Ruan MacLeod was through with women. They were nothing but trouble. Leaving the rash life of his youth behind, he returned to Skye, seeking peace. He never meant to split the clan or start a war with the MacDonald of Duntulm. He certainly never foresaw an arranged marriage to the most scandalous woman in Scotland. Even though she was twice his age, the size of a horse and mother to more than one illegitimate child, he agreed to secure his sister's freedom.

However, even that plan goes drastically awry. On his wedding day, he finds himself faced instead with an enticing, green-eyed lass named Bree. A walking disaster, his bride immediately turns his world into chaos and threatens to melt his resolve never to love again.

Betrayed by her own mother, Bree flees to Skye, thinking only to reunite with her long, lost father. Instead, she finds herself wed to Ruan MacLeod as a replacement bride. When she is forced to remain in the castle, she is soon caught between brothers and the mentally ill wife of the laird.

Shy, yet strong, Bree embarks on a journey of independence and learns along the way that all men are not necessarily evil. In fact, one particularly brooding, yet gentle-hearted warrior is worthy of love, and she soon loses her heart forever.

Meet Arcadia Bell: bartender, renegade magician, fugitive from the law. . . .

Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sexual spells and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.

In this beautiful treasury of sacred wisdom, Mara Freeman shares the rich legacy of the Celts -- the festivals, gods and goddesses, saints, faeries, music, poetry, and storytelling that anchor this magical tradition. Discover myths, rituals, recipes, and crafts for every month of theyear. Honor Saint Brigit with a prayer in February, or ensure a merry start to May with a bowl of frothy syllabub. Come together with friends and neighbors to celebrate community in the high days of August, then learn to weave a solstice wreath in snowy December.

Traditional blessings, ancient lore, and guided meditations inspire you to reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world, and view the sacred as an integral part of every day. Rediscover the wisdom and healing power of nature, and cultivate and honor your soul as you would the earth. Let the spirit of the ancient Celts enchant you in every season, year after year.

For over 2,000 years, oppressors and natural disasters have worked against the Celts, threatening to obliterate the ancient tribe's language, traditions, and spirituality. "Yet in the past 30 years or so, many willing minds and hands have undertaken the task of rekindling the guttering flame of the Celtic spirit," writes author Mara Freeman in Kindling the Celtic Spirit. Freeman is, in fact, one of those maintaining the fire, having spent 35 years studying Celtic traditions and assembling this well-written and organized tribute. Following the format of the Celtic calendar, Freeman shares the stories, recipes, spells, and Gaelic expressions that go with each of the monthly festivals and celebrations. The February chapter celebrates the Festival of Brigit (the goddess who represents the bride or young maiden). October pays tribute to the Festival of Samhain (the celebration that marks the beginning of winter and may have been the Celtic New Year). She recounts the origins of Samhain Eve, or "Mischief Night," which Americans celebrate by trick-or-treating. She teaches magical spells, tells a spine-chilling spooky story, and shows readers how to carve turnip lanterns, using a large rutabaga.

Although she writes about faeries, tree spirits, and other mythological creatures, Freeman narrates with confidence and maturity, so that readers feel as though they are sitting with a learned scholar. The elegant pen-and-ink illustrations by Linda Carol Risso capture the humble pagan origins while respecting the sophistication of Celtic design. The upshot is a beautifully crafted book with plenty of substance for those who like immersing themselves in this enchanting, age-old tribe. --Gail Hudson

This collection of brand new work by James Jean showcases the larger-than-life power of his fine art painting. Bursting with unexpected beauty and hidden meaning, each of these 12 large-format prints features a lush painting on one side and a collection of intricate preliminary sketches on the other side. Housed in a sturdy keepsake portfolio, the pages, including an over-sized gatefold poster, can be left in place and leafed through time and again or removed from the portfolio and framed as eye-catching wall art.

This book is a work of nonfiction based on the author’s experiences, observations, opinions, and continued searching.

Earlier copyright dates noted in this book's title page indicate when the essays were originally inspired and drafted. The later date indicates when they were compiled, updated in places, and published in this first edition of Kindle Glow Books.

In this collection the content is more relevant today than it was at the time of writing. As evidenced through Astrological phenomena, sometimes time and timing pull together in uncanny ways to feature thematic crescendos, i.e., the time for this type of soapbox is now, and timeless, maybe even space-less, with location irrelevant.

The book cover photo of Tom Shelnutt was taken by his wife Linda, in 2000, at Energy Fuels Coal Mine in the foothills outside Florence, Colorado. Tom wanted a picture of himself standing by his pickup in the mine’s parking lot, like his favorite picture of his dad standing by his pickup at the mine site of Corley Coal Company. He said that in both photos it’s hard to tell if the man is holding up the pickup or if the vehicle is holding up the man. This is one of my favorite photos of Tom. What he stands for and what his dad taught him align well with the values underlying this collection... even if most of them were written by a menopausal female!

