First Reads

[close] A witty, beautifully written novel that is both a sweet story of love and long-distance relationships, and a timely discourse about bullying, bigotry, and hate in high schools.

Publishers Weekly starred review.

This giveaway is in celebration of Don't Let Me Go's one month anniversary! [close]

[close] Breaking the Commandments Anew Ever broken one of God's "Big Ten"? Of course you have. We all have. Except for murder and adultery the consequences of which are obvious what were the results? A little guilt? Did you disappoint yourself or someone else? Or did no one even notice?

Thou Shalt Not... is an anthology of horror and crime fiction where someone breaks one of the Ten Commandments with dire, deadly, or disastrous results.
1. Worshiping false gods
2. Engaging in idolatry
3. Misusing God's name
4. Violating the day of rest
5. Dishonoring parents
6. Murdering
7. Committing adultery
8. Stealing
9. Bearing false testimony
10. Coveting what belongs to your neighbor

TWO TABLETS, TEN COMMANDMENTS THEY'VE ALL BEEN BROKEN LET'S BREAK THEM AGAIN! [close]

[close] This holiday discover “Sasha and the Magic pen” - Sasha drew her favorite character Ursa and her dog Bo not realizing Ursa is becoming a real little girl and Bo is turning into an actual little boy. [close]

[close] There’s an ill wind blowing in Santa Fe, and it’s touching every witch Adriel knows, including White Feather, who is far more important to Adriel than just any warlock. In search of answers, she delves into ancient magic, a family secret and dangerous religious rituals. Whoever is manipulating the elements appears to be after the ultimate goal: forbidden power over life and death. Adriel will go to the ends of the earth to keep those she loves safe, but if she lures the enemy away, will she be able to save herself? Her only hope is to use earth magic to hide from the very air she breathes as she hunts down an unseen and untenable evil. [close]

[close] Sharon Salzberg writes, "Shortcuts to Inner Peace mines mindfulness techniques in a delightful, easy to apply way. Following the exercises would change any one's day for the better."

This is a book about waking up to the joy of living! Learn how to stop the spiral of non-stop stress in your life.

This book is about finding serenity every day, in the everyday things we do.

All it takes is one moment, one brief respite in which you can center your thoughts, regain your composure, and emerge refreshed and reinvigorated.

Grounded in neuroscientific principles, these tools draw on both Western and Eastern traditions. Once we integrate these shortcuts into our daily lives, they will begin to happen automatically. And when that happens, inner peace will no longer be a brief state of mind, but a constant way of life.

"Ashley Davis Bush helps you take doable steps that are truly shortcuts to happiness and inner strength. I love this down-to-earth, honest, and useful book" Rick Hanson, PhD author of "Buddha's Brain" [close]

[close] February 14 is the biggest date night of the year--make it special! Enter our Valentine's Day Contest to win a signed copy of Penis Power, the new book from Dr. Dudley S. Danoff. This informative how-to book contains everything you ever wanted to know about the penis but were afraid to ask. If you win, the book will be mailed out to you just in time to make the most out of your Valentine's Day. Don't be shy! Enter to win your copy today!

About Dr. Danoff:

Dr. Danoff is one of the nation's premiere urologists and experts on male sexual health. You may have seen him recently on the daytime TV show "The Doctors" or in magazines like "Women's Health." In Penis Power, Dr. Danoff provides a meticulous examination of the essentials of male sexual health, arousal, and anatomy. Drawing upon his 30 years of experience as a urologic surgeon, Dr. Danoff provides nonjudgmental, practical, safe advice for banishing stress from the bedroom and making sex fun again.

Penis Power is an informative, friendly introduction to sexual health issues that affect both men and women and is a great book for people all ages, stages of life, and sexual orientations.

