Comets have inspired dread and panic through millennia. When Halley's Comet made its spectacular appearance in 1910, sweeping the earth with its tail, many feared being poisoned by gases or worse. Churches did a booming business, scoundrels peddled "comet pills," and some desperate souls committed suicide rather than go through what they imagined to be the coming conflagration.

The newspapers of the day eagerly printed every scrap of comet news they could find, or in some cases, invent. From the sober-minded utterances of learned astronomers to reports of "comet party" riots and mass prayer processions - even rumors of Midwestern cultists attempting to sacrifice a virgin to the comet - it was all grist for the mill.

Besides covering the public fascination and hysteria aroused by the comet, some reporters couldn't restrain themselves from fanning the flames. While assuring their readers that "probably" nothing bad would come of earth's encounter with the celestial wanderer, they sometimes went on to note all the horrible things that "might" happen. If that seems irresponsible, just remind yourself of how today's cable news stations seem to thrive on stoking fear in their viewers. In some ways the mass media haven't changed!

The story of Halley's Comet, especially its 1910 fly-by and the popular reaction to it, has been told before. However, this is the first compilation in one volume of such a large and representative sampling of the actual coverage given to the comet by the newspapers of that era. The selections cover the gamut, from serious scientific essays to wild-eyed speculative pieces to reports of people behaving oddly under the grip of comet madness. There are even a couple of comet-themed short stories, as well as writings by youngsters imagining the adventures they could have riding the comet's tail. Many of the selections are accompanied by Steve Smith's editor's notes, providing brief biographies of individuals mentioned in the articles (such as eminent astronomers), and other background information.

Whether your interest is astronomy, journalistic history, events of the early 20th century, or "popular delusions and the madness of crowds," you'll find some fascinating reading here, straight from the pages of yesteryear.

Note: The Vintage Newspaper Mining Project mines for the gems of literature and odd news stories buried in the pages of newspapers published in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These wonderful stories and articles deserve to see the light of day again and to be made available for modern readers. Other volumes (all available as Kindle books) include Dogs! Read All About 'Em: Best Dog Stories & Articles from the Golden Age of Newspapers (Volumes 1 & 2), and Sticky Buns and Jolly Girls: Vintage Advice to Ladies on How to Catch A Man, with many more to come.

In Reunion, author Richard Kimbrough presents the lives of the 39 graduates of the Condon Springs High School Class of ’49, as the twelve surviving members of the class gather for their 65th class reunion. Whether recognized by the graduates or not, each one of them is irrevocably changed by one or two—big or small—events in their lives.

A dental overbite figures heavily in one graduate’s life. A small house fire inspires another to become a missionary. A stranger with two different colored eyes provides comfort to yet another graduate at the end of her life.

Full of humor and poignancy, Reunion will delight readers as the mysteries and ironies of the lives of the graduates unfold before them.

The fourth novel in the Secrets of the Zodiac, a series of full-length historical romance novels, features darker, sexier storylines, complex characters, and international intrigue, set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars.

A fiery lady, a devilish smuggler, and a cargo nations would kill for…

Gemma Harrington leads a wild, unconventional life among con men and smugglers. She can ride and shoot as well as any man, but she wants to escape the world she’s caught in for something better. Then a mysterious gentleman shows up with a daring proposal. If Gemma helps him infiltrate a smuggling ring, he’ll take her anywhere his ship can sail. Captivated, she agrees to his dangerous plan.

With slightly shady ancestors and a far away upbringing, Logan Hartley isn’t the typical hero, and that makes him an excellent spy. Logan had to fight for everything he ever wanted: his own ship, his place in Zodiac, and the approval of his peers. Now he wants Gemma—but he has to stay alive long enough to win her.

As Gemma and Logan follow the trail of a strange criminal, they become targets in a much deadlier game when they uncover a secret that governments would kill for. To expose the truth, they will defy convention and break the rules. And they have to act fast, because their enemies are much closer than they imagine…

What do you do when you're not who you thought you were?

When Lira is returned to the alternate dimension of her birth, she discovers that she is Our Lady of Joy, the only Emotion Conduit to survive to maturity in that world's history. While being so important might seem like a dream come true for some girls, for her, it's closer to a nightmare. Making things even worse is her violent Guardian Rease, who seems like he might be even more troubled than she is. Too bad he's still the cutest boy she's ever met.

As Lira struggles to adapt to a life she never wanted, her father Jonas is coming for her. Only he has a secret of his own, a dark and dangerous past he thought abandoned long ago. But he has no choice, because he knows what she does not: the future will bring a war to their peaceful world, a war in which Our Lady must stand for the light.

Author's note to potential readers: this is a lengthy, character-driven epic fantasy written exclusively for readers who do not wish to look at maps or check character lists, but prefer to read for the emotionally immersive experience of "befriending" characters they love. This series does contain adult themes, but there are no explicit or graphic sex scenes.

