Johnson describes the feeling of "bleeding out", unable to tell where she stopped and where her partner began. A self-confessed "psycho girlfriend," she was influenced by many emotional factors from her past. She recalls her path through a dysfunctional, destructive relationship, while recounting the experiences that brought her to her breaking point. In recognizing her struggle with borderline personality disorder, Johnson is ultimately able to seek help, embarking on a soul-searching healing process. It's a path that is painful, difficult, and at times heart-wrenching, but ultimately makes her more able to love and coexist in healthy relationships.

    I always responded, 'Why would I change? Being me is the easiest person to be.' I was lying. It wasn't. At the Beijing Olympic Games, he made history with an unforgettable dive, the first to ever score perfect tens from all four judges, and won gold for Australia. Grinning with pride from front pages around the world, there was no hint of the personal demons that had led this supremely talented young dynamo to quit diving less than two years before. Joyously out and proud, Matthew was a role model for his courage both in and out of the pool. Yet the crippling self-doubt and shadow of depression that had plagued him all his life forced him into premature retirement, at one point reduced to circus diving to earn money. Even after Beijing and being ranked No 1 in the world, those closest to Matthew could not guess that beneath that cheeky, fun-loving exterior he was painfully aware of how easily it could unravel. In the lead-up to the London Olympics, when injury threatened his hopes, he will have to find the strength again to balance his striving for perfectionism with the fear of his self-doubt taking hold again. Told with the honesty and courage he is admired for, Twists and Turns is an inspiring story of a true champion, in and out of the pool.

    It snuck up on me disguised as a healthy diet, a professional attitude. Being as thin as possible was a way to make the job of being an actress easier . . .” Portia de Rossi weighed only 82 pounds when she collapsed on the set of the Hollywood film in which she was playing her first leading role. This should have been the culmination of all her years of hard work—first as a child model in Australia, then as a cast member of one of the hottest shows on American television. On the outside she was thin and blond, glamorous and successful. On the inside, she was literally dying. In this searing, unflinchingly honest book, Portia de Rossi captures the complex emotional truth of what it is like when food, weight, and body image take priority over every other human impulse or action. She recounts the elaborate rituals around eating that came to dominate hours of every day, from keeping her daily calorie intake below 300 to eating precisely measured amounts of food out of specific bowls and only with certain utensils. When this wasn’t enough, she resorted to purging and compulsive physical exercise, driving her body and spirit to the breaking point. Even as she rose to fame as a cast member of the hit television shows Ally McBeal and Arrested Development, Portia alternately starved herself and binged, all the while terrified that the truth of her sexuality would be exposed in the tabloids. She reveals the heartache and fear that accompany a life lived in the closet, a sense of isolation that was only magnified by her unrelenting desire to be ever thinner. With the storytelling skills of a great novelist and the eye for detail of a poet, Portia makes transparent as never before the behaviors and emotions of someone living with an eating disorder. From her lowest point, Portia began the painful climb back to a life of health and honesty, falling in love with and eventually marrying Ellen DeGeneres, and emerging as an outspoken and articulate advocate for gay rights and women’s health issues. In this remarkable and beautifully written work, Portia shines a bright light on a dark subject. A crucial book for all those who might sometimes feel at war with themselves or their bodies, Unbearable Lightness is a story that inspires hope and nourishes the spirit.

    But "John Reid" didn't write it. Years would pass before the writer could reveal his true identity as Andrew Tobias, America's bestselling financial guru, author of The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need. Now, twenty-five years later, Tobias, proud to use his real name, brings his remarkable life story up to date.Writing with his customary charm and frank humor, Tobias tells of love affairs and heartbreak, hot New York parties and tough political battles, the excitement of genuine social change and the tragedy of seeing dear friends die young. Here too are the unforgettable scenes of Tobias revealing his sexual orientation not only to his parents but to the president of the United States.The author is an irresistible companion as he shares with us his proud stories, embarrassing confessions, and hilarious musings on "the homosexual lifestyle." Witty, heartfelt, and wonderfully affirming in every sense, this is Andrew Tobias's finest book to date.

    One small bed. Two ex-lovers. What could go wrong?Broken-hearted Grant retreats to a cabin in the woods to work on his master's thesis and escape the sadness of a recent breakup. A blizzard is on the way, but Grant has food, books, and a cozy fireplace. But when a loud knock jolts Grant from his chair, he's stunned to see his intense ex-boyfriend, Adam...Adam wants to win back Grant's love, but it won't be easy. Harsh words were spoken during their breakup, and Adam's struggling to heal from his wounded past. Grant wants to start a family, but Adam can't imagine being a father...The men cooperate to stay safe and warm during the blizzard, but they can't deny their feverish attraction. They discuss a future together, but old hurts surface. Can Adam and Grant resolve their differences and have the future they always planned, or will this weekend be their final goodbye?The Carpenter is a 20,000 word standalone gay romance with a Happily Ever After.

