Barely eighteen-year-old heroine Valentine Shapiro got a raw deal in the parent lottery. Her father was part incubus demon, and her mother’s never forgiven her for that.Life after high school is tough enough without having to go 15 rounds with your inner demon. Thrown out of the house by her mother, Val puts one foot in front of the other and does the only thing that seems to make any sense–she takes aim at the town vampires. A stake a day, keeps the demon at bay. (But don’t call her Buffy. That makes Lola, her demon, very cranky.) Her dark side makes everyday life a roller coaster, but means she’s perfect for her night job as a bounty hunter. San Antonio’s vampires are out of control, and it’s up to Val, her faithful hellhound Fang, and her new partner, a handsome San Antonio police detective, to get the deadly fangbangers off the city streets. Soon enough she finds herself deep in the underbelly of the city, discovering the secrets of the Demon Underground and fighting to save those she loves. Whether they love her back or not.

Ruby Blue (The Ruby Blue Series)

Meet Ruby. She’s your average (somewhat dorky) ice-cream eating, garden-loving teenager, who is constantly being annoyed by her little brother, is best friends with possibly the only Goth kid in town and, oh yeah…she sees fairies.

After Nick Martino (possibly the hottest guy she’s ever known) finally asks her out, she can barely manage a two-word sentence when a bizarre incident strikes their lakeside town.Stumbling bare-foot through some interesting dates, will she ever find love? And what does Ruby do when more strange events continue to occur? Will she keep her gift of Fairy Sight a secret? As an ancient myth unfolds and new mystic fairy tales come to life, Ruby and her menagerie of friends tackle some extraordinary circumstances with her very ordinary abilities in this modern day fairy tale. See what legends come to life in “Ruby Blue,” a young adult fantasy fiction novel and the first installment of the Ruby Blue series.

YOUNG JAMES FROST just knows, deep in his bones, that he’s a writer. He writes far into early mornings, after his wearying hours of scrubbing toilets and sweeping floors. He loves writing that much.

But it’s not only the joy of words that keeps him grinding; it’s his desire to retire the janitor’s mop. He sees being published as the key to living an improved life. James has another deep-seated conviction: that he’s not good enough. He secretly longs to be accepted. However, the conventional others in his life seem all too willing to remind him that he’s wasting his time.

Then he meets and falls in love with Leigh, the one bright spot in his endless misery of self-doubt. A quiet but resolutely religious girl, she has to fight off disapproval of her own from overly critical parents, whose insults are countered by James’s often-voiced admiration of her. Likewise, Leigh’s faith in his talents begins to build his confidence, eventually allowing her to introduce him to a different way to help himself: relying on God.

Ordained Irreverence is a very funny novel about a young church intern named Elmo Jenkins who’s learning the ropes in a big downtown church. It’s loaded with humorous, awkward, and even touching stories, many of which were inspired by the author’s own experiences. The cast of characters filling the pews at First Church keep Elmo on his toes and more than a little bewildered at times. Woven throughout Elmo’s adventures is a hundred-year-old mystery he’s determined to solve and even a chance at romance along the way.

The dead are rising. People are dying. Civilization is collapsing.

When the end finally occurred, everything about it was cinematic. The dead came back and ate people, civilization collapsed, and no one could do a thing.

But Cyrus V. Sinclair couldn’t care less; he’s a sociopath.

Amidst the chaos, Cyrus sits back and contemplates the gore stained streets and screams of his fellow man with little more emotion than one of the walking corpses. With his cache of guns and MREs, he rather likes the idea of hunkering down in his Seattle apartment while the world ends outside.

All is well and good for Cyrus… until he meets up with Gabe, a belligerent annoyance, and the other inconvenient survivors who cramp his style and force him to re-evaluate his outlook on life. It’s Armageddon, and things will definitely get messy.

Unjustly sentenced to death, Eilidh ran–away from faerie lands, to the streets of Perth, Scotland. Just as she has grown accustomed to exile, local police discover a mutilated body outside the abandoned church where she lives. Recognising the murder as the work of one of her own kind, Eilidh must choose: flee, or learn to tap into the forbidden magic that cost her everything.

A World Wide Rave is when people around the world are talking about you, your company, and your products. It’s when communities eagerly link to your stuff on the Web. It’s when online buzz drives buyers to your virtual doorstep. It’s when tons of fans visit your Web site and your blog because they genuinely want to be there.

