What was once a trip for two has now become a trip for four … but that doesn’t make them any less excited.Ofelia Archer has just found out that her bar Krewe is about to be inundated with ghost hunters … and she’s beyond excited. She’s looking forward to a good week, which means more money to funnel into her next business venture.Two worlds collide when Harper and Ofelia meet in Jackson Square, a ghost catching their attention. Before they realize what’s happening, they’re embroiled in a huge mystery … one that involves New Orleans’ colorful past and worry for the future.Harper and Ofelia have a lot in common and they bond quickly. That adds a colorful edge to their friendship. Add Zander to the mix and the Big Easy is in for big trouble.Hang on because it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Between ghosts, Zander’s attitude, and Ofelia’s mother … it’s going to be a very strange trip. It could also be deadly.Note: This is a crossover book between Harper Harlow and Ofelia Archer. It’s set after Ghostly Travels and Hex, Drugs & Rock and Roll.

    In town she's the rich one--the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister. And at home, she's the good one, her stoner older brother Joey's babysitter. Everything was turned on its head, though, when she and Joey were in the car accident that killed Candy MontClaire. The car accident that revealed just how bad Joey's drug habit was.Four months later, Emmy's junior year is starting, Joey is home from rehab, and the entire town of Mill Haven is still reeling from the accident. Everyone's telling Emmy who she is, but so much has changed, how can she be the same person? Or was she ever that person at all?Mill Haven wants everyone to live one story, but Emmy's beginning to see that people are more than they appear. Her brother, who might not be cured, the popular guy who lives next door, and most of all, many ghostie addicts who haunt the edges of the town. People spend so much time telling her who she is--it might be time to decide for herself.Inspired by the American classic Our Town, You'd Be Home Now is Kathleen Glasgow's glorious modern story of a town and the secret lives people live there. And the story of a girl, figuring out life in all its pain and beauty and struggle and joy.

    A reckoning, when the things you have been pushing to the background, come forward and demand your attention.Written by Daniel Howell, in conjunction with a qualified psychologist, in an entertaining and personal way from the perspective of someone who has been through it all—this no-nonsense book gives you the tools to understand your mind so you can be in control and really live. Split into three chapters for each stage of the journey:This Night - how to get through your toughest moments and be prepared to face anything. Tomorrow - small steps to change your thoughts and actions with a big impact on your life. The Days After - help to look after yourself in the long term and not just survive, but thrive.You will laugh and learn—but most of all, this book will assure you that even in your darkest times, there is always hope. You will get through this night.

    When her much-anticipated cross-country vacation turns to abduction, Teresa is forced to care for her mother, sister and twin brothers. Homeless, abused, and afraid in the slums of San Francisco's Tenderloin district, Teresa finds joy in her adventures while fantasizing of a better life. Keeping this dream alive throughout her childhood is what drives her to end the cycle of abuse and poverty.

    When a few random acts of kindness help to ease the Fosters' hardships, Austin finds herself relying upon some of Magnolia's most colorful citizens for friendship and more. But it's next to impossible to hide the truth about the goings-on at Nolia Farms, and Austin's desperate attempts to save face all but break her.Just when it seems she might have something more waiting for her--with the son of a wealthy local family who she's crushed on for years--her father makes a choice that will crack wide-open the family's secrets and lead to a public reckoning. There are consequences for loving a boy like Vance Cumberland, but there is also freedom in the truth.T. I. Lowe's gritty yet tender and uplifting tale reminds us that a great story can break your heart . . . then heal it in the best possible way.

    All this changed with a phone call that set a journey of discovery in motion, leading to a series of shocking revelations that forced Stephanie to revise the meaning of almost every aspect of her very compromised childhood.American Daughter is at once the deeply moving memoir of a troubled mother-daughter relationship and a meditation on resilience, transcendence, and redemption. Stephanie's story is unique but its messages are universal, offering insight into what it means to rise above, heal, and forgive.

    Perfect for fans of An Unquiet Mind and The Bright Hour. Vince Granata remembers standing in front of his suburban home in Connecticut the day his mother and father returned from the hospital with his three new siblings in tow. He had just finished scrawling their names in red chalk on the driveway: Christopher, Timothy, and Elizabeth. Twenty-three years later, Vince was a thousand miles away when he received the news that would change his life—Tim, propelled by unchecked schizophrenia, had killed their mother in their childhood home. Devastated by the grief of losing his mother, Vince is also consumed by an act so incomprehensible that it overshadows every happy memory of life growing up in his seemingly idyllic middle-class family. “In candid, smoothly unspooling prose, Granata reconstructs life and memory from grief, writing a moving testament to the therapy of art, the power of record, and his immutable love for his family” (Booklist).

    Control doesn’t exist if someone is fighting their mind. We have to break in order to mend.Constantly.Hence, The Asylum.A sanctuary for lost causes.Where crazy can roam free, and compulsions can be let loose.My nephew says as long as it stays at The Asylum, we won’t have problems.What fun would it be if problems didn’t exist?And my problem is in the shape of a dancer, twirling on the front lawn in the middle of the night.Her laughter is music.Her beauty is timeless.And my mania has kicked in overdrive.When I’m obsessed with something, it’s more than what the normal person feels.If I can’t have her, no one can.If I can’t have her, I’ll die.And I’ll make sure she’ll die too.I’m a lunatic who has found the living breathing version of his mania.

    One night, he climbed onto a bridge over an overpass and stood in the wind, clinging to a girder. Someone shouted, “Jump, you coward!” Another man, a stranger in a brown coat, talked to him quietly, calmly and with deep empathy. Just as Henick’s feet touched open air, the man in the brown coat encircled his chest and pulled him to safety. This near-death experience changed Henick’s life forever.So-Called Normal is Henick’s memoir about growing up in a broken home and the events that led to that fateful night on the bridge. It is a vivid and personal account of the mental health challenges he experienced in childhood and his subsequent journey toward healing and recovery.

    Rex Ogle, who brilliantly mapped his experience of hunger in Free Lunch, here describes his struggle to survive; reflects on his complex, often paradoxical relationship with his passionate, fierce mother; and charts the trajectory of his stepdad’s anger. Hovering over Rex’s story is the talismanic presence of his unborn baby sister.Through it all, Rex threads moments of grace and humor that act as beacons of light in the darkness. Compulsively readable, beautifully crafted, and authentically told, Punching Bag is a remarkable memoir about one teenager’s cycle of violence, blame, and attempts to forgive his parents—and himself.

    And trust me, you’ll wish you were. We’re the stain on society. The freaks, the creeps, your favorite Netflix documentaries come to life. They lock us up and throw away the key, because we deserve it. But not me. I’m just a lowly bank robber. I don’t belong here, surrounded by psychopaths and killers with no remorse… At least, I don’t think I do.Getting by unscathed is my top priority. Unfortunately for me and my fellow prisoners, those in charge are more dangerous than we are. You see, the guards run the show, and I seem to have caught the attention of the most twisted one. He has a name, but it might as well be Officer. We move around one another like a sun and a moon, revolving in an axis of confused lust and torment until the truth is distorted, and the thing I once feared becomes that which I crave; my vile addiction, somehow so exquisite. Reality warps in the dungeon, and I’m left wondering which prison is worse… the one holding my body, or my mind. *DO NOT READ OR POST SPOILERS! I am begging you to think of your fellow readers, in your reviews, your posts… everywhere. Revealing plot twists is a dick move. And I promise, it’ll be fun to go in blind. **Distorted is the first book in the Alabaster Penitentiary series. It is a full M/M romance, with HEA. Each book in this series is technically a standalone, though they are interconnected, so it will be recommended to read in order, as references to this story will be made in future books. Distorted is intended for mature audiences and open-minded readers ONLY! If you prefer the same old story, this book won’t be for you. This story is dark, probably darker for some than others, so please proceed with caution, and if you’re easily triggered, steer clear. You’ve been warned.