To learn more about Dr. Danoff and to keep up with his latest TV, radio, and magazine appearances, please connect with him at:

http://www.drdanoff.com
http://www.penispowerbook.com/upcoming-e...
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/wt5eQS
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/DrDanoff [close]

[close] A debut unlike any other, Shine Shine Shine is a shocking, searing, breathless love story, a gripping portrait of modern family, and a stunning exploration of love, death and what it means to be human. [close]

[close] Award-winning broadcast journalist Kate Theodore has it all under control, until she rushes to the scene of one of the greatest tragedies in American history in pursuit of the perfect story. Having pressured her cameraman into accompanying her, she feels responsible for his untimely death. Her guilt opens the door to transformation in a desperate attempt to rediscover her soul. Brushing aside a chance meeting with a handsome Italian stranger, Kate soon becomes captivated by his charms, but he is a man whose heart is shrouded in secrets. Can she open her heart to the possibility of true love, or will she be lost forever to her past mistakes? From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the lush gardens of a villa on the outskirts of Rome, An Affinity for Shadows is a decadent tale of love and rediscovery that will leave you spellbound. [close]

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Best Lesbian Erotica 2012 is fully loaded, literary, and lustful. Curated by Lammy Award-nominated editor Kathleen Warnock, this volume is long on variety and even longer on beautifully developed characters who are as interesting as they are interested in getting girls off. Your every fantasy will be laid bare as you devour these sure, sensual stories.

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[close] On January 24, 2012, The Baker's Daughter releases nationwide and in Canada, and the celebration will officially be HERE on Goodreads! Don't miss the live video, launch party online at 2 p.m. EST where Sarah McCoy and Jael McHenry (The Kitchen Daughter) will be chatting about their book daughters and much more!

To coincide with the Goodreads launch party, sign up for this exclusive giveaway of five gorgeous, first edition, deckle edge hardcopies of The Baker's Daughter in lovely themed book totes including authentic German treats. These are only available for Goodreads readers through this giveaway, so don't miss out!

RSVP here for the January 24 release party chat: http://www.goodreads.com/event/show/2255...

PRAISE FOR THE BAKER'S DAUGHTER:

"A beautiful, heart-breaking gem of a novel written just the way I like them, with the past coming back to haunt the present, endearing heroines and a sunny, hopeful ending. You'll wolf it up in one delicious gulp.”
--Tatiana de Rosnay, international bestselling author of Sarah's Key and A Secret Kept

"The Baker's Daughter was a constant warm companion to me during cross-country travels, a novel I looked forward to returning to night after night. The rare book in which the modern-day story is as compelling as the wartime tale it contains, The Baker's Daughter offers a look at Nazi Germany through the lens of the immigration issues of our own time. El Paso, TX and Garmisch, Germany make for an unexpected harmony of flavors.”
--Jenna Blum, international bestselling author of The Stormchasers and Those Who Save Us

“A haunting and beautiful story… Spanning sixty years, and taking on forms of human cruelty and indifference ranging from the Nazis to modern-day immigration reform, McCoy forces us to examine the choices we make. I was riveted from start to finish.”
–- J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of Commencement and Maine
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[close] When Deana Murphy died she told God she would do anything if he would let her come back. Deana didn’t realize what she was getting herself into. God granted her request, but in the form of a Deal. He had a mission for Deana that would change everything. Follow Deana as she takes on this mission with full commitment.

Deana is sent on a path that will require her absolute faith and devotion. She is tasked with stopping a high school massacre that would destroy many lives. She will have to move hundreds of miles away from any family or friends; she will have to leave urban Tampa and acclimate to rural Dothan Georgia.

One element of God’s mission is for Deana to help heal a broken family in this small town. Part of the deal is that Deana has to get the man of God’s choosing to marry her, and she has no say on who this man is. Her faith keeps her going and what starts as a mandate develops into an amazing love story.

This is a story of family and faith, love and inner strength, healing and conquering obstacles, and an absolute triumph of the human spirit. [close]

[close] the second in a four part series of children’s poems written by David Striepe, arizona is about choices, identity, memories and dreams.

[close] Kitari ‘Kiti’ Dolana wants justice for her murdered brother. She’s trailed the man responsible to a distant planet where swords outmaneuver blasters.

Garrick Marcus, Spaceship Captain, is on a mission to hunt down a ruthless killer. The same man Kiti is after.

But Kiti and Garrick discover an explosive attraction that makes it hard to keep their minds on their goals. As they try to bring down the killer, they find that love and vengeance are a volatile mix.
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[close] Win a hardcover copy of Book 1 of the Goblin Wars series!

[close] Are you ready to visit a town where cursed lives are the norm?

There is nothing quite like sharing a nightmare or two, and that is exactly what author Jodi Lee intends to do with her collection, Into a Long Ago Future.

Take a walk through New Bedlam's streets, sail through time and space with an alien-raised human, get locked in a zombie-proof safe house, discover new faery tales, new futures that will change the past.

