A full-scale investigation of the controversial and often misunderstood science of attachment theory, inspired by the author’s own experience as a parent and daughter. “A profound and beautiful work . . . searingly honest, brazenly fresh, and startlingly rich.”—Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon When professional researcher and writer Bethany Saltman gave birth to her daughter, Azalea, she loved her deeply but felt as if something was missing. Looking back at her lonely childhood, dangerous teenage years, and love-addicted early adulthood, Saltman thought maybe she was broken. Then she discovered the science of attachment, the field of psychology that explores the question of why—from an evolutionary point of view—love exists between parents and children. Saltman went on a ten-year journey visiting labs, archives, and training sessions, while learning the meaning of “delight” from Mary Ainsworth, one of psychology’s most important but unsung researchers, who died in 1999. Saltman went deep into the history and findings from Ainsworth’s famous laboratory procedure, the Strange Situation, which, like an X-ray, is still used today by scientists around the world to catch a glimpse of the internal workings of attachment. In this simple twenty-minute procedure, a baby and a caregiver enter an ordinary room with two chairs and some toys. During a series of comings and goings, a trained observer studies the minutiae of the pair’s back-and-forth with each other. Through the science of attachment, what Saltman discovered was a radical departure from everything she thought she knew—about love and about her own family, her story, and herself. She was far from broken—she saw that love is too powerful to ever break. Strange Situation is a scientific, lyrical, life-affirming exploration of love. Not only will readers be taken on an emotional ride through one mother’s reckoning with her own past and her family’s future, but they will also be given the tools with which to better understand their own life histories and their relationships today. Praise for Strange Situation “A fascinating deep dive into attachment theory . . . Carefully researched and with copious endnotes, this is an excellent resource for anyone interested in child development.”—Publishers Weekly “Honest and complex . . . A thoughtful engagement with a topic that affects all parents.”—Kirkus Reviews

An aspiring screenwriter has a chance encounter with an actor who could be the man of her dreams. Over the next ten years, she’ll write the story . . . but will he end up being the star? February 4, 2003, promises to be a typical day for Olivia Ross—a greeting card writer whose passion project is a screenplay of her own. But after she and a handsome actor have a magical meet-cute in a coffee shop, they make a spontaneous pact: in ten years, after they’ve found the success they’re just sure they’re going to achieve, they’ll return to the coffeehouse to partner up and make a film together. The only problem? Olivia neglected to get the stranger’s name. But she doesn’t forget his face—or the date. For the next ten years, every February 4 is marked with coincidences and ironies for Olivia. As men come and go and return to her life, she continues to write, but still wonders about the guy from the coffee shop—the nameless actor she’s almost certain has turned out to be Hamish MacDougal, now a famous A-lister and Hollywood leading man. But a lot can happen in ten years, and while waiting for the curtain to rise on her fate, the true story of Olivia’s life is being written—and if she’s not careful, she’ll completely miss the real-life romantic comedy playing out right before her eyes. Praise for Plot Twist: “Plot Twist gave my rom-com loving heart everything it could hope for . . . Perfect for anyone who loves love or dreams about meeting George Clooney.”—Kerry Winfrey, author of Waiting for Tom Hanks “Funny, clever, and sweet, Plot Twist reminds us that sometimes love doesn’t look just like the movies—and that it can be so, so much better than we ever dreamed.”—Melissa Ferguson, bestselling author of The Cul-de-Sac War “Bethany Turner just keeps getting better! Plot Twist is like experiencing the best parts of all my favorite rom-coms, tied together with Turner’s pitch-perfect comedic timing, an achingly sweet ‘will they or won’t they?’ romance, and the BFF relationship most girls dream of.”—Carla Laureano, RITA Award–winning author of The Saturday Night Supper Club and Provenance Sweet and playful contemporary rom-com Full-length, stand-alone novel (approx. 86,000 words) Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Katherine Reay Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Handsome Ebenezer Tweezer has lived comfortably for nearly 512 years by feeding the magical beast in his mansion's attic whatever it wants, but when the beast demands a child, they are not prepared for Bethany.--

Becoming a Christian is the best and worst thing that has ever happened to Sarah Hollenbeck. Best because, well, that's obvious. Worst because, up to this point, she's made her very comfortable living as a well-known, bestselling author of steamy romance novels that would leave the members of her new church blushing. Now Sarah is trying to reconcile her past with the future she's chosen. She's still under contract with her publisher and on the hook with her enormous fan base for the kind of book she's not sure she can write anymore. She's beginning to think that the church might frown on her tithing on royalties from a "scandalous" book. And the fact that she's falling in love with her pastor doesn't make things any easier. With a powerful voice, penetrating insight, and plenty of wit, Bethany Turner explodes onto the scene with a debut that isn't afraid to deal with the thorny realities of living the Christian life.