    But what happens if the first true friend he’s made in years finds out about What Was Wrong With Him?Seventeen-year-old Joel Teague has a new prescription from his therapist—a part-time job—the first step toward the elusive Normal life he’s been so desperate to live ever since The Bad Thing happened. Lucky for Joel, ROYO Video is hiring. It’s the perfect fresh start—Joel even gets a new name. Dubbed “Solo” after his favorite Star Wars character, Joel works his way up the not-so-corporate ladder without anyone suspecting What Was Wrong With Him. That is, until he befriends Nicole “Baby” Palmer, a smart-mouthed coworker with a chip on her shoulder about . . . well, everything, and the two quickly develop the kind of friendship movie montages are made of. However, when Joel’s past inevitably catches up with him, he’s forced to choose between preserving his new blank slate persona and coming clean—and either way, he risks losing the first real friend he’s ever had. Set in a pop-culture-rich 1990s, this remarkable story tackles challenging and timely themes with huge doses of wit, power, and heart.

    Two houses, hundreds of miles apart...yet connected always.When life throws Molly Butterfield a curveball, she decides to spend some time with her recently widowed granddad, Wally, at Hawthorn Place, his quirky Victorian house on the Dorset coast.But cosseted Molly struggles to look after herself, never mind her grieving granddad, until the accidental discovery of an identical Art and Crafts house on the Norfolk coast offers her an unexpected purpose, as well as revealing a bewildering mystery.Discovering that both Hawthorn Place and Acacia House were designed by architect Percy Gladwell, Molly uncovers the secret of a love which linked them, so powerful it defied reason.What follows is a summer which will change Molly for ever...

    It’s the launch to her favorite season, which also includes visits to the boardwalk arcade, working in her mom’s pizzeria, and her best friend Meredith’s birthday party. But this summer, none of that feels possible.A month before the end of the school year, Pluto’s frightened mom broke down Pluto’s bedroom door. What came next were doctor’s appointments, a diagnosis of depression, and a big black hole that still sits on Pluto’s chest, making it too hard to do anything. Pluto can’t explain to her mom why she can’t do the things she used to love. And it isn’t until Pluto’s dad threatens to make her move with him to the city—where he believes his money, in particular, could help—that Pluto becomes desperate enough to do whatever it takes to be the old Pluto again.She develops a plan and a checklist: If she takes her medication, if she goes to the planetarium with her mom for her birthday, if she successfully finishes her summer school work with her tutor, if she goes to Meredith’s birthday party . . . if she does all the things that “normal” Pluto would do, she can stay with her mom in Jersey. But it takes a new therapist, a new tutor, and a new (and cute) friend with a checklist and plan of her own for Pluto to learn that there is no old and new Pluto. There’s just her.

    But the child of Delia and Justice from "Justice’s Rose", Liam knows exactly what love is supposed to look like; he won’t accept anything less. Since he assumes the only people interested in him are groupies looking for the next come up, Liam chooses not to date any particular woman; he just dips his feet in the pool never committing to the waves. All that changes when he meets Kree. But is his hidden baggage going to be the end of their love? Or even worse... will it cost them their lives?Kree is a young single mother who's just trying to raise her daughter; the last thing Kree is interested in is another meaningless relationship. Praying for a new beginning, she picks up her daughter and moves from Georgia to North Carolina. Because of her past, Kree’s perception on love is tainted. Will Liam be able to work past all of Kree’s insecurities to show her how he really feels?Find out what happens on the playing field of love.

    Now the truth about why Jasper abandoned her as a child will be buried forever. Escaping to the secluded beach house she’s inherited, June hopes to spend time bonding with her two little daughters, away from her hectic job and failing marriage.On the wild shores of the Pacific Northwest, her father’s hideaway leaves June breathless. But it’s his oil paintings decorating every wall that surprise her most. How could someone paint other people so beautifully, but reject those closest to him? And why is every drawer in her father’s workshop locked? June hopes her new neighbor—her father’s apprentice Caleb—will provide the answers. But Caleb won’t talk about the past.Then, hidden in her father’s workshop, June discovers a box of newspaper clippings that reveal the shocking reason why her father left years ago—and uncovers Caleb’s own devastating secret…When her old life comes calling, June has an impossible decision to make. Unsure what’s best for her girls, and if she can trust Caleb, will digging deeper into her father’s dark past heal or destroy her precious family?An absolutely heartbreaking and emotional page-turner about the incredible strength of family bonds, how we can hurt those closest to us, and the healing power of love. Fans of Diane Chamberlain, Kerry Lonsdale and Kerry Fisher will devour this powerful read from award-winning author Melissa Wiesner.

    With my car. While I was driving it. Okay, maybe it wasn’t just the tree I was trying to kill. But that wasn’t the end of it. No, I wasn’t even halfway through the spiralling vortex that would consume my life. When a dangerous driving charge gets me put in a fancy rehab for rich kids and socialites with eating disorders, I intended to do my time and then leave. I was going to leave behind the sports star who was addicted to uppers, the coke-head lawyers, the cutters and the space cadets. I was going to leave behind him. Bored, listless, and filthy dirty rich. If there was a waste of oxygen, it was Hendrick Kenley. Although I wasn’t sure why he was in rehab, because he was special (read rich) enough to not have to do group therapy with the rest of us. Didn’t matter, I avoided him and his beautiful cruel smirk, and read until my sentence was over. Fate, that glorious bitch, had other plans though. Days before my release, I pick up a book. Jules Verne’s Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. I’d read through the rest of the Sunny Outlook Center’s meagre library. But in the margins of that tatty paperback was my future. Words from a past inmate of this institution that spoke to my soul and begged me to come find him. Problem was, unlike the rest of the people in the Sunny Outlook, my parents had taken out a second mortgage to pay for my stay. My mystery beau was calling me to Europe, France to be exact. So I had to make a deal with the Devil, and by Devil I mean Hendrick Kenley and his cohort of disenchanted fools. But they offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse; they’d pay for everything for the trip, travelling on a private plane at that, but I had to let them come along. There was a reason for the adage that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I’d learn the truth of that the hard way. Inside the Maelstrom is an enemies to lovers contemporary reverse harem romance. May contain possibly triggering themes around mental health.

    Especially when three boys are determined to ruin you. I was there to pursue music. They were there to destroy me. The sad thing is, they almost succeeded. Their games went too far and I was the one who almost paid the ultimate price. Now I’m back. They were supposed to be gone. This year was supposed to be different. And when I come face to face with my tormentors, it’s clear that things are. They aren’t the same boys I thought I knew. I will never be the same naive girl they once took advantage of again. This time around, things will be different. I’m no longer alone. I’m no longer silly little Diana. I’m Phoenix Carter and I won’t be caged by anyone. Not even myself.......**Caged In Flames will have themes of bullying, mental illness, and mentions of suicide. It will also include MM relations. This is a reverse harem/why choose romance, therefore the FMC will have more than one love interest throughout the series, but will not be forced to choose if she doesn’t want to by the end of her story.**

    Cursed with a love for the classics, she finds herself often disappointed with the modern world—men included. So, it is no surprise that, at forty-two, she finds herself single and losing hope for her love life. Until she meets author August Gordon, an attractive—and younger—man with the same passion for all things vintage and equally picky taste. With him in her life, it isn’t long before Clara begins to believe she’s finally met her match. But when August’s fight with mental illness becomes too much for him to bear, Clara starts to wonder if she possesses the strength—and hope—to help him win the battle.

    . . and to love.Jason “Cobra” Stanley was born to fight. With a father like his, he had to toughen up just to survive. Now Cobra tries to take out all of his frustration, all of his anger, and all of his pain in the MMA cage. But after he receives one too many hits to the head during a match with Jagger Caldwell, the cycle of violence comes to a screeching halt. Cobra wakes up in the hospital, under the care of a nurse whose blond hair shines like a halo—and whose pure heart touches him on the deepest level.Lorraine Bosch is a fighter too. Having escaped from her own controlling father, she prides herself on remaining professional, despite the chaos in the ER. But Cobra is the ultimate distraction. Lorraine knows she should run away screaming from his rippling muscles and shattered psyche. And yet how can she deny this broken man a second chance—especially since she knows exactly what he’s been through? Lorraine’s used to playing guardian angel. Now it’s her turn to find heaven in Cobra’s arms.

