The ancient Silk Road - a web of trade routes - once linked Imperial China with the west; Rome and beyond. Today Toyota and Mitsubishi trucks carry heroin and weapons instead of silk. Across Central Asia multiple players pursue diverse objectives. Sociopathic Russian Mafia chief Arkady wants to recreate the lifestyle of Mongol chieftains. Val, his subordinate, wishes to create a drug network operating with the efficiency of UPS or FedEx. American college professor Walt, a trans-tibial amputee from fighting in Afghanistan, wants to excel in the field of Central Asian studies. His wife, Flo, wants to be married to a man with both original legs. Tara, Walt's graduate student, wants to seduce him and, if possible, make him love her. Mira, a Romanian whore, wants to be wanted. In Turkmenistan, President for Life, Saparmurat Niyazov, wants to become a legend and has written a book he hopes will rival the Qur'an, Bible or Mein Kampf. Central Asian Silk Road countries sit astride vast reserves of oil and gas. Every industrialized nation wants access to pipelines or shipping routes. Chinese oilman Wu wants a pipeline survey. Several U.S. agencies want to stop or disrupt the flow of heroin and opium. They'd like to learn how to intercept drugs in route. Landlocked Central Asian nations - former satellites of the USSR - have residual stocks of conventional weapons and WMD. Old routes that once carried silk, porcelain, religion, culture and language by camel, now transport drugs, weapons, slaves and smuggled goods - by truck and train. Walt, the academic, is persuaded to lead a team of bogus colleagues into Central Asia to uncover drug routes constructed by Russian Mafioso, who employ American business methods and Indian computer expertise. Welcome to the New Silk Road! Vast; and unpredictable!

William (Billy) Barker is dying from terminal cancer of the jaw. Lying on his death bed he recalls his life, his family in March, Cambridgeshire, England, and his life as a canal man. Billy marries a widow with three children, who cheats on him. A daughter, Emma Eliza is born. The building of the railways fazes out the canal business, and Billy leaves home for New York.

There he works on the building of railroads until the start of the California gold rush. Waiting for the chuck wagon to feed them Billy starts chewing tobacco. While seeking passage to San Francisco Billy meets John Butson, a young Cornish adventurer who becomes a lifelong friend. At San Francisco these two team up with Joseph Hernandes, a Mexican gold miner who has a donkey. The Mexican teaches them to pan for gold. They travel inland and eventually find gold.

Billy takes a trip back to England, and finds that both his wife and his mother have died, and his only child, Emma, is living in a poor house. Billy returns to California and works for some time with John Butson in a hard rock gold mine near West Point, California. When the gold runs out Billy and John leave for Fraser's River in British Columbia. Eventually they reach Lillooet, where they stake claims with other miners on Canada Bar.

Unfortunately political interference stops them from mining, and Billy's partners desert him. Billy travels to Williams Creek, in the Cariboo, where he stakes claims on the lower end of the creek. While other miners are finding lots of gold, Billy's claims are disappointing. Ned Stout, who has claims on a branch of Williams Creek, persuades Billy to stake below the canyon on Williams Creek. At that time, regulations were such that miners were not allowed to have more than one claim on a creek, so Billy had to give up his first claim.

As it happened that claim, when it came in, proved to be the richest on the creek. Billy and his partners dug two shafts below the canyon, and almost ran out of money before fabulous amounts of gold were reached. Fortunately Billy was able to get a loan from Judge Begbie, which enabled him and his partners to reach pay dirt. Billy is a fabulously rich man, and while spending the winter in Victoria he meets and marries an English woman, Elizabeth Collyer.

Sadly Eliza only lives for two years, and Billy returns to mining in several areas of the Cariboo, including the Horsefly valley. Billy loses his fortune in random lending, and unprofitable business dealings. He ends up in the Old Man's Home in Victoria, where he dies in 1894.

