Books with author Mark Alexander

'Your abilities as a Keeper allow you to open doors that others can not.'Imprisoned in the mythical world of Bellania, CHARLIE KEEPER is at the mercy of Lord Bane's guards while her loyal friends have been sold into slavery. When the TERRIFYING Edge Darkmount breaks into her cell, he promises to decipher the meaning of her mysterious pendant - and unlock the secrets of Bellania - if she will help him get revenge on Bane. But can she TRUST him? The future of the realm relies on Charlie's special powers. Even if she escapes it may take more than she can summon to overthrow the evil lord - it may take an entire army . . .** A contemporary fantasy adventure for 10+ with elements of The Wizard of Oz, Lemony Snicket and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Perfect for fans of Tolkien's The Hobbit and Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell's The Edge Chronicles. ** 'I would rather read Crow's Revenge than Harry Potter!' - Michael B, Year 7

Dawn of LackmagicThea is now at the Ivy League school, Amford, but she senses something isn’t quite right. It has put her in a bad mood – and soon she learns what it is. Something has gone terribly wrong. Thea and other mages sense it – magic is slowly draining away from the world.Faced with Lackmagic, Thea and her friends set out with the only quad-Elemental mage ever to exist, Nikolai Tesla, and Corey the Trickster, to find the source of magic. But,what they find may change humanity’s future forever...

"Couples therapy sessions slowly morphed into solitary therapy sessions. My therapist kept coming back to the question of my passions, and where I was headed. I knew it was writing. So I wrote. I wrote my pain of loss. I wrote my confusion about the existential questions that plagued me as someone who grew up in the bible belt, but had a hard time swallowing the bigotry I saw. I wrote my struggle through heartbreak and single life. I wrote my triumphs in self-confidence, and ultimately I wrote a new love story, with a new person. Ultimately, it's not about meeting the right person; instead, it is about finding out that you are quite capable of loving yourself, and anyone else loving you is just a wonderful sprinkle on top."

“The Fall of Free Will begins at sundown. The Generals of Destiny will rise at the height of the Winter Solstice. Come, King of Light, to the place where you allowed true love to perish, and bear witness to the end of Free Will.”Danny Elikai is a teenage boy who lost his family in a devastating car accident. He finds himself in a swirling depression in the mystical city of Grenoff as horrific events begin to unfold. He learns of an ancient conflict between the two philosophies that seek to rule humanity: the individual liberties of Free Will, and the predetermined peace guaranteed by Destiny. The agents of Destiny have risen, and threaten life as we know it. Danny must choose to find the King of Light and to fight for Free Will, or to leave humanity to the iron grip of the Emperor of Darkness. The Final War is coming, and soon we will need to pick a side. Will you fight for the freedom of choice offered by Free Will, or the harmony promised by Destiny?

At age forty-seven, Whit Alexander, the American cofounder of the Cranium board game, decided to start a new business selling affordable goods and services to low-income villagers in Ghana, West Africa. His brother, Max, a journalist, came along to tell the story. Neither of them could have anticipated just how much of an adventure they’d find there. In Ghana, Whit’s initial goal is to market a high-quality, rechargeable AA battery for off-grid villagers. If successful, he planned to grow a larger for-profit business based on those batteries: creating a trusted brand that would provide life-enhancing products, services, and jobs, without relying on charity. Ghana, however, presents extraordinary challenges, and the brothers wage daily battles against deadly insects, insane driving conditions, unspeakable food, voodoo priests, corrupt officials, counterfeiters, and ethnic rivalries on their way to success. From signing up customers who earn a few dollars a month at most to training employees with no Western-style work experience, the brothers quickly learn that starting a business in Africa requires single-minded focus, a sense of humor, and a lot of patience. Along the way, Whit and Max relive their own childhood, bickering across the African bush and learning a great deal about Africans as well as themselves. Irreverent, hilarious, and ultimately inspiring, Bright Lights, No City challenges accepted notions of charity; shows the power of broadening your horizons; and suggests that there is hope and opportunity in Africa.

