It is a voice thick with the humidity and whirring cicadas of Kentucky, but the poems are dangerous, smelling of the crisp cucumber scent of a copperhead about to strike. Epistolary in nature, and with a novel's arc, Sister is a story that begins with a teen giving birth to a baby girl--the narrator--during a tornado, and in some ways, that tornado never ends. In the hands of a lesser poet, this debut collection would be a standard-issue confession, a melodramatic exercise in anger and self-pity. But melodrama requires simple villains and victims, and there is neither in this richly complex portrait. Ultimately, Sister is more about the narrator's transgressions and failures, more about her relationships to her sister and their mother than about that which divided them. With equal parts sass and sorrow, these poems etch out survival won not with tender-hearted reflections but by smoking cigarettes through fly-specked screens, by using cans of aerosol hair spray as a makeshift flamethrowers, and, most cruelly, by leaving home and trying to forget her sister entirely. From there, each poem is a letter of explanation and apology to that younger sister she never knew.Sister recounts a return to a place that Brown never truly left. It is a book of forgiveness, of seeking what is beyond mere survival, of finding your way out of a place of poverty and abuse only to realize that you must go back again, all the way back to where everything began--that warm, dark nest of mother.

    and too scared to let the world see any of those qualities. Interacting with her restaurant coworkers makes her want to melt into the floor. They're all beautiful, outgoing, and confident - terrifying to a shy lesbian. When Chloe somehow catches the most intimidating girl's eye, she wonders if their mutual attraction could develop into more. Waitressing isn't Jennie's passion, but then neither is anything else. Adrift in life, the tattooed beauty only cares about weed and her motorcycle. At least this job's paying the bills until she can move on to better things. Fooling around with coworkers isn't in her plans - but once she notices the resident wallflower is drop-dead gorgeous, those plans change. Falling for Chloe, though? That's another matter. Will Jennie chew Chloe up and spit her out? Or could Jennie be the first person to see Chloe for who she really is?

    Download a FREE sneak peek today!When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    A beautiful California beach house. The love of her life. But her world crumbled beneath her feet the moment she found her best friend in bed with her fiancé.Desperate to escape her harsh new realities, Katlynn flees to her Massachusetts hometown of Wellesley, to spend Christmas at her sister's cottage. Finding a new love was the last thing on her agenda, but when Katlynn reconnects with an old friend, everything she thought she knew about herself and her future is called into question.Iris' life changed the minute her mother got sick. With her quiet, cozy world in Wellesley suddenly turned upside-down, there's no room for more complications -- especially not the resurgence of a college crush she thought she'd put out of her mind long ago. But when she finds herself spending the holidays next door to her old classmate Katlynn, Iris can't ignore the chemistry between them.As the two women navigate their separate heartaches, will they crack under the pressures of life around them? Or can their new bond save them both? A steamy contemporary lesbian romance novella with a satisfying HEA ending you’ll love!

    Compulsively readable and always accessible, each story takes the reader into the mind and heart of its central character, whether a young boy suffering from Lawrence Welk damage and teetering precariously on the edge of puberty ("The Music of Your Life") or a not-so-young-anymore man for whom fantasy and reality have become a terrifying blur and who finds himself slipping over the edge toward total meltdown ("Wildlife of Coastal Carolina"). Nostalgia plays a part in these stories as a somewhat jaded New York film critic looks back on his life and the movies that shaped him ("Spectators in Love"), and an aging flower-shop owner ruefully assesses the love he found and lost when, as an eighteen-year-old, he embarked on a Hollywood career that never soared but did include one particularly memorable appearance on the I Love Lucy television show ("Who Loves You?") These stories all create entire worlds within which the characters live and struggle to find their way. Funny, touching, serious, and tender, the tales within The Music of Your Life are sure to appeal to anyone who has ever known the awkwardness of being "different," and while life is often harsh for the stories' characters, the bold determination with which they persevere offers inspiration to all.

    Making hip hop beats becomes his life. His love for music lands him at the estate of Larry “Pop” Singleton, a retired and respected Hip Hop music mogul who sees something special in Big A.T., and he also knows the truth about his sexuality. With Pop’s blessings and nurturing, Big A.T. is on the path to becoming the next great Hip Hop producer in New York.  With the help of Pop and “the family,” a network of secretly gay men in the Hip Hop world, Big A.T. finds success and starts his own music label. He’s signed and worked with some of the biggest Hip Hop artists in the country. One of them is Brooklyn native lyricist, “Tickman.” Together they are making sweet music together. Tickman and Big A.T.’s relationship goes beyond producer and rapper – they become secret lovers.  Nothing can stop Big A.T. All of the radio stations play his music. He has money, fame, and Jasmine, his girlfriend who doesn’t know about his secret love for men. However, at the pinnacle of his career, compromising photos of Big A.T. land on the desk of a national news program—and in the hands of his girlfriend. Big A.T., for the first time is at a crossroad in his career: come out publicly with his secret or watch his music empire crumble.

