RED JACK PRESS
Keep Reading. Keep Writing.
The RJP LIBRARY
Keep Reading. Keep Writing
It was gone. And then it was there.
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A small circus pops up overnight in an abandoned cornfield just outside the tight-knit farming community of Sarah's Keep, Nebraska. The circus had the hand-painted banner "World Circus" stretched across the front of the big top tent. Clowns, a funhouse, a carousel, jugglers, musicians, carnies and "sights to amaze" thundered along for an entire week before, once again, disappearing without a warning. Without a trace. Except for the faint hint of calliope music carried in upon the wind from parts unknown.
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This story anthology contains tales from Steve Metcalf, J.C. Skala, Robert S. Miller and Elizabeth Indra. Book introduction by Tim Johnson.
The Uncrowned Champion begins in an Indian Reservation in central Oklahoma and ends in a secluded cabin along a frozen lake in northern Minnesota. It concerns Jack O'Brien, an outcast raised in poverty and violence, who becomes the first individual ever to be a contender for a world boxing crown and sign a major league contract.
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Jack never receives his championship belt because the various sanctioning committees do not want to give him a title shot. These committees could never control someone like him. Jack's true support comes from oddball friends who understand his worth. While he will never receive true recognition from anyone else, it does not matter to him.
In the sequel to "The Merchant of Time," young Charlie Attenborough is still dealing with the fallout of his previous adventure - the battle with The Crow. This stress has largely manifested itself as recurring nightmares. Charlie seems to be experiencing a handful of dreams over and over ... maybe once a month ... but often enough to cause trouble. He pursues the concept of "lucid dreaming" to give himself an edge over his nightmares.
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It works, of course, too well.
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Charlie soon exhibits an unheard-of level of control over his dreams, to the point that he can actually escape his own dreams and begin exploring the dreams of others. Obviously, this causes numerous issues and Boss Fenix, the dreamworld manager in The Inside, tracks him down to show him the error of his ways.
She died 180 years ago - to the day. Mired in rumor and half-truths, the story of Etienne Hebert is punctuated by mystery. As a respected voodoo healer who learned at the knee of both Dr. John and Marie Laveau, the community is in shambles when her tomb is found open and empty save for a crudely carved gold skull.
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"Congo Square" is the sixth installment of The Event series in which one central premise spurs the imagination of a group of writers. This collection contains four original tales by Steve Metcalf, Robert S. Miller, Alicia Copeland and J.C. Skala.
Joe Duncan, whose father is the town drunk in a small Minnesota city along the Mississippi River, is a troubled and troublesome man. After Joe's father dies of the delirium tremens, the church where his family attends refuses to perform a funeral service - Joe's father is perceived as unredeemable. As an act of revenge, Joe spends most of his young adulthood rebelling against that same church and community.
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Now, with a family of his own, Joe experiences life-changing tragedy and suddenly receives compassion and condolences from the community he despises.
What would you do if you inherited an hour? That's the question that quickly plagues young Charlie Attenborough. He thinks it's a joke in his Uncle Bernard's will, but he soon starts experiencing uncommon luck during this hour - namely the hour between 5 and 6 in the evening.
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Unfortunately, there are other people who believe they deserve control of the hour and will stop at nothing to gain its power and perks. Charlie comes home to find his family kidnapped and an elderly stranger sitting in his home ready to lend a hand - This is Arthur, known as the Merchant of Time.
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They soon go on an adventure to locate the family and best an unsavory boss character known only as "The Crow." Join them for the first in a series of YA fantasy adventures!