    But this boy won't make it easy. There’s something about Colorado I just can’t escape.It keeps calling me back, time and time again, promising that everything I’ve ever wanted lay amidst those rocky mountains and beneath that moonlit sky.I had no idea what that something was... until I laid eyes on Dustin McMurray. Six feet of charming man with broad shoulders, kissable lips, and deep green eyes that see right through me.The only problem is my Colorado cowboy isn’t interested in more than one night.Even when fate leaves me stranded on his ranch, he resists. He has no problem giving me his body and lighting mine on fire in return, but he guards his heart like a fortress. In his eyes, it’s better to be alone from the start than to wind up even lonelier in the end.I know without a doubt that this man is meant to be mine. I just need to convince him that no matter how hard he fights it... I belong to him, too. **Welcome to Bear Creek, Colorado, an idyllic all-American mountain resort town and home of the USA Music Festival. Filled with summer love, country music and unexpected pleasures, this brand-new series of short contemporary stories will bring together a mix of summer fun and music with the backdrop of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.The All-American Boy Series gives you a taste of 16 new books in a shared world experience. All books are standalone but may include cross-over in characters or scenes.

    The mistakes, failures, tragedies, and circumstances outside of our control linger in our minds and hold us back. How do we come to grips with the pieces of our stories that we wish weren't there? How do we silence the pain of what has been done to us and the shame of what we've allowed to be done through us?In When You Don't Like Your Story, Bible teacher Sharon Jaynes shows us how God untangles our most painful emotions with the fingers of grace, putting his redemption on display. In the hardest parts of our narratives, we get to see God's greatest work--and this changes the ending of our stories. As we overcome shame, offer forgiveness, and use our stories to help others, we find freedom from the past and learn to live in the restoration of the present.

    Her practical dad and brother just don’t understand the way she thinks. Ever since her mother left a few years ago, Annie has been reluctant to get close to anyone.When a poor decision lands Annie in hot water, she must make amends by watching her elderly neighbor’s weird dog all summer. As Annie begins to connect with her neighbor Gloria, it becomes clear that Gloria won’t be able to live on her own for much longer. But it’s this brief and important friendship that gives Annie the confidence to let people in, and see how rich life can be when you decide to make your own luck and chart your own path to happiness.

    . . and contemplating his own mortality.Ten: three little letters, one ordinary number. No big deal, right? But for Troy Hayes, a 16-year-old suffering from Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, the number ten dictates his life, forcing him to do everything by its exacting rhythm. Finally, fed up with the daily humiliation, loneliness, and physical pain he endures, Troy writes a list of ten things to do by the tenth anniversary of his diagnosis—culminating in suicide on the actual day. But the process of working his way through the list changes Troy’s life: he becomes friends with Khory, a smart, beautiful classmate who has her own troubled history. Khory unwittingly helps Troy cross off items on his list, moving him ever closer to his grand finale, even as she shows him that life may have more possibilities than he imagined. This is a dark, intense story, but it’s also realistic, hopeful, and deeply authentic.

    She also obsesses about smaller worries like making friends, getting called on by the teacher, and walking home alone.Her parents and the school therapist call her worries an anxiety disorder, but Marvel calls them armor. If something can happen, it will. She needs to be prepared.But when Marvel stumbles on a group of older kids teasing a baby goat that has mysteriously shown up on the soccer field, she momentarily forgets to be afraid and rescues the frightened animal.Only Butter isn't any old goat. She's a fainting goat. When Butter feels panic, she freezes up and falls over. Marvel knows exactly how Butter feels and precisely what Butter needs-her.Soon, Butter and Marvel are going everywhere together, and Butter thrives under Marvel's support. Butter also helps Marvel. Everything is easier for her with Butter by her side. But just when Marvel starts to imagine a life in which she can manage her anxiety, instead of letting it control her, Butter's owner shows up to claim her. Will Marvel find a way to keep her friend? Or will she revert back to the anxious, lonely person she used to be?

    

    Engrossing and devastating, this brave novel reminds us of the power of human connection and the inherent goodness of most people.” – Heidi Pitlor, author of The Daylight Marriage and Impersonation.Germany, 1934. Rigmor, a young Jewish woman is a patient at Sonnenstein, a premier psychiatric institution known for their curative treatments. But with the tide of eugenics and the Nazis’ rise to power, Rigmor is swept up in a campaign to rid Germany of the mentally ill.USA, 1984. Sabine, battling crippling panic and depression commits herself to McLean Hospital, but in doing so she has unwittingly agreed to give up her baby.Linking these two generations of women is Inga, who did everything in her power to help her sister, Rigmor. Now with her granddaughter, Sabine, Inga is given a second chance to free someone she loves from oppressive forces, both within and without.This is a story about hope and redemption, about what we pass on, both genetically and culturally. It is about the high price of repression, and how one woman, who lost nearly everything, must be willing to reveal the failures of the past in order to save future generations.With chilling echoes of our time, Where Madness Lies is based on a true story of the author’s own family.

    But as Gill begins to send letters from her dead son to his sister, the increasingly elaborate lie threatens to prove more dangerous than the truth.A novel about family, food, grief, and hope, this gripping, lyrical story moves between Tasmania and London, exploring the many ways that a family can break down - and the unexpected ways that it can be put back together.

    But it is Lizard who, gripped by the magnitude of this loss, challenges Betsy, What if, instead of WRITING about dying languages, like your mom, you and I SAVED one instead?As the girls embark on their quest to learn as much as possible of the near-extinct language of Guern�siais (spoken on the Isle of Guernsey, off the coast of France), their friendship faces unexpected strains. With Lizard increasingly obsessed with the language project, Betsy begins to seek greater independence from her controlling and charismatic friend, as well as from her controlling and charismatic mother. Then tragedy threatens Betsy's life beyond what any words can express, and Lizard does something unthinkable.Maybe lost friendships, like lost languages, can never be completely saved.A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book!A Charlotte Huck Recommended BookAn NCTE Notable Verse NovelA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

    They speak their own language, they abide by their own rules, and they seem to exist to drive adults crazy. But adolescence is a typical stage of human development that is the essential preparation for success in the adult world. The more you understand about your teen’s brain, the better prepared you will be to handle this turbulent time in your child’s life.Professor Abigail Baird has devoted the majority of her career to studying adolescence, and in this Audible Original, she shares the latest perspectives on this amazing time of cognitive and behavioral growth. The 10 lectures in this series will reveal that adolescent behavior is much easier to understand than most people think. Rather than seeing the teen years as a crucible to be endured by parents and young people alike, this series offers a practical perspective for adults who hope to help teens truly thrive in their personal journeys to adulthood—not merely to survive their adolescence.Whether you are a parent, someone who works with teens, or even a teen yourself, this course will shed new light on a period of human development that is all too often incorrectly described as a time where psychological peril is inevitable.

    She's acutely aware of her sexuality – despite how uncomfortable it makes her in her conservative Georgia town.When Jamie Kendall, the cute, openly-gay, new girl from Chicago moves to the small town of Branton, Peyton finds it harder to conceal the truth about herself. As the girls end up working together for a mural competition, Peyton is forced to recognize her fears of coming out and must find the courage to show everyone her true colors.

    

    She’s been moved from home to home, and her social workers have difficulty dealing with her habit of running away. After experiencing violence, neglect and sexual abuse from people she should have been able to trust, Eloise has developed complex behavioural needs. She struggles to separate fact from fiction, leading to confusion for the social workers trying to help her.After Torey learns of Eloise's background she hopes that some gentle care and attention can help Eloise gain some sense of security in her life. Can Torey and the other social workers provide the loving attention that has so far been missing in Eloise's life, or will she run away from them too?

    No content has changed.One year … All he asks for is one year of my life to clear out all the dirt, the muck, the messed-up way of thinking that makes me splice myself open for relief. One year of no Rani, no Pinnacle heirs, no reminders of the past, and all I have to do is say yes. Just yes. It’s stupid. I know better. To say yes means there is never a chance to say no. I won’t control anything in my life, least of all how I live. This one word utterly takes over, and I no longer know where to turn for help. My release, my painful savior the blade, is now gone. All that remains is Demari Sestra. He always gives me a chance, a moment before the darkness to walk away. I can, I know it, but I never do. It leaves no one to blame but me. Rani, I once warned you the world would break you if you let it. Maybe I should have followed my own advice.Note from the authors: Irredeemable was previously published as Cutter and no content has changed. While Irredeemable can be read as a standalone, the pieces may fall in place easier if Irrepairable is read first. Unlike Irrepairable, this is not a reverse harem, academy, or bully romance. Simply put, Allie's story is dark, twisted, and might make even the darkest hearts cringe. Remember this: most topics in the book are real-life occurrences and will evoke strong feelings. Proceed with caution and know you have been warned.

