The book title Blue Eyes through Black Mascara symbolises optimism (blue eyes) looking through the darkness that appears in everybody's lives every now and then. Death is referenced in the poems but it does not mean the end but more a change maybe from one life of despair to a new and better life with a different perspective. Some of the work is autobiographical, a lot can happen in people's lives some of it needs to be written either as a celebration of life or as a way of exorcising demons.

These 14 tales of fantasy and magic are sure to delight readers of all ages! From goddesses and queens, amid fairies and warriors, the strong women in these stories by best-selling author J.T. Marie explore the realms where dreams and reality meet. Contains the stories: A Hero Is Never Too Old, Bones of the Sea, Eyes Like Twins, Fell, Gypsy Wine, Illusions of Betrayal, More Than Mortal, Runes of the Quest, Running, The Glitter Prince, The Key, The Scar, The Shadow Fey, and The Warrior Within .

How is decadence being staged today – as a practice, issue, pejorative, and as a site of pleasure? Where might we find it, why might we look for it, and who is decadence for? This book is the first monographic study of decadence in theatre and performance. Adam Alston makes a passionate case for the contemporary relevance of decadence in the thick of a resurgent culture war by focusing on its antithetical relationship to capitalist-led growth, progress, and intensified productivity. He argues that the qualities used to disparage the study and practice of theatre and performance are the very things we should embrace in celebrating their value – namely, their spectacular uselessness, wastefulness, outmodedness, and abundant potential for producing forms of creativity that flow away from the ends and excesses of capitalism. Alston covers an eclectic range of examples by Julia Bardsley (UK), Hasard Le Sin (Finland), jaamil olawale kosoko (USA), Toco Nikaido (Japan), Martin O'Brien (UK), Toshiki Okada (Japan), Marcel·lí Antúnez Roca (Spain), Normandy Sherwood (USA), The Uhuruverse (USA), Nia O. Witherspoon (USA), and Wunderbaum (Netherlands). Expect ruminations on monstrous scenographies, catatonic choreographies, turbo-charged freneticism, visions of the apocalypse – and what might lie in its wake.

What if murder wasn't a mystery? For one young man, it is always decided by a simple code of chance taught to him by his mentor, a gruff truck driver named Petty, who once took him under his wing. Now a trucker himself, the savant travels the quickest routes coast to coast through 1990s America, listening to the Top 40 Countdown and holding the fate of those he encounters in the palm of his hand. But are the rules there to allow the natural order to assert itself, or to keep a traumatic past from feeding his dark impulses and spiraling him out of control? A twisted thriller peppered with dark humor, B.H. Newton's 'The Alternator' is a lean, mean story that just might put a wicked smile on your face. This book is intended for a mature audience and is not recommended for readers under the age of 18.

A collection of three horror novels by B.H. Newton, now available in one volume! Chameleon: On Tricker Lake, Tennessee, the Barretts live an unorthodox life on a floating house that bridges old mountain magic and the American dream. Hank and Hennie raise three children in a life full of struggles and internal conflicts. As their story unfolds across decades and thousands of miles, a deep, dark tragedy threatens to engulf them and tear them apart. Day Moon Howl: Marvin Spangler, an ill-equipped high school history teacher, is tasked with forming an auctioneering team to compete in a Tennessee state championship. Seeking a welcome diversion from his unfulfilling life, Marvin assembles a team of three very different individuals: the damaged prodigy Larry Jr., the obsessed jock Eric, and the disinterested beauty Helen. Together, they embark on a journey to achieve their dreams and conquer their nightmares. The Alternator: For one young man, the choice between life and death is always decided by a simple code of chance taught to him by his mentor: a gruff truck driver named Petty. A savant trucker, he travels coast to coast, holding the fate of those he encounters in his hand while listening to the Top 40 Countdown. But as he navigates his way through 1990s America, he must ask himself: are the rules there to keep the natural order or to prevent his dark impulses from spiraling out of control? Peppered with dark humor, 'The Alternator' is a lean, mean read that will leave you with a wicked smile on your face.

