Fleeing boredom, bad marriages, and dead-end jobs, these adventurers wander south to Playa Paraiso—a lush, unspoiled village on Mexico’s idyllic Caribbean coast. There they find the unpredictable, hedonistic, and sometimes frightening world of the tropics.At the center of this extraordinary group is Poppa, the irreverent and savvy owner of the local beach bar. As he tries to make sense of his own vagabond existence, he offers his fellow expats booze, advice, and the occasional helping hand. It is Poppa who tells the tales of these intriguing runaways, as together they encounter true loves, vicious drug dealers, charming rogues, clueless do-gooders, and a devastating hurricane. Against a backdrop of stunning blue water and endless white sand, they experience the heart’s tug of war between the need for a place to call home and the desire for the freedom to roam.Author Anthony Lee Head is very familiar with the dream of living in paradise portrayed in Driftwood: Stories from the Margarita Road. After leaving a long career as a San Francisco trial lawyer, he moved to Playa del Carmen, Mexico where for ten years he ran a small hotel and margarita bar near the beach.Travelers, wanderers, explorers and dreamers alike will see themselves in these unforgettable characters, all the while craving an icy boat drink on a sprawling beach. But be careful: if you stick your feet in the sand and come along on this journey, you may not want to go home again."... Joseph Conrad collides with Jimmy Buffett in a journey through the dark heart of Mexico's Riviera Maya."~ Bob Calhoun, bestselling author and journalist"Truly wonderful and moving tales; the author is a writer to watch."~ Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"Beneath the 'palm and balmy breezes' tone, a deep, empathetic humanity affords each character and event vivid authenticity."~ Peter Coyote, bestselling author and actor

    But when things don't go to plan her dreams of seeing her face on billboards are shattered, and she is forced to pick up the pieces and start again.

    Patrick is a struggling restaurateur who wishes he could spend more time with his wife. As they drift apart, Jane decides she wants more from her relationship than friendship, and so at age thirty-six she sets off on a journey to find what it takes to complete her life. She travels to India where she falls rapturously in lust with her tour guide, Rajiv. Meanwhile Patrick falls for baby-faced American food critic Stella, who could lose him more than his peace of mind; she could lose him his restaurant. Both affairs are disastrous and as their lives spiral toward disaster, Patrick and Jane reassess the decisions they’ve made. Has Jane thrown away true love with both hands?Prue Leith, one of England’s top chefs, displays her expertise in her insider’s details of the restaurant business and the breathtaking food of India. In Leaving Patrick, Leith has created a well-written and moving story with wry humor and intelligence about the real choices adults have to make once they start taking stock of their lives.

    Once Lil C decides he wants to help her and the other Pitbulls run Emerald City, he will not take no for an answer. He pushes the subject so much, their seemingly in tact relationship begins to falter. Yvette tries to maintain control of her relationship with Chris by not being in the relationship. When Chris makes an unexpected move, it causes her to question her feelings and her sexuality. Will being tough get her through an even tougher moment in her life? Carissa has two loves. One makes her feel high, and the other makes her crazy for him. But when she discovers that their private sex life is not so private, she questions who he really is and what he really wants. Kenyetta was never able to fully recover over the loss of Dyson, and because of it, she meets another man who may not be the best choice. And when she betrays her friends she realizes life is more difficult than she can deal with and feels she needs an out. Lil C grows up quickly in this novel, and he thinks he has it all figured out. But a threat he made to Tamir, of the Black Water Klan, causes him to grow up even faster. When an offer is placed on the table to be the drug dealer outside of Emerald, he battles with whether he ll accept and before long realizes he s also in a serious battle for his life.

    Of endless weekdays, working weekends, making presentations, working with complicated Excel sheets, handling a boss with time-management issues and the general politics of the workplace. Sigh! After eight years of this life, her only personal insight is that she's terribly unambitious and constantly struggling to be an average performer in the competitive corporate world. When a colleague flashes the glint of a golden sabbatical she catapults into it headfirst. After all, one has to find one's calling at some point in one's life. So will the sabbatical miraculously change her life forever? Or will she go rushing back to her pocket money-generating job?

     Meet Larissa Bradshaw, a strong-willed hardworking girl. After her parents turn their backs on her she closes her heart to love and becomes determined to make something of herself despite her situation. She meets Messiah “Money” Lawson and everything changes. Messiah is an up and coming boss in the streets. He’s a nigga that’s respected and feared by all. From the moment he first sees Larissa he has to have her. The two share an instant connection and can’t seem to get enough of each other. Messiah’s lifestyle and desire for money brings jealousy, temptation, and violence threatening to ruin what he and Larissa are trying to build. Follow Larissa and Messiah on their journey of ups and downs as they fight for the love, loyalty and life they always wanted.

