Exclusive edition contains signed copies of Looking for Alaska and the Fault in Our Stars.The exquisite library case designed by Karen Kavett features popular quotes and icons from all four titles and the award-winning backlist has been luxuriously upgraded; both An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns have jacket designs never before available as hardcover editions.

    Schmidt won Newbery Honor awards for Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boys and The Wednesday Wars, two coming-of-age novels about unlikely friends finding a bond. Okay For Now, his latest novel, explores another seemingly improbable alliance, this one between new outsider in town Doug Swieteck and Lil Spicer, the savvy spitfire daughter of his deli owner boss. With her challenging assistance, Doug discovers new sides of himself. Along the way, he also readjusts his relationship with his abusive father, his school peers, and his older brother, a newly returned war victim of Vietnam.

    Unable to live there, she runs away.Alone on the streets of North Philadelphia, she encounters more people who hurt her. About to hit rock bottom, Alessa breaks free from her new tormentors and finds refuge in a shelter for homeless and abused women.Wherever she goes, however, trouble keeps seeking her out, until she meets three people who change the course of her life. Though Alessa's bittersweet journey is fraught with challenges, she does, nevertheless, find fleeting moments of joy. Then, as she settles down, a ghost from the past comes to haunt her, threatening to destroy the very foundation of her small world and plunging her back into an abyss of despair, until she makes her final bid for escape.**WARNING** 18+ Readers Only. Graphic content and subject matter. (This is a standalone novel)

    Not wishing to be chewed up and spat out by the red light district she hides out in her local church, spends her weekends in the sand dunes on a Central Coast beach, and—with the help of her aunt's credit card—has the occasional stay in a five-star hotel. Most of her time on the run, though, she spends on the trains—generally sleeping in the shunting yards. When the trains become too dangerous she manages to find a derelict house in a leafy suburb and moves in with the possums and resident ghosts, ready to prove once and for all that she can take care of herself.

    And every year, Samuel Lake, a vibrant and committed young preacher, brings his beloved wife, Willadee Moses, and their three children back for the festivities. The children embrace the reunion as a welcome escape from the prying eyes of their father’s congregation; for Willadee it’s a precious opportunity to spend time with her mother and father, Calla and John. But just as the reunion is getting under way, tragedy strikes, jolting the family to their core: John’s untimely death and, soon after, the loss of Samuel’s parish, which set the stage for a summer of crisis and profound change.In the midst of it all, Samuel and Willadee’s outspoken eleven-year-old daughter, Swan, is a bright light. Her high spirits and fearlessness have alternately seduced and bedeviled three generations of the family. But it is Blade Ballenger, a traumatized eight-year-old neighbor, who soon captures Swan’s undivided attention. Full of righteous anger, and innocent of the peril facing her and those she loves, Swan makes it her mission to keep the boy safe from his terrifying father.With characters who spring to life as vividly as if they were members of one’s own family, and with the clear-eyed wisdom that illuminates the most tragic—and triumphant—aspects of human nature, Jenny Wingfield emerges as one of the most vital, engaging storytellers writing today. In The Homecoming of Samuel Lake she has created a memorable and lasting work of fiction.

    It will make you laugh and cry, and ultimately, it will fill you with hope.Born in an Andean village in Ecuador, Virginia lives with her large family in a small, earthen-walled dwelling. In her village of indígenas, it is not uncommon to work in the fields all day, even as a child, or to be called a longa tonta - stupid Indian - by members of the ruling class of mestizos, or Spanish descendants. When seven-year-old Virginia is taken from her village to be a servant to a mestizo couple, she has no idea what the future holds.In this poignant novel based on a true story, acclaimed author Laura Resau has collaborated with María Virginia Farinango to recount one girl's unforgettable journey to self-discovery.

    My body was acting on its own, and my mind was empty, like all my memories had been erased. There was scenery behind my lids. Aqua-colored water and powdery sand that extended for miles. I was never going back to coke. I wanted more heroin. And I wanted it now."Leaving behind a nightmarish college experience, Nicole and her friend, Eric, escape their home of Bangor, Maine to start a new life in Boston. Fragile and scared, Nicole desperately seeks a new beginning to help erase her past. But there is something besides freedom waiting for her in the shadows—a drug that will make every day a nightmare.Heroin.With one taste, the love that once flowed through Nicole's veins turns into cravings. Tracks mark the passing of time, and heroin's grip gets tighter. It holds her hand through deaths and prostitution, but her addiction keeps her in the darkness. When her family tries to strike a match to help light her way, Nicole must choose between a life she can hardly remember, or a love for heroin she'll never forget.

    It wasn't New York, or California, but he figured it would be better than being home. College would be be a new start in a new place, maybe somewhere he could be himself.Sean was local, born and bred, on the opposite side of the town-and-gown divide, but attraction knows no boundaries. When personal tragedy brought them together, it was the beginning of something extraordinary.~~~~~This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.Dear Author,I realize I'm late to the party, but it took me a bit to find just the perfect photo! This:The first time is so beautiful, if the one you're with cares enough to make it that way. These two are so young: barely out of high-school, but college is all about finding out who you really are.Photo Description: The place is secluded; leaves filter the sun. The men are so young, shirtless, smooth skin and sleek light muscle. The dark boy tentatively holds his lover, head tilted to bring their mouths together. There is nothing tentative about the blond. He leans in, driving the kiss. 1980's sweet summertime.Word Count: 15,288

       Day by day, Marjorie’s skills as a stoneworker increase, and so too does her intolerance for the bitter rules of her family life.  Gradually, through exposure to the world beyond her parents’ wood cabin thanks to the kindness of her aunt and her boss, and an almost superhuman determination, she discovers what is loveable within herself.  This newfound confidence and self-esteem ultimately allows her to break free from the bleak life she has known, to find love, to start a family, and to try to heal her old, deep wounds without passing that pain on to her husband and children.   By turns darkly menacing and bright with love and resilience, The Talk-Funny Girl is the story of one young woman’s remarkable courage, a kind of road map for the healing of early abuse, and a testament to the power of kindness and love.

    Without running water or electricity, Warri is at first a nightmare for Blessing. Her mother is gone all day and works suspiciously late into the night to pay the children's school fees. Her brother, once a promising student, seems to be falling increasingly under the influence of the local group of violent teenage boys calling themselves Freedom Fighters. Her grandfather, a kind if misguided man, is trying on Islam as his new religion of choice, and is even considering the possibility of bringing in a second wife.But Blessing's grandmother, wise and practical, soon becomes a beloved mentor, teaching Blessing the ways of the midwife in rural Nigeria. Blessing is exposed to the horrors of genital mutilation and the devastation wrought on the environment by British and American oil companies. As Warri comes to feel like home, Blessing becomes increasingly aware of the threats to its safety, both from its unshakable but dangerous traditions and the relentless carelessness of the modern world.

    At five months shy of eighteen, she’s become an expert in loneliness, heartache, and neglect. Her whole life she’s been cursed, used, and left behind. Swallowed a thousand tears and ignored a thousand deliberate cruelties. Sayre’s stuck by her mother through hell, tried to help her, be near her, be important to her even as her mother slipped away into a violent haze of addiction, destroying the only chance Sayre ever had for a real family.Now her mother is lying in a hospital bed, near death, ravaged by her own destructive behavior. And as Sayre fights her way to her mother’s bedside, she is terrified but determined to get the answer to a question no one should ever have to ask: Did my mother ever really love me? And what will Sayre do if the answer is yes?

    Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise's parents died when she was too young to remember them.  There's always been a barn behind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor. When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong. Bullying. Not fitting in. Franklin suddenly seems babyish.  Then, soon after her 12th birthday, Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father. A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the barn...

    In fourteen linked essays, If You Knew Then What I Know Now reinvents the memoir with all-encompassing empathy—for bully and bullied alike. A father pitches baseballs at his hapless son and a grandmother watches with silent forbearance as the same slim, quiet boy sets the table dressed in a blue satin dress. Another essay explores origins of the word "faggot" and its etymological connection to "flaming queen." This deft collection maps the unremarkable landscapes of childhood with compassion and precision, allowing awkwardness its own beauty. This is essay as an argument for the intimate—not the sensational—and an embrace of all the skinned knees in our stumble toward adulthood.Ryan Van Meter grew up in Missouri and studied English at the University of Missouri-Columbia. After graduating, he lived in Chicago for ten years and worked in advertising. He holds an MA in creative writing from DePaul University and an MFA in nonfiction writing from the University of Iowa. His essays have appeared in The Gettysburg Review, Indiana Review, Gulf Coast, Arts & Letters, and Fourth Genre, among others, and selected for anthologies including Best American Essays 2009. In the summer of 2009, he was awarded a residency at the MacDowell Colony. He currently lives in California where he is an assistant professor of creative nonfiction at the University of San Francisco.

    But over time it can change.The hot Texas nights were lonely for Ben before his heart began beating to the rhythm of two words; Tim Wyman. By all appearances, Tim had the perfect body and ideal life, but when a not-so-accidental collision brings them together, Ben discovers that the truth is rarely so simple. If winning Tim’s heart was an impossible quest, keeping it would prove even harder as family, society, and emotion threaten to tear them apart.Something Like Summer is a love story spanning a decade and beyond as two boys discover what it means to be friends, lovers, and sometimes even enemies.

    Nate Schaper found his in high school. In the eight months since their cautious flirting became a real, honest, tell-the-parents relationship, Nate and Adam have been inseparable. Even when local kids take their homophobia to brutal levels, Nate is undaunted. He and Adam are rock solid. Two parts of a whole. Yin and yang.But when Adam graduates and takes an Off-Broadway job in New York—at Nate’s insistence—that certainty begins to flicker. Nate starts a blog to vent his frustrations and becomes the center of a school controversy, drawing ire and support in equal amounts. But it is the attention of a new boy who is looking for more than guidance that forces him to confront who and what he really wants.J.H. Trumble’s debut, DON’T LET ME GO, is a witty, beautifully written novel that is both a sweet story of love and long-distance relationships, and a timely discourse about bullying, bigotry, and hate in high schools.

    The ensemble includes Tutu the monkey who is fond of troubling the no-nonsense Aunt Ruby, a pet python who makes sudden appearances at the most unusual places, a troublesome Pret who enjoys stirring up the household he resides in, three young children stranded on the Haunted Hill, Himalayan bears who feast on pumpkins, plums and apricots, a crafty thief who has a change of heart, and Ruskin Bond himself who meets a ghost at a resort in the middle of the night ...

    His older brother Bosten is always there to defend Stick. But the boys can’t defend one another from their abusive parents.When Stick realizes Bosten is gay, he knows that to survive his father's anger, Bosten must leave home. Stick has to find his brother, or he will never feel whole again. In his search, he will encounter good people, bad people, and people who are simply indifferent to kids from the wrong side of the tracks. But he never loses hope of finding love – and his brother.

    She hopes for peace, now that the Taliban have been driven from Afghanistan; a good relationship with her hard stepmother; and one day even to go to school, or to have her cleft palate fixed. Zulaikha knows all will be provided for her--"Inshallah," God willing. Then she meets Meena, who offers to teach her the Afghan poetry she taught her late mother. And the Americans come to her village, promising not just new opportunities and dangers, but surgery to fix her face. These changes could mean a whole new life for Zulaikha--but can she dare to hope they'll come true?

    Storms are common in the Atlantic between June and November. Most weather disturbances falter and die, no sooner born than ended.Wind blowing from the east six miles high may collide with wind blowing from the opposite direction, creating a shear that will decapitate a storm and rip it apart before an eye can solidify. Warm waters fuel a hurricane, but cold ocean currents can destroy the system before it gains strength.For the moment, this particular disturbance has no name. Meteorologists say she is a tropical depression that should be watched, but five days east of Florida, with gale force winds, she is worthy of no more than a warning to seafaring ships. When winds reach hurricane force, they will dignify her with a name: Katrina. Nine-year-old Thelonious Monk DeCay lives in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward with his grandmother. His mother dead and his father missing, Monk is determined to find his father.With their harmonicas and bottle-cap taps, Monk and his best friend entertain the tourists in Jackson Square under the watchful eyes of eccentric historian Quinton Toussaint, who knows where to find Monk’s father.Hurricane Katrina changes everything. Left homeless and alone after the storm, Monk befriends a deranged man and survives by sneaking across the rooftops and courtyards of the French Quarter, stealing food and supplies while hiding from both a murderer and the police.In the midst of the storm and its aftermath, a woman Monk has never met appears in New Orleans with answers to his questions about his long-lost father.

    Buried deep in the Colorado Mountains, Swope is shrouded in legend and defined by one prevailing rumor: the boys who go in never come out the same. Days from civilization with only one accessible road—any prisoner who attempts to escape will be shot down without hesitation. There is no forgiveness from the mountains or the guards.At Swope, mustangs are trucked in to be broken by a select group of inmates. Once the horses are gentled, they are sold across the Southwest. Horses come and go, delinquent boys come and go. The boys break the horses, Swope breaks the boys. If the boys are to withstand the ranch, they must first overcome violence and tragedy—only to be haunted forever.Praise for Kings of Colorado“For years I have searched for an heir to Golding’s Lord of the Flies, and this is it.” —Will Lavender, New York Times bestselling author of Obedience“A sort of Stand by Me behind bars.” —Publishers Weekly

    He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their dysfunctional family is fine. And he didn't ask to be the target of Nader McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far.But Lucky has a secret--one that helps him wade through the daily mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escapes to the war-ridden jungles of Laos--the prison his grandfather couldn't escape--where Lucky can be a real man, an adventurer, and a hero. It's dangerous and wild, and it's a place where his life just might be worth living. But how long can Lucky keep hiding in his dreams before reality forces its way inside?

    Ferrante's inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighbourhood, a city and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her two protagonists.

    Deeply moving, and interwoven with hope and joy, Emory’s Gift is not only heartwarming and charming coming of age story, but also a page-turning insightful look at how faith, trust, and unconditional love can heal a broken family and bridge the gaps that divide us.

    But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended. Henry's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne, Henry's gay roommate and teammate, becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the Harpooners' team captain and Henry's best friend, realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert's daughter, returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life. As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets. In the process they forge new bonds, and help one another find their true paths. Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment - to oneself and to others.

    Tormented, ridiculed, and beaten—simply for being who they are—these teens face alienation, humiliation, and even the explicit assertion that they have somehow brought this upon themselves, that they should just blend in. Bullied is a series of short stories exploring the world of these teens from several different viewpoints: the victim, the bully, the gay bystander, the straight friend, the concerned parent. Closeted Bryan wonders why Christian Michaelson doesn't just try to blend in if he hates being bullied so much. Star athlete David isn't a homophobe—after all, he's not afraid of anything. Jonathan, a Christian fundamentalist, must weigh the Bible against peer pressure and what he knows is right when he discovers his childhood friend is gay. Bully victim Chase Devereaux finds an unexpected ally in a brave fellow student. A single mom struggles to accept the reality that her only son is gay. Two tough gay teens are forced to confront their own inner demons when tragedy befalls a classmate they failed to help. And overweight Kirby finds the strength of character to make a friend, which leads to a lifestyle change and a chance at love. Each character grows as an individual as he or she comes to terms with what it means to be a gay teenager in America.