    As Beautiful As Any Other is a trailblazing debut of remarkable beauty, insight and candour.Praise for As Beautiful As Any Other'Transformative, sentimental, witty, and wonderfully authoritative. An intimate and stirring account of experiences at once universal and unique, from a perspective that's crucial to our understanding of ourselves, our relationships and our culture.' Amy Middleton, editor of Archer.'There is so much more to this book than meets the eye. Wilson is able to do that rare thing, fuse the personal with universal, the scientific with the emotional, without losing the impact of either. Instead, they are enhanced. An intimate portrait of family, transition and trauma, with fascinating digressions to marine science and climate change, crossing continents and themes with ease.' Fiona McGregor

    

    Ben likes Noah back. No one must know. But somebody does ... Between his depression and anxiety disorder and his secret relationship with popular jock Ben Hynes, seventeen-year-old Noah Simmons has already more than enough to deal with. But there is always room for deterioration.When an anonymous blackmailer threatens to publish a salacious video of them unless they comply with his demands, Noah and Ben are hard-pressed to figure out the lesser of two evils. Ben has a reputation to lose. Noah has one hardly worth fighting for, but he doesn't want to lose Ben. Neither of them wants to be an inadvertent teenage porn star, so how far are they willing to go to protect their secret?Get your copy of Instafamous now for a fresh and relevant look at the intricacies of social media, teenagers, and mental health.

    Manchester, 1989A student, Rick, is found dead in halls of residence.His friends get caught up in the aftermath: Dan, who was in love with Rick; and Becky, who is in love with Dan.Their fraught emotions lead them into dark places – particularly a connection to a mysterious Kabbalistic sect.Will Becky discover who killed Rick in time to save her best friend?

    King Kong as she's known on the courts falls hard, but will it be because of the person who wants to kill her or for love?

    His crush is smart, witty, cultured - everything he isn't. After miraculously getting her number, he asks Ella to text her as "him." The two have so much in common, and he's sure Ella will be able to get Judi to agree to a date. But as Ella chats with Judi, she realizes their connection could be so much deeper than her brother intended. Can Ella win Judi's heart for herself? Or will Judi end up with the wrong sibling?

    She is used to calling the shots in her London life but a move to Scotland changes everything.When she meets a beautiful, younger woman, Libby, who sees the world quite differently, her life is turned on its head. Everybody loves Libby but will she be able to win Brogan's heart?A slow-burn, romantic tale of new beginnings, hope and family.Please also note that this book contains some hot and steamy sex scenes and a little angst. You have been warned.This novel was first published under the title of Reclamation in July 2020. First Comes Love is the edited and extended republished novel of the original work.

    She’s a rising star at work, managing investor relations at a Chicago tech start up. She’s well liked, she’s funny, she’s smart, she’s pretty. But despite all this, for some unknown reason, she’s had an absolutely awful love life. It couldn’t possibly be self-sabotage, could it? It couldn’t be Amy’s fault, right? No way! Enter Josephine Taft, rich and successful tech investor, swooping in to save Amy’s company from financial ruin. In addition to being super wealthy and accomplished, Josephine is also a total fox. Will Amy be able to rein in her eccentricities to prove to Josephine that she’s worth the investment? Or will navigating this conflict of interest prove to be too precarious for our quirky heroine? As an often absurd Amy maneuvers through this stylized romantic comedy, always eager to get the girl, butting heads with a whimsical cast of characters, she just may discover that outward success isn’t a good indicator of happiness inside. And sometimes, to prove our love, we’ve got to look within at our own inner truth. No sweat! Right?

    Non-binary poet Cyrus Parker returns with an all-new collection of poetry and prose dedicated to those struggling to find their own identity in a world that often forces one into the confines of what’s considered “socially acceptable.” Divided into three parts and illustrated by Parker, masquerade grapples with topics such as the never-ending search for acceptance, gender identity, relationships, and the struggle to recognize your own face after hiding behind another for so long.