A bit of advice though. Watch what you eat. Don't drink the water. And definitely make sure you watch where you step.

You wouldn't want to get lost in the galleys between. [close]

[close] Did you know that if you forget to pay a speeding ticket you WILL get arrested—in front of your kids, the neighbors—the dog—and anyone else who happens to be there? True story. And the thing is, Stacey Turis has a million of them, and she imparts these and other nuggets of wisdom to offer others suffering from ADHD some hope in knowing that they are not alone.

A belly-laugh inducing romp through a life so convoluted and chaotic you know it has to be true, Stacey Turis’s debut gives a voice to the genius yet tormented souls suffering from giftedness, ADHD, or a combination of both (a condition known as twice-exceptional) who are too afraid to speak.

Chronicling her life journey from a state of self-loathing to one of self-acceptance, the stories flow timelessly, always incorporating the resulting lessons and reflections gleaned from each adventure. Including both the tragic, stomach churning details of a horrifically abusive time in her childhood to comic adventures such as deciding to dye her hair plum the day before an important presentation to a bank only to have it turn out purple, her life has never suffered from a dull moment. Though she often thought Karma was the reason she found herself in so many “pickles,” a friend explained to her that when you put yourself out in the world more than anyone else, it’s really just a matter of statistics. Lucky for Turis and the rest of us, putting herself out there all these years allows us all to look at life through her pair of less-struggle-more-sass glasses.

With over three hundred million people suffering from ADHD worldwide and experiencing many of the same debilitating symptoms, Turis’ goal is to share her experiences so that others afflicted can rid themselves of the shame of hiding their behavior.

A rip-roaring and bracingly honest look at a twice-exceptional life, Here’s to Not Catching Our Hair on Fire: An Absent-Minded Tale of Life with Giftedness and Attention Deficit—Oh Look! A Chicken! turns the rational on its head in a rollicking depiction of a life that seems to be constantly going off the rails. [close]

[close] Add Minor Snobs today!
Minor Snobs is a portrait of a new generation coming of age in the 21st century. Pulsating with the rhythms of contemporary America, it is the story of competing dreams colliding in a chronicle of youth. Set in Chicago, Minor Snobs introduces Tom Sanders, a handsome, conscientious, and astute young law graduate. Amid a vivid, fevered summer following graduation, the story follows Tom as he becomes a witness to obsession and tragedy, hate and love, violence and passion, and hope and despair.

Patron Press is pleased to announce a giveaway of 1 signed copy of Minor Snobs by Daniel Amory. [close]

[close] Add Cameron's Court today! Cameron’s Court is set in modern day Chicago and is narrated by a troubled, young, native Chicagoan named Cameron Hoffenberg. The events he narrates take place one afternoon between a Christmas party for his high school achievements internship program and the ballet recital of his 4-year-old niece, Chloe. Under the physical and psychological turmoil of adolescence, a host of fragmented thoughts, brash observations, strange encounters and deep revelations about himself and the secret importance of that day lead to increasing erratic behavior as he tries to find his place in the world.

Patron Press is pleased to announce a giveaway of 1 signed copy of Cameron's Court by Daniel Amory. Release date is February 8, 2012.
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Cabin Fever: A Suburban Father's Search for the Wild

By Tom Montgomery Fate

Beacon Press, 2011

About Cabin Fever:

Try to imagine Thoreau married, with a job, three kids, and a minivan. This is the serious yet irreverent sensibility that suffuses Cabin Fever, as the author seeks to apply the hermit-philosopher’s insights to a busy modern life.

Tom Montgomery Fate lives in a Chicago suburb, where he is a husband, father, professor, and active member of his community. He also lives in a cabin built with the help of friends in the Michigan woods, where he walks by the river, chops wood, and reads Thoreau by candle light.

A seasonal nature memoir, Cabin Fever takes readers on a search for the wild both in the woods and within ourselves. Although we are often estranged from nature in our daily lives, Fate shows that we can still recover our kinship with the earth and its other inhabitants if we are willing to pay attention.

In his exploration of how we are to live "a more deliberate life" amid a high-tech material world, Fate invites readers into an interrogation of their own lives, and into a new kind of vision: the possibility of enough in a culture of more.