    In Nobody’s Normal, anthropologist Roy Richard Grinker chronicles the progress and setbacks in the struggle against mental-illness stigma—from the eighteenth century, through America’s major wars, and into today’s high-tech economy.Grinker infuses the book with the personal history of his family’s four generations of involvement in psychiatry, including his grandfather’s analysis with Sigmund Freud, his own daughter’s experience with autism, and culminating in his research on neurodiversity. Drawing on cutting-edge science, historical archives, and cross-cultural research in Africa and Asia, Nobody’s Normal explains how we are transforming mental illness and offers a path to end the shadow of stigma. The preeminent historian of medicine, Sander Gilman, calls Nobody’s Normal “the most important work on stigma in more than half a century.”

    Her mother has had another vision. If Amandla wears a blue sheet her mother has loosely stitched as a dress and styles her normally braided hair in a halo around her head, Amandla's father will come home. Amandla's mother, Annalisa, always speaks of her father as if he was the prince of a fairytale, but in truth he's been gone since before Amandla was born and even Annalisa's memory of him is hazy. In fact many of Annalisa's memories from before Amandla was born are hazy. It's just one of the many reasons people in Sugar Town give Annalisa and Amandla strange looks--that and the fact her mother is white and Amandla is brown.But when Amandla finds a mysterious address in the bottom of her mother's handbag along with a large amount of cash, she decides it's finally time to get answers about her mother's life. But what she discovers will change the shape and size of her family forever.

    I wept and I learnt' - Prof Tanya Byron'This book comes from the heart' - Roman Kemp 'Compassionate, personal and thought-provoking' - Prof Steve PetersWhen you are faced with the unthinkable, this is the book you can turn to.Suicide is baffling and devastating in equal measures, and it can affect any one of us: one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds. Yet despite the scale of the devastation, for family members and friends, suicide is still poorly understood. Drawing on decades of work in the field of suicide prevention and research, and having been bereaved by suicide twice, Professor O'Connor is here to help. This book will untangle the complex reasons behind suicide and dispel any unhelpful myths. For those trying to help someone vulnerable, it will provide indispensable advice on communication, stressing the importance of listening to fears and anxieties without judgment. And for those who are struggling to get through the tragedy of suicide, it will help you find strength in the darkest of places.

    She often has what his father and grandparents call episodes. She screams and fights, scratches and spits, and has to be carted away to specialized clinics for frequent treatments. Bastien doesn't like it when she goes, because when she comes home, she isn't the same. She has no feelings, no desires, and not much interest in him. According to the doctors, Bastien's mother suffers from bipolar disorder with schizophrenic tendencies, but he prefers to imagine her as a comic-book heroine, like Jean Grey, who may become Dark Phoenix and explode in a superhuman fury at any moment.Based on the creator's own childhood experiences, The Parakeet is the story of a boy whose only refuge from life's harsh realities lies in his imagination. In his eyes, we see the confusion and heartache he feels as he watches his mother's illness worsen and the treatments fail. Through his eyes, we see how mental illness can both tear families apart and reaffirm the bonds of love. Poignant yet playful, The Parakeet follows Bastien's struggle to accept the mother he has while wishing for the mother he needs.

    But when an old enemy sets their sights on his adoptive family, shattering his dreams of outrunning his dark past, Charlie knows he has no choice. Risk everything. Save the children.Trapped in the middle of an uneasy alliance between a fugitive witch and a brutal Witch Hunter, Charlie must make a desperate attempt to save his family, or face losing them forever. With enemies on all sides, and conspiracy festering at the heart of their nation, the last thing Charlie needs is these new, confusing feelings. Surrounded by danger, can Charlie find the courage to protect his loved ones - without losing himself?"An unflinching look at life lived from the bottom ... making for a dark fantasy like no other. If you enjoy a strong-willed protagonist with his back always against the wall, you'll love getting to know Charlie and his fledgling clan in The Dying Light." - Indies Today Your purchase includes The Swallow's Flight, a prequel telling the story of how thirteen-year-old Charlie escaped from the Spike. Content warnings provided. This book contains material that is not suitable for young readers. All proceeds from the sale of this book are donated to charities supporting survivors of child sexual abuse.

    Our uniqueness is what makes us stand out and makes us who we are. You can not judge someone on something you can see or even on the things you can not see.We are all special. We are all unique. We are all 'different; not less'.A collection of true stories about inspiring people and famous figures from around the world, all who are physically or neurologically diverse. Reflective of our diverse society, this anthology features figures including Simone Biles, Naoki Higashida, Temple Grandin, Warwick Davis, Sudha Chandran, Stephen Hawking and Frida Kahlo.

    How do you manage something that feels utterly unmanageable? How do you get through each day when depression is telling you you're a worthless lump of camel spleen? What you need is a guide. A really good one. You need to know what works and what to do.This book gives you 40 ways to get to a better place with depression. They are born out of the author's personal experience of clinical depression and his many years of working as a counsellor helping people with their mental health. James lives with depression and knows its lies, the traps it makes and how to dodge when it starts spitting bile in your face. Nice, eh?The ways include:- Kick your cuckoo. We don't usually encourage violence towards birds, but no cuckoos are actually harmed so don't call the RSPCA just yet. In this chapter you're encouraged to imagine your depression as an external 'thing' (no humans or animals, of course!) and that you can 'kick out', which is great fun. - Whose voice is it anyway? Spoiler alert! That nasty voice you're hearing isn't you; it's depression. The illness. When you start to recognise its voice you can start swearing back and who doesn't love a bit of swearing?- Don't listen to the lies. We all tell little lies sometimes, right? But depression is the biggest liar in the whole universe. It makes Pinocchio look like Mother Theresa. Be the lie detector to depression's fibs; call it out on its fraudulent nonsense. - Do the opposite. Depression will try to convince you to stay in bed, don't go out, don't wash, don't eat, don't phone anyone. Be Contrary Mary and do the exact opposite of what depression tells you because it never has your interests at heart. Plus, doing the opposite feels like you're a rebel, and rebels are cool (see Star Wars). At whatever point you're at with your depression, this book can help and provide some laughs along the way - hooray! - because you really need it with this bloody illness.

    She thought the worst was over when she accepted her engagement to Lorne ni Taure, the High King of the Aunare, and claimed her place as the future High Queen.It should be easy to slide into her new role. How hard can it be living in luxury with your soulmate after growing up alone on the streets?But the more she learns about the Aunare and their politics, the more she realizes that the true test of her strength is just beginning.Amihanna di Aetes is in for the battle of her life if she wants the Aunare to accept her.*In Command is a 40K novella that takes place between Off Balance and On Mission (Book 3 of the Aunare Chronicles). The series can be enjoyed without reading this story, but you can’t enjoy this story without reading the series.

    /// a feminist, pop-culture driven, meme-y parody of modern instagram-style poetry. cheeky, relatable, anti-capitalist, and surprisingly heartfelt prose that will make you laugh, cry, and say "mood". written by an internet person, for internet people. /// WARNING: this book may cause you to think in line-break format, laugh at your darkness, and overthrow the patriarchy... proceed with no caution at all, comrade :)

    His father has died. With a past he would rather forget, builder Adrian Lamperton prefers to live alone. But when Lenny Day arrives in town, feelings of attraction resurface.Leonard learns he has inherited a Welsh farmhouse, something nobody knew about, and employs Adrian to help inspect the property. But tragedy and mystery surround the house and very soon they start to unearth things that others would prefer remained buried.Reader advisory: This book contains references to suicide, attempted murder and religious bigotry.

    Scared and unprepared, he began a desperate battle to protect her from a mysterious disease, shelter their children from her bizarre behavior, and recover the woman he loved.For years, Patrick and Mia Dylan enjoyed an intimate marriage that exemplified partnership. They worked together to create a loving home for their two children, enjoyed a close relationship with their extended family, and offered mutual support during hard times. But on the morning of Mia’s thirty-ninth birthday, everything changed.Within weeks, she had been admitted to the emergency room, the hospital, and the local crisis facility, but none of the experts could provide an answer. As her illness eluded diagnosis, the family’s struggle was only beginning. A brave memoir in the tradition of Brain on Fire, Dylan’s Safe, Wanted, and Loved is a compassionate, honest, and gripping account of a family navigating mental illness.

