Books with author Ashley Carlson

A historical and ethnographic study of the conflict between global transportation and rural development as the two intersect at the Panama Canal. In this innovative book, Ashley Carse traces the water that flows into and out from the Panama Canal to explain how global shipping is entangled with Panama's cultural and physical landscapes. By following container ships as they travel downstream along maritime routes and tracing rivers upstream across the populated watershed that feeds the canal, he explores the politics of environmental management around a waterway that links faraway ports and markets to nearby farms, forests, cities, and rural communities. Carse draws on a wide range of ethnographic and archival material to show the social and ecological implications of transportation across Panama. The Canal moves ships over an aquatic staircase of locks that demand an enormous amount of fresh water from the surrounding region. Each passing ship drains 52 million gallons out to sea―a volume comparable to the daily water use of half a million Panamanians. Infrastructures like the Panama Canal, Carse argues, do not simply conquer nature; they rework ecologies in ways that serve specific political and economic priorities. Interweaving histories that range from the depopulation of the U.S. Canal Zone a century ago to road construction conflicts and water hyacinth invasions in canal waters, the book illuminates the human and nonhuman actors that have come together at the margins of the famous trade route. 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal. Beyond the Big Ditch calls us to consider how infrastructures are materially embedded in place, producing environments with winners and losers.

Winner of Self-Publishing Review's Grand Prize and First Prize in Fiction 2015 Awards B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree for Excellence in Indie Publishing Ashley R. Carlson's award-winning fantasy debut will satisfy the appetites of those who enjoyed the romance of Stephenie Meyer's TWILIGHT, the stirrings of rebellion in Suzanne Collins' THE HUNGER GAMES, and the steampunk universe of Philip Pullman's THE GOLDEN COMPASS.I can't shake this feeling that I've been lied to, nor that I'm partly to blame. I've spent my life following orders, never questioning Legalia's decisions for me, for the world. I had food, shelter, better living conditions than most-why rock the boat?Because you can choose between doing what is comfortable, or doing what is right, answers the small voice within me.I was afraid of that.An arranged marriage. A corrupt government called Legalia. A forbidden spiritual realm.Duchess Ambrose Killaher was just seventeen years old when exiled to Shinery-a city of snow and darkness-to marry a man who despised her, finding her only solace in an invisible companion named Roan.Now as the poor starve in the streets below and rebellious acts become a frequent occurrence, Shinery holds its yearly celebration to commemorate Legalia’s rule. But when Ambrose stumbles into a hidden courtroom and witnesses a violent murder, she is thrust into a secret world of the supernatural-one that could endanger everyone she's grown to care for. With the help of a handsome stranger, Ambrose learns of the past Legalia has covered up, and that she alone possesses the power to stop their unspeakable plans for the future.Praise for The Charismatics“Somehow this book seems to have slipped through the net, and we felt that it deserves a chance to be seen, as it reads like a truly commercial work with original and enchanting touches while remaining an adult book – the main character is married instead of being a teen with her parents, and this is what brings an unusual palette worth reading. An accessible and gripping story.” -Self-Publishing Review's First Prize in Fiction Award 2015“The grand prize goes to Ashley because of her beautiful presentation and intricate story writing, using a popular Steampunk theme that is somewhere between The Golden Compass and The Hunger Games.” -Self-Publishing Review's Grand Prize Award 2015"'The Charismatics' is a top-notch read and I recommend it highly. I would also suggest putting Ms. Carlson on your watch list - a talent like this is hard to ignore. I think we'll be seeing a lot of her in the years to come." -reader's review

