Utilizing medical terminology and iconography to work through loss and detachment, McHugh’s startling rhymes and rhythms—along with her sarcastic self-reflection and infectious laughter—serve as antidotes to the sufferings of the world. Being “upgraded to serious” from critical condition is a nod to the healing powers of poetry."Not to Be Dwelled On"Self-interest cropped up even there,the day I hoisted three insteadof the ceremonially called-for twospadefuls of loamonto the coffin of my friend.Why shovel more than anybody else?What did I think I’d prove? More love(mud in her eye)? More will to work?(Her father what, a shirker?) Christ,what wouldn’t anybody giveto get that gesture back?She cannot die again; and Ido nothing but re-live.

    They made it through the winter, but now it’s flu season. Every year the virus changes just a little. Tillie and Angus are trying to prepare for every scenario, even the possibility that they will be the first to go. Nick is working to bridge the gap in supplies until the spring crops come in. Wisp and Bridget are preparing for the birth of their child. But there are changes coming that no one expected.

    There is only one way out. Danny McKay wants out, his boss Freddie Smith on the other hand has different ideas. At all costs, Freddie the Top Dog of the East End must protect his reign and if that means disposing of his much younger, stronger, number two, then so be it. With a price on his head, Danny must fight to stay alive. He joins ranks with his close friend Moray Garner and together they set out to take over the East End once and for all. Along the way they discover a secret, a secret so horrifying that it could bring the underworld crashing to its knees. The question is who will survive and who will be crowned the Top Dog. Top Dog a hard hitting and compelling read. Gillian Godden Author.

    Instead of spending her senior year preparing for graduation and picking colleges, Harley found herself raising her five-year-old sister, Heidi. Although Frankie was there to make the load easier for the girls while they were dealing with the incarceration of their mother, she made it heavier.As if her home situation wasn't enough, Harley found herself trying to navigate through life's obstacles. Typical high school stuff, mean girls, popular guys, and a demanding course load. Being deaf didn't seem to win her any sympathy points.Just when Harley thought things would be the way they were forever, Barz entered her life. The smooth talking, popular guy who couldn't possibly be interested in Harley, except he was. They say people enter your life for a reason or a season. With outsiders working against them at every corner, Harley and Barz find themselves at a crossroad.Can the young lovers overcome the many obstacles they are faced with, or is their love seasonal

    The two of them couldn’t be in the same room for more than ten minutes before they were at each other’s throat and she was calling him Thor or he was calling her Mighty Mouth. For a job well done, Rocky gifted her four member team a well-deserved four week vacation cruise. Once there however, Quiana and Troy picked up where they left off and were once again back at each other’s throat. One evening, tired of the club scene Quiana found herself walking the deck and Troy quickly tiring of his date found himself also walking the deck, only to find his nemesis Quiana leaning against the rail basking under the glow of the full moon. Neither was expecting a ship board romance and if you like, you can blame it on the moon, but true feeling came to the surface and one thing led to another, and the two of them wound up spending the night together. Deciding to put away the animosity they share for one another in the past and opting to enjoy the next four weeks together and the two of them were happier that they had ever been before and were in the process of making plans to continue their tryst once they returned to Philly, but when they docked at the pier, neither expected the drama that was awaiting them. With a low tolerance for nonsense Quiana left without giving Troy a chance to fix the problem, and returned to her home in Virginia. Troy McAfee former bodyguard to Rocky Curtis-Singleton was devastated when Quiana left without giving him a chance to explain, vowing he would never forgive her hurting him. That was until her brothers found him and imparted a bit of news that would change his life and Quiana’s life forever.