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Cuba has been at the center of considerable intrigue since the arrival of the first European explorers in the 16th century. The people of the island have endured military conquest, foreign intervention in its internal affairs; dictatorships supported by one foreign power or another and unparallel suffering through several generations. Somehow, the people have withstood the test of time and continue to hope for a better future. There is an incredible amount of brutality in the world and Fidel Castro's dictatorship has generated a large share of the brutality. A lot of it has targeted the United States and its people. That's where our spies come in to provide sufficient warning before evil strikes. They help preserve the integrity of the United States against evil dictators like Castro. Despite of the work of our intelligence agencies Castro and his henchmen got a way with a lot, including the torture of American POWs in Vietnam. An unexpected opportunity developed to settle an old score. A historical novel is neither strictly historical news nor strictly fictional in character. History is a chronological and systematic account of the past. It is defined as the totality of human experience. A novel, on the other hand, is a fictitious tale inspired by actual events, dealing with the adventures of imaginary people and depicting the different varieties of the human character. Some events and characters depicted have been taken from real life others are entirely fictional.

The Legends of King Arthur--what if Mallory got it wrong? What if the ancient script used by Troyes contained translation errors? What if the monks in the middle ages forgot to transpose the nouns and adjectives in the ancient Latin texts and what should have read 'rotunda on the plateau' instead came out as the nonsensical 'round table.' The Heirs of Fate unscrambles the puzzle and turns the Arthurian legends into a logical and more credible novel. With unforgettable characters and action-packed drama, Ms. Younkins has woven a novel that will be hard to put down. Set in the 5th and 6th Centuries C.E., the novel starts with Merlin's rise to fame, travels through Arthur's stellar achievements, and ends with the collapse of the Romano-Briton Empire.

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Assignment Eire 1948 is a complete story in itself, it forms the 2nd volume of Jack and Tess's adventures. The year is 1948, and Ireland is the setting for this escapade. Ireland is still smarting from the partition, but after leaving the Commonwealth and striving to finally emerge as the tiger it is today, one might say that 1948 was Ireland's rebirth. If you can never get enough of that grand love affair with your Irish heritage, then you should add this thought provoking and stimulating story to your collection. In this submission Jack and Tess are New York City Police Officers and are ordered to Ireland, to join the Garda to stop the weapons for drugs exchange with the New York City underworld and a loyalist splinter group. They are innocently drawn into what is known as the troubles. This creates a handicap for them as they try to accomplish their mission. Tess's fondness for a garter belt holster, several life threatening shootouts, while being protected by a Seraph who must have smiled on their tender moments in a hay stack, invites one to follow along on their mission. In bringing this second volume to fruition I must thank the critic's who commended my former work. They have been more than kind, and for this I am profoundly grateful. I have tried to make it as interesting as possible for the Irish it was written for, and for those who wish they were Irish.

-Howard K. Storms

When her mother is hospitalized with a life threatening delivery of a premature baby, eleven year-old Maggie Blanchard eagerly assumes command of her glamorous father's rambunctious houselhold with startling consequences in this poignant, laugh out loud coming of age story. First Reveille is set in the one regiment post of Fort Missoula, Montana, and captures the masculine culture of Infantrymen, boxers and hunters in the pre-WWII military life of the Great Depression as seen through the eyes of a highly perceptive but innocent young girl.

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En esta novela MARGARET DONNELLY nos deleita con sus dotes de escritora e investigadora social mientras entrelaza la realidad y la ficción. Lo hace al descubrir los orígenes de los escuadrones de la muerte en el continente latinoamericano, a través del escape de expertos que trabajaron para la SS durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial y su posterior incorporación al aparato militar argentino.

EL CANTO DE LOS GALLOS DE ORO es una novela en la cual se conjugan eventos económicos, históricos, politicos y socials, voces verídicas y secretas de los pueblos latinoamericanos y especialmente de los venezolanos, unidos por la realidad que han vivido y sufrido como resultado de gobiernos ineficientes, corruptos y, a la vez, violentos. La novela es un recorido a la idiosincracia latinoamericana donde la codicia, el ansia de poder y escuadrones de la muerte no conocieron límites, dejaron a países devastados. Es una historia sin precedente donde la conexión de los hechos va mucho más allá de lo que el lector pueda llegar a imaginarse.

In 1837 a young couple meet and fall in love on the shores of beautiful Lough Ramor in south-eastern County Cavan, Ireland. They survive poverty, hunger, natural disaster, and the loss of parents, holding on to their common dream of emigration to a new and better life in America. They leave Ireland as newlyweds just three years before the Famine. After an incredible early Steam Age odyssey through Dublin, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Wheeling, they arrive in the summer of 1842 in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, on the National Road.

