Showing results by narrator "Emily Durante" in All Categories

Allison Beckstrom's magic has taken its toll on her, physically marking her and erasing her memories---including those of the man she supposedly loves. But lost memories aren't the only things preying on Allie's thoughts. Her late father, the prominent businessman---and sorcerer---Daniel Beckstrom, has somehow channeled himself into her very mind.

Just as Ivy’s brother Billy is about to get engaged to his beloved, a tragedy interrupts the happy moment. The body of longtime Santa Sofia resident Marisol Ruiz washes up on the beach - and it’s even more heartbreaking since Marisol’s father also recently died. But Marisol was a strong competitive swimmer. It seems unlikely there’s even a grain of truth to the theory that she accidentally drowned.

Apprentice baker Ivy Culpepper sees art cars everywhere she turns. Besides helping prepare the bread and pastry for Santa Sofia’s annual spring event, she’s the official photographer, documenting the elaborate cars, outspoken artists, and riotous celebrations. Her brother Billy has been runner-up in the competition several times. Then Billy’s rival, Max Litman, is found dead, positioned as a prop in his own art car. The whole town knows there’s no love lost between the two men, and Billy is the prime suspect.

The Collected Stories of Diane Williams brings together over 300 new and previously published short fictions - distilled works of "unsettling brilliance" (Vanity Fair) that have rewritten the rules of the American short story.

At nine years of age, Logan Weber knows the routine. Keep quiet, make the food last, and don’t ever cause trouble. He’ll do what it takes to evade the rages of his troubled, violent father. Even though he’s only a child, Logan already knows too much - has seen too much. So when the opportunity presents itself, Logan runs. He has no idea where his journey will lead, or that the grandmother he’s been told is dead is desperately searching for him. Alone with no home of his own, Logan looks for a safe place to hide.

How often have you seen a teenage girl pretend to be perturbed, but secretly smile, when she is told that she acts or looks just like her mother? Fathers, brothers, and friends sometimes shake their heads in wonder as girls "turn into their mothers". This new collection from Chicken Soup represents the best stories from Chicken Soup's library on the special bond between mothers and daughters, and the magical, mysterious similarities between them.

When the secrets of the past begin to surface, the truth can be disarming…Twenty-six-year-old Elsie Sherman has had a crush on her brother’s best friend, Henry Logan, since she was twelve years old. Unfortunately, Henry - now an Air Force officer - has only ever treated her like a younger sister, stepping into her brother’s shoes after he was killed in action. That is until the night when one dance ignites a sensual fire between the two, leaving Elsie aroused and confused.

You've done it before. Saw something wrong with him--whether it was suspect grooming habits or ridiculously childish behavior--but let it slide. It's not that big of a deal. Except it totally was. You wanted to fall in love, but ended up going insane. You swore you'd never do it again. But did. Don't beat yourself up. In the search for love, we've all either blatantly ignored or completely missed red flags. Instead, smarten up. It's time to figure out what you missed and learn how to avoid similar flagtastic fiascos in the future. If you raise your red flag awareness now, you'll be able to green-light a real relationship down the road.

Twenty-seven-year-old Kara Larson is bogged down in the stress of planning her elaborate wedding to a professional golfer. Still, to fulfill the requirements of the Palmetto Pointe Junior Society, she makes time in her busy schedule to visit an elderly woman at a nursing home facility. Soon she finds herself mesmerized by the singsong Irish lilt of 96-year-old Maeve Mahoney as Maeve recounts the rambling story of her first love back in Ireland.

Chloe and Drake have soldiered through a heartbreaking love triangle and are finally within reach of their happily ever after. Unfortunately, their demons have come out of the dark with a vengeance, looking to destroy them. Chloe's abusive mother enters back into her life with an evil plot that sets off a chain of events no one could ever have anticipated. To add to their distress, a relentless, conniving ex reappears, determined to tear the couple apart by any means necessary.

In a Seattle houseboat community, the artistic spirit that has flourished since the 1950s may have ended one life, yet saved another. On Seattle's Lake Union floats Boat Street. The farthest slip on the dock holds a houseboat sided with weathered cedar shingles and trailing morning glory, the white flowering vine whose loveliness is deceiving. In the 1950s, Penny, newly Mrs. Dexter Wentworth, takes up residence, dreaming of fulfillment as the muse to a successful local artist destined for national renown.

Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, housed in a Gothic mansion on the bleak northern moors, is elite, expensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn away from her home by the sea to become the newest scholarship student, she is more isolated than she could have dreamed. Strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave Evie drowning in loneliness.

For Elsie and Henry, getting married and buying a house is only the beginning of their passionate new adventure. Elsie is flourishing in her job while Henry embarks on a new career as a police officer. Everything, it seems, has finally fallen into place. Just when it’s all smooth sailing, they face life-altering changes that make Elsie question her ability to adapt.

Grad student Imogen Wilson realizes she's hit on the perfect thesis for her sociology degree. If she follows the so-called "rules" on how to get a man, can she steer her way into the world and hearts of stock-race-car drivers, and establish their dating - and mating - patterns? Although sexy and reckless racer Ty McCordle is the ideal test subject, Imogen knows that for the sake of science, she can't give in to her growing attraction for him. Yet he's the one who's chasing after her, and Imogen realizes that she actually wants to be caught.

After years of wandering from whim to whim, 30-year-old Charlotte Wheelwright seems to have at last found her niche. The free spirit enjoys running an organic gardening business on the island of Nantucket, thanks in large part to her spry grandmother Nona, who donated a portion of her land on the family's seaside compound to get Charlotte started.

"I have a television so I know what a family is supposed to look like but mine is nothing like that. To begin with, both my parents are dead. Not the kind of dead where you bury them in the ground, say some nice words, cry a lot and then never see them again. Nope, when they died they refused to ‘go into the light’ or whatever it is you’re supposed to do when you die. Instead, they came back home. As ghosts. Have you ever been sent to your room by a parent who has no corporeal form? I have and it sucks..."

To Do: Investigate the French Quarter; Buy new hammer; Stop worrying that hard hat is going to ruin my hair; Stop thinking about ex-boyfriend. No guys this summer!

151 Quick Ideas to Improve Your People Skills is constructed to help everyone do a better, more effective job of working with others. These ideas are culled from the study of human behavior, relationships, and communication. Everything here will help you be more effective, efficient, and in control of your relationships with people.

I'm an illusionist, not a psychic. Going on TV is supposed to advance my career, but things go wrong. Like vampires and zombies kind of wrong. My name is Sasha Urban, and this is how I learned what I am. 

When you and your partner are prioritizing your careers and your family, every day can feel like a series of small and large negotiations. But it is possible to support your family, your children, your careers, and your relationship without collapsing into a heap every Friday night. In Two-Career Families, experts provide answers to the challenges you face as a working parent partner from negotiating responsibilities at home to making career decisions to supporting each other's growth.