    There ain’t no leaving me.” – Esmin Though he never tried to fight it, Esmin didn’t think his initial attraction to Greigh would be anything more than what she tried to make it; forbidden. Up against a battle to keep her heart, and keep her brother’s out their business, he’s also coming to terms with becoming a dad. A role that his own father lacked in due to incarceration and one Esmin wanted to conquer regardless of his shortcomings. The undeniable connection Greigh felt with Esmin from the beginning, is much more than she expected it to be. She vowed to never cross the dangerous line that he walked on and went for playing it safe, but those lines were quickly blurred when she became pregnant. Learning to not only love him and the new life growing inside her, Greigh finds herself struggling to balance her life and their relationship. Falling in love and staying there isn’t an easy task. In fact, falling in love will be downright agonizing for this couple. When life throws a curve ball their way, Esmin and Greigh both must come out swinging at the perfect angle. But, at what price does love cost? And, will it be worth all their efforts in the end to fight and forgive or to let their hearts wander?

    Inside you'll learn how to craft everything imaginable!

    But when news of a horrifying murder shocks her sleepy fishing community, she’s compelled by a deep sense of justice to help track down the killer. And when an old friend offers her a chance to do it from behind a badge, she goes all in. Ellie’s investigation gets off to a rapid start, leading her into a hidden underworld of drugs, murder, and lies, where she quickly discovers that some of the locals may not have the cleanest of hands. Meanwhile, as deep pain continues to linger from the recent death of her father and a gaping hole left by a previous mission gone terribly wrong, Ellie discovers that it’s not so easy to outrun your past. SHALLOW BREEZE When a plane loaded with illegal drugs crashes into an iconic pier, the locals begin to wonder if any other secrets are about to fall out of the sky. After going to Tampa to search out a possible link between Hawkwing Enterprises and the dead body of a young boy, Ellie suddenly becomes entangled with an elusive drug lord and the former Navy SEAL working with him. On Pine Island, a local and beloved business owner is blackmailed into moving cargo that goes against everything he believes in, bringing his world crashing down around him as he begins to live a sinister lie. BITTER TIDE When local Matlacha artist Jean Oglesby confides to Ellie that her son may be in some trouble, Ellie steps in to help and is sent down a winding trail that leads her into deep and unexpected waters. A Category 4 hurricane has Pine Island in its crosshairs, and as the winds whip the mainland, it forces Ellie to make a choice: flee for safety or stay and hunt down the weapons smugglers that have kidnapped and tortured an innocent man. And when a friend from the past suddenly appears with unexpected news, she begins to wonder if the truth is even out there and if she will be forced to finally bend the rules. VACANT SHORE Ellie has encountered setback after setback, and this time is no different. When a former adversary comes back for revenge, Ellie discovers the crosshairs cover more than she ever could have imagined and locks her into a deadly battle that has already claimed far too many innocent lives. As she gets ever closer to unmasking the lies running rampant over her community, Ellie finds corruption at the highest levels of government, forcing her to reexamine everything she knew to be true. In this nail-biting conclusion to an investigation that began in Broken Stern, Ellie’s pursuit of justice takes her to the very threshold of death’s door, and what she finds leading up to it is nothing short of terrifying.

    Only to learn that it was their blood brother who had murdered his very own parents, but now they have found out that it was a lot more to it than that. There was a plot to take over their parents’ territory and more people involved with the plot that they were aware of. Luna is the woman that Jacobi thought he was in love with was part of the plan to get rid of his parents as well, but now she’s pregnant with his child and actually married to the ringleader of it all. Although Jacobi is no longer in love with Luna, he now knows it was just lust because he’s found the love of his life in Jesse, Piper’s best friend. Trina, Jamari’s jump off that would call him to satisfy his needs was also part of the plan, is pregnant by him as well and was the one who set the plan in motion where his beloved Piper was kidnapped. Now Jamari is ready to kill any and everyone who stands in his way of getting Piper back. For the most part Joriah and Zaii have taken the backseat to all the drama as they recuperate from being shot by Joriah’s blood brother and Zaii’s adopted brother, then killing their brother as well. Just when Zaii thinks she’s okay, something hits her and just about takes her out, but she has Joriah right by her side to help her overcome the struggles.

