Ruins on Stone Hill


Book Description

What do you get when you mix a novice wizard, a reckless warrior, a sharp-tongued thief, & a saintly cleric? Swords, sorcery, & sarcasm. Glolindir thought he knew all about magic until he came face to face with his very first monster. He only survived thanks to his new friends: a gallant warrior as talented as he is reckless, a mysterious halfling whose knives are nearly as sharp as his tongue, and a saintly gnome whose very touch can heal. Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of their troubles. Strange things have been happening around the little town of Ravenford. Before they know it, they are up to their necks in monsters and worse. From eerie ruins to underground caves to a ghostly forest devoid of life, they encounter the forces of darkness. Can they overcome their faults and work together to save the town, or will they die trying? Enter a world of magic and adventure in this fun tale of heroes in the making. Perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons.




Heroes of Ravenford Books 1 - 3: Ruins on Stone Hill, Serpent Cult, Dark Monolith


Book Description

Ruins on Stone Hill What do you get when you mix a novice wizard, a reckless warrior, a sharp-tongued thief, & a saintly cleric? Swords, sorcery, & sarcasm. Glolindir thought he knew all about magic until he came face to face with his very first monster. He only survived thanks to his new friends: a gallant warrior as talented as he is reckless, a mysterious halfling whose knives are nearly as sharp as his tongue, and a saintly gnome whose very touch can heal. Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of their troubles. Strange things have been happening around the little town of Ravenford. Before they know it, they are up to their necks in monsters and worse. From eerie ruins to underground caves to a ghostly forest devoid of life, they encounter the forces of darkness. Can they overcome their faults and work together to save the town, or will they die trying? Serpent Cult An army of darkness. A group of young heroes. A town hanging in the balance. "You'll be sorry... they'll enthrall... you all..." Voltark's shade had threatened. The mage had been part of a cult that practices the darkest of arts. For reasons shrouded in mystery, the group has set its sights on the little town of Ravenford. With new threats cropping up in and around the town, Glolindir and friends are faced with an impossible task: protect Ravenford from an army of monsters, assassins, and black magic. From the depths of the sea to the spires of Ravenford keep, the young heroes follow a twisted trail of intrigue and death. Surrounded on all sides and vastly outnumbered, do they even stand a chance against such overwhelming odds? Dark Monolith A cult of black mages and demons. The secret to the Thrall Masters’ terrifying power. A desperate race to find it before they do. “They’ll be able to make… golems that haven’t been seen… since the Thrall Masters walked the earth…” Tevlar’s corpse had warned. A hundred and fifty years have passed since the Thrall Masters nearly destroyed the land of Thac. Now the secret to their terrifying power has been found and the Serpent Cult is after it. To stop them, Glolindir and friends must seek out an ancient monolith hidden somewhere in the depths of the mysterious Darkwoods. Yet first they must deal with accusations of treason. They have been branded traitors and must prove themselves in trial by combat or be banished forever. From the tournament fields of Ravenford Keep to the depths of the Darkwoods, the young heroes face deadly traps, fierce monsters, and cunning demons. Can they reach the Dark Monolith before the cult? And if so, what terrifying magical force awaits them there? Enter a world of magic and adventure in this fun tale of heroes in the making. Perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons.




The Ruins on Stone Hill


Book Description

Mix magic and mystery with four novice heroes and trouble is sure to follow. A dark malevolence threatens Ravenford-the town under siege by forces unknown. Their only hope may lie in four newcomers: Lloyd, a young warrior with blades of fire, Glolindir, an elven wizard as deadly to his friends as his enemies, Seth, a cynical halfling who may be an assassin, and Aksel, a quiet gnome whose very touch can heal. From eerie woods to haunted ruins, secret passages to hidden rooms, they must unearth the root of the darkness that has Ravenford at its mercy. With death breathing down their necks, will they rise to the challenge and become the heroes that Ravenford so sorely needs?