Praise for Cabin Fever:

“If Tom Montgomery Fate has not found the secret formula for the deliberate, balanced life, he is a chief disciple of the search.”
—Chicago Tribune

“This quietly marvelous book is really a mystery novel at heart. The mystery is How to live? Tom Montgomery Fate, a self-described 'slow and bumbling pilgrim,' sets out to answer this question, meandering, with Thoreau as his companion, toward the truth--or more accurately, the truths. Thoreau has never been more relevant than he is today, and what a pleasure to follow the two of them sleuthing toward something solid in these fickle and shifting times.”
— David Gessner, author of Sick of Nature

"In Cabin Fever, Tom Montgomery Fate has written a book as wise as it is charming. Fate, in his deeply informed dialogue with Thoreau, never dodges the many realities of American middle-class existence that might lead to a life of quiet desperation. Still, Cabin Fever is finally not a book about avoiding desperation, but achieving balance.”
— Stuart Dybek, author of I Sailed with Magellan

“With Thoreau as his guide, Tom Montgomery Fate explores a wild territory where Henry himself never dared to venture: marriage, parenthood, and the suburban backyard. Along the way, he shows us how to embrace the challenges of our world, and our daily lives, with new grace, restoring us to the place where we should all be living: in gratitude and wonder. A profound and beautiful book.”
— John T. Price, author of Man Killed by Pheasant and Other Kinships

“Tom Montgomery Fate resonates with Thoreau without needing to be Thoreau. His Cabin Fever echoes Walden without pretense. It is a book for our time by a writer of our time. Fate proves himself against his transcendental literary ancestor and in the process gives us a contemporary book of thought, hope and promise. Cabin Fever is an antidote to the ills of the day.”
— Jeffrey S. Cramer, editor of Walden: A Fully-Annotated Edition and Curator of The Thoreau Institute

“…frank, poignant, and funny. Fate’s clarion musings on place, time, family, social responsibility, the wild, and the civilized are thoughtful and affecting in their revelations of how complex and precious life is.”
—Donna Seaman, Booklist

“Quiet, beautifully written reflections on nature and the mindful life...."
—Kirkus Reviews

“There are real gems of insight and wit on the diverse topics… Never snide or condescending, Fate blends the significant milestones of marriage and family in a high-tech BlackBerry society with the joys and shortcomings of being mindful in both cultures.”
—Publishers Weekly


“The tone of Fate’s writing is serious and thoughtful, yet laced with some humor. … Fate is introspective and writes in a lyrical manner, offering much food for thought in this multi-layered, 'how to live' memoir.”
—Foreword Reviews

“May touch a chord in a desperate urban-dweller's heart … may also show … that Mother Earth's bosom is not always welcoming to mere humans.”
—Wall Street Journal

“What makes Cabin Fever such good reading is that the author doesn’t try to be a modern-day Thoreau…The magic of Cabin Fever is the author’s willingness to move back and forth between the two worlds of hectic suburbs and the more isolated nature-soaked cabin.”
—Christian Century

“Cabin Fever is a quietly stunning book.…with elegant and rhythmic prose … Fate’s admission that he is a 'slow and bungling pilgrim' serves as an admonition and a blessing to his readers to go and live, even if imperfectly, this one blessed life we’ve been given.”
—Brevity

“His account of a quest for a ‘more deliberate life,’ inspired by a re-reading of Thoreau’s Walden several years ago, is refreshingly modest but also aching with yearning for the Home we all desire.”
—Christianity Today

“I grew fond fast of this book, and it’s hard not to. Fate…brings coyotes and cougars to the page in a thoughtful, beautiful prose that’s readable, lyrical, and begs the reader to slow down and take their time. The book is a wide, deep river….”
—Terrain.org






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[close] Nine new stories from a long-time star of the science fiction field including the Hugo Award winner “The Erdmann Nexus” and the caper-inspired Nebula Award winning title story “Fountain of Age.”

Kress unpacks the future the way DNA investigators unravelled the double helix: one gene at a time. In many of these stories gene sculpting is illegal yet commonplace and the effects range between slow catastrophe (“End Game”), cosmic (“First Rites”), and tragic (“Safeguard”). Then there’s the morning when Rochester disappears and Jenny has to rely on “The Kindness of Strangers.” There’s Jill, who is kidnapped by aliens and trying to learn the “Laws of Survival.” And there’s Hope, whose Grandma is regretting the world built “By Fools Like Me.”