Born in the remote Cavan townland of Knockaraheen in 1819, Jack Malone, the author's great-great-grandfather, first met his wife, Margaret Burns of Cleggan, as a passenger on the little ferry he and his father operated across the lake. After a long, difficult courtship, they finally married and said farewell forever to poverty-stricken rural Ireland. Based on a true story, this little book is full of fascinating real-life characters, traditions, places and events. It transports the reader back in time to a carefully researched early 19th century setting, spanning both Ireland and America.

El Mahdi Le Saadien Roi de Marrakech et Fs (1491-1557) "Le ChŽrif", endormi ˆ Marrakech, aux Tombeaux Saadiens, et qui fut respectŽ, redoutŽ, par les Cours royales europŽennes, et ha• par les Turcs dont il stoppa l'expansion. Revit dans ce document Žpique... Au XVIme siecle temps de la Chevalerie en Europe et Afrique du Nord les Chevaliers portugais envoyŽs par leur roi, jalonnent de leurs forteresses les rivages marocains, sur la route maritime des Indes. TentŽes par l'aventure des familles s'y installent. Face aux lance pierres et armes blanches les arquebuses et armes ˆ feu... Dans l'extrme sud, ˆ Tagmadert, une ambitieuse famille locale se prŽtend chŽrifienne et descendre du Prophte. Elle sait utiliser les forces religieuses pour rassembler les tribus divisŽes et chasser les ChrŽtiens de leur Santa-Cruz d'Agadir.. Le plus jeune, Mohammed Le Cadet, aidŽ par ses 9 fils parviendra au pouvoir suprme. RŽcits de violentes batailles historiques restŽes inŽdites, vie des ChrŽtiens dans les forteresses, leur dŽportation aprs la dŽfaite, mais aussi Žvocation de l'amour fou du ConquŽrant pour Dona Mencia, jeune captive espagnole, fille du Gouverneur de la place conquise...

"Writing good gripping fiction is pure talent, but writing good fiction based on historical fact requires endless research Ð that Pryce has woven it all together in such a fascinating manner is true art." Jim Rheaume

Readers of the Skaha series are set to be highly rewarded in Skaha Ranch, the third and final volume in Elizabeth Pryce's trilogy. Set in the southern Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, the series marks the lives of an ambitious settler, an unyielding entrepreneur and the families that supported their endeavours through the 19th and 20th centuries.

In Skaha Ranch, the future of the ranch is in questions as Llewellyn's only son runs from both family and responsibility; Thomas is not interested in taking the helm of a venture that brought him misery in his childhood. There is some hope in the start of the tourism industry in the valley, and the arrival of an unlikely character lends promise of better days to come. Skaha Ranch is a coming of age tale for both is characters and the valley in which the novel is set. Pryce's genuine love for her home and community is reflected in the dynamic adventures of the McAllister and Llewellyn families.

The Legends of King Arthur--what if Mallory got it wrong? What if the ancient script used by Troyes contained translation errors? What if the monks in the middle ages forgot to transpose the nouns and adjectives in the ancient Latin texts and what should have read 'rotunda on the plateau' instead came out as the nonsensical 'round table.' The Heirs of Fate unscrambles the puzzle and turns the Arthurian legends into a logical and more credible novel. With unforgettable characters and action-packed drama, Ms. Younkins has woven a novel that will be hard to put down. Set in the 5th and 6th Centuries C.E., the novel starts with Merlin's rise to fame, travels through Arthur's stellar achievements, and ends with the collapse of the Romano-Briton Empire.

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Choppers Up! is a story of war and its futility, the young lives wasted and the devastation of landscapes and families. Warrant Officer Timothy D. Dundee is a very young helicopter pilot in an assault company in the US Army during the Vietnam War. His encounters give a graphic account of day-to-day life in combat. In his Army unit there is action, love, sex and simple military humor typical of that found in the jungles of Vietnam with men trying to do a job against impossible odds.