    Her promising ballet career was halted after a violent attack, forcing her into a rehabilitation facility to cope with her crushing emotional pain. Now, eager for a fresh start, she battles to hide her daily struggles under an ill-fitting mask of control. Until she meets William. Older. Mysterious. Dangerous. Underneath his intoxicating guidance, April explores exquisite freedoms that unlock a powerful side of herself she never knew existed. But the handsome billionaire has a dark side of his own, and may not be the modern-day prince the world believes him to be. Plagued by labels of both good and evil, will he be her salvation? Or her ultimate undoing? Author L.B. Alexander delivers an intense, passionate romance with her debut novel, Swan Lake. This dark and elegant contemporary reimagining of a beloved fairy tale will leave readers spellbound.

    But one car crash and broken cattle fence later, CC ends up at the home of ruggedly handsome rancher Reese Brockbank.Reese doesn’t hesitate to rescue the reckless woman who has crashed into his life, but when circumstances require him to put CC up in his house for a few days, he vows to remain aloof—a woman already derailed his life once. As CC’s warmth and childlike love of Christmas turn his beautiful but sterile house into a home, however, she wears down his defenses. Still, something in her story doesn’t quite add up, and Reese’s questions soon cause CC to retreat.The pain of their pasts has brought them to this moment, but will they seize it or put the possibility of love in jeopardy?

    Love is kind.But love is never perfectGrayson and Angie’s marriage isn’t typicalGrayson suffers from schizophrenia, a mental disorder of delusion and fantasy.Their deep love, and an unyielding bond have allowed them to endure.This gorgeous, kind , sexy man has refused to be defined by his diagnosis. When Grayson spirals into psychosis, Angie is powerless to stop it.He retreats into a world of delusions and paranoia, distrusting everyone around him.The danger he perceives appears to be an elaborate mental concoction, a reckoning of his tragic past and his crumbling present.Are forces working against them? Are the OTHERS real or has Grayson finally succumbed to the demons in his head?This time, can she be his salvation, or will this crisis leave their family in ruins?Can she save Grayson from himself?Love is patient. Love is kind. Love can also be devastating.

    N. Phillips for this fresh, enthralling spin-off to the Family Business series as the heir to a crime family finds himself targeted by an enemy and he'll need more than his family by blood to save him...Nevada Duncan is the heir to the Duncan and Zuniga crime family fortunes, but before he can take the mantle of power, he has to be educated about the family business. So, with the encouragement of his father and grandfather, he enrolls in his father's alma mater, Chi's Finishing School. Chi's is the world's most elite school for the children of underworld figures.On Nevada's first day of school, he hooks up with a group of misfit freshmen from around the world who quickly become his new best friends. However, Nevada is unaware of the deadly adventure that awaits him with a sinister new enemy lurking in the shadows. Montez wants what Nevada has, and he will do anything to get it.Accustomed to relying on his family and his superior intelligence, Nevada Duncan will soon learn the importance of friendship when the threats are aimed directly at him and he's the only Duncan around.

    Before long, she becomes ensnared in the mysteries of Millbury Peak as one question lies heavy: who killed Sylvia Wakefield?As the answer draws nearer, as madness continues to envelop the quaint country town, Renata will come to realise that the key to all this insanity lies with one man—the world’s leading writer of horror fiction. His name is Quentin C. Rye, and he will guide her to the revelation that true madness lies within.Discovering that the darkness of her family’s history runs deeper than she ever could have imagined, Renata Wakefield’s eyes will finally be opened to one single, hideous truth, which will awaken a long-dormant evil.

    Yet, while Dimitri’s life slipped through her fingers, she was the one hospitalized.Why?Because Priya has schizophrenia.And Dimitri never existed.While Priya is still mourning her loss and understanding her diagnosis, her clinical team decides she needs to learn to be a “normal teenager” to find her footing in reality. So, they give her a checklist-for-success and send her off to the vultures at the start of her senior year. It’s a good thing her best friend Elli is an expert teen and can show her how to be that normal teenager.Because of Elli, Priya starts crossing items off her checklist, from going to a party, to going on a date. However, as Priya experiences real-life to the fullest –– the good and the bad –– she finds herself on loose ground as she’s constantly tempted and haunted by her old life.Can Priya manage to stay grounded in the real world or will she fall back into the one she made up in her head?Content Warning: This story contains themes of severe mental Illness/mental health symptoms, instances of alcohol use/abuse, and mentions of suicide and suicidal ideation.

    And for the first time in my life, a little trouble was just what I needed.No. What I wanted.It wasn’t like I’d ever marry the guy.Until I did.What I thought would be my happily ever after, was only the beginning. Cal has a secret, and I’m terrified the truth will not set me free.That it will break me.It’s going to break us.

    It will cut the neighborhood in two. Construction has already started, pushing toward this corridor of condemned houses and cracked concrete with the momentum of the inevitable. Yet there you are, in the fifth house on the left, fighting for your life. Ramey, I. The victim of the bet between two manufactured gods: the seductive and lethal Roxy (Oxycontin), who is at the top of her game, and the smart, high-achieving Addison (Adderall), who is tired of being the helpful one, and longs for a more dangerous, less wholesome image. The wager—a contest to see who can bring their mark to “the Party” first—is a race to the bottom of a rave that has raged since the beginning of time. And you are only human, dazzled by the lights and music. Drawn by what the drugs offer—tempted to take that step past helpful to harmful…and the troubled places that lie beyond. But there are two I. Rameys—Isaac, a soccer player thrown into Roxy’s orbit by a bad fall and a bad doctor and Ivy, his older sister, whose increasing frustration with her untreated ADHD leads her to renew her acquaintance with Addy. Which one are you?

    Impressive sure, but that’s not why fans crowded the merch table she manned at her early gigs, hoping to share a word. In All I Can, recorded exclusively for Audible’s Words + Music series, Van Etten muses on the emotional power of music and along the way demonstrates the truism of the personal illustrating the universal. Her research in the affairs of the heart was hard-won, her catharsis earned; her recordings are a master class on emotional survival. Van Etten takes us through her early struggles and her fascination and focus on how music connects with us so deeply. Her charmingly modest account of a career that has blossomed well beyond her indie rock roots and into acting and collaborations with likeminded creatives like David Lynch, Jeff Goldblum, and Norah Jones is enlivened by performances of several of her best-known songs, including "Stay", "Seventeen", "Like I Used To", and "I Love You but I’m Lost".

    In this collection, talented female and non-binary writers let rip with twenty-two powerful, visceral body horror stories that explore, celebrate and dissect (sometimes literally) femininity and the female experience. The stories traverse difficult and sometimes controversial ground, digging into subjects like eating disorders, the beauty industry, pregnancy, infertility, body dysmorphia, domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse--all done with passion, humour, and creativity. Approach with an open mind and a strong stomach.

    More than half of us will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in our lifetime. It has been easy, for centuries, to relegate persistent emotional and mental struggles entirely to the realm of a failed personal work ethic (Just don't worry so much!), not enough faith (Just pray harder!), or, in recent years, a chemical imbalance in our brains (Just take this pill!). Yet, for those of us who live with mental illness, none of these suggestions provides the quick relief it promises, and the continued struggle takes its toll on our already burdened hearts and minds.In All Who Are Weary, Emmy Kegler joins the reader on the long walk of reflection, understanding, and compassion, calling followers of Jesus back to ancient practices of lament, vulnerability, honesty, community, and hope. This book is not a map to a cure, nor a perfectly restorative prayer. Written with a wide community in mind--patients, but also parents and partners, coworkers and friends, pastors and therapists, and the whole church--All Who Are Weary points to the embodied grace known in Jesus, trusting in the promise of a lighter load for all.

    Emphasising that autism is not behaviour, but at the same time acknowledging that there are risks of increased anxiety specific to autism, this practical book gives insight into the nature of the anxiety experienced by autistic people, as well as covering every likely situation in which your child might feel anxious or worried. It will help you to prepare your child for school, to monitor their anxiety around school, and also to be informed about the educational choices available to your child. It will give you support to help make breaktimes less stressful for them and how to help them navigate things like eating at school and out of the house. Educationally, this book will take you and your child right up to the point of taking exams and leaving school; socially and emotionally it will cover all the challenges from bullying, friendships, relationships, puberty and sex education. It will give suggestions for alternatives in the scenarios that might cause anxiety or confusion in your child; it will also give a full understanding of your child's sensory responses and such behaviours as masking, or echopraxia.As the parent of an autistic child, you may find their path to adulthood different to the one you had expected to take, but as this book makes clear, autism should be celebrated and affirmed. Avoiding Anxiety in Autistic Children helps you to do just that, with practical strategies that will help happiness, not anxiety, remain the over-riding emotion that colours your child's memories of their early years.

