Books with author Diane Reynolds

The American Nutcracker is a magical retelling of the classic Christmas children’s tale with a decidedly American twist. The American Nutcracker combines a story of nutcrackers and dolls come to life with the American log-cabin frontier ethos and the wide diversity of the American experience. A lively plot loosely based on the E.T.A. Hoffman original includes a Nutcracker, a Sugar Plum fairy, a real girl looking to put the excitement back into Christmas, and a diversity of dolls who get involved in an adventure that includes Native Americans, magical happenings, and growing up.

The American Nutcracker is a magical retelling of the classic Christmas children’s tale with a decidedly American twist. The American Nutcracker combines a story of nutcrackers and dolls come to life with the American log-cabin frontier ethos and the wide diversity of the American experience. A lively plot loosely based on the E.T.A. Hoffman original includes a Nutcracker, a Sugar Plum fairy, a real girl looking to put the excitement back into Christmas, and a diversity of dolls who get involved in an adventure that includes Native Americans, magical happenings, and growing up.

For every unique child (even a little dragon like Ember) a ‘blanky’ or a special toy is a source of great comfort. What happens when such a special toy is lost? Likewise, friendship can also be a great comfort and joy - until something goes wrong. Ember finds tools to recover his lost teddy bear and discovers the importance of friends in good times and bad.Diana Reynolds has created a refreshing story about some of the challenges on the path to growing up. Beautifully illustrated, Ember and his new friend the fire sprite, team up to find the lost cuddly and in doing so, test their magical bond.

As little children are often expected to fit with busy adult schedules and appointments, it can be challenging. Often it leads to upsets for parents and children, especially as children are involved in their own events. Ember discovers that there are some things that just can’t be hurried and must take their own time no matter what hurry and pressure is going on. Hurry up Ember is a gentle reminder that childhood is short and full of wonder. Take a big breath and take time to get ready… then ‘hurrying up’ can be much simpler and much far less trouble. Diana Reynolds has created a refreshingly wise story about a point of tension both children and adults experience and offers a solution that works for Ember and his family.

It was a time when gods walked the earth, when armies fought not for bits of land, but for the very existence of humanity. On such a battlefield, five formidable warriors stood against an evil greater than any the earth had ever seen. But evil is not an honorable foe. Betrayed by someone they trusted, the warriors were cursed, one by one, tossed into the maelstrom of time, imprisoned in stone, their freedom resting on nearly impossible conditions. Until . . . Damian Stephanos honed his skills in battles fought with magic as much as swords. Caught by a deadly spell that left him trapped for centuries in darkness and obscurity, he is finally freed, only to discover that his enemy still lives. Determined to find him-and to free his brothers in arms-he first must fulfill his blood debt to the woman who released him from his torment. Unfortunately, being so close to this enticing female is another type of torment altogether . . . Cassandra "Casey" Lewis is a hunter. Possessing the rare ability to sense magic, she spends most of her time shadowing arcane collectors, and more often than not, stealing the dangerous artifacts she pursues. Her job is risky, especially when she's stealing from one of the most powerful sorcerers alive. But having a gorgeous warrior by her side is a definite bonus. He's great in a fight . . . and in other places, too. Following a trail of dead bodies, the two of them must join forces to track down the sorcerer who cursed Damian, and who now plans to turn an ordinary magical device into a deadly weapon. Risking everything, including their hearts, they're about to discover that trusting each other might be the hardest thing of all. ". . . exciting from page one." -RT Book Reviews on Christian "Captivating and brimming with brilliance . . . " -RT Book Reviews on Christian "Sizzling chemistry and scorching sex scenes provide spicy excitement . . . "-Literary Addicts Book Community on Christian

It was a time when gods walked the earth, when armies fought not for bits of land, but for the very existence of humanity. On such a battlefield, five formidable warriors stood against an evil greater than any the earth had ever seen. But evil is not an honorable foe. Betrayed by someone they trusted, the warriors were cursed, one by one, tossed into the maelstrom of time, imprisoned in stone, their freedom resting on nearly impossible conditions. Until . . .Kato Amadi . . . born of darkest sorcery, unstoppable on the battlefield, his magic is as deadly as his blade. But not even magic could save him from vicious betrayal. Trapped for millennia in darkness and silence, he is freed at last, only to find himself in the middle of a battle against the very beasts of hell he was created to destroy. Grace Van Allen is a scholar of ancient languages who toils in the dim recesses of a museum basement with only a beautiful stone warrior to keep her company. But when Grace calls upon her silent warrior to help her translate an obscure new language, she breaks the ancient curse holding him prisoner . . . and frees three deadly demons to rampage through her city. Tracking demons is what Kato was born to do, but he’ll need Grace’s help. And when they discover that Kato’s enemy is still alive and still plotting against him, their hunt takes a dangerous turn, one that might just prove fatal for both of them . . .

