Studios Books

Set in 14th Century France, times are hard at the convent La Tres Saunte Annunciacion. The plague has come, killing many of the area's residents. The Catholic Church has two popes; one is in Rome, while the other rules from the French city of Avignon. The convent is doing the best it can, offering a meal and a bed for any passing travelers.

Aungelique, one of the sisters at the convent, is a headstrong young woman, and the daughter of a Baron. She is there only because of a huge disagreement with her father over whom she should marry. Aungelique has discovered the pleasures of the flesh (a major sin for a nun), and runs away from the convent, twice. She wants to live with, and learn from, Comtesse Orienne, the most sexually accomplished courtesan in Europe. Each time, she is convinced to return to the convent by Orienne.

Soon, screams of pleasure and pain are heard from behind the door to Aungelique's room, accompanied by bruises and scratches all over her body. It is as if she is being ravished by some invisible demon. She is ordered to fast, and keep all-night vigils, praying for God's assistance, but it does not help. In fact, the "disease" spreads to other sisters, one of whom becomes pregnant, and dies in childbirth. An investigator is sent; he thinks that the best way to drive the demons out of the nuns is by physically beating them. He and Orienne cross paths; after a night of passion, he turns from an arrogant person convinced that he is right into feeling like the biggest sinner who ever walked the earth. The last resort for the authorities is to destroy the convent, and take everyone involved away to be burned at the stake.

An abridged version of this book was published in the mid-1980s. Here is the unabridged, author-approved version, and it is very much worth reading. It is quite dark and spooky (at which Yarbro is a master), and is a really well-done story.

At the bidding of the Cardinal, Frere Odo delivers young Mere Leonie to replace the late saintly elderly Mere Jacinthe at la Tres Saunte Annunciacion to the shock of the nuns stationed there at a time when the plague, war, and a divided Papacy haunt the believers. Meanwhile noble born Seur Aungelique welcomes the newcomer as she hopes the youthful Mere will bring life to the dull tedious monastery; however Aungelique also refuses to take a chance on another Jacinthe so this is a good moment to sneak away.

Seur Aungelique escapes to learn more about the pleasures of the flesh having enjoyed the sin of touching herself. She travels to Un Nouveautie to meet the renowned wealthy courtesan la Comtesse Orienne de Hautlimois to learn what she can about carnal pleasures. Orienne tutors the nun who ultimately returns to the monastery where she acts demonically possessed by defiling the church with her contagious lust as she sexually pleasures and punishes her seurs and any monsieur including the Frere who visits them. The once pious monastery has become a house of ill repute where demonic debauchery for the damned is the only prayers answered by sexual meditation.

A MORTAL GLAMOUR is a reprint of a two decade old thriller that does not include Saint Germain. The story line brings to life medieval France at a time in which the world seems to be going crazy even before the nuns turn into bawdy lustful seurs. Readers will appreciate Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's dark fourteenth century thriller as la Tres Saunte Annunciacion becomes home to the sinful debauched while wondering if this is the devil's work, simply mob mentality mortals breaking God's commandments, or bad food and drink causing madness.

Harriet Klausner

Dark historical fiction set in fourteenth century France, A Mortal Glamour tells the tale of one turbulent year in the life of a convent. Although A Mortal Glamour was originally published in 1985, this new edition--published by Juno Books with wonderful new cover art--includes over twenty-five thousand words cut from the first edition.


Young, headstrong Seur Aungelique (nobly born into the d'Ybert family) enters la Tres Saunte Annunciacion convent rather than marry the man chosen by her father. Stifled by the Rule of Order, Aungelique becomes increasingly frustrated with convent life after the introduction of a strict young superior. Fleeing under cover of night, she takes refuge with Comtesse Orienne, the most accomplished courtesan in France. Though openly admitting her desire to receive tutelage from the Comtesse, Aungelique also seems to have an ulterior motive: to meet her true love Pierre Fornault (Duc de Parcignonne), who she knows to be a patron of Comtesse Orienne. Though she is returned to the convent before she has the chance to commit any real sins of the flesh, Aungelique's appetite for lust has been whetted, an appetite that soon becomes irrepressible.


After her return to the convent, Aungelique begins to experience nightly visitations accompanied by loud moans of pleasure and pain from her cell. No penance, it seems, can relieve her of these visitations: neither performing vigils nor fasting helps and, indeed, scourging seems to exacerbate the problem. Whether demonic or no, the visitations are contagious and soon other sisters, a priest, and even a soldier stationed at the convent are affected. As the convent falls prey to otherworldly chaos, it is left to languish and questions begin to multiply.