A witty, romantic comedy of errors as former high school rivals McKenna and Henry inadvertently reunite in their hometown. Hot-shot lawyer McKenna Keaton finds herself in hot water with her own law firm when she’s (falsely!) accused of embezzlement. Placed on unpaid leave, she suddenly finds herself with the free time to return home and attend her youngest sister’s wedding activities. But it’s not all fun and games. Waiting back home is shy, nerdy Henry Blumenthal—McKenna’s high school rival for valedictorian who once took three hours to beat her at chess. Scratch that. He’s Hank Blume now, the famed documentarian, Durham, North Carolina’s, darling son, who has attained all his dreams and more. He also happens to look like he stepped out of an Eddie Bauer catalog. Whereas McKenna is a disgraced workaholic from New York on unpaid leave, accused of a white-collar crime she would nevercommit, succumbing to panic attacks, watching her dreams unravel. At age thirty-eight—and destined by the family curse to die before she turns forty, apparently—it’s absolutely the wrong time to have a major crush on a man. Especially one who treasures his memories of McKenna as the girl Most Likely to Succeed. “Pitch-perfect comedic timing, a relatable heroine, and a refreshing sweetness elevate this novel above the sea of modern rom-coms. The rare author who can make me laugh out loud,?The Do-Over?is Bethany Turner at her best.” —Lauren Layne,?New York Times?bestselling author A witty and sweet contemporary romantic comedy More to love from Bethany Turner: Plot Twist

"Directionally challenged" Beth Von Meeter has had it up to here with watching her friends saunter down the aisle. But when she turns to an online matchmaking service, Beth finds herself sitting across the table from Spencer James, the blunt but sexy newspaper journalist, who has an offer she can't refuse. Be the subject for his story on computer dating and he'll help her snag a marriage-minded guy…pronto. Unlike Beth, Spencer can't imagine actually looking for love. His own heart is burned to a crisp and he's determined to live by one rule— don't get involved with anyone unless it's just sex… nothing more. But when an accidental touch erupts into a sizzling night of white-hot desire, Spencer can't help but think he's finally met his match—but that can't be right, can it?

Using a time-travel gadget, 12-year-old Bethany, her sometimes wacky angel friend Gabriel, and their dog Oba zap through the Holy Land to find Moses as they experience a wild journey of trials, contests, rescue operations, and miracles.

Dylan Ramsey is a liberal New York preacher called by God to leave his beloved city and study at a Mid West Conservative Christian university. Though Dylan always follows God's call on his life, he often feels empty and unsatisfied. During his final summer at school he meets Bethany, a beautiful young undergrad. Though he is the liberalist of liberals and she reared in Conservative Evangelical schools and camps they become inseparable. Through each other they learn more about God, life and themselves. A Love Song for Bethany. It's a no holds barred tale of the love affair between the liberalist of liberal Christians and a Right Wing Conservative Charismatic Evangelical. Part romance, part Christian theology, part erotica, part mediation on politically liberal and conservative conversations, A Love Song for Bethany is the perfect novel for our times.

“You don’t have to have a murdered sister to be a good homicide detective, but it helps.” Finding Bethany, the best-selling Alaskan book, is a behind-the-scenes true crime memoir of murder and justice in the Last Frontier of Alaska. Finding Bethany is the true story of how, as a young boy, Glen Klinkhart was unable to save his sister from a heinous sexual homicide, and how he began his journey as a police officer to find the lost, the missing, and to bring those who would do evil upon others to justice. His career as a homicide detective takes the reader along as he travels from the brink of exhaustion and obsession and into the dark and evil world of sociopathic killers, and those who would do anything to help them. Finding Bethany details what real life homicide investigations are like, from his unique perspective as a victim and as a reluctant hero. The reader will experience the bