What started as an outreach program to make sure no one spent Christmas alone, turned into a story in my head, and then a journey of soul searching that I hadn't intended to take. This novel is a work of fiction, but I hope it encapsulates the fear so many of us face in living up to our potential, and more importantly, I hope it highlights the brave life so many choose to live after the loss of a loved one. Because it is a choice; a hard choice with so many possible endings. This novel is for the readers who have shared their stories, and for those who have yet to tell. Thank you for your honesty, your bravery and your incredible will to live. I've learned so much from you all. God bless. - C. G. Cooper BOOK DESCRIPTION Elmore Thaddeus Nix, it's retirement time. You're sixty-five and ready. Take that final physical and then it's adios to your old life and hello to the new. Not so fast. Sorry, Elmore. Your plan's about to change. It's Elmore's last day of work. As part of his retirement, he heads to the family doctor for the follow-up to a routine physical. That's when the universe shifts on its axis. Cancer. Then we find out that Elmore's wife lies at home with only days to live. The stroke of injustice falls hard. And so, with a final word from his wife, and the buck passed to the opposition's corner, Elmore must decide whether to take his wife's advice or just wither away. To Elmore, the choice seems easy. Which path will he choose? Only time will tell, but time is not on our friend's side. Along the way, we'll find out what secrets Elmore's been hiding from the world, and maybe even himself...

    Now the dragons have returned, allied with the dead kings of Cor and backed by the masked gods of Fate and Chaos. The dwarves are cut cut off from the Graith of Guardians in the south. Their defenders are taken prisoner or corrupted by dragonspells. The weight of guarding the Northhold now rests on the crooked shoulders of a traitor’s son, Morlock syr Theorn (also called Ambrosius). But his wounded mind has learned a dark secret in the hidden ways under the mountains. Regin and Fafnir were brothers, and the Longest War can never be over...

    There, with a dwindling army, a manipulative mother, and a resentful population-and his only friend a local fishergirl he takes as a concubine-he prepares for his last stand.In the mountains of Taishu, a young miner finds a huge piece of jade, the potent mineral whose ingestion can gift the emperor with superhuman attributes. Setting out to deliver the stone to the embattled emperor, Yu Shan finds himself changing into something more than human, something forbidden.Meanwhile, a great dragon lies beneath the strait that separates Taishu from the mainland, bound by chains that must be constantly renewed by the magic of a community of monks. When the monks are slaughtered by a willful pirate captain, a maimed slave assumes the terrible burden of keeping the dragon subdued. If he should fail, if she should rise free, the result will be slaughter on an unimaginable scale.Now the prisoner beneath the sea and the men and women above it will shatter old bonds of loyalty and love and forge a common destiny from the ruins of an empire.

    But since then, her father has found love again. He's happy and doesn't quite notice that Ellison does not get along with his new wife or her mean daughters. When Ellison discovers a necromantic tome while traveling the secret passages of her father's mansion, she wonders if it could be the key to her freedom. Until then, she must master her dark new power, even as her stepmother makes her a servant in her own home. And when her younger brother falls incurably ill, Ellison will do anything to ease his pain, including falling prey to her stepmother and stepsisters' every whim and fancy.Stumbling into a chance meeting of Prince William during a secret visit to her mother's grave feels like a trick of fate when her stepmother refuses to allow Ellison to attend a palace festival. But what if Ellison could see the kind and handsome prince once more? What if she could attend the festival? What if she could have everything she ever wanted and deserved by conjuring spirits to take revenge on her cruel stepmother?As Ellison's power grows, she loses control over the evil spirits meant to do her bidding. And as they begin to exert their own power over Ellison, she will have to decide whether it is she or her stepmother who is the true monster.

    Follow the flailing escapades of maverick music manager Campbell Ouiniette at the Calgary Folk Festival, as he leaves a trail of empty liquor bottles, cigarette butts, bruised egos, and obliterated relationships behind him. His top headlining act has abandoned him for the Big Time. In a fit of self-delusion or pure genius (or perhaps a bit of both), Ouiniette devises an intricate scam, a last hurrah in an attempt to redeem himself in the eyes of his girlfriend, the music industry, and the rest of the world. He reveals his path of destruction in his own transparently self-justifying, explosive, profane words, with digressions into the Edmonton hardcore punk rock scene, the Yugoslavian Civil War, and other epicentres of chaos.

    But problems seem to find a way into her new life and even with meeting her possible Prince Charming, there are secrets that lurk in the shadows.

    Two years since she broke the Hatter's heart. Now, he has given up hoping that his Other Half even exists. Determined to live his final days without love, he numbly lives in the world that he created. But, when a strange girl lands in his front yard, claiming to be the granddaughter of the girl that haunts his dreams at night, will he finally open up his heart to true love?

    Meeting on the side of a road on a Friday and married by the following Saturday, they adored, cherished and loved till that same side of the road took away her husband and their unborn child. Just as abruptly as half her family was taken away from her, a stranger, who brings light to her darkness, brightens her world. With laughter and friendship, he, too, promises to spend the rest of his life with her. Amidst all their conflicts, Olivia soon realizes that all fairy tales must come to an end and promises will often be broken.Wander through Olivia and Danielle's life's journey as their many relationships become entwined into a beautifully complicated story of finding love, find heartache, but most importantly, finding profound relationships between mother and child, man and woman, and friends who become lovers.

