Hawaii is palm trees, black sand and blue water—but for policewoman Lei Texeira, there’s a dark side to paradise.

Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop in the sleepy Big Island town of Hilo. On a routine patrol she finds two murdered teenagers—one of whom she’d recently busted. With its echoes of her own past, the murdered girl’s harsh life and tragic death affect Lei deeply. She becomes obsessed—even as the killer is drawn to Lei’s intensity, feeding off her vulnerabilities and toying with her sanity.

Despite her obsession with the case and fear that she’s being stalked, Lei finds herself falling in love for the first time. Steaming volcanoes, black sand beaches and shrouded fern forests are the backdrop to Lei’s quest for answers—and the stalker is closer than she can imagine, as threads of the past tangle in her future. Lei is determined to find the killer—but he knows where to find her first.

Kate has no time for meaningless romantic charades, and definitely no time for hot college professors who are full of themselves and smitten with her. Constantly battling eviction notices, tuition she can’t afford, and a sick, dependent mother, the last thing she needs is to be distracted with someone else’s complicated baggage.

When she stumbles into Ryan Campbell’s creative writing class, he is only “Mr. Campbell” to her, until Ryan finds himself captivated by her writing and she is forced to face their mutual attraction. His cocky know-it-all syndrome is enough to send her running in the other direction, and his posse of female admirers and playboy reputation are enough to squander any odds in her favor.

But underneath Ryan’s abrasive facade is something to behold, and she can’t stay away for long. Ryan and Kate must decide who they’re willing to become and fight against their former selves if they want to make things work. That’s if academia, vicious vixens, old skeletons, and their own mastery at self-destruction don’t pummel their efforts first.

Akira Malone believes in the scientific method, evolution, and Einstein’s theory of relativity. And ghosts.

All the logic and reason in the world can’t protect her from the truth—she can see and communicate with spirits. But Akira is sure that her ability is just a genetic quirk and the ghosts she encounters simply leftover electromagnetic energy. Dangerous electromagnetic energy.

Zane Latimer believes in telepathy, precognition, auras, and that playing Halo with your employees is an excellent management technique. He also thinks that maybe, just maybe, Akira Malone can help his family get in touch with their lost loved ones.

A Gift of Thought (Tassamara)

> Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic

• See Kindle Price at Amazon.com

Kendra Larkin had everything going in the right direction. Her life was seemingly perfect, and she wouldn’t have changed a thing about it. Unfortunately, the course of her life was about to be forever altered. A tragic rappelling accident lands her on Dr. Adam Chamberlain’s operating table.

She agrees to a deal proposed by a guardian angel to help save the soul of the man who is both her doctor and soulmate. If she is successful, she gets to keep her life. However, she later learns that it isn’t just her life that’s in jeopardy, but her soul as well.

Even with the help of her handsome guardian angel, Rhyan, it seems there is no happy ending in sight. Torn between her newly discovered love of Rhyan, and the undeniable attraction she has for Adam, Kendra finds herself at a crossroad. With Adam’s steadfast rejection of God, and his guardian demon conspiring against her, she fears her soul may already be lost.

Do you remember where you were the day Elvis died? I do. I know exactly where I was. I was there.

In the spring of 1977, Shelby Colter moved back to Memphis, Tennessee hoping to make a fresh start after breaking off her engagement. Working as a patient representative hostess at Baptist Memorial Hospital–the world’s largest private hospital–she’s thrilled with her new job, assisting patients with their non-medical needs. She has to laugh at her colorful co-workers who constantly chat about Elvis-sightings. After all, Baptist Memorial was “Elvis’s hospital.”

Shelby hits the ground running, taking care of her patients, getting to know her new friends, and bumping into . . . Dr. Tucker Thompson? Who knew that annoying kid who used to hang out with her big brother was now a resident at Baptist Memorial Hospital? Little Chubby Tucker–a compassionate, handsome doctor?

As the summer rolls along, three people she loves face life-threatening situations, drawing Shelby back to her faith. And then one night, in a hospital prayer room, she pours out her heart to a most unexpected visitor . . .

Life for Riley ends when her young children die in her arms…victims of a global viral outbreak that claims the lives of everyone she’s ever known. Left to fend for herself with only a dog as her companion, she sets out on a journey to find others, leaving notes everywhere she goes…hoping that one day someone will come looking for her. When Riley meets the handsome yet mysterious Connor on the streets of Downtown San Diego, they form a bond unlike either has experienced before.

