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Respirator Blues is a collection of ninety lowku poems (senryu) by poet Elaine Parker Adams. Similar to the well-known haiku in structure, lowku focuses on social issues rather than nature.Adams explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of COVID-19, its effects, and the realities and myths associated with the virus. Her poems register a variety of responses to living in a COVID-impacted world-in the neighborhood, at work, in schools, and even the fraught environs of hospitals, nursing homes, and end-of-life formalities.Respirator Blues gives its topic due respect while weaving in welcome touches of levity, humor, and sarcasm. These poems provide the opportunity to read briefly but think deeply, arouse memories, and encourage reflection on the challenging experiences impacting pandemic survivors.

Talon is a curious boy who loves to explore his surroundings, of which he takes extraordinary care. Little does Talon know he is about to be rewarded in a spectacular way. It all happens during his day-long adventure through a forest that is said to be haunted, through cliffs where dwarfs may have lived, and through the most beautiful red sand dunes imaginable. Talon is surprised over and over again on this magical day that concludes with a most peculiar lesson from an unexpected source.

Dozer keeps you guessing in What Kind of Dog is That? Join Dozer as he introduces his animal friends, shares his favorite elements of every season, and celebrates the beauty of difference! Come along on his life journey and find out what makes him so special.

In this quick-hitting thriller set in Baltimore, during the waning years of the Cold War, Lussi Sim, a Norwegian physician, is the medical director of a newborn intensive care unit.Lussi had practiced pediatrics near her parents in Oslo until her father suffered a stroke. Growing up, Lussi experienced chronic mental trauma in the self-assigned role of her mother's bodyguard. Ironically, her father's stroke removed the physical threat to her mother and enabled Lussi to pursue her long-suppressed goal to train as a newborn intensive care subspecialist in the United States.An excellent physician, Lussi copes with the stress of treating sick infants by entering the "rescuer" role she adopted to protect her mother. However, her fight v. flight response to threat defaults to the fight mode and she frequently fails to control her anger when negotiating with hospital managers she believes value profit over optimal patient care.Stumbling upon a deadly medical conspiracy, evolving from a US government-approved financial agreement between the CIA and the Saudi Royal family, Lussi must now use her well-honed fighting instincts to overcome lethal obstacles, rescue victims, and bring the perpetrators to justice.

It was a simpler time for a little girl growing up in the 1950's.Judy's life on the rural plains of South Dakota is all about the love of a large extended family, a sense of belonging, and lots of delicious food. From an early age she has a strong curiosity about her German-Russian ancestry. The culture she is born into helps shape and define her future and when eleven-year-old Judy moves with her family to Portland, Oregon, an entirely new world opens up for her.

Journeys, good or bad, are experienced by every woman.We don't mind sharing the tranquil, pleasant expeditions because they illustrate that all is well in the world and happiness is on full display. But what about the journeys that leave us wondering, "Why me?" and "How did I get here?" We may often choose to suffer in silence or hide from our friends and family when our situation doesn't resemble a pretty, picture-worthy social media post.The Journey examines the elephant in the room that many women face while managing their careers and family planning and provides valuable insights into creating safe spaces for spouses, partners, family, and friends-a necessary tool for living a life that is fully transparent and free from the shackles of fear, shame, or embarrassment.

Albion Thatcher did not know a spark of the cosmos was sending him on a miraculous, episodic journey...Facing impending heart surgery, suddenly single, and feeling blindsided, Albion sets off on a long-anticipated adventure: four days in London and three weeks in Italy. He finds himself mysteriously crossing paths with the same series of people along his journey-a smart-ass kid with the ponytail, newlyweds, an older couple, a comedian, and a woman who may be a secret agent.Each time Albion's journey intersects with these travelers, they reveal more of their personal stories. Or could it merely be Albion's imagination? What is lurking behind the curtain of this Italy experience? One does not just keep running into the same people over and over. Something extraordinary seems to be unfolding. Is it possible for these travelers to stumble upon truth while searching for something else?In Albion Thatcher and The Saint of Circumstance, monsters are just as terrifying as imagined ones, love must not be taken for granted, and belief in oneself just may have the power to conquer evil.

Trouble knows how to find Lara. In the sequel to Blood and Faith, museum curator Lara Cole is sent to Oregon to review the progress of a developing art museum and cultural center. It should be routine, but instead she is chased, shot at, and forced to seek the help of FBI agent George Graham, with whom she survived a shoot-out in Russia during a previous assignment.¿Messing about in the art world proves to be risky business that tests Lara's grit and determination, and maybe, just maybe, rekindles romance.