The novel's backdrop is one of desperate, turbulent times. Europe is still cowed with fear of the Black Death. France and England are embroiled in what would later be known as the Hundred Years' War. And, with Pope Urban VI reigning in Rome and Pope Clement VII reigning in Avignon, the Church is divided and distrust is rampant.


Tied to what seems to be the author's intended commentary about women's status (or lack thereof) at that time, what is most horrific about the story is the lack of action by the Church in Avignon. As Père Guibert, the priest tasked with shepherding the convent's inhabitants, explains the situation most succinctly:

I pray that it is only the perfidy of women that must be corrected and not the incursion of Hell. The Pope has recently warned that the forces of Rome are growing stronger and seek to undermine the proper authority of Avignon and the French throne. To have demons present would weaken his assertion that it is Avignon that is the right. It might be thought that these nuns were acting on behalf of Roman interests, that the women entertain Roman lovers and for that seek to cast doubt upon the sanctity of Avignon. (212)

The Church, it seems, would rather lose dozens of innocent souls than risk a loss of power.


A Mortal Glamour is a compelling read. Though set in a different era, it is similar to Joanne Harris' Holy Fools and will appeal to readers who enjoyed that novel.


Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is best known as creator of the vampire Count Saint-Germain. She's written twenty Saint-Germain books and a total of sixty-three novels in her long career.

A Mortal Glamour is historical fiction about medieval nuns. As in her Saint Germain novel, _Better in the Dark_ the nuns of this French convent are going crazy. Is it bad rye? Is it demonic possession? Or is it loneliness? This is dark, but fun.

A true work of the storyteller's art, On This Beautiful Island is written and beautifully illustrated by Edwin Fontanez. Adapted from his original video "Taino: Guanin's Story" which was in turn inspired by the ancient culture of the Tainos who were the first inhabitants of Puerto Rico. On This Beautiful Island shows young readers what it was like to live in a vibrant natural land five hundred years ago, and experience the wonders of nature from the soft lullaby of the ocean humming inside a shell to the fresh breeze whisking through the treetops to the song of a tiny frog no bigger than a thumb. On This Beautiful Language is filled with bright and ruddy colored illustrations of native Taino individuals going about day-to-day life, and a final page offers some additional information about the Taino culture, and influences that remain with us today through words like "barbecue", "tobacco", "canoe", and "hammock", all of which are derived from the Arawak language.

Guanín, our narrator, uses poetic verse to describe his family traditions and life in Puerto Rico. This is a pastoral book that celebrates and educates children about the Taíno history and culture. The illustrations are incredibly beautiful. It is difficult to tell, at times, whether this is to be a rhyming verse or descriptive poem. When reading aloud, sometimes the rhyming and/or alliterations works, at other times, though it is difficult reading. The intricate, colorful illustrations will brighten any day, even if you don't read the text. The story introduces readers to Puerto Rico in a way that they are not likely to find elsewhere. The parallels with Native American culture (i.e., Nature's role in our survival) also lend great opportunities to talk about conservation and caring for our world.

What a beautiful book! I want to use the book as a coffee table book, matter of fact, its on my coffee table now because the illustrations are striking and the book is informative, well researched and entertaining. Although classified for the 9 to 12 year old reader, a younger reader will enjoy looking at the pictures and, with instruction, can play the enclosed game. The author defines and provides pronunciation hints for unfamiliar words. An adult is guaranteed to expand their knowledge of an ancient culture and time period. This is truly a book to be enjoyed by the entire family.

On a Beautiful Island captures a day in the life of Taino, a Puerto Rican boy who lived some 500 years ago. His adventures bring to life a culture strong in family, faith and society. Each person in the tribe has a role and a responsibility to each other and to nature. The writing is lyrical, the illustrations are colorful while the overall tone is light and joyful.

On this Beautiful Island is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book. This book takes the child through a colourful exotic journey led by Guanín and his close-to-the-heart friend Tahite, a parrot. Guanín shows his new friends a little about his daily life and about his traditional Taíno culture. These traditions date back more than 2,000 years from the area known today as Puerto Rico. A video called Taíno: Guanín's Story and a companion activity book are also available for those interested in learning more about Guanín and his cultural traditions.

On this Beautiful Island is a story that entertains and teaches at the same time. The book illustrates a lifestyle that is likely very different from the young reader while also showing that some things about being a kid are universal. The story is charming and completely entertaining. However, it pales in comparison to the illustrations in this book which are completely breathtaking. Young readers will spend hours studying these colourful pictures looking for hidden coquíes.