The photos included here and there throughout the text are meant to provide a healing contrast of sanity and stability, in opposition to the current pseudo science and promotional cons of sick concepts, offered in the name of health. Here’s a link to a list of the photos, each with a link into its location within the content..

The movie, The Days of Wine and Roses mesmerized me when I saw it as a child, the result being a respectful fear of addiction, through alcohol or drugs. That respect served me well, especially through the 60’s and early 70’s as one of the Baby Boomer crowd, to avoid falling prey to the dark sides of subcultures and countercultures which my personality type and low ebb liver would not have survived… to publish this commentary collection on Kindle!

So, why would I choose a title which replaces wine and roses with coffee and donuts, since coffee and donuts are positive icons to me? I did this mostly because I’m haunted by the artistic appeal of the movie title, which has stayed with me as per the above paragraph. I paralleled the Days movie title also because I enjoy connecting to other authors I respect who have played on that movie title in novels (see below), and because I like irony, paradox, dichotomy and anomaly. I’m enjoying the artistry of the title similarity as well the irony of current days’ countercultures working very hard to give coffee and donuts an undeserved worse name than wine and roses achieved in the movie.

These editorial essays poke at pontificating gurus drowning the flavor, fun, fizz, and flame in life. Like many serious writers, I had hoped I’d eventually hit on a style which might syndicate itself. However, instead of these snips of snide being syndicated they’re being presented on Amazon’s KINDLE in what I consider a better venue. The miffed moods of these editorials surfaced during the menopausal phase of a Baby Boomer. Feel free to cheer in gleeful surges of Right On! If not, I’ll haunt your contrary soap box when I retire from life… as we’ve never known it.

Please note that all of the below opinion editorials are just that, OPINION pieces; they were my half-baked, overdone, or sometimes perfectly cooked contemplations at the time of writing the essays. Some of my opinions have changed slightly, but what you read below should provide entertaining if not intriguing food for thought, fuel for you to burn within your brain, then make up your mind about how we might best progress as a fascinating species of critters.

This book is a work of nonfiction based on the author’s experiences, observations, opinions, and continued searching.

Earlier copyright dates noted in this book's title page indicate when the essays were originally inspired and drafted. The later date indicates when they were compiled, updated in places, and published in this first edition of Kindle Glow Books.

In this collection the content is more relevant today than it was at the time of writing. As evidenced through Astrological phenomena, sometimes time and timing pull together in uncanny ways to feature thematic crescendos, i.e., the time for this type of soapbox is now, and timeless, maybe even space-less, with location irrelevant.

The book cover photo of Tom Shelnutt was taken by his wife Linda, in 2000, at Energy Fuels Coal Mine in the foothills outside Florence, Colorado. Tom wanted a picture of himself standing by his pickup in the mine’s parking lot, like his favorite picture of his dad standing by his pickup at the mine site of Corley Coal Company. He said that in both photos it’s hard to tell if the man is holding up the pickup or if the vehicle is holding up the man. This is one of my favorite photos of Tom. What he stands for and what his dad taught him align well with the values underlying this collection... even if most of them were written by a menopausal female!

The photos included here and there throughout the text are meant to provide a healing contrast of sanity and stability, in opposition to the current pseudo science and promotional cons of sick concepts, offered in the name of health. Here’s a link to a list of the photos, each with a link into its location within the content..

The movie, The Days of Wine and Roses mesmerized me when I saw it as a child, the result being a respectful fear of addiction, through alcohol or drugs. That respect served me well, especially through the 60’s and early 70’s as one of the Baby Boomer crowd, to avoid falling prey to the dark sides of subcultures and countercultures which my personality type and low ebb liver would not have survived… to publish this commentary collection on Kindle!

So, why would I choose a title which replaces wine and roses with coffee and donuts, since coffee and donuts are positive icons to me? I did this mostly because I’m haunted by the artistic appeal of the movie title, which has stayed with me as per the above paragraph. I paralleled the Days movie title also because I enjoy connecting to other authors I respect who have played on that movie title in novels (see below), and because I like irony, paradox, dichotomy and anomaly. I’m enjoying the artistry of the title similarity as well the irony of current days’ countercultures working very hard to give coffee and donuts an undeserved worse name than wine and roses achieved in the movie.

These editorial essays poke at pontificating gurus drowning the flavor, fun, fizz, and flame in life. Like many serious writers, I had hoped I’d eventually hit on a style which might syndicate itself. However, instead of these snips of snide being syndicated they’re being presented on Amazon’s KINDLE in what I consider a better venue. The miffed moods of these editorials surfaced during the menopausal phase of a Baby Boomer. Feel free to cheer in gleeful surges of Right On! If not, I’ll haunt your contrary soap box when I retire from life… as we’ve never known it.

