Drawing upon hundreds of newly uncovered archival records, Gretchen Peters reconstructs the music of everyday life in over twenty cities in late medieval France. Through the comparative study of these cities' political and musical histories, the book establishes that the degree to which a city achieved civic authority and independence determined the nature and use of music within the urban setting. The world of urban minstrels beyond civic patronage is explored through the use of diverse records; their livelihood depended upon seeking out and securing a variety of engagements from confraternities to bathhouses. Minstrels engaged in complex professional relationships on a broad level, as with guilds and minstrel schools, and on an individual level, as with partnerships and apprenticeships. The study investigates how minstrels fared economically and socially, recognizing the diversity within this body of musicians in the Middle Ages from itinerant outcasts to wealthy and respected town musicians.

Drawing upon hundreds of newly uncovered archival records, Gretchen Peters reconstructs the music of everyday life in over twenty cities in late medieval France. Through the comparative study of these cities' political and musical histories, the book establishes that the degree to which a city achieved civic authority and independence determined the nature and use of music within the urban setting. The world of urban minstrels beyond civic patronage is explored through the use of diverse records; their livelihood depended upon seeking out and securing a variety of engagements from confraternities to bathhouses. Minstrels engaged in complex professional relationships on a broad level, as with guilds and minstrel schools, and on an individual level, as with partnerships and apprenticeships. The study investigates how minstrels fared economically and socially, recognizing the diversity within this body of musicians in the Middle Ages from itinerant outcasts to wealthy and respected town musicians.

"Seeds of Terror" is a groundbreaking triumph of reporting, a book that changed U.S. policy toward the Afghan heroin trade and the fight against terror. In it, Gretchen Peters exposes the deepening relationship between the Taliban and drug traffickers, and traces decades of America's failure to disrupt the opium production that helps fund extremism. The Taliban earns as much as half a billion dollars annually from drugs and crime, and Peters argues that disrupting this flow of dirty money will be critical to stabilizing Afghanistan. Based on hundreds of interviews with fighters, smugglers, and government officials, "Seeds of Terror" is the essential story of the narco-terror nexus behind America's widening war in Afghanistan.

Matt Hiatt has recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan with Special Operations. While stationed at Pendleton, the Marines allow him to work for a civilian company called Delta Defense. Delta Defense engineers and develops weapons for the U.S. military and rely on Matt's expertise for field-testing the equipment. Since his return from the Middle East, Matt has experienced several recurring dreams about a woman he doesn't know and hasn't met (yet). He documents the dreams in a journal to keep track of their content and recurrence. While at work one morning, Matt receives an instant message from a man named Sesom who warns Matt that people are tracking him and his life is in danger. Sesom invites Matt to meet him at a popular cafe near Delta Defense to share more details of his discovery. While Matt is skeptical, he has had a few strange encounters recently and would like to meet Sesom to understand why someone would want to track him. The meeting reveals that people are following Matt and want to kill him before he has a chance to reveal his dreams and visions. Sesom also shares that Matt's visions are a catalyst to the beginning of Revelation and an inevitable return of the Messiah. The meeting at the cafe ends in bloodshed and Matt witnesses firsthand that a group of evil people intends to end his life. Matt finds out there are Disciples that found Sesom by their own visions and discovery. Matt is unique because Sesom had visions of finding him in the City of Angels, and Matt's knowledge could hold the secret to understanding the beginning of Revelation. These modern day Disciples are different than Disciples that followed Jesus 2000 years ago. While the Disciples have a strong conviction in their own beliefs and skills, they come from different religions and two of them are women. The Disciples have come from all over the world to follow Sesom as he searches for the meaning of his visions and subsequent calling. They are trained in martial arts, hand-to-hand combat, specialized weapons, kendo, karate, and information gathering and sharing. Their trips take them to the Western Wall of Jerusalem and the Vatican in Rome. The Disciples find the woman of Matt's dreams in Jerusalem and she becomes much more than a metaphor in Matt's mind. She has been touched by the Holy Spirit and is the key to the second coming of the Messiah. However, she is in great danger and at risk of being eliminated by a group of evil people that call themselves Samil. With twists and turns at every page, the Disciples embark on a journey together to understand their fate. After two years of waiting, they have found critical partners in their journey of faith and understanding. The 12th Disciple is the first novel in a series of books that will usher in Revelation and the 2nd coming of the Messiah. One problem is of great concern for the Disciples. The second coming may have been aborted. Book One in The 12th Disciple series.