Showing results by narrator "Joe Hempel" in All Categories

From literary icon Joyce Carol Oates comes a brand-new collection of haunting and, at times, darkly humorous mystery and suspense stories. These are tales of psyches pushed to their limits by the expectations of everyday life - from a woman who gets lost on her drive home to her plush suburban home and ends up breaking into a stranger's house, to a first-person account of a cloned 1940s magazine pinup girl being sold at auction and embodying America's ideals of beauty and womanhood.

Angels and Demons, Myths and Legends... It's been six months since Reginald Baskin became a vampire too fat to live happily with the beautiful undead — six months in which Reginald and his two-thousand-year-old maker Maurice have learned that safety does not come with power. These days, Maurice is Deacon of the Vampire Nation, but plenty beneath Maurice are still plotting to depose him … or dispose of him. But when a new and ancient threat rears its head, the Nation faces extinction and the truest of deaths — and Reginald, Maurice, and Nikki might be the only vampires who can stop it.

Weber offers listeners practical advice about how to use family meetings to provide financial education for children and strengthen family ties. A Spectrum of Legacies includes case studies, sample worksheets, and letters from Weber’s long experience as an advisor to affluent families. Listeners can use A Spectrum of Legacies to create legacies that pass their financial assets in a way that reflects their personal values, teaches their children, and benefits their communities.

Evil Is Closer Than You Think. You should be celebrating the happiest night of your life. Instead, churches burn, suicides spread like wildfire, and brutal murders tear through your town. What begins as an engagement celebration quickly descends into hell on earth. When your fiancée becomes possessed by Satan himself, you are forced to make impossible choices, each one pulling you deeper into darkness. The Devil does not just want her soul. He wants yours. Can you resist his influence and save the woman you love, or will you give in to the evil already growing inside you?

The combined military forces of five city states have arrived outside of Audin. They’ve come to punish the arrogant Lord Governor and restore the land’s precious balance. Despite their combined power, Audin has a secret weapon. Built by Ilsa Wright, the greatest magical engineer since Lord Colt himself, the Mark V magical armor is a nearly unstoppable force on the battlefield.

Bill works full-time, plays by the rules, and still drowns in debt. When the final notice comes, it’s not a court summons—it’s a knock at the door after dinner. The collection agency doesn’t want money. They want blood. Flesh. Pain. And they want it now. Lucas, the man sent to collect, never wanted this job. But in a world where the cost of living is your soul, he’ll do anything to keep his wife and daughters fed—and safe from the same fate. As Bill is dragged into a nightmarish system where debt is paid in gore and suffering, Lucas must confront the horrors he's become complicit in.

You’ve been chosen to playtest a brand-new survival game set inside the abandoned Propitius Hotel—once home to a notorious serial killer. The producers promise fame, glory, and a shot at greatness. But they forgot to mention one thing: the danger is real. The deeper you go, the more the hotel seems alive—its rooms twisting with deadly puzzles, grotesque traps, and a ghost who never left. Every decision brings you closer to victory… or a violent, unforgettable end.

Pierce's team encounters an unlikely threat. The challenges ahead of them will test their physical and mental limits. James and his group find out that the cathedral they considered sanctuary is not so safe after all. Daniel makes a discovery that has him questioning everything he's known his entire life. As the days go by, Krista loses hope that her husband will ever come back. Heather and her sister are still alive, but the infected are making it difficult to find a way out. With every minute they spend in the city, their likelihood of survival dwindles.

As the star forward for the Boston Blades, I've earned a reputation for no-strings attached hookups and a mean slapshot that has all the ladies purring - but it's never been the one woman I want to see all fired up and ready to score. Boston's own Ice Queen Gwen James has had my emotions all tangled up for years. I've played the games. I've sat on the sidelines. I'm done being benched. When she approaches me for a second chance, I accept on one condition: she's got to prove she's all in. It just might kill me to keep my hands to myself, but it's time Gwen knows what it's like to beg.

