Listeners will discover both in O's Little Guide to Starting Over, a collection of stirring pieces on the topic of beginning again. Just a few of the compelling writers and astute thinkers in the mix: Martha Beck, who advises us that embracing failure may lead to our greatest successes; Kelly Corrigan, who writes that accepting our lack of control can be both freeing and healing; and Junot Diaz, who offers reassurance that pushing ahead, even when it feels impossible, is the way to become the person we were meant to be. With moving stories, practical insight, and unforgettable voices, O’s Little Guide to Starting Over is an essential road map for those who are breaking free, rising above, and making their way forward.

    She is his ultimate risk... After losing both her parents, Teresa Dowels' future seems uncertain. Forced to leave the house she grew up in, she finds employment as a governess at the Duke of Rowfex’s mysterious manor. Luke Morton, second son of the Duke of Rowfex, is trying to preserve a well-hidden family secret. But life as he knows it changes the day he saves his younger sibling’s ravishing governess from rape. However, it is only a matter of time before the attacker, a notorious criminal with an ulterior motive, strikes again... When Luke disappears, all pieces seem to connect. With Teresa discovering the ugly truth about his family, time is against her. And only a miracle can keep them both alive... *If you like a realistic yet steamy depiction of the Regency and Victorian era, then An Untamed Governess for the Rogue is the novel for you. This is Olivia's 5th novel, a historical Regency romance novel of 80,000 words (around 400 pages). No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a strong happily ever after. Pick up "An Untamed Governess for the Rogue" today to discover Olivia's amazing new story!

    Fiction has to make sense.—Mark TwainAfter selling their Minnesota home, Travis and Wendy plan an elaborate departure from the United States before repatriating themselves to the UK. Buying a second-hand RV, visiting states unknown, and selling the campervan after reaching Florida seems like the perfect exit. So they pack their lives and blind Shih Tzu into a once-luxurious thirty-one-foot RV and hit the open road.As they roll through the Midwest, heading for the Deep South, they soon discover “RV” doesn't mean “Reliable Vehicle.” Historical sites give way to repair shops and the excitement of the once-in-a-lifetime trip quickly turns into apprehension of what mishap will be around the next corner. With the wheels literally coming off the wagon, bogus repairs, temperatures rising inside the RV and under the hood, sleeping in junkyards, and being laughed at by the Mississippi police, the once-happy couple just want the nightmare to end so they can return to England. But the Minnesota Department of Motor Vehicles has the final say as to when they can leave.Of course it's a true story. You couldn't make it up.

    French ladies slender and chic, French men wearing berets and riding bicycles with baguettes clamped under their arms when they are not flirting outrageously, and all the while the sun shines down benevolently upon uniform rows of ripening vegetables. Dreams are strange and unpredictable, and sometime so is la vie en rose. A pick from some of the best bits of the popular travel author's blog diaries reveal the minutiae of expat day to day life in rural France. A must-read for Susie Kelly fans and anybody thinking of, or dreaming of, moving to France.

    With a mix of traditional, literary prose and bold – some might even say irresponsible – experimentation, Ben Greenman explores the ins and outs of modern romance. Expect tears, nudity, and recrimination.Both familiar in their humanness and wholly original, these imaginative stories take us all over the map in time, place, and circumstance. From the halfhearted summer affair between a part-time bartender and a married doctor in a Miami hotel to the cryptic pseudo-erotic love letters to a friend who is “more than a friend,” we experience the love of pop songs, the love of cohabitation in Chicago, and love that is so transporting it takes us to the moon–literally.

    

    With a foreword by Robert Shapard and an afterword by Christopher Merrill, this book brings you fresh approaches to an exacting form that demands precision, a species of brevity that is surprisingly expansive. Writers say the pieces are hard to compose, but readers say they are easy to appreciate, a pleasure to envision, a wonder to watch life spun out and painted in small places. Real and surreal, lyrical and prosaic, here are 135 stories by 89 authors, certain to make you think.

    I reach for my baby sister and pull her small body close to me. When the sky clears, we are alone on an empty road with no clue which way to go…Oklahoma, 1935. Fifteen-year-old Faith Wilson takes her little sister Hope’s hand. In worn-down shoes, they walk through the choking heat of the Dust Bowl towards a new life in California. But when a storm blows in, the girls are separated from their parents. How will they survive in a place where just the color of their skin puts them in terrible danger?Starving and forced to sleep on the streets, Faith thinks a room in a small boarding house will keep her sister safe. But the glare in the landlady’s eye as Faith leaves in search of their parents has her wondering if she’s made a dangerous mistake. Who is this woman, and what does she want with sweet little Hope? Trapped, will the sisters ever find their way back to their family?California, present day. Reeling from her divorce and grieving the child she lost, Zoe Edwards feels completely alone in the world. Throwing herself into work cataloguing old photos for an exhibition, she sees an image of a teenage girl who looks exactly like her, and a shiver grips her. Could this girl be a long-lost relation, someone to finally explain the holes in Zoe’s family history? Diving into the secrets in her past, Zoe unravels this young girl’s heartbreaking story of bravery and sacrifice. But will anything prepare her for the truth about who she is…?A devastating, completely captivating story of family torn apart, fighting to be reunited. Fans of Orphan Train, Before We Were Yours and Where the Crawdads Sing will never forget this powerful story of survival.

