The Tzar S Curious Runaways

Packed full of inspirational articles from successful writers, illustrators and publishing experts, the Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook once again serves up the best independent advice to writers for children of all ages. Covering all aspects of the publishing process, across the full range of formats and genres, it will appeal to self-published writers as well as those seeking an agent-publisher or crowdfunded deal. Inside are up-to-date contact details for literary agents, publishers, prizes and grant-giving bodies, societies and creative organisations that support writers and illustrators. Universally recognised as the first port of call for all writers wanting to improve their work and their chances of getting published, this Yearbook contains an 'impressive raft of advice and notes on every aspect of the business' (Quentin Blake).

Discover the curious history of the world's most addictive game and its unusual upbringing. Celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the beloved crossword puzzle, readers can solve over 100 different puzzles from top constructors.

Based on a true story, this epistolary novel features the letters of the four brothers that mix with their mother's journal to tell the story of the battle to survive at the front and back home. It tells the story of a family destroyed by the First World War.

The vivacious Mathilde Kschessinska (1872-1971) was the mistress of three Russian Grand Dukes and the greatest ballerina of her generation. As a young girl, she had enjoyed romantic troika rides, and passionate nights, with the future Tsar Nicholas II. When their relationship ended Mathilde began simultaneous affairs with Nicholas's cousin, Grand Duke Sergei and Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. When her son was born in 1902 nobody knew for certain the identity of the father - except that he was undoubtedly a Romanov. In ballet, she partnered the great Vaslav Nijinsky, became a force to be reckoned with in the Imperial Theatre and, later in life, taught Margot Fonteyn. Mathilde Kschessinska is mentioned in almost every book about the Romanovs but so many myths surround her that she has become the stuff of legend. It is said a hoard of Romanov treasure lies buried under her house in St Petersburg and that a secret passage connected her home to the Winter Palace. Even her own memoirs, published in the 1960s, are as much fantasy as reality. The real story, which this book will reveal, lies in what Mathilde did not say.

This international bestseller has been translated into 26 languages and is the first work to win both of France's top literary honors. "A masterpiece. . . . Makine belongs on the shelf of world literature--between Lermontov and Nabokov, a few volumes down from Proust".--"The Atlanta Journal".