Rules of the Rave:

• Nobody cares about your products (except you).
• No coercion required.
• Lose control.
• Put down roots.
• Point the world to your (virtual) doorstep.

You can trigger a World Wide Rave: Just create something valuable that people want to share and make it easy for them to do so.

What happens when people can’t stop talking online about you, your company, and your products? A World Wide Rave is born that can propel a brand or company to seemingly instant fame and fortune. How do you create one? By learning the secret to getting links, YouTube, Facebook, and blog buzz to drive eager buyers to your virtual doorstep. For free!

It is 1988 and teenager Whitney Forbes thought her biggest problem was surviving high school and determining if there was more to handsome Reid Wallace than just his looks and popularity. She was wrong. Her problems were about to get a lot more complicated.

Whitney always knew she was special. But when she discovers she is more “special” than she ever imagined, surviving another school day outside her posh D.C. suburb takes on a whole new meaning. Caught in the middle of a CIA plot and her undeniable magnetic attraction to Reid, she will need to decide who she can trust and what it means to become the Sundial…before she risks her heart and an alarming plan goes into motion.

Pete Talbott is a California native and harried Boston computer wonk still grieving over the death of his wife Terri, when he found himself at the wrong end of Gino Parini’s .45 reading his own obituary torn from that morning’s newspaper. Talbott figured it was all a big mistake until Parini showed him his wife’s obituary too, and this was a mystery Talbott couldn’t leave alone.  From a funeral home in Indiana, to car chases on the Dan Ryan, a bloody Back Bay townhouse, snipers in New York City’s Washington Square, sleazy lawyers, corrupt County sheriffs, mafia hit men, the FBI, an army of Chicago cops, and that unforgettable scene in the upper berth of an Amtrak Train, The Undertaker is a thrill ride with a touch of humor and romance.  Someone with a penchant for sharp scalpels and embalming tables is planting bodies under other people’s names; and if Talbott doesn’t stop them, he and his quirky new girlfriend, Sandy Kasmarek, will be next on the Undertaker’s list.

When a young woman is found murdered in a seedy massage parlor near his neighborhood, the police recruit Randall Lee – an American acupuncturist and Tai Chi master — as a translator and expert in Chinese culture, to assist in the investigation. Lee discovers that the murderer is an expert in a forbidden Chinese martial art – the dark mirror to his own healing practices – and joins in the hunt for the killer to escape his own inner demons and save the woman he loves.

Jordan O’Malley has everything she ever wanted: a job she loves, a beautiful home, and a dependable boyfriend. When her life unravels after a breast cancer scare, Jordan decides to join her wildest childhood friend in San Francisco and track down her drifter brother, Cam, who harbors secrets of his own.  When Cam suddenly flees the country, Jordan follows, determined to bring him home. Her journey takes her to the farthest reaches of majestic Nepal, where she encounters tests–and truths–about love and family that she never could have imagined. Funny, heartbreaking, and suspenseful, Sleeping Tigers reminds us all that sometimes it’s better to follow your heart instead of a plan.

In the near future, the Israeli military has developed a prototypic time machine. When believers in Yeshua (Jesus) create a politically explosive situation that threatens the balance of peace between Israel and nearby countries, the Israelis must send a team of four elite soldiers back to film the theft of Jesus? body from the tomb and thus disprove Christianity. The team, consisting of a Special Forces soldier as leader, an ex-American astronaut as engineering specialist, an archaeologist, and a linguist, has exactly seventy-two hours to collect the video evidence. Drawn into a web of first century deception and death, the only way to escape is for the team to change the past. In the present, a traitor attempts to sabotage the mission and seize control of the military complex. The Special Forces leader operating in the past is the only one who can reveal him, but he is trapped two thousand years away.

In the second book in the international best-selling “Fifth Avenue Series,” a former Wall Street titan who robbed the world of billions is now out of prison. Good for him, but not for those who put him there. Now, they are dying grisly deaths by the hands of two hired assassins.

Investigating is private investigator Marty Spellman, who soon learns that all isn’t what it seems as the twists pile up along with the sheer number of the dead.

Spellman’s life is put on the line. His family is threatened. No one is who they appear to be. Who can he trust as the bulls of Wall Street start to run as the two assassins–Vincent Spocatti and Carmen Gragera–fully ignite their killing spree?