When the things that go bump in the night turn out to be more than nightmares, the trio sets off for the mountains in search of an isolated resort where they can hunker down, away from the ominous shadows of the dead city streets. The peace and tranquility of the woods isn’t enough to keep the darkness away for long though and soon Riley and Connor are forced to accept that the World and the few people left alive in it will never be the same.

The last place twenty-four year old Keri McMillan wants to be is back home in Waterford Bay, Oregon. But after two years at prestigious New York University pursuing a degree in journalism, her bank account is drained. Keri is determined to move home for one year – and one year only— to make some serious money working for her dad’s log cabin company, but her goals all go up in smoke when the company’s new showcase home burns to the ground.

Six months ago, Grant Dawson bought the Waterford Weekly, a small newspaper in his father’s hometown. Burned out as a reporter for the L.A. Times and tired of all the inherent politics, he welcomed the slower pace of this Oregon coastal town and the more relaxed lifestyle producing a weekly paper. He enjoys being close to his dad again, a quiet man who captains a whale-sightseeing boat.

Two years after the death of Tim Hess, her partner and the father of her child, Merci Rayborn is working hard at her job, taking care of her son and holding it all together. She and Tim, Jr. are living with her father, and she is dating Mike McNally, a respected fellow officer. Merci and Mike are the gold couple on the force—both kids of cops—and though Merci doesn’t passionately love Mike, it’s at least a comfortable relationship.

But it explodes when a mysterious young prostitute, Aubrey Whittaker, is found murdered and Mike McNally emerges as the primary suspect. Merci, lead homicide detective on the case, must do the unthinkable: expose and arrest her lover.

Thirteen-year-old Katrina is desperate for an adventure, something to numb her pain and loneliness. When Shrug, a giant biker from The Traz gang, asks if she wants a ride, she makes a reckless, life-changing decision.

Vulnerable and grieving, Katrina becomes a target for the gang’s abuse—and there’s no way to escape. Until she meets Chad, an undercover cop with rich brown eyes, a gentle chuckle and a plan to rescue her.

Only one problem. Someone is keeping dangerous secrets from them both.

A straightforward murder investigation quickly turns into a quagmire of stolen Eurocorps weapons, a money-laundering charity, forged art and high-ranking EU officials abusing their power.

As an insurance investigator and world renowned expert in nonverbal communication, Dr Genevieve Lenard faces the daily challenge of living a successful, independent life. Particularly because she has to deal with her high functioning Autism. Nothing – not her studies, her high IQ or her astounding analytical skills – prepared her for the changes about to take place in her life.

It started as a favour to help her boss’ acerbic friend look into the murder of a young artist, but soon it proves to be far more complex.

When Lucessa Sarcona awakes from a recurring dream, she has no idea her life is about to be turned upside down. A stranger, familiar to her dreams, shows up in the flesh, and Lucessa knows she’s either crazy or experiencing something not of this world.

A war ensues between three demigod brothers. One, trained to rule Erebos, is violently replaced. One forced to return to his homeland and lead the dream-gods of the Oneiroi. And one is charged with the impossible task of protecting Lucessa. How is she linked to the Oneiroi? Why do two brothers seek to keep her hidden and protected? And how does another plan to use her against the two demigods who love her?

It was a warm summer morning when the dead began to rise up and feast upon the living. El Paso was overrun in a matter of hours.

The military acted immediately. They closed all the exits leading out of the city in order to contain the outbreak. They shot anyone trying to escape.

Their methods were successful. The outbreak was contained, but all hope for the people trapped behind the gates . . . had been lost.

The internet was the only form of communication still available to the survivors. It was there that the legend of the General began to take root. He was a hero that fought back against the zombies . . . a hero that saved lives. The survivors once again found something to believe in, but the rest of the world wondered if the man truly existed.

They were about to find out.

Two hundred years in the future, human beings have traveled to the stars, settled colonies on fifty worlds, and finally discovered intelligent life: the Drakk’Har—large, cold-blooded reptilian creatures who see human beings not as equals, but as food. War was unavoidable. Ill-prepared for the sudden and vicious conflict, humanity finds itself on the losing side.

After three years of retreating from the onslaught to gain time, humanity has dug in its heels, built up their forces, and begun to fight back. When intelligence identifies the distant Mindon star system as a source of Drakk’Har warships, a major engagement begins. Star Command Fleet Nine strikes the first blow in a new offensive campaign.

During combat operations on Mindon-2, the plan goes horribly wrong. Casualties mount on both sides. The men and women on the raid find themselves in a merciless crucible that threatens to change them forever. The Drakk’Har know victory can only come by overwhelming the humans with savage brutality.