    Living with his increasingly senile Nan, his dog Mutt is the only thing keeping him sane. His only other friend is Frank, a former friend of his father. Frank's own life is falling apart and he has recruited Goose to help him carry out petty theft around the city. A year to the day since the accident that changed his life, Goose meets Anthony, a strange man who has forgotten who he is, but seems to know more about others than they know about themselves. When Mutt goes missing, Goose has no choice but to rely on Anthony to help find him. In an adventure that draws in Frank, who's lost his family, an old lady who's lost a precious bangle, an elderly doctor who's lost his wife and mother who's lost her daughter, Goose follows Anthony across Manchester. But at the centre of the mystery is Anthony himself: who is he, how does he know so much and can he help Goose and the others find what they're searching for? A delight to read from start to finish, David Logan takes the reader on a terrific journey through love, loss and the quest for home.

    . . and the boy they called Billy the Kid. It was the summer of so many things. Heat and violence, love and hate, heaven and hell. It was the time I met William Bonney - the boy from Belfast known as Billy the Kid. I've kept William's secrets for a long time, but now things have changed and I have to tell the truth. But I can't begin until I've told you about Curtis Ray. Hip, cool, rebellious Curtis Ray. Without Curtis, there wouldn't be a story to tell. It's the story of our band, of life and death . . . and everything in between.

    But Kevin learns that he has a flair for fashion—and he learns that he is a girl in heart, that he is transgender. With the support of his mother and friends, he starts a journey to a career in fashion—as Katie.

    When Lupita learns Mami has cancer, she is terrified by the possibility of losing her mother, the anchor of her close-knit family. Suddenly, being a high school student, starring in a play, and dealing with friends who don't always understand, become less important than doing whatever she can to save Mami's life. While her father cares for Mami at an out-of-town clinic, Lupita takes charge of her seven younger siblings. As Lupita struggles to keep the family afloat, she takes refuge in the shade of a mesquite tree, where she escapes the chaos at home to write. Forced to face her limitations in the midst of overwhelming changes and losses, Lupita rediscovers her voice and finds healing in the power of words. Told with honest emotion in evocative free verse, Lupita's journey toward hope is captured in moments that are alternately warm and poignant. Under the Mesquite is an empowering story about testing family bonds and the strength of a young woman navigating pain and hardship with surprising resilience.

    Navajos Wear Nikes reveals the complexity of modern life on the Navajo Reservation, a world where Anglo and Navajo coexisted in a tenuous truce. After the births of his Navajo half-siblings, Jim and his family moved off the Reservation to an Arizona border town where they struggled to readapt to an Anglo world that no longer felt like home.With tales of gangs and skinwalkers, an Indian Boy Scout troop, a fanatical Sunday school teacher, and the author's own experience of sincere friendships that lead to ho?zho? (beautiful harmony), Kristofic's memoir is an honest portrait of growing up on--and growing to love--the Reservation.

    Secure in the love of her father, bothered with her mother’s desire that she be a proper Southern belle, Bessie’s determined to forge her own way in life. Or, as her Cherokee great-grandmother, Elisi, puts it, a whistling woman.Life, however, has a few surprises for her. First, there’s Papa carrying home a dead man, which seems to invite Death for an extended visit in their home. And shortly before she graduates from Dorland Institute, there’s another death, this one closer to her heart. But Death isn’t through with her yet. Proving another of Elisi’s sayings, death comes in threes, It strikes yet again, taking someone Bessie has recently learned to appreciate and cherish, leaving her to struggle with a family that’s threatening to come apart at the seams.Even her beloved Papa seems to be turning into another person, someone Bessie disagrees with more often than not, and someone she isn’t even sure she can continue to love, much less idolize as she had during her childhood.And when Papa makes a decision that costs the life of a new friend, the course of Bessie’s heart is changed forever.

    Overcoming the distance of their separate schools, parental interference, and a nearly fatal accident, the two young men find a way to be together in spite of their own doubts and fears. Set in 1979-1980, 'Every Time I Think of You' recalls a halcyon era in America's past with a personal voice.

    Sent to live with a host family, Walter must adapt to a new way of life. He finds a friend in 10-year-old Grace. When he goes back to Germany, Walter leaves Grace a carved wooden dog to remember him by.

     Ghosts are speaking to Alex, but can he bring them justice? Alex is a troubled teen with a checkered past, a broken home, and a surprising ability: psychometry. When he touches items murder victims held in their final moments, he relives the events in gruesome detail. But who will believe a troubled teen, especially when murders implicate the town’s founding family? If you like amazing supernatural stories that are intense, powerful, and fraught with emotion, then you'll love Weston Kincade's suspenseful coming-of-age trilogy, A Life of Death. Ghosts are speaking, and they want answers. Heed the call.

    Instead, they discover the military has destroyed the bridges out of their rural town and everyone's fled—except a small horde of the living dead. The stress of flesh-eating zombies may be more than their already strained relationship can handle. Even with the help of the town geek and lemonade-powered Super-Soakers, there's not enough time to squeeze their way out of this sticky mess. Unless the trio eradicates the zombie infestation, while avoiding the deadly zombie snot, the military will blow the town, and them, to pulp. Their only shot is something with a lot more punch. Something like the Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb. But even if their friendship survives, there's another problem: Someone has to lure the undead into the trap.Includes two free short stories.Print length is approximately 204 pages (40,000 words).May not be suitable for kids under 9.

    But the diary for her is also an important step towards becoming 'Mayilwriter', to make up for all the stories she hasn't completed and the novel that didn't know where it was going. So she begins. What she gives is a spontaneous, sensitive, honest, intimate and often hilarious peek into the life and mind of an insightful young girl. The Mayil that emerges is as lovable and recognisable as the delightful sketches she presents of her Amma, Appa, brother, grandfather and friends. Mayil has all the confusion and confidence of adolescence as she faces the everyday dilemma of young people, as well as questions of gender stereotyping all around – from Ramayana stories to Rajnikanth movies. With enough to keep head, heart and funny bone tickled and happy, this is a must-read coming of age book by two highly talented young writers that will strike a chord with all who read it – pre-teen, teen and older.

    Every summer, Bethany and her family leave Indianapolis for West Virginia's Coal River Valley. For Bethany's mother, the trips are a reminder of the coalmines and grinding poverty of her childhood, of a place she'd hoped to escape. But her loving relatives, and Bethany's friendship with Reana Mae, keep them coming back. But as Bethany grows older, she realizes that life in this small, close-knit community is not as simple as she once thought. . .that the riverside cabins that hold so much of her family's history also teem with scandalous whispers. . .and that those closest to her harbor unimaginable secrets. Amid the dense woods and quiet beauty of the valley, these secrets are coming to light at last, with a force devastating enough to shatter lives, faith, and the bond that Bethany once thought would last forever. Spanning four decades, Sherri Wood Emmons' debut is a haunting, captivating novel about the unexpected, sometimes shocking events that thrust us into adulthood--and the connections that keep us tethered, always, to our pasts.