Book One Awarded Self-Publishing Review's Grand Prize and First Prize in Fiction 2015 Awards Book One is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree for Excellence in Indie Publishing The award-winning The Charismatics series continues... A kidnapped advocate. A growing army. A looming threat from the spiritual realm. Duchess Ambrose Killaher has just lost everything: Roan was stolen by the psychopath Evelyn Smyle, countless others died in the zeppelin’s crash, and she’s number one on Legalia’s hit list. As she heads to Exodus’s headquarters, Ambrose prepares to meet her fellow Charismatics and beg for their assistance in saving Roan. But when reports come in that Legalia’s experiments are moving forward, Ambrose is faced with a hellish decision—to pursue Roan by herself, or help recruit an army to take down the reigning government. Navigating tensions with her boyfriend, ghostly visions of her dead handmaiden, and a disturbing evil growing within, Ambrose struggles to maintain her sanity as the truth grows ever clearer: that she may be the Authority prophesied to deliver the end of an age. Praise for The Charismatics, also available on Amazon:“Somehow this book seems to have slipped through the net, and we felt that it deserves a chance to be seen, as it reads like a truly commercial work with original and enchanting touches while remaining an adult book – the main character is married instead of being a teen with her parents, and this is what brings an unusual palette worth reading. An accessible and gripping story.” -Self-Publishing Review's First Prize in Fiction Award 2015“The grand prize goes to Ashley because of her beautiful presentation and intricate story writing, using a popular Steampunk theme that is somewhere between The Golden Compass and The Hunger Games.” -Self-Publishing Review's Grand Prize Award 2015"'The Charismatics' is a top-notch read and I recommend it highly. I would also suggest putting Ms. Carlson on your watch list - a talent like this is hard to ignore. I think we'll be seeing a lot of her in the years to come." -reader's review

Winner of Self-Publishing Review's Grand Prize and First Prize in Fiction 2015 Awards B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree for Excellence in Indie Publishing Ashley R. Carlson's award-winning fantasy debut will satisfy the appetites of those who enjoyed the romance of Stephenie Meyer's TWILIGHT, the stirrings of rebellion in Suzanne Collins' THE HUNGER GAMES, and the steampunk universe of Philip Pullman's THE GOLDEN COMPASS. I can't shake this feeling that I've been lied to, nor that I'm partly to blame. I've spent my life following orders, never questioning Legalia's decisions for me, for the world. I had food, shelter, better living conditions than most-why rock the boat? Because you can choose between doing what is comfortable, or doing what is right, answers the small voice within me. I was afraid of that. An arranged marriage. A corrupt government called Legalia. A forbidden spiritual realm. Duchess Ambrose Killaher was just seventeen years old when exiled to Shinery-a city of snow and darkness-to marry a man who despised her, finding her only solace in an invisible companion named Roan. Now as the poor starve in the streets below and rebellious acts become a frequent occurrence, Shinery holds its yearly celebration to commemorate Legalia’s rule. But when Ambrose stumbles into a hidden courtroom and witnesses a violent murder, she is thrust into a secret world of the supernatural-one that could endanger everyone she's grown to care for. With the help of a handsome stranger, Ambrose learns of the past Legalia has covered up, and that she alone possesses the power to stop their unspeakable plans for the future. Praise for The Charismatics “Somehow this book seems to have slipped through the net, and we felt that it deserves a chance to be seen, as it reads like a truly commercial work with original and enchanting touches while remaining an adult book – the main character is married instead of being a teen with her parents, and this is what brings an unusual palette worth reading. An accessible and gripping story.” -Self-Publishing Review's First Prize in Fiction Award 2015 “The grand prize goes to Ashley because of her beautiful presentation and intricate story writing, using a popular Steampunk theme that is somewhere between The Golden Compass and The Hunger Games.” -Self-Publishing Review's Grand Prize Award 2015 "'The Charismatics' is a top-notch read and I recommend it highly. I would also suggest putting Ms. Carlson on your watch list - a talent like this is hard to ignore. I think we'll be seeing a lot of her in the years to come." -reader's review

