Best of
Disability

2018

Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice


Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha - 2018
    Powerful and passionate, Care Work is a crucial and necessary call to arms.

Love Me Whole


Nicky James - 2018
    Being an extremely shy, social introvert is only part of the problem. Oryn has dissociative identity disorder. He may look like a normal man on the outside, but spend five minutes with him, and his daily struggles begin to show. Oryn shares his life and headspace with five distinctively different alters. Reed, a protective, very straight jock. Cohen, a flamboyantly gay nineteen-year-old who is a social butterfly. Cove, a self-destructive terror, whose past haunts him. Theo, an asexual man of little emotion, whose focus is on maintaining order. And Rain, a five-year-old child whose only concern is Batman. Vaughn Sinclair is stuck in a rut. When his job doesn’t offer the same thrill it once did, he decides it’s time to mix-up his stagnant, boring routine. Little does he know, the man he meets during an impromptu decision to return to college is anything but ordinary. Vaughn’s heart defies logic, and he finds himself falling in love with this strange new man. But how can you love someone who isn’t always themself? It may not be easy, but Vaughn is determined to try.

Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship


Jessica Kensky - 2018
    When he gets the news that he's better suited to being a service dog, he's worried that he's not up to the task. Then he meets Jessica, a girl whose life is turning out differently than the way she'd imagined it, too. Now Jessica needs Rescue by her side to help her accomplish everyday tasks. And it turns out that Rescue can help Jessica see after all: a way forward, together, one step at a time. An endnote from the authors tells more about the training and extraordinary abilities of service dogs, particularly their real-life best friend and black lab, Rescue.

My Torin


K. Webster - 2018
    A fortune. And horses too.It’s too easy.Nothing in my life has ever been easy.What’s the catch?There’s always a catch.

Chosen


Jada Fisher - 2018
     An epic dragon riding adventure from Jada Fisher, author of the popular Dragon Oracle series. Eist was born to be a dragon rider, she just knows it. When fate conspires to take her parents and leave her orphaned and injured, her future appears bleak. Unwilling to back down, she must overcome a system stacked against her. Even if she passes all the tests, there’s no guarantee she will ever fly on a dragon. Can she beat the odds and find her destiny or will she be stranded on the ground? Chosen is the first book in the Brindle Dragon series which follows the story of a young girl and her most unusual dragon as they set out to defeat an evil they don’t even know exists. Download Chosen and get started on your next epic adventure today! Always FREE on Kindle Unlimited

Scent of Fear


N.J. Litz - 2018
    So do hate and happiness. A head injury as a child gave Haley an extraordinary sense of smell. Her gift allows Haley and her German shepherd, Jax, to be one of the most successful search and rescue teams in the Midwest. Her gift is also a curse as she detects people’s feelings. For her sanity, she’s reclusive until each time she’s called on to find the lost. When girls begin disappearing with tragic results in her hometown, Haley teams with the county’s new sheriff, Dane Campbell, to find the killer. Haley is drawn to the outgoing sheriff, whose daughter is emotionally damaged. After a lifetime of feeling like an outsider, though, Haley is reluctant to get involved with the child, whose melancholy threatens to overwhelm Haley. As the murders test Haley’s gift and skills, she learns that sometimes a search and rescue can be about the heart, and the heart can lead the way home.

Forbidden Melody


Magnolia Robbins - 2018
    With a renowned jazz musician for a father and a world-famous mentor growing up, she is convinced her path is easy. Until her world is suddenly silenced when she loses her hearing. Juliet Hamilton is a prodigy violinist. First chair for nearly fifteen years in the New York Philharmonic and a professor at the conservatory, she is engulfed in her career with no time for distractions. Especially not a beautiful young graduate student with a spirited personality that challenges her every step.When Emma and Juliet’s paths cross in the classroom, their connection is undeniable. When their music comes together, it is unstoppable. The bond they begin to form threatens to challenge more than just their opinions of music. Friendships, ethics, and careers are tested as Emma and Juliet find themselves lost in a concerto of fiery passion and heartbreak. 105,000 words

A Wish Upon a Star


Jeannie Levig - 2018
    It’s time for a fresh start, a move across the country, and a new set of rules to help heal her heart—no straight women, no women with kids, and no commitment. But when she meets her new neighbors, the beautiful Erica and her special needs daughter, Siena, she struggles against the pull she immediately experiences.Erica Cooper has learned to rely only on herself. She knows most people don’t stick around when the going gets tough. And when caring for a child with autism, the going can get tough fast. She is content with the quiet and emotionally safe life she’s constructed, but when they are befriended by their kind, playful, and—damn it—really hot new neighbor, the walls protecting her heart threaten to crumble.So much for good intentions and firm resolutions—neither stand a chance when the stars align for love.Words: 88,000Cover Artist: Melody PondGenres: Contemporary / Romance Tags: Children / Families, Animals, California, Disability, Friends to Lovers Romance, Homecoming

Too Scared To Cry


Maggie Hartley - 2018
    Contains previously published stories Too Scared To Cry, The Girl No One Wanted and A Family For Christmas - brought together in this heartwarming and inspiring collection for the first time. *****Maggie Hartley is one of the UK's most prolific foster mothers. This inspiring collection includes three heartbreaking, true short stories about the children who have passed through Maggie's care. TOO SCARED TO CRYWhen Ben and Damien arrive on Maggie's doorstep, the two toddlers are too scared to speak. More disturbingly still, their baby half-brother Noah is completely unresponsive - he doesn't smile or play or crawl. The three siblings have been conditioned to be seen and not heard, and it's up to Maggie to unpick what has caused this terrible void. THE GIRL NO ONE WANTEDEleven-year-old Leanne is out of control. With over forty placements in her short life, no local foster carers are willing to take in this angry and damaged little girl. Maggie is Leanne's only hope, and her last chance. If this placement fails, Leanne will be put in a secure unit. Where most others would simply walk away, Maggie refuses to give up on the little girl who's never known love. A FAMILY FOR CHRISTMASA tragic accident leaves the life of toddler Edward changed forever and his family wracked with guilt. Maggie must help this family grieve for the son they've lost and learn to love the little boy he is now. But will Edward have a family to go home to at Christmas?These heartwarming and inspiring short stories show the power of a foster mother's love, and her determination to help the children who come into her care.Note: These stories have previously been published as individual ebooks. True stories of foster care and adoption and one foster mother's attempts to help the children in her care heal from abuse, neglect and trauma.

The Perseverance


Raymond Antrobus - 2018
    Ranging across history and continents, these poems operate in the spaces in between, their haunting lyrics creating new, hybrid territories.The Perseverance is a book of loss, contested language and praise, where elegies for the poet’s father sit alongside meditations on the d/Deaf experience.

Hidden in Darkness


Alice Winters - 2018
    It has to be better than where he came from, but he has no idea what he’s signed up for. Lane is depressed, rude, and difficult to be around. It doesn’t help that Felix is clearly not qualified for the job, especially since he can’t even make oatmeal right. But Felix is trying to make his life better, so he’ll put up with the man even if it requires some unconventional methods. Felix’s humor soon pulls Lane out of his depression, and Felix feels like things are finally going right in his life.That is, until he’s attacked by someone who wants to keep Lane quiet. It’s clear that Lane isn’t who he’s pretending to be, and Felix should probably walk away. But Felix has finally found a place where he belongs and he’s willing to go to great lengths to stay by Lane’s side. Even if it involves kidnapping, stealing, and Felix’s overwhelmingly bad ideas, Felix will do just about anything because Lane is there for him unlike anyone else has ever been. Felix might be out of his element, but one thing he is sure about is that he doesn’t want to leave Lane… even if it costs him his life.Hidden in Darkness is 90k words of snark, car chases, and morally questionable choices.*Newly edited with an updated cover.

Oregon Trail Dreamin' Series


Kathleen Ball - 2018
    She takes her horse and rides to Independence Missouri to join a wagon train and start a new life. Mike Todd, the Wagon Master doesn’t allow single women to have their own wagons. It causes fights and distractions. Susan solves her problem by marrying Clancy Willis in name only. Unfortunately Clancy’s true nature doesn’t take long to show and Susan finds herself married to a drunkard. Along the trail, once again, Susan is forced to marry another man in name only and this time it is Mike Todd. As soon as they make it to Oregon they plan to have the marriage annulled but their hearts become hopelessly entangled. Mike Todd has two brothers to raise. They are guides on the wagon train and he decided long ago he’d raise them and forget about having a wife and child of his own. Both vow to sacrifice their hearts’ desire to give the other happiness. Will they come to realize their lives and love have only just begun? A Lifetime to Share Eli Todd is a tall, handsome captain of a wagon train bound for Oregon. Life has taught him if he allows people into his heart, he ends up losing them. Amelia Cruthers is a pretty, young woman with a limp. She's a hard worker who starts out the trip to Oregon with her parents, until they try to leave her behind. In shock, she watches them cross a river by ferry without her. Thankfully, the kind, strong Eli Todd takes her with him. Admiring her spunk and work ethic, he gives her a job cooking for the crew. After a fall from his horse, Amelia tends him and he realizes she is sweetness on earth. Her parents demand he marry Amelia, since she spent time alone with him, nursing him. Eli figures why not? He won't be home most of the year anyway, and Amelia could have a safe place to live on his ranch. What could possibly go wrong? Amelia never thought to be married. She'd been told her hip was too hideous for a man to look upon and that she couldn't have children. The distance they try to place between them doesn't work, leaving them both hurt with longings that could never be fulfilled. But there are secrets, and when they realize they'd been lied to, do they take the leap at a lifetime to share? A Love Worth Searching For Jed Todd has been looking for Lily since the day she was abducted along the Oregon Trail. This time he is the wagon master. Word comes that his trapper friends have found and bought Lily for him. He rides fast and fierce to get to her and is relieved to find her in one piece. The way he felt about her before she'd been stolen wasn't a figment of his imagination. From the moment he saw her again, he knew his love was real. Lily isn't well received by the others on the wagon train and realizes that having a relationship with Jed would only hinder him in life. He'd never be accepted in polite society. Once in Oregon, she plans to leave for Washington territory to live alone. Attempts on her life and the life of a young girl make Lily realize that she and Jed share a love worth searching for. So Many Roads to Choose It’s finally time for Smitty to settle down after all of his trips on the Oregon Trail. He has Lynn and a houseful of orphans but he also had a wife, he’s always been faithful to. Brenda lied and said she was with child, Smitty’s child over ten years ago. It’s time to dissolve their marriage.

