How does it feel to meet your old buddy, head-on near the fires of home?"I can barely speak. I manage to say something, between bursts of coughing. "So, that's where I'm going? You're sending me to Hell?""Well, Joe, you do owe me one," says my old buddy and smiles warmly. Blackness."Some people say that the closer you are to God the more the Devil comes after you. Well, that sure is true in my case. Maybe that's why I'm crouched down at the back of a Baptist church, where there's a service in full swing, clutching a powerful crossbow I bought at a store with fake ID, because I'm only sixteen. I fully intend to use it; the crossbow I mean.The Devil must be chuckling with glee if he's watching me now, for as a child I was as close to God as anyone could be. Two church services on Sunday and Bible Study twice a week was part of my regular routine. Now I can taste bile rising in my mouth, as I hear the cries of hallelujah. In a nearby window I can see a lone vulture swooping down from the sky. As I slowly rise up onto my feet, the outline of the wedding guests comes into view. The floral dresses, fancy hats and corsages, all blend into a garish kaleidoscope of horror. My vision is blurred and I pause for a moment as my lungs seem to constrict, so that it's getting hard to breathe. My hands shake as I load a bolt into the crossbow and walk up the aisle, and all the while I'm wondering if I am truly Satan's collaborator."I began to ascend the flight of steps which led to Montmartre, eager to disassociate myself from the body lying in the road below. I watched the scene from the top of the steps, afraid that I may have been spotted, although I could see no one nearby. At first the street was quiet and still, as in a time of prayer or of mourning. Then the people came running from all directions. They seemed to descend on him like vultures, their black cloaks flapping like wings, their raucous cries of alarm raking the still air. Many of them had dark eyes, I was sure of that, even at a distance, as they came running towards him through the Parisian streets. They had dark eyes that were shrewd and sharp and keen. Their crow-colored heads glistened in the sunlight. Were they here to help him or to pick his pockets for silver, like the magpies I had seen in the woods around the chateau? But it was too late to help this man. He was already on his way to Hell. They seemed surreal, like visitors from the underworld who had come to claim his soul.
Brian and Ezra’s story continues in the moving sequel to Thanks a Lot, Universe, which New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone called “a glorious ode to the beauty of preteen friendship.” Brian knows that anxiety and depression aren’t things that are magically fixed overnight, but he still doesn’t understand why it’s all hitting him so hard right now. Sure, his dad is still in prison and middle school is still stressful, but he’s seeing a therapist, he’s got good friends, and he’s doing really well on the basketball team. He should be fine, so why does he feel too tired to get out of bed some days? And why does he turn into “Cursed Monster Brian” and snap whenever someone asks him what’s wrong? Ezra is trying his best to look out for Brian, but he’s not sure that he’s actually helping. Sure, they’re still best friends, but as Ezra starts preparing for the talent show, he also starts talking with Victor—the kid who relentlessly bullied Brian last year. It seems like Victor’s changed, and whenever he and Ezra hang out and make music together, Ezra’s stomach feels a little bit swoopy. But even if he likes making music and talking with Victor, he still feels like he’s betraying his best friend whenever they’re together. And he worries that he’s falling for another boy who won’t return his feelings . . . Earnest, heartfelt, and full of humor, Chad Lucas’s You Owe Me One, Universe explores the nuances and complications of middle school relationships—and shows how sometimes the smallest acts of caring can be the ones that matter most.
Have you ever wanted to say something but not had the words to say exactly what you wanted to say? Has God touched your life in a special way but nothing you say expresses the joy you feel? Do you sometimes want to tell that special someone how deep your feelings are for them but you trip over you tongue when speaking? or have you been deep in anger and just wanted to tell that somebody off? This collection of poems can do just that. Whether praising God, expressing love or just telling the World how you feel, Patricia An Anthology of Poems, Thoughts and Letters has something for every reader. Patricia Anthology of Poems, Thoughts and Letters speaks to the heart and soul of every man, woman and child.
Sometimes winning feels an awful lot like losing in this “comic caper” about a New York City cabbie whose outrageous mishaps “keep us smiling along in the backseat” (Booklist) Cab driver Chet Conway was hoping for a good tip from his latest fare, the sort he could spend. But what he got was a tip on a horse race . . . which might have turned out okay, except that when he went to collect his winnings Chet found his bookie lying dead on the living room floor. Chet knows he had nothing to do with it—but just try explaining that to the cops, to the two rival criminal gangs who each think Chet’s working for the other, and to the dead man’s beautiful sister, who has flown in from Las Vegas to avenge her brother’s murder . . .
