But everything changes when Willow's epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation is uploaded to YouTube.

    I don’t usually tell that last bit to strangers, but I say it in my head all the time. It’s one of the many mantras that have helped me to get to where I am today. And believe me when I say that I’ve come a long way. Besides, if you’re a woman and you happen to have ever struggled with issues of self-esteem, we’re probably gonna be fast friends anyway, so I won’t hold anything (much) back.Oh, and Zara wasn’t the name I was born with—but you’ll find out more about that in the book.I don’t know about you, but my own struggle with my weight has held me back a bit in life. And my self-esteem took a real nose dive after my fiancé dumped me—via text, no less. (I know, right? Jerk!…but I don’t usually dwell on things in the past, so let’s just move right along from that, shall we?) So, I’m still a work-in-progress for sure, but I’m really starting to figure it all out—how to be more of who I’m meant to be every day—including the bumps, the lumps, and my bruised ego along the way.Oh and I love my sisterhood (more about that later) - the women who join me in believing that we are all capable of being strong, amazing, warrior princesses—just the way we are right now. ***FUN FACT: “Becoming Zara” is a standalone novella, but if you’re following the character of Samantha Bradford as she crosses off the items of her bucket list (the Single Wide Female Series), this is the book that Samantha publishes to complete her bucket list item #18 (Publish a Book).Note: You can download #1 Learn Pole Dancing of that series for free.

    Right all her life but even she didn't expect him to be delivered to her door, giftwrapped in a skimpy towel, one sunny summer morning. Sexy Nick Lucas seems almost too good to be true—and maybe he is. Arriving out of nowhere, he seems to have no past, no family, no history: things just don't add up. But then again he's not the first man Maggie's been out with to have lead a double life. As Nick's past starts to catch up with him, Maggie becomes embroiled in an exciting cat-and-mouse chase across the country. Temperatures rise and passion sizzles but although Maggie has the hots for Nick, can she take the heat?

    Knowing her own involvement in his misdeeds decades earlier, Gloria realizes she could be the next arrest and must flee. But first, she needs to make sure her nieces are protected from any fallout.The sisters, though in their thirties, are still constantly at odds with each other. Willow, struggling to live up to their mother’s fame as a singer-songwriter, is recovering from a failed album and yet another heartbreak, while Sam is desperate to revive her floundering video game company.When circumstances out of their control bring the three women back together, they will each have to reckon with and reconcile their interwoven traumas, past loves, and the looming consequences that could either destroy their futures or bring them closer than ever.

    And another that turns a cat into her witch's familiar (a snarky, critical, self-absorbed man—pretty much a typical male). Though her impulsive acts of magic have brought a warder (sexy, grouchy, elusive and determined to stop her from using magic) down on her, Jane's not willing to let go of this fantastic new life.Though she wonders about having things that aren't "real," she's having too much fun to stop. After all, no one ever said being a witch was easy….

    Everyone is stunned - except Isabel, who isn't there to hear it. She is having far too much fun in the garden with rock star Taz Taylor. She couldn't care less about the family business, as long as she has something sparkly to wear to a party. But her ambitious sister, Danielle, who has her own plans for Vanders, feels betrayed. If Isaac no longer wants Vanders, why can't he give it to her? However, Danielle is not the only one interested in Vanders. On the day of the party, Isabel's best friend, Jemma Stortford, wakes up to find a handsome stranger lying beside her and cannot believe her luck. But, having conned two women into bed in two days, Nico Morales is feeling more than a twinge of guilt. He has broken his number one rule - never get involved. For Isabel and Danielle, life begins to! get a little dangerous - it looks like diamonds are anything but "A Girl's Best Friend"...

    It is said the Targe can shield the heart of the Highlands from invaders and now, as part of his plan to crush the Scottish rebellion, the English king wants the Targe for himself...Rowan MacGregor, orphaned niece to the chief of the MacAlpins and the rock her family depends upon, is worried. With the dwindling health of her aunt, the Guardian of the Targe, the protections that have kept the clan safe and prosperous are fading, and the new Guardian, one of her cousins, has yet to be chosen. Rowan wants nothing more than to see the clan protected again, but when it seems that will never happen, she despairs—even when a handsome and charming stranger comes to her aid. Nicholas fitz Hugh is not what he seems. Half-English, half-Scottish, he turned his back on his Scottish heritage early in his life, giving his loyalty to England instead. Now he is a talented and cunning spy charged with finding and stealing the Highland Targe for his king. But when Nicholas finds himself falling for the bonny Rowan and wanting to protect the family she holds so dear, he is forced to choose between his king’s will and his own: Will he betray his king and his mission? Or will he turn his back on the woman he has come to love?