    Experience her anxiety; feel her fear. Watch her survive by her wits. Connie has recruited her friend, Paul Russo, to serve as cook and first mate. Paul can't join her on her maiden voyage, so Connie is forced to rely on pick-up crew for her first two weeks at sea. Trouble erupts aboard Diamantista as soon as she leaves shore. Anticipating that Paul will join her in the Virgin Islands before their first guests arrive, Connie stays in touch with him during her voyage. As they converse, neither one will acknowledge that their growing attraction is deeper than friendship. Love for Sail is the first book in the Connie Barrera Thrillers, a romantic thriller series from the author of the best-selling Bluewater Thrillers. The next Connie Barrera Thriller will be published in the fourth quarter of 2014. If you enjoyed the Bluewater Thrillers, you'll see a different side of some of your favorite characters when they appear in the Connie Barrera Thrillers. Connie Barrera first appeared in C.L.R. Dougherty's Deception in Savannah. She discovered her Love for Sail in Bluewater Ice and Bluewater Betrayal. Now she has her own stories to tell. Welcome aboard!

    Can a couple of rural coppers and a demoralised ragbag of accountant soldiers intercept the two boys, before they blunder into an old firing range infested with unexploded ordnance?Moira can at least rely on two unlikely allies; her estranged African friend Dahlila, and Social Worker Mildred Pierce. Even so, the beast has picked up her trail; as the double pursuit races toward a terrifying climax, Hardcastle will have to tap every ounce of his wavering resolve in order to halt an unstoppable madman. Yet even murderers have mothers, and ultimately, it is love that must prevail; thanks in no small part to the inexhaustible optimism and humanity of four remarkable women...

    Now the repercussions of that fateful summer are coming back to haunt them. And repercussions are just what Guy doesn’t need: his wife, Jane, is moving swiftly from eccentric to downright peculiar, their three-year-old daughter seems set on destroying Jane’s sanity, and now even God’s gone quiet on him. As for Nina, she’s having enough trouble with her son, James. He’s got exams looming, a new girlfriend with pneumatic breasts and he’s on drugs. Nina certainly won’t welcome any ghosts from the past. Life isn’t going smoothly for anyone. But when Hugo, long-forgotten agent of misfortune, threatens to pay them all a visit, disaster seems unavoidable.

    Kitts, combined for the very first time into VOLUME ONE of the Bite Me, Vampire Romance Collection.The Bite Me Vampire Romance Collection, Volume One includes:1. Till the Break of Dawn2. Frank and The Werewolf TamerTill the Break of DawnThanks to a bet with her best friend, Dawn is about to get involved with the undead love of her life for the second time. So what if he's immortal. It could work, right?Warning: This book contains graphic sex, graphic language, and one smoking hot vampire.Frank and The Werewolf TamerKatherine has had a hard time finding work, mostly because she's a vampire. Turns out, people aren't clamoring to work with the undead. She goes to the massive theme park, Notte Oscura, as a last resort. What Katherine doesn't realize is, there's a lot more waiting for her than just a job.Warning: This book contains graphic sex, graphic language, and violence.

    Everyone else thinks she has severe migraines from stress and exhaustion. What she really has are visions of how people died—or are going to die. Not that she tells anyone that. At age 16, she prefers keeping her crazy to herself. When doctors insist she needs a new and stable environment to recover, Lainey’s game to spend two years at a private New England boarding school. She doesn’t really think it will cure her problem, and she’s half right. There is no cure, but as she discovers, she’s not actually crazy. Almost everyone at Northbrook Academy has a secret too. Half the students and nearly all the staff are members of the Sententia, a hidden society of the psychically gifted. A vision of another student’s impending death confirms Lainey is one of them. She’d like to return the crappy gift of divining deaths with only a touch, but enjoys spending time with Carter Penrose—recent Academy graduate and resident school crush—while learning to control it. Lainey’s finally getting comfortable with her ability, and with Carter, when they uncover her true Sententia heritage. Now she has a real secret. Once it’s spilled, she’ll be forced to forget protecting secrets and start protecting herself.

    But most of all, The Wrong Dog shows us how the end of life can sometimes be the richest part of all.

    It is the winter of 1975 in Northern Ireland and the Troubles are at their darkest hour. Casey Riordan is missing and Jamie Kirkpatrick has just returned home from two years in a Russian gulag. Desperate to find her missing husband, Pamela Riordan makes a devil’s bargain with the one man she believes can help her, forming an alliance which will have grave consequences for her and those she loves. For Pamela and her family, caught in the quagmire of eight hundred years’ worth of hate and betrayal, compromise, both that of body and soul—is inevitable. All of them face an uncertain future in Northern Ireland—a country of shadows, where nothing is as it seems and the slightest misstep can have deadly consequences. Shimmering historical detail and masterful storytelling combine in a tale which sweeps us across continents and seas from the bloody events of the Troubles to the rough streets of post-Vietnam San Francisco, and make this fourth book a journey of both turbulent intensity and heartbreaking choices.