Virtual Light

The millennium has come and gone, leaving in its wake only stunned survivors. In Los Angeles, Berry Rydell is a former armed-response rentacop now working for a bounty hunter. Chevette Washington is a bicycle messenger turned pickpocket who impulsively snatches a pair of innocent-looking sunglasses. But these are no ordinary shades. What you can see through these high-tech specs can make you rich—or get you killed. Now Berry and Chevette are on the run, zeroing in on the digitalized heart of DatAmerica, where pure information is the greatest high.

San Francisco in the nearish future. Ex-cop Berry Rydell's lost one job he didn't much like and landed another he likes even less. Some sunglasses—actually high-end kit infused with super-sensitive data—were stolen from a courier, and a man named Warbaby's been charged with retrieving them. And Warbaby needs Rydell's help. But, with SFPD Homicide involved, an abandoned bridge populated by freaks and misfits, and some weirdness involving the Republic of Desire and a 'Death Star', it's turning out to be a very strange and dangerous scene indeed . . .

I moved across the country to go to Dogson University to experience real life, not the sheltered existence I led through high school under the thumbs of my ultra-religious parents. Drinking, partying, the works… but what I never expected was to feel the way I do about my new dorm neighbor, Jack. I’ve never had a girlfriend before. Never even cared. So why is it this intimidating frat-boy rock climber has gotten such a hold of me? He’s the kind of guy who would’ve kicked my ass in high school, but instead, he loves doing something else to it. It’s all just for fun, but how can we ...

In the year 2038, there’s only one destination that can play host to the world’s wealthiest adventure seekers: the Pengalaman Island Resort and Virtual Reality Theme Park. Located on a private South Pacific island, guests here live out their wildest fantasies in custom-made virtual reality simulations while also enjoying the usual amenities of an exclusive five-star getaway. All is relatively breezy until famed billionaire and avid guest, Mr. Wagner, goes missing within a virtual simulation. His only hope? A daring rescue led by Derek Ambrose and his ragtag search party.

"It's been a weird war." - Post Shade Night Saying The Second Precursor War is coming to a sudden and brutal end. Across the entire galactic arm spur silence descends as the phasic shades swarm out of ansible FTL communication links. Entire worlds are lost on all sides as a the mere touch from an enraged shade is enough to kill. The Detainee appears again in the living world to undertake some unknowable task. Unfortunately, some Atrekna arriving disturb her experiments and bring her attention to the Atrekna. Finally, P'Thok takes on his most diabolical foe ever in a set of archived records ...

Rydell is on his way back to near-future San Francisco. His job has him convinced that his career is going nowhere, but his friend Laney, phoning from Tokyo, says there's more interesting work for him in Northern California. And there is, although it will eventually involve his former girlfriend, a Taoist assassin, the secrets Laney has been hacking out of the depths of DatAmerica, the CEO of the PR firm that secretly runs the world and the apocalyptic technological transformation of, well, everything.

I was asleep when the world burned. Zain Stone is a rising star at tech giant Thanatos Industries, developing the technology to stop death. But when the building comes under attack, he risks life and limb to protect his research. When he wakes in a cryo chamber, twenty years into the future, everything has changed. The world, which once valued technology so much, has come to despise it. And the girl who woke him up–the beautiful Amy, with strawberry blonde hair and a sweet disposition–might be a cyborg he designed himself. Soon, Zain finds that it’s not just that he needs to survive ...

Unlock the full potential of your photography with the transformative power of light! Exploring Light: Techniques and Strategies for Effective Lighting in Photography is your essential guide to learning the art and science of lighting. This book guides you through the complexities of lighting, offering clear, practical strategies to enhance your skills. Whether you're a beginner eager to learn the basics or an experienced photographer looking to refine your techniques, this book provides invaluable insights into how light shapes and defines your images. Delve into a wealth of knowledge ...

What if your deepest struggles were never a sign that you're broken—but an invitation to awaken? In The Journey of BECOMING the Soul Alchemist, Kay Sanders offers more than just insight—this is a living transmission. A book that doesn’t simply inform but activates. A sacred companion for the soul-led seeker ready to move beyond patterns of survival and step fully into the truth of who they are. This book is for the ones who’ve felt like outsiders. The sensitives, the deep feelers, the spiritual rebels who’ve always known they were here for something more. If you’ve been walking ...

Lina had always been content with her simple life as a baker in the quaint town of Rindlefern, where magic was a part of everyday life. That is, until her magical oven crystal shatters and she finds herself in need of a replacement enchantment. In a desperate attempt to fix it, she accidentally summons Cael, a retired hero bound by magic to answer any call for help. Lina is determined to handle the situation on her own, but Cael's presence proves to be more of a help than she thought, with his surprisingly good baking skills. With flour in his hair and a brooding demeanor, he is the last ...