Any collection strong in animation history and art needs ONCE UPON A TIME: WALT DISNEY: THE SOURCES OF INSPIRATION FOR THE DISNEY STUDIOS. It packs in nearly four hundred color illustrations and essays by a number of authorities as it reveals the Paris exhibition of 'Once Upon a Time: Walt Disney' and considers the films which impacted animation and the film world. Over 300 original works by Disney artists, from paintings and drawings to film clips, backgrounds and cels blend with the Western European artworks which inspired them, offering a unique visual connection between Disney's efforts and their inspirational origins. The cross-cultural connections are simply outstanding and place this 'tops' in any collection strong on Disney, film or animation history.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Wow! Whether you're an art lover, Disney fan, or simply fascinated by Western culture, you owe it to yourself to add this remarkable book to your collection. Much thicker than a typical coffee-table tome, this big, heavy art anthology was published as a companion to an art exhibition of the same name, which collected works from both the Disney archive as well as 50 museums worldwide. The exhibit was shown in Paris last fall and is currently (spring 2007) on display at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. It was compiled by Bruno Girveau, a principal curator at the National School of Fine Arts in Paris.

A delight to browse through, the book reproduces hundreds of original Disney pen-and-ink sketches, conceptual watercolors and actual production pieces for films from 1937's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to 1967's "Jungle Book"; as well as many of the historic art pieces and other cultural material that inspired Walt Disney and his artists. For example, a section on the Evil Queen from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is brilliantly illustrated with a Gothic column statue from Naumburg, an 1898 French oil ("Woman in a Black Hat," George de Feure), a 1937 Disney production celluloid and a 1940 publicity shot of film actress Joan Crawford -- all of which appear to show the same person. (The text is good, too. This section includes a short essay pondering the effects of Walt Disney's hard-luck childhood.)

A chapter on pop art includes two interpretations of Donald Duck by Roy Lichtenstein and another by Andy Warhol -- and those are the dullest pieces! My favorite is David Mach's Matchstick Mickey, a real Mickey doll being eaten by a giant purple head made of nothing but purple matchsticks and glue. Other highlights in the book include more than a dozen gorgeous conceptual watercolors for "Alice in Wonderland" by Disney artists David Hall and Mary Blair, and a discussion that the Blue Fairy from "Pinocchio" is actually an animated homage to Hollywood's original blond bombshell, Jean Harlow.

My only gripe is the book's organization and index. The chapters are grouped not by film, but rather the exhibit's themes of "Disney's European Sources," "Walt Disney and Literature and Cinema," "Disney and Pop Art," etc.; and the index is only by artist. Still, what a find!

A nice companion book is Dream Worlds: Production Design for Animation.

Great book to see the images the Disney artists drew from for inspiration and design. Today the Disney images are considered the icons but to see their source material allows for an introduction to the original work, which is wonderful, and therefore have a deeper appreciation of each art form, both fine and animated. A worthwhile catalogue if you were unable to see the exhibit.

Here at Denny Magic Studios we make a point of acquiring anything and everything Disney, it's part of our ongoing education by being in the theme park design business. This passion surrounding the Disney brothers also dictated that we attend the traveling museum show on Walt which we found mesmerizing. However, although this book delivers some wonderful color plates and some good information all rolled into a beautiful coffee table presentation, and without chastising it in any way...we found that we were not too excited about it. There are several colored plates that seem to be rather rare, and the information seems well researched, but there was something that we could not put our finger on that kept it from being an exciting acquisition. Therefore we feel that if you are a die hard fan of Disney... then yes, you are going to want this book. If you are interested in Disney but not "fanatical" then you might want to wait until this one goes on sale.

It came in good condition. I was disappointed with the shipping costs. I was charged $$$ for a shipment that came in by regular mail under $2.00

The Book Peter Pan is probable my favorite childrens book of all. Peter Pan is about a young boy named, of course, Peter Pan. Peter lives in a place far away called Neverland. In Neverland no one there can get older. The only adults in Neverland happen to be pirates, and although Peter is just a boy all of the pirates are scared of him because he is the only person who can fly. The book is jam packed with adventure, Peter even has a friend fairy. Peter Pan also has friends called the lost boys. This book is a definate must get book for your child. I recommend this book to all ages, because every kid needs Peter Pan

If kids like Peter Pan, then this is a book for them. With illustrations and the vocabulary the kids can understand, this book provides an easy way for the kids to understand the story. It is a must for any children's book collection.