“End Game” & “The Kindness of Strangers” are available as podcasts and many of these stories have been reprinted in The Year’s Best Science Fiction, Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, and Best of the Web.

Table of Contents

The Erdmann Nexus
The Kindness of Strangers
By Fools Like Me
First Rites
End Game
Images of Anna
Laws of Survival
Safeguard
Fountain of Age

Cover by fonografiks.com.

Praise for Nancy Kress’s previous books:

“Nancy Kress Has the true storyteller’s Gift–the ability to make her characters and what happens to them so vital that the reader’s heart aches.” —Stephen R. Donaldson

“Nancy Kress comprehends the grimy relationships among bioscience, technology, and politics; and soon we will too, if only enough of us read her. Too soon it cannot be.” —Gene Wolfe

“Nancy Kress has written a novel that graphically disects the roots of human violence while affirming the invincibility of the human spirit. An Alien Light is both provocative and insightful.” —Julian May

“Kress’s villains are not diabolical conspirators but willfully ignorant hypocrites, shortsighted and greedy dunderheads, the well-intentioned half-baked—in short, us. But we are also the heroes whose generosity, honesty and energy could turn our lemming tribe away from the polluted waters ahead.” —Washington Post

“The plotting is fast-paced, the characterization is good, and science explained in easily digestible portions.” —New Scientist

“The kind of thriller that continually makes you want to turn the pages faster than you can read them.” —SF Site

“That Kress remains a master is everywhere evident.” —Booklist

“The keeness of vision to. . . see the possibilities for the future very clearly, and they are both fascinating and frightening.” —San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle

Nancy Kress is the author of thirty books, including four collections of short stories, and three books on writing. For sixteen years she was the fiction columnist for Writers Digest magazine. She is perhaps best known for the “Sleepless” trilogy that began with Beggars in Spain. Her work has won four Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Award. Most recent books are a collection an SF novel, Steal Across the Sky; a YA fantasy written under the name Anna Kendall, Crossing Over; and a short novel of eco-terror, Before the Fall, During the Fall, After the Fall. Kress lives in Seattle with her husband, SF writer Jack Skillingstead, and Cosette, the world’s most spoiled toy poodle. [close]

[close] Yasuko Hanaoka is a divorced, single mother who thought she had finally escaped her abusive ex-husband Togashi. When he shows up one day to extort money from her, threatening both her and her teenaged daughter Misato, the situation quickly escalates into violence and Togashi ends up dead on her apartment floor. Overhearing the commotion, Yasuko’s next door neighbor, middle-aged high school mathematics teacher Ishigami, offers his help, disposing not only of the body but plotting the cover-up step-by-step.

When the body turns up and is identified, Detective Kusanagi draws the case and Yasuko comes under suspicion. Kusanagi is unable to find any obvious holes in Yasuko’s manufactured alibi and yet is still sure that there’s something wrong. Kusanagi brings in Dr. Manabu Yukawa, a physicist and college friend who frequently consults with the police. Yukawa, known to the police by the nickname Professor Galileo, went to college with Ishigami. After meeting up with him again, Yukawa is convinced that Ishigami had something to do with the murder. What ensues is a high level battle of wits, as Ishigami tries to protect Yasuko by outmaneuvering and outthinking Yukawa, who faces his most clever and determined opponent yet. [close]

[close] In fifteen-year-old Chela Prizeon’s city, alchemy is forbidden and angels hide among the mortal. With a deadly virus ravaging the globe, Chela’s nightmarish memories compels her to experience a past riddled with gloom, and now her brother is infected.

Chela’s only hope is the Caduceans, slayers sworn to protect the last seven Light Keepers and the ancient memories they share. A group led by the sometimes elusive, sometimes infuriating boy who intrigues Chela. But can she trust this boy with the mysterious past, someone who can influence her memories?

With the Caduceans aid, Chela races to defeat her rivals, to unearth dark family secrets, desperate to find a cure…only to discover the glutovirus is far more than a simple disease.

