Paris, 1903. Major-General Sir Hector Macdonald, one of the greatest heroes of the British Empire, is facing ruin in a shocking homosexual scandal when he meets the notorious occultist, Aleister Crowley. As they set out into the night on a wild journey through the sinful city, the story of Macdonald's tragedy begins to unfold - with startling revelations both for the General and the aspiring magician. In a tale that ranges from the battlefields of Sudan to the backstreets of Edinburgh, Jake Arnott brings alive a fascinating, forgotten figure of history, and a world trembling on the brink of a brutal new era. Black magic, Baden-Powell and Islamic revolution are just some of the ingredients in this bold and exhilarating novel, which explores imperialism, sexuality and the very nature of belief with an immediacy that resonates into the present.

Coloring Outside the Lines with the Devil's Paintbrush is a collection of short stories that traverse the thin line between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Each tale is a unique exploration of the surreal aspects of life, where the familiar world is tinged with the enigmatic and the mystical. The narratives delve into themes of human nature, choice, and the unseen forces that influence our destinies. Rich in symbolism and metaphor, these stories challenge the reader to look beyond the apparent and question the reality we often take for granted.

An epic fiction drenched in reality. Devils Paintbrush tells the life story a young boy who grows up in a violent and abusive home within the Projects of Brooklyn, Baltimore during the 1960s. Then, as a young man, he once again finds himself in another hostile environment South Vietnam. Somehow he survives both worlds. Decades after receiving The Bronze Star in combat, Ken Callahans long suppressed memories and fractured emotions compel him to enter yet another threatening battlefield and engage a very different enemy a foe deadlier than any Viet Cong or bird-eating tarantula he ever confronted as a younger man. This new battlefield is the private office of the Veteran Administrations top PTSD clinician. His new enemy is himself. Within the relative safety of this clinicians office, Ken is reluctantly dragged-back in time to unearth decades of buried memories of war. Thats when the PTSD professional community becomes stunned as they discover Kens combat experience was not as lethal as the domestic violence and sexual abuse he endured at the hands of a disturbed older brother and sinfully wicked mother long before he even went to war. In short, Ken Callahans PTSD was deeply entrenched well before he stepped foot on the battlefields of South Vietnam. Discovering the truth about his own past proves to be challenging enough, but in order to accept such truth, Ken must cross a line from which there is no return. The man who ultimately emerges is not the same Bronze Star recipient who reluctantly enters PTSD treatment; nor are the people he touches along the way. Only the qualities of a Devils Paintbrush can provide the caliber of personal resilience needed throughout every step of Ken Callahans life-long journey. Readers of this fictionalized, true story will be either shocked and disgusted or enlightened and educated. There is no safe place between these two extremes.

A mystery involving the disappearance of a Dutch masterpiece in the 15th century and its sudden, apparent reappearance 500 years later.

The wave of the future has been around since the beginning of times: it's called Nature. Let inventor and entrepreneur Jay Harman introduce you to stunning solutions to some of the world's thorniest problems. Why does the bumblebee have better aerodynamics than a 747? How can copying a butterfly wing reduce the world's lighting energy bill by 80%? How will fleas' knees and bees' shoulders help scientists formulate a near-perfect rubber? Today an interdisciplinary and international group of scientists, inventors and engineers is turning to nature to innovate and find elegant solutions to human problems. The principle driving this transformation is called biomimicry, and Harman shares a wide range of examples of how we're borrowing from natural models to invent profitable, green solutions to pressing industrial challenges. Aimed at a business audience, aspiring entrepreneurs, environmentalists and general science readers, The Shark's Paintbrush reflects a force of change in the new global economy that does more than simply gratify human industrial ambition; it teaches us how to live in harmony with nature and opens bright opportunities for a better future.