The long-awaited sequel to the number one bestselling THE BAD MOTHER'S HANDBOOK.Before Yummy Mummies and Slummy Mummies, before the Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, before we wondered How She Does It, there was THE BAD MOTHER'S HANDBOOK. Hundreds of thousands of readers lived a year in the life of Charlotte, Karen and Nan as they struggled with becoming mothers for the first time. And now they are back. Certainly older, probably not wiser, and definitely as hilariously catastrophic as before. For all those who have asked how to be a woman, here is HOW TO BE...A BAD MOTHER.A storyteller in the Joanna Trollope league, Long writes astutely and comically about the complexities of motherhood' Independent'Warm, witty and wise' Red'One of the authors that I rush out to buy straight away. I find her work challenging, witty, fresh and real' Adele Parks Views: 380
Lots of surprises occur around closing time at local bars. That's why patrons put up with the tedium and the humiliation. But Zach would never have guessed the surprise that was waiting for him, or how it would reroute his life.Rebekah finds that death is not a scary place but just a transition, where she can rest and come back again. She finds that life is eternal and each lifetime is another journey. Views: 380
After a fierce wind storm passes through a small town. The local café is swept up into the eye of the storm. Inside the haunted Connection Café, a love triangle develops. Maggie longs for Jeff and Gabby pines for Simon. Who knew?This is a short story (2000 words) about a boy from the Edo group of Benin (now Nigeria) who enters the British Army in the 1930s. He gets promoted to the rank of sergeant and celebrates by having his statue made. But for the following generations, working for the British is not cool anymore: all the discourse is about independence. Soldiers like that young boy are forgotten, both in Britain and in their own country. Their statues get melted by the thousands.Nobody cares, and even the Edo language slowly disappears. Views: 380
Samantha hears about the bombings at the Boston Marathon and struggles to deal with the tragedy. Meanwhile, she faces a crisis of her own when she sees a stray dog hit by a car. A short, non-illustrated story, for my readers who may be struggling with the tragic news.We follow Gus Bovington through a typical 24 hours in his work life, and watch as he issues directives to subtly brainwash his fellow citizens.No adult-only content. Views: 380
Multiple award-winner Loren D. Estleman has produced a major biographical novel on the infamous Mobster known as Scarface, rigorously researched and deftly nuanced to offer an intimate portrait of the gangster whose terrible crimes and larger-than-life persona have both fascinated and appalled the world for nearly a century; whose legacy is still widely debated; and whose brutally ambitious career in the Mafia continues to inspire filmmakers and writers to plumb its excesses and its contradictions. In 1944, after Al Capone has been released from prison, J. Edgar Hoover assigns an FBI junior agent to insinuate himself into Capone's life and gain his trust so that Hoover can nail as many of Capone's Mob confederates as possible. Capone, suffering from the neurological effects of syphilis, is alternately lucid, full of the passion and energy that fueled his rise to the pinnacle of American crime…and rambling or ranting, the broken shell of a man released from prison so he could die at home with his family. With the superb narrative gifts honed in dozens of novels, Estleman has captured the essence of this American icon as never before. With subtly nuanced portrayals of those in Capone’s circle—his underrated wife Mae Capone, members of the Chicago Outfit including the deadly Frank Nitti—as well as his nemesis, J. Edgar Hoover, Hoover’s secretary Helen Gandy and others, The Confessions of Al Capone is a major literary achievement.** Views: 380
Bloody Rain is a short story set in the 1880s on the sailing ship, Queen Charlotte, in the Hoogly River off the Calcutta and in the Bay of Bengal - a tale of murder, madness and the monsoon.Bloody Rain is a short story set on a sailing ship in the 1880s. The Queen Charlotte was anchored fore and aft off the Calcutta wharves in the Hoogly River, waiting for cargo. She was a fine, three masted iron bark; trim, low and fast on a reach - in all respects, the perfection of the shipbuilder's art. If she had a single great flaw, it was on her quarterdeck in the man that the owners had chosen as captain.Captain John McPherson maintains absolute control over his ship and those who sail upon her. The only one that he cannot control is himself, slipping into murder and madness in the face of the relentless monsoon. Views: 380
When Adam discovers his ex-fiancée and a son he never knew he had hiding in an isolated cabin in the middle of winter, and learns she's being hunted by her former husband, an ex-green beret, he vows to protect her and Jesse, though he has no intention of getting involved again. But while he's safeguarding them, he learns Emily’s wanted in the non-custodial kidnapping of the boy to protect him from a dangerous step-father. Still, Adam intends to protect them at all cost, even if it means going against his family, and the law. Views: 380
Lady Abigail Moran and her partner Simon Thorne are, not to put too fine a point upon it, thieves. Well-born, well-mannered, well-dressed, well at home in 1880s London, but thieves all the same. How else can they keep Simon in waistcoats? Their latest caper involves pearls, a squealing beauty, and the most amazing magician of all time. Really. One has but to ask him.[Co-authored with Amy, Kevin, and Dana Rushton]You know how there are a zillion Christmas movies, books, and TV specials with titles like “The Christmas” plus something else? It occurred to the authors that the formulas used in these stories could probably be applied – or shattered – using just about any noun in a title like that. So we came up with a new tradition.The rules are simple:1. Open a Christmas book and point to a random spot on a random page.2. Scan along the text until you come to a noun. 3. Write that story.Check back each year to get the latest stories! Views: 380
