Long a celebrated West Coast cult figure, Kate Braverman now gives voice to Squandering the Blues, a distinctive and uncompromising collection of characters living out urban fairy tales and nightmares in the highly atmospheric landscape of Los Angeles.

    She had the radio on as she danced around the kitchen waiting for Karl to get back from his business trip in New Orleans. They were married almost 2 months and she had missed him. That is when it happened. There was a knock at the door; she almost didn’t hear it as she sang along to the latest catchy tune that was sure to get annoying in the next few days. She ran from the kitchen thinking Karl was going to be his usual sweet self and try to surprise her with a grand entrance – or maybe he had left his keys. She opened the door with excitement only to see two police officers with solemn faces. Her world came crashing down around her as she invited them in and continued cooking. She couldn’t believe it, Karl was going to come through that door any minute and tell them it was all a mistake. He would want dinner when he got back. She needed to keep cooking so he wouldn’t go hungry. Jessica came around and talked her down, told her that she needed to go with the police officers to identify the body. She would be with her every step of the way. What followed was the realization that her husband was dead and their future was no more. All the things they were going to do; getting a chateaux in France, having a family, getting a cat when they moved to the suburbs and bought their own place. The future was full of life and in a split second it became a blank canvas; all because of a stupid accident.

    "He brings to life characters and situations as vivid and compelling as any in contemporary literature."--Michael Dorris, The Washington Post Book World.

    Not quite what he expected, and not for the faint of heart.Founded in 2012, The Center for Fiction's Crime Fiction Academy is the first ongoing program exclusively dedicated to crime writing in all its forms. Hone your skills with bestselling crime fiction authors Alison Gaylin and Jason Starr. Attend master classes with crime fiction greats like Mary Higgins Clark, Lee Child, Harlan Coben, Linda Fairstein, Nelson DeMille, Michael Connelly, Lisa Unger, and many more. Students receive a Writers’ Studio membership with access to our extensive circulating collection, and have the opportunity to read their work to an audience filled with editors, agents, and publishing professionals at our seasonal Crime Fiction Slam. Not in New York? Check centerforfiction.org for information about our online classes.

    A time for joy. A time for tears. A time for reflection. A time for hope.And a time for miracles.This Christmas season Dave and Karen Brenner have welcomed a stranger into their lives. A stranger who may change their lives forever.

    Why does Mr Kipling bake such exceedingly good cakes? Is Jeremy Beadle really the devil incarnate? What happens when advertising turns you into a monomaniac? This title allows you to find out the answers.

     As usual, Maupin’s tone is both bittersweet and achingly funny in this tale of a post-catastrophic San Francisco and a young man’s resilient love for his mother. Cover Design by Darryl Vance

    Written in a lucid, simple style, the stories are narrated in a manner that the reader, himself will be transported into the world of great men, artists, philosophers. Spanning a vast territory of topics, the tales are crafted in a manner that they will create psychological awareness in life. Latent emotions of anger, greed, love, inferiority complex are woven into the intricate fabric of the stories and readers will find themselves inspired by interesting stories from the lives of Vincent Van Gogh, Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, Helen Keller and other great people—who had through their work radicalised not only their own lives, but also the lives and thoughts of the human race. The profound wisdom of great philosophers like Buddha, Socrates, Ramanand Paramhansa, King Janaka, Sufi Saint Rabia, the captivating antics of the eccentric Mullah Nasruddin, Christ’s message to the earthlings, Ghalib’s passion, Walt Disney’s dreams, Vincent Van Gogh’s art and much more will urge us to relook at our concepts and philosophies of life. This story book is a must-read for people of all age groups. They will greatly benefit from these stories, thereby transforming their thinking and way of living and instilling hope and confidence that it is possible to lead a happy and stress-free life. The pithy morals at the end of each story, shall help re-strengthen faith in yourself and help you to look at the world in a different light.This book is available in English, Hindi and Gujarati.

    He lands an enviable gig writing about shopping and fashion for the city’s major newspaper, but an ill-fated promotional junket gets Albo into hot water. He becomes a gossip item and finds himself caught in an acrimonious war between Old and New Media. Here's a gimlet-eyed account of the back-biting media scene, a glimpse into the inner workings of the fashion crowd, and a candid portrait of what it takes to survive as a writer in today’s chattering and watchful New York City."I was perilously close to exposing a secret underground economy of promotion: favors and junkets and banquets and gifts that keeps the city in motion, and keeps underpaid writers at work. Basically, I became the Silkwood of Swag."

    Delaney is one of them."When you meet Delaney Robinson, she is a two-year-old with a serious attachment to her wonderful great-grandmother, who guides her through life with the wisdom of a nonagenarian. Margaret's reminiscences, along with the rest you will read, tell the story of how this adorable little girl came to be.There is murder, mayhem, humor, romance--and a bit of heartbreak. The stories are about her parents, grandparents, distant ancestors, and family friends, from Delaney's Irish forebears and how they settled in Alabama to a chapter written entirely from the point of view of a Confederate battle sword hanging on her grandfather's wall.

    

    Intelligent and brutally direct talk to a reader about our times, Russia, the Russians, and much more.

    Five other tales describe folk in Britain's lowest professional class between the late-1950s and 60s.

    With its rambling, wild garden and quaint little summerhouse, the cottage is the perfect retreat for writer, Natasha.When she is exploring, Natasha finds a poem that leads her to find an ornate looking key, tucked away inside a little dovecote. The key fits into the lock of a door, hidden in the wall, behind the overgrown garden. Natasha has been warned not to breach the boundaries between Keeper’s Lodge and the Crabwood Estate, but curiosity gets the better of her and she opens the door to find out what is behind it.Amidst the haven of a woodland glade, she meets Will, son of Mr Randall, the owner of Crabwood Estate.Will and Mr Randall have a secret though and as Will and Natasha grow close, she learns that all may not be what it seems.