    An artist at heart, Anna works a day job as a private assistant for Bambi Von Bizmark, a megarich Upper East Side matriarch who’s about to be honored at the illustrious Opera Ball.Caught between the staid world of great wealth and her unconventional life as an artist, Anna struggles with her true calling. If she’s supposed to be a painter, why is she so much more successful as a personal assistant? When her boyfriend lands a fancy new job, it throws their future as a couple into doubt and intensifies Anna’s identity crisis. All she has to do is ensure everything runs smoothly and hold herself together until the Opera Ball is over. How hard could that be?Featuring a vibrant array of characters from the powerful to the proletarian, Perfectly Impossible offers a glimpse into a world you’ll never want to leave.

    Gorgeous boyfriend? Check. Ambitions derailed by an insecure boss? Sigh—check.Things were going a little too well for Dylan Delacroix. After upstaging her boss on a big account, she gets dispatched to the last place she wants to be: her hometown, Seattle. There, she must use her superstar corporate-consulting skills to curb the worst impulses of an impossibly eccentric tech CEO—if she doesn’t, she’s fired.The fun doesn’t stop there: Dylan must also negotiate a ceasefire in the endless war between her bohemian parents and the straitlaced neighbors. Adding to the chaos is a wilting relationship with her boyfriend and a blossoming attraction to the neighbors’ smoking-hot son.Suddenly Dylan has a million checklists, each a mile long. As personal and professional pressures mount, she finds it harder and harder to stay on track. Having always relied on her ability to manage the world around her, Dylan’s going to need a new plan. She may be down, but she’s definitely not out.

    But now, five years after her husband's death, she's managed to make a simple life for herself, despite problems with her teenage daughter. However, things in the small-town community Beth thought would be a sleepy haven for her are about to get a lot more interesting.

    Completely unprepared and suffering an acute sense of loss, she and her father continue quietly, trying to live by the well-intentioned advice of friends, hoping that time really is a great healer and that they will, eventually, move on. Life changes very little until Sarah leaves for university and begins her first serious relationship. Along with her new boyfriend comes his mother, the indomitable Hazel Poole. Despite some misgivings, Sarah finds herself drawn into the matriarchal Poole family and discovers that gaining a mother figure in her life brings mixed blessings. A mother-in-law who just can't let her sons grow up, a midwife who treats her charges like girls in a private school dormitory. These are some of the people who Sarah must deal with as her own pregnancy turns to motherhood and she realises that she must find her own two feet. Looking Past is a tale of family, friendship, love, life and death – not necessarily in that order. This is the second novel from Katharine E. Smith, author of Writing the Town Read. The narrator’s voice is clear and strong, with vivid descriptions and intelligent observations. Readers will quickly empathise with Sarah, whose grief and confusion at the loss of her mother at key moments in her life is contrasted with a dry and sometimes subtle humour derived from situations and characters which help colour the book. The father-daughter relationship which develops between the bereaved husband and daughter feels very real, as both come to terms with their grief and learn how best to live together. Sarah's father is unassuming and appealing, as he struggles to find a way to deal with his broken heart and support his daughter throughout school, puberty and on into adulthood. Smith's readers have praised her honesty, realism, warmth and humour. Both Looking Past and Writing the Town Read - Katharine's first novel - are written from a strong female first person perspective. However, don't be fooled into thinking this is chick lit - or indeed exclusively women's fiction. Looking Past has received praise from a number of male readers, including an ex-US Marine. You don't get much more macho than that! Nevertheless, this is a story guaranteed to strike a chord with mothers, daughters - and daughters-in-law - everywhere. The dual settings of Yorkshire and Cornwall will interest people with strong links to those places but the characters and events hold universal appeal. This is a book for people who like people. Looking Past was selected for the People's Book Prize Winter 2015 Collection.