"Ali Greenleaf's story is complex and beautifully told; full of fury, heartbreak, and hope." --Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and How to Make Friends With the Dark Ali Greenleaf and Blythe Jensen couldn't be more different. Ali is sweet, bitingly funny, and just a little naive. Blythe is beautiful, terrifying, and the most popular girl in school. They've never even talked to each other, until a party when Ali decides she'll finally make her move on Sean Nessel, her longtime crush and the soccer team's superstar. But Sean pushes Ali farther than she wants to go. When she resists--he rapes her. Blythe sees Ali when she runs from the party, everyone sees her. And Blythe knows something happened with Sean; she knows how he treats girls. Even so, she's his best friend, his confidant. When he tells her it was a misunderstanding, she decides to help him make things right. So Blythe befriends Ali, bringing her into a circle of ruthless popular girls, and sharing her own dark secrets. Despite the betrayal at the heart of their relationship, they see each other, in a way no one ever has before. In her searing, empowering debut novel, Hayley Krischer tells the story of what happened that night, and how it shaped Ali and Blythe forever. Both girls are survivors in their own ways, and while their friendship might not be built to last, it's one that empowers each of them to find justice on their own terms.

A STAND-IN FATHER After his brother's death, Gil Boyer cared for a new mother and her child, his nephew. So when the young woman suddenly disappeared with the baby he'd come to love, Gil went to lady P.I. Paulina Stewart for help, thinking this an open-and-shut case. Then his sister-in-law turned up dead…. Something about this big man's fierce devotion to the little baby touched Paulina's heart. Somebody had the child, and with Gil's help, she had to find the kidnapper. Paulina had an unblemished track record: she always solved the case—and she never got emotionally involved with a client…. Until Gil Boyer stepped into her office. He needed more than her professional support. He needed her.

After her marriage falls apart, Sophie McPhee returns to her hometown of Lonesome Way, Montana, planning to steer clear of men and focus on her new bakery, A Bun in the Oven. Who she doesn't expect to see is Rafe Tanner, her first crush who now runs his family's ranch-and who spent most of their childhood ignoring her. But is Rafe a changed man? While Rafe is stunned to discover that Sophie's grown into an irresistibly beautiful woman, he's been hurt too. They both have their guards up, but melt in each other's company. Can they admit that home is truly where the heart is?

Back cover: "Caterina Cammino is an attractive and reclusive thirty-five-year-old woman whose nightly ritual is to go to the beach and drink wine from the bar of her car. Though alcohol is her crutch and companion, it can't erase the memory of the summer of 1988 when she lost her innocence--and awoke to a scream. Tyler Beck is an intellectually gifted eighteen-year-old loner who has an invisible, magical cord above his right shoulder; he is also a former drug addict who was rehabilitated with the help of a counselor named Robie. After Robie dies, however, a distraught Beck exits his friend's funeral and seeks refuge at the beach--and in heroin. Their lives collide when Caterina's car strikes a trashcan that crashes into the semi-conscious Beck. When they both ask aloud for help, the grieving parts of themselves are transported to another dimension called 10-17. Caterina arrives in this dimension as her seventeen-year-old self, Cat, and there she meets Beck, whom she nicknames Ty. Once in this new world, set against a backdrop of Italy, they meet a Watcher named Miranda who tells them that they are in 10-17 for healing, even while their parallel lives are continuing on Earth. Miranda explains that the dimensions are spaced like slats on a window blind; she also tells the teenagers about a place called Thare, an Earth-like dimension populated by humans, but without suffering or addiction. While Beck readily embraces his love for the mature Caterina, she is conflicted over her feelings for a man half her age. Meanwhile, in Dimension 10-17, as Cat and Ty complete their lesson, they are torn over the choice that Miranda offers them: To go to the 'perfect' world of Thare and leave the Earth and their families behind, or to return wholly to their Earthly selves ..."