Please note that all of the below opinion editorials are just that, OPINION pieces; they were my half-baked, overdone, or sometimes perfectly cooked contemplations at the time of writing the essays. Some of my opinions have changed slightly, but what you read below should provide entertaining if not intriguing food for thought, fuel for you to burn within your brain, then make up your mind about how we might best progress as a fascinating species of critters.

Weathermen are predicting an incredible blizzard for New York City, but with old snow melting on the sidewalk, Seth Roland is a little skeptical. Despite moping over his ex-boyfriend Evan, who recently dumped him, Seth pretends all is well as he steps into his regular local bar, where he’s surprised by a blast from his past. Enter Kieran O'Malley, Seth’s very first boyfriend, in the city for a conference. It might have been just a chance meeting, but first a train derailment and then the predicted blizzard keep Seth and Kieran in close proximity. It’s enough time for old feelings to surface, rekindled attraction to take hold, and new hopes for a future together to fill them both. But once the storm passes, the real challenge begins. Will Seth and Kieran work to make the relationship last, or will they let it melt away like snow in the sun?

Weathermen are predicting an incredible blizzard for New York City, but with old snow melting on the sidewalk, Seth Roland is a little skeptical. Despite moping over his ex-boyfriend Evan, who recently dumped him, Seth pretends all is well as he steps into his regular local bar, where he’s surprised by a blast from his past. Enter Kieran O'Malley, Seth’s very first boyfriend, in the city for a conference. It might have been just a chance meeting, but first a train derailment and then the predicted blizzard keep Seth and Kieran in close proximity. It’s enough time for old feelings to surface, rekindled attraction to take hold, and new hopes for a future together to fill them both. But once the storm passes, the real challenge begins. Will Seth and Kieran work to make the relationship last, or will they let it melt away like snow in the sun?

The discipline of preaching has undergone several evolutionary moments in the past century, focusing on its purpose as being variously persuasion, explanation, and, most recently, communication. Of particular and lingering influence has been Harry Emerson Fosdick's "preaching as counseling" model, which urged therapeutic, individualistic methods upon the pastor. In the search for a model of preaching that is apt for our postmodern moment, Kay Northcutt respectfully eschews these earlier models and suggests that the "what" of preaching should consist in spiritual formation or the practice of "spiritual direction" - pointing listeners to God. Taking an evocative, rather than "how-to," approach, Northcutt notes the gaps created by these earlier models and makes a case not only for framing preaching as an "attractive art" but also for understanding the preacher's authority as particularly religious in nature. By demonstrating the dynamics of her model of preaching as spiritual direction, the author provides readers with a new paradigm for developing their own homiletical discipline.

Offering a fresh approach to homiletics, David J. Schlafer provides an invitation to preaching by way of metaphor. Starting with the fire of Scripture, and engaging in the work of preaching as play, Schlafer offers new ways of approaching the preaching moment. Taking into account the preacher’s call, the stages of preparation, the role of the congregation, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the midst of it all, we discover that playing with fire is a sacred act indeed. Two metaphors dance together across the pages of this book: fire and play. Two metaphors, plus a hunch: that texts of the Scriptures, the grounding voices of inspiration for Christian preaching, offer more than just truths to be interpreted and transmitted. What we call the Scriptures are the work of a great company of preachers. The Bible is a treasure lode of imaginative insights regarding how the mystery of preaching might be entertained. —from the Introduction

It is the year 2007.

The world has been wiped out by a deadly plague that killed all the adults. Without them, children perished of hunger and disease. No more people, no more electricity, no more civilization -- just mildewed houses, overgrown yards, and abandoned cars. Yet on a highway strip outside a small town in Florida, the words "We're Still Here" are painted in letters big enough to be seen from an airplane -- although no planes ever cross the empty sky.

Miraculously, seven children have survived among the ruins. They cannot remember their names, their families, or much else from the Before Time. But they have forged a new family, with new names: Mommy, Hunter, Teacher, Action Figure, Teddy Bear, Baby, and Doll.

They must face each day with enough hope to endure and the strength to realize that there may be nothing out there worth living for. Then one day, a new kid shows up on their doorstep and changes everything. He invites them to join him on a dangerous journey to Washington, to find a man called President if he's still alive -- and seek the answers to the mystery at the heart of the Fire-us.

In this first book of the Fire-us Trilogy, Jennifer Armstrong and Nancy Butcher weave a compelling post-apocalyptic tale, luring readers into a world that is inventive enough to intrigue, yet true enough to believe.