    As Christmas rolls around again, will Ryan finally get the present he's been wishing for all these years?Words: 19,332 complete

    Readers will also meet 18-year-old, Bible-college-bound Jonathan and his 16-year-old sister, Leah, whose paths cross Mara's and who become involved in her dramatic rescue. Interwoven between the stories of Mara, Jonathan, and Leah is the heartbreaking story of another young woman in captivity in the Golden Triangle of Thailand, whose past life mysteriously connects to the young people in San Diego.

    He adored his family and the rich and vibrant Romany culture he'd inherited. Eventually though he was forced to make a heartbreaking decision - to stay and keep secrets, or escape and find somewhere to finally belong.But Mikey quickly discovers that life in the outside world isn't all he expected. After learning his father had put a contract out on him and that he was being hunted down by gangs of thugs determined to claim their reward, Mikey realises that life will never be the same again.

    These poems explore temptation, transgression, and heavenly presences in a landscape that is far from holy.

    "No this is my child." Yet the looks she got hurt her. She was 16 years old when her life changed forever. Despite being raised in a Christian home with strict religious values, some of her choices were careless, and they came with weighty consequences. A strange combination of sadness and joy overcome her when she turns back the clock. Names and faces float through her mind like ghosts that still haunted her but as always, a smile forms on her face and she remembers only love.

    As the story starts, Ashley is eight years old and living in Tehran in the 1960s: the Shah was in power, and life for Westerners was rich and privileged. But somehow it didn't all add up to a fairytale. There were bankruptcies and prisons, betrayals and lovers, lies and evasions—and throughout it all, Ashley's passionate and strong-willed mother, Genie. Stories of mothers and daughters are some of the most compelling in contemporary memoir, from The Liar's Club and The Glass Castle, to Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight and Bad Blood. Farangi Girl deserves to be in their company. It's an honest and endlessly recognizable portrait of a mother by a daughter who loved her (and was loved in return). Against this extraordinary background, Ashley's journey into adulthood was more helter-skelter than most and this portrait of a bewitching and endlessly inventive mother is surprising and deeply moving.

    Memoir. FINE FINE MUSIC is a collection of stories about the other side of rock and roll and coming of age in the land that time forgot. Lake Ronkonkoma is stuck in 1981, an alcoholic blackout of unnatually tan people waxing their Camaros to Foreigner on cassette and knowing the words to every Billy Joel song whether you want to or not. From an internship making Seamonkey costumes, a childhood fear of My Buddy dolls, and a heartbreaking crush on Aerosmith, funny lady Cassie J. Sneider delivers her tales of growing up in a land of fist-pumping Snookies with the antagonistic wit of a record store clerk.

    He meets a sculptor across the street, and his eyes are opened to another world.  Or Jojo,who's closer to her three dogs than to her foster family. When Jojo tries to help another girl who needs a friend, the dogs know what to do.  Or Jamie, Erik, and Grandpa, who make up an unusual family.

    Driven by a quest to follow in the steps of those men who have served as his father figures, uncertain if he’s finding his mind or losing it, Shawn enters the world of professional wrestling and the many identities it has to offer. This story lays bare Shawn’s loss, his quest and self-discovery amidst the chaotic world of professional wrestling. Many people may look at Los Angeles as a place of shallow dreams, just as many may thumb their nose at pro wrestling. But Shawn’s journey reveals otherwise. The art form that is professional wrestling, along with the backdrop of Los Angeles, is an invitation for all to confront, laugh, cry, and to finally accept with gratitude this crazy ride called life.

    When the daughters from each family meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows they are sisters. It is a relationship destined to explode when secrets are revealed and illusions shattered. As Jones explores the backstories of her rich and flawed characters, she also reveals the joy, and the destruction, they brought to each other’s lives.At the heart of it all are the two girls whose lives are at stake, and like the best writers, Jones portrays the fragility of her characers with raw authenticity as they seek love, demand attention, and try to imagine themselves as women.

    After losing both parents in a car accident and being raised by a grandmother obsessed with death, Andi is struggling with an unusual quest for a girl her age-- to determine whether there is life after death.It is 1966, and Castalia, Indiana, like most cities of that time, is grappling with social and cultural change. Meanwhile, rumors have long swirled around Castalia's Lincoln Elementary School. Over its long history, the school has produced two sixth graders who claim to have seen Lincoln's ghost in the school's auditorium. When Andi prays on her dead mother's rosary to be the next to encounter Lincoln's ghost in order to confirm the existence of an after-life, a complex chain of events is set into motion, including the appearance of John Malone, a new boy at school who harbors an explosive secret, and mysterious moaning emanating from behind the dark stage after school. While Andi desperately seeks answers to life's most difficult questions, an unlikely new friend emerges--a mystical bait shop owner named Ezra.Searching for Lincoln's Ghost is a story about coming-of-age during the tumultuous 1960s, exploring such disturbing topics as personal isolation, fear and depression, bullying, social and racial intolerance. Peppered with Lincoln folklore and history, it is a timeless tale of the power of love, empathy, and how the actions of one person can profoundly impact another.

    When you turn around expecting to see something familiar, and instead see something else altogether, it takes a little while for your brain to catch up with your eyes. I call it the 'Holy Crap Factor.'Forced to flee his home and family, twelve-year-old Will Ritter falls in with the Undertakers - a rag-tag army of teenage resistance fighters who've banded together to battle the Corpses.

    But her happy family life is thrown into turmoil by her father's decision to emigrate to Canada, her sister's illness, and her own love for Davie, a penniless whisky runner. Despite her family's opposition, she follows Davie to his tiny island home where she is met by the fierce hostility of his mother and his childhood sweetheart, Chrissie. Alone among strangers, Isa's unrelenting determination gains acceptance and popularity in the close-knit community. But no one could have foreseen the tragedy that rips the heart out of that community and shatters Isa's security... Meanwhile, Chrissie has found solace in the arms of Davie's violent brother Jack, only to discover a darkness in his soul she could never have imagined. Events are set in motion over which the two women have no control... Will either of them ever find peace - and in whose arms will Davie find solace? Set in the Northern isles of Scotland, amid the treacherous waters of the Pentland Firth, Follow the Dove shows how love can conquer all, and how, even in the most diverse of conditions, a community can pull together to protect its own. It describes a way of life that is authentic but gone forever. Inspired by Catherine Cookson, Jessica Stirling and Evelyn Hood, the book will appeal to women interested in historical fiction. Follow the Dove won the second prize in the novel category of the Scottish Association of Writers.

    In the second volume of her memoirs, the prize-winning author Janice Galloway reveals how the child introduced in This Is Not About Me evolved during her teenage years.

    Small, small town. There are ways out of even the smallest town, if you can find the hand to guide you out.Original link: http://s2b2.livejournal.com/176784.htmlWords: 12,720 Complete

    While teachers, guidance counselors and even parents are afraid to tell you the truth in an effort to spare your feelings, "Worthless" delivers a blunt and real-world assessment about the economic realities and consequences of choosing various degrees with a necessary and tough fatherly love. Don't lie to yourself. And certainly don't waste four years of your youth and thousands of dollars in tuition on a worthless degree. Buy this book and understand why it is important you choose the right major. The book itself could be the wisest investment you ever make.

