Issue #134 of Beneath Ceaseless Skies online magazine, featuring stories by Margaret Ronald and Jason S. Ridler.

Tracking a fugitive takes Slocum straight into no-man's land...Bismarck, North Dakota, is no place to be in the middle of winter. So when a young beauty bedecked in jewels shows up in the local saloon looking for a card game, Slocum can't help but be intrigued. Especially when she turns out to be the worst poker player he's ever seen. The woman is Ginny Garfield, daughter of Gilbert G. Garfield of the Garfield Coal, Trains, and Shipping dynasty, and she's hard on the trail of the man who killed her brother. But if Slocum wants her to survive the winter, he's going to have to take over the hunt for Delbert Calkins—even if it means tailing him clear across the country. Because there's one thing he knows about a man like Delbert: He was born bad, he lives bad, and he'll die bad—as long as Slocum gets his way...

One of the first women's organizations to mask and perform during Mardi Gras, the Million Dollar Baby Dolls redefined the New Orleans carnival tradition. Tracing their origins from Storyville-era brothels and dance halls to their re-emergence in post-Katrina New Orleans, author Kim Marie Vaz uncovers the fascinating history of the "raddy-walking, shake-dancing, cigar-smoking, money-flinging" ladies who strutted their way into a predominantly male establishment.The Baby Dolls formed around 1912 as an organization of African American women who used their profits from working in New Orleans's red-light district to compete with other Black prostitutes on Mardi Gras. Part of this event involved the tradition of masking, in which carnival groups create a collective identity through costuming. Their baby doll costumes—short satin dresses, stockings with garters, and bonnets—set against a bold and provocative public behavior not only exploited stereotypes but also empowered and...

BLITZKRIEG 2040! World War III expands with the German invasion of the American Northeast. In the fourth book of the Invasion America Series, bitter glacial cooling continues to bring humanity to the brink of starvation, making U.S. soil the most valuable in the world. From Quebec, the German Dominion unleashes the most frightening assault in history. A genius leads them, planning a trap within a trap within a trap, to ultimately encircle and destroy over one million U.S. soldiers, thereby setting up for the coming dismemberment of the country. Meanwhile, the Pan-Asian Alliance and the South American Federation rearm behind the Oklahoma defenses, waiting to resume their stalled offensive. The Germans seem as if they’re from the future, using artificially intelligent tanks, automated drone battalions and laser-armed jet fighters. America has its back to the wall as their military is stretched to the limit. It’s up to the U.S. vets to defeat an unbeatable foe or watch their country disintegrate around them. The hour of decision has arrived. INVASION: NEW YORK is a disturbing technothriller, written by bestselling author Vaughn Heppner. To find the first book in the series, search for INVASION: ALAKSA.

Married too young, divorced too soon? Jeff Wells hasn’t seen his ex-wife, Maggie Russell, in years. Yet as they reunite to settle their son into his college dorm, Jeff discovers the attraction between them is still present—and very strong. Yet so are the reasons they shouldn’t be together… Still, what’s the harm in giving in to their desire for a few days? No expectations, no strings. But the affair is so passionate, soon Jeff wants more. He wants what they used to have, only better. First he needs to convince Maggie this is their second chance at love and not simply a repeat of the past.