In this haunting debut, KaSonndra Leigh offers an escape into a world as intriguing as The Mortal Instruments and a story as chilling as Enclave. Full of celestial creatures, fascinating villainy, high-stake choices, and a secret romance, When Copper Suns Fall, is a fresh and original urban fantasy—with a dystopian twist—that will take readers on an unforgettable adventure. [close]

[close] Enter to win an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of WICKED AS THEY COME, the darkly tempting debut in the Blud series.
"WICKED AS THEY COME is as good as it gets!"
-- New York Times bestselling author Nancy Holder [close]

[close] The second epic installment of Brandon Mull’s #1 New York Times bestselling fantasy series!After the cliffhanger ending of A World Without Heroes, Jason is back in the world he’s always known—yet for all his efforts to get home, he finds himself itching to return to Lyrian. Jason knows that the shocking truth he learned from Maldor is precious information that all of his friends in Lyrian, including Rachel, need if they have any hope of surviving and defeating the evil emperor.

Meanwhile, Rachel and the others have discovered new enemies—as well as new abilities that could turn the tide of the entire quest. And as soon as Jason succeeds in crossing over to Lyrian, he’s in more danger than ever. Once the group reunites, they strive to convince their most-needed ally to join the war and form a rebellion strong enough to triumph over Maldor. At the center of it all, Jason and Rachel realize what roles they’re meant to play—and the answers are as surprising as they are gripping. [close]

[close] General fiction- positive romance novel

A Friend's Last Gift

The building's newest tenant scared and intrigued Maggie. On the night she met Clark, she had no idea how much he would change her world. Clark was immediately curious and attracted to his new neighbor. Would his decision to move closer to family change his life in ways he could not even imagine? Are Maggie and Clark ready for the future? Are they ready for each other? Would her friend's final gift bring all the pieces together and show them the path to happiness? [close]

[close] THE GAIA WARS

DEADLY SECRETS have been buried in the Cascade mountain wilderness for centuries. Hidden. Out of sight and out of mind. Until today… Warren Wilkes, age 13, doesn’t like what a greedy housing developer has done to his peaceful mountain community, so he vandalizes the developer’s property, flees into the wild, and stumbles upon an ancient human skeleton revealed by torrential rain. More than old bones have been exposed, however, and the curious artifact Warren finds makes him question his own identity, and his connection to an ancient terror. A terror destined to rise again and annihilate all that Warren loves. He must fight or see his whole world destroyed. [close]

[close] BATTLE FOR CASCADIA
The Second Book of The Gaia Wars

When Warren Wilkes, age 13, stumbles upon a mysterious relic deep in the Cascade Mountains (The Gaia Wars) wonder reigns. Brimming with secrets and sentient energy, the relic leads Warren to a fantastic chamber, and to shocking revelations about his identity.

Now wonder has turned to dread.

A forgotten terror-- a demon that knows Warren better than he knows himself-- has risen again and is gathering power with a singularly evil goal in mind: to capture and enslave the wild spirit of the Earth itself.

Warren must fight or see all that he cherishes destroyed. [close]

[close] Galley/Advanced Reader's Copy

A suspenseful sci-fi escapade plucks two children out of the ocean for a thrilling adventure.

Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony's survival is at risk. The Kampii's breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people. But can Aluna's fierce determination and fighting skills and Hoku's tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt - growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains - here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true [close]

[close] Galley/Advanced Reader's Copy

In this extraordinary novel in two voices, an Indian immigrant girl in New York City and a Kentucky coal miner’s son find strength and perspective by sharing their true selves across the miles.

Meena and River have a lot in common: fathers forced to work away from home to make ends meet, grandmothers who mean the world to them, and faithful dogs. But Meena is an Indian immigrant girl living in New York City’s Chinatown, while River is a Kentucky coal miner’s son. As Meena’s family studies for citizenship exams and River's town faces devastating mountaintop removal, this unlikely pair become pen pals, sharing thoughts and, as their camaraderie deepens, discovering common ground in their disparate experiences. With honesty and humor, Meena and River bridge the miles between them, creating a friendship that inspires bravery and defeats cultural misconceptions. Narrated in two voices, each voice distinctly articulated by a separate gifted author, this chronicle of two lives powerfully conveys the great value of being and having a friend and the joys of opening our lives to others who live beneath the same sun. [close]

[close] ou can be different tomorrow than you are today, and The 7 Minute Solution shows how. The author of the bestseller The 7 Minute Difference shows you the tiny daily choices—and fast and easy shifts you can make—to create lasting life improvement.