    His mom's bipolar disorder isn't being properly treated, so while in the throes of a manic episode, she ditches Jack with his aunt, uncle, and cousins. Jack decides that only George can help him figure out where people go when others stop believing in them--and how Jack can put his family back together. Meanwhile, the imaginary George--half-walrus, half-human, all magic--has a problem of his own: with nobody to believe in him, he is slowly disappearing. Rejoining Jack is his only hope for survival. Or is it?

    In vivid detail.It’s the price of living with her OCD and extreme anxiety. In every situation, Cass imagines the worst possible fate for everyone in her life. Her dad in a pool of blood after a break-in. Her beloved older neighbor, homeless. A splinter in her finger turned to gangrene.But this time, it’s not her imagination. The boy next door, Colin, is destined to die. Cass has foretold a real death before; she knows this is a true vision.Desperate to save Colin's life, Cass immerses herself in a secret organization of soothsayers that promises to teach her how to change the future she foresees. But as she descends into their hidden world of divinatory magic and predictive technology, she discovers there's always a price to pay for unraveling fate's strands. And cheating death will cost her everything.

    The Veil Worshippers who honor the shadow god’s wall are hunted for their artifacts, including the Veil shards that break off the wall in Valisea.Brela vows to steal it all back. With the dagger of her people and a Veil shard embedded in her collarbone that has infected her with shadow-cursed magic, she is determined to keep her secrets or suffer a fate worse than death. That was a lot easier when the uptight and infuriatingly handsome Captain Cason Valkip wasn’t hunting her.Cason has spent his entire life hiding—from the raids on Valisea, from his emotions, and from his multiple gods-blessed magics that everyone is afraid of… everyone except Brela. The chaotic, non-magic wielding assassin who drives him insane is also the only person who has never looked at his tainted magic without any ounce of fear. Which is why being forced to work with her to discover the source of the breaking wall sets his already uncontrollable fire magic ablaze.With tension growing in the remaining kingdoms and mythical beasts threatening her at every turn, Brela’s secrets might not remain hidden for much longer. To survive, she will have to work with the one man who could burn her.Because if shadow hell is released, no one will be safe.For fans of Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series, Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, and Shelby Mahurin's Serpent & Dove series. Dive into this epic, enemies to lovers fantasy with magic, found family, and knives. Lots and lots of knives.TW: This book contains explicit content and dark elements, including language, violence and torture, mature romantic scenes, and mentions of abuse.

    She’s consumed by her disastrous first year of college in New York. When her big brother returns from Vietnam — minus one leg with a crippling case of PTSD — she returns to her hometown of Boring, Oregon to be with him. Gavenia is not your typical nineteen-year-old. She's a ginger-haired book nerd with her own chair at the library, and whose best friends are a group of hip grannies. She is the outcast of her outrageous British family who refuses to deal with anything uncomfortable. They swallow emotions with a stiff drink and view mocking as a family sport. Her return home means she must face a lifetime of ridicule and disappointment. Gavenia discovers that she might be the only one who can save her brother from devastation. But first, she must save herself. She's in for one hell of a summer.

    She thinks she’s found the perfect solution in the Kessler Institute. He’ll be in expert hands and she can get back to work. But her relief is short lived when questions about his care go unanswered and looking deeper puts both their lives at risk.

    It’s another ordinary day when she's sent to a Guardian assessment designed to unleash rare supernatural abilities, until she blasts a tunnel of water across the room. Her coach calls her gift a blessing, but Anora knows it’s a death sentence. Now she must train as a Guardian and battle the very monsters that have tormented her entire life.After being thrown into the arena with a clawed and cackling creature, Anora refuses to accept this new life. She appeals to the Commander and begs her trainers to let her go home. The more they refuse, the more Anora realizes this isn’t a training camp—it’s a prison and they will never let her leave. Now she must escape the camp before the Commander catches on, for if he does, he may turn out to be worse than the monsters lurking in the woods.

    Exploring her family's history with mental health, stigma, and support systems, this essay is not only a touching personal memoir, but also reads as a supportive guide to navigating mental health struggles in the modern world.

    She isn't the life of the party, she's the DD. The responsible one, the reliable one, the one you can count on. That's who she is. When her best friend dies a tragic death on her watch, her life starts to fall apart. The guilt and shame take their toll. Therapists aren't helping and her dad's out of options. That's until her estranged Uncle calls out of the blue, giving her dad the idea of sending her to his small NC hometown for the summer. Her goal is to fix herself, to find her happiness somewhere amidst the chaos. But, she's not ready for the smooth talking, gorgeous guy that gets injected into her life. Staying away from him would be best, but when he speaks to her, she feels her hope inside come alive. When he touches her, her world that's full of chaos and confusion, freezes. Ryan's someone that's never struggled in the looks department. His wounds are deep and he's not looking for someone to mend them. After his long-time girlfriend cheated on him and ended up pregnant, Ryan doesn't want to get tied down ever again. He wants to live out his life, working on his family's farm, and that's it. Parties and unattached sex are his new norm, trying to find happiness wherever he can. That's until her eyes make him feel stupid things in his chest. Ryan doesn't want to give himself to anyone again, but when she smiles, his world lights up. When they're both on the edge of happiness, will they risk it all for each other?- Content Warning: This book contains sensitive subject matter that relates to mental illness. Reader discretion is advised.

    It encompasses the different kinds of grief-- primarily the loss of a friend to suicide, but also the loss of an important relationship, and dealing with some loss related to family. There are frank discussions of mental illness and the spectrum of emotions that come with moving forward.

    For Hayley Mills, these changes aren’t exactly welcome. All she wants is for everyone to forget about her very public breakdown and remember her as the overachiever she once was—and who she’s determined to be again. But it’s difficult to be seen as a go-getter when she’s forced into TV Production class with all the slackers like Lewis Holbrook. For Lewis, though, this is going to be his year. After a summer spent binging 80s movies, he’s ready to upgrade from the role of self-described fat, funny sidekick to leading man of his own life—including getting the girl. The only thing standing in his way is, well, himself. When the two are partnered up in class, neither is particularly thrilled. But then they start making mini documentaries about their classmates’ hidden talents, and suddenly Hayley is getting attention for something other than her breakdown, and Lewis isn’t just a background character anymore. It seems like they’re both finally getting what they want—except what happens when who you’ve become isn’t who you really are?

    Each day, they also bear the weight of difficult life experiences and intense feelings.Zoey Harmon just wants to feel light-hearted and carefree. Unfortunately, she keeps getting weighed down by pesky “books” in her backpack, like Worry and Shame. Much to her surprise, she’s not the only one! Zoey learns that the adults in her life deal with difficult feelings too! Luckily, they have some ideas that can help her set aside the books she’s not meant to carry. Will it be enough to help her unload the heaviest book of all?“You look a little worried, kiddo,” Zoey’s mom said, giving her a squeeze. “Sometimes I need a bright thought to help me when I’m feeling upset. Here, try this.” She slid a bookmark into Zoey’s hand. Zoey looked down and read: Imagine with Hope.“What’s this?” asked Zoey.“When we don’t know what to expect, worry wants us to imagine with fear, to think about all the worst possibilities. This is a little reminder I use to think of the good things that might happen when I imagine with hope instead.”While there are no quick fixes for all of life’s complex problems, What’s Inside Your Backpack? highlights some of the ways we can nurture resilience in body and mind. Using the metaphor of books and bookmarks, author Jessica Sinarski offers gentle, effective strategies to help children impacted by trauma. By sharing their burdens with people they trust, kids can lighten their load and realize just how strong and courageous they really are!

    Now she's headlining a major, first-ever all-female tour. With a lucrative clothing endorsement deal, she's taking full advantage of 24/7 partying, endless celebrity perks, and smoking hot men. Her behavior generates tour drama, and when her female DJ quits, the labelreplaces her with the last thing Deza needs: the sexy male DJ she flirted with at a club.As Deza starts to feel the effects of her choices, her label prepares to undermine theall-female lineup in the name of mega-profits. Then her ex tells the press Deza was just a sexy front for his genius. And when a deadly disaster reveals the clothing company is using slave labor, Deza faces the ultimate reputation crash-and-burn. Now, up against brutal industry sexism and corporate big money, she'll need the drive she had as a scrappy emcee totake a stand--and put everything on the line to make change not just for herself, but for allwomen...