Outside the Palace Walls is quick tale of a king and the chasm between sheltered royalty and the reality of his kingdom.A 13 year old boy of the Yoruba ethnic group of what used to be South Western Nigeria gets caught in the intriguing world of changes sweeping the political landscape in his native Yoruba state, which in itself, is a fragment of the Nigerian state broken up by coups, corruption and ethnic disputes. The raging storm of political antecedents forces the boy to take a philosophical yet seemingly childish entry into the world of his nation's cultural, social and political landscape. With historical information supplied by the few adults around him, scholarly storytellers who believe that history and past incidents are the best predictors of future incidents, he is forced to take the role of a rising younger generation whose heroic actions can clean the past mistakes of the men made by the nation’s corrupt political class, he puts down his thoughts and experiences through a whirlwind of events. His story forms the trigger that eventually establishes a new system of government in a state where democracy is considered a failure. What will you see if you look at the political landscape through the eyes of a child?Will these responsibilities become the initiation of a good man made by the politics played around him or be the birth of a new generation of men carrying the genes of the old class. Views: 380
Jack Vance (writing as Ellery Queen)A Room to Die InSUICIDE! Impossible! Ann Nelson was positive her admittedly eccentric father would never take his own life. Especially not when he'd just come into a pile of cool cash.The question was how to prove it to pigheaded Police Inspector Tarr. Finding the corpse, the gun, and a partly burned blackmail threat in a room locked and bolted from the inside provided a pretty good scenario for suicide and an almost-impossible-to-beat case against murder.Yet Ann was sure her father had been killed, though it took the uncovering of several more bodies before the cops were ready to listen. And then it was almost too late. Ann had put her finger on some dangerous clues, and if she didn't add them up fast enough a deadly murderer would put the finger on her ..... Views: 380
Ashanti sees things she shouldn't see; dragons doing things civilized dragons aren't supposed to do. Worse yet, they aren't random killings by those wanting to explore their primitive sides. They're planned, calculated attempts to halt the races of people from interferring with plans for a war that will leave them enslaved if it isn't prevented.This is a Dragon Empire story.Ashanti sees things she shouldn't see; dragons doing things civilized dragons aren't supposed to do. Worse yet, they aren't random killings by those wanting to explore their primitive sides. They're planned, calculated attempts to halt the races of people from interferring with plans for a war that will leave them enslaved if it isn't prevented. But she has no intention of standing aside while and allowing her visions to become reality. Compass Press hopes you enjoy this free Dragon Empire story. If it is not free at this location, we encourage you to check other retailers. You can read more about Ashanti and the Empire in Heather's full length novel, the Dragon Empire, available in eBook and paperback everywhere. Due do some violent content, this story may not be suitable for younger readers. Views: 379
When Janet Maple lands a job at an investment firm in New York, she begins to hope that her luck is finally turning for the better until she discovers alarming facts about her new employer. Dennis Walker is a top-notch white collar crime investigator, but when he meets Janet, Dennis finds himself torn between his professional obligations and his personal desires.Janet Maple’s stellar career ended with a layoff and her boyfriend of five years told her that he wants to be just friends. When she lands a job at one of New York’s premier boutique investment firms, Janet begins to hope that her luck is finally turning for the better. Not only is she happy with her new paycheck, but things also seem to be looking up on the personal front, as the company’s handsome attorney expresses keen interest in Janet. However, her euphoria is short-lived, as Janet soon discovers alarming facts about her new employer’s business tactics. When her boss dismisses her suspicions as groundless, Janet finds herself confiding to a cute IT engineer, Dean Snider. The closer she gets to Dean, the more Janet is tempted to break her rule of not dating co-workers, but what she doesn’t realize is that everything she knows about Dean, including his occupation and even his name, is a lie.Dennis Walker is a top-notch white collar crime investigator who will stop at nothing to put culprits away. When an opportunity for an undercover assignment at one of New York’s premier boutique investment firms comes up, Dennis jumps at the chance, adopting a persona of geeky IT engineer, Dean Snider. While he may be an ace at his job, years of experience fail him when Dennis meets Janet Maple and finds himself torn between his professional obligations and his personal desires. Will he have to choose between his feelings and duty, or will he find a way to satisfy both? Views: 379
Wonka has more to say to guide his Owner through an awful time of it, pondering on his good friend Golly and wondering on why Baba is now on the inside. Witty as ever, he shoots straight from the hip and won't tolerate Humans who give up at the first post. Keep going and keep reading...Even More Wonka will keep you puzzling on life's little situations and the bigger picture too, as the ever stressed Owner struggles to keep going, there is always a few words from Wonka to keep us all on track. Once more you are invited to put your feet up, relax with your favourite tipple and enjoy....from the Greeks to the present day, Wonka knows best. And Baba, unfortunately knows little. Views: 379
On Halloween night, a young boy and his three friends set out to search for the ghost that has haunted their small town for decades. The four youths learn that searching for a ghost can be more perilous than they ever imagined.Annika's Christmas is a story about a little girl with a big heart who wants to donate a toy to her school's Christmas toy drive for under privileged children. Circumstances intervene forcing her to make the toughest decision of her young life. Loosely based on a true event, it's a holiday story the whole family will enjoy. Merry Christmas. Views: 379
