Showing results by narrator "Todd Haberkorn" in All Categories

Life's been hard for Zeke. Being a punching bag for his alcoholic father has turned him into stone. Not even the dodgy trailer park he lives in can scare him. Fighting is his release and sex, drugs, and his guitar bring him peace, but deep down Zeke isn't quite as hard as he makes himself out to be. When he meets Patience, she finds all his broken pieces and puts him back together. She's a ray of light in his shadowed life and the last thing he wants to do is bring her into his dark world.

Virtual Country examines the current nexus of technology and western democracy, pointing to a historical opportunity for We the People to evolve our democracy to include a new public institution that enables a coherent, collective voice on the issues that affect us all. The book's centerpiece is a proposal for a new online institution for citizen reengagement - the National Town Square. The Square would be a transparent, citizen-led, noncorporate, nongovernmental, nonpartisan online venue for individual advisory voting, moderated discussion, and more.

SideQuests are stand-alone stories that chronicle The Foreworld Saga across numerous eras and ages. As Mt. Vesuvius rumbles ominously, Pompeiian Councilor Valerius needs assistance in performing rituals to protect the city from the wrath of the fire-god, Vulcan. But his agenda is far from benevolent, as he cares less about quieting the volcano than taming it and taking the power for himself. Now it’s up to Horatius, a former legionnaire and gladiator, to prevent Valerius’s sinister rites from coming to fruition.

Seven square miles of paradise, surrounded by an eight-foot chain-link fence: this is Nodd, the land of the Grace. It is all seventeen-year-old Jacob knows. Beyond the fence lies the World, a wicked, terrible place, doomed to destruction. When the Archangel Zerachiel descends from Heaven, only the Grace will be spared the horrors of the apocalypse.

Anti-shifter sentiment is at an all-time high when Kayla's transormation to werecat is captured on video and uploaded for the world to see. Suddenly, she becomes a symbol of the werebeast threat and - along with fellow cat Yoshi, lion-possum Clyde, and human Aimee - a hunted fugitive.

Jace survived his first trials in Terra Mythica, but the game is only getting deadlier. Trapped in a world where death isn't the end—just another move in the gods' grand design—he's forced to navigate ancient rivalries, shifting alliances, and whispers of a lost kingdom that could rewrite reality itself. The gods have their own plans, and Jace is at the heart of them. Whether he plays along or fights back, one thing is clear: the rules are changing, and not in his favor.

One night. That's all Finn had with the only girl he ever loved. Years later, all he has left of that night is a silver cross, a broken give a damn, and the unrelenting desire to drink her memory away. As the lead singer of Blow Hole, Finn has his pick of women, but none are able to squash the need he still carries around for Faith. To hate her offers some relief, but when Finn sees her again after so many years, it's hard to despise her. Especially when every reason he had to hate her turns out to be a lie.

His uncle wanted him to stay home and work the farm. But the boy knew there was a world out there he had to see. Yet being a runaway meant you were outside the law - fair game. That’s how he got caught on the farm gang. There was no way out, until Tiltawhirl John picked him up and taught him how to be a carnie, how to stay one step ahead of the suckers. But there was one man from the past even T-John couldn’t keep ahead of. How could the kid keep him from destroying his future?

Fynn has always been lazy: his favorite activities are skipping class, smoking, and lounging around. When his girlfriend breaks up with him, telling him to try doing something else for a change, he has no idea where to even start. One night, on a walk around the neighborhood, he comes across Niko stargazing on a hill. Niko wants nothing to do with this chain-smoking, loud-mouthed guy getting in the way of his astronomy - but Fynn is intrigued. What's up with this nerdy boy who loves to watch the stars, and why is Fynn so captivated by him?

This previously rare, out-of-print collection is being republished with a new prefatory meditation by the author. Featuring Fowler's characteristic imagination, sly wit, and penetrating insight, Black Glass will be a welcome treat for fans new and old.