    In fact, the family motto is Be Gold. Calli's sister is on an ice-skating team, and her brother's a basketball star. Her parents are sure she has a hidden gift for something. They just have to figure out what it is! But Calli has flopped at everything she's tried. She sure doesn't feel like a Gold. Until a new person enters her life. Second grader Noah Zullo might seem strange to some people, but Calli can't help liking him, and they become partners in their school's Peer Helper Program. When they create a booth for the Friendship Fair, they fill it with secrets and surprises. And as Calli and Noah work and learn together, they even surprise themselves.Michele Weber Hurwitz's debut is an endearing and gently humorous story about the true meaning of achievement and the important things an "ordinary" kid has to offer.From the Hardcover edition.

    Soon, the thing she calls "It" has a real name: cancer. Before, her biggest concerns were her annoying brother, the crush unaware of her existence, and her changing feelings for her best friend, Spence, the boy across the street. Now, her mother cries in the shower, her father is exhausted, and nothing is normal anymore. Amy Ackley's impressive debut is wrenching, heartbreaking, and utterly true.

    I HAD A BALL is full of stories no one but Michael would know. His friendship with Mom is evident on every page. A good read. Thank you Michael." -DESI ARNAZ J R ."Michael's memories are my memories, only clearer. What a talent for details! It was very moving for me to relive so much of our lives through Michael's eyes. Very entertaining. Charming. And, more importantly, true. As Mom wrote on one of her photos to him, 'Happy Thoughts.'" -LUCIE ARNAZIn 1971, ten-year-old Michael Stern thought he had died and gone to heaven as he watched a filming of Here's Lucy. He was enthralled with a redhead gifted with beauty, stage presence, and the ability to make others laugh. Over the next few years, he would attend several more filmings, meet Lucy, and eventually become (in Lucy's own words) her "number-one fan."In his memoir, Michael Stern offers a refreshing glimpse into the life of a natural comedienne and actress as he provides a fascinating narrative on what it was like to become first a fan and then a friend with one of the biggest television personalities of all time. Known to fans simply as Lucy, she entertained millions of people across the world with shows like I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, and Here's Lucy. But to Michael, who was eventually allowed access into her private world, she was a fascinating woman with whom he would share many unforgettable adventures.I Had a Ball is a unique tribute to Lucy's legacy, her spirit, her talent, and her enthusiasm for life-sure to entertain Lucy fans, television aficionados, and comedy lovers around the world.

    It's the time of year after the leaves change color, when the weather is bright and warm and winter's cold and slush still seems months and months away. Summer's last hurrah. For nine-year-old Eddie Gilmarten and his mother, who have fled to his aunt's farm in the Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois, Aunt Gene's isolated home is the perfect place to escape an alcoholic father. But all is not well in this idyllic country setting. Eddie and his Ma aren't the only souls who have sought refuge on his aunt's sprawling property. There is a dark entity at large, and a man of secrets with a twisted mind and a terrible appetite for innocence. An indie best seller since his first novel The Oldest Living Vampire Tells All debuted in 2010, Joseph Duncan (previously published under the pen name Rod Redux) has been favorably compared to genre masters Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Robert R. McCammon. Indian Summer is a touching coming-of-age tale that blends history, horror, and heart wrenching tragedy. A must-read novel for fans of books like The Green Mile, Boy's Life or John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

    Alfred wants to see those dark places of the earth where horrendous events have taken place. He sets his sights on exotic Micronesia -- a beautiful place, but home to the nuclear testing of Bikini Lagoon; the Suicide Cliffs of Saipan; the airfields of Tinian, where the Enola Gay lifted off with the atomic bomb; and the Marshall Islands, which may conceal secrets to the mystery of Amelia Earhart's final days. Yet even with these past tragedies in mind, Alfred discovers that the world is facing an even greater threat today. As they sail into the hot, hazy world of the Pacific, they encounter the ruthless killing practices of shrimp trawlers and an island of plastic the size of Texas. Along the way, Alfred, Hollie and Seaweed befriend the crew of an environmental protection ship, who help to inspire him to take on a new goal: to protect the oceans of the world.

    Jimmy Miller never intended to lead a double life starting the day he fell in love with Darian, but his parents’ divorce, fighting in school, and constantly keeping secrets for his closeted best friend and protector, Matt, force his hand. Jimmy finds the demands too great to withstand and ends it all prematurely, leaving behind an angry best friend and a shattered lover. Matt and Darian cling to one another in the aftermath of their loss, forging a new friendship immediately tested by the truths of their relationships with Jimmy that are hidden in the pages of Jimmy’s journals. Will Matt and Darian discover what truly happened to their friend? And will this tragedy birth something beautiful between them as they learn the balance between life, family, and friendship when love is simply not enough?A Bittersweet Dreams title: It's an unfortunate truth: love doesn't always conquer all. Regardless of its strength, sometimes fate intervenes, tragedy strikes, or forces conspire against it. These stories of romance do not offer a traditional happy ending, but the strong and enduring love will still touch your heart and maybe move you to tears.

    Josh's unease increases as his privileged but disturbed friend Erik schemes in a journal he calls "The Doomsday Book," where he plots revenge against the suburbia he's learned to despise. When Lindsay, a sixteen-year-old famed for dramatic self-mutilation and questionable poetry, becomes Josh's girlfriend, Erik finds companionship in a circle of bikers and small-time meth traffickers. Josh, suspecting his friend Erik has become a competitor for Lindsay's affections, peeks into the Doomsday Book and is shocked by what he learns. A web of domestic strife, romantic rivalry, and millennial anxiety challenges two boys to stand together as their youth comes apart.

    Everyone knows that the Loney family has been barely hanging on — the father, George, reduced to drink and despair since the loss of his farm and the death of his wife, Margaret. And that the four Loney children do not get along with George’s second wife, the pious, bitter Effie. When George dies in a drunken stupor and Effie takes off with a traveling Bible salesman, it looks as though the children are done for. Who’s to save them when everyone in town is coping with the lingering Depression and the loss of their young men to the war? But by drawing good people to them and by rising to the occasion themselves, sixteen-year-old Ran, fourteen-year-old Nora, twelve-year-old Jim and little Addie find a way to make ends meet under the watchful eye of their ghostly parents.

    Constantly bullied by Aiko, he eventually takes refuge with the village priest in the Kadek Temple where he studies medicinal and culinary arts, calligraphy, and ultimately, the art of Ki sword. Under the tutelage of the priest he comes to know the grim truth about his father, and is prepared to face the horrific assault of the armies of the Atlantean Empire upon his humble world.And this is just the beginning . . .

    Not only did she get to see Geoff Mann, her one true love in concert, but she also got to meet him backstage. Convinced more than ever that they are meant to be, Sophie realizes her mom was right, dreams really do come true, and fairy tales are more than just a story. Until Sophie’s fairy–tale life is met by an unbelievable tragedy when she lost the one person she was never meant to live without, her mom. Five years later Sophie is still unable to accept her mother’s death, and long stopped believing in fairy tales, dreams, and love. Hoping to save Sophie from the pain that has found her, Sophie's father sends her and her best friend Erin to spend the summer with Sophie’s Nonna in Italy, a place that holds even more painful memories than home. But what Sophie doesn’t realize is that love has a way of not letting go, and her fairy-tale in far from over when her childhood dream resurfaces while in Italy. There she will meet the one person who can fix her broken heart, the one person who can bring her back to life, the only person who can make her whole again, someone completely unexpected, Geoff Mann. But will Sophie be able to get over her fear of love? Can she believe in dreams again? And even more, will she realize she is a dream come true for someone else?