With The 7 Minute Difference, Allyson Lewis turned her decades of experience coaching business leaders into a blockbuster book that transformed the way people approached professional decision-making. The 7 Minute Solution brings the same revolutionary concepts to a broader audience, creating an ideal tool for finding fulfillment in personal relationships, fitness and weight loss, money and career goals, and more.

With a scientific basis in how our actions change the brain, Lewis provides ideas, strategies, and tools you can easily implement, from “5 before 11®” (accomplishing five high-value tasks before 11:00 am every day) to “7 Big Life Questions,” which shows you how to decide what’s most significant in the long term. What emerges is an accessible, clever, and highly actionable guide to tackling sometimes overwhelming challenges in manageable chunks—an approach that Lewis backs up with plenty of real-life case studies. A truly original approach to overcoming the sorts of hurdles we all face, The 7 Minute Solution is destined to become a hugely popular book—not only because of its powerful ideas but also its personal impact. You will find yourself, and your hopes and dreams, woven into this book. You can be different. Now is the time to find out how.
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[close] It Rains In February: A Wife's Memoir of Love and Loss is the true story of a husband's depression and obsession, not only with another woman, but also with ending his life. In this honest and heartfelt narrative, Leila Summers weaves a compelling tale of the year that led up to Stuart's suicide and the grief, profound loss and self discovery that followed. Although each suicide is unique, this book gives the reader an insider's view from one perspective by way letters and e-mail messages.

"It Rains In February reads as a wrenching yet uplifting, brutal and gentle, hopeless and life-affirming story." -John Duffy, Psy.D., clinical psychologist and author [close]

[close] Everybody knows the picture: a man, meticulously rendered by Leonardo da Vinci, standing with arms and legs outstretched in a circle and a square. Deployed today to celebrate subjects as various as the grandeur of art, the beauty of the human form, and the universality of the human spirit, the drawing turns up just about everywhere: in books, on coffee cups, on corporate logos, even on spacecraft. It has, in short, become the world’s most famous cultural icon—and yet almost nobody knows about the epic intellectual journeys that led to its creation. In this modest drawing that would one day paper the world, da Vinci attempted nothing less than to calibrate the harmonies of the universe and understand the central role man played in the cosmos.

Journalist and storyteller Toby Lester brings Vitruvian Man to life, resurrecting the ghost of an unknown Leonardo. Populated by a colorful cast of characters, including Brunelleschi of the famous Dome, Da Vinci’s Ghost opens up a surprising window onto the artist and philosopher himself and the tumultuous intellectual and cultural transformations he bridged. With sparkling prose and a rich variety of original illustrations, Lester captures the brief but momentous time in the history of western thought when the Middle Ages gave way to the Renaissance, art and science and philosophy converged as one, and all seemed to hold out the promise that a single human mind, if properly harnessed, could grasp the nature of everything. [close]

[close] She was an exotic healer hiding from the dangers lurking in her past...


Nessa Pearson wanted nothing more than to disappear into the everyday life of her quiet mountainside village. When a friend's urgent letter arrives, Nessa faces her fears and flies off to heal a sick child. But just when Nessa thinks she can lay her worries to rest, her safety vanishes in a cloud of smoke.

He was a pirate on a mission...


With his father at death's door, Aridin Nightstar would do anything to save him--even use a magic lamp to kidnap a beautiful healer. With a few delays, he spirits Nessa back to his ship, just like he'd planned. What he hadn't counted on was the white-skinned, blue-haired captive stealing his heart.


Can Nessa and Aridin overcome bandits, a bloodthirsty crew and Aridin's greedy mother to follow the Savior's plan?


We are giving away one copy of the paperback version of The Healer and the Pirate. It is available NOW in paperback on Lulu.com and for $2.99 in most eBook formats. [close]

[close] It was 1501. England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, violence, murders, coups and countercoups. Through luck, guile and ruthlessness, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor kings, had clambered to the top of the heap—a fugitive with a flimsy claim to England’s throne. For many he remained a usurper, a false king.
But Henry had a crucial asset: his queen and their children, the living embodiment of his hoped-for dynasty. Queen Elizabeth was a member of the House of York. Henry himself was from the House of Lancaster, so between them they united the warring parties that had fought the bloody century-long Wars of the Roses. Now their older son, Arthur, was about to marry a Spanish princess. On a cold November day sixteen-year-old Catherine of Aragon arrived in London for a wedding that would mark a triumphal moment in Henry’s reign.