Jesse's Smile


Angelique Jurd - 2018
    He loves the cats, the dogs and Sniffles the rabbit. What he doesn't love is the way people assume that he can't look after himself, that he's isn't a man. So, when the store's newest customer, buying supplies for his kitten, asks him out, Jesse has trouble understanding why. Jesse knows he's not stupid, but nobody else seems to know that. They just see a good-looking young man whose smile seems to be the brightest thing about him. Drew Oliver isn't other people. A high school teacher with a history of bad relationship choices, Drew is patient, loving, and doesn't care that Jesse is different. He just cares about being able to make him smile as often as he can. Everyone seems to have an opinion about the differences between Drew and Jesse, few notice the things they share. Can their relationship survive the scrutiny and judgement passed by everyone around them? And when one of Drew's bad choices shows up, will love be enough to help them survive the aftermath?

Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick


Maya Dusenbery - 2018
    In addition to offering a clear-eyed explanation of the root causes of this insidious and entrenched bias and laying out its effects, she suggests concrete steps we can take to cure it.

Have Dog, Will Travel: A Poet’s Journey with an Exceptional Labrador


Stephen Kuusisto - 2018
    Theirs is a partnership of movement, mutual self-interest, and wanderlust. Walking with Corky in Manhattan for the first time, Steve discovers he’s “living the chaos of joy—you’re in love with your surroundings, loving a barefoot mind, wild to go anyplace.”Have Dog, Will Travel is the inside story of how a person establishes trust with a dog, how a guide dog is trained. Corky absolutely transforms Steve’s life and his way of being in the world. Profound and deeply moving, theirs is a spiritual journey, during which Steve discovers that joy with a guide dog is both a method and a state of mind. Guaranteed to make you laugh—and cry—this beautiful reflection on the highs, lows, and everyday details that make up life with a guide dog provides a profound exploration of Stephen’s lifelong struggle with disability, identity, and the midlife events that lead to self-acceptance.

Handywoman


Kate Davies - 2018
    Forced to change direction, Kate took a radical new creative path. Handywoman tells this story.This is not a book about Kate's triumph over adversity. Rather, it is her account of the ordinary activities and everyday objects that stroke and disability made her see differently. From braiding hair for the first time to learning how to knit again; from the lessons of a working-class creative childhood to the support of the contemporary craft community; from the transformative effects of good design to developing a new identity as a disabled walker; in this engaging series of essays, Kate describes how the experience of brain injury allowed her to build a new kind of handmade life. Part memoir, part personal celebration of the power of making, in Handywoman Kate reclaims disability as in itself a form of practical creativity. Kate Davies is an award-winning knitwear designer and author writing on many topics from disability and design to textile history and women’s history. She’s published eight books about hand-knitting, lives on the edge of the Scottish Highlands and is inspired by her local landscape every day.

A Girl Behind Dark Glasses


Jessica Taylor-Bearman - 2018
    The severest form of a neuro immune disease called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis went to war with her at just 15 years old. From beneath her dark glasses, Jessica glimpses a world far different from the one she remembers as a teenage school girl. This true story follows her path as she ends up living in hospital for years with tubes keeping her alive. This harrowing story follows the highs and lows of the disease and being hospitalised, captured through her voice activated technology diary called `Bug' that enables her to fulfil her dream of one day becoming an author. It provides a raw, real-time honesty to the story that would be impossible to capture in hindsight.

The Lumberjack's Dove


GennaRose Nethercott - 2018
    It can be, as it is here, apparently as light as a feather: The Lumberjack’s Dove is, in its manner, a folktale; it is also a meditation on attachment, on loss, on transformation. Like its less humble relatives, myth and parable, it is pithy, magical, its many insights, its cautions and clarifications, unfolding in a chain of brief scenes and koan-like revelations. This is a book of unexpected lightness and buoyancy, as necessary in our tense period as the more urgent confrontations.” --Louise Gluck A boldly original and visceral debut collection from the winner of the 2017 National Poetry Series Competition, selected by Louise GluckIn the ingenious and vividly imagined narrative poem The Lumberjack’s Dove, GennaRose Nethercott describes a lumberjack who cuts his hand off with an axe—however, instead of merely being severed, the hand shapeshifts into a dove. Far from representing just an event of pain and loss in the body, this incident spirals outward to explore countless facets of being human, prompting profound reflections on sacrifice and longing, time and memory, and—finally—considering the act of storytelling itself. The lumberjack, his hand, and the axe that separated the two all become participants in the story, with unique perspectives to share and lessons to impart. “I taught your fathers how to love,” Axe says to the acorns and leaves around her. “I mean to be felled, sliced to lumber, & reassembled into a new body.”Inflected with the uncanny enchantment of modern folklore and animated by the sly shifting of points-of-view, The Lumberjack’s Dove is wise, richly textured poetry from a boundlessly creative new voice.

Walking Away


Xavier Neal - 2018
     JASON For her sake I should walk away. I'm not the man she needs. GWEN For his sake I should walk away. I'm not the one he wants. HUDSON For their sake I should walk away. I'm not the solution. I'm a new problem. What happens when three people unexpectedly fall in love and one should walk away, but can't? *PLEASE NOTE: This is an M/M/F STANDALONE NOVEL.

Aching Joy: Following God Through the Land of Unanswered Prayer


Jason Hague - 2018
    But when the boy regressed into the distant, wordless world of severe autism, those hopes were crushed.As Jason walked through the barren land of unanswered prayer, he discovered that he was not alone--so many in the church today are overwhelmed with pain and doubt. We think our faith is supposed to guarantee us a sense of emotional stability, even in the midst of soul-crushing circumstances; but by avoiding the brokenness inside ourselves, we end up missing the beauty of a God at work deep within us.Aching Joy is a road map for anyone facing a difficult, unresolved situation. We can embrace both the sorrow and beauty of the land of unanswered prayer in order to find renewed hope in the greatness of God and the expectation of good.The goal of Aching Joy is not to see the silver lining in the midst of our hardships but to encourage us to follow the example of Christ, who entered fully into both the joy and the sorrow of human experiences with confidence that His Father's eternal kingdom would outlast and outshine them. When we open our hearts to the restoration that only Christ can perform, we will begin to find a deeper gladness that has no veneer and wears no mask. We will find a joy in the midst of the aching.

Everything I've Never Said


Samantha Wheeler - 2018
    But Ava has Rett syndrome - she can't talk, can't nod her head, can't even point at a communication card. She understands everything, but no one understands her.When tragedy strikes her family, Ava becomes even more determined to talk. But it's not until she meets occupational therapist Kieran and new friend Aimee that she is hopeful for change - and to find her voice at last.A powerful novel about a subject rarely tackled - young people with disabilities and the families who love and support them.

Best Foot Forward


Adam Hills - 2018
    His dad sparked in him a love of comedy and together they'd spend hours watching and listening to the greats like Peter Sellers and Mel Brooks, so, when it was Adam's turn to speak, he made sure he was funny. Once he hit high school, comedy was Adam's obsession (along with a deep love for the South Sydney Rabbitohs). While his mates were listening to Iron Maiden and AC/DC, he was listening to Kenny Everett and Billy Connolly. And when a report card came home with a comment praising his sense of humour, he was far prouder of that than his grades (his mum not so much). Adam's shyness and his missing foot never held him back, though wearing thongs was tricky. While other teens snuck off to meet girls and drink cheap booze, Adam snuck off to see a young Jim Carrey perform. After that, a steady diet of Rodney Rude, Vince Sorrenti and Robin Williams led this sheltered, virginal university student from The Shire to his first stand-up open mic night on his 19th birthday. In Best Foot Forward, Adam describes his early years on the Australian comedy scene sharing gigs with Steady Eddy and Jimeoin, how he coped the first time he died on stage, his early-morning apprenticeship in radio, touring the world's comedy festivals, the magic of Spicks and Specks and his hosting gig for the 2008 Paralympics that led to his ongoing hit UK TV show The Last Leg. Whoopi Goldberg, Barry Humphries, Billy Connolly, Kermit the Frog - Adam's learned from the best. This charming, witty memoir is a lesson in following your heart, being positive and discovering that what makes you different also makes you unique.

Reversed: A Memoir


Lois Letchford - 2018
    Nothing is impossible when one digs deep,and looks at students through a new lens.

Benji, the Bad Day, and Me


Sally J. Pla - 2018
    At school, he got in trouble for kicking a fence, then the cafeteria ran out of pizza for lunch. After he walks home in the pouring rain, he finds his autistic little brother Benji is having a bad day too. On days like this, Benji has a special play-box where he goes to feel cozy and safe. Sammy doesn't have a special place, and he's convinced no one cares how he feels or even notices him. But somebody is noticing, and may just have an idea on how to help Sammy feel better.

Knowing Why: Adult-Diagnosed Autistic People on Life and Autism


Elizabeth Bartmess - 2018
    Odasso writes in this anthology: "You spend a lot of time wondering what's wrong without ever knowing why." This anthology includes essays from a diverse group of adult-diagnosed autistic people. Our essays reflect the value of knowing why--why we are different from so many other people, why it can be so hard to do things others can take for granted, and why there is often such a mismatch between others' treatment of us and our own needs, skills, and experiences. Essay topics include recovering from burnout, exploring our passions and interests, and coping with sensory overload, especially in social situations. If you know you're autistic, are beginning to wonder, share similarities with autistic people, or want to support an adult autistic friend or family member--or if you simply want to know why it's so important that autistic adults know we're autistic--this book is for you.

The Escort's Tale


M.J. Edwards - 2018
    Under his working name, Jasper has built a solid clientele and reputation. As JD Pierce, high-priced escort, he specializes in bringing bisexual fantasies to life. Sometimes a husband needs to be humiliated. Maybe a couple wants to be naughty and roleplay the seduction of an impressionable boy. Jasper, aka JD, is the man for the job.When a young woman with a unique problem contacts Jasper, though, he fears he's out of his depth. Alethia's husband Nick suffered a spinal cord injury. He has paraplegia. The couple can no longer have conventional sex, and it's driving a wedge between them. Nick is straight, but Alethia hires Jasper to help them fix things.Despite his doubts, Jasper throws himself into the challenge. He wants to help sexy Nick reconnect with his beautiful wife. Using imagination and honesty, he unearths hidden fantasies in both of them. What he isn't prepared for is his attraction to these new clients. The feeling grows quickly from desire to friendship and maybe something more. Will Jasper help Nick and Alethia and then move on? Or will they be the couple to bring to life this escort's own fantasy?The Escort's Tale is a stand-alone bisexual erotic romance featuring a well-endowed lover-for-hire, a troubled man in a wheelchair, and the determined woman who brings them all together.

