Spellbound Sampler

Together we will make nine original blocks, using my favourite piecing techniques, to create a quilt that explores the imagery of autumn: the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter; turning leaves and misty mornings; festivals of fire and fairytales at bedtime...Autumn, the burnished sunset of the year, washes the garden with shades of copper and gold. Nights draw in, mist rises, the winter approaches. Larders are stocked for the dark months ahead and favourite books taken down to read by the fireside. At home in Shropshire we celebrate with a Bonfire Party and, as we head back to the house with our friends, I imagine all the nocturnal residents of our garden gathered around the embers of the fire...

Welcome to the illogical, idiosyncratic, outrageous linguistic phenomenon known as the English language. The story of how this ragtag collection of words evolved is a winding tale replete with intriguing accidents and bizarre twists of fate. In this eye-opening, fabulously entertaining book, James Essinger unlocks the mysteries that have confounded linguists and scholars for millennia. From the sophisticated writing systems of the ancient Sumerians through the tongue twisters of Middle English, the popular National Spelling Bee, and the mobile phone text-messaging of today, Spellbound chronicles the fascinating history of English spelling, including insights about the vast number of words English has borrowed from other languages (“orange,” “vanilla,” and “ketchup,” to name a few), and how their meanings differ from country to country. Featuring a lively cast of characters ranging from the fictional to the historically noteworthy (Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, Shakespeare, Bill Gates), this affectionate tribute to English spelling shows why our whimsical, capricious common language continues to hold us spellbound.

Autumn, the burnished sunset of the year, washes the garden with shades of copper and gold. Nights draw in, mist rises, the winter approaches. Larders are stocked for the dark months ahead and favourite books taken down to read by the fireside.At home in Shropshire we celebrate with a Bonfire Party and, as we head back to the house with our friends, I imagine all the nocturnal residents of our garden gathered around the embers of the fire

Can Cassius and Morgan overcome an elusive enemy and save a young girl’s life? Eden Monroe has spent her entire existence believing she has no magic. Shunned by her mother Brianna and the magical bureau Hexa, she runs away from home when she is forced to embrace a future she never chose, only to fall into the hands of ghastly monsters from the Nine Hells. After being rescued by a mysterious Dryad with secrets of his own, Eden realizes there is more to her past and future than she could ever have imagined. When San Francisco PD asks Argonaut to assist them in solving a series of strange bank robberies, Cassius Black and Morgan King uncover a disturbing plot that points to an unknown artifact hidden somewhere in the city. Their investigation soon has them crossing paths with a desperate Brianna, who seeks their help in finding her missing daughter. When the witch reveals the shocking circumstances surrounding her daughter’s birth as well as the deadly magic sealed inside the young girl’s body, the Argonaut agents realize their case is linked to Eden and the weapon of devastating power the bank robbers are after. Can Cassius and Morgan defeat the malevolent organization behind it all and save Eden from her cursed fate? Or will the young girl suffer a destiny worse than death itself? Spellbound is the second novel in the gay urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. This is an MM paranormal adventure full of action, magic, snark, and a host of steamy angels and demons. Visit Ava's author store at Shop AD Starrling to get digitally signed books and discounted bundles!

Asserting that written language is on the verge of its greatest change since the advent of the printing press, visual artist Craig McDaniel and art historian Jean Robertson bring us Spellbound – a collection of heavily illustrated essays that interrogate assumptions about language and typography. Rethinking the alphabet, they argue, means rethinking human communication. Looking beyond traditional typography, the authors conceive of new languages in which encoded pictorial images offer an unparalleled fusion of art and language. In a world of constant technological innovation offered by e-books, tablets, cell phones and the Internet, McDaniel and Robertson demonstrate provocatively what it would mean to move beyond the alphabet we know to a wholly new system of written communication.

A quilt that gazes westwards across the wide Atlantic sea from the Cornish coast to New England...We live a long way from the sea and in the height of summer it can take many hours to reach the coast.But the minute we catch a glimpse of the water, sparkling on the horizon, the cares of the journey disappear.A brisk, salty breeze; clear coastal light; and the sound of the seagulls whirling overhead - eyeing up our fish and chip supper - as we stroll along the pier and we are restored...

