In her new collection, gifted poet and novelist Kim Addonizio uses her literary powers to bring to life a variety of settings, all connected through the suggestion that things in the known world are not what they seem.In “Beautiful Lady of the Snow,” young Annabelle turns to a host of family pets to combat the alienation she feels caught between her distracted mother and ailing grandfather; in “Night Owls,” a young college student’s crush on her acting partner is complicated by the bloodlust of being half-vampire; in “Cancer Poems,” a dying woman turns to a poetry workshop to make sense of her terminal diagnosis and final days; in “Intuition,” a young girl’s sexual forays bring her closer to her best friend’s father; and in the collection’s title story, a photographer looks back to his youth spent as a young illusionist under the big tent and his obsessive affair with the carnival owner’s wife.The stories in this collection have appeared in journals ranging from Narrative Magazine to The Fairy Tale Review, and include the much loved "Ever After," which was featured on NPR's "Selected Shorts."Distracted parents, first love, the twin forces of alienation and isolation: the characters in The Palace of Illusions all must contend with these challenges, trafficking in the fault lines between the real and the imaginary, often in a world not of their making.

    Now, at age thirty-five, Fiona is again confronted with her weight issues when the HR department kindly encourages her and a co-worker, Stu, to attend a support group for people with "health" issues. When quilting is suggested as a hobby to help with their total opposite eating disorders (Fiona loves everything calorie, Stu tries to avoid any), Stu insanely suggests they enter a local version of Dancing With the Stars instead... What follows is a fantastic journey with a lot of ups and downs, sore feet, self-doubt, sweat and tears mixed in with ghosts from the past. Dancing Queen is a warmhearted and humorous story about self-doubt, dancing, friendship, and the courage to follow your dreams no matter what size you are. "If you love fast-paced, feel-good books, with snappy dialogue, lots of humor and heart, this is the book for you."

    But college professor Kelly Martin can no longer deny the reality she lives every day: substance abuse is tearing her family apart. First, her ex-husband’s drinking destroyed their marriage. Now their seventeen-year-old son, Zach, is caught in the grip of drug addiction, fueled by a known drug dealer walking the halls of his high school. Kelly has two choices: watch helplessly and simply try to bear it or fight to save her son, who’s at the edge of suicidal depression.When she encounters shocking disinterest, even hostility, from her ex-husband, her sister, her mother, and her former social circle, Kelly quickly realizes that she’s alone on this painful and frightening journey. But the race to rescue her child becomes an awakening for Kelly as she comes to understand the keys to her own heart and happiness.

    This is a tender story of the ill fortune of Goli, a woman who is prey to the constantly roving eyes of a king, while her husband cannot muster the courage to even lay a finger on her. This edition is the full-text version of this tale and will thus always be considered a document of utmost credibility.

    If you're new to the Bluegrass Series, please pick up Secret Santa as her gift to you this holiday season. At the end of the book there is an excerpt from Bluegrass State of Mind, the first book in the series, also currently free.SECRET SANTAIt wouldn't be Christmas in Keeneston without a party! Everyone's invited, even Santa… Kenna's court docket is full, Dani's hiding from her in-laws, Paige and Annie are about to burst from pregnancy, and Marshall is breaking up fights at the PTA Christmas Concert. The sweet potato casserole is made, the ham and biscuits are on the table, and men are losing their shirts - and not because of bets placed with the Rose Sisters! All the while, the entire town is wondering one thing: who is the Secret Santa that showed up with special gifts for everyone?

    Calvin has everything that he could possible want, but soon realizes that giving his wife Katrina the child that she so desperately wants would be harder than he ever imagine. Pastor and Lady Snow try to be there for them, but struggle with their own problems and martial secrets. Lady Snow starts to see her family crumble before her own eyes and tries to hold everyone together, but the truth hurts. Will this family be able to handle their own "Meltdown?"

    His search for the truth soon becomes a fight for survival and a race against evil, with any chance of correcting the timeline slowly slipping away.*** Time Split is also available in paperback. Also by Patricia Smith: Distant Suns, Distant Suns - The Journey Home, Islands - The Epidemic and Nebathan.

    She's independent, street-smart and the daughter of a prostitute. Living in the mean streets of East New York and Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn shes forced to make a living the only what she knows how. When a wealthy, South African diplomat asks for her hand in marriage things seem to get brighter. Until she realizes that the soft-spoken, reserved, gentleman is pathological, kinky, and sadistic. One day she meets a mysterious stranger who approaches her with The Criss Cross. Is The Criss Cross her ticket to a better life? Or will The Criss Cross ultimately become the double cross? Wait! The Criss Cross isn't done yet! The old gang from Life, Love & Loneliness have some unfinished business to resolve. In this page-turning novel see how the drama unfolds for Lyric, Lacey, Madison, Joshua, and Estelle.