Our Bloody Pearl


D.N. Bryn - 2018
    But to the sirens who swim the warm island waters, it’s a home more than worth protecting from the humans and their steam-propelled ships. Between their hypnotic voices and the strength of their powerful tails, sirens have little to fear. That is, until the ruthless pirate captain, Kian, creates a device to cancel out their songs. Perle was the first siren captured, and while all since have either been sold or killed, Kian still keeps them prisoner. Though their song is muted and their tail paralyzed, Perle’s hope for escape rekindles as another pirating vessel seizes Kian’s ship. This new captain seems different, with his brilliant smile and his promises that Kian will never again be Perle’s master. But he’s still a human, and a captor in his own way. The compassion he and his rag-tag human family show can’t be sincere… or can it? Soon it becomes clear that Kian will hunt Perle relentlessly, taking down any siren in her path. As the tides turn, Perle must decide whether to run from Kian forever, or ride the forming wave into battle, hoping their newfound human companions will fight with them.This adult fantasy novel featuring an nonbinary disabled protagonist is a voyage of laughter and danger where friendships and love abound and sirens are sure to steal—or eat—your heart.  Trigger warnings: mild gore due to carnivorous sirens and sensations of drowning.

ALS Saved My Life ... until it didn't


Jenni Kleinman Berebitsky - 2018
    But what do we do when nothing goes as we had ever hoped? Jenni Berebitsky, diagnosed in 2009 with ALS has been answering these questions every day. With the hope of helping others move forward after life altering events, Jenni shares her story of life wiht ALS, outlining practical and existential changes needed to adapt and thrive.

Honeymoon for One


Keira Andrews - 2018
    Hard of hearing and still struggling with the repercussions of being late-deafened, traveling by himself leaves him feeling painfully isolated with his raw, broken heart. Clay Kelly never expected to be starting life over in his forties. He got hitched young, but now his wife has divorced him and remarried, his kids are grown, and he’s left his rural Outback town. In a new career driving a tour bus on Australia’s East Coast, Clay reckons he's happy enough. He enjoys his cricket, a few beers, and a quiet life. If he's a bit lonely, it's not the end of the world. Clay befriends Ethan, hoping he can cheer up the sad-eyed young man, and a crush on an unattainable straight guy is exactly the safe distraction Ethan needs. Yet as the days pass and their connection grows, long-repressed desires surface in Clay, and they are shocked to discover romance sparking. Clay is the sexy, rugged man of Ethan’s dreams, and as the clock counts down on their time together, neither wants this honeymoon to end.Honeymoon for One is a gay romance by Keira Andrews featuring a May-December age difference, a slow burn of newfound friends to lovers, first-time m/m sex, and of course a happy ending.

My Perfect Ex-Boyfriend


Annabelle Costa - 2018
     Noah Walsh is handsome as sin. He’s sweet and smart and successful and sexy—all the best adjectives beginning with “S.” My six-year-old daughter worships the ground he walks on ever since he fashioned her smiley face pancakes out of bananas and blueberries. Oh yeah, and he can cook. The only problem? I dumped this great guy a decade ago, right after I wrecked his life. And boy, this man holds a grudge.This is Book 1 of the Perfect Guy series, but can be read as a stand alone book.

Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women’s Speculative Fiction


Sami Schalk - 2018
    Bridging black feminist theory with disability studies, Schalk demonstrates that this genre's political potential lies in the authors' creation of bodyminds that transcend reality's limitations. She reads (dis)ability in neo-slave narratives by Octavia Butler (Kindred) and Phyllis Alesia Perry (Stigmata) not only as representing the literal injuries suffered under slavery, but also as a metaphor for the legacy of racial violence. The fantasy worlds in works by N. K. Jemisin, Shawntelle Madison, and Nalo Hopkinson—where werewolves have obsessive-compulsive-disorder and blind demons can see magic—destabilize social categories and definitions of the human, calling into question the very nature of identity. In these texts, as well as in Butler’s Parable series, able-mindedness and able-bodiedness are socially constructed and upheld through racial and gendered norms. Outlining (dis)ability's centrality to speculative fiction, Schalk shows how these works open new social possibilities while changing conceptualizations of identity and oppression through nonrealist contexts.

Snow Angel


Davalynn Spencer - 2018
    Maimed in a childhood accident at Christmas, she believed she was beyond love’s reach—until a dark-eyed cowboy arrived broken, bruised, and bent on changing her mind. Wil Bergman woke in a stranger’s home with a busted leg and a bullet-creased scalp. Trail-weary, robbed, and penniless, he was at the mercy of a country doctor whose sister’s healing touch had power to stitch up his heart and open his eyes to the impossible.

Me: The Complete Series


Logan Chance - 2018
    *Also read the first few chapters of a new sexy standalone coming soon. If you love romantic comedies with many heartfelt swoon-worthy moments, sexy alpha heroes, feisty heroines, and happy endings, then you’ll be hooked by this series. Date Me: Hot shot pilot Erik Murphy conquers the online dating world when he needs to find a date for his ex’s wedding. Everything is not as it seems in this laugh-out-loud steamy read. Save Me: Ryan Wagner is fresh out of the Marines and adapting to his life in Florida. He runs into his old best friend, Lizzy, and the sparks fly. Fall in love with this sweet friends-to-lovers romance. Study Me: A Student Teacher Romance. Houston Dale is tired of teaching the future doctors of America, until he is taken with his student, Marley Murphy. This broody, alpha has a dark past he doesn’t want Marley to have any part of. Break Me: Mysterious bad boy, Pollux Clark, is on a mission. When he lands himself as Katy Vanderlin’s fake fiance things heat up. Can these two keep up the fake relationship, or will they give in?

Beautiful Chaos


Riley Hart - 2018
    Or is it my prison? Some days it's hard to tell.I've confined myself behind these walls for protection. I have my reasons, but that doesn't change the profound loneliness I've discovered in the process.Then one day I find myself drifting toward the window to see him. Corey Marshall, my new neighbor. Quiet, reserved, and cute as can be. He infects my thoughts, becomes the image I fantasize about.I want to taste his lips, smell his scent...feel what it's like to be inside him.And soon, watching becomes exchanging gifts and messages, which becomes so much more.It's wrong to want this as badly as I do, but I can't help myself. I crave him so desperately. It's hard to tell if what we're doing is going to make me lose my mind or change my entire world, but it's too late to turn back now...COREYI've never been quite right. Too high or too low. Pain is my constant companion...at the hands of my abusive ex, and often from myself. The sweet relief is only temporary, but in those moments, it's like I can finally breathe.Then I meet him. Silas Rizner calms the chaotic storms inside me. He makes me feel loved, treasured, even when I don't deserve it. I cherish the moments we share--cooking, cuddling, and when Silas reads to me until I fall asleep. When he's inside me, it's the only time in my life I've ever felt complete.Silas becomes the glue that holds me together, that bandages my scars. Inside the walls of his home, we're almost safe, but our demons are always there, waiting to break free.We're a mess. We're broken, chaotic, beautiful; we're in love.But not even love can slay our monsters. No, only we can do that.Unless our monsters destroy us first.TRIGGERS: Self-harm, depression, anxiety, mentions of past domestic violence.

Protected by the Lawman


Rhonda Lee Carver - 2018
    The gun. And the will to protect. Showing up to investigate a double homicide, Sheriff Phoenix Cade almost comes out of his boots when he sees the blonde--the only witness to the crime--covered in blood. He'd danced with her a few nights before and had every intention of getting her number until she threw up all over his shoes. Hell, his shoes would wash… Ria Portman has spent the better part of six years convincing her family and friends that she could take care of herself. The accident took her sight, but it didn’t take her independence. There were a lot of things she’d learned over the years, especially regarding men. They said they could handle her disability, but truth was, they lied. When her assistant and client are murdered in her studio she will have to rely on one man—the one man who makes her want to trust again. Phoenix is over his ex, but since he caught her cheating he’s compared relationships to playing with fire. It’s only a matter of time before a man gets burnt. Yet, Ria is different. She’s beautiful, smart, challenging, and doesn’t need him…even when she does. He should keep his head on straight because the killers want her dead and it’s his job to keep her safe. However, he’s realizing, a man in love becomes a giant. He’ll protect Ria with a force unlike any that has ever been seen before.

The Visitor


Mark Lawrence - 2018
    The only thing you need to know is that Wild Cards is set in our world, and an alien virus has been infecting people in rare outbreaks. It kills 90% of victims, makes ugly monsters of 9% (Jokers) and gives 1% random superpowers (Aces).A very personal short story that I'm proud of and want to find a wider audience for.There is a sequel story free on the Tor website, The Visitor: Kill or Cure.

Like Water Catching Fire


E.M. Lindsey - 2018
    It was gorgeous. Danny wanted to exist inside that explosion and let himself be consumed by it." With his life upended at the sight of his cheating boyfriend, Danny Zhou flees across the country with two million dollars in his bank account, and a broken heart to mend. Danny was never the sort of man who was supposed to make it rich. He was a simple guy with dreams of teaching literature, a cute husband, and maybe a dog or two. At the end of an accidentally viral app, everything he'd dreamt of doing went down the drain, and he learns just how true the saying is: "Money does not buy happiness." Uncertain where his future lies, Danny hopes to start over. He expects to do a lot of soul-searching, and thinks maybe volunteering at the Fire Station he'd worked at during his freshman year of college will help him find some direction. He most definitely does not expect Jamie, the stoic, gorgeous, Deaf fire fighter with a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas, and trust issues a hundred miles wide, who seems less than thrilled to have Danny on his team. Will working together lead to a happy ending, or will Danny find that true love just isn't in his cards?

Times Like These


Ana McKenzie - 2018
    She's more than happy to be muse, model, assistant, and lover - especially lover - for brilliant and successful Bianca Graves. After all, Merren's smart with a big-picture view of the world and a practical streak wide enough to deal with Bianca's difficulties. She's a problem-solver. Except there's one problem Merren's never had to solve before - what happens when you fall in love with a woman who can't see you properly? Bianca's an artist losing her sight, desperate to find a way to continue painting and keep her career and sense of identity. She needs more than a muse, more than a young woman to model for her. She needs someone to reach out and touch her when everything's going dark - and help her find the way back to her life. Which surely means Merren's too young, too different, worlds apart in experience. Bianca knows a summer fling at such a difficult time is one thing - but it can't go any further. As it turns out, however - there's more than one way to be blind.

