Ramiro Perez de Pereda

The places in this book are shunned, abandoned and forgotten. They do not exist, and yet here you will find the stories of people who have gone and survived to tell their tales, complete with photographs. These are the postcards from the void, frightful evidence of places that should not be, and yet exist in our nightmares. Should you dare to venture into these blighted places, remember: don't talk to strangers; don't stray far from home; and never, ever go in alone.

A briefcase full of money lies on the floor. Would you take it? What if the money belonged to a crime lord, and taking it set you running for your life? Still sound good? It did to Ryan, who had nothing to lose. Born a child of the streets, Ryan Cantril learned early on to fight for his keep, and sometimes just to keep what he earned. Now in his thirties, the self-proclaimed king of the sucker punch fights to keep the cash he rightfully stole from a powerful crime syndicate-and if he's lucky, his life.

The places in this book are shunned, abandoned and forgotten. They do not exist, and yet here you will find the stories of people who have gone and survived to tell their tales, complete with photographs. These are the postcards from the void, frightful evidence of places that should not be, and yet exist in our nightmares. Should you dare to venture into these blighted places, remember: don't talk to strangers; don't stray far from home; and never, ever go in alone.

Chock full of anecdotes-some heartbreaking, others laugh-out-loud funny-"I Was A Teenage Cuban Arsonist" is a powerful memoir of Ramiro Perez's adventures growing up in pre-revolutionary Cuba, and later, as an exile in Miami. As a youth, Ramiro and his two older brothers get into trouble with bloodthirsty nuns, discover girls, and inadvertently burn down the family farm. Upon arriving in Miami, he is recruited into a counterrevolutionary movement formed to oppose Castro. In a blink, Ramiro goes from penniless immigrant to soldier of fortune. Likening this book to a "highlight reel" of his life, Perez's life story promises intrigue, adventure, and the tongue-in-cheek humor he is known for.

The good part about being immortal is that you cannot die. That is also the bad part. Brash, young, and markedly sociopathic, Cyan has the makings of a full army commander if he lives long enough to be promoted. But when a close brush with death breaks his resolve, he is rendered unable to lead his men, let alone leave his tent, for weeks. The tide starts to turn when his superiors send him a magical artifact that ensures he will not die on the battlefield. Unfortunately for Cyan, he soon learns that not dying can be worse than not living-a side effect of the artifact's magic turns more of his body to lifeless iron with each passing day. Knowing time is short before he becomes just another statue in a town square, he sets off on a quest to rid himself of his cursed immortality.