Vice Principal Steve Lukather is desperate. Just like last year, an internet bully is terrorizing one of his students at Lakeland Middle School. Last time it ended badly when the victim was found with two slashed wrists after an attempted suicide. This year, after a series of nasty computer messages and an indiscreet photograph of Carly Gillette spread through the student body Lukather knows it’s happening again. This time he’s determined to stop the bully in his tracks before Gillette ends up reaching for a razor blade.

Thirteen-year-old Scott Halifax has a juvy rap sheet that could peel wallpaper but he’s just what Lukather needs — a street-smart, tech-savvy kid with no roots. Lukather makes a deal with Halifax: go undercover as a student at Lakeland and nail the bully in return for a ticket out of the County Detention Center and a clean slate.

Once he’s in at Lakeland Halifax teams up with Tom Seidel, the nerdy kid that everyone loves to hate. It isn’t long before Scott, Tom and Carly’s best friend Lisa are working together. It takes a lot of hard work, some sly computer sleuthing and a little dumb luck before they expose the bully. And it’s the last person that anybody would have suspected.

The holidays mean many things to many people. “Christmas Beyond the Box” takes that notion a great deal farther, and provides some truly unconventional looks at the season from several unusual perspectives. Suitable for all but the very young, there’s sure to be a tale worth re-telling in this collection for many Christmases to come. As a bonus, the collection includes a novel excerpt from “Under Saint Owain’s Rock,” a contemporary romantic comedy co-authored by Josh Langston and Barbara Galler-Smith.

Though the stories in the collection take place during the holidays, don’t assume they won’t generate smiles at any time of the year. Beginning with a race of holiday sprites who can’t stand the limelight and ending with an eccentric billionaire who only sees his family the day *after* Christmas, this collection provides enough laughs, sighs, and insights to satisfy the most discriminating tastes.

If you enjoyed McMillian Moody’s Ordained Irreverence, you’re sure to love the equally funny Some Things Never Change.Elmo Jenkins is now a full-fledged staff member at First Church. As Assistant to the Senior Pastor, he’s responsible for designing a strategy to transition the church into the future. But trouble’s brewing and not everyone’s on board.

The whole gang is back for the bumpy ride along with some colorful new characters. Be there when Elmo surprises Bonnie on their wedding day. Tag along when Dunston finally takes Elmo fishing. Feel the thrill of riding in a red Viper with a friar at the wheel. And help Elmo figure out that creepy little statue named Ferty . . . who’s stalking him?

Throughout history, myths and legends of extraordinary creatures have been told and retold. Fantastic tales of demons and banshees, gryphons and dragons, and of course, magic. Stories that every child grows to learn are nothing more than fantasy…or are they?

Beyond the world you see lies a hidden realm, the Mythrian Realm, inhabited by all of the creatures you’ve been told are mere fiction. Only one thing lies between humans and the truth: the Nexus. A magical barrier erected millennia ago to separate the two realms, it has stood the test of time. Until now.

For Mythrian Sha Phoenix, magic is nothing new. But when she stumbles upon a portal on the verge of collapse, her fate will forever change.

We all know it can happen, will happen. Be prepared and have a laugh at the same time. This basic manual will make sure you are ready to face the zombie hordes and walk you through where to meet, find weapons and food, and set up camp. It may even give you hope as you huddle in the bathroom stall at the mall.

Seriously though, don’t go to the mall!

Learn the glow stick technique to distract zombies or how a paper bag might save your life or at least keep you from seeing the bitey end that’s coming. Are dentist offices safe? Can the game of baseball stop the zombies from attacking? Is petroleum jelly something you should have in your zombie kit? Find out now.

Just about any weight loss program will advise people to drink adequate water, because it’s true: hydration is essential for good health and good weight loss. However, especially in the early part of a weight loss effort, plain water is boring. So why not try some of these recipes?

The low-calorie offerings include the Spiced Tea (0 calories), the Lite Orange Shake (38 calories), Lite Orange Imitation Sangria (40 calories), Cold Strawberry Refresher (40 calories), the Cold Raspberry Refresher (76 calories) and the Lite Imitation Cappucino (12 calories). You’ll also save on calories compared to the regular versions with the Thick Chocolate Almost-Malt (222 calories compared to 624 in a regular malt), the Lite Milk Shake (137 calories compared to 425 for a regular milk shake), and the Lite Orange Imitation Sangria (40 calories compared to 150 for a regular sangria). So, you can continue to enjoy your favorite beverages and save calories as well!