In this remarkable book, Thomas Penn re-creates the story of the tragic, magnetic Henry VII—a controlling, paranoid, avaricious monarch who was entering the most perilous years of his long reign.

Rich with drama and insight, Winter King is an astonishing story of pageantry, treachery, intrigue and incident—and the fraught, dangerous birth of Tudor England. [close]

[close] Question: When your mother is a powerful witch and your father is a soul-sucking vampire, what does that make you?
Answer: Cursed.

With all the beauty and charm of a Siren, but cursed as a blood-sucking succubus, Empusa longs for love and a normal life. Neither of these can ever be hers, because the only thing she brings to anyone she loves is death.

Em lingers in the mortal world, hiding from her father and existing in a lonely life. Until she meets Brennan. With golden hair and a radiant smile, he captures her heart and awakens it from slumber.

But Brennan is more than he seems. And in a relationship where life itself hangs in the balance, is love ever really enough?
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[close] An ancient evil has returned to threaten the world of magic and mortal alike. Keegan Whitestone has become the Guardian - protector of the magical barrier known as the Veil - but he cannot yet control his powers. He must find and destroy the legendary Bloodstone, a jewel used by the powerful necromancer, Sava, to ensnare and devour the souls of others. In a bid to save the soul of the woman he loves, Keegan faces a terrible choice.

'Bloodstone - The Guardian's Curse' is a twenty chapter novella of 32,000 words, and is the sequel to 'The Guardian's Apprentice'.

Also included are a collection of four short stories from the 'Beyond the Veil' series. [close]

[close] Enter to win a signed copy of After the Storm. Book Description:
The delicate petal of a flower, the roaring crash of a wave, the whispered prayer of a child. After the Storm unites gentle imagery with a depth of emotion.

Product Details
Perfect Paperback: 116 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1613466412
ISBN-13: 978-1613466414 [close]

[close] WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY

Remi Austin is a fundraiser for the African Peace Collaborative (APC), a conflict resolution nonprofit founded by her late mother. Frustrated by her inability to raise funds and faced with the imminent closure of the APC, Remi turns to a life of crime to keep her nonprofit afloat.

From Sydney, to Tokyo, Geneva and Cape Town, Remi transforms from a fundraiser too shy to speak during staff meetings into a daring international art thief who must stop a war from breaking out and figure out how to save herself from a life behind bars.

With the help of her best friend, a designer and inventor who creates gadget-packed gowns, Remi eludes a dashing insurance agent and a terrifying stalker, all while redistributing the wealth of the world, one work of art at a time. [close]

[close] Enter the bonus giveaway for the last 2 Advanced Reader Copies of Alexios, Before Dying.


Explore life's connection to the hereafter and discover the truth behind your entrance into the universe. Or, perhaps the gentle reader would prefer to sit back, take a sip of their favorite beverage, and enjoy the adventure....

The story opens in New York City with Velia Gray, an eleven year old girl with symptoms of Aspergers. Velia befriends a street performer and they dream of rivaling Houdini until the Magician endangers them both by stealing wrist watches.

Elsewhere, in Mexico, follow the spiritual journey of a dying woman that turns into a struggle for survival. Wandering lost in the desert, Kimi Brooks encounters a delirious New York artist, ransom-seeking desperadoes, an unlikely villain, a dolphin, and an Aboriginal spirit named Boonga.

Meet Leta O'Brian, an American graduate student with schizophrenia who forgoes medication so that she may use her ‘gift’ - the ability to experience historic events. Psychotic symptoms emerge as the man Leta loves falls into desperation and lures her into the hands of slave traders.

Deaths occur and the characters reunite for a monumental afterlife event where all questions will be answered, truths exposed, and your beverage cup will be washed, dried, and neatly placed back in the cupboard. [close]

[close] Volume two is the diary of 1941. This year is the very terrifying heart of the war in my opinion. There is night after night of bombing raids. Ruby is sick with fright.

She is trying to live her life in between bombings. She is homesick for her children and her past life in America. Ruby lives in a day and age in which she is beholden to the wishes of her husband who is a converted Catholic and quite fanatical. Her diary is the only place she can reveal her true feelings. She has many thoughts and feelings that could not be expressed out loud in that day. Some of her feelings are expressed as such.

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