Erika Lovet is used to being in the background, always in her sister's shadow. Since she was a child, her parents have always doted on Alice, have always wanted the best for her, while Erika, the other child, is always thought of second, but still expected to be like her sister. So, it's a surprise to everyone when the dashing Prince asks for Erika, and not her sister. Who knew that the only person to notice Erika first, just happens to be the one that every other girl in the land desires?

(Highest rank #12 in sci-fi). When a dangerous ancient artifact hidden by the Egyptian gods activates after millennia, the long-dormant powers of a half-alien boy come alive just in time to save the Earth. But he never imagined winning over a girl would be harder than saving the world. And he may not even do that. THE LONG VERSION: Human life was hard enough for 17-year-old Gil Scott when his father suddenly disappeared from a temple dig. But when the half-alien teen uncovers a conspiracy surrounding the artifact his human dad was hunting, Gil must use his alien powers to track it down before it destroys the planet he calls home. With the help of a beautiful Oasen-human hybrid whose drive to succeed masks her private pain, Gil borrows his mom's spaceship, following the same clues across Egypt as his father. The teens battle strange weather phenomena and rising global panic as they race through the suffocating heat of the desert, through deluged ancient temples, and hidden libraries hiding more than just books. That is until it starts snowing on the Great Sphinx and they unearth a millennial-old message from Ra himself, addressed to Gil, with a choice that will affect everyone's future. Unraveling Ra's remaining clues, they rush to locate the powerful artifact in time. But Ra and the other ancient aliens' thousands-year-old, carefully mapped plan to save the Earth from the Aten has a fatal flaw, and their gamble may cost Gil the only life that will matter to him in the end. And possibly the planet itself. (Cover image: Photo of The Pyramids of Giza from Egypt combined with a Hubble image. Original photographer: Rom Srinivasan, 2005)

A deaf girl with a harsh mother struggles to keep her deafness a secret. "I am normal. Can't you tell? Perfectly. Normal. Gorgeous, silent, mysterious. The girls want to be me. Everyone wants to have my mother as theirs. Every guy wants to be with me. And they've never heard me speak a word. And they never will."

Marcus couldn't believe his eyes as they fell upon the three mutilated men on the floor. Gashed open with a large knife the woman still held, their bellies were completely hollowed out. There were no organs to be found, and from the gashes that covered the men's arms, Marcus could tell they hadn't gone down without a fight. With horror, Marcus was able to locate the organs, having to suppress his urge to vomit. The intestines hung around the proximity of the shop's interior, mimicking the appearance of rusted Christmas tinsel. They were still wet with blood, painting the floors and display shelves with the sticky redness of Christmas joy. The organs, such as the lungs and Kidneys, were hung on a fake little oak tree that was promoting fire safety with a Smokey the Bear cutout. Smokey was holding this little tray that should have been filled with safety matches, but instead held three hearts. Marcus watched as one of the hearts fatally tried to keep its duties and quivered until it ultimately died. ------------------------- Marcus Oliver was already having a really bad day, which only gets worse with the introduction of his weird son who is constantly letting loose useless factoids, a nut-case mother in law who cannot let go of every bad thing he ever did, and a lunatic wearing a fedora who is technically a cyborg. Oh yeah, and there are rabid humans bent on destroying everything in their path. Those too.