Beginning with the funeral of a renowned classical violinist in a sleepy rural hamlet in the lake district, a former theoretical physicist tries to make sense of his brother’s suicide. Across the country, a university student, enjoying the unexpected attentions of an enigmatic seductress, is disturbed when his best friend falls to his death from the thirteenth floor of a neighbouring campus tower block.

As each tries to unravel the mystery behind the apparent suicides, they are drawn into an obsessive search for a computer-generated video sequence, with startling effects on human consciousness, and which might just pave the way for discovery of the ultimate Theory of Everything.

However, they are not the only ones to have seen the potential of this mind-altering video, and soon find themselves in a desperate race against time with gangsters from the shadowy worlds of sex, drugs, cyber-crime, and on-line gaming.

Aria Darwin has always considered herself cursed. She is obsessed with finding a cure for the bad boyfriend plague. Worse yet, she’s in denial about her weird abilities and terrified of her mysterious stalker who causes the earth to quake violently with the snap of his finger.

With her two best friends, Aria enters her first semester of college armed with a “no more men” pact in an effort to demagnetize the sleaze balls. Unfortunately, the agreement proves difficult when she meets Liam, a charming foreign exchange student, on the first day of school.

Aria quickly discovers that Liam is not only Mr. Perfect, but he also somehow ignites her supernatural side. Upon the invitation of her dream guy, Aria travels to Ireland through the study abroad program, dragging her friends along with her. But her world of euphoric bliss quickly comes crashing down as she uncovers the truth about her past, revealing who she really is and what she was born to do.

Serendipity leads Chip Collingsworth into mystery writing and to the small community of Turners Bend, Iowa, where he intertwines his new life and local events into Brain Freeze, his second novel with hero and alter ego Dr. John Goodman and FBI Agent Jo Schwann. Two crimes are solved and two romances emerge. First in the Can Be Murder series. Book Two coming June 2013.

Witches inhabit our world, organized in covens and hiding behind a shroud of secrecy–the Veil.

Skye’s London coven sends her to Seattle’s Greenwood High to find the Singularity, an unusually gifted witch who may break the Veil and trigger a dangerous new era of witch-hunting. Things get complicated when Skye meets a charming new classmate, Drake. Skye’s job becomes even trickier when she clashes with Jane, an intimidating rival witch.

Drake falls for the mysterious Skye, but odd accidents, potion mix-ups, and the occasional brush with death kind of get in the way of romance. Once he discovers Skye is a witch, he goes to war for her, even though his only weapons are a nice set of abs and a sharp sense of humor.

Fighting off wicked Jane and the other dark forces hell-bent on seizing the Singularity’s immense power, Skye and Drake will risk everything to save the covens.

Going on a date has never been harder.

My name is Ember Blaylock. Welcome to the World of Weird—better known as my life.

It wasn’t always like this. I was once a normal high school senior, just filling out college apps and trying to stay sane long enough to get out of Moonlight, Missouri. Preferably before I ended up in a straight-jacket out of sheer boredom.

At first, my only problems were my increasingly unwanted ability to see the dead and my desperation to remove the stalker known as my ex-boyfriend from my life. Somewhere along the line I must have pissed off the Bad Karma Fairy. Maybe I stepped on the wrong toadstool or peed in Loki’s personal swimming pool—I really don’t know. All I do know is I’m about to have the worst week of my life. Maybe the worst week of any teenager’s life. Ever.

All because of a dead guy.

From the second pale, too-hot-to-be-real Nathan Ashley stepped out of the wreckage of his mangled sports car, my life spiraled into complete and utter chaos. One minute, I’m quasi-normal, the next I’m being kidnapped by a vampire, I’m having weird, creepy powers sprout up out of nowhere, and I’m running from a demon who wants to get more familiar with my anatomy…or kill me. Again. Yeah, did I mention he’s done it before?

Anybody know if those straight-jackets come in pink?

Book 1 of The Cambion ChroniclesHe’s persuasive, charming, and way too mysterious. And for Samara Marshall, her co-worker is everything she wants most–and everything she most fears. . .

Samara Marshall is determined to make the summer before her senior year the best ever. Her plan: enjoy downtime with friends and work to save up cash for her dream car. Summer romance is not on her to-do list, but uncovering the truth about her flirtatious co-worker, Caleb Baker, is. From the peculiar glow to his eyes to the unfortunate events that befall the girls who pine after him, Samara is the only one to sense danger behind his smile.