The Emergency Hotline

Online entrepreneur Steve Cooper has his own emergency. His mother, recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's, has gone missing while on vacation abroad. Young unemployed but street smart Calvin Brooks has been conscripted to look after his friend's business during his absence.

When anybody who calls up with an emergency, either real or imagined, it is Steve's job to connect that person with the professional most qualified to help. The heartbeat of his business is a Rolodex and cell phone, each with all of the appropriate numbers of these professionals. Money for old rope. Unless you manage to lose both before Steve even leaves the country. Now what do you do? If you're Calvin, you answer the calls and provide your own misguided brand of professional advice. Aided by Bob, the friend who was responsible for the loss of the Rolodex, madness ensues.

Calvin's first two customers are both hell bent on committing suicide by throwing themselves from tall buildings. Using highly irresponsible techniques, he manages to dissuade both from their fate, but at a cost. Janet, the first caller and a stripper by trade, has decided that fate has used Calvin to bring them both together in eventual wedlock. Meanwhile, the second 'would be jumper' Mike, has convinced himself not only that Janet holds the key to his happiness but that Calvin has inappropriate designs on her, himself.

With Bob's help, Calvin has to juggle keeping Steve's business afloat with earning enough money to replace his expensive phone. Throw into the mix a woman in her mid-sixties with multiple personality disorder. Her wealthy son offers Calvin decent money to look after his mother while he takes care of his multi million dollar business deals. It turns out that Sylvia becomes a different person depending on which room she is in, a fact Calvin comes to grips with in hilarious fashion. In three different rooms, Sylvia becomes a sex crazed aristocrat, the daughter of a naval admiral and a German psychiatrist whose second job is located in Helga's house of pain.

In the middle of all this, Calvin's partner in crime has received a call from Mary in Chicago. Mary thought she had called a psychic hotline whose number was one digit removed from Steve's office phone. Bob was less than honest with Mary suggesting she was due to receive a substantial cash windfall from an ailing uncle. Who would have guessed that Mary, accompanied by her demonic one-eyed cat, would track Bob down?

Will Calvin manage to evade wedding bells? Will Mary sue Bob? Will Mike persuade Janet that he is the better man? Will Calvin earn enough money to replace Steve's expensive phone? Can the Rolodex be located before Steve gets back? Does Steve find his mother? Will Calvin's sanity prevail against Sylvia's eccentric excesses?

Who said having a s*x addiction was a bad thing? 
S*x addict? Aren't all guys? 
But my situation is what you could call 'unique'. 
I'm seeing my daughter's best friend to work on my 'problem' but all I want to is work on her -  Hard and all night long!

S*xy. Sassy. Gorgeous. Katie is s*x on heels and has become my latest addiction. 
I attend all her sessions. 
And then... I undress her with my eyes. 
If only she could let me use my hands....and mouth...and.....
Then there's the reality that she's half my age and my daughter's best friend. 
I know it is wrong. 
But that only makes me want her more.
I just need to take the first step and help her break those rules. 
Because rules are for good girls. 
And.....she is gonna be bad for her Daddy!

This is a super steamy, standalone single dad next door romance. No cheating and Happily Ever After Guaranteed! Bonus Content included.

Would you sell your soul to live forever?

Or to save a friend?

Questions Florida Highway Patrol Investigator Jim Demore never dreamed he must answer.

Until his investigation of a horrific crash on I-75 pushes him beyond the realities of everyday forensic police work and thrusts him into a world he doesn’t believe exists.

The sinister world of beautiful, seductive Kat Connors who works nights as a part-time dancer and days as a lab technician at Advanced Genetic Technologies.

A world where science, magick, seduction and the demonic power behind the legend of the Fountain of Youth conspire to use biotechnology to turn the world into a demonic playground.

An eternal hell on earth.

And Demore, the disbelieving skeptic, must answer.

At the gates of hell.

With his soul.

Yes or no.

Scroll up and grab a copy today.

Delta, a widowed author is ambushed by her family with a Montana vacation, someplace she can relax, write and create new memories. The Silver Creek Ranch is just the place. It has everything she needs, rolling vistas, beautiful horses, and one very hot cowboy!
Daniel is busy running the Ranch and raising his daughter, he isn’t expecting to find love at this stage in his life. Delta is an unexpected gift that he is determined to not let slip through his fingers. It is the dawn of new beginnings, if they can survive.
When strange accidents begin, no one is prepared for the depths a demented mind will go to get what they want. Daniel and Delta are caught in a dangerous web of deception. They must act together or lose everything.