Jace was never supposed to enter Terra Mythica—let alone become the chosen of Hades, lead a one-man underworld club, or moonlight as an exorcist for possessed teens with god-complexes. But after months trapped in this so-called game, the boundary between code and cosmos has shattered.

When Evan's father dies suddenly, Evan finds a hand-bound yellow book on his desk - a book his dad had been reading when he passed away. The book is the diary of a Japanese soldier stranded on a small Pacific island in WWII. Why was his father reading it? What is in this account that Evan's grandfather, whom Evan has never met before, fears so much that he will do anything to prevent its being seen? And what could this possibly mean for Evan?

In the Pods, low life is the only life. The Shinzo rule the streets, and Virtualize, the brainchild of a man known only as The Wizard, owns everything else. The Wizard is a visionary who pioneered deep immersion, built massive, magical worlds, and made virtual reality affordable for all. But when a virus sweeps the world and governments, business leaders, and influencers seek refuge in VR, Virtualize pounces. The Wizard is ousted in a violent boardroom coup and flees to safety in a VR world. The suits take over the Pods, and the slow corporate strangulation of the world begins.

Eleven-year-old Kieran wants to be part of the in-group at school. He wants to be on the soccer team. He wants to fit in. But then his weird cousin Bon turns up, both at school and at home. Bon's mom hasn't taken good care of him, and he knows nothing about fitting in, with his long blond braid, babyish hand-knit hat, and funny, precise voice. Bon doesn't play sports and likes to draw imaginary maps with stories about "Bon the Crusader" and "Kieran the Brave." No wonder the boys call him Rapunzel and throw his stuff around!

Twelve-year-old Reggie Wong has a quick temper that's always getting him into trouble at school, while at home his mom struggles to get out of bed—let alone leave their apartment. That's why Reggie desperately needs his dad back. One problem: His dad is dead. Enter the Conductor, a man who promises to make Reggie's wish to see his father come true. All he must do is climb aboard the man's subway train. Desperate to have his dad and happy family back, Reggie takes him up on the offer, only to discover the train is filled with other children who have lost a loved one, just like him.

Fresh out of college, Evan has everything going for him: a good job, a beautiful fiancée, and the prospect of making partner at his firm. Then one night, with one bad decision, his dream life turns into a nightmare of cover-ups and lies. It begins as one last drunken celebration with his old friend Peter but ends with a deadly confrontation so heinous the two make a pact to never tell anyone about it - not even the police. The truth has a way of getting out, however, and the truth about Peter is far more dangerous than Evan could have ever imagined.

When free-spirited werecat Yoshi sets out to find his missing sister, he’s shocked to discover that she’s the key suspect in a murder investigation. Meanwhile, sarcastic werepossum Clyde and his human pal Aimee have set out to do a little detective work of their own, sworn to avenge the brutal killing of a friend. When all three are snared in an underground kidnapping ring, they end up on a remote tropical island ruled by a species that’s unusual even by shape-shifter standards.

After nearly a year and a half of grieving the loss of her husband, 27-year-old Alexa Sullivan Tate is headed back to her hometown after a decade of being away. She has no idea her high school crush, Jace McAllister, the guy who stole her heart the same night that he broke it, is more than ready to pick up the pieces.

Let’s face it: Talking about race can be difficult. It’s a slippery subject, rife with as many perspectives as there are people in the world. But laughter gets us talking. It has the power to break down barriers and draw us closer together. In Open Mic, acclaimed author and speaker Mitali Perkins invites us to listen in as 10 authors for young adults - some familiar, some new - step up to the mic and share their stories about what it’s like growing up between cultures.

Azalea is not happy about being dropped off to care for Grandmother Clark. Paris Junction is nothing like her Texas hometown. And now she's been thrown together with troubled Willis DeLoach, gossipy Melinda Bowman, and Billy Wong, a Chinese American boy who has his own troubles. Billy's parents own the Lucky Foods grocery store, where days are long and folks aren't always friendly.