Books published by publisher Crossroad Press

Family Secrets is the second volume of the Nocturnia Chronicles, a series for both adults and young readers, middle grades and up.The story of Ryan and Emma continues as they search for their missing older brother. After escaping a lethal attack of the Silent Ones, they are helped by a variety of displaced humans and monsters, ranging from Ambrose Bierce to a sect of vegetarian werewolves. During their attempts to avoid capture by the fierce renegade ruler, Falzon, Ryan and Emma embark on an odyssey of adventure and revelation, learning more about this strange nightmare world ... and about themselves.

Some people in Maywell, New Jersey, commute to New York. Some are working on a lab project that will change the world — if it is allowed to succeed.And some people are witches.Amanda Walker is not a witch — yet. She's an artist, looking for work — unaware that someone has a desperate need for her, a dark plan that may require Amanda to enter death itself.If she is allowed to live long enough to make the choice.Amanda's tale is far stranger than she knows. It is ancient beyond memory. In times of great change it must be relived, in all its fear and hope, its wisdom and its passion.One of those times is now.

For lovers of the Nancy Drew mysteries, here she is - times four! Four modern-day Little Women, each with her own charms and talents, solve mysteries in the beautiful New Jersey shore town of Ocean City. In "The Case of the Missing Script", a famously quirky movie director finds himself in a tight spot, and only the Sheridan sisters, Meg, Biz (The Brain), Ames, and Josie, whose parents own the Dolphin Hotel where he's staying, can get him out of it.

Anne and Julie, on a school field trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, are having fun looking at the aquatic creatures and talking about other students. But suddenly, in one darkened, deep sea room, Anne vanishes and a strange girl in ragged clothes appears in her place. Anne has switched places in time with a runaway slave named Millie. Now in the year 1849, Anne is captured by a cruel slave catcher and held as a thief on his sailing ship. Scared but determined, Julie must figure out how to rescue Anne. But if she does, will it mean sending Millie back in time to the slave catcher? Each Ameri-Scares novel is based on or inspired by an actual historical event, folktale, or legend specific to the state in which the story is set.

In the realm of African spiritual pathways, no tradition is so widely embraced and practiced as the West African religion Orisa. Awakened by her own spiritual journey, Tobe Melora Correal, an initiated priestess in the Yoruba-Lukumi branch of Orisa, guides us along this blessed road. FINDING THE SOUL ON THE PATH OF ORISA provides a fresh look at these ancient teachings and emphasizes introspection and inner work over the outward manifestations of Orisa’s practices. Correal debunks misconceptions surrounding the tradition, drawing us into a lushly textured, Earth-centered spiritual system—a compassionate and useful roadmap for revering God.

Can ancient, unknown creatures surface in your own backyard? Twelve-year-old Pablo has lived in a small California desert town his whole life, and the sticky black tar puddle by the corral fence has been little more than a nuisance to walk around or step over. But when an earthquake cracks open the bottom of the puddle and mysterious rock-like eggs begin floating up to the top, Pablo and his best friends, Lauren and Victor, realize they have a mystery to solve. It's a scary, scientific mystery that will put the whole town in danger if Pablo and his friends don’t stop arguing and learn to work together. Each Ameri-Scares novel is based on, or inspired by, an actual historical event, folktale, or legend specific to the state in which the story is set.

One quiet spring evening, the animals of the north woods see a great light mushroom up from the human territories. Most ignore it, but Wolf of Shadows, sitting alone on his hill, knows that something is very wrong. The next day dark clouds block out the sun, and an icy black rain comes, washing away the smells of all living things. It gets colder, then colder still. Nuclear winter has begun.As sleet changes to snow in wolf country, a desperate human mother and her daughter appear and join Wolf of Shadows as he leads his pack south. This is the story of their journey through the desolate, frozen wasteland that was once the United States. Always near freezing and starvation, threatened by savage dog packs and marauding humans, the wolves and the two women soon come to depend on one another for survival. Strieber masterfully captures how the wolf interprets the actions of the adopted humans and compares them to the feelings and actions of wolves. As their journey progresses, an unspoken but deeply felt love grows between them. This alone sustains them in their search for a place where life can be reborn."Wolf of Shadows" is a bold and brutal novel, a compelling tale of survival in the wild, and a unique vision told from the viewpoint of a wolf of the horrors we may bring to every living creature on earth.