    Just as things seem to be going good for the Hoover brothers, all hell breaks loose. Someone from their past has come back and is trying to force them back into the street life. When they decline, they do the unthinkable and forces the brothers to retaliate. Realizing that their enemy is too much for them to take down, they have to call in unlikely allies for help. A group of retired King Pins, Gangstas, and Bank Robbers must try to work together to take down a common enemy all while dealing with their own issues within. Will these brothers finally meet their demise or will they make it out one more time as they go on one last ride???

    Just when one tragedy passes, there is some unknown person that ensures that another is right behind it. There comes a time when enough is enough, and things have to be handled the best way known how. Straight Street… Both Me’Shellay and Justine manage to keep love alive through all the drama. Times get tough, but that is when they toughen up. Loyalty will be tested, and only the faithful will survive…

    Gaining his trust, took time and patience. Now, all that they have accomplished together, may be the end after she’s caught with the enemy; unknowingly. Fire is not only pissed off but hurt as well. Against his own will, he has caught feelings for Pure. The last thing he wanted to happen, but it did. Witnessing her, with one of the accomplices who robbed him, put a bad taste in Fire’s mouth. It’s only one way he knows how to handle snakes...death. Zoni is left devastated, after finding out she and her sister, had been sharing the same man without either of their knowledge. Talking about a tough pill to swallow. She’s conflicted between her love for Yurey and her loyalty to her sister. Do love conquers all or will she be forced to leave what her and Yurey once had in the past; even though it’s painful to do so?

    Nothing ever was. From the sweet age of fourteen, her judgment in men was always horrible. Looking for the love that she was missing at home caused her to run into the wrong arms. Falling in love with the older, manipulative Dray was the mistake that led to her quick downward spiral. She knew from the start that their relationship wasn’t what she deserved. But what was she to do? She was a teenager in love with a man who had mastered the art of toying with emotions of women twice her age. Years later, with the help of her friend, Ju-Ju, Dae is ready to live life as a normal woman, but what she would encounter was nothing normal. In fact, Knight was a man like none that she had crossed paths with. Successful, charming, and sexy were just a few words used to describe Knight Bentley. With no warning, Dae was swooped off her feet and thrust into a world of lavish living, countless shopping sprees, late night sexcapades, and the adventure she had been dying for. The thing is, all of that came with a price. What she never banked on was the tenacious Ainsley being in the picture. While Dae is head over heels in love with Knight, that may not be enough in this case. Ainsley isn’t a woman who loses, and she doesn’t plan to lose to a woman like Charde. But what happens when Ainsley’s record isn’t as clean as she wants Knight to believe? Will Knight choose the woman who’s been by his side since his days as a street king, or will the woman who believes in his life after the streets win him over? In this series, you will find that family is just a word, and love truly overpowers everything. The problem is, loving the wrong person can get you killed.

    They set up operations at River Glen, his mother’s property, not far from the Hardy property, Avonlea.Fourteen years earlier, an accident tore them apart, and she blames Grant for the tragedy. When she meets up with him, her mind is determined to replay the past as though it were a new release.As they work together, their love is rekindled until another incident tears them apart. With the case concluded, Ella hands in her resignation with intentions to help her parents’ out at Avonlea but wealthy grazier, Dylan Burns offers a new romance.As Ella faces danger and disaster, it’s up to her to save herself but can she still hope for a future with Grant or any future at all?

    With her best friend, Hiro, and her boyfriend, Yohan, both along for the ride, will she be able to keep her focus, or will blurred relationships cause her to be in over her head? Hiro Smith’s main focus has always been basketball and his best friend. However, when the dynamics with him and Akela begin to change, he’s left questioning their friendship. When he crosses paths with the alluring Zuri, he’s forced to figure out feelings he had no idea existed. Hades, fresh out of prison, and Loyalty are adjusting as new parents. The two think they have it all figured out until his street life, her career goals, and parenthood become hard to balance. Will they be able to keep their heads above water, or will the stress of it all cause them to make illogical decisions? Every relationship isn’t meant to last, and sometimes friendships are just that; a bond that shouldn’t be taken further. Find out in this standalone if love can be misguiding or if it leads them exactly where they need to be.