The author of The Internet of Things presents his latest book.

Trapped in a snowstorm, could love be the warmest shelter of all? All I want is to be on time for my meeting, so when my new hot neighbor, Calvin—all stubbled jaw and muscled arms, blocks me in with his stupid moving truck, my temper flares and we start off on the wrong foot. I don’t usually get upset so easily, there’s just something about him that makes my temperature rise. Months later, a freak snowstorm traps us both inside the duplex without any power and Calvin asks for my help. At first I’m reluctant, but after a warm fire and a few laughs the icy barrier between us begins to...

You look so peaceful in your sleep. You’re my obsession, my salvation and my destruction as I will be yours. You’re the reason I breathe, the reason I kill. I love you so much that I’ll kill everyone who has ever hurt you, anyone who will ever touch you again, darling. I used to think villains only existed in books. That was before I married one. Before the bruises. The excuses. The way I learned to hide the truth between sentences. And before the notes started appearing. I call him Butterfly Man. The stalker who exists in the spaces between my breaths, the corners of my vision, the ...

A Monster Girls & Dungeons LitRPG He inherited a Dungeon Core. Now he has to survive it… When Cade inherits his eccentric uncle’s storage unit, he expected junk. What he finds is a glowing crystal pulsing with arcane energy—a Dungeon Core, tethered to a collapsing realm of magic, monsters, and power. The moment he touches it, Cade becomes its new Keeper—teleported into a dying dungeon on the brink of destruction. Now, he must: Rebuild the core’s mana flow Survive invaders and greedy adventurers And bond with the monster girls who power the entire system Because in this world, ...

Catching a killer is a piece of cake... Or is it? When Mindy Macbay moves back to her hometown of Santa Verona, and finds herself fighting crime with her best friend, she soon finds herself on the receiving end of anonymous threats, and even worse, unpleasant encounters with her high school nemesis and former paramours. Dessert, Diamonds and Deadly Secrets When Mindy investigates the death of an unpopular cafe owner, she uncovers a trail of diamonds and a secret life... Carrot Cake and Cryptic Clues Socialite Celeste Rocheford is murdered, and Mindy’s best friend Beth Miller finds herself...

Survival is just the beginning! Only a few years from now, alien spaceships swoop onto our planet and kidnap thousands of people. To repel further incursions, Earth’s nations assign their best military units to fight off the invaders and rescue the civilian victims. Colonel Patrice Sullivan, a tough and ambitious member of the U.S. ground effort, is thrust into command after the aliens kill the appointed commander. By then, most of the task force has been destroyed, leaving Sullivan almost nothing to fight with. She hopes innovation will win the battle, but success may require more from ...

Time moves fast on the racetrack. It moves even faster when you’re being chased. Kinsley It’s a transpacific flight, my fresh start thousands of miles away from the danger that’s imprisoned me. Producing a new Formula 1 docuseries is my way out. I’m done cowering, hiding, and being afraid of what lurks in the shadows. Nothing can touch me now. Except maybe him… Embedding with this Texas racing team just became a lot more attractive. The way he’s looking at me, with eyes so blue they should be illegal? I recognize a sexy smolder when I see one. Can sixteen hours on an airplane ...

< [Necromancer - Level 1] > They were lying to us. The adventurer guild, the royals, the hexamists. All liars, Jay thought, trailing his finger over a skull. From the eye-sockets of an empty skull, a pair of floating beady eyes glanced up at him, waiting for his command. Jay pointed into the forest. “Hunt.” *** In a village blanketed in shadows, Jay seeks escape from his mundane life as a butcher. Desperate for adventure, he braves a treacherous path to the local Adventurer's Guild, hoping to discover his true calling. But fate intervenes, as it always does. With newfound abilities and ...

All Adrienne wanted was a fun new job on a cruise ship—instead, she’s dealt three big surprises. "Winters will have you giggling into your book!" Surprise number one, wonderful: Her best friend Samantha has joined the cruise! Surprise number two, also quite good: the First Officer is rather handsome. Surprise number three, definitely not good: Samantha is suspected of murdering a VIP cruise passenger. Throw in a few more surprises—an over-the-top boss, a potentially homicidal chef, and a blast from Adrienne’s past—and this cruise might end up being Adrienne’s last. Join Adrienne...

When a glamorous wedding turns deadly, Addi James’ dream cruise ship job becomes a full-blown nightmare. Now she has to: 🔍 Find a killer hiding among thousands of passengers 👯 Keep her accidentally-famous best friend out of trouble 💖 Maintain her relationship with the ship's dreamiest crew member 🔍 Stay alive as mysterious threats close in Between champagne toasts and shady alibis, Addi’s determination might be her only defense against a murderer at sea. Anchors away on a deliciously deadly adventure!