How the Grinch Stole My Heart


Annabelle Costa - 2018
     She’s never met the man in person, but Mr. Grieder, a.k.a. Mr. Grinch, leaves her nasty notes whenever her son plays in the hallway. He complained until their doorman got rid of the beautiful Christmas tree in the lobby. He even slammed his door on the Girl Scout Carolers. This is Noelle’s first Christmas since a painful divorce, and this grouchy old hermit seems determined to make her favorite holiday as unpleasant as he possibly can. Except there are two things Noelle doesn’t know about Mr. Grinch: One, he’s not an old man. And two, he’s going to be her date for Saturday night.

Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design


Kat Holmes - 2018
    Something as simple as color choices can render a product unusable for millions. These mismatches are the building blocks of exclusion. In Mismatch, Kat Holmes describes how design can lead to exclusion, and how design can also remedy exclusion. Inclusive design methods--designing objects with rather than for excluded users--can create elegant solutions that work well and benefit all.Holmes tells stories of pioneers of inclusive design, many of whom were drawn to work on inclusion because of their own experiences of exclusion. A gamer and designer who depends on voice recognition shows Holmes his "Wall of Exclusion," which displays dozens of game controllers that require two hands to operate; an architect shares her firsthand knowledge of how design can fail communities, gleaned from growing up in Detroit's housing projects; an astronomer who began to lose her eyesight adapts a technique called "sonification" so she can "listen" to the stars.Designing for inclusion is not a feel-good sideline. Holmes shows how inclusion can be a source of innovation and growth, especially for digital technologies. It can be a catalyst for creativity and a boost for the bottom line as a customer base expands. And each time we remedy a mismatched interaction, we create an opportunity for more people to contribute to society in meaningful ways.

The Electricity of Every Living Thing


Katherine May - 2018
    In August 2015, Katherine May set out to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path. She wanted to understand why she had stopped coping with everyday life; why motherhood had been so overwhelming and isolating, and why the world felt full of inundation and expectations she can't meet. Setting her feet down on the rugged and difficult path by the sea, the answer begins to unfold. It's a chance encounter with a voice on the radio that sparks a realisation that she has Asperger's Syndrome. The Electricity of Every Living Thing tells the story of the year in which Katherine comes to terms with her diagnosis. It leads to a re-evaluation of her life so far - a kinder one, which finally allows her to be different rather than simply awkward, arrogant or unfeeling. The physical and psychological journeys become inextricably entwined, and as Katherine finds her way across the untameable coast, she also finds the way to herself.This book is a life-affirming exploration of wild landscapes, what it means to be different and, above all, how we can all learn to make peace within our own unquiet minds.

Joy


Corrinne Averiss - 2018
    And when Mum remarks that all the joy seems to have gone out of her life, Fern decides to fetch the joy back. With her catching-kit at the ready, she goes to the park and finds joy in all sorts of unusual places. Whooooshh! But Fern soon realises that joy doesn’t fit in a bag, or a box or a tin! How will she manage to bring some back to Nanna? Emotional, funny and uplifting, this beautiful picture book has a strong message about empathy and maintaining loving relationships with our grandparents. Guaranteed to bring a bit of joy into every reader’s life, this story is a pure delight.

Vengeance Blind


Anna Willett - 2018
     Recovering from a road accident that has left her half-blind and in a wheelchair, Belle Hammer is alone in her secluded house set in a sprawling ten-acre plot, deep in the forests beyond Perth, Australia. Her husband having left on a work trip, and living miles away from urban centres, Belle has only a few neighbours. And one of them, the creepy retired lecturer Arthur Howell, she doesn’t trust one bit . Was it Howell who was seen in the grounds of her house? Did he make the noise she hears in the inaccessible first floor of her home? Unable to travel, Belle is cut off from the world. Her only hope is the home care assistant her husband arranged for her. But all is not as it seems. Left to the mercy of a woman she increasingly fears, Belle’s world starts to close in on her. It will take all of her wits and courage to understand why she is being victimised and survive the ensuing ordeal. If she does. Vengeance Blind is the latest thriller by Australian author Anna Willet. Her other books, in order of publication, are: 1. BACKWOODS RIPPER 2. RETRIBUTION RIDGE 3. UNWELCOME GUESTS 4. FORGOTTEN CRIMES 5. CRUELTY’S DAUGHTER 6. SMALL TOWN NIGHTMARE

Southernmost Murder


C.S. Poe - 2018
    With his soon-to-be-boyfriend, hotshot FBI agent Jun Tanaka, visiting for a little R&R, not even Aubrey’s narcolepsy can put a damper on their vacation plans. But a skeleton in a closet of the Smith Family Historical Home sure does throw a wrench into the works. Its identity drags Aubrey and Jun into a mystery with origins over a century in the past. They uncover a tale of long-lost treasure, the pirate king it belonged to, and a modern-day murderer who will stop at nothing to find the hidden riches. And if a killer on the loose isn’t enough to keep Aubrey out of the mess, it seems even the restless spirit of Captain Smith is warning him away. The unlikely partnership of a historian and special agent may be exactly what it takes to crack this mystery wide-open and finally put an old Key West tragedy to rest. But while Aubrey tracks down the X that marks the spot, one wrong move could be his last.

The Ostrich and Other Lost Things


Beth Hautala - 2018
    She can find lost rings, pets, and even her elderly neighbor's misplaced glasses. There's only one thing Olivia has never been able to find--her brother Jacob's toy ostrich. It wasn't until the day Jacob lost his ostrich that Olivia noticed how different he was: Jacob is autistic, and though she's his little sister, Olivia often feels like the older of the pair, his caretaker. And with her parents so heavily focused on maintaining status quo for Jacob, it's Olivia who has stagnated in his shadow--unable to explore new opportunities, or to be her own person. In fact, apart from being Jacob's sister, Olivia's not really sure who she is.So when summer break begins, and the local community theater announces auditions for an all children's production of her favorite show, Peter Pan, Olivia jumps at the chance to claim something for herself. But what begins as a promising opportunity and a wonderful escape quickly becomes pure chaos. The visiting zoo with an odd assortment of animals--including an ostrich that causes even more trouble than Jacob's missing toy--only make matters worse, as Olivia's summer is shaping up to be just as consumed by Jacob's needs as the rest of her life has been. In time, and with the help of some unlikely alliances, Olivia must learn what it means to be separate from her brother and still love him, how to love herself in spite of her own flaws, and that not all lost things are meant to be found.

Kept in the Dark


H.L. Day - 2018
    So, his first instinct on being offered a job with a strange set of conditions is to turn it down. No date. Don’t switch the lights on. Don’t touch him. I mean, what’s that all about? What’s the man trying to hide? Dean certainly doesn’t expect sex with a faceless stranger to spark so much passion inside him. It’s just business though, right? He can put a stop to it whenever he wants. When Dean meets Justin—a scarred, ex-army soldier unlucky in love. Dean’s given a chance at a proper relationship. He can see past the scars to the man underneath. He’s everything Dean could possibly wish for in a boyfriend: kind, caring and sweet. All Dean needs to do is be honest. Easy, right? But, Justin’s holding back and Dean can’t work out why. But whatever it is, it’s enough to give him second thoughts. They both have secrets which could shatter their fledgling relationship. After all, secrets have a nasty habit of coming out eventually. The question is when they do, will they be able to piece their relationship back together? Or will they be left with nothing but memories of bad decisions and the promise of the love they could have had, if only they’d both been honest and fought harder.

Mute


M.L. Nystrom - 2018
    She’s determined not to let anything or anyone distract her, especially not hot brooding bikers. On her mission to stay focused, she doesn’t expect to be pulled into the fold of a motorcycle club, let alone into the arms of Alec "Mute" Stillwater. Unable to keep her guard up, Katrina soon discovers that beneath the hard and rough exterior of a family she’s grown to care for, there’s also loyalty and passion she’s envious of. But falling for the club’s enforcer will not only threaten her plans but quite possibly her life.

Stanley Will Probably Be Fine


Sally J. Pla - 2018
    And after he faints during a safety assembly, Stanley takes his love of comics up a level by inventing his own imaginary superhero, named John Lockdown, to help him through.Help is what he needs, because Stanley’s entered Trivia Quest—a giant comics-trivia treasure hunt—to prove he can tackle his worries, score VIP passes to Comic Fest, and win back his ex-best friend. Partnered with his fearless new neighbor Liberty, Stanley faces his most epic, overwhelming, challenging day ever.What would John Lockdown do?Stanley’s about to find out.

Nathan's Autism Spectrum Superpowers (One Three Nine Inspired Book 1)


Lori Leigh Yarborough - 2018
     This book is a tool to help children and their friends, families and caregivers understand kids with superpowers. All children need to know they're wanted, loved and special. All children need to know they have superpowers. And all children especially need to know they're wonderfully made. The author, Lori Leigh Yarborough, is a physical therapist and graduate from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She makes her home in Texas with her husband and their four children. Her second son, Nathan, was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum with Aspergers when he was little. She came up with a creative way to explain to Nathan why he didn't respond to things like other kids did. After she told Nathan about his "Supersonic Hearing" he was so excited to finally understand in a way that made sense why things were so loud and overwhelming to him. He wanted to know ALL his superpowers. So she wrote this book for him. Each superpower has a "helpful hints for friends" section that was originally written for Nathan's siblings and friends to know how help him out when his superpowers took over. This is the first book in the ONE THREE NINE INSPIRED series. Each book is written about a specific child in corroboration with his or her parents. The information given is about that particular child's superpowers, but will be relatable to other children with the same diagnosis and abilities.

Designs for the Pluriverse: Radical Interdependence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds


Arturo Escobar - 2018
    Noting that most design—from consumer goods and digital technologies to built environments—currently serves capitalist ends, Escobar argues for the development of an “autonomous design” that eschews commercial and modernizing aims in favor of more collaborative and placed-based approaches. Such design attends to questions of environment, experience, and politics while focusing on the production of human experience based on the radical interdependence of all beings. Mapping autonomous design’s principles to the history of decolonial efforts of indigenous and Afro-descended people in Latin America, Escobar shows how refiguring current design practices could lead to the creation of more just and sustainable social orders.