    Tammy has everything she’s ever dreamed of, that is until she discovers she is not the only woman in her fiancée’s life. Lisa is a free spirit, who falls victim to a vicious attack by a scorned lover. Three very different women with one thing in common, their lives are filled with nothing but drama!

    She hates it, and she hates the hooligans. And she gets pretty bored. Ok, she's old, but that doesn't mean she's satisfied with a pair of slippers and a good book. Her best friend constantly taunts her with threats of an old people's home. But Birdie's resolute – she's not going anywhere near one of those places. She keeps herself busy, it's better to wear out than rust out. And when ex-husband Jimmy Dwyer turns up out of the blue with a greyhound that needs a home, Birdie thinks things might be on the up. But he vanishes just as quickly, leaving behind him some memories of the past that Birdie would rather forget. Laugh-out-loud funny – this is classic Laurie Graham.

    From four-time "Essence"-bestselling author Lee comes the compelling tale of a marriage that is tested when infidelity--and tragedy--come into play.

    But she has no purpose, nothing to do. She is resigned to this safe and boring existence when she gets a chance to chuck it all for just a little while and run off to Ireland to be a replacement bridesmaid.Once in Ireland, her old dreams and aspirations come back to her, and so does love. Jill rediscovers herself and ends up finding herself having do choose between her old safe life, or her new risky life and the possibility of heartbreak - or love and fame.Authors note: The first edition of this book had a multitude of mistakes, but this version has been professionally proofread. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did dreaming it up.

    Culling over 300 pages of some of today's most thrilling writers, The Best of 2.13.61 Publications hallmarks our company's ten year existence. Excerpts include new material from Henry Rollins and Hubert Selby, Jr, as well as excerpts from Henry Miller's love letters, Nick Zedd's hilarious nihilistic New York urban spelunkings, Ian Shoales' undeniably witty social commentaries and so much more.

     Bob and Amy Phillips and their four grown-up children run Lavender Cabs in the small Berkshire market town of Appleford. Everyone is involved. The business has grown – through three generations – into a thriving taxi and garage business. But when Bob is taken ill, he and Amy decide to retire to Devon, but to do this they would have to sell the business which would throw the entire family’s lives into turmoil…

     Money, Mississippi. Just beyond the Tallahatchie River, the town is a vast, flat land with fields of corn and cotton, split in half by the long and dusty Money Road. Right alongside the road in an old shack, lives Miss Neeyla Jean, along with her six younger siblings, a mean-spirited mother, and a blatantly belligerent father. Because of her parent’s tumultuous relationship, Neeyla is responsible for caring for her siblings. As a result, she leaves school at the age of fourteen to find a job. It is then that her beautiful—but mischievous—older cousin, Reena, finds her a job housecleaning at the Bakers. Neeyla begins working for Mrs. Baker and her handsome, blue-eyed son, Henry. When Neeyla loses her younger brother to a train accident, further dividing her family, her bond with Mrs. Baker allows her to cope—and the friendship they share teaches her important life-long lessons along the way. Miss Neeyla Jean becomes the very definition of the word triumph, overcoming obstacle after obstacle, and she eventually realizes an enduring fact of life: The sun will always shine brightly after the storm.

    She recycles, obeys the water restrictions, she is even polite to telemarketers. as a mother, wife, daughter and nurse, Helen is used to putting everyone's needs before her own. But it only takes one momentary lapse of concentration to shatter her life forever.There was no momentary lapse for Gemma. Her customary recklessness leaves her pregnant, alone and estranged from her family with her one-promising advertising career in tatters.So when Gemma barges unceremoniously into Helen's life, things will never be the same again for either of them. Two very different women who have one thing in common - their lives have fallen short of their expectations. But is fate offering them a second chance?

    Then the way to fame was leading him toward a mistake that could send him straight to hell...She never looked back.Lies, drugs, too many men-- golden skinned singer Topaz Black would do anything to get a hit to the top of the charts, even walk away from her friends and family. But surrounded by greed and lust, the love the longed for seemed to be slipping away forever.He broke all the rules.Brought up in South Central L.A., movie producer Gunther Lawrence learned early how to get the wealth and women he wanted-- and to turn his back on his roots. Now, blinded by Hollywood's glitter, his illusions may shatter when he discovers who really controls his career.As their lives touch, ignite, and explode, three talented African-Americans pursue fame at any cost...and the price may be their happiness...or their lives..An alternate selection of the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club