Dragon Bait

In this fantasy adventure, a teenage girl accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death by dragon finds an unexpected friend—and maybe something more. Fifteen-year-old Alys is not a witch. But that doesn’t matter—the villagers think she is and have staked her out on a hillside as a sacrifice to the local dragon. It’s late, it’s cold, and it’s raining, and Alys can think of only one thing—revenge. But first she’s got to escape, and even if she does, how can one girl possibly take on an entire town alone? Then the dragon arrives—a dragon that could quite possibly be the perfect ally…. An ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age “Wicked wit and charm . . . as well as a gutsy heroine and a sexy dragon.” —Booklist “Alys herself is a worthy heroine, with a capricious gift for irony. A thoughtful mainstream fantasy.” —Publishers Weekly “[A] dark, bittersweet romance.” —Kirkus Reviews

Wrongly condemned of witchcraft, fifteen-year-old Alys is tempted to take revenge on her accusers when the dragon to which she has been sacrificed turns out to be an ally, in a story about revenge, choice, and forgiveness. Jr Lib Guild. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

Dragon Bait is book II in a trilogy, three linked and contiguous novels which feature the same common primary characters and venues throughout a continuing story. Use of fl ash-back or back story reversions to earlier times/ places is common, allowing introduction of relevant but minor swatches of information and perspective. Book I, Involuntary Tour, published in 2009, was set in Bad Aibling, Germany, in 1968, Viet Nam in 1964-65, and briefl y the U.S. in 1965-66. Dragon Bait, more ambitious, is set in Bad Aibling, again in 1968; the U.S. in short segments over several periods; Asmara, Eritrea (Ethiopia) in 1960-62; Rothwesten and Gartow, Germany, in 1966-67; and Viet Nam in 1968. Book III, Falloff , projected for publication in mid-2011, is set almost entirely in Viet Nam, multiple locations, in 1969. Th ough each book stands alone as a novel, the entire story demands the range of the full trilogy.

Aaron Ehasz won a Peabody Award for his work as head writer and co-executive producer of Avatar: the Last Airbender, and was part of the Emmy-award winning writing team of Futurama. Most recently, he was creative director at Riot Games where he worked on League of Legends as well as projects in development. He earned his MBA at Stanford, and undergrad degree from Harvard. Justin Richmond was a Research and Development Producer leading the team creating one of Riot Games' next big projects. Before that, Justin was the Game Director on the Uncharted franchise at Naughty Dog. Uncharted is one of Sony's most iconic and beloved game franchises with over 25 million units sold as well as 13 DICE Awards and 4 BAFTA's. His Game Direction work on Uncharted 3 earned him a nomination for the DICE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction. Justin has a B.S. in Film from Boston University and a degree in 3D Animation from Vancouver Film School.

In an attempt to gain Congressional approval for a top secret weapons system, Washington lobbyist "Bird" McIntyre and sexy Neo-Con wonkette Angel Templeton start a rumour that the Chinese secret service is trying to assassinate the Dalai Lama. Their outrageous scheme provokes a series of crises involving the White House, the CIA, and a strangely sympathetic and vulnerable Chinese president, with both countries veering perilously towards war. Buckley has drawn his most convincing and outrageous characters to date: Bird, failed novelist of amusingly awful Clancy-esque thrillers; Angel, combination Anne Coulter and Ayn Rand; Bird's demanding, equestrian wife, Myndi; Bewks, his feckless but endearing Civil War re-enactor brother; the mild-mannered Chinese President Fa and his devoted aide Gang, manoeuvring desperately against sinister Politburo hard-liners Minister Lo and General Han. Blending the skewering genius of Thank You For Smoking with Dr. Strangelove's dark comedy, They Eat Puppies Don't They? has something to offend -- and amuse -- everyone. Praise for Christopher Buckely: "One of the funniest writers in the English language." Tom Wolfe. "A Benchley with WordPerfect." John Updike. "An effervescent joy." Joseph Heller.

#1 Bookscan in Juvenile Non-fiction! ─ Be Brave… Stay Wild! Animal Stories for Kids: Coyote Peterson's Brave Adventures: Wild Animals in a Wild World chronicles some of the wildest encounters Coyote Peterson has had over the course of his travels. The stories begin with his first snapping turtle catch as a kid and lead down a trail of incredible moments he and his camera crew have had while filming their Brave Wilderness shows. From a giant alligator that nearly caught Coyote in its bone crushing jaws, to an 800 pound Grizzly Bear that helped him teach the audience what to do and NOT do if you ever encounter one of these enormous predators in the wild, every tale is laced with fast paced action and daring adventure. With the presence of danger often looming for Coyote, each story reminds the reader that animals rule the wild places of this planet, and if we respect them from a safe distance, even the most frightening creatures are more likely to be afraid of us than we should ever be of them. Exciting animal stories for kids of all ages: This collection of short stories aims to give the reader a first-person perspective into some of Coyote’s most harrowing and heartwarming adventures.