    Nathan uses his cover to move about yards and sneak into the homes of his neighbors, uncovering their secrets.In high school, one of the local misfits introduces him to diet pills, which help him overcome his shyness. In an amphetamine high, he meets Cindy, who he hopes will steer him along the “morally straight” path of the Boy Scout Oath he swore to.Nathan is infatuated with a young doctor down the street, Nicholas (Dr. B), who embodies all the things his mother would love him to be. On one of his secret forays in Dr. B’s house, he hides in a closet and witnesses his idol having sex with a man while the wife is out of town. Dr. B’s affair leads to tragedy, forcing the doctor to leave town.At college in New Orleans, Nathan meets a group of rebels and expands his drug use. Marc, a bisexual Cajun charmer becomes Nathan’s first male sexual experience, but promptly leaves town.Nathan has a chance encounter with Dr. B, who has moved to New Orleans. Dr. B is in a relationship, but still closeted. Frustrated by Dr. B’s cool reaction, Nathan goes on a six-month binge of amphetamines and anonymous sex. On one night of debauchery, he overdoses and ends up in the emergency ward.Nathan’s near death rallies Dr. B and Nathan’s other friends to force him into rehab. On the way home from work, Nathan witnesses the gruesome aftermath of the 1973 Up Stairs Lounge fire that devastated the gay population of New Orleans. As a result of the fire, Dr. B’s live-in boyfriend leaves town, freeing Dr. B to explore his feelings for Nathan.

    

    The changes and challenges which came with this admission and the actions that followed not only impacted who she became as a person but also everything around her-from her interpersonal relationships, both familial and romantic, to the way she walked among her friends and peers and the manner in which she connected with art, literature, popular culture, they all became new and unknown. Through these deeply honest essays that move between personal narratives, anecdotes from conversations and research-driven storytelling, Bahuguna traverses the opportunities and roadblocks that come her way with the tools she has available to her. From a writer of astonishing talents, No Straight Thing Was Ever Made bravely discusses the many facets of living with mental illness.

    For hundreds of years people in Canada and the United States have told stories of a giant cannibalistic monster that could devour an entire community- or worse yet, possess you and turn you into a Wendigo. Almost everything that has previously been written about the Wendigo comes from an anthropological or sociological perspective, often failing to even address the supernatural component of the lore. Not this book! The result is one of the most comprehensive explorations of the Wendigo legend ever written. While not for the faint of heart, Wendigo Lore is a treasure trove of information for those seeking to learn more about this unique legend of the Northwoods.

    Your heart races, your body tenses up, your hands shake, and your emotions take over rational thought.You’ve entered The Flood Zone.When children experience The Flood Zone, their behavior changes. They yell, bite, or run away. They withdraw and lose concentration. They blame and lie. In this state, children are unable to be rational, regulated, or otherwise compliant. Even the most motivated child (or adult) with the greatest coping strategies won’t be able to identify or manage their emotions in The Flood Zone.In Flooded, counselor and bestselling author, Allison Edwards explains how parents, teachers, and counselors can identify when children have entered The Flood Zone. She also offers suggestions for teaching children (and adults!) how to regain control of their emotions. In this book, you’ll get:-An overview of how the brain interacts with emotions-Understanding of the role of trauma in emotional health-Explanation of why children can’t respond rationally in stressful circumstances-Techniques for teaching children how to regulate emotions-Suggestions for setting up your classroom or office to improve emotional awareness-Strategies for improving interactions with children at school and homeAs educators, parents, and professionals, we need to teach children and teens how to identify their emotions, learn what triggers those feelings, and provide strategies to manage their feelings in a healthy way. This book explains how.

    Now, she dives into challenging and universal territory: grief over a relationship's end, loneliness in a world under lockdown, and the anxiety of caring for a loved one from afar in the wake of a serious diagnosis.Unfurling over the course of one month in 2020, in seventy-five original poems, I Love You, Call Me Back grapples with mental health struggles and the uncertainty of the moment and beyond. In isolation, Sabrina dares to embrace loneliness in all its permutations: the sorrow of getting your mother's voicemail when you call to say "I love you; the bitter-sweetness when your dog takes up your ex's side of the bed; the joys of eating ice cream for dinner and singing badly, loudly.In her raw and deeply relatable style, Sabrina reminds us to love our whole selves: you can't have joy without sorrow, and being anxious or depressed doesn't mean you can never be happy. In her words, "Sometimes self-care is just surviving." And that's okay. Sabrina shows us that there's beauty and courage in that, too.

    Only a yard to the kerb. What could happen to her in that distance? Was it too far away to still be safe?Fiona Dexter isn’t the girl she used to be.It’s been five years since she moved into the house on leafy Wellington Drive, with its bright red door and colourful flowers in the garden. Since then, she’s never stepped outside. It’s the only way she can live without constantly looking over her shoulder – the one chance she has of keeping the past in the past.If she could only walk out of the front door, her life would be different. She could find her way back to the person she once was. She could trade nights on the sofa for a cinema trip with friends. She could meet her parents at the café around the corner, with its delicious brownies. Maybe she could even fall in love.Except for Fiona, those few yards to her front gate might as well be a million miles. Outside, there’s no telling who might be waiting…Then one day single mother Bethany shows up holding two-year-old Evie, desperate for help, and their arrival might just change everything.Once Fiona lets them in, she finds the safety of her carefully planned days has lost its spark. Staying inside is still the safest option, but now she’s felt the warmth of Evie’s hugs and danced her socks off with Bethany, she realises what she’s been missing. But can Fiona let go of her past for a chance at happiness? And when she’s put to the test, will love be more powerful than fear?This hopeful and heart-warming read will remind you that life continues no matter where you are, and opening the door is the first step on the way back to happiness. Fans of Jojo Moyes, Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain will love this emotional and uplifting story.

    As he shares their stories in an honest, practical, sometimes painful, and occasionally humorous way (with input from mental health professionals), you'll find someone who understands what it means to live as a Christian with depression. He offers hope and help to those suffering from mental illness as well as those trying to help them. Even in the bleak browns of depression, even when the world looks hopeless, God still has a plan for people dealing with this issue. In this book, you'll find encouragement to fight the good fight and keep the faith.

    Struggling to rearrange the broken fragments of her psyche, Mira attempts to piece her memories together into a survivable landscape. Once, twice, a dozen cycles, Mira is forced to experience memories plucked from time, over and over again until they finally take root, as if they’re happening in the now. One misstep. A chemical-induced amnesia resets the cycle, where she is destined to repeat her own history. Instead of naturally spreading the events over a lifetime, Mira must face the traumatic demons of her past in agonizing bursts. The pain. The joy. The sorrow. Will it be one time too many? That last traumatic nudge propelling Mira over the edge of the abyss into lucidity, or will she be stuck in an endless rotation where her memories lock her away from reality?

    The old woman badgers the boy into taking her sailing, but when the weather turns bad, it becomes a wild sail. It becomes the last trip before she goes into the hospital. Hazel helps build the boy's confidence during a tough time in his home life.

    But then he came back, just like he promised he always would through that smile of his.We’re together again.And now, no one will be able to keep us apart ever again.

    She predicted the Altamont disaster when reading the Rolling Stones' tarot cards at a party and left San Francisco for the climes of Los Angeles in 1967 when the Haight 'lost its magic.'Miss Mercy's work in the GTOs, the Frank Zappa-produced all-female band, launched her into the pages of Rolling Stone in 1969. Her adventures saw her jumping out of a cake at Alice Cooper's first record release party, while high on PCP, and had her travel to Memphis where she met Al Green and got a job working for the Bar-Kays. Along the way, she married and then divorced Shuggie Otis, before transitioning to punk rock and working with the Rockats and Gears. This is her story as she lived and saw it.Written just prior to her death in 2020, Permanent Damage shows us the world of the 1960s and 1970s music scene through Mercy's eyes, as well as the fallout of that era--experiencing homelessness before sobering up and putting her life back together. Miss Mercy's journey is a can't miss for anyone who was there and can't remember, or just wishes they'd been there.