For every child, learning to write is a long journey where ability and concentration can be thwarted. Ember the dragon is no different; he finds connecting the idea of letters to actually writing them, very difficult. Ember is a lucky little dragon; his granddad has the time and patience to help him learn. A chance meeting with a fire sprite also gives him the confidence to write well about a subject he loves... fire!

Urban Legends. Tales of the weird, the bizarre and the cruel. They are usually passed on from one person to another, over and over again, until everyone has heard of them in some way.It has often happened to a friend of a friend; or an aunt, uncle, distant cousin, or some obscure relative who lives way out in the country; no-one can quite recall the name...You, yourself have probably been told a story of something that happened which was so incredible that you remembered it and told it to some-one else. If you have, then you have been sharing urban legends too.An urban legend is usually a fantastic yarn which has an improbable, yet plausible setting and a sinister, amusing or nasty little twist spun into the end.That’s how we like it!Heard the one about the fried chicken, or the woman who dried her cat, or the babysitter, or the salty doughnuts?Believe it or not, most of these types of stories have been around for donkey’s ears – years! Your grandparents have probably heard of them too, even before you or your parents did!Sometimes they disappear for a while, then some-one, somewhere remembers them and they are re-told and bandied around once more.This is a collection of only some of the classic urban legends which have been shared in the past. These are stories you can read yourself, remember and re-tell to your own friends using your own characters and settings. By the end you'll be feeling totally mythed!

This is a collection of short stories written with the sole purpose of providing scream out scares, as well as creepy chills all the way down your spine. Plain and simple, monsters, ghosts and horror.This book is split into 3 sections. 'Monsters' features a strange young girl who Daniel encounters at a Cosplay Convention. She has only one question to ask him, ‘Do you believe in monsters?’ Her tales of horrifying terror will defy the most sceptical of critics to suggest that they don’t!Meanwhile, 'Gilbert' is the new kid at Bellows Boys High School. The boys don’t exactly make him feel entirely welcome. However, there’s a camping trip coming up and the boys are eager to share their usual round of spine chillingly spooky ghost stories. Who can provide the biggest fright?And lastly we come to 'The Cleaner.' It’s the end of the show and time to leave. He doesn’t seem like he’s anyone special, as he sweeps the floor and clears up after everyone else. But this man might just blow your mind with a final story that will bewilder you and challenge you to believe in the impossible. Excerpts:"Slowly the head turned. Anna almost screamed out aloud, as it seemed to be looking directly at her! For a moment that terrible ugly face stared towards her. She was sure it could see her. A long time it seemed to stay there, sniffing the air, grunting and squinting. Then its eyes narrowed even more and it seemed to edge that little bit closer; so near that the smell became so strong, Anna actually imagined that she could taste it. She wanted to vomit, she felt so nauseous and scared. Could it see her? Could it hear her? It seemed to be leaning closer and closer..." (Monsters - Anna)"Just then from behind her, she heard the slightest little snap. It was the noise of a stick cracking. She half turned to catch a brief glimpse of the man creeping up toward her. But another sound made her spin sharply back round. It was the dog. Big, black and furry, snarling ferociously, all teeth and fangs; lunging straight for her! She screamed out in horror, screwed her eyes tight shut and fell to her knees in the soft gritty damp mud. She flung her arms up in front of her face, waited for the monstrous looking dog to sink its long sharp fangs deep into her. The moment of anticipation seemed long and agonizing." (Monsters - Lucky Devil) "As Daniel squinted to focus his vision better, he could see that her eyes were glazing over. It was as if a film was forming over her irises. The pupils too seemed to melt away into her eyes until they were completely white. Then suddenly a huge pair of thick muscular arms, with gigantic hands and clawed fingers, reached out from beyond the hoarding, gripped hold of both her shoulders and yanked her backwards off her seat. “Woah!” exclaimed Daniel in disbelief, “Did anyone see that?” " (Monsters)"There were a couple of boxes piled one on top of the other, encrusted with ancient dirt and cobwebs. The creaking seemed to be coming from behind them, heehawing in a lulling tempo that rose and fell. Sid’s hands began to tremble, as he contemplated whatever could be beyond those boxes. He crept towards them, his heart beating fast and his nerves jangling. He held the lighter shakily before him, peeped anxiously around the boxes. To his utter surprise, the swell of light fell upon a slippered pair of feet! Sid gasped in startled fright. Then the feeble wavering flame illuminated wrinkly legs riddled with varicose veins and liver spots, a white frilly night gown, aged gnarled hands wrung tightly together lying on a lap, an ashen face crowned by a wild shock of unruly grey hair. There was an old lady swaying to and fro..." (Gilbert - The Attic)Recommended - Read alone. At night. In the dark. Prepare to be chilled to the bone!T. D Reynolds is also the author of another collection of short stories 'Urban Legends - Totally Mythed!'