All three novels in the dazzling Magic in Manhattan paranormal historical romance series, available now in one box set. “Allie Therin built a world that came alive and flew off the pages.” —Gay Book Reviews Spellbound Arthur Kenzie’s life’s work is protecting the world from the supernatural relics that could destroy it. When an amulet with the power to control the tides is shipped to New York, he must intercept it before it can be used to devastating effects. This time, in order to succeed, he needs a powerful psychometric…and the only one available has sworn off his abilities altogether. Rory Brodigan’s gift comes with great risk. To protect himself, he’s become a recluse, redirecting his magic to find counterfeit antiques. But with the city’s fate hanging in the balance, he can’t force himself to say no. As Arthur coaxes him out of seclusion, a magical and emotional bond begins to form. One that proves impossible to break—even when Arthur sacrifices himself to keep Rory safe and Rory must risk everything to save him. Starcrossed Arthur’s continued quest to contain supernatural relics that pose a threat to the world captured Rory’s imagination—and his heart. Butwhen a group of ruthless paranormals throw the city into chaos, the two men’s strained relationship leaves Rory vulnerable to a monster from Arthur’s past. With dark forces determined to tear them apart, Rory and Arthur will have to draw on every last bit of magic up their sleeves. And in the end, it’s the connection they’ve formed without magic that will be tested like never before. Wonderstruck Arthur's search to to destroy the powerful supernatural relic that threatens Manhattan has been fruitless . All it has done is keep him from the man he loves. But he’ll do anything to keep Rory safe and free, even if that means leaving him behind. Rory is determined to gain power over his own magic. He can take care of himself—and maybe even Arthur, too, if Arthur will let him. An auction at the Paris world’s fair offers the perfect opportunity to destroy the relic, if a group of power-hungry supernaturals don’t destroy Rory and Arthur first. As the magical world converges on Paris, Arthur and Rory have to decide who they can trust. Guessing wrong could spell destruction for their bond—and for the world as they know it Magic in Manhattan Book 1: Spellbound Book 2: Starcrossed Book 3: Wonderstruck Roaring Twenties Magic Book 1: Proper Scoundrels Book 2: Once a Rogue Liar City Book 1: Liar City

“A timeless classic” (San Antonio Express-News), reissued with a new foreword, afterword, and ten percent more material about a black man who spent seventeen years on a brutal Texas prison plantation and underwent a remarkable transformation. First published in 1984, Racehoss: Big Emma’s Boy is Albert Race Sample’s “unforgettable” (The Dallas Morning News) tale of resilience, revelation, and redemption. Born in 1930, the mixed-race son of a hard-drinking black prostitute and a white cotton broker, Sample was raised in the Jim Crow South by an abusive mother who refused to let her son—who could pass for white—call her Mama. He watched for the police while she worked, whether as a prostitute, bootlegger, or running the best dice game in town. He loved his mother deeply but could no longer take her abuse and ran away from home at the age of twelve. In his early twenties, Sample was arrested for burglary, robbery, and robbery by assault and was sentenced to nearly twenty years in the Texas prison system in the 1950s and 60s. His light complexion made him stand out in the all-black prison plantation known as the “burnin’ hell,” where he and over four hundred prisoners picked cotton and worked the land while white shotgun-carrying guards followed on horseback. Sample earned the moniker “Racehoss” for his ability to hoe cotton faster than anyone else in his squad. A profound spiritual awakening in solitary confinement was a decisive moment for him, and he became determined to turn his life around. When he was finally released in 1972, he did just that. Though Sample was incarcerated in the twentieth century, his memoir reads like it came from the nineteenth. With new stories that had been edited out of the first edition, a foreword by Texas attorney and writer David R. Dow, and an afterword by Sample’s widow, Carol, this new edition of Racehoss: Big Emma’s Boy offers a more complete picture of this extraordinary time in America’s recent past.

Reimagining Sample-based Hip Hop: Making Records within Records presents the poetics of hip-hop record production and the significance of sample material in record making, providing analysis of key releases in hip-hop discography and interviews with experts from the world of Hip Hop and beyond. Beginning with the history of hip-hop music making, this book guides the reader through the alternative techniques deployed by beat-makers to avoid the use of copyrighted samples and concludes with a consideration of the future of Hip Hop, alongside a companion album that has been created using findings from this research. Challenging previous theoretical understandings about Hip Hop, the author focuses on deconstructing sonic phenomena using his hands-on engineering expertise and in-depth musicological knowledge about record production. With a significant emphasis on both practice and theory, Reimagining Sample-based Hip Hop will be of interest to advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers working in audio engineering, music production, hip-hop studies, and musicology.