"I can close my eyes and go back to so many places, but I must be more than a string of memories."My Left Hand, a memoir by Lucy Osius, depicts a life full of contrasts. Lucy has lived in Colorado, the highest state in the USA, where it often snowed on the Fourth of July, and broiled under a Middle Eastern sun, so hot one could fry an egg on the sidewalk. She's been broke and comfortably well off; she's been both athletic and wheelchair-bound. Lucy has done many jobs-some lowly, many gratifying-and, as a teacher, has been entrusted with people's most valuable entity, their children. She has spent parts of her life deeply in love and in others, terribly lonely. She's not sure why God gave her such lessons and experiences; she can only attest to this one life.Lucy says, "In writing this memoir, I've tried to learn more about myself and other people and to relive my life from my place now in a wheelchair. Writing has given my life purpose and focus and shape.I hope you come to care about the girl in the book. I hope you see yourself in the contrasts and in other ways too. We are all connected in some way, like a root system."

Mother Load is the story of Pamela, a young woman who suffered emotional neglect in her relationship with her adoptive mother. Her therapist, Lily, supports Pamela as she works to overcome the aftereffects of her upbringing. Pamela eventually finds love-with the help of her long-lost family. ¿Pamela and Lily's lives become entwined in ways neither could have ever foreseen. Their separate journeys transform through their work together.

"She was poisoned." Such is the cryptic note the archbishop receives after the funeral of Mother Rose. The nuns believe she died of natural causes and the archbishop sends Father Andrew Nolan-Andy-to identify the killer and then participate in a cover-up to protect the Church from scandal. Andy succumbs to the assignment only because if he refuses, his request for a dispensation from the priesthood to legally marry Mia (with whom he has been having an illicit affair) will be denied. ¿How will Father Nolan find a killer whose poison leaves no trace in the human system? How will he guide the nuns in their spirituality when he's secretly spying for the archbishop?

Meatquake and Big Ernie by John B. Milbert is an eclectic compilation of stories that cover a span of more than seventy years in settings ranging from the Oregon outdoors to urban environments. These anecdotal vignettes are shared in the fashion of yarns told around a fire to a small group of friends in a way to make the author's mom proud-or, at least, wouldn't inspire her to wash his mouth out with soap. Find out what it's like to be bitten by a rattlesnake, outrun a derailing freight train, climb into a Golden eagle's nest, and more!Pull up a chair and hear a few tales of amazing adventures, witness myriad unique wonders, and you just may find out what the peculiar title means too.

Harold Bradley learned early in life, through family lore, that one of his great-great granduncles was an Irish sea captain. Sadly, the family lore was scanty. All it offered was a name, William Kelly, and two intriguing, albumin photographic prints-one of a large man squeezed into an ornate Victorian armchair; another of the same man, just head and shoulders, his penetrating gaze fixed on a distant point. Bradley couldn't help but wonder: Where did Captain Kelly go and what did he do in the so-called golden age of sail?After much determined sleuthing through historic newspapers, crew lists, ship logs, and other records including a passenger shipboard diary, the end result is SEAWARD, part biographical and historical memoir, part detective story. The book casts new light on Great Britain's 19th-century merchant navy-especially as the master mariners of one Irish family experienced this incomparable career. William Kelly (along with his younger brother, John) left wakes to trace and history to plumb, from Belfast and Liverpool to the Americas, British Guiana, Peru, India, Australia, and China. Their ships carried people with high hopes to far-flung destinations, while also moving agricultural produce and manufactured products around the world.Readers of SEAWARD will come away with a better understanding of 19th-century commercial seafaring as a business, along with a greater appreciation of the transgenerational connections that bind us to our ancestors.The ships are sailing. Let the stories begin.

It's 1984 and Father Sam isn't living in McGuffin Ridge to evangelize, assimilate indigenous people, build a church, or lead Bible lessons-although he gets asked about the Bible pretty often. He's not one for steeples and stained glass. Folks around this Appalachian village like Father Sam because he likes them. He's just a good neighbor who wears a white collar and lives in a log cabin at the end of Main Street. He keeps bees, grows organic herbs, teaches Cherokee kids English, drinks coffee with the old sheriff, and favors the cherry pie at Mabelline's Cafe. Then, one day, his age-old trespasses catch up with him, and he must break the laws of man and of God to right the wrong he ran away from in the crazed days of 1960 when he was a stumbling, addicted seminarian. For more information email him at STBoergadine@yahoo.com

A comic tale about a trip a young girl takes with her two aunts.A surprise leads to chaos and the desire for a home.Sally Sockwell is an actress and writer who lives in New York City with a lot of pets. Her book Aunt Betty Horns In won the New England Children's Book Review award for best chapter book of 2016.