A predatory alien species covertly stalks the people of our world. Worse yet, secretive agencies within our own government knowingly cover up the alien activity in exchange for access to advanced technology.
U.S. President Jason Andrews obtains access to the hidden reality of aliens in our world and gains the help of people and technology from another star system. Talented navy fighter pilot Diane Zadanski is recruited into our country’s new secret space program to help fight the Zeta Greys and drive them from our solar system. But the Zeta Grey plan to gain absolute control of our world is almost complete. Is it too little, too late? Or do we really stand a chance to survive?

History with hot, hot, moments... Justine's Reviews

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A savvy young woman falls for a mysterious Spaniard in a time of political conspiracies and poison. A pope is dead and more than one inheritance disappears. Her only hope is a dark Spaniard and when his town goes under siege, despite overwhelming odds, she rushes in to save him. 
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Zombies Versus Aliens will return to full price on March 31.

In a wave of blood and destruction, zombies infested the earth and brought humanity to its knees. After years of violence and despair, humans defeated the zombies. Ten years later, the world has moved past those horrific times and started to rebuild. But now a new threat falls from the sky . . .

Michael Davis should be dead. Everyday he sees the scars on his body reminding him that he should have turned into a zombie, and with no memories of his past, he does not even know who he is. Then he encounters Elise, someone who may have the answers that he needs. But searching for those answers will send Davis into the middle of a war that has been raging for eons across the galaxy.

Earth is poised to become the battleground for a newly risen army of the undead and an invading force of aliens desperate to conquer the planet. And behind it all is an even greater power shrouded in darkness.

Looking for love, Moriel Reis finds it—but why here?

A professional teacher by day, Moriel learns that students can sometimes be the best teachers. Eighteen-year-old Scott Cooper and Itsuma Karter, two of his students share similar interests—including lust for each other. Emotions flare when Itsuma challenges “Mr. Reis’s” authority.

After Moriel harshly disciplines Itsuma in front of the entire class, the young student vows to regain a piece of his wounded pride back. Torn by loyalty for his smoldering friend and classmate, Scott Cooper watches his homeroom teacher with dreamy, lust-filled eyes.

The heated conflict begins a fiery battle between Itsuma and his teacher. As this passion translation becomes a lustful tale, a surprising ‘hot for teacher’ story becomes a love affair, and a passionate adventure.

This out of the ordinary exploration for the two students allows them entrance into a world of erotic confessions, taking them on a journey into the velvet art of seduction that begins when the fighting ends. But as their taboo sexual persuasions beckon for something more, in lies the question… do two wrongs make a right?

Moriel, Scott, and Itsuma learn the answer.

Russ Gallant and his family face their judgement outside Eden, the city rebuilding both the greatness and the destruction of civilization.

Made by the Builders, Eden is an attempt to restore the Old World after the War. But this paradise is not open to everyone. A Seer judges all who wish to enter the city. Those who have been good are let in. But those who have wronged are sent away to be punished.

To stay with his family and to survive, Russ will have to let go of his past and do what he thought he never would: believe in the New World of the Builders.

If you love post-apocalyptic fiction, don't miss out this short, fast-paced read!

Five years have passed since the zombie apocalypse swept across the world. The remnants of humanity struggle to survive against Red-Eye, man-eating monsters that hide among the ruins of civilization.

The survivors of Cannon Fields live behind their high iron fences and sturdy gate growing food, raising their children, and try to keep out the horrors of the outside world - living and dead. They hope for a day when fences and gates aren't needed anymore and someone puts the world back together.

During a trade mission, John Linder and his best friend Claire, cross paths with a stranger on a noisy motorcycle. He proposes an exchange - vital medicine for help in getting his friends to safety. The trip will be risky. The stranger's friends are hiding with a zombie-infested city at their backs and groups of desperate survivors all around them.

John, and the leadership of Cannon Fields, must decide to risk the residents lives and resources to help some strangers back to their fenced-in home. They must make a decision quickly. Time is running out, and the Red-Eyes are circling.

Love Onboard: Cupid's Caribbean Cruise. . . . Waves of New Romantic Releases From Your Favorite Authors onboard a Valentine’s single cruise.

Too Fast for Love by Lilly Christine- Race Car Driver Luke Devlin’s anger issues bring him to a screeching stop, but Love Expert Lacey Lipinski has the keys to help him recalibrate. Can a cruise ship fling survive life in the fast lane?

Just One look by Deb Julienne- On a secret mission for her father, Diana Clay aka ‘Diana Tolliver’ finds herself alone on a singles cruise. She befriends a passenger and they play a game...date for a cruise. Each must pick out the others date for the duration of the cruise. Between her research on the ship and her new “boyfriend” she has her hands full.

Pirated Pixie by Shea McMaster- Irene Lundquist has no plans for romance while on the cruise with her jilted best friend and his groomsmen. She's surprised when Dutch Marshal’s good looks and charm do nothing to help her relax, and everything to steal her heart. For Dutch, things get complicated when the best man in charge of the group plans is a gorgeous pixie-sized redhead woman who lights his fire. Can either of them make it through the singles cruise and remain single, or will they get the happily ever after neither of them was looking for?