    MAXWELL PRINCE brings his signature style of one-shot storytelling to the world of clowns—and he’s invited SOME OF THE COMIC INDUSTRY’S BEST ARTISTS to join him for the ride.HAHA is a genre-jumping, throat-lumping look at the sad, scary, hilarious life of those who get paid to play the fool—but these ain’t your typical jokers.With issues drawn by VANESA DEL REY (REDLANDS), GABRIEL WALTA (Vision), ROGER LANGRIDGE (Thor), and more, HAHA peeks under the big top, over the rainbow, and even inside a balloon to tell a wide-ranging slew of stories about “funny” men and women, proving that some things are so sad you just have to laugh.

    Jesse Teller is a fantasy novelist, and in this work, he shares the story of his own insanity. Coping with the effects of childhood trauma led to his survival through hallucinations and storytelling. From the discovery of his alternate personalities and the stories they shared, Teller pieces together the memories that made him, and the moments that saved him.

    Tony’s the champion diver destined for greatness. Lucy’s biggest concern is getting Cute Guy from the burger joint to ask her out.After an accident kills their parents, the siblings are forced to rely on one another—and decide whether to reveal their secrets.Lucy can’t tell Tony what she knows about the accident for fear of destroying the tentative bond between them. If she doesn’t confess, she might lose her mind. If she does, she might lose the only person she has left who loves her.Tony has problems too. Between diving practice, classes and concealing the crush he has on his best friend Jake, Tony needs to find room in his life for his sister, but his own stability dwindles with every passing day.As the siblings struggle to overcome a lifetime of past conflicts and jealousies, they discover they might have more in common than a love of rock music.

    This gentle, hopeful book will help kids cope with a parent's mental illness. It is developmentally appropriate, addressing common questions that kids have. This will be a very useful guide for parents as well as psychologists and mental health professionals working with young children.

    His new and initially intimidating classmates were high achievers from the Ivy League and other elite universities around the nation. Stern pulls back the curtain on the intense and emotionally challenging lessons he and his fellow doctors learned while studying the human condition, and ultimately, the value of connection. The narrative focuses on these residents, their growth as doctors, and the life choices they make as they try to survive their grueling four-year residency. Most importantly, as they study how to help distressed patients in search of a better life, they discover the meaning of failure and the preciousness of success.

    But this woman threatened the future we can have.She tried to shake the grounds that became our hope.Maybe the good future wasn’t for us at allBut should we give Charlotte Basset a darker future than ours?Luke Lemming and Ben Danes had struggled to keep their path straight after getting out of prison. Raul Gonzalo’s small construction company gave them hope. But the stone-hearted widow, Charlotte Basset, would do anything to eliminate the company that killed her husband. Losing their hope, but wanting to give the Gonzalo theirs, the two young ex-convicts decided to teach the widow some lessons – one she had learned before and had come to love.Will the three vicious hearts end up shattering each other? Or will they become each other’s completion?Controlling Charlotte is the third book of The Bad Blue Curvy Romances, a series of stand-alone HEA romances between blue-collar workers and the beautiful, feisty, and curvy women of Hood River. DISCLAIMER: Though it promises a sweet and happy romance, the story contains some dark erotic scenes, such as forced sex and threesome. If you are not interested in these types of erotic scenes, then this book might not be for you. But beware. The romance could be the fantasy you yearn. So, don’t miss out! The book is intended for mature audiences.

    I’m Courtney, and I have borderline personality disorder (BPD), along with over four million other people in the United States. Though I’ve shown every classic symptom of the disorder since childhood, I wasn’t properly diagnosed until nearly a decade later, because the prevailing theory is that most people simply “grow out of it.” Not me.In my illustrated memoir, The Way She Feels: My Life on the Borderline in Pictures and Pieces, I share what it’s been like to live and love with this disorder. Not just the hospitalizations, treatments, and residential therapy, but the moments I found comfort in cereal, the color pink, or mini corndogs; the days I couldn’t style my hair because I thought the blow-dryer was going to hurt me; the peace I found when someone I love held me. This is a book about vulnerability, honesty, acceptance, and how to speak openly—not only with doctors, co-patients, friends, family, or partners, but also with ourselves.

    Henry has had a lot to deal with in the past. Now, as he should be focusing on his schooling and preparing himself for the future, he is hindered by abuse, the challenge of raising his baby brother while dealing with his mother’s deep depressions, and the return of a ghost from the past Henry has tried his best to forget.But it seems that Henry can’t avoid the nastiness of life. As hard as he tries, it’s one more disaster after another as his life spirals out of control.Can Henry escape the darkness, or is he doomed to be consumed by it?⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A heartwarming, sad, intense story that will keep you turning pages until the end... P.D. Workman has a wonderful giftBy the author of Tattooed Teardrops, winner of the Top Fiction Award, In the Margins Committee, 2016, this poignant account of Henry’s descent into darkness will touch your heart and challenge you to look at youth crime in another light.Start your journey today!

    With support from his unflappable but flighty twin sister and his stoic and secretive ex-boyfriend, he gets the University of Liverpool to green light the project.However, when his work catches the interest of an unconventional Pope and a nasty spirit attached to an unrepentant murderer, control of the project starts slipping from his hands. It turns out Dalton's unleashed something far more significant on the world than even he thought.Dalton may not have merely created an afterworld—he may have ended this one.

    In this new book by the author of Blessed are the Crazy, Sarah Griffith Lund opens up about depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in her own marriage and shares stories of other couples who have been impacted by mental illnesses such as addiction, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, postpartum depression, schizophrenia, suicidality, and more.Using traditional marriage vows as a framework for the book, Blessed Union explores the challenges of loving in the midst of mental health challenges, why it happens, what we can do about it, and how our faith is connected to mental illness. This book reminds us that we are not alone and invites us to break the silence around marriage and mental illness.Book includes a guided journal section, with a dozen blank pages and prompts for deeper reflection.

    Her father's abuse dominates Cee Stark's childhood memories, her young mind scarred by the betrayal and trauma. Fearing that life will never improve, she prays for help. After Cee's father and beloved brother are dead from an accident which she feels responsible for, the twelve-year-old turns to her parish priest for forgiveness and comfort. Over the next few years, she falls under the influence of his tortured mind and distorted teachings. Cee's struggle for emotional independence and the priest's desire for control begins a battle of wills. Several bad decisions are made resulting in three acts of violence in Albuquerque in the winter of 2012. Seventeen-year-old Cee is connected to the three victims, and the police follow the threads leading to her. However, the truth is more tangled.The Mad Girl asks the question: Can a teen ever escape her mistakes, now that they have become deadly?

    Jason, once a daring spy, has fallen into depression and drunkenness since the war, but he rallies long enough to offer the outcasts the shelter of his brother's country seat, Stonebridge Castle. But the ancient castle is not the quiet refuge they expected. Aurelia and Jason—both lost souls from the war against Napoleon—must deal with a bevy of hedonistic London house guests, seven hundred years of ghosts, multiple murders, and a chance—a very slim chance—that love will triumph over all.Author's Note: Although ghosts are prominent in SECRETS, they appear as characters, not creatures of horror. And there is more emphasis on romance than in my previous Gothics.

    Permeated by body horror and surgical imagery, Vyache recounts and wrestles with his experiences with relationships and religion.

    Her mother suffers from hoarding disorder, turning the inside of the house into a vile nest of cast offs, books, and old pizza boxes. Depressed by the secret life she leads, Shelly lives for the moments she gets to spend with her boyfriend, Joshua, the only person who knows about her hidden secret life.The summer of her senior year, her father confesses the truth about why he left and sends her a lifeline: a one-way plane ticket to his home in Florida. Shelly is terrified to leave her agoraphobic mother home alone but knows her father’s gift might be the only way to save herself. With Joshua’s promise to attend college in Florida that fall, Shelly leaves for her father’s house.There she attempts to resurrect her relationship with her father, learning he left Shelly behind when her mother threatened suicide if he fought for custody. Shelly and her father gradually come to terms with the past and her mother’s declining mental state, but Shelly’s health spirals until she lands in the hospital for emergency surgery. As she recovers with Joshua by her side, Shelly decides the only way to survive her illness and help her mother overcome her condition is to expose the terrible secrets about her childhood. Will her father’s support and Joshua’s love be enough to help Shelly save her mother and survive the life that nearly buried her alive?