Of Scars and Duty


Natalie Debrabandere - 2018
    Williams should not be alive. She does not want to be. Tell that to those callous military doctors though. Now Williams has AI inside her brain, and PTSD is making her life hell. Filled with rage, and consumed by guilt, the bottle is her only escape. But a broken marine unable to return to active duty is not something her commanding officer will tolerate for long. A reluctant Williams is sent to Mars for compulsory R&R, and thrown into the hands of a sadistic therapist. She is surprised to discover that when she hits rock bottom, love is waiting for her there. Still, life on the front-line as a leading officer of the Interstellar Commando Unit is anything but safe. And Williams will soon be facing her toughest and most dangerous challenge, which could very well land her right back where she started. Dead.

A Certain Loneliness: A Memoir


Sandra Gail Lambert - 2018
    A Certain Loneliness is a meditative and engaging memoir-in-essays that explores the intersection of disability, queerness, and female desire with frankness and humor. Lambert presents the adventures of flourishing within a world of uncertain tomorrows: kayaking alone through swamps with alligators; negotiating planes, trains, and ski lifts; scoring free drugs from dangerous men; getting trapped in a too-deep snow drift without crutches. A Certain Loneliness is literature of the body, palpable and present, in which Lambert’s lifelong struggle with isolation and independence—complete with tiresome frustrations, slapstick moments, and grand triumphs—are wound up in the long history of humanity’s relationship to the natural world.  Purchase the audio edition.

Rocky Mountain Refuge


Nicky James - 2018
    Trust is a fickle thing. For Huxley, everything and everyone is a threat, including the nosy biologist who has threatened his peace and quiet.While closing up the final year of his grizzly bear research project, Aspen encounters a man who is as wild as the beasts he studies. An underlying sense of familiarity draws him in, and an insatiable attraction binds them together.Can Aspen tame the mountain man and discover what makes him tick?More importantly, can he unravel the mystery of Huxley’s distrust and convince him to go home?

The Smell of Rain


Cameron MacElvee - 2018
    Once back home in DC, her fiancée leaves, her military career ends, and her faith in humanity evaporates. With prescription drugs and alcohol her only relief from the pain, Chrys is on her way to becoming a statistic. That is until the State Department calls and offers her an important assignment—to serve as a diplomatic liaison and interpreter for a Turkish national living in exile. Reyha Arslan, a wise and elegant woman with a tragic past, shows Chrys that there’s still beauty to embrace and reason to hope despite the world’s cruelty. With Reyha’s help, Chrys’s broken spirit starts to heal and she learns that the most significant love is often the shortest lived.

Little Haunting By The Sea


Kate Johnson - 2018
    She's a mess. That one's a ghost. Everyone is haunted by past mistakes, although not as literally as Jen. But who is the little Victorian ghost who follows her everywhere, and why didn't she save Jen from the worst thing that ever happened to her? Quinn always thought being the identical twin of a famous heartthrob was bad, but after the bomb that took his brother and left him an amputee, he's revised his opinion. Now he'd settle for the truth about why his brother died, and Jen seems to be the person who knows. In the small, strange town of Wirpness-on-Sea, the spirits are stirring, and old secrets are coming to light... Perfect for fans of Cormoran Strike, Being Human, and weird English seaside resorts

A Million Miles From Home


Mike Dellosso - 2018
     Ben and Annie Flurry have the perfect family, until an accident takes Annie's life and leaves their daughter severely injured. Now Ben struggles to come to terms with his own grief and guilt. As the past he tried to leave behind threatens all he holds dear, Ben makes the difficult decision to move back to his childhood home to seek the help of his mother — and the father he remembers as abusive and an alcoholic. His mother claims his father is a changed man, but Ben isn't so sure. Can he find the strength to be the dad and man his father never was? Or will the wounds of the past ruin Ben's chance to love again?

I Live a Life Like Yours: A Memoir


Jan Grue - 2018
    I am not talking about becoming human, but about how I came to realize that I had always already been human. I am writing about all that I wanted to have, and how I got it. I am writing about what it cost, and how I was able to afford it. Jan Grue was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at the age of three. Shifting between specific periods of his life--his youth with his parents and sister in Norway; his years of study in Berkeley, St. Petersburg, and Amsterdam; and his current life as a professor, husband, and father--he intersperses these histories with elegant, astonishingly wise reflections on the world, social structures, disability, loss, relationships, and the body: in short, on what it means to be human. Along the way, Grue moves effortlessly between his own story and those of others, incorporating reflections on philosophy, film, art, and the work of writers from Joan Didion to Michael Foucault. He revives the cold, clinical language of his childhood, drawing from a stack of medical records that first forced the boy who thought of himself as "just Jan" to perceive that his body, and therefore his self, was defined by its defects.I Live a Life Like Yours is a love story. It is rich with loss, sorrow, and joy, and with the details of one life: a girlfriend pushing Grue through the airport and forgetting him next to the baggage claim; schoolmates forming a chain behind his wheelchair on the ice one winter day; his parents writing desperate letters in search of proper treatment for their son; his own young son climbing into his lap as he sits in his wheelchair, only to leap down and run away too quickly to catch. It is a story about accepting one's own body and limitations, and learning to love life as it is while remaining open to hope and discovery.

The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree


Paola Peretti - 2018
    Can Mafalda find a way through a seemingly dark future and still go to school, play soccer and look after her beloved cat? With the help of her family, and her friends, Mafalda needs to discover the things that will be important to her when her sight has failed.

Highlander's Magical Love


Donna Fletcher - 2018
    Few, if any find it, and fate enjoys testing it." ~ Old Mary, seer. Neither Cree nor Dawn understood the depth of her premonition for them. It’s All Hallows Eve and Fate has something special planned for Cree and Dawn, a twist that will test their love…or possibly destroy it for eternity. 2018 Scotland 800 years have passed, but it’s All Hallows Eve again and the Carrick Foundation, founded by Lord Cree’s family, is hosting their annual charity fundraiser. Dawn is a struggling artist who is in attendance as part of the serving staff. Neither realize they have a past together—nor do they realize the importance of falling in love once again. But Old Mary, the ancient soothsayer who has passed through the ripple in time along with Cree and Dawn, warns them that they must remember and admit the love they shared before morning or be lost to each other forever. But Fate isn’t going to let it be that easy… When the sun rises November 1st, will Dawn and Cree be together? Or will their love story end in a cruel twist of fate? *While this novella can be read as a stand-alone book, it’s best to read Books 1 & 2, Highlander Unchained & Forbidden Highlander (available together in one book).

Resistance and Hope: Essays by Disabled People


Alice Wong - 2018
    This is crip wisdom for the people. Edited by Alice Wong, founder of the Disability Visibility Project, Resistance and Hope will transform the way you think about activism, leadership and social justice. How do we fight back in an era of uncertainty, institutionalized cruelty, and widespread tolerance for ableism and hate? Written in 2017, the authors explore resistance, hope, self care, disability rights and justice, and the politics of Trump in a series of provocative, challenging essays. They bring the power of intersectional cross-platform organizing and the strength found through mutual accountability to words that will help you define the resistance you want to fight for, not just the harm you want to react against. Dare to dream bigger and create space for all with this visionary essay anthology from multiply marginalized disabled people redefining an inclusive climate of resistance. The time is NOW! "Get this book right now! Resistance and Hope is the disability justice Bible you've been waiting for. If you want to read a book chock full of disabled Black, brown, queer, trans genius, real talk and vision, this book will give you comrades reassurances that we are brilliant revolutionaries and a plethora of tools and visions for how we make the road by limping, crutching, rolling, signing and stimming. I am so grateful for Alice Wong for doing the cultural work of putting this together and for every single writer in this book." — Leah Piepzna-Samarasinha, performer, community organizer, and author of Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice (Arsenal Pulp Press, October 1, 2018) “Until our movements are fully intersectional, we will not make the progress necessary to build the equitable society we all deserve. Resistance and Hope is a necessary manual for all of us as we learn how to build movements that are as inclusive as the world we hope to see.” — Brittany Packnett, activist, educator, writer, Co-Founder of Campaign Zero and Co-Host of Pod Save the People “Resistance and Hope: Essays by Disabled People is a timely and must-read collection of essays by some of the most cutting edge leaders in the Disability Rights Movement. If you are interested in learning more about disability rights and justice, activism, and current times we are living in today take the time to read and may these pieces evoke discussions in your communities as we fight for justice and equity.” — Judy Heumann, Disability Activist “It is so necessary for people who have been historically marginalized to tell their own stories. I am proud to know Alice Wong, who is someone dedicated to telling these stories with authenticity and integrity.” — Blair Imani, Author of Modern HERstory and Founder of Equality for HER ANTHOLOGY CONTRIBUTORS Lydia X. Z. Brown Anita Cameron Cyree Jarelle Johnson DJ Kuttin Kandi Mari Kurisato Talila A. Lewis Noemi Martinez Stacey Milbern Mia Mingus Lev Mirov Leroy Moore Shain M. Neumeier Naomi Ortiz Victoria Rodríguez-Roldán Vilissa K. Thompson Aleksei Valentín Maysoon Zayid Editorial Assistant: Robin M.

Skins: The Box Set Vol 1-4


Garrett Leigh - 2018
    It’s a place for every fantasy—where a night of insane NSA fun with former ballet dancer Angelo brings relief to Dylan’s fragile feelings.
 Friends to lovers, hurt comfort, angst. Whisper Lonely physiotherapist Harry Foster has the world at his feet. A full client list, a six figure Instagram following, and a publishing deal for a book he doesn’t have time to write until his agent offers him a break—a retreat to the wild south west coast. Cornish horseman Joe Carter is lonely too. On paper, they have nothing in common, but Joe is beautiful…glorious, and when an accident puts his life in Harry’s healing hands, the whisper of true love is inevitable. If the trouble that put the farm on its knees in the first place doesn’t get in the way. Friends to lovers, hurt comfort, horses, forced proximity. Believe Flight paramedic Rhys Foster is hooked on adrenaline. By day it’s blood and guts, by night it’s the thrill of the club. Entertainer Jevon Campbell is a play therapist like no other—dancer, magician, acrobat. Their connection is instant. As the days slip by, Rhys must learn to believe he’s worth the happiness Jevon is offering. Friends to lovers, first times, men in uniform. Crossroads Angelo Giordano and Dylan Hart are more in love than ever. As the end of a tough year approaches, they reach a crossroads. Dylan returns to Cornwall for Christmas and Angelo can’t imagine watching him leave again. Can the love that surrounds them on Whisper Farm show them the way home? Christmas novella, favourite characters, found family.