Drawing on Provost's proven philosophies, Rubie examines every facet of storytelling, from narrative hooks to fulfilling climaxes. Through advice, exercises, and an outstanding array of examples, you'll learn to create gripping narratives powered by strong characters. You'll discover the secrets of sequencing, of weaving subplots into rich stories, and manipulating story pace to increase conflict, tension, and surprise.“Rarely does a writing guide arrive with the authority of HOW TO TELL A STORY.” Publishers Weekly."HOW TO TELL A STORY is a must for anybody who writes nonfiction or fiction -- television and screenwriters included." - Hugh Wilson, creator of WKRP in Cincinnati, director of The First Wive's Club."A most useful book that will aid anyone tying to become a writer of fiction. I recommend it highly." Roderick Thorp, bestselling author of River, Die Hard, and Detective."Gary Provost was one of the best friends a writer ever had. He knew that all writers face a hard challenge: to take their ideas, aspirations, and vapors of creativity, and make them concrete for the reader. How to do it? Treat writing as a craft, with techniques that can be learned, with tricks that can be taught. In this book, Peter Rubie shows Gary Provost at his best." -- William Martin, author of Cape Cod and Annapolis."HOW TO TELL A STORY offers a harvest of time-tested problem-solving techniques that will enrich every writer's art and craft. It's a feast of innovative, clearly stated advice that will nourish a writer's confidence and career. Read it and you will reap its many rewards." -- Gerald Gross, author of Editors on Editing: What Writers Need to Know About What Editors Do."Peter Rubie and Gary Provost have got it right. HOW TO TELL A STORY covers everything a novice writer needs to learn and a professional writer needs to remember. It's earned a permanent place on my desk." -- Barbara Shapiro, author of Blind Spot and See No Evil."In this unique book, the time honored ability of story telling has been dissected, examined carefully and defined in detail for the writer. With a fresh new look at what makes a story exciting and compelling, HOW TO TELL A STORY outlines for the writer all the secrets of dramatic story telling. Every writer should read this book before writing another paragraph." -- Keith Wilson, M.D., novelist, and author of Cause of Death: A Writer's Guide to Death, Murder, & Forensic Medicine.

CLIVE BARKER'S FIRST TALESThe book begins with "The Wood on the Hill", a short story about a bourgeois woman who is soon to learn a terrifying lesson concerning her complete disregard for anyone other than herself. The second tale, "The Candle in the Cloud", is a novella of dark fantasy which follows three children who discover a magical candle that transports them to a world where a plague-cloud is destroying everything in its wake. These two tales, the first ever written by Clive, are offered here for the very first time. Their production has been lovingly supervised by Clive himself to ensure that these are not mere books, but works of art to be cherished. Complete with original illustrations and appendices on select editions, First Tales is sure to delight everyone from longtime fans to new readers.In his own words:"These two stories represent the two essential structures of fantastique literature. ’The Wood on the Hill’ is about an incursion of unearthly elements into an approximation of our world. ’The Candle in the Cloud’ is about a journey taken by people from our world into another reality. Yin and Yang, if you like. Forces pulling in opposing directions but to achieve the same end: Revelation."Clive Barker (2013)

From the internationally bestselling author of Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain comes the story of Spider, Mourning Dove, Goodnight, Mish-Mosh, and Psychopomp! Before there was Bad Penny and the Inscrutable Machine... there was TEAM TINY!Being a superhero should be fun. After all, a world of super powers is a world where amazonian juggernauts made of candy battle guys in spandex that drive talking cars. Irene loves that weirdness, loves the game of fighting, and loves being a four foot tall woman who still gets to drop big heavy objects on villains' heads.In 1980, that fun is in danger. A mad scientist who murders people for his research has everyone afraid. Two of the friendliest super powered rivals around stop playing and go for the kill. If superheroes and villains aren't safe in their own homes, how can having powers be anything but a nightmare?Irene will not let that happen. She wants to show her friends—a ten-year-old grim reaper and a zombie mish-mosh of living and metal parts—that their lives don't have to be grim. With the help of a superintelligent spider, Team Tiny will make the world fun again.Except maybe it's the spider who's in charge after all...