A humorous story of magic gone wrong. Reckless magician Estelle attempts to bring rain to the drought stressed village of Hawk's Nest, and ends up blocking the only pass in and out of the village. Estelle and her magician's assistant journey to find a magic gem for their potion to move the boulder blocking the pass. On the journey, Estelle tells the story of the sorcerer king and the golden prince that controlled the magic gem. Excerpt: Estelle took a loud, deep breath. She opened her eyes and held out her hands to the cloudless sky. She began chanting a wordless chant, a chant of syllables and guttural sounds. She held her hands to the east, the south, the west, and the north, then below to the earth, then again to the sky. The cauldron began to bubble rapidly. Estelle chanted faster, then said "arrow" under her breath. Maddy quickly dug through the bag, pulled out an obsidian arrow, and immediately handed it to Estelle, who dropped it into the boiling water. The cauldron began to glow faintly, like metal just taken out of the blacksmith's furnace. Estelle continued to chant, but there were some pauses in her speech. "Nuts," said Estelle. "Huh?" "Nuts!" "Oh!" Maddy handed Estelle tear drop shaped nuts they had gathered from a lush green forest area. Estelle dropped them, one by one, into the cauldron. The cauldron began to rattle and shake, like something was alive inside. It glowed brighter, and a crackling sound filled the cauldron. Estelle's chanting seemed to falter. She mumbled to herself, and hummed off key. Maddy looked sideways at her. "Aaaamaaanamayuuuu...let me see...do I add the powdered mushrooms or the toad's tongue now? "Estelle! You must get this right or we'll have another incident.” "Toad's tongue. Yes, that's it!" Maddy handed Estelle a leathery wad. Estelle dropped it into the boiling cauldron. Electricity chased around the edges of the cauldron and formed a ball that suddenly erupted into a long lightning bolt. "Look out!" yelled Maddy as the bolt ricocheted from rock to rock. She and Estelle ducked as the bolt almost grazed their heads. Estelle's unruly hair frizzed up from the electricity. The bolt hit beneath the cliff face, opening a crack underneath a seventy foot hunk of rock jutting out--the gap widened and spread, running all the way under and around the hunk of rock. "Run!" screamed Maddy. She grabbed Estelle by the scruff of the neck and pulled her away from the looming shadow of the slipping rock face. There was a sound like cracking ice, then the cliff face tumbled, in one huge piece, into the pass. Rubble spilled over, and a fist sized rock rolled up to the feet of Maddy and Estelle. It stopped just inches short of their toes. Romer, the farmer, and the only villager who had been standing outside the narrow passage, grabbed his hat off his head and held it to his chest. His mouth was hanging open in horror. "Oh, my goddess! What are we going to do, Estelle? said Maddy. "The rock is blocking the entrance to Hawk's Nest! Nobody can get in or out. They'll starve!" ****** Download now to enjoy the rest of this short story.

NYT bestselling author Patricia Rice introduces the third in the contemporary romantic suspense series about her psychic Malcolms and the men they challenge. . . Sparks fly when special forces meets psychic forces Brilliant psychic Nadine Malcolm is held prisoner in an asylum by her stepfather, a power-mad general. As the Librarian, she secretly hijacks computers to prevent his plans to turn paranormal children into weapons. When her younger sister ominously disappears, Nadine reaches through cyberspace for help. Ex-Special Forces warrior Magnus Oswin has focused his formidable talents on stopping the rogue general who once held him prisoner. After picking up the Librarian’s frantic plea, he roars into the fray in his latest engineering marvel, a modified muscle car. The last thing Nadine needs is another military control freak in her life. The last thing Magnus needs is an aluminum-foil-wearing nutcase. But fierce attraction forges an uneasy alliance as two desperate people fight to save the children who cannot save themselves. “Patricia Rice writes stories with so much attention to detail the characters truly seem to come to life.”—Booklist starred review—Lure of Song and Magic “Rice brings you great characters, a dynamite plot and plenty of magic and she accomplishes the whole thing without a shoot-out. Don’t miss it.” –RT Reviews 4 ½ stars— Lure of Song and Magic CALIFORNIA MALCOLMS SERIES Book #1: Lure of Song and Magic Book #2: Trouble With Air and Magic Book #3: Risk of Love and Magic