    Simon is Molly's oldest, bitchiest, best friend. Since they high-kicked out of university, keen to taste life, Molly has become a jobbing musical theatre actress, while Simon is on the cusp of fame as his caustic, bitter alter-ego: Genita L'Warts, a drag queen with a talent for abusing audiences.They'd always vowed no man would ever come between them, but Simon can't resist his fatal attraction to straight men. When his endless pursuit of Mr Right Now leads to a devastating betrayal, Molly is left broken-hearted and their friendship seems fractured beyond repair.But sometimes it's hard to tell the difference...Distraught, Molly flees for comfort to her one-time landlady, Lilia - an eccentric ex-cabaret singer with an extraordinary past. But is Lilia's bungalow, Kit-Kat Cottage, quite the safe refuge it seems?Lilia has plans for her protégée. She will break Molly down, remake her, and together they will achieve the kind of success that Simon can only dream of. But exactly how far would Lilia go to realise her ambitions...?With his trademark comedy noir, Julian Clary's second novel is a hilarious riot of camp cabaret and murderous mayhem.

    But his luck turns when he is asked to house-sit wannabe but talentless actress Fawn Farrar's $10 million Beverly Hills estate. Capitalizing on his new position, he is soon befriended by his all-time favorite star, Marina Stetson, a Janis Joplin-esque singer just out of rehab and trying to make a comeback -- and whose husband Jason secretly covets.Adding to the drama is Jason's ex-roommate, the incredibly pretentious Tricia Cox, whose struggles to make it as a talent agent take a wrong turn when she contracts her meal ticket, the talented and beautiful Violet Cyr, to a hip-hop sitcom called "Chillin' with Billy."When Billy turns out to be a talking goat, all hell breaks loose. The trashy, hip young heroes suffer through humiliations galore before they have a chance to make it -- but not before Christian McLaughlin has laid bare in hilarious detail all the foibles and fumbles of a group of happening young people in La La Land in their shameless pursuit of fame, fortune -- and sex.

    It comes with the territory and she's learned to be particular about her privacy. She's learned that keeping to yourself is always the best option. Until Scarcity turns up. Teresa's never met anyone like her and it worries her how much she likes the girl's presence. What happens when two desperate, needy worlds collide? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEW "I thought this story was wonderful, showing two damaged women slowly opening up to each other. Kate Genet has a way of writing strong, vivid prose that gets under your skin. The light, the weather, and nature all figure strongly in her work. But then her earthy characters are also forces of nature! This isn't pretty writing, it's stark, sensual and gorgeous. I plan to read more of her work." - Gabriella West ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXCERPT ‘I’m Scarcity. Pleased to meet you, Teresa.’ She was smiling. Teresa looked at the outstretched arm. The girl’s hand turned out to be warm against her palm. Scarcity took a step forward and looked up at her. She was still smiling. ‘I gotta go. Thanks for the beer. I’ll come and see you again, shall I?’ She dropped Teresa’s hand and grinned, heading for the door before Teresa could answer. Teresa followed slowly. The blonde girl disappeared around the side of the house. ‘What sort of name is Scarcity?’ Teresa asked the empty yard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kate Genet is a New Zealand author who enjoys writing books with strong lesbian characters. Even if they don't start out feeling all that strong, they've usually found their tenacity and self-assurance by the time she's done with them; characters you can like, admire, and wish you knew - maybe they're even a bit like you. With her interest in telling compelling stories she spreads herself across a few genres within lesbian fiction - supernatural suspense, adventure, science fiction and fantasy, and now romance. Keep up to date with her writing life and new releases by visiting her website at kategenet.com (coming January 2014). She also writes mainstream speculative fiction under the name Kate Hansen.

    Two famous novels by Horatio Alger that focus on rags-to-riches tales.

    I want nothingto reveal feeling but feeling--as in freedom,or the knowledge of peace in a realm beyond,or the sound of water poured in a bowl.--from "Gravity and Center" In his sixth collection of poetry, Henri Cole deepens his excavations of autobiography and memory. "I don't want words to sever me from reality," he asserts, and these poems--often hovering within the realm of the sonnet--combine a delight in the senses with the rueful, the elegiac, the harrowing. Many confront the human need for love, the highest function of our species. But whether writing about solitude or the desire for unsanctioned love, animals or flowers, the dissolution of his mother's body or war, Cole maintains a style that is neither confessional nor abstract. And in Blackbird and Wolf, he is always opposing disappointment and difficult truths with innocence and wonder.

