Fueled by unrealistic expectations of Nicholas Sparks' novels, Scarlet moves across the country to Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, after her thirty-year marriage ends. Seeking like-minded women, she joins a divorced women's book club only to discover they may not be so alike after all. She is befriended by Missy, who becomes a welcome ally as she navigates life in a small town. Scarlet's dormant desires are awakened when she meets Ben, an attractive younger man. But Beau, the self-assured, age-appropriate man, opens her heart to love. The unexpected arrival of the man who nearly broke her adds a complication she could not have anticipated. “The Scarlet D” follows Scarlet as she dissects her past, embraces new friendships and second chances, and finds herself open to the complications of starting over in her fifties. A later-in-life coming-of-middle-age romance.

Shaking Up the World is a collection of stories by the Naval Academy Class of 1957 members. Some classmates watched Japanese planes bombing Pearl Harbor (Tom Marnane). Walt Meukow spent the war as a prisoner in the Philippines; another Art Aronson, was a prisoner in the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. The Shaking and shaping of four years at Annapolis molded men who would spend their lives shaking up the world, large and small, in uniform and as civilians. Brad Parkinson's architecture of the Global Positioning System (GPS) was monumental. Charlie Duke, an astronaut, spent 72 hours on the moon's surface. Jerry Barczak tells about being hijacked by Hezbollah terrorists in a fatal event. The War in Vietnam involved Leo Hyatt's account of imprisonment at the Hanoi Hilton, which is a classic in bravery and loyalty. Larry Bustle's account of being shot down over enemy territory brings back the terrific impact war had on all of us—Bob McElwee's story of his life as a National Football referee

Surrounded by the sounds of music in her small Louisiana town, she is thrilled when her school announces a new band class starting after summer break. But when a visit to the local music store with her mother reveals that the instrument she wants to play is beyond their budget, Florenda faces a tough challenge. Will she be able to play the instrument she’s dreamed of, or will her musical aspirations have to wait?

Psychologist Dr. Kixx Goldman explores the nature of intuition and resilience. When people honor their intuition, the "little voice" inside, and speak openly about their feelings, they thrive in their relationships. You, too, can follow your inner voice, speak from your heart, and claim your power. The eight engaging fictional stories in this collection are personal, drawn from experiences in Dr. Kixx's life and the lives of her clients. The characters are tested by everyday traumas:

“Truth, Lies & Alzheimer’s – Its Secret Faces” continues Skinner’s quest of working with dementia-related illnesses and teaching families and caregivers how to better understand the daunting challenges that accompany these brain diseases. As someone who has had eight family members diagnosed with dementia, and a successful 30 yr career, Lisa has found her calling in helping others through the struggles so they can have a better-quality relationship with their loved ones - through education and by learning new strategies and techniques that offer effective solutions and tools to help them effectively manage the symptoms of brain disease. Through a rich trove of stories culled from her years in the eldercare industry, author Lisa Skinner offers insights into the difficult questions families face, including: - How do I respond to a loved one's false belief? - Am I abandoning my parent if I place them in the care of professionals? - How do we make the best of our time left together?

In pursuit of a meaningful life, Jeff Richards and his friend Rick Sager decide to start a commune out in the Rocky Mountains. It doesn't go as planned. Instead of the self-sufficient ranch they envision, they can only afford a crumbling crash pad in Denver; half their friends who agreed to join them (including most of the women) decide to move to Boulder instead; romantic entanglements between group members cause disarray; drug-addicted drifters steal their record collections; and though Rick and Jeff fall in love with every hippie chick that crosses their paths, they rarely fall in love back. Through it all, they learn you don't always accomplish what you set out to do, but you can still take pride in the attempt.

Have your kids ever turned their noses up at your cooking? Have they ever been defiant? Have you ever wanted to walk away? Rich Ballo knows the frustration of raising kids as an at-home dad and as a single dad. In MomDad he presents a whole gamut of parenting issues with true story, actionable tips, and down-to-earth wisdom on food, travel, clothing, discipline, and more. Rich’s kids made it to adulthood without too much trauma, or so says their therapists. This is no academic textbook; learn parenting, whether you are a mom or dad, as you laugh and cry through Rich’s experiences. Each chapter takes a parenting subject and looks at the subject from birth through high school. Issues such as clothing, food, vacations, sports, and career goals all change as a child gets older. Parents must adjust because kids are always changing. Love and listen to your kids then let them go.

Squeeze Plays combines finance, intrigue and a closely detailed look and the rich and privileged in New York and London. Two powerful men, a bank chief executive and a tabloid publisher, are at odds over a loan that would keep the publisher afloat. A cunning Russian oligarch appears with an offer of a financial life raft to the publisher - a gambit uncovered by an intrepid financial reporter who senses a big story.

The novel is a character-driven tale that one professional reviewer called the best character-driven book he'd read in a year. The actions and foibles of the main characters - and strong female characters - are played out at length, and the squeeze plays include financial and sexual blackmail, sabotage and more. The settings are rendered in vivid detail, and the tone is often brisk and satirical, showing how vanity and hubris can humble the powerful.

“LOVE In the Shadows,” the final book of the Passaic River Trilogy, takes the reader from 1947 Newark through the dark shadows where mindless brutes of all classes preyed on the helpless. Women were fighting back and for the first-time muscular feminism was changing the world with Rosie the Riveter pumping her biceps on posters from coast-to-coast. Men were no longer the only ones using their fists. Four battered women panic the city’s elite when they enlist a mafia gangster to help exact vengeance on powerful men who escaped punishment despite years of brutal behavior. Newark’s Police Homicide Chief is astonished to discover there is no difference in the battery and mayhem affecting the rich and poor. A physically abused rich and beautiful woman goes on a two-continent search after her wealthy aristocrat husband fatally beats a household member she had loved since childhood. Also tracking the husband are two international killers hired by the mafia after it was discovered he had embezzled mob money earned by investing in Hitler’s war machines. The reader discovers that evil often masquerading as love lurks in the shadows around the world.