This volume includes the full proceedings from the 2016 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference held in Orlando, Florida, entitled Creating Marketing Magic and Innovative Future Marketing Trends. The marketing environment continues to be dynamic. As a result, researchers need to adapt to the ever-changing scene. Several macro-level factors continue to play influential roles in changing consumer lifestyles and business practices. Key factors among these include the increasing use of technology and automation, while juxtaposed by nostalgia and “back to the roots” marketing trends. At the same time, though, as marketing scholars, we are able to access emerging technology with greater ease, to undertake more rigorous research practices. The papers presented in this volume aim to address these issues by providing the most current research from various areas of marketing research, such as consumer behavior, marketing strategy, marketing theory, services marketing, advertising, branding, and many more. Founded in 1971, the Academy of Marketing Science is an international organization dedicated to promoting timely explorations of phenomena related to the science of marketing in theory, research, and practice. Among its services to members and the community at large, the Academy offers conferences, congresses, and symposia that attract delegates from around the world. Presentations from these events are published in this Proceedings series, which offers a comprehensive archive of volumes reflecting the evolution of the field. Volumes deliver cutting-edge research and insights, complementing the Academy’s flagship journals, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (JAMS) and AMS Review. Volumes are edited by leading scholars and practitioners across a wide range of subject areas in marketing science.

Witch Roxy Banfield is determined to become mortal in order to pursue her dream of real love and a family. All she has to do is avoid meeting the one man whose sensuality can release her powers. Wing Slayer Hunter Kieran "Key" DeMicca channels the dark violence that lives inside him his art and telling stories. Lately he finds himself drawing images of a young woman in peril, and assumes that she's just a product of his imagination - until he meets Roxy. Struck by her beauty and her resemblance to his sketches, he feels compelled to protect her. As steamy magic, lethal danger, and timeless love collide, Roxy must become what she swore she would never be - and inadvertently awaken a part of Key that will threaten to destroy them both. If you like Sherrilyn Kenyon and J.R. Ward, you'll love Jennifer Lyon's magical Wing Slayer series.

Increase your spending power, enhance your standard of living, and achieve financial independence with this “must-read” guide to money management (Jane Bryant Quinn). Laurence Kotlikoff, one of our nation’s premier personal finance experts and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Get What’s Yours: The Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security, harnesses the power of economics and advanced computation to deliver a host of spellbinding but simple money magic tricks that will transform your financial future.Each trick shares a basic ingredient for financial savvy based on economic common sense, not Wall Street snake oil. Money Magic offers a clear path to a richer, happier, and safer financial life. Whether you’re making education, career, marriage, lifestyle, housing, investment, retirement, or Social Security decisions, Kotlikoff provides a clear framework for readers of all ages and income levels to learn tricks like: How to choose a career to maximize your lifetime earnings (hint: you may want to consider picking up a plunger instead of a stethoscope). How to buy a superior education on the cheap and graduate debt-free. Why it’s smarter to cash out your IRA to pay off your mortgage. Why delaying retirement for two years can reap dividends and how to lower your average lifetime tax bracket. Money Magic’s most powerful act is transforming your financial thinking, explaining not just what to do, but why to do it. Get ready to discover the economics approach to financial planning—the fruit of a century’s worth of research by thousands of cloistered economic wizards whose now-accessible collective findings turn conventional financial advice on its head. Kotlikoff uses his soft heart, hard nose, dry wit, and flashing wand to cast a powerful spell, leaving you eager to accomplish what you formerly dreaded: financial planning.

First Published in 2006. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

A collection of twenty-three essays that discuss the people and horses that have contributed to the magic of the Kentucky Derby from the years 1875 to 1996.

What if there was a pill to help you live longer, feel better, look younger, and improve almost every aspect of your life with zero bad side effects, wouldn't you want to take it? The Magic Pill will prove to you that with a little time, energy, and effort, you can have all of these benefits and much, much more. Unveiling the most current scientific information on aging, exercise, nutrition, and supplementation, this first guidebook of its kind provides a comprehensive self-help approach to living longer, improving your health, and finding the happiness that resides within us all. Matt O'Brien takes you on an exciting journey filled with motivation, education, and inspiration. Read this book! You will take control of your health and your life will never be the same again. Praise from Matt O'Brien's Clients: "I know for certain that I would not have arrived at this fantastic place in my life without Matt O'Brien as my coach, motivator, and friend ... Thank you, Matt, for giving me my health, fitness and life back." -Jill Gear Matt O'Brien's expertise and ability to teach have transformed my attitude towards exercise and nutrition. I have a new passion for my health." -Brandice Lardner

This Rough Magic represents a significant contribution to the study of Latin American literature and culture. Jane Robinett examines the literary evaluation of technology and shows how concepts of technology in fiction reflect the theoretical work of philosophers of technology. The study focuses on the relationship of technology to magical and political realities found in the work of Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Amado, and Isabel Allende. Robinett shows how magic can function as an independent system and as an alternative to technological domination of the natural world, and she examines how technology can reinforce inherent political tendencies in the cultures.