A Quiet Genocide: The Untold Holocaust of Disabled Children in WW2 Germany (WW2 Historical Fiction)


Glenn Bryant - 2018
    Jozef grows up in a happy household - so it seems. But his father Gerhard still harbours disturbing National Socialism ideals, while mother Catharina is quietly broken. She cannot feign happiness for much longer and rediscovers love elsewhere. Jozef is uncertain and alone. Who is he? Are Gerhard and Catharina his real parents? ˃˃˃ A dark mystery gradually unfolds, revealing an inescapable truth the entire nation is afraid to confront. But Jozef is determined to find out about the past and a horror is finally unmasked which continues to question our idea of what, in the last hour, makes each of us human. Scroll up and grab a pre-order copy at only 99 cents today.

Unexpected Blessings: The Joys and Possibilities of Life in a Special-Needs Family


Sandra Peoples - 2018
    Speaking honestly about struggles that accompany a variety of disabilities, Sandra Peoples shows readers how to· let go of false beliefs that hold them back· work through the cycles of grief · focus on self-care and healthy routines· understand disability based on what the Bible says· rebuild a strong faith foundation· create support systems for themselves and others Filled with real-life stories and hard-earned wisdom, this book shines a light on the possibilities and blessings that come when parents see their new purpose in life--which was God's purpose for them all along.

Wounded Soldiers Trilogy


Milly Taiden - 2018
    Ever. One bad marriage and way too many useless relationships have convinced her to allow her best friend to set her up. Tired of dating frogs, she decides she wants dinner with a nice guy as a birthday present to herself. Who knows? He might not be so bad. After losing part of his leg in Afghanistan, Ryan Mitchell lost interest in dating and even worse, the urge to get aroused. He finally gives into his badgering family and decides to go back into the dating world. What better way to do it than to allow his brother and friend to set him up? According to them, he needs the extra help. A Hero Scarred Jessie Tavarez doesn’t want to be set up. As far as she’s concerned she doesn’t even want to talk about men. She’s just gotten rid of one jerk and isn’t looking for another. But her good friend Kayla is hell-bent on matchmaking. What she thought was a quiet vacation turned into an unexpected first date with a soldier scarred by war. And the first man to make her realise not all men are the same. Matt Payne knew his friends meant well when they tried to matchmake. However, he’d been hiding his physical scars from the sympathy of women and his family. A sneaky set-up finds him having dinner with the first woman he physically and emotionally connected with since his injuries. A Hero For Sale Captain Nick Gates isn’t looking for love. He’s also not interested in being sold in a bachelor auction. Unfortunately, for him, it’s happening. The auction, that is. Love, that’s another story. He was severely burned when his fiancée dumped him right after he was hurt during the war. Love? He doesn’t do that. No matter how cute he thinks Addy is, his heart is off limits. Nick and Addy can’t fight their attraction. They also can’t fight the fact she’s related to someone he despises. Maybe, if they focus on falling in love, things will work themselves out? Soon, they’re going to find out that in love and war, anything goes.

Quiet & Kilted


Shayne McClendon - 2018
    Naturally shy and bookish all her life, the loss of her hearing as a teenager has made her far more withdrawn as a woman. Catching the eye of the kilt-wearing construction worker doing renovations in her library throws her into unfamiliar territory. Nathaniel Lang takes one look at the pretty librarian and sees far more than she would ever expect. She believes her deafness limits her chance for happiness and he plans to show her how wrong she is. When Zoe finally agrees to have coffee with him, Nate knows it’s the start of something wonderful for him and his daughter Amanda. Their future is tested when someone emerges from Nate's past but love isn’t going to let either one of them get away so easily. The gentle first book in the four-book "Quiet" series. Another hot, emotional read by Always the Good Girl, Shayne McClendon. The Quiet Series... Quiet & Kilted Crazy Quiet Extra Quiet Never Quiet This is your segue into the "Hollow Universe" and you're going to devour these books.

Farewell: Vital End-of-Life Questions with Candid Answers from a Leading Palliative and Hospice Physician


Edward T. Creagan - 2018
    This book is about navigating those last days, at the bedside, and saying farewell with hope, love, and compassion.Dr. Edward Creagan provides the reassuring answers patients and families deserve. He has dedicated his life to death. For over forty winters at the Mayo Clinic he has been at the bedside with more than 40,000 patient encounters in the last stages of their lives on this earth. Held the hands of family members. Prayed with them. Listened. This book addresses•Making end-of-life decisions when Mom or Dad or a loved one can’t or won’t. •Understanding what’s happening in the mind of someone facing their last days, hours, minutes, and moments.•How to come to grips with our own mortality, maybe putting plans in place, living life differently after having held the hand of a loved one who is actively dying. •Ways to give hope where none seemed possible.•Death from a medical perspective, and much more.

Owl's Slumber


Nicky James - 2018
    Who’d want to date a mortician? Who’d want to date a guy with a phobia so crippling he couldn’t enter his bedroom at night? His problems are impossible to hide. One night stands are all he can afford. If anyone learned of his ridiculous issues, they’d never understand. Until Aven lands on his doorstep, boldly asking for a date, clearly seeking more.But if Finnley can’t open up about his past and his struggles, will Aven decide he’s too much and walk away? Or will he provide the strength and support Finnley’s been looking for to finally admit he needs help? Owl's Slumber is a hurt/comfort MM romance with moderate angst. It is the first in the Trials of Fear series but can be read as a standalone. **This book has been re-covered, but all content is the same**

You Can't Own the Fucking Stars: Collected Writings on Trauma, Addiction, Recovery, and Transformation


Clementine Morrigan - 2018
    In their customary engaging and accessible style, Clementine Morrigan offers a series of reflexive vignettes, poems and meditations, written over a period of five years, on their experiences recovering from trauma and addiction. You Can’t Own the Fucking Stars marks the first time that all of these pieces, most originally published in now out of print zines, appear together. This is a book about sex, desire, queerness, bisexuality, pleasure, gender, addiction, sobriety, transformation, and healing from a lifetime of violence. Affirming both the hard work and the joy of recovery, You Can’t Own the Fucking Stars celebrates the magic and power of trauma survivors.

Santa's Girl Box Set


Annabelle Costa - 2018
    She’s dressed in The Ugliest Elf Costume on the Planet. How could they not fall in love? This 4 book box series includes: Book #1: Santa CrushCallie Quinn has a crush on Santa. But Santa’s got a secret. And he’ll hop a sleigh or hitchhike back to the North Pole before he’ll let Callie know what it is. Book #2: Valentine’s Date DisasterWill tonight go down in history as the worst date of Callie’s life? Or will a Valentine’s Day Miracle save the night? Book #3: 25 Candles It’s the first birthday Callie’s ever had where she’s been in a serious relationship. Her boyfriend Dean is everything she’s ever wanted in another human being. And all she wants for her birthday is him. But ever since the accident that landed him in a wheelchair, things aren’t that simple… Book #4: Santa's Girl (only available as part of box set!)Dean wants to plan a perfect future with Callie, but before he can, he has to land the perfect job. But his interview will change his life. Four fun holiday stories wrapped into one box set!

Unbroken: Learning to Live Beyond Diagnosis


Alexis Quinn - 2018
    Overwhelmed by her response to grief, she comes to realise she is not like others in her reaction. Alexis is powerless to stop her capture by the mental health system. Tortured by a system meant to heal, her story details what it’s like for an autistic woman living in a society unwilling to accommodate difference. Armed only with her late diagnosis and a remarkable memory, she survives three and a half years of physical abuse, forced drugging and seclusion. Facing a life behind locked doors, Alexis manages a daring escape to Africa. She begins to rebuild her life, and speak out for those still being victimised.

A Springful of Winters


Dawn Sister - 2018
    In fact, the rules of social encounters are mostly a bit of a mystery to him, but he gets by, with lots of lists and contingency plans. He doesn't have any plans in place for when he first meets Stephan, however, and he keeps bumping into the man in the most embarrassing situations. The trouble is, Stephan keeps turning up in unexpected places, arousing suspicion that this gorgeous man might just have some contingency plans of his own where Kit is concernedPart of Seasons of Love Anthology.

Less Ordinary


Kris Ripper - 2018
    In the next, everything goes dark. When Beccs loses a pregnancy, everything freezes. The past is irrelevant. The future has vanished. All she can do is go numb, even if it means she can’t make any decisions about where to go from here, even if she can barely look at her best friend. Adam has no idea what to do. Is he supposed to pretend he isn’t wrecked by the miscarriage? Because he is. Is he supposed to pretend Beccs’ silence isn’t destroying him? Because it definitely is. Eleven years of friendship, intimacy, shared lives, but tragedy threatens to break both of their hearts. How can they find their way back to the life they thought they’d lead? And does it still exist?

Austerity's Victims: Adults with a Learning Disability


Neil Carpenter - 2018
     Austerity’s Victims exposes the reality, describing in detail the lives of five men living in Cornwall. Their income, below the relative poverty threshold, is compared with national/county medians and the Minimum Income Standard of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Their quality of life, as support and benefits are cut away, is also examined and shown to fall a long way short of the wellbeing defined in the 2014 Care Act. Austerity’s Victims provides invaluable evidence for the fight against this injustice.

Caught in the Devil's Snare


Dani Matthews - 2018
    Living on the streets hasn’t been easy, but my other senses have kept me safe. That safety is soon shattered when I’m snatched off the streets and find the Devil pointing his gun at my head. He spares my life, but that’s not where it ends. He wants something from me, but I have no intention of giving it to him. Devlin She’d have been dead by my hand if it weren’t for those blazingly defiant green eyes. She looked like any normal street-ravaged waif until I learned she’s deaf. Call me intrigued. Not because she can’t hear, but because she’s the most stubborn female I have ever met. No one has ever denied me what I want…until Charli came along. I think I want to keep her. Recommended for ages 18+. *** This is a standalone novel with a guaranteed HEA and no cheating or cliffhanger! ***

Invisible: How Young Women with Serious Health Issues Navigate Work, Relationships, and the Pressure to Seem Just Fine


Michele Lent Hirsch - 2018
    She did.Sophie navigates being the only black scientist in her lab while studying the very disease, HIV, that she hides from her coworkers.For Victoria, coming out as a transgender woman was less difficult than coming out as bipolar.Author Michele Lent Hirsch knew she couldn't be the only woman who's faced serious health issues at a young age, as well as the resulting effects on her career, her relationships, and her sense of self. What she found while researching Invisible was a surprisingly large and overlooked population with important stories to tell.Though young women with serious illness tend to be seen as outliers, young female patients are in fact the primary demographic for many illnesses. They are also one of the most ignored groups in our medical system--a system where young women, especially women of color and trans women, are invisible.And because of expectations about gender and age, young women with health issues must often deal with bias in their careers and personal lives. Not only do they feel pressured to seem perfect and youthful, they also find themselves amid labyrinthine obstacles in a culture that has one narrow idea of womanhood.Lent Hirsch weaves her own harrowing experiences together with stories from other women, perspectives from sociologists on structural inequality, and insights from neuroscientists on misogyny in health research. She shows how health issues and disabilities amplify what women in general already confront: warped beauty standards, workplace sexism, worries about romantic partners, and mistrust of their own bodies. By shining a light on this hidden demographic, Lent Hirsch explores the challenges that all women face.

