Books with author Matt Brennan

The 2015 NaNoWriMo Tablo.io Novel Writing Contest winner. A virus decimated the entire planet’s human population. No treatment or vaccine could be found, so contraction—meant death. Humanity was forced to seek refuge in hermetically sealed self-sustaining bunkers, commonly referred to as ‘biospheres’. After the world’s power grid failed, survivors managed to establish a global satellite communications network, which allowed them to weave together a digital facsimile of their once thriving, but now extinct way of life. The disease, however, remained active and continued to spread, despite the survivors best intentions and inexhaustible precautions. It was therefore commonplace for connections to become broken, from time to time. The people of the network began to call the silence that inevitably came at the end of the line—The Darkness.No one ever returned when The Darkness came to call.Until now...

The 2015 NaNoWriMo Tablo.io Novel Writing Contest winner.A virus decimated the entire planet's human population. No treatment or vaccine could be found, so contraction--meant death. Humanity was forced to seek refuge in hermetically sealed self-sustaining bunkers, commonly referred to as 'biospheres'. After the world's power grid failed, survivors managed to establish a global satellite communications network, which allowed them to weave together a digital facsimile of their once thriving, but now extinct way of life.The disease, however, remained active and continued to spread, despite the survivors best intentions and inexhaustible precautions. It was therefore commonplace for connections to become broken, from time to time. The people of the network began to call the silence that inevitably came at the end of the line--The Darkness.No one ever returned when The Darkness came to call.Until now...

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and prophecy.Kim never had to wonder what to major in at college. Her talent for divination made her future clear in more ways than one. But there are limits to what even a gifted seer can predict, and no card reading or prophetic dream can prepare Kim for what's to come during her junior year at Welton.Something has taken an interest in her friend Julian -- an unseen force neither of them can identify. What starts as a dark omen quickly turns dangerous, as Julian finds himself under attack. To defend him, Kim will need more than her strengths; she will have to call on a form of magic she has never been able to master. If she can't learn fast enough, she may lose her friend forever.Kim knows she isn't ready for this. But if she wants to save Julian -- and herself -- she'll have to prove her own prophecies wrong.

In this prequel to the urban fantasy novel Lies and Prophecy, Kim is ready for her freshman year at college—but her challenges include more than just choosing courses and learning to live with a roommate.Welton University has welcomed a new student, one of the strange and powerful wilders. If Julian Fiain is going to fit in among his fellow psychics, he’s going to need help.

Pat Nixon may be the least understood of modern first ladies. Although public opinion polls rated her one of our nation's most admired women, few Americans really knew much about her.This first scholarly biography of Thelma Ryan Nixon—the first biography in thirty-five years and the first to access her papers—goes further than any other book to show readers the real Pat Nixon. Lester David's The Lonely Lady of San Clemente painted her as a tragic figure while Julie Nixon Eisenhower's adoring Pat Nixon: The Untold Story fell short of offering an objective portrait. Now Mary Brennan moves beyond the oversimplified appraisals of this neglected first lady to provide a powerful study of a complex and fascinating presidential spouse. Drawing on Mrs. Nixon's recently opened papers—as well as on recollections of both friends and adversaries—Brennan debunks the myth of "Plastic Pat" and fleshes out the real woman behind the stories and stereotypes. The Nixons had more in common with small-town Americans than with Washington society, and Brennan shows that part of Pat's difficulty in dealing with the political world was that she never quite left the "normal" Pat behind. Political and social upheaval during her husband's presidency further complicated her role as first lady, as she had to confront a shifting cultural terrain with the whole world watching. Brennan emphasizes Pat's activism—the first presidential wife to serve as official government representative, as well as the most traveled—and examines her complicated relationship with her husband. Often seen as a "good soldier," Pat, in reality, engaged in constant warfare with her husband and his advisers as she tried to protect her own schedule from interference from the West Wing. Blending empathy and objectivity, Brennan shows that Pat Nixon was a strong woman caught up in circumstances beyond her control who did as her ancestors had done: gritted her teeth and got the job done as best she could. This account of an embattled first lady opens a new window on the Nixon years and finally allows Pat Nixon to take center stage in her own life.

Finn O’Shea lives in Greystones near the beach, just south of Dublin in Ireland. He was named after the Irish legend Fionn Mac Cumhaill. He has a little sister called Aoife who is ‘only a baby’. Finn O’Shea is 7 years old and he is an inventor! He spends all his free time making robots and gadgets out of bits and bobs that he finds lying around.Finn is exceptionally talented at maths and science, and soon after starting school, his teachers move him up two classes. While this makes lessons more interesting for Finn, there are other problems for him including extra homework, and a bully at school. All Finn wants to do is build his rocket in time for the science competition. Will he get it finished with all the extra homework and his little sister breaking all his stuff?

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and prophecy.Kim never had to wonder what to major in at college. Her talent for divination made her future clear in more ways than one. But there are limits to what even a gifted seer can predict, and no card reading or prophetic dream can prepare Kim for what's to come during her junior year at Welton.Something has taken an interest in her friend Julian—an unseen force neither of them can identify. What starts as a dark omen quickly turns dangerous, as Julian finds himself under attack. To defend him, Kim will need more than her strengths; she will have to call on a form of magic she has never been able to master. If she can't learn fast enough, she may lose her friend forever.Kim knows she isn't ready for this. But if she wants to save Julian—and herself—she'll have to prove her own prophecies wrong.

Finn O’Shea lives in Greystones near the beach, just south of Dublin in Ireland. He was named after the Irish legend Fionn Mac Cumhaill ('Finn Mac Cool'). He has a little sister called Aoife who is ‘only a baby’. Finn is 7 years old and he is an inventor! He spends all his free time making robots and gadgets out of bits and bobs that he finds lying around. Finn is exceptionally talented at maths and science, and soon after starting school, his teachers move him up two classes. While this makes lessons more interesting for Finn, there are other problems for him including extra homework, and a bully at school. All Finn wants to do is build his rocket in time for the science competition. Will he get it finished with all the extra homework and his little sister breaking all his stuff?

The life of a soldier in the Australian Army wasn't an easy one. Never knowing if he was coming home or not, it was easier for Lieutenant James Everett to just stay single. He didn't like the idea of leaving someone behind that didn't know if he was alive or dead. But then he met Riley... Riley had a rule. Do not date soldiers. Especially not soldiers that are friends with her best friend, Captain Matthew Mackenzie. Matt had talked about James before, but Riley wasn't expecting the Greek God dressed in camo that came home on leave with him. Those three weeks were magical, but then their leave was over and James and Matt are sent back to Iraq. A month into their tour and an explosion turns everyone's lives upside down. Will James be able to keep his promise and get back to Riley?