    Their love was forbidden as Winter and Summer Fey are at war with each other. Promised to each other at birth during a brief interlude of peace between the warring fey, Kian and Breena have always known they were each other's destinies. Now grown they are now the brokers of peace. In order to broker peace between Winter and Summer Fey, however, Kian and Breena must sacrifice their love. But in doing so, they made a promise to each other. A promise Kian thought would never be broken. But it was... Meanwhile, sharing a similar fate in love is Kian's sister Princess Shasta and her Summer Knight love Rodney....but her ways are different from her brother Kian's.

    Josh's son, Bobby, enrolls at The University of Montana, where he hopes to make the football team as a walk-on. Josh, a skilled football kicker and passer, is observed by the Grizzlies coach as he and Bobby work out on the practice field. When tryouts arrive, Josh finds himself being invited to join the team. Thus begins a season of trials and tribulation where Josh becomes mentor and father-figure to his teammates, as the University of Montana Grizzlies make a run for the Division I National Championship.Fourth and Forever is about football, relationships, love, integrity, and honor.

    Transplanted from Atlanta to a small town in East Tennessee, she finds her solace in running the beautiful mountain trails behind her aunt’s house. Until she begins dreaming of the mysterious, but handsome Josh, that is. As Hannah is tortured by memories of the night her parents died, she is disturbed by the idea that she may be forgetting something important. Aided by her best friend, Matt, she begins to uncover clues indicating that what she had believed was a simple home invasion was actually something much more sinister. And the killer is still out there.Finding My Escape is a teen novel mixing romance with suspense and a twist of the paranormal.

    Adam is convinced it's fate that draws him into the showers after a night of studying so he can finally get a chance to be with the guy he's been crushing on for two years. Lincoln had no idea being with a guy could be more than getting off, but Adam's definitely more than he ever expected. Can they make it work for more than one night? Can they build the foundation of a relationship that will last for years to come?Original Prompt:Dear Author,I would love it if these boys could tell us the story of how they came together. Starting from that mind-numbing blowjob in the showers at high-school.One of the boys could simply no longer hide his feelings and lust and spurred by the acceptance of intimate contact by his colleague, he confessed his love. And was rewarded with a confession in return and more days of fun and loving.Photo Description: Surrounded by azure tiles, two naked young men share a shower. One stands, arms up-stretched to grip the shower-head, eyes closed. In front of him the shorter boy presses close, bellies touching, his hand gliding soap up one raised, exposed armpit, mouths hovering an inch away from the kiss. This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.Download the story, read it here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 3 or Don't Read in the Closet: GayRomLit Retreat 2011 Special Edition.__________Genre: contemporaryTags: gay m/m, coming-of-age, virgin, high school, teens, coming outWarnings: teenagers (both 18)Word Count: 9,322

    I know I promised my old friend Wayland not to put to sea without Mother’s permission, but what’s more important—keeping a promise or finding Father? If you want to come with me, help me find a ship bound for the South Atlantic, and we’ll search together for a legendary island, and Father.But watch out for a smelly, slim, oily-looking sailor with a tattoo of a viper coiled around his arm. We’re going to leave him far behind…

    That has to be it. Because Jules wouldn’t dress like that or act like that…and she definitely wouldn’t be friends with Meg-a-bitch.Kaley can't wait to start at her new school with her best friend Jules. Jules was away in Europe all summer (worst summer of Kaley's life!) But it's cool, now school is starting and everything is going to be awesome. However as the school bus pulls up on that first day, Kaley barely recognizes the silky hair and glossy lips as Jules gets off with the cool kids and with their arch-nemesis Meg, the popular girl (God only knows why) who made Kaley and Jules's lives miserable in elementary school. In Europe, Meg had somehow won over Kaley's best friend and Kaley finds herself frozen out.LIFE WAS COOL UNTIL YOU GOT POPULAR is a first person MG told through Kaley’s eyes, chronicling the initial pain and incomprehension of what happened to destroy their friendship. But that doesn't last long. Kaley decides that underneath the bleached blond clone with the personality transplant, Jules is still in there. Somewhere. And she is going to get her best friend back!

    Jennifer's aunt has thirty seven freckles. And life just stopped making sense for this sixteen-year-old girl from Nebraska. It will take one forbidden journey, an octogenarian movie star, three old pirates, and one scarred genius to put all the pieces back together. If that is even possible. When Jennifer finds a dog-eared photograph of a freckled girl, she never dreams the innocent picture will tear open a gaping wound to her mother's concealed past. Jennifer must leave her home, parents, and best friend in the wheat fields of Nebraska and travel to the rocky shores of Maine to find the aunt she's never met. Her search for the truth is distracted by the strange and hilarious characters she finds in the tight-knit town of Smithport. From the 88 year old movie star who likes to show off her tattoo, to the fishermen who have a passion for rockets, to the aunt who recites poetry in the long, Maine nights, Jennifer is intrigued by the lives swirling around her. In the midst of madness she meets Nathan, the tight-lipped, reluctant prodigy who is surrounded by women who need him to be brother, father, protector, provider, and now, first love. With a restrained, mature, and uncertain voice, Jennifer shares her tale of family, love, loss, truth and beauty. As Jennifer seeks to piece together her mother's shattered story, she inadvertently writes one for herself.

    He lives alone, works in a comic book shop, and has a crush on his coworker he can't seem to act on. Like an old comic book, his life's colors have started to fade. Everything brightens when Vince's long-lost friend Griff appears on his doorstep in the middle of a blizzard. They were roommates in college, so close back then that Griff's girlfriend called them "lifebuddies" -- but Vince's love for Griff had ended the friendship, he thought, forever. They haven't spoken in years. Why has Griff shown up again? And, more importantly, can Vince handle his return?Vince and Griff are two twentysomethings struggling to find their places in the world and in each other's lives. This is a story of friendship and love, both unrequited and requited, and of learning how to fly through the post-college void, which just might hold more than a cranberry hush.

    In others, she's very different. The differences aren't immediately obvious but have caused misunderstandings and avoidance from others in the past. Starting high school in a new town, she expects the same experiences—until she meets the Calderas.David Caldera, charismatic son of a local rancher, adopts Allison into his social circle. He and other new friends introduce her to their world of horses and extreme sports. Along with a lost horse she befriends, they help her to trust, gain confidence, and venture beyond her previously isolated world. She also falls helplessly but hopefully in love.Navigating through confusing emotions, over-protective parents, and jealous classmates is difficult, but Allison's overriding fear is losing the people she's grown to love. To prove her determination to keep up, she enters a race—a dangerous decision that could cost her everything.

    Elves and centaurs, nymphs and fauns inhabit this new collection of magical, erotic poems about a girl yearning for and searching for love in present-day Los Angeles.