Order from Chaos: The Everyday Grind of Staying Organized with Adult ADHD


Jaclyn Paul - 2018
    A home full of clutter and unfinished projects. Eroding respect with your friends, family, and colleagues. Health worries from doctor’s appointments you keep meaning to schedule. Nonstop anxiety as you wait for the other shoe to drop.You deserve better.Order from Chaos will teach you how your brain works and how to stop getting in your own way. Mixing stories from the trenches of her own experience as a mom and wife with ADHD with wise, well-researched advice from her years as a blogger at The ADHD Homestead, Jaclyn Paul shows you how to design your own system for restoring order.Past failures don’t have to define you. Order from Chaos offers a helping hand to get you on the path to a more peaceful and rewarding life.

Nine of Swords, Reversed


Xan West - 2018
    Dev and Noam have built a good life together in Noam’s family home in Oakland, where they both can practice their magecraft, celebrate the high holidays in comfort, support each other as their disabilities flare, and where Noam can spend Shabbos with their beloved family ghost. But Dev’s got a problem: xe has been in so much arthritis pain recently that xe has not been able to shield properly. As an empath, no shielding means Dev cannot safely touch Noam. That has put a strain on their relationship, and it feels like Noam is pulling away from xym. To top it off, Dev has just had an upsetting dream-vision about xyrself and Noam that caused one of the biggest meltdowns xe has had in a while. It’s only with a timely tarot reading and the help of another genderfluid mage that Dev is able to unpack the situation. Can xe figure out how to address the issues in xyr relationship with Noam before everything falls apart?

Sustaining Spirit: Self-Care for Social Justice


Naomi Ortiz - 2018
    Wind blowing so hard we can't catch our breath.Do not get blown away in this raging storm. We need you. You have so many gifts to give.�Y d�nde est� tu ombligo? Where are you rooted?How does one grow roots in the midst of this storm, you ask?Growing our roots is a leap of faith. We must trust ourselves that where our roots wander and how deep they grow is just right.In knowing where our roots grow, in tending to how and where they spread, we make a commitment to ourselves that we can survive here.Self-care is a practice of returning. Of remembering. Of noticing.Be gentle. When living in a way where many truths exist at once, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the possibilities and the complexity. Accept all of who you are because this is the place where you begin, the essential truth of your nature.You are precious, and it's up to you to carry this preciousness centered in your heart.I carry mine tenderly, wrapped up in an old piece of cloth my grandmother embroidered with the sun and stars.Sometimes, remembering I'm precious takes all the courage I have.Sometimes, it'll take all the courage you have too.""activists from every movement can gain strength from Sustaining Spirit" - Alice Wong, Founder, Disability Visibility Project(TM)Wow. Powerful words. Uplifting. Providing a light during challenging times.Sustaining Spirit includes wisdom from over 30 leaders representing different communities including:adrienne maree brown (author of Emergent Strategy)Erin Blanding (WE Movement)Cristy Chung (Move to End Violence)Debra Erenberg (Amnesty International)Adam Maltby (social worker)Adi Afek (reproductive justice activist)Emma Fialka-Feldman (inclusion educator)Hillary Jorgensen (Colorado Progressive Coalition)Janice Felka, (author, What Matters: Reflections on Disability, Community and Love)Jennifer Thomas (Institute for Educational Leadership)Kellie Haigh (MSW, disability activist)Kim Borowicz (Independent Living Research Utilization)Lisa Hoffman (international human rights activist)Melinda Haus (Justice Moves),Micah Fialka-Feldman (Through the Same Door)Rachel Scoggins (artist, educator)Rahnee Patrick (ADAPT and Access Living, Chicago)Rich Feldman (James and Grace Lee Boggs Center)Sarah Triano (disability rights activist)"A guide book for activists and leaders in social justice movements." - Erin Blanding, WE.org

Mascot


Antony John - 2018
    He hates the way people treat him like he’s helpless now. He’s sick of going to physical therapy, where he isn’t making any progress. He’s tired of not having control over his own body. And he misses playing baseball—but not as much as he misses his dad, who died in the car accident that paralyzed Noah.Noah is scared he’ll never feel like his old self again. He doesn’t want people to think of him as different for the rest of his life. With the help of family and friends, he’ll have to throw off the mask he’s been hiding behind and face the fears that have kept him on the sidelines if he ever wants to move forward.

A Warden's Purpose


Jeffrey L. Kohanek - 2018
    An academy military excellence. Deadly secrets await...secrets leading to murder. Everson is brilliant and yet, he feels broken. Cursed with a disability, he dreams of nothing more than being useful. Quinn is bold, defiant, and will do anything to protect her brother. When Everson is sent to an academy of magic and engineering, Quinn joins a military school to remain near him. Hidden danger lurks within the fabled institutions. Quinn becomes embroiled in a struggle she doesn't understand, one with dire consequences as her training shifts from difficult to deadly. Her relentless determination might help her survive. If she only knew whom she could trust. Within the other school, Everson studies a dangerous magic known as Chaos. Unable to wield this magic, he melds it with science, dreaming up inventions to reshape the future. His greatest discovery will change the world...or it could destroy everything.

The Push


Patrick Gray - 2018
    But when John was born, his arms and legs didn't work, so John spends his life in his wheelchair. John and his best friend, Marcus, go on lots of adventures together, with Marcus pushing the wheelchair and John providing the entertainment. They learn that they are both stronger together than they are on their own.

Bless Thine Inheritance


Sophia Holloway - 2018
    A near fatal riding accident has left her with a pronounced limp which means she cannot even make a good curtsey, let alone dance. There can be no expectation of marriage, but her Mama makes one last effort, not least to avoid her cousin inheriting a considerable sum from their grandfather’s will. She draws up a list of guests for a country house sojourn, picking only young ladies she feels will not be rivals, and some potential suitors. Among the well-bred gentlemen is Lord Levedale, sent by his reprobate father to restore the family fortunes by wooing an heiress, a beauty tarnished by her family background in trade. When he meets Celia he sees her, not the limp, but even as his heart draws him to her, he is held back by his duty to his family name. Sophia Holloway’s graceful Bless Thine Inheritance is about who people are, not how they look. The book’s sharp and witty social observation and elegant verbal duelling weave together two love stories, a guest from Hell, a meddling mama and a grandmama who would give Downton Abbey’s Dowager Lady Grantham a run for her money. Praise for Sophia Holloway... "The Devil You Know is an immensely satisfying read. Everyone loves a Georgian rake and Sophia’s hero doesn’t disappoint. Lord Ledbury’s as naughty as they come – enough George Wickham to set the pulse racing, with a civilising measure of Mr Darcy’s nobility to ensure you fall in love for all the right reasons" - Annie Holder, author of Against All Odds Sophia Holloway describes herself as a ‘wordsmith’ who is only really happy when writing. She read Modern History at Oxford and her factual book on the Royal Marines in the First World War, From Trench and Turret, was published in 2006. Among her published fiction is The Devil You Know, another Classic Regency. She also writes mediaeval murder mysteries under another pen name.

Firsts: Coming of Age Stories by People with Disabilities


Belo Miguel Cipriani - 2018
    From body transformations to societal setbacks, to love affairs and family trauma, Firsts collects the most thought-provoking and exciting stories of our time by people with disabilities. Contributors include Nigel David Kelly, Kimberly Gerry-Tucker, Caitlin Hernandez, Andrew Gurza, and David-Elijah Nahmod.Firsts is a 2019 Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Winner in the Non-Fiction - Anthology genre.

Metabolize, if Able


Clay Ad - 2018
    Clay AD's hybrid-novel follows the lives of clones and their spawn through medical charts, IMs, self-help meditations, screenplays, and, of course, epistles. For the clones, a corporation controls life and death, sickness and wealth. Corp doctors, or DRs, bring the clones to life and assign them work. But DRs restrict clone reproduction. They pathologize and withhold care. They keep the clones sick. What happens when the clones and their anti-Corp cell turn illness into a weapon? AD’s sci-fi world posits the hope found in collective intimacy & the struggle against state control.

The Thud


Mikaël Ross - 2018
    The author spent two years living 3 or 4 days a week there, researching and getting to know its townsfolk, and the result is an empathetic depiction. This graphic novel is told entirely from a developmentally impaired boy's perspective. Noel had always lived with his mother in Berlin, until one day tragedy strikes and he finds himself alone for the first time. A man with a beard tells him he can’t stay in the apartment anymore and takes him to a place with so many strangers — Who can he trust? Who does he like? Who loves him?

Unspoken Legacy: Addressing the Impact of Trauma and Addiction within the Family


Claudia Black - 2018
    Claudia Black presents a portrait of a broken family system, exploring how addiction and trauma develop in families, their damaging repetition, and offers a roadmap for healing.Since the 1970s, Black's work has encompassed the impact of addiction on young and adult children. Her writings and teachings have become a standard in the field of addiction treatment.Comprehensively addresses the many components of traumatism, as well as addiction-related trauma.Vignettes highlighting the various causes of trauma presented in the book help readers understand the physiology and psychology of trauma and its negative effects.Includes healing, proactive steps readers can apply to better understand their current circumstances and build healthier relationships both in and outside of the family.Claudia Black, PhD, is internationally recognized for her pioneering and cutting-edge work with family systems and addictive disorders. Her work with children affected by drug and alcohol addiction in the late 1970s fueled the advancement of the codependency and developmental trauma fields. Dr. Black's passion to help young adults overcome obstacles and strengthen families built the foundation of the Claudia Black Young Adult Center at The Meadows. Not only is Dr. Black the clinical architect of this innovative treatment program, she is also actively involved with the treatment team, patients, and their families.