The parallel story of Vietnamese activist Dinh Chau and his sister Nguyen provides a fascinating contrast, showing life on the other side. It also highlights the conflict among the country's people and the uncertainity of their nation.

The Saigon River Massacre changes Timothy's perception of the "honorable" war. The order is given to destroy a Sampan (steamship) loaded with civilian women and children. The haunting memory of children in his gun sight changes Timothy's whole outlook on life. Clandestine "Spook" missions, in Cambodia add to Timothy's discomfort and loathing of this "unwinable" war in Vietnam.

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This is an historical novel in which America's colonial life comes alive for each reader. It is a chronicle of the seafaring Cox family from John's days in Cantebury, England through life as a pirate and land patenter on Bermuda. His five youngest great-grandsons patented land along the Cape Fear River in the early 1700's and have had many children and grand-children who became warriors in the revolution and in the War of 1812.

JAN - Part 1

A beautiful young girl lives with her Mother; a laundress. She has dreams and trust, but this crumbled and she is in bad trouble. The gypsies give her solace and take her with them to roam their well known trails. Suddenly the day came along when a magnificent gypsy caravan, trimmed in gold, satin curtains, and drawn by a team of sleek black horses. Best of all, there was a handsome gentleman, dressed in black velvet, guiding the reins.

She was introduced as Jan, when has asked about her. A strange golden haired beauty, rarely seen with the gypsies. One adventure after another, and as time went by Jan received a gift from the handsome man; one of his beautiful stallions.

Marriage was offered to Jan, but she was suddenly given the power of fortune telling, from the oldest woman in their group. She felt free and powerful with this advantage. The gypsy in black velvet fell in love with her, but she felt free enough to be spiteful in this marriage. Even after she lost her breath, when she saw his magnificent, painted home, know as Rocopperman.

Marriage suddenly became smooth, but Jan was a victim of a man with red hair, who was jealous of her, and clever enough to be able to offer her a lemonade with a drug. Her life went on and she was pregnant. She was very happy to tell her husband. Roman, that they were expecting. The months passed. Her husband was out of town on business. Baby was born at that time. Only one trouble. The baby had red hair. Jan was amazed, but then realized, not only was the babies hair red, but it looked like her abductor.

Marriage fell apart. Husband was heart broken. Jan went back with the gypsies and her little red head. However abductor hailed and marriage mended again. Time passed.

JUSTIN - Part 2

Time passed - Justin was handsome and wore his red hair with honor. An accident with the golden caravan, brought sadness into his life, because his face became badly scarred from the flames that destroyed the whole stable. At first, he wouldn't want to be with anyone, looking at him. However, Coxeys Army came into Handmons, their town. Justin left his home and school, etc. His experiences brought a whole new meaning to his life.

When he returned to Rocopperman, he became a doctor, and after a few years, he built his own hospital. Next World War I came along and he joined the AEF and became a part of the surgery team. Sadness then, his mother and father were killed in an automobile accident, and his wife, Marcy, was coming to Paris to see him. More sadness - The ship went down. he had a nurse there, who was on his surgical team. She had loved him for years - he didn't know. His terrible sadness allowed him to drink French wine. His nurse had joined him. They ended up in a quiet room there. Justin completely our of it, and nurse Charlotte, loved him too much. Result - he was ashamed to know what had happened. Time passed - Charlotte was pregnant, left him a note saying if she died, he should take his child. - She died after the birth, and Justin found something to live for - at Rocopperman with his little red haired son.

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It required fourteen years to complete the following forty-some sketches outlining my family background and personal history from birth until I left home at eighteen in order to try my hand as a university student. Excepting Ralph Ellison's final work, that may be record slowness in pages per day, I'm not sure. Only recently have I experienced a sense of urgency, for surely tomb-time cannot be far away. I enjoyed writing them, fancying each one a regional canvas a la Benton, Curry, Sample, Hogue, Marsh, et al., paintings depicting now dead worlds of steam locomotives and noisy roundhouses, small town killings and tank town tarts, railroad boomers and Main Street toughs, three dollar whore houses and cigarette-fogged pool rooms, death traps masquerading as idyllic farms and school systems that imposed death at an early age on children from "across the tracks."

It's all been written, it's all been painted before; but I had to recreate it once again because it was mine, and I loved it.