A wonderful version of this classic Walt Disney story! With beautiful illustrations, it is the perfect addition to your book collection for your children.

This book is a great tool, I have learn a lot from it. Is well written and explained.

As an advanced Photoshop user, I found this book to be VERY descriptive and easy to understand. Compared to other Phothoshop books that I have seen (that are about 3 times as thick, twice as heavy, and costs twice as much at least), this book provides the same information but in a straight-forward manner. There's no long, boring explanations; instead, it gets right to the point and shows you how to achieve the desired effect. It's at such a great price too . If you are a beginner, you should definitely get this book.

I am an Architect , and I found this book the finest there is to learn the Photoshop , it is excellent for begginers and advanced users , and really takes you a step by step .

This was hands-down the best Photoshop book I've ever read. It helped me build the skills that have now landed me a job at a large graphic design firm. Thanks, Steve!

he book wasn't quite what I was looking for, but the idea behind the game it talks about is pretty good.

Powered by the Savage Worlds RPG system, Pirates of the Spanish Main is a stand-alone book and is all you need to kick off your very own high-seas swashbuckling adventure! All the Savage Worlds rules are in here, tailored to the Pirates genre, so there is no need for a separate rulebook. This game takes place in the pseudo-historical world represented in WizKid's Pirates of the Spanish Main collectible ship combat game, and many of the characters and ships in that game are present as NPC's in the RPG. That game, in turn, was spawned from various pirate stories and movies such as Treasure Island and Pirates of the Caribbean, and the fantastic atmosphere from those sources carries over into the RPG. If you've ever wished to strap a rapier around your waist, board your ship, and set sail for adventure, this is the game for you.

I have been running rpg campaigns for years. Everything from rifts to cyberpunk. D&D to AD&D. Blue Planet to Serenity. I love the gaming world and this rpg has to be one of my favorites. Its simple structure and rules make for quick and easy game play. The GM is released from the frustration of keeping track of so much stuff and is allowed to spend more time on beautiful plots and wild adventures. This is a great game for beginning gamers and experienced ones. Check it out and you will not be disappointed.

Can't say enough good stuff about this book. Visually it is fantastic! The art and layout look great. As if that weren't enough, the content is even better.

The award winning Savage Worlds RPG game system has been modified and streamlined to fit the pirate genre and it suits it perfectly. They've left the pirate appropriate rules from the core system and added some new stuff to add more life to the setting. Ship combat rules, fencing schools, and a great mission generator are included. This game should be the perfect RPG compliment to the ship collecting game that it is based on (but not needed to play).

BTW, this is a stand alone product. You do not need any other books to play... just this one. Hehe, as if you'd need any more :)

If you like books about people that are helpful, nice they solve their own problem, then this book is for you. I picked this book because I like books where people are helpful and they solve their own problems. In the book, Pooh's basket had a hole in it and whenever he put an egg in it, it fell out on him. Then everyone found his eggs. The setting is in the One Hundred Acre Woods. The problem is Pooh's basket had a hole in it. The big idea is being honest. You should buy this book for your little kids to enjoy.

It is about Pooh and his friends are going to be in a egg hunt. But Pooh was a hole in his basket and lost all his eggs.He wanted to win a feast at Rabbit's house. His friends gave him the eggs he dropped. You should read this book it is a great book.

Winnie the Pooh at his best. Rabbit sends Pooh, Tigger, Roo, Kanga and Eeyore on an easter egg hunt. Pooh finds all the eggs, but they fall out of his basket through a hole in the bottom! All of his friends then find the eggs, but at the end they give them back to Pooh because he didn't have any eggs. Pooh ends up sharing the prize for finding the most eggs with his friends who shared their eggs with him. A great tale about true friendship...

POOH'S EASTER EGG HUNT gives the kids a simple story that's easy to follow, with all of their Pooh friends along for the ride. The pictures have lovely bright colors. And the words are really big for young readers. The Step into Reading (this is a step 1 book) series is such a great idea for kids. There's an introduction here explaining the Step into Reading books program. Step 1 is for preschool to grade 1 (approx.). Your child will love having his/her own books, and these make an affordable collection to encourage young readers.

Kelly has created a program second to none. In just a couple of days this program helped me to reprogram my subconscious and allow me freedom from nicotine and emotionally driven food. Thank you Kelly for your lifetime of work in order for this change to come about and put me back in the driver seat of my life!