Oppression and the Body: Roots, Resistance, and Resolutions


Christine Caldwell - 2018
    In a culture where bodies of people who are brown, black, female, transgender, disabled, fat, or queer are often shamed, sexualized, ignored, and oppressed, what does it mean to live in a marginalized body? Through theory, personal narrative, and artistic expression, this anthology explores how power, privilege, oppression, and attempted disembodiment play out on the bodies of disparaged individuals and what happens when the body’s expression is stereotyped and stunted. Bringing together a range of voices, this book offers strategies and practices for embodiment and activism and considers what it means to be an embodied ally to anyone experiencing bodily oppression.

Night-Blooming Jasmin(n)e: Personal Essays and Poetry


Jasminne Mendez - 2018
    Jasminne Mndez, a Dominican American educator, performance artist and writer, reveals her experiences with chronic illness and infertility in these moving essays and poems.

A Miracle at Bates Memorial (The Adventures of Li-Li Book 1)


Gin Noon-Spaulding - 2018
    Inspired by her daughter, Maleah "Li-Li," Author Gin Noon Spaulding provides insight on sensory issues by sharing personal accounts of her daughter's childhood journey with Hyperlexia III, a speech delay, and sensory issues. Little Li-Li is full of life and experiences it differently from others. However, once her family becomes knowledgeable of sensory issues, life becomes even richer for Li-Li, as through understanding comes love and respect.

Passage


Indie Gantz - 2018
    They may be aliens living on Earth after the extinction of humans, but to Charlie, life is pretty mundane. On Day Two, the Damuzi family is ripped apart by a secret that forces the twins to flee the only home they've ever known. Determined to reunite their family, Charlie and Tirigan travel to uncharted territory in search of their salvation. But that's just Charlie's side of the story. In the future, forty days from when we first meet the Damuzi twins, Tirigan is on the move. His destination is unknown, as are the people he's surrounded himself with, but his mission is still the same. Keep his sister safe and reunite their family. However, as Tirigan attempts to navigate the complex bonds he's formed with his companions, he's forced to confront the one thing in life he has yet to fully understand. Himself. Family. Deception. Power. Destruction. It all begins on Day One.

Burning the Bacon


L. Austen Johnson - 2018
    Austen Johnson navigates through deeply personal terrain, laying waste to it and watching its flowers regrow in the four sections of the collection: “Gravity,” “In Memoriam,” “Entropy,” and “Parthenogenesis.” She explores topics such as chronic illness, love, heartbreak, memory, and growing up with a blend of accessible language and rich metaphor.

Catch Me If I Fall


Jerry Cole - 2018
    He’s the biggest pop star in the world, a global phenomenon with fans across the globe. With his beautiful voice, smoldering looks and boy-next-door charm, he’s a heartthrob adored by millions. But he’s hiding a secret he knows can never be revealed to the public. On the final night of his tour in London, he sneaks out from his room for a rendezvous. On the way back to his hotel, in an attempt to avoid the paparazzi, he’s involved in a car crash and is injured. Dax is forced into an intensive rehabilitation program. He’s assigned a hot physical therapist by the name of Cameron Wilson. Tall, auburn-haired and freckled, with a soft Scottish brogue and commanding green eyes, Cameron takes it upon himself to whisk Dax away to his home in the Scottish countryside to give the star a real chance at recovery. In the beautiful, barren wildness of Scotland, Dax works hard to heal his broken back. But the longer he spends with Cameron, the more he wonders whether the gorgeous therapist may in fact hold the key to healing his heart, too. A heart to which he’s never dared listen before. Please Note: This book contains adult language and steamy adult activities, it is intended for 18+ Adults Only. Novel, approximately 80,000 words in length. HEA (happy ever after ending). Does not end with a "cliffhanger." Themes include: Pop star, secrets, in the closet, music, former navy, first love, physical therapy

Amber's Blind Date: A Funny Text Message Story


Casey Summers - 2018
    literally! College sophomore Amber Meadows is terrible at relationships. So when she goes on a blind date with Kevin (who is impossibly cute, charming, and actually, literally blind) she's terrified she'll screw up her new romance before it even begins.Desperate for backup, Amber secretly texts her two besties for advice on how to win Kevin over. Nora is level-headed, quick-witted, and highly (almost scarily) intelligent. Celery is quirky, impulsive, and does not have one single F to give. They never agree. On anything. Ever.When a mysterious woman kidnaps Kevin at gunpoint, Amber's date turns into a madcap adventure filled with incompetent drug dealers, psychotic trivia masters, and one super pissed-off waiter. With Nora and Celery's help, can Amber win Kevin's heart? Or at least get them both to the end of the date alive?Told entirely through text messages, the Texting Girls series is perfect for fans of Lauren Myracle's Internet Girls, Lisa Greenwald's TBH, and Brett Wright's OMG Shakespeare.

Confessions of Butterflies: Hidden Truths of Living in Pain


Joanna Dwyer - 2018
    Until recently, we have suffered in silence, our voices snuffed out by the stigmas and assumptions of a culture programmed to believe only what they can see. I am young and I have fibromyalgia. Millions live with chronic pain, but not everyone suffers through their younger years with it. We work, go to school, raise our kids, run our businesses and attempt to maintain some semblance of a social life, while enduring relentless, hopeless, unforgiving pain and fatigue that we try our best to minimize because we have to. We have to push through it, often without any help, understanding or support. We are the voices of chronic pain and this book is our butterfly effect, our story, without holding back. This is an honest and candid window into our world. The stories shared here are all real, collected from pain warriors who are tired of living a secret life. These are the truths we are ashamed to speak of because they are ugly, they are raw, and sharing isn’t easy when you’ve been conditioned to believe you shouldn’t. If you are lucky enough to live without relentless pain, I hope this book helps you to be more understanding, compassionate and empathetic to those in your life who do suffer. For my fellow butterflies, I hope you find comfort and realize your struggles and pain are both real and shared.

Disabling Mission, Enabling Witness: Exploring Missiology Through the Lens of Disability Studies


Benjamin T. Conner - 2018
    Through access ramps and elevators and sign language, disabled persons are invited in to worship. But are they actually enfolded into the church's mission? Have the able-bodied come to recognize and appreciate the potential contributions of people with disabilities in the ministry and witness of the church? Benjamin Conner wants to stimulate a new conversation between disability studies and Christian theology and missiology. How can we shape a new vision of the entire body of Christ sharing in the witness of the church? How would it look if we "disabled" Christian theology, discipleship, and theological education? Conner argues that it would in fact enable congregational witness. He has seen it happen and he shows us how. Imagine a church that fully incorporates persons with disabilities into its mission and witness. In this vision, people with disabilities contribute to the church’s pluriform witness, and the congregation embodies a robust hermeneutic of the gospel. Picture the entire body of Christ functioning beyond distinctions of dis/ability, promoting mutual flourishing and growing into fullness. Here is an enlargement of the church’s witness as a sign, agent, and foretaste of the kingdom of God. Here is a fresh and inspiring look at the mission of the church when it enfolds people with disabilities as full members.

Embracing This Special Life


Jenn Soehnlin - 2018
    As the mother of two boys with special needs, Jenn Soehnlin knows these struggles well and seeks to encourage other mothers with scriptural truths to:-Provide a biblical view on special needs parenting-Free you from unhealthy expectations, worries, and emotions that God wants you to release-Enable you to embrace the life and blessings that God has for youEmbracing This Special Life will help guide you toward hope, spiritual victory, and renewed purpose in your own special needs parenting journey.

Chasing Fire


Avery Kingston - 2018
    A flirtatious vixen. A crazed game of seduction. One pair of panties changed his life. “I’m putting my panties in your back pocket. You have until two am to get them back to me. If you do, you will be rewarded. Handsomely.” Those were the words Victoria Johnson whispered to Scott Harris after she stuffed a pair of lacy red panties into his back pocket. That was Tori’s favorite game: No strings attached sex. But he’d have to chase her first. Years later, when Scott returns from Afghanistan minus one leg, he thinks the sexual games are over.  His military career is over. Hell, his life is over.   But then Tori shows up in his hospital room as fiery and flirtatious as the day he left. It turns out she’s more than just a beautiful disaster with sexy red panties. Much more. She may be trouble but she’s everything he’s ever wanted. Except for Tori, things are never that simple. Because Tori faces a tragedy of her own. An accident that rips her life apart, leaving her without sight and struggling to recover the woman she once was. For Scott, Tori’s still the one he’s waited his whole life for. He’s done letting fate tear them apart. It will be a challenge to win her shattered heart once and for all. Lucky thing Scott Harris never backs away from a challenge. Chasing Fire is a full length, friends with benefits romance. LOTS of steam, no cheating and a HEA. Featuring a hot-as-hell alpha and a sexy artist who both have filthy mouths. Intended for a mature audience.

Make the Connection: A Practical Guide to Parents and Practitioners for Teaching the Nonverbal Child to Communicate - with AAC


Susan Berkowitz - 2018
    We know that collaboration between school and home is a significant component in the lives of students who use picture-based communication. The information and ideas in this book are not unique; they are things I have learned over the past 40 years from articles, books, seminars and most importantly, from my students. Much of this information is available elsewhere, but not in this unique format. What I have tried to do is to curate the ideas in a way that cuts away the jargon, the discussion of research protocols; leaving all but the basic information and strategies, both groups need.

Language Deprivation and Deaf Mental Health


Neil S Glickman - 2018
    Leading experts in Deaf mental health care discuss the implications of language deprivation for a person's development, communication, cognitive abilities, behavior, and mental health. Beginning with a groundbreaking discussion of language deprivation syndrome, the chapters address the challenges of psychotherapy, interpreting, communication and forensic assessment, language and communication development with language-deprived persons, as well as whether cochlear implantation means deaf children should not receive rich sign language exposure. The book concludes with a discussion of the most effective advocacy strategies to prevent language deprivation. These issues, which draw on both cultural and disability perspectives, are central to the emerging clinical specialty of Deaf mental health.

Be With: Letters to a Caregiver


Mike Barnes - 2018
    In brief passages that cast fresh light on what it means to live with dementia, Barnes shares trials, insights, solace—and, ultimately, inspiration. Meant to be a companion in waiting rooms, on bus routes, or while a loved one naps, Be With is a dippable source of clarity for harried readers who might only have time for a few lines or paragraphs. Mike Barnes writes with sensitivity and grace about fellowship, responsibility, and joyful relatedness—what it means to simply be with the people that we love.