Book One Awarded Self-Publishing Review's Grand Prize and First Prize in Fiction 2015 Book One is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree for Excellence in Indie Publishing The award-winning The Charismatics series continues... A kidnapped advocate. A growing army. A looming threat from the spiritual realm. Duchess Ambrose Killaher has just lost everything: Roan was stolen by the psychopath Evelyn Smyle, countless others died in the zeppelin’s crash, and she’s number one on Legalia’s hit list. As she heads to Exodus’s headquarters, Ambrose prepares to meet her fellow Charismatics and beg for their assistance in saving Roan. But when reports come in that Legalia’s experiments are moving forward, Ambrose is faced with a hellish decision—to pursue Roan by herself, or help recruit an army to take down the reigning government. Navigating tensions with her boyfriend, ghostly visions of her dead handmaiden, and a disturbing evil growing within, Ambrose struggles to maintain her sanity as the truth grows ever clearer: that she may be the Authority prophesied to deliver the end of an age. Praise for The Charismatics, also available on Amazon: “Somehow this book seems to have slipped through the net, and we felt that it deserves a chance to be seen, as it reads like a truly commercial work with original and enchanting touches while remaining an adult book – the main character is married instead of being a teen with her parents, and this is what brings an unusual palette worth reading. An accessible and gripping story.” -Self-Publishing Review's First Prize in Fiction Award 2015 “The grand prize goes to Ashley because of her beautiful presentation and intricate story writing, using a popular Steampunk theme that is somewhere between The Golden Compass and The Hunger Games.” -Self-Publishing Review's Grand Prize Award 2015 "'The Charismatics' is a top-notch read and I recommend it highly. I would also suggest putting Ms. Carlson on your watch list - a talent like this is hard to ignore. I think we'll be seeing a lot of her in the years to come." -reader's review

A historical and ethnographic study of the conflict between global transportation and rural development as the two intersect at the Panama Canal. In this innovative book, Ashley Carse traces the water that flows into and out from the Panama Canal to explain how global shipping is entangled with Panama's cultural and physical landscapes. By following container ships as they travel downstream along maritime routes and tracing rivers upstream across the populated watershed that feeds the canal, he explores the politics of environmental management around a waterway that links faraway ports and markets to nearby farms, forests, cities, and rural communities. Carse draws on a wide range of ethnographic and archival material to show the social and ecological implications of transportation across Panama. The Canal moves ships over an aquatic staircase of locks that demand an enormous amount of fresh water from the surrounding region. Each passing ship drains 52 million gallons out to sea—a volume comparable to the daily water use of half a million Panamanians. Infrastructures like the Panama Canal, Carse argues, do not simply conquer nature; they rework ecologies in ways that serve specific political and economic priorities. Interweaving histories that range from the depopulation of the U.S. Canal Zone a century ago to road construction conflicts and water hyacinth invasions in canal waters, the book illuminates the human and nonhuman actors that have come together at the margins of the famous trade route. 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal. Beyond the Big Ditch calls us to consider how infrastructures are materially embedded in place, producing environments with winners and losers.

A historical and ethnographic study of the conflict between global transportation and rural development as the two intersect at the Panama Canal. In this innovative book, Ashley Carse traces the water that flows into and out from the Panama Canal to explain how global shipping is entangled with Panama's cultural and physical landscapes. By following container ships as they travel downstream along maritime routes and tracing rivers upstream across the populated watershed that feeds the canal, he explores the politics of environmental management around a waterway that links faraway ports and markets to nearby farms, forests, cities, and rural communities. Carse draws on a wide range of ethnographic and archival material to show the social and ecological implications of transportation across Panama. The Canal moves ships over an aquatic staircase of locks that demand an enormous amount of fresh water from the surrounding region. Each passing ship drains 52 million gallons out to sea―a volume comparable to the daily water use of half a million Panamanians. Infrastructures like the Panama Canal, Carse argues, do not simply conquer nature; they rework ecologies in ways that serve specific political and economic priorities. Interweaving histories that range from the depopulation of the U.S. Canal Zone a century ago to road construction conflicts and water hyacinth invasions in canal waters, the book illuminates the human and nonhuman actors that have come together at the margins of the famous trade route. 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal. Beyond the Big Ditch calls us to consider how infrastructures are materially embedded in place, producing environments with winners and losers.