Alastair D'Arcy McDermott - otherwise known as Al - is less than thrilled at his holiday project: helping out at the local old people's home. How did he end up getting stuck with old Violet Rose and batty Major Maddocks? But then he meets the sinister Mrs Black, and the fun begins - Al's on his greatest mission yet ... And don't miss the first story of Al's adventures, OPERATION ITCHY BUM.
Alistair D'Arcy McDermott has a great mum and a great dad who love him very much ... but aren't so keen on each other. He also has a best friend with a wicked laugh and a teacher who wears tight white trousers and likes humiliating kids. So when his mum decides that she's going on a blind date with the teacher from hell, Burke the Jerk, Al's worst nightmare has come true. And when she tells him that they're going on holiday with her new man, Al's got to do something drastic. He packs his bag of total destruction and heads off for the holiday of a lifetime ...
In this follow-up to "The Pirate Hunters," terror stalks the Bahamas. Someone is killing wealthy seagoing tourists. Team Whiskey, U.S. soldiers-turned-pirate-hunters, runs to ground a gang of ruthless Caribbean pirates. Original.
The journey to become a successful writer is long, fraught with peril, and filled with difficult questions: How do I write dialogue? How do I build suspense? What should I know about query letters? How do I start? The best way to answer these questions is to ditch your uncertainty and transform yourself into a KICK-ASS writer. This new book from award-winning author Chuck Wendig combines the best of his eye-opening writing instruction--previously available in e-book form only--with all-new insights into writing and publishing. It's an explosive broadside of gritty advice that will destroy your fears, clear the path, and help you find your voice, your story, and your audience. You'll explore the fundamentals of writing, learn how to obtain publication, and master the skills you need to build an army of dedicated fans. No task is too large or small for the kick-ass writer. With his trademark acerbic wit and gut-punch humor, Wendig will explain: • How to build suspense, craft characters, and defeat writer's block. • How to write a scene, an ending--even a sentence. • Blogging techniques, social media skills, and crowdfunding. • How to write a query letter, talk to agents, and deal with failure--and success! Whether you're just starting out or you need one more push to get you over the top, two things are for certain--a kick-ass writer never quits, and chuck Wendig won't let you down in this high-octane guide to becoming the writer you were born to be.
Readers who eagerly anticipate each new Carl Hiaasen novel will relish this selection of his Miami Herald columns, written with the same dark humor and satirical edge as Tourist Season, Strip Tease, Stormy Weather, and the rest of Hiaasen’s brilliant and nationally acclaimed fiction. Known for evoking the disastrously flawed paradise of modern South Florida, Hiaasen proves in these columns that facts can indeed be stranger than the fiction they inspire. Beginning with "Welcome to South Florida," a chapter introducing such everyday events as animal sacrifice, riots at the beach, and a shootout over limes at the supermarket, this collection organizes over 200 columns into 18 chapters, chronicling the events and defining the issues that have kept the South Florida melting pot bubbling throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. An introductory essay provides an overview of Hiaasen’s career and outlines his principal concerns as a journalist. Since its inception in 1985, Hiaasen’s twice-weekly "baseball-bat-to-the-forehead" column has become enormously popular for its passionate conviction and willingness to confront powerful interests in pursuit of the public good. Amid the corruption and chaos of a city on the edge, Hiaasen’s pointblank honesty and clear articulation of what’s right have secured him wide respect across the community’s many racial and ethnic divides as well as the admiration of his peers, who compare him to A. J. Leibling, I. F. Stone, and H. L. Mencken. In addition to South Florida color and world-class journalism, readers of Kick Ass will find one of Florida’s staunchest defenders in action, and they’ll take great pleasure in watching him work.