Healing Hearts by Michele Shriver- After a bitter divorce and custody battle, Taryn Bradfield’s best friend books her on a singles cruise, where she meets Makai Grant, an airline pilot burnt out on love. Sailing the Caribbean, Taryn and Makai find healing and passion in each other’s arms, but too soon, the ship returns to port. Was it a vacation fling, or the start of something more?

Cinderella at Sea by Ellen Wilder- When girl next door Manda Reilly discovers hero country singer Hunter Cross is onboard her singles cruise, Manda finds herself indulging in the exotic. Hunter’s heroism goes more than skin-deep. Can the man she’s known forever really be her one true love?

From the members and associates of the Conservative-Libertarian Fiction Alliance (CLFA) comes Freedom’s Light, a collection of short fiction that celebrates the human yearning for liberty. These stories will extol the value of human rights and the sacrifices of those who defend those rights. This collection features works from a wide variety of genres and a diverse set of authors, including Hugo Award nominee Brad R. Torgersen and 2016 Dragon Award winner Nick Cole. Freedom’s Light will entertain us and elevate the humanity we all share.

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Net proceeds from the sale of this anthology will be donated to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending liberty, freedom of speech, due process, academic freedom, legal equality, and freedom of conscience on America’s college campuses. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of all of the contributing authors, nor of the organization(s) designated as the recipient(s) of the publication's proceeds.

A Roman Centurion of the Italian Cohort, Marcus Cornelius, always believed his destiny would be to glorify Rome and its Emperor, Tiberius Caesar, on the field of battle. That is, until this destiny is suddenly interrupted by a new posting in the remote province of Judea and by a strange encounter with a rabbi that the locals call “the Nazarene.” Touched, then consumed by this Teacher, Centurion Marcus enters a completely new journey through one of the Nazarene’s Followers, a mystifying and enchanting woman named Joanna.
But what will become of his destiny as a soldier? Will Marcus’ fate be turned inside out if the Nazarene and his teaching end his life in the Legions of Rome? And will he survive the journey toward a whole new life that is as Marcus himself claims, “The man he was destined to become?” This is a soldier’s emotional and rapidly moving story told through his eyes: his letters, his losses, his loves and his sacrifices in the often violent events of the early New Testament and its world.

Special pre-order pricing. 60% off before January 13th, 2017.

Are they strong enough to be her men?

Cunning. Everyone uses the word to describe Katy. In Quarterz, the virtual reality world where men and women compete as hunter or prey, Katy has never been captured. At least, not until the bear clan arrived in the game. Powerful, smart, and straight out of her fantasies, Katy can't always outmaneuver the tests they create.

When the clan challenges her to take their team on in a real game of hunters and prey, she can’t resist the lure.

Is she strong enough to be their woman?

Grizz, Oso, and Kodie are Pantherian bear shifters, born into a culture where men have learned to share and protect their species’ most limited resource—females. They’ve accepted they will never have a Pantherian female as their shared mate. But can a human female handle a Pantherian, mating trio. If so, will she still want them when she knows what they are?

Are any of them strong enough to outsmart fate?

When the game puts hearts and lives on the line, taking a loss is the only way to win.

It was the spring of 1989. I was sixteen years old, a junior in high school and an honors student. I had what every teenager wants: a stable family, a nice home in the suburbs, a great group of friends, big plans for my future, and no reason to believe that any of that would ever change.

Then came my mother's psychosis.

I experienced first-hand the terror of watching someone I loved transform into a monster, the terror of discovering that I was to be her primary victim. For years I’ve lived with the sadness of knowing that she, too, was a helpless victim – a victim of a terrible disease that consumed and destroyed the strong and caring woman I had once called Mom.

My mother's illness took everything. My family, my home, my friends, my future. A year and a half later I would be living alone on the street on the other side of the country, wondering whether I could even survive on my own.

But I did. That was how my mother - my real mother - raised me. To survive.

She, too, was a survivor. It wasn't until last year that I learned that she had died - in 2007. No one will ever know her side of the story now. But perhaps, at last, it’s time for me to tell mine.

Defending her honor . . . and her life!
 
The untamed wilderness of 1887 Washington Territory is A Man’s World. The survivor of more than one deadly ambush, Trace Burdette knows this better than anyone. Masquerading as a man, she prides herself on being the ‘toughest hombre’ this side of the Cascades, packing the guns to prove it. 
 
Then, Zeb Prescott returns to Liberty Valley. The tenacious young woman dressed in masculine garb doesn’t fool him, even if she can almost outride and outshoot him. Determined to win Trace’s trust, he must confront the danger facing them. Before they can have a future together, they will have to deal with secrets of the past and the dangerous outlaw plotting to kill the woman Zeb loves.