However solid, secure, and together Rachel seems from the outside, she knows the truth about herself. She's lonely. She hides. She doubts everything she does.At twenty-six years old, she's learned to make the best of the life her past decisions created. But new demands, unexpected losses, and painful choices have changed everything. Rachel has always carried secrets. Now she has more, with far-reaching consequences on the horizon. To deal with all of it-to survive-she needs to grow. But can she?

Before Instagram or TikTok or Twitter, Brad Johns was one of the most famous hair colorists in the world with an opulent salon on Fifth Avenue in New York City. His clientele was a veritable "who's who" of fabulous females, from beauty editors and celebrities to socialites and CEOs. Known for his buttery blondes and a groundbreaking technique called "chunking" that he created for model Christy Turlington, the poor kid from the projects in Pittsburgh was living the American Dream. ¿¿As sparkling as his success was, Johns was also struggling with crippling depression and suicidal ideation that had begun in childhood. Growing up, music and his grandmother's unconditional love had sustained him. Later he used drugs to keep the demons at bay. Then came an astonishing revelation that sparked a spiritual journey from darkness into light.

Fred is back.It turns out that Fred Liljegren did not reveal all in Fredtime Stories: A Mostly Rural Life, so he's back with more tales from a mostly-rural life.Fred was born during the Baby Boom, grew up in the Cold War, and came of age during the Vietnam War. He ran a successful farm during the farm crisis and was witness to the decline of the small dairy farmer. Along the way he's lived a rather interesting life, finding humor in day-to-day life, making the most of opportunities life has afforded, and traveling the world. With these experiences have come an abundance of stories that can be found in these pages.

Eliza Jane is stronger than she thinks. And full of surprises! She may be a quiet girl with Tourette syndrome, but with the help of her beloved Chihuahua she dares to be a heroic friend and becomes her own best superhero. Come along for a ride in Eliza Jane Finds Her Hero and discover how even one spark of kindness can change everything.

Every crayon has its purpose. Red can draw fire trucks and Green can draw trees. Yellow can draw suns and Blue can draw seas. But what about White? Follow the white crayon's journey to find its place as "Last in the Box."

The Birds of Dog opens in the early days of the Boston Society of Natural History and simmers with remarkable lost stories about America's emerging fields of science and its first scientists. Catharine Pickering, a curator's assistant, finds herself increasingly drawn to Nature's treasures, especially birds, and more and more opposed to the "kill-and-collect" methods of hunters. Her cousin, Charles Pickering, is off serving as chief zoologist for the Navy's first voyage of discovery to the South Seas, and her outbound letters tell of scientific findings at home and memorable encounters-with John James Audubon, Junius Brutus Booth, Charles Dickens, and other eminent visitors to Boston. When she meets James Cutting, a brilliant inventor whose discovery leads to the world's first public aquarium, she finds a kindred soul. It's plain to both that certain new technologies are on a destructive course with Nature-guns, in particular, have strayed far from their original purpose.The Boston Society of Natural History eventually evolved into Boston's Museum of Science.

Larry and Lenny are two lizards that love to have fun!In Larry and Lenny Lizard's Island Adventure, they visit a magical island where they meet creatures they've never seen before. The more they explore, the more welcome they feel as they make new friends and enjoy the beauty of the island.It isn't long before Larry and Lenny wonder if they should make their visit a forever-adventure and call the island home.

The conversational verses in 100 More Sonnets for Our Time appeal to the intellect and senses, covering a wide range of topics and emotions, from current events to music, nature, love, and philosophy. A sequel to Jeff Wyman's first book of poems, this collection continues to examine the cultural, political, and psychological times that we find ourselves in today.

For Catherine Raggio, any day can end in humiliation when, as a disabled woman, she falls frequently while pursuing the American Dream. Great Falls I've Taken is Catherine's insightful and often humorous account of surviving polio as a toddler and going on to become a leading advocate for people with disabilities.Traumatized by separation from her parents for over a year while recovering from polio, Catherine emerges with newfound strength. Though she often endures emotional pain when she takes a tumble while engaging in everyday activities, her story is a triumph of determination over such indignities. Catherine discovers joy in navigating dating, marriage, parenting, and a fulfilling career. She must always remain mindful, however, of the dangers lurking around each corner.

By his senior year at Prairie du Chien High School, Scooter Larioux is a famous football star. It seems that he will fulfill his destiny to play pro ball, marry his high school sweetheart, and live the American Dream. But it doesn't work out that way.Twenty years later, Cyrus Jackson is a young lawyer who has lost his first trial. Out of desperation, he takes on a pro bono case arguing for a new trial for his client, Scooter's ex-girlfriend, Diana Dillinger. Diana has been caught up in the FBI's investigation into a drug conspiracy involving a notorious motorcycle gang, the Hounds of Hell. Diana is tried and convicted along with several members of The Hounds-and Scooter is behind it all.