True Urban

In this Third Edition of our Preparedness Guide, we aim to give the everyday urbanite/suburbanite a starting point to build a buffer of safety and security in the face of a disaster situation. We firmly believe resilience is built through knowledge and preparation. Disaster preparedness is only as complicated as you make it, therefore there is little reason why anyone living in urban environments (including apartments and condos) cannot implement effective measures to mitigate localized disasters.

'Block Party', is the dope in urban fiction. This gripping narrative revolves around the protagonist, Cashmere, a man fresh out of Federal Prison, determined to reclaim his position in the streets. However, the young underlings he left back at home, have grown into men during his absence, Those young men refuse to accept his authority. Cashmere soon finds out that there's a new kingpin in control of the city. The new ruler, known as The Mayor, is ten years younger than Cashmere and rules the city with an iron fist.

The story of one of the most controversial figures in all of hip-hop history, Dummy Boy tells the tale of Tekashi 6ix9ine and his meteoric rise to fame.

All Detective Romeo Moon wanted to do was hunt down and capture a mass-murdering demon-god who just so happened to be a member of his family. A man-to-dog shifter himself, he'd usually be up for the task, family or not, especially with the help of his best friend, a mixed-species zombie-human undertaker.... But what is one to do when you discover a conspiracy that includes the mayor, the city police, a robber baron with the most powerful magic of all (money), a Dracula Vampire, and an army of both the living and the dead all involved in a plot to take over the city?

On March 13, 1964, Kitty Genovese was brutally beaten and murdered in the street near her apartment, in full view of more than three dozen friends and neighbors - and no one did a thing to stop it. More than thirty-five years after its first publication, Thirty-Eight Witnesses, the true account of what transpired that night in Queens, New York, continues to disturb us. We would like to think that we would step in and do what we could to stop the carnage.

Elora has been suspended from the council...but it’s only the beginning of her journey. Elf Elora is something of a celebrity in her home city. After being tested as a child, it’s discovered that her magical ability is off the charts - it can’t even be measured. Since working as a paranormal investigator at the royal palace and working on a cure for “half curses”, Elora has been putting her abilities to good use. Until now....

Anyan may be trapped in an evil dragon and Blondie may be gone, but Jane knows one thing: she's not about to give up. She's ready to tear down heaven and earth to save her lover, despite those who believe he's lost. Luckily for Jane, those who've given up on Anyan do not include those closest to her. Defying The Powers That Be, Jane and company form their own crack squad of misfits, in whose hands the fate of the world may well rest.

Aurora has spent the past year fighting for survival, freedom, and justice. Now she's about to face the biggest battle of her life. Field agents are turning up dead and everyone is working to stop Jared before he starts a full-blown war between vampires and hunters.

My life couldn’t get any better or more bizarre. Ever since moving to small town Prosper Woods, California, and meeting my vampire lover, the oddest things have been happening. Of course, a lot of that has to do with the fact that this whole place has turned out to be one giant melting pot of the strangest paranormal creatures on the planet. Let’s face it, this little place is like the United Nations of weirdos. Not all of them like me.

Just one week until school starts. One week until Mattie Breen is the new girl again. One week until she has to introduce herself - to try and make friends. Unless she can convince her uncle Potluck, the school janitor, to take her on as a custodial apprentice. Then she’ll be able to work with him at lunch and recess instead of needing to be with all the other fifth-graders. All she has to do is stick to the custodial wisdom she writes in her notebook.

CIA Agent Daniel Winters is having a bad day. Scratch that. A bad week. After being questioned by Internal Affairs - and hesitantly cleared - he’s on his way to Paraguay. New day. New mission. Another chance for answers. Instead, he only finds more questions, more suspicious behaviors from supposed allies, and more reasons to trust no one. To make matters worse, the aliens make their first move. Add some witches to the mix, because why make things easy? Daniel has his work cut out for him.

Meet Marcel and Sabrina, a hitman and a bookkeeper for the Mob. The couple should have never met, let alone fallen in love. When they decide to go against the grain, all hell breaks loose. Somebody wants them dead; they just don't know who. It could be Leo, Marcel's jealous older brother; Othello, Sabrina's crooked father; or it could be The Family, a roundtable of the top contenders in the underworld. There is no honor amongst thieves. Marcel and Sabrina will find the old adage to be true the hard way.

Headed for some well-deserved shore leave, Shepard is gunned down in the streets of Seattle, a victim of "a mugging gone stupid." He awakens, not in a hospital bed, but in the surreal world of Purgatory. Within seconds of his arrival, he is saved from a gruesome and painful end by his new best friend, Horace. That's Quintus Horatius Flaccus the philosopher, to you Roman history buffs. Horace explains to Shepard the cold, hard rules for surviving in Purgatory. More than just the walls have ears, and he's not sure how long Shepard will last.

Zahn believed that magic existed. He even knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that leftover relics of magic existed in the world. He owned a few, after all. But he always considered himself a rational sort of guy. When he went on "relic-dives" to uncover lost magic, he did his research. He didn't believe fanciful myths. He scraped away the garbage and only went after magical items that had a good chance of actually existing.

Surprising, charming, upsetting, enlightening, and ultimately hopeful - driven by the insight and humor of Salzman’s voice and by the intelligence, candor, and strength of his students, whose writing appears throughout the book - True Notebooks is itself a reward of the self-expression Mark Salzman teaches: a revelatory meditation on the process, power, and meaning of writing.

Detective Grainger has finally recovered from a shaky career by closing a major case in the small town of Rock City. He goes from the fringe of being kicked off the force to a local hero. During his 15 minutes of fame, bodies with familiar faces start to turn up. In Grainger's world, there were no such things as coincidences, so he immediately starts a back-door investigation. When he finally starts to piece together the pattern, Grainger realizes that a childhood secret he thought long buried is threatening to come to light. Some scars never healed.

Journey into the dark recesses of the wilderness with terrifying and true tales of horrific encounters and unexplained phenomena. From bone-chilling run-ins with Bigfoot and elusive cryptozoological creatures, to mind-bending UFOs and ghost sightings, this collection of first-hand stories from park rangers, police officers, hunters, campers, hikers, and more will leave you wondering what really lurks beyond the safety of civilization.

Tamia managed to overcome all odds and walk across the field to obtain her Bachelor's Degree from UMA. It appears that she's found a new love in Brandon despite the warning Candy gave her. When Rashard wakes up, Tamia is ready to drop Brandon and run back to Rashard. Will Brandon love her enough to let her go or will he take what he feels is rightfully his?

Tara Davis' in love and when you're in love you'll do anything for your man. Tara's new love is Larry "La" Baker, the biggest dope boy arms dealer and sex trafficker Hartford, CT's ever seen. Naive to the world of crime, Tara happily does anything her boo asks. But when the law swoops down and Tara finds herself in a serious jam, will La come to her rescue in time or will a life behind bars become her reality?

Surprising, charming, upsetting, enlightening, and ultimately hopeful - driven by the insight and humor of Salzman’s voice and by the intelligence, candor, and strength of his students, whose writing appears throughout the book - True Notebooks is itself a reward of the self-expression Mark Salzman teaches: a revelatory meditation on the process, power, and meaning of writing.