Everyone in Yaz's village has vanished. The only clue, a strange golden coin marked with mysterious runes. Can Yaz and his friends figure out what the coin means before it's too late? And what are the sinister Dark Sages up to in the northwest? It can't be anything good for our heroes. It's a race against time to rescue the missing villagers.  

Thirty years ago, cynical sleaze ball director Tito Bronze took a tiny cast and crew to a desolate island. His goal: to exploit the local tribes, spray some guts around, cash in on the gore-spattered 80s Italian cannibal craze. But the pissed-off spirits of the island had other ideas. And before long, guts were squirting behind the scenes, as well.

This how-to guide provides 30 quick-and-dirty action plans for overcoming 30 bad habits that are sabotaging your time management. Each habit is investigated to reveal its common triggers and explore how it cripples your productivity. You'll also receive a step-by-step blueprint for defeating each bad habit and reclaiming your time, clarity, and confidence in the process. The 30-Day Productivity Plan - VOLUME II is filled with actionable advice you can put to use IMMEDIATELY to triple your productivity.

Fourteen-year-old Eric Ross is struggling. His father is in prison for murder. His mother has slipped into addiction. Even if he can survive the bullying and the sudden run of disappearances, he has little hope for a future outside of the sleepy Massachusetts fishing town he calls home. But there is something far more important on his mind. He found her down beneath the local entertainment pier, and she seems just about perfect. Except for the teeth. But she doesn't want to simply be a part of his world. She wants more . . .

Kim and Julian try to adjust to their new home, but reminders of the previous owners are many. For Kim, it's difficult not to fixate on the mysterious disappearance of the house's last tenants and she quickly grows obsessed with learning more about them. All the while, the house's quirks and flaws become more than just an annoyance. They're becoming frightening. The strange door in the basement, which had been wallpapered over so as to keep it hidden, has opened of its own accord.

At the height of The Crown War, Vilos made a deal with a powerful sorcerer. Vilos’s reign would be secured in exchange for his first born daughter. The sorcerer promised to come for the princess on her 18th birthday. That day is today.

Al Elan is a street urchin just trying to survive in the back allies of Dragon’s Landing. When he’s found to have the Breath of the Dragon, it’s his way out. But life in the Red Dragon’s military academy isn’t an easy one. He’ll need to master his power quickly if he wants to survive. See the humble beginnings of a future dragon champion in this action packed novella.

The storm hasn't let up. There's nothing the young couple June and Carson can do but bide their time and wait it out. That means it's time for another strange tale. The one they settle on is called "Jelly," and it's about a young college man returning home for holiday break. While there, he discovers a strange alien presence hiding in his childhood treehouse. Is it friendly? Or is it dangerous?

The Wrestlers' Wrestlers spotlights elite performers and analyzes exactly what made them your favorite wrestler's favorite wrestlers. Authors Dan Murphy and Brian Young interviewed more than 40 in-ring veterans, historians, referees, and promoters to get a unique insider's look at the people who have made a lasting impact on the world of professional wrestling. It offers a special peek "behind the curtain" and a rare look into the top stars' thoughts on their peers, their influences, and their personal favorites.

Defeat a three-headed fire breathing monster? All in a day's work for the world's only male wizard. Conryu returns to the academy after surviving his first semester by the narrowest of margins. Little does he know the monstrous threats waiting for him in the second half of the year. Back in Sentinel City things aren't progressing any better as the devious Lady Raven plots the city's destruction from her hidden lair. The exciting third book in the Aegis of Merlin series finds Conryu facing an ever-growing list of dangers. Can he conqueror his foes before time runs out?

Evan Portin is at a sad, scary place in his life. While taking a long walk to compose himself and figure out where to go from here, he encounters a young woman being mugged in a park. When he tries to intervene, he discovers that she doesn't need his help. At all. Her name is Harriett. She is very, very good at defending herself. Everything she owns is in a large backpack. She's never seen a cell phone. She's never been in a car. She's never really ventured into the outside world. And she says she's traveling across the country to slay a Cyclops. She's crazy, right?