The Light in the Ruins


Book Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant comes a spellbinding novel of love, despair, and revenge—set in war-ravaged Tuscany. 1943: Tucked away in the idyllic hills of Tuscany, the Rosatis, an Italian family of noble lineage, believe that the walls of their ancient villa will keep them safe from the war raging across Europe. But when two soldiers—a German and an Italian—arrive at their doorstep asking to see an ancient Etruscan burial site, the Rosatis’ bucolic tranquility is shattered. 1955: Serafina Bettini, an investigator with the Florence Police Department, has successfully hidden her tragic scars from WWII, at least until she’s assigned to a gruesome new case—a serial killer who is targeting the remaining members of the Rosati family one by one. Soon, she will find herself digging into past secrets that will reveal a breathtaking story of moral paradox, human frailty, and the mysterious ways of the heart.




The Jaulân


Book Description




River of Ruin


Book Description

Bidding on a rare diary, written during the French attempt to dig the Panama Canal, geologist Philip Mercer finds himself caught up in a complex Chinese plot to trigger a shift in the world's balance of power.




A System of Geography


Book Description




Fort Phantom Hill


Book Description

The history of Fort Phantom Hill is an interesting saga of defense, a story of both political necessity and individual hubris, and a tale of human perseverance and shortsightedness. The story of the "Post on the Brazos River" has all the elements that characterize human activity with its triumphs and tragedies, victories and defeats. As time passed, circumstances dictated changing uses for the structures at Fort Phantom Hill, from military outpost to stage station to hunter's outpost. Eventually, opportunities for adaptation ran their course and the stone structures fell into neglect. The frontier was occupied by new immigrants who possessed a more modern technology. The threat of Indians was replaced by the hard daily work of living in a semi-desert environment. In Fort Phantom Hill: The Mysterious Ruins on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, Bill Wright weaves the threads of this story into the larger warp and weft of western history and shows how this small fort was conceived, lived, and died as an important part of the "winning of the West."




It Takes a Matriarch


Book Description

It Takes A Matriarch is the second of four books about the extended Reiss and Basler families who settled on a small farm in St. Clair County, Illinois in 1834 and 1839, respectively. It includes 780 letters saved by first generation Margaret Basler Reiss Ebert from 1852 to 1888. Some letters were phonetic English but most had to be translated from old German. Authors were Margarets siblings, their spouses, her children, their spouses, her grandchildren, and two friends. They mention serving in the Civil War, personal challenges, life in St. Louis and Sacramento and Davenport, and the lost family fortune. One author was friends with John Wilkes Booth who shot President Lincoln. Quilter, Granger, Grandma, Matriarch was the first of these four books. It is the daily diary of third generation Katie Reiss covering 1949 through 1953. It was published first to give the reader a feel for life on the Reiss Family Farm in the German heritage of southern Illinois. Katie and husband George Reiss doubled the original Reiss/Basler farm to its current 360 acres. Relatives gather for a reunion in June 2009 to celebrate 175 years of the ongoing existence of the Reiss Family Farm. The Reiss Dairy will be the third book. It is a history of the Reiss Dairy in Sikeston, Missouri which was founded in 1935 by third generation John Reiss. It is famous for milk bottles featuring poems created by Sikeston citizens to promote Reiss Dairy products. The best of these bottles sell on eBay for over $200. Family, Farming, and Freedom will be the fourth book. It is 55 years of professional and personal writings by fourth generation Irv Reiss from 1949 to 2004. His favorite subjects were family fun and travel, restoring strip mined coal lands to productive farming, and promoting individual freedoms and responsibilities. He was my dad.




Princess of Lanfor


Book Description

An insane princess who wants to rule the world. A magical artifact of terrifying power. A deadly struggle to possess it. A hundred and fifty years have passed since the Thrall Masters nearly destroyed the land of Thac. Now the key to their terrifying power has been found and everyone wants it, including the Princess of Lanfor. With her flying fortress & army of dragons who could say no to her? As if that weren’t enough, the Serpent Cult is making one last desperate bid for power. They intend to unleash an ancient evil that could destroy the entire world. From the depths of the Darkwoods to the hidden mountain stronghold of the dark cult, the young heroes face their most perilous challenges yet. Can they stand against the might of the nation of Lanfor? If so, can they stop an evil of horrific power from entering their world. Enter a world of magic and adventure in this fun tale of heroes in the making. Perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings and Dungeons & Dragons.