    Three love stories across two generations are intertwined, but perhaps the greatest love story of all is the one the author tells about the country she's lost. Poppet, the heroine, knows there is a dark secret about her birth, but she never suspects the truth! She dreams of a house fire, and lives with unexplained scars on her body. Her real name is never used, and she does not look like anyone else in her family. Something happened to her long ago, in the years before her memory was formed, but nobody on the remote farm where she lives will tell her what it was. The same secret literally drives her father to drink, but she won’t share what he knows with her. Poppet’s mother is dead; killed in a terrorist attack on the farm, her brother is confused, and the farm workers are determined to mind their own business. Poppet sets out to uncover the secret, beginning a journey that takes her to London, and brings her back to her African home where the truth and her worst fears lie. She has to deal with murder, rape, snakes, crocodiles and depression, and overcome them all before she finally arrives at the end of the secret. This is a romantic coming-of-age story, set in a wild and dangerous, but beautiful country. Poppet is a courageous, flame-haired heroine with a lot to learn, not least how to love the man who loves her so passionately. ‘Every Paradise has its Serpent, and every Eden its exiles.’ "Adrian swore, 'I will never leave Africa.I was born here and I love Africa.' The reply came: 'It doesn't matter how much you love Africa if Africa does not love you." I hope you enjoy it! It was written from my soul. Jennifer Munro "This book will make you laugh and make you cry. If it doesn't touch your heart, you haven't got one." "This book was absolutely beautiful. It is an engaging book that is impossible to put down from start to finish. You really come to care about Poppet. This book was truly a great find! " "Quite simply put; I loved this book! It's beautifully written, the descriptions bring the Africa I remember to life, the characters are people that feel familiar, people that you can connect with and it's definitely a page turner.I would definitely recommend this book!" "The best book I have read this year! The Characters are vivid and alive. The scenery is so real. If I hadn't read the Authors web site, I would have thought the story was autobiographical - it is so life like."

    A street-smart tale about a displaced teen who learns to defend what's right-the Cowboy Way.Twelve-year-old Cole's behavior causes his mother to drive him from Detroit to Philadelphia to live with a father he has never known, but who soon has Cole involved with a group of African-American "cowboys" who rescue horses and use them to steer youths away from drugs and gangs.

    He joined a gang at the age of thirteen and by age sixteen he had dropped out of school and had been incarcerated several times. Having witnessed the tragic murder of his best friend by gang rivals, Victor hit a critical juncture in life at which point he made the decision to transform. With the support of educators and mentors, Victor redirected his attitude towards life, and returned to school to eventually acquire a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Rios uses his personal story, and 10 years of research experience, to discuss how personal and institutional "illusions" contribute to academic failure. He speaks about how society gives young people little choice but to use their "attitude" to solve their problems and how this strategy often leads to detrimental consequences. He discusses practical pathways to transformation relevant to the lives of students. Dr. Rios speaks about his own personal transformation by taking advantage of the support that teachers and programs provided him and discusses how these efforts can be replicated. This book is written to speak to a young adult audience-those young people who live on the margins, who are often assigned texts that do not represent their lived reality, their struggles, or their experiences. Educators and youth workers can use each of the short chapters in this book as tools for discussing complicated social issues like abuse, youth violence, delinquency, fatalism, opportunity, stratification, poverty, resilience, college, positive role models, healthy choices, and personal transformation.

    . .Ten-year-old Joey Ambrosio has barely begun to grieve his mother’s death when his father abruptly uproots him from his sedate suburban Long Island home, and deposits him at his estranged grandparents’ house in boisterous East New York. While his dad takes off on an indefinite road trip, Joey is left to navigate unfamiliar terrain. Besides his gruff Italian grandparents, there's his teenage Uncle Vic, a baseball star obsessed with the music of Frank Sinatra; a steady diet of soulful, hearty foods he’s never tasted, and a community teeming with life, from endless gossip and arguments to curse-laden stickball games under the elevated train. It’s a world where privacy doesn’t exist and there’s no time to feel sorry for yourself. Most of all, it’s where Joey learns not only how to fight, and how to heal, but how to love—and ultimately, how to forgive.

    Continue the thrilling adventure across a world of Dark & Day! Jono Wyer is training new powers at the Windom Academy as the world struggles to recover from disaster and build a new path toward peace! A secret terrorist organization known as the Tombs is plotting to unleash a long lost plauge! Who knows who can be trusted when anyone could be a traitor in hiding! Jono and his friends will need to fight against the scars of old prejudice and fear if they are going to uncover the Tomb's plot before its too late! Peace comes with a price...

    Suddenly she was surrounded by an intense, blinding white light, and she was gone.It's a dark, snowy night when Laura awakens at the bottom of a staircase with a horrible headache and no idea how she got there. To make matters worse, she is alone in the house, snowed in by a blizzard, with no way to call for help. While exploring the house in a desperate attempt to trigger the return of her memory, she discovers a small room beneath the basement. She steps inside, and an unknown force instantly transports her to a mysterious, pastoral land. She finds a quaint village that at first glance seems like a peaceful place; but Laura soon learns that peace is merely an illusion. Why are terrible rumors circulating about the village's leader? Why do the villagers worship a sinister deity who bears no resemblance to her own powerful and loving God? Most importantly, will she ever remember who she is and find her way home? In her quest for answers, she uncovers a myriad of forbidden secrets that might keep her trapped in The Land Beyond the Portal.

    Beyond the stereotypes and cliche's of Rez dogs, drinking, and bingos, the story of a girl who loved to read and her family begins to unfold.

    One final summer with her best friend, Makenna down on the Jersey Shore is supposed to be her last hurrah before college. Her new job on the boardwalk, and their summer rental is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened in her follow the rules boring life. A fairytale believer of true love, and not the one night stand, Abby vows to keep her virginity until she meets the one. That is easier said than done when she has two boys competing for her time and affection. Never being inclined to be a notch on someone's bed post, the thought didn't bother her...much. She has no idea that Colin Murphy, a boy from Ireland had every intention of changing that from the moment he laid eyes on her. Knowing that he can break her heart, she tries to stay away from his Irish charms knowing it can’t last. Can their love survive the obstacles of one summer down the shore?

    It is also about the passage of childhood into puberty.

    My Life In an Unconventional Family. How unconventional? Well, I live with my divorced parents and my dad's husband. How's that for starters? Trust me, it gets weirder.My name is Eugenia Watson, but you can call me Genie. I'm sixteen. This is my life.Note: Work is marked complete for now and is on hiatus, having reached a convenient stopping point. Additional chapters may be added in the future.Another BBC Sherlock fan fic by the amazing Mad_Lori. John's biological daughter Eugenia and how she's raised by JohnLock and her mother.

    What child hasn't wished to have his or her own dragon or to fight the great fire-breathers? Pegasus - A Dragon's Tale is the delightful, heartwarming story of two young bear cubs and the dragon they find that changes their lives forever.

    With just a howl, mountains were obliterated. With the help of an outsider, the chief of Dentro destroyed the demon and sealed its dark power within three powerful ancient weapons: a spear, a shield, and a sword. After leaving the unwelcoming village, the man who had helped destroy the demon took the sword in an effort to keep the village and its people safe. Months later, a villager bore the son of the outsider. Carrying the child of a stranger was in violation of a sacred village law, and everyone knew whose child the boy was. Born into a village filled with hateful people, Zephyr grew up not knowing why he was so hated. With no friends, and eventually no family after the passing of his mother, Zephyr was forced to survive by himself as an outcast. Zephyr's only wish was to make his mother proud and force the village to recognize him--while surviving in a world filled with demons, paranormal abilities, love, hate, and undiscovered lands.

    Whistling in the Dark captivated readers with the story of ten-year-old Sally O'Malley and her sister, Troo, during Milwaukee's summer of 1959. The novel became a New York Times bestseller and was named a Midwest Honor Award winner.In Good Graces, it's one year later, and a heat wave has everyone in the close-knit Milwaukee neighborhood on edge. None more so than Sally O'Malley, who remains deeply traumatized by the sudden death of her daddy and her near escape from a murderer and molester the previous summer. Although outwardly she and her sister, Troo, are more secure, Sally's confidence in her own judgment and much of her faith have been whittled away. When a series of disquieting events unfold in the neighborhood-a string of home burglaries, the escape from reform school of a nemesis, and the mysterious disappearance of an orphan, crimes that may involve the increasingly rebellious Troo-Sally is called upon to rise above her inner demons. She made a deathbed promise to her daddy to keep Troo safe, a promise she can't break, even if her life depends on it. But when events reach a crisis point, will Sally have the courage and discernment to make the right choices? Or will her false assumptions lead her and those she loves into danger once again?Lesley Kagen's gift for imbuing her child narrators with compelling authenticity shines as never before in Good Graces, a novel told with sensitivity, wit, and warmth.