    A tiny stand selling empanadas near the corner of Bleecker and MacDougal streets is the center of the action for the shy narrator, an aspiring writer just out of college. At the stand he falls in with a crowd of kooky outcasts from Argentina who introduce him to their raucous adventures, melodramatic dreamsand women, particularly a tough little flamenco dancer from Buenos Aires. Charming and insightful, this deceptively simple novel is a tale told by a master. It is a wise coming-of-age story, full of joyand touched by heartbreak, that captures a special time and place with extraordinary empathy and humor.

    She is in love with her best friend that she has known since kindergarten. Michelle wants more but is too shy to pursue him and only admires him from afar. He usually pursues another type of woman and she does not fit the bill. When he decides that it is Michelle that he wants to settle down with, she is suddenly afraid that she could lose everything if it doesn’t work out.

    Perfectly gorgeous. Perfect to ruin...Lucy came to assassinate me,now I must punish herI’ve come too far.Plotted too long.Lost too much,to let one woman sweep in and upset all my plans.She thinks she can redeem me... NotI plan to live up to my reputation as a monster,who breaks everything that comes his way.Starting with her...This set features Zeus and Lucy's story as well as Kayden and Chloe's story.

    Danny was being chased through the streets on the dark night Roberts disappeared, and was the last person to see Roberts before he went missing. Now Danny wants an answer to the question on everybody's lips - who would hold England's star striker to ransom - and why?

    Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue - in Marilyn's case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James's case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the centre of every party. Little Fires Everywhere: Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down.In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned - from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

    This exciting, entertaining account of a Christian family's life in the Middle East offers an inspiring dare to live boldly wherever you are.

    :)""This short story was pretty exciting. I truly enjoyed reading this story. Look forward to more reads by Paris Rivera." Steamy, sizzling and tantalizing erotica for couples, singles, lesbians, and those who are bicurious.A respectable married woman, college professor Bella has a strange encounter with a beautiful girl on the train and falls under her spell. Entranced by the girl’s dark Latin looks and daring, Bella soon discovers that the girl is one of her students. But can she resist her provocative advances? In a series of sensual and taboo-breaking encounters, Bella surrenders progressively to her burning desire for this amazing girl. But is there also a more disturbing side to the girl’s character? A series of disturbing messages lead inexorably to a heart-thumping climax that brings Bella to the edge of death…4,200 wordsExcerpt: The girl on the train must have been about 20, fashionable, maybe working in advertising. She had dreamy dark brown eyes and luscious curly dark brown hair. With a coffee complexion, she looked maybe Italian or Spanish. Bella was browsing dream homes in her magazine when suddenly she felt a finger touching her knee lightly like a butterfly. “Sorry to bother you,” a warm and slightly husky voice interjected, “but this is the train to Bunstable, isn’t it?” Bella was flustered: “Er… yes… yes…”. The girl’s heady perfume smelled a little of oranges.Bella could somehow not keep from glancing periodically at this girl. The girl’s high cheekbones, large eyes and full lips were offset with a long neck and a fit lithe body that seemed to ripple and shimmer in a pink silk blouse and sparkly purple skirt. Glancing up, Bella had the distinct impression that an extra button was undone on the girl’s blouse. Could that really be the case? Bella was intrigued, but went back to her article and tried hard to concentrate. After a while, she glanced again at the girl’s neckline. This time Bella was pretty sure – yet another button had been undone! Could this really be happening? All the while, the girl did not look up but stayed focused on her book. Somehow the discussion of rock gardens and topiary in Bella’s magazine article was losing a little of its allure, but she tried her best to retain her composure and take in the words. At the same time, she sensed – though it was hard to believe it – that the girl’s elegant ring-clad fingers were edging towards the centre of that pink blouse again, and when Bella looked up one more time, she was not disappointed. A fourth button had now been undone, and Bella could see a fragment of white lace on the girl’s bra. The girl’s breasts were large and high, and Bella felt a warm rush in her stomach and a flush of blood coming to her cheeks. She had always been fairly straight, but this young lady was definitely tapping into something different. Admittedly this part of the compartment was secluded, but the girl was virtually undressing on a public train! And a fifth button! Bella could now catch a glimpse of the girl’s tanned taut tummy. And a sixth… Was that a tattoo? Close to the girl’s belly button was a little drawing of ice-cream cone melting in the hot sun.