Cocoa And Curses

"Originally published by Marion Lloyd Books, an imprint of Scholastic Children's Books, London, in 2013"--Title page verso.

Mix one part divorce, two parts very suspicious murder, and three parts snarky witches for a cocoalicious paranormal women's fiction novel about finding your power after forty! All Liv Kolgrim wanted for her forty-first birthday was a nice dinner with her husband. What she got was divorce papers and the legs knocked out from under her very comfortable life. Yearning for a fresh start, Liv punches the reset button on her life and retreats to her tiny hometown to plan her next move. But her feet have barely touched Mistlevale's snowy streets when a body shows up at her family's cozy lodge. Even worse, local sheriff's deputy Gray Bauer wants Liv's cantankerous grandmother on the hook for the crime. Now Liv's restful vacation has turned into a race to unravel the mystery before her poor Gran winds up in a cell. With a small-town cast of characters to investigate, delicious cocoa to drink, and an enormous semi-feral cat on her tail, Liv has more than her hands full. And that's all before her family insists she take up the mantle of witchcraft that Liv's never really believed in. Cocoa & Curses is the first book of the Witches of Noel Lodge, a paranormal women's fiction series featuring a trio of snarky witches, a heaping helping of holiday cheer, and enough magical mayhem to stuff a stocking. Please note this book was originally published as Room With a Bloom. This new edition does not contain additional content.

Have yourself a very Merry Witchmas in Holiday Haven, where the magic and mystery of Christmas is snow joke!Hardworking witch, Rudie Hollybrook, adores her quaint town of Holiday Haven, located near Santa's Workshop at the North Pole, but can't help feeling like an outsider. Not only does she have the unique ability to see ghosts, but she also runs the Hollybrook Funeral Home with her sisters. In a town where the holiday cheer is turned up to eleven all year round, Rudie's slightly eerie abilities make her feel like a misfit. While volunteering at the Christmas Market days before the big celebration, Rudie witnesses a tragedy. One of the volunteer club's chairwomen is murdered by poisonous hot cocoa, sending the charming town reeling.When Rudie's tasked by the dead woman's ghost to find her killer, she teams up with her crush at the local paper to do some sleuthing. Together, they uncover embezzlement, bribery and an illegal potions ring, all with ties to the murdered woman. Could it be the rebellious teenage granddaughter with a less-than-stellar taste in men? Or maybe the town doctor with a mysterious past? Rudie's investigation even leads her to suspect her nemesis, the bully with a history of getting what she wants--no matter the cost. With the countdown to Christmas nearly at an end, and the restless spirit threatening to haunt her holiday, Rudie races to catch the cocoa killer and make her beloved town safe again. Will Rudie unmask the culprit and prove she's a vital member of this charming Christmas town? Or will a murderer roam free and ruin Christmas for all of Holiday Haven?Grab your cup of cocoa, sit in a comfy chair by the cozy fire, and find out now in Cocoa Curses ! And be sure to check out the other magical mysteries of the Winter Witches of Holiday Haven series!

Choccywoccydoodah are the infamous Brighton chocolatiers who have spent the last 20 years rocking-out and chocolate-making for anyone and everyone who appreciates their irreverent view of the world. They have starred in five successful television series shown in 42 territories all over the world. Fans including Whoopi Goldberg, Wesley Snipes, Jackie Collins, Boy George, Tinie Tempah and many more. Choccywoccydoodah's chocolate geniuses are found in their Brighton based Mothership, where artists, designers and sculptors create extraordinary confections to commission. The Mothership is home to a shop, cafe, secret party room and the first Witches Kitchen. The Flagship is a magnificent former tobacco factory, just off Carnaby Street, in London. Tourists, fans, chocolate lovers and aspiring Doodahs from all over the world pilgrimage to both the Mothership and Flagship to satiate their appetite for cake, chocolate and Choccywoccydoodah. Choccywoccydoodah: Chocolate, Cake and Curses is a book to celebrate all things chocolate and cake from a team that have dedicated their lives to being joy-makers and cake-bakers. It is a story book of recipes where Christine and her Doodahs share their own personal chocolate and cake favourites in addition to stories behind the world famous Rocky Road recipe, the Nuns Naughty Secrets, and the reason Brighton (chocolate) rocks. Choccywoccydoodah Chocolate, Cake and Curses has been written to put a spell on all chocolate lovers, everywhere. After all, everyone deserves a little magic.

For fans of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Oz and Lily’s magical chocolate-filled adventure continues in the sequel to The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop. In the wrong hands, chocolate can be very dangerous indeed. . . . Oz and Lily have a top-secret mission. Alba the witch has gotten her hands on a magical chocolate phoenix and is plotting to use it for some serious evil. With the help of an army of rats and an unreliable talking cat, the children must pursue her not only across London but through time itself. This might be their toughest adventure yet. Praise for The Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix “Saunders weaves the supernatural with the ordinary with ease. Readers who enjoyed The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop will not be disappointed.”—Booklist “Clearly, Saunders has honed her deft and breezy comic style while affectionately channeling mild echoes of Harry Potter and The Hobbit....It’s official: more magical chocolate equals even more perceptive and magical fun for all.”—Kirkus Reviews “Saunders’s imagination is out in full force. Hand this to readers who love adventure, fantasy, and Mission Impossible–type adventure.”—SLJ

For fans of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Oz and Lily’s magical chocolate-filled adventure continues in the sequel to The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop. In the wrong hands, chocolate can be very dangerous indeed. . . . Oz and Lily have a top-secret mission. Alba the witch has gotten her hands on a magical chocolate phoenix and is plotting to use it for some serious evil. With the help of an army of rats and an unreliable talking cat, the children must pursue her not only across London but through time itself. This might be their toughest adventure yet. Praise for The Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix “Saunders weaves the supernatural with the ordinary with ease. Readers who enjoyed The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop will not be disappointed.”—Booklist “Clearly, Saunders has honed her deft and breezy comic style while affectionately channeling mild echoes of Harry Potter and The Hobbit....It’s official: more magical chocolate equals even more perceptive and magical fun for all.”—Kirkus Reviews “Saunders’s imagination is out in full force. Hand this to readers who love adventure, fantasy, and Mission Impossible–type adventure.”—SLJ

It is widely accepted that natural resource wealth, especially in the form of oil and minerals, can be a key factor in inhibiting economic development. Many of the countries that are richest in natural resources – including oil, metals and diamonds – are amongst the world’s poorest. Why? Fiscal Policy and the Natural Resources Curse re-examines this ancient, unsolved puzzle, asking why many governments of natural resource-intensive countries are incapable, in a globalised world, of dealing with the natural-resource curse. This book offers a detailed analysis of the power-relationships which underpin the natural resource curse, using both statistical analysis and country case studies from Africa and Latin America to pinpoint the strategies that have enable developing countries to break out of the poverty trap. The book differs from other works on this subject, as it not only identifies the issues at stake but also offers solutions in the form of a series of suggested policy measures. The work focusses in particular on fiscal escape routes, namely measures to develop and diversify the tax system, and to reallocate and target public expenditure. This volume will be of great interest to scholars of economic development, the economics of natural resources and economic growth as well as all those with an interest in development, global politics and anti-poverty policies.

Oz and Lily's family have inherited an ancient chocolate shop and they're moving in upstairs. It's the perfect home ... apart from the small fact that it's haunted. And then they discover some solid gold chocolate moulds - with magic powers! Soon the ghosts are joined by some evil villains determined to get their hands on the priceless secrets of the magical chocolate.