    In a move toward escape and reinvention, Junior relocates to Arizona and has a chance meeting with a person who will change the trajectory of his life. Through this connection, each of the men will discover that sometimes the only way to move forward is to go backward: Counterclockwise.

    He's convinced it will be the ticket to a new social life. Instead, it's a disaster when his mom shows up at their field trip to the local cemetery to lecture them on gravestones, and Linc sees her through his fellow-students' eyes. He's convinced his chances at a social life are over until a cemetery-related project makes him sought-after by fellow students he's not so sure he wants as friends, helps him make a new, genuine friend, and brings to light some information about his family that upends his world.Delia Ray has written a funny, heartfelt story about a lonely kid and his mother as they ultimately cope with the grief left behind from his dad's death, and along the journey find new ways to connect with each other, and their community.

    Her family is poor, but she and her siblings have loving parents and a roof over their heads. As far as she’s concerned, she’s a lucky girl.Travis Quincy’s ancestors founded Thompkin, deep in the Shenandoah Valley. He’s known immense wealth from birth, and for him that wealth is a part of his life that he’s never had to question.While still in grade school, Annie and Travis meet and fall in love. Neither understands why they’re drawn to each other, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Like two halves of a whole, they’re only complete when they’re together. And nothing is more important than the vow they make to someday marry.Growing up together, the rich, privileged boy and the girl from the wrong side of town find that when it comes to keeping their pledge, it's easier said than done. Travis's mother, Ruth, has plans for her son and they don't include his marrying a Turner. Her painful and secret past gives her an unwanted connection to the Turner family and a reason to hate them all. With cold determination she sets out to destroy the bond between her son and Annie.Love is magical at any age...and a promise is forever.Isn’t it?

    Del's life is a wreck, as evidenced by the once lovely display of orange pansies demolished across the hood of her minivan. She's a newly divorced mom in desperate need of a job and some confidence.The Shell Keeper is a humorous and touching story about three women who have gifts to share and lessons to learn. All three are in for some surprises! “Told with humor and grace, The Shell Keeper is a touching story that reminds us of the strength and resilience of women as well as the power of friendship.” Lana Williams (author of Unraveling Secrets)Robin P. Nolet lives in Colorado with her family and their golden retrievers. She is a wife and mom, and in her spare time she hikes the Rockies. Like Claire, she is a Realtor. Robin has received honors from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Pike’s Peak Writers and the Denver Women’s Press Club. Follow Robin on her website at robinnolet.com.

    A boy with brown sugar eyes. And then , a mysterious letter.Felicity's glamorous parents have a secret. When they leave her with distant relatives in Maine, far away from the battles of WWII, Felicity hopes they won't be gone for long. Her new Uncle Gideon hides things. Her Aunt Miami is star-crossed. And Derek, a kid her age, refuses to leave his room. But Felicity needs Derek's help. Gideon is getting coded letters from Felicity's parents, and she's sure they're in trouble. Can Felicity crack the code, heal the family and save her parents, all while surviving her first crush? It's a tall order for a small girl, but Felicity is up for the challenge.

    In this eclectic compilation, Aptowicz ruminates on the trials and tribulation of her tween self ("My Elementary School Confessions"), her unapologetic high school geekiness ("The Secret Language of Nerds") and all the melodramatic yet sincere love verses she ultimately penned in vain ("On Reading Old Unrequited Love Poems"), among other inspired topics. This plump volume of new work commiserates and celebrates all the wonder, terror, banality and comedy which is the long journey to adulthood.

    Before she has a chance to tell him about the pregnancy, her parents take her off to a Dallas home for unwed mothers.After six long months with no word from her, Greg hopes to put his broken heart behind him by serving his country with the U.S. Marines. After almost dying during the birth of her child, Melinda can't bear to return to her hometown without her baby. She stays in Texas, eventually finding a career as a nanny for two children of a wealthy family.Thirty years later finds her back in her hometown to care for her ailing father. She soon runs into her old flame, Greg, retired from the military and mayor of McCray. Sparks fly between them, rekindling the smoldering embers of a strong mutual attraction. Can they bypass old feelings of bitterness and abandonment in order to find the most precious part of themselves?Hart's Desire is an ebook short in direct relation to my La Fleur de Love series. It introduces characters that appear in Last First Kiss, Brown Eyed Girl, and Heaven in Your Eyes.

    The stories range from hopeful realism to the dystopian side of speculative fiction. Each story twists and turns through darkness and light, settling somewhere in the shadowy area of day to day life.

    Violence and deprivation in Terry’s childhood, drive him to aspire to a life like Kit’s. Their early experiences in 60s and 70s Liverpool are to have far-reaching effects on their adult lives and relationships in 90s Bournemouth

    A delicious 460+ page release spanning Tim’s career from his very first professional sale, Reign of the Eater, to exclusive never before released stories, plus a full bowl of juicy tales in between.Full wraparound artwork and extensive internal illustrations from Keith Minnion and introduced by Simon Clark, this collection is signed by all three contributors.First publication of the 'Asylum Projects" line.

    Now he spends his days in his uncle’s auto body shop, struggling to stay clean, and refusing to get close to anyone because he fears he is unfit for human consumption.When he meets Shawna Clifton, for the first time begins to see himself differently, and even though it scares the hell out of him, he feels compelled to reach for the life she offers. But just as Todd dreams he can have more, their relationship is challenged by a tragedy that forces them to decide what is really important.

    When Jules falls in love with their eighth target, she's forced to make a series of life-or-death decisions and a single, impossible change.LIGHTHOUSE NIGHTS is a frightening parable about haunting regret, maniacal hatred, and ultimate redemption. This fast-paced story is as touching as it is twisted and highlights a disturbing new trend among American teens.THE MIDNIGHT MASTERMIND SERIES is a savage anthology of pulp stories about Trevor, a charming sociopath caught between the love in his heart and the storm in his gut. Lighthouse Nights is BOOK ONE in the series, though Trevor’s adventures can be read in any order.

    But when his dad and brother refuse to believe it—because they’re morons, obviously—it’s up to Spartacus to be the hero.With the Internet-wizardry of his best friend and clues from his mom’s postcards, Spartacus sets out on a zany, west coast rescue mission. But as the stories about the circus get stranger (and Spart’s enemies get weirder), he realizes the only way to bring his family back together is to bring the big top down, once and for all.

    The innocent young American is catapulted into the center of intrigues of a horny crew shooting a movie in Rome. In this fast-paced story set in 1980 sex-hungy guys abound, all wanting a share of the handsome newcomer. Gil soon discovers that he has what the hunky young men want and before long he's giving it every way they choose.The glamorous—and not so glamorous—movie business forms the backdrop to this tale acted out in Rome's sultry streets—Vice City, where everything is for sale. But by the end Gil finds something worth more than a career: true love.Boys of Vice City is the first volume in saga of a young man's search for fulfilment in a tough world. Gil and his English boy friend Mike Smith's story continues in Boys of Disco City (July 2012) and the first part concludes with Boys of Two Cities> (November 2012).