Ember, a computer virus killer, suffers horrendous nightmares and hallucinations that begin to intrude on her waking life after she rediscovers a love from her past.

We've all heard about Dementia, and quite possibly, have even been touched personally by this disease. But when I researched content for this endeavor, Dementia's voice foretold of a terrifying and nameless world, one in which identities, relationships, and memories were hollowed from the inside out. It's a world in which every frame of life smoldered until the ashes fell, leaving a land so barren that the final destination was unmistakable. It was only after witnessing 2 relatives succumb to the disease did Dementia have a face and leave me begging: 'what did you hear, see, and feel'? Before the Ashes Fall illustrates this world with uniquely distinct character voices, each struggling to understand the journey. Richard, the young schoolteacher battling the disease, desperately reaches for every thread which once made him whole. Cafferty, a prominent attorney turned Memory Care Advocate, wishes to offer 'unprecedented care with dignity' unlike the experience during his mom's own fight with the disease. Danny, Richard's cantankerous and terminally ill father, hasn't found a single reason to live until fate reunites him with the son he abandoned over a half-century prior. And finally, Dementia, the ultimate puppeteer who orchestrates the modern Danse Macabre with a brutal flair. In its purest form, the 81,000-word journey is a race toward freedom from a despotic disease and ultimate forgiveness of a father before time runs out. The manuscript has been content and line edited by a highly respected industry professional (David Aretha), who offered this impression upon conclusion:

This modern version of Romeo and Juliet tells the tragic tale of the love between a Czech girl and a Latvian basketball player.

Many visitors to Yellowstone National Park don't realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying supervolcano, so large that the caldera can only be seen by plane or satellite. And by some scientific measurements, it could be overdue for an eruption. For Alex, being left alone for the weekend means having the freedom to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to seach for his family and finds help in Darla, a travel partner he meets along the way. Together they must find the strength and skills to survive and outlast an epic disaster.

*#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER *Winner, Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Nonfiction *Winner, Indigenous Voices Awards *Winner, High Plains Book Awards *Finalist, CBC Canada Reads *A Globe and Mail Book of the Year *An Indigo Book of the Year *A CBC Best Canadian Nonfiction Book of the Year In this extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle, once a high school dropout and now a rising Indigenous scholar, chronicles his life on the streets and how he overcame trauma and addiction to discover the truth about who he is. If I can just make it to the next minute...then I might have a chance to live; I might have a chance to be something more than just a struggling crackhead. From the Ashes is a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Métis-Cree man who refused to give up. Abandoned by his parents as a toddler, Jesse Thistle briefly found himself in the foster-care system with his two brothers, cut off from all they had known. Eventually the children landed in the home of their paternal grandparents, whose tough-love attitudes quickly resulted in conflicts. Throughout it all, the ghost of Jesse’s drug-addicted father haunted the halls of the house and the memories of every family member. Struggling with all that had happened, Jesse succumbed to a self-destructive cycle of drug and alcohol addiction and petty crime, spending more than a decade on and off the streets, often homeless. Finally, he realized he would die unless he turned his life around. In this heartwarming and heart-wrenching memoir, Jesse Thistle writes honestly and fearlessly about his painful past, the abuse he endured, and how he uncovered the truth about his parents. Through sheer perseverance and education—and newfound love—he found his way back into the circle of his Indigenous culture and family. An eloquent exploration of the impact of prejudice and racism, From the Ashes is, in the end, about how love and support can help us find happiness despite the odds.

Half god and half human, Rue has made a vow to restore the magic that the Chancellor and the Grays have stolen from the Ghizoni and take back their land; she has more fully embraced her identity among the people of Yiyo Peak, but she is also from East Row in Houston, and girls from East Row do not give in to oppressors.

After twenty-six years in public safety, David Westbrook was at the top of his game. Married with four children, a former police officer, paramedic, firefighter and Lieutenant for the Baltimore County Fire Department, he was "living the dream". What he didn't know was that after years of repeated exposure to trauma such as children dying in his arms, an entire family being burned to death in a house fire, a police officer suicide and even a line of duty death within his own department, his dream would soon become a nightmare. Left untreated, David's undiagnosed PTSD began to change him, as his life began to spiral out of control. It wasn't until after hitting rock bottom, he realized he had a problem. The silent beast living inside him had stolen his happiness, confidence and his will to live. Lost, lonely and a broken shell of a man, David began to pick up the pieces and put his life back together. All of his self-destruction could have been avoided had he simply admitted there was a problem and not been afraid to ask for help. His pride along with the stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment within the fire service prevented him from asking for the help he so desperately needed, which nearly cost him his life. In this MUST-READ memoir, David gives a firsthand account of the damages that remaining silent caused him, and his family to endure. Intertwined with real life comedic experiences from his time on the job, it is sure to have you laughing as you learn a thing or two about mental health among firefighters and paramedics and the trauma they face from day to day. It's time to erase the stigma.

Madeline Dare trades New York's gritty streets for the tree-lined avenues of Boulder, Colorado, when her husband Dean lands a promising job. As a freelance journalist in her new town, she closes in on a serial arsonist at large in the city.