Larkspur and his trusty sidekick, Fontainebleau, are in pursuit of the crystal ring stolen by someone other than his alluring nemesis, Count Zoltan Apponyi. Earthly matters take precedent when Larkspur's step-niece, Lucinda, runs off after the darkly handsome Quentin Thomas. To his dismay, Larkspur has discovered that Zoltan, a vampire and defunct wizard, is using Quentin Thomas as a ruse to ensnare him and regain the magical ring. Events turn ugly when Zoltan seeks revenge turning Larkspur's sisters into jackasses This turns out to be fortuitous. His sisters pull the wagon carrying Larkspur's coffin as they head north searching for Lucinda. Larkspur's nephew George also searches for his beloved Lucinda, yet another woman enters the picture sweeping George off his feet. Larkspur is caught-up in Civil War intrigue and intrigued by the mysterious Beauregard Chretien, possibly loyal to Zoltan. There is adventure on the road and danger from soldiers, both North and South, and at the hands of the wicked Count. Moreover, Larkspur risks his "un-life" in the treacherous maze of Cornucopia in search of the Elixir of Light. Join in Larkspur's exciting escapades as secrets are revealed and passions burn in...Southern Charm.

Out of the Closet and into the Coffin In this titillating memoir, the dashing Larkspur Ishmael Benhorn (that's me) finally tells all, revealing the events after I was smitten, then bitten, by the delicious but deadly Count Zoltan Apponyi. Amid a perfectly appropriate hissy-fit of passion I snagged the Count's precious crystal ring. Unbeknownst to me then, the ring was a conduit to the mystical world of Cornucopia and got me involved with cosmic quandaries (wouldn't you know it ). The Count needed the ring back for his quest, not to mention that it prevented him from aging. Narcissistic bitch On the earthly plane, I confronted the indignities of being the "living impaired," while inconveniently fainting at the sight of blood. Yeech In 1861 I returned from Europe to Evangeline, my ancestral plantation in the steamy Louisiana bayou. There I befriended Fontainebleau, a French Creole bat with "battitude." Faster than a duck on a June bug, I became embroiled in my family's mayhem and madness. My sisters, Angelique and Aurora, (God bless 'em) schemed to get rid of a sinister-in-law intent on marrying our oldest brother, the Colonel, and stealing the family inheritance. Devout Angelique dabbled in spiritualism while Aurora had a lusty appetite for men and mixing strange brews (drink at your own risk). The Colonel bullied my sisters and drank to excess, lamenting the mysterious exit of his actress wife who left her daughter, Lucinda, behind. Now a teenager, Lucinda's budding sexuality aroused the lust in Aurora's son, George, a (really lousy) riverboat gambler. Zoltan pursued me to Evangeline and devised a scheme to seduce me (good thing), retrieve the ring, and extract revenge (bad thing). Did I choose the hot-blooded Count or stay true to myself? Sorry, not telling now. All will be revealed as intrigue plays and passions burn in...SOUTHERN CHARM.

Higher education has a vital role to play in the social and economic development of all countries. The sector, however, faces a significant number of critical issues to be addressed, major challenges to be met and overcome, and significant opportunities to be grasped and consolidated. Higher education institutions are now expected to operate, manage, compete, be creative and innovative, and provide intellectual leadership in a world characterised by increasingly rapid, pervasive and fundamental change. The question of how to maximise the performance of the higher education sector in the context of such an environment is the focus of the chapters in this book, which provide perspectives, analyses and examples relating to some of the major issues and challenges confronting higher education, both now and in the future. The information presented is drawn from recent research, as well as critical analyses of existing theory and practice. Authors are drawn from ten different countries: Australia; Brazil; Belgium; China; Israel; The Netherlands; Portugal; Turkey; the United Kingdom; and the USA. The topics addressed include: the role of higher education; government policy agendas; skills for the 21st Century; the role of higher education in addressing poverty; higher education and the labour market; the future of Brazilian higher education; higher education cost-sharing policy; the impact of political culture on higher education reform; accreditation; quality assurance; improving teaching and learning; promoting technology integration; creating inclusive higher education institutions; English for academic purposes; the relationship between learning style preference and academic disciplines; quality work-integrated learning; student learning in research-based doctorates; and developing emotional intelligence in higher education students.