    But not just any pumpkin will do! The red bird wants to get the BIGGEST one of all—which he happens to find. But there is only one problem...how will the bird transport the huge pumpkin back home? Once again, the bird needs your help! Read along as you and your child will once again enjoy the silly antics of this quirky bird! This is a read aloud kids book and is easy to read. The target age range audience is for toddlers, preschool and young children. The Biggest Halloween Pumpkin is a book that any child will love, especially at bedtime. This book is suitable for parents to read to their children. Grandparents will definitely enjoy reading this book to their grandchildren. Read this children's book FREE as part of your PRIME or Kindle Unlimited membership

    His skills and kills are legendary across the Heavens. However, his heart is starting to grow cold toward the Lord and everyone else. The Lord see's this so he has Gideon reassigned to a guardianship over a little girl named Charlotte, that Gideon will nickname Charlie. The plan is while watching Charlie grow the heart of this battle worn warrior will learn how to love again.

    Lee Butts! Legendary as the meanest, most fearless lawdog of the Old West, Hayden Tilden sometimes blurs the line between U.S. Marshal and hired assassin. His adventures all began with one murderous, cold-blooded bastard: Saginaw Bob Magruder. The depraved killer butchered Tilden’s entire family and hurled the young man into a ruthless, bloody crusade for vengeance and a career as a U. S. Marshal. Tracking down Magruder will be just the beginning of Tilden’s adventures, bringing his own brand of justice to the wild and lawless West. “Lawdog has it all. I couldn’t put it down.” —Jack Ballas, author of A Town Afraid “Lawdog should assume its rightful place beside other Western classics.” —Peter Brandvold, bestselling author of Once Hell Freezes Over About the Author: J. Lee Butts is the author of 22 published books and numerous magazine articles and short works. His book Brotherhood of Blood was runner-up for the Western Writers of America Spur Award in 2005. He’s worn many hats over the years (teacher, administrator, pool manager, IBM supervisor, and western author), and he and his late wife lived everywhere from Los Angeles to Dallas. Currently he’s hanging those hats back in White Hall, Arkansas.

    Tempting AF.Old enough to be my father,But I didn't care.I came to Las Vegas with no money to my name.No way to make it on my own.All I knew was the one place that made my dad smile.The only picture I had of him was in front of that iconic sign.But there was someone else in that picture.My dad's best friend.I didn't even know his name,Until he whispered it in my ear.By the time we made the connection, we were in over our heads...Kelli's Note: What Happens in Vegas is the first book in the Dad's Best Friend series. Each book is a standalone, so they can be read in any order.

    This guy’s so timid, I wonder if anyone can teach him the stuff he needs to learn. “Revenge School clients have to be seriously violated. We don’t help people with little stuff. Last week a guy wanted us to kill his neighbor for making a pass at his wife. That guy needs testosterone injections, not us. My team will help you destroy whoever beat you and your friend, but we aren’t free. Your first payment is $10k.” “Ten-thousand dollars,” Richard blinked. The hand stirring his Chai Tea shook and the spoon created a wave that slopped onto the Formica table. “If we succeed we’ll pay you back from the funds we take from your enemies.” “So then it costs me nothing?” “Revenge won’t cost you a dime. It won’t make you a dime. It will make you a man.”

    Bunbury's school for young ladies. Eager for an adventure, she is soon embroiled in one of frightening proportions, for war is raging across Europe, England faces the threat of invasion, and some secrets are more valuable than gold.As she uncovers a complex and deadly plot involving ruthless smugglers, secret codes, and a dangerous network of spies and traitors, Mary must learn quickly whom she can trust. The apparently stalwart Captain Holland? The dangerous yet attractive Mr. Déprez? Perhaps the mysterious Hicks or even Mrs. Tipton, who knows what is best for everyone, especially Mary? The price of failure may be her life and the safety of all England.

    But when her husband’s thirst for high-priced sex leads them down an explosive path of passion, murder, and lies, she has to decide if her marriage is worth saving, and at what cost.Collyn Bazemore, a Manhattan madam, deals with an elite clientele, and they pay big for the best sex in the city. One of Collyn’s most important customers, the mayor, has planned an erotic extravaganza in the Hamptons, but when he sends one of his associates to seal the deal, Collyn grows suspicious of this replacement–and yet her attraction to him is undeniable. While her mind tells her no, her body aches to say yes, and just when he melts her in all the right places, it turns out he has a few secrets of his own.These two women are bound together by an erotically charged past, and when their carefully crafted facades start to crumble, neither will ever be the same.