Life is not about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself: “A call to action for anyone who wants to consciously influence their own destiny” (Marci Shimoff, New York Times–bestselling author of Happy for No Reason). Whether it’s because of job loss, divorce, financial stress, relationship issues, or the state of society, life may have kicked you down. To which Jackie Ruka says, “It’s time to kick back and create your kick-butt life.” Upping your game calls for highly targeted tools, action steps, and imagination. By unleashing your inner creator you can change your life by choosing happiness first! This exuberant guidebook provides inspirational, proactive practices to take your life to the next level by defining your joy, inner peace, and passion. Topics include: If money does not buy happiness, what does? Soul-talk vs. self-talk: building confidence and courage Tools to be your ultimate self to learn your greatest strengths 13 life enhancement techniques to overcome common life obstacles Assessment of your heart path and life purpose: where your joy and power align How you can be happy at any age 10 scientific strategies to improve happiness Moxie mantras: Activating your authoritative power and maintaining positive intention for sustained happiness Unlock self-empowerment and whisk away those inner cobwebs holding you back—to take a turn in your life toward happiness and success!
KICK-ASS IS BACK ready to wipe out the city's criminal lowlives, destroy its gangs, and save its communities from decay. But there's a new face beneath the old mask, a new figure wearing that famous green and yellow spandex. Who is this new vigilante superhero? Who can fill Dave Lizewski's shoes? WHO IS THE NEW KICK-ASS? Find out in the first collection of KICK-ASS: THE NEW GIRL. MARK MILLAR and JOHN ROMITA, JR. reunite for the next chapter of the greatest superhero comic of all time. Collects KICK-ASS: THE NEW GIRL #1-6
A major, internationally bestselling novel of extraordinary power about the costs of war from one of Israel's greatest writers. Set in Israel in recent times, this epic yet intimate novel places side by side the trials of war and the challenges of everyday life. Through a series of powerful, overlapping circles backward in time, it tells the story of Ora's relationship with her husband, from whom she is now separated, as well as the tragedy of their best friend Avram, a former soldier — and her son's biological father. When her son Ofer rejoins the army for a major offensive, Ora is devastated and decides to hike in the Galilee, leaving no forwarding information for the "notifiers" who might deliver the worst news a parent can hear. She phones Avram, whom she has not seen in 21 years, and convinces him to go with her. As they journey together, Ora unfurls the story of her family, and gives Avram the gift of his son — a telling that keeps the boy alive for both his mother and the reader. Never have we seen so vividly the surreality of daily life in Israel, the consequences of living in a society where the burden of war falls on each generation anew. David Grossman's rich imagining of a family in love and crisis makes for one of the great anti-war novels of our time.
In this highly anticipated follow-up to the bestselling How to Be a Supervillain, Victor Spoil must save the world from an evil scheme to enslave the superheroes and villains -- to his parents' utter disappointment. A sequel has never been this good . . . at being bad! Victor Spoil hates the Junior Super Academy. It makes him cranky -- and his parents couldn't be prouder, because supervillains aren't meant to be nice. Until Victor confesses he wants to leave and become a librarian. The horror! But when superheroes and villains -- including his parents -- start disappearing, only a dedicated do-gooder like Victor can track them down. He discovers that the supers are being captured to square off against aliens in gladiator-like shows. And unlike the scripted fights that the supers usually sign up for, these battles are to the death! Victor and his fellow super students must join together and harness their super powers to battle this dastardly mega-villain. But to be a hero, Victor finally has to embrace his inner villain. Will he be able to stoop that low?
Finally, a business guide that kicks ass! Forget the jargon and hype: there are five--and only five--ways to achieve exponential growth in your business. Are you ready to kick ass? The 5 Kick-Ass Strategies Every Business Needs is the ultimate business-growth guide. Filled with actual case studies, visual elements and strategic steps, this book will set you on a course to reach--and exceed--your growth goals. In this no-holds-barred handbook, Robert Grede gives you the essential strategies for improving each area of your business. Along the way you'll discover: How to create a strategic growth plan The benefits of buying market share Ways to hunt for business How to sell more to your current customers How to introduce new products