Book 1 in the Bloodline of Yule TrilogyFrom the multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning and Anthony Award-nominated author Maria AlexanderCharity Jones is a 16-year-old engineering genius who's much-bullied for being biracial and a skeptic at her conservative school in Oak County, California. Everything changes when Charity's social worker mother brings home a sweet teen runaway named Aidan to foster for the holidays. Matched in every way, Charity and Aidan quickly fall in love. But it seems he's not the only new arrival: Charity soon finds the brutally slain corpse of her worst bully and she gets hard, haunting evidence that the killer is stalking Oak County. As she and her Skeptics Club investigate this death and others, they find at every turn the mystery only grows darker and more deadly. One thing's for certain: there's a bloody battle coming this holiday season that will change their lives — and human history — forever.Will they be ready?

The hilarious story of two brothers, a truckload of batteries, and a brilliant plan to bring light--and new business opportunities--to Ghana At age 47, Whit Alexander, the American co-founder of the Cranium board game, decided to start a new business selling affordable goods and services to low-income villagers in Ghana, West Africa. His brother Max, a journalist, came along to tell the story. Neither of them could have anticipated just how much of an adventure they’d find there. In Ghana, Whit's initial goal is to market a high quality rechargeable AA battery that off-grid villagers could use to power their flashlights and radios, as well as to charge their cell phones. If successful, he planned to grow a larger for-profit business based on those batteries--creating a trusted African brand that would provide life-enhancing products, services, and jobs, without relying on charity. Ghana, however, presents extraordinary challenges, and the brothers wage daily battles against deadly insects, insane driving conditions, unspeakable food, voodoo priests, corrupt officials, counterfeiters, and ethnic rivalries on their way to success. From signing up customers who earn a few dollars a month at most to training employees with no Western-style work experience, the brothers quickly learn that starting a business in Africa requires single-minded focus, a sense of humor, and a lot of patience. Along the way, Whit and Max relive their own childhood, bickering across the African bush and learning a great deal about Africans as well as themselves. Irreverent, hilarious, and ultimately inspiring, Bright Lights, No City challenges accepted notions of charity, shows the power of broadening your horizons, and suggests that there is hope and opportunity in Africa. Praise for Bright Lights, No City: "An affectionate, good-humored and finally inspiring account of one American's determination to make good things happen."--Kate Braestrup, New York Times bestselling author of Here If You Need Me "My boss, Bill Gates, coined the phrase 'creative capitalism' to encourage the use of market forces to address the needs of the poor. But my friend, Whit Alexander, moved creative capitalism from ideas to bold practice. Bright Lights, No City will scratch your travel bug, tickle your business brain, and touch your heart."--Patty Stonesifer, former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation "I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure, which helps to prove that what much of the developing world needs is a hand up, not a hand out." --John Wood, founder of Room to Read and author of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World "I loved, loved, loved Bright Lights, No City. A tour de force! Bravo. It's perceptive, informative, thoughtful, engaging, funny."--Carey Winfrey, editor emeritus, Smithsonian magazine and former Africa correspondent, New York Times "Max Alexander has woven a compassionate and oft-times hilarious tale of the Brothers Alexander's attempt to save the world, one rechargeable battery at a time. If you have any interest in a great story or helping the other 4 billion, read this book, now."--W. Hodding Carter, author of Westward Whoa and A Viking Voyage "A lyrically written universal testimony to the humanity that binds all people together on this fragile planet, Bright Lights, No City is a deeply moving and funny, can't-put-it-down book." --Frank Schaeffer, author of Crazy for God "This book is filled with the passion and relentless pursuit that it takes to make dreams come to life, and reminds you that it takes compassion, luck, and humor to make history. A must read for every entrepreneur." --Richard Tait, Co-Founder, Cranium; CEO, Galazo

Book 2 in the Award-Winning Bloodline of Yule Trilogy. Charity Jones leads her friends on an armed, high-tech expedition to the Arctic coordinates she’s seen in her dreams. Their mission: to kill Krampus and save Aidan. But when Charity discovers Aidan’s shocking fate, she makes a mistake that starts the countdown to apocalypse. Can Charity and her team stop the clock? Or will humanity pay the ultimate price?