    Her husband, Leon, tells her he’s leaving her, her three children are very unhappy and unsettled, and even her beloved home, Honeysuckle House, is at risk. Without Leon and the painful disruption to everyone’s lives, the family is also finding it hard to cope with the running of the family restaurant, Cookery Nook. However, although Rosie could never have imagined it, Leon’s leaving isn’t the end, but a new beginning for everyone…

    Seemingly betrayed by the only man she has ever loved, Verity Farrington took her own life on the very day he was set to marry another.It was a tragic event which was to blight the lives of all within the great Duchies of Calgarth and Horndean. It would turn two of the closest friends into the bitterest of all imaginable enemies and blight the lives of their families for three decades to come.Nearly thirty years later, the new Duke of Calgarth, Gabriel Farrington, seeks to lead his younger brothers into battle. The old Duke is dead and he has charged his oldest son with the heaviest of duties; the bitter feud between the two great households must persist at any cost. With his own mother so desperate to see the end of the pain and hatred, Gabriel Farrington remains steadfast.In the Duchy of Horndean, the Old Duke clings to life, presiding over the family he has raised in bitterness. With his scheming wife and daughter his most powerful assets, the Duke sees out the last of his days. But will his own guilt finally catch up with him? And will the truth finally be revealed, smashing the foundations of lies upon which the feud was built?In amongst the hate, anger, and retribution, will the younger generation of Farringtons and Cunninghams ever find the peace and love they all secretly crave?Five stories concerning two feuding families involved in a bitter feud for thirty-five years! The story is set in the wild, windswept north of England, with other action occurring in London.The Collection Includes the Following:The Duke and the Stolen BrideThe Lord She Could Not TrustThe Lord and the Attorney’s NieceThe Lord, The Lady, and a Time to ChooseThe Descendants and a Time of HopeRegency Fire is a complete series of 5 short-length novels of approximately 100,000 words in total. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

    Night. Four hundred years into the future, in a dystopian world inside a sphere city called VAMPIRE NATION, there are only three choices for humans: be turned into a vampire at the age of eighteen, become a breeder, or become a feeder slave. On the eve of her required turning ceremony, Ariana Waters has second thoughts about becoming a vampire. She won’t be able to bear natural daylight anymore...or have children. And she will not only be bound to obey their vampire creed, she might be expected to participate in genocide. She’s desperate to find an alternative to the legal agreement she’s made. However, her delay or departure from her agreement to turn could get her and her whole family executed for treason. Her best friend is a vampire. Her worst enemy is a vampire. And her allies are few and far between. Who can she trust? When the family’s feeder human becomes worn out and is replaced by a handsome young man with the kind of strength she’s never seen in anyone, her heart tries to rule her head. Complicating matters is a male friend whose romantic pursuit of her is one week from his own scheduled turning. She’s torn asunder by the strict laws where vampires rule humans, spies are everywhere, and punishment for lawbreakers is swift and final. As Ariana encounters dark secrets about vampire society, time is running out before her turning ceremony. Will she find a solution to her dilemma, will she turn, or will she destroy everyone she loves? It’s not just her own life at stake... **Acclaim for the novels of H.T. Night** “H.T. Night is a riveting storyteller, capturing the essence of the vampire genre.” —April M. Reign, author of Dividing Destiny “The Werewolf Whisperer is a wonderful story that incorporates friendship and love with a lot of great vampire action.” —Summer Lee, author of Angel Heart “A hip and timely vampire novel filled with real characters and some of the coolest vampires since The Lost Boys! You’re going to love Night’s completely original take on the supernatural.” —J.R. Rain, author of Moon Dance “Bad Blood is fast, hilarious and sexy. Rain, Nicholson and Night just might have created the coolest vampire since Kiefer Sutherland. The Mount Shasta setting is dreamy. The cult is deliciously creepy. And Spider is as sexy as they come. I was pressing the ereader’s ‘forward’ button so fast that I broke it. Let’s hope we hear more from Spider.” —H.P. Mallory, bestselling author of To Kill a Warlock

    Now, on the occasion of her fortieth high school reunion, she returns to her hometown on the Massachusetts coast, picking up right where she left off with dear friends Lydia and Emma. But seeing Brett Crawford again stirs other emotions. Once, they were the town’s golden couple destined for one another. He shared Maggie’s dreams—and eventually, a shattering secret that drove them apart.Buying her old family home and resettling in Wyndham Beach means a chance to start over for Maggie and her two daughters, but it also means facing her rekindled feelings for her first love and finally confronting—and embracing—the past in ways she never thought possible. Maggie won’t be alone. With her family and friends around her, she can weather this stormy turning point in her life and open her heart to the future. As for that dream shared and lost years ago? If Maggie can forgive herself, it still might come true.