Burris has my full endorsement. I recommend that all of my associates and clients get his book, do the homework and listen to the reprogramming CD. I personally have benefited from his mind fitness techniques as a individual and especially as a teacher. His methods are easy to learn and implement. They empower you from within, not tell you what to do. Burris is original and brilliant! Truly an 'Aha!' sense of this really works, when I've tried EVERYTHING.

Carol Miller
President
Encore Personal Training
Las Vegas, Nevada USA

As the author of this book I can tell you definitively that the quotes Trisha Brudsal put in her review do not exist on the CD. You can read the first two chapters of the book or listen to the first track of the CD by going to KellyBurris.com.

Kelly Burris' Reprogramming The Overweight Mind is at the cutting edge and one of the most valuable assets I have come across. I should know. I tried and was successful on Atkin's. I loved the thought that I could eat food and still lose weight. But, you know after awhile, you get tired of steak, prime rib, etc. and desire a big fat carb overload. And in fact, that is what I did after losing 20 pounds on Atkins. And soon I was back to my old weight plus a few pounds. As a 55+ male, I felt frustrated and was not eager to start the climb back to monitoring my carbs. So there I was stuck. Again.

When I first encountered Kelly's book, I was skeptical. Another gimmick. Another diet. So I did nothing. And yet, something happened along the way.

I encountered a new mind set. It was NOT done consciously. But I started to look at food differently. I made better choices. I made conscious choices. I started to avoid a few of the key ingredients Kelly pointed out as being "bad" for you. I read labels and found High Fructose Corn Syrup was all over the place...even in one famous person's Old Fashion Lemonade. I stopped putting sugar in my coffee. I drank more water. I found if I bought convenient size bottled water, I drank more. All of these changes were made by me as a willing accomplice. My mind set had changed. And I had a new perspective.

After awhile, I noticed that my pants were loose. That I could bend over more easily. But I didn't pay much attention to it. After all, I wasn't dieting so I figured I was imaging it.

At one point, I decided to get on a scale...and to my surprise, I found I had lost 20 pounds. I had gone from 251 pounds to 231 without any effort. And yet, I did not feel like I had deprived myself of anything. In fact, I felt well fed.

And that is the moment I realized what Kelly was talking about. Reprogramming the Mind. Subconsciously. Indeed, I had done just that without the trauma of dieting, deprivation and all the other things that go along with losing weight. And I have no desire to go back to my old habits.

I don't know about you. But if you were like me...overweight, late 50s, less than optimistic...maybe you should consider Reprogramming Your Mind.

Great book for collectors, art enthusiasts, and aspiring sculptors and artists. Book highlights MacDonald's important works... Highly recommended

A high quality binding and beautiful images make this a wonderful book for a gift or for your own library. It really shows all aspects of his career. Highly recommended!

This book is beautifully done with quality photos, showcasing some of my favorite (if I must choose favorites!) Richard MacDonald works. This book allows me to revisit the beauty that Richard MacDonald creates as often as I like, when I can't make it into one of his galleries. Although it doesn't give me the same level of joy I get from viewing his artwork in person, it certainly comes close!

Beautiful book. Not worth spending $95.00 on. It has some graphic pictures and it fails to show some of his greatest works. More like he is trying to show you what he hasn't sold much of yet. Love his work though. Going to one of his galleries would be much more pleasing.

This book had all the basic info to construct a bautiful wedding...It showed how the era evolved and included helpful ideas.

This book is not for brides only. It is for everyone who would like to recapture the romance of a Victorian wedding. It has beautiful pictures, great ideas and resources.

There is something old for those who want to learn about the actual customs, traditions, fashions, and etiquette of Victorian weddings, and there is something new for those who want to plan a wedding now in the romantic Victorian tradition. And for those who enjoy the pure romance of it all, there is a chapter on notable Victorian weddings, those that were impressive then as well as now, beginning with that of the one who started it all, Queen Victoria. This is a beautiful book from beginning to end.

This book has everything the lover of romance and Victoriana could ask for! It is full of helpful historical information as well as practical advice that can be used for a beautiful wedding in the Victorian theme.

I absolutely loved this best. I love the victorian era and this book let you see how it all began. It talks about the courtship that lead up to the marriage of Victoria and Albert. What was worn, what the bride carried, proper ettiquete, the decorations, how the families were involved. There is also tips on how you can have a victorian wedding. I used quite a bit of resources from this book for my own victorian wedding. It also has great colord pictures.