    An evocative, moving and at times hilarious true-life story about growing up gay in a small town, finding out you're adopted, and losing your father at the age of fourteen. Always an outsider, the Rhona of 1979 was desperate to fit in at any cost, and here lies the bittersweet humour. At the heart of the book is the Clubhouse, a place that symbolises all that is normal, happy, and secure. And behind the club, outside, Rhona and her friends are smoking, fighting, kissing and drinking. In this darkly funny and deeply biographical first book, Rhona Cameron takes us back to a year when everything seemed to change. A new British government came to power, the Eighties were approaching and at times life felt so precarious that it really looked like she and her family might never make it through the next year, let alone the next decade.

    Safety tore them apart. Can one act of recklessness reunite them forever?Jamie: Against protocol and my best intentions, I fell in love with the key witness I was assigned to protect. I know. Rookie move. I tried not to let it happen, but Ash is so smart, and sexy, and though his snark is biting, I know it’s only meant to protect himself. But in the end, none of that mattered because I still had to let him go. I’m just glad he never knew how I felt. That would have made things infinitely worse. Not that things are much better now, because a year later, with no hope of ever seeing him again, I still can’t forget him.Ash: Being in love with the officer assigned to protect you sounds like the start of a fairy tale romance. Trust me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Especially when they don’t return your feelings. There is nothing more humiliating than mooning after an unattainable man. Which is why I never let him know.With the end of the trial, I entered the WITSEC program with a new identity and a new life far away from the sexy deputy marshal who still holds my heart. I’ve tried to move on but it’s useless. Jamie MacDougall is too hard to forget.When my past pulls me back to Seattle, and the group I was hiding from finds out, I’m once again running for my life, and there’s only one person I can trust.If you enjoy Forced-Proximity, Second-Chance Romance with a bit of snark, a dash of sweet, and a lot of steam, then you’ll love Save Me by author Beck Grey!Save Me is Book 1 in the LGBTQ Contemporary Romance series Love in the Pacific Northwest, but it can be read as a standalone.

    As Pluckrose and Lindsay warn, the unchecked proliferation of these anti-Enlightenment beliefs present a threat not only to liberal democracy but also to modernity itself. While acknowledging the need to challenge the complacency of those who think a just society has been fully achieved, Pluckrose and Lindsay break down how this often-radical activist scholarship does far more harm than good, not least to those marginalized communities it claims to champion. They also detail its alarmingly inconsistent and illiberal ethics. Only through a proper understanding of the evolution of these ideas, they conclude, can those who value science, reason, and consistently liberal ethics successfully challenge this harmful and authoritarian orthodoxy—in the academy, in culture, and beyond.

    A mysterious new girl. A secret romance…Charlie Baker wants out. She wants out of her small, southern hometown of BluHaven and she has her sights set on a basketball scholarship to a college as far away as her dreams can take her. Everything is going according to plan until she moves to town.Aspen Sullivan is breathtaking. She is beautiful, smart, talented…. She evokes feelings in Charlie that she hadn’t thought possible. When their friendship blossoms into something more, Charlie discovers a new truth about herself. But with Aspen’s mysterious past, they must keep their relationship a secret.Will their love be strong enough to endure the trials of deceiving those closest to them?Do they have what it takes to escape the constraints of the south and the closet together?My Ticket Out is a Young Adult, LGBT story about love, and self-discovery. If you enjoy stories that include romance, heartbreak, and embracing who you are, then you will definitely love this book by author J.N. Marton.Pick this book up today to see if Charlie will find her ticket out.

    Money isn’t who I am, so when I finally use a dating app, I make up a fake “me” with no strings attached. But when I meet Jacob, the spark between us is real.He’s the only man I want, but the closer we grow, the higher the risk he’ll find out I’m not the man he’s falling in love with. Worse, Jacob would never date a rich guy, and with good reason—but that doesn’t change who I am. And who I am could tear us apart when he finds out.He can’t fall in love with a lie.JACOB:I don’t date rich, and I don’t date risky.Another wealthy guy in my life is the last thing I need. My affluent boss used his power to harass me, and now I’m knees-deep in a lawsuit. But when a friend signs me up for the dating app Matched, I don’t exactly back out, and before I know it, I’m matched with Ben.Our date lasts until sunrise, and I know I’ve got to see Ben again. Feelings form fast, and I can’t keep my mind off him—or what he might be hiding from me. I can’t shake this bad feeling, and the more Ben hides, the more I’m worried there’s a dark secret that could pull us apart.Who am I really falling in love with?