But Caleb’s secrets are drawing Samara into a world where the laws of attraction are a means of survival. And as a sinister power closes in on those she loves, Samara must take a risk that will change her life forever. . .or consume it.

Memoirs > Parenting & Relationships

Emmy-Award winning CBS News producer Paul LaRosa’s evocative memoir of his days growing up in a Bronx housing project and working as a reporter at The New York Daily News in the late 1970s.

Paul was a clueless kid growing up in a Bronx housing project when he discovered there might be more to life. As the projects went from idyllic to dangerous, Paul made his way to The New York Daily News where he became a copyboy and later a reporter.

The News was still the largest circulating newspaper in the country but it was in the last, outrageous and often hilarious, gasp of The Front Page era. Reporters wallowed in a swirl of alcohol, hookers and bad behavior but none of it stopped them from delivering an electric and engaging paper every day. Paul, an innocent trapped in a Tabloid World, quickly adapted.

As a reporter, Paul had a front row seat to one of the most harrowing five-year periods in New York City history: the city s brush with bankruptcy, the terror reign of Son of Sam, the blackout riots, and the murder of John Lennon. Read what it was like to be in the center of it all.

When approaching a gluten-free lifestyle, there is so much to learn. The world of alternate flours, wheat avoidance, and careful label reading can feel so overwhelming. In fact, it might take some time before you even attempt to return to your favorite foods and find ways to enjoy them without gluten.

Well, if you have settled into your gluten-free life and you’re ready to take the next step, then this book is for you! Within this book you will find over 50 recipes for delectable cakes. Yes, that’s right, you can enjoy cake without the gluten! From flourless cakes to cakes utilizing all kinds of alternate flour sources, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to celebrate big events or just treat yourself on an average Wednesday with a lovely slice of gluten-free cake.

Writing a novel or screenplay sounds like a fabulous idea. But where do you start? And how do you finish?

Award-winning author, Amy Deardon, answers these questions in The Story Template: Conquer Writer’s Block Using the Universal Structure of Story. This approach will help you focus your creativity and complete your unique and compelling story, script, or novel. With this tool and more than 100 targeted writing exercises, you will learn to:

• Ascertain the four foundational story pillars, and use the “secret weapon” of the story template, to structure your story.
• Build character depth with believable change.
• Create subplots to raise tension while you deepen and contrast story themes.
• Review writing techniques that shape your ideas into a compelling manuscript.

The Story Template is a product of Amy’s comprehensive research — as well as her personal experience — for what makes a story “work.” No matter your level of accomplishment, this book will help you build a better story.

Ever decided to do something that seemed like a good idea and in the second before there’s no turning back think, I musta been totally mental when I came up with this? And, then, Oh, well, here goes.

That’s how Angel-In-Training Grace Lightbourne felt right before she asked the Big Kahuna to go straight to Earth on a mission as a Guardian Angel. The problem? She never was a great student and now she won’t even finish her last three years of school. To make matters worse, Archangel Michael isn’t happy about her special assignment, but Grace is convinced she’s on a fast track to her wings. How hard can it be? She’s working with humans, after all.

The Motivation Myth: the simple yet powerful key to unlock human potential and create inspired performance and achievement Most people believe praise, appreciation, and compliments are great ways to motivate and inspire people. Many think these communication tools are good people skills and are useful everywhere ~ from parenting to the boardroom, from friendship to leadership, from relationships to coaching.



People mistakenly believe these tools are the keys to unlock human potential. That is a myth, says Mattison Grey and Jonathan Manske. Praise, compliments, and appreciation do not do what people think they do. They do not unlock human potential. In this provocative and compelling book, Grey and Manske debunk the myth that performance, achievement, confidence, and connection ~ at work, at school, and at home ~ are improved by these communication tools.

Fortunately, there is an alternative, acknowledgement. This communication tool is the cure for underperformance, lack of self-confidence, and ineffective motivation techniques. Grey and Manske have seen it over and over again ~ acknowledgement changes lives! Acknowledgement effectively produces the results ~ increased performance, motivation and inspiration, and improved self-confidence ~ these other communication tools try to accomplish but do not. The Motivation Myth draws on scientific research, anecdotal stories from interesting people, and thirty-five plus years of combined experience in using and teaching the tool of acknowledgement. Grey and Manske reveal the simple yet effective communication tool of acknowledgment and how to work with it to motivate and inspire with integrity and grace.

… See the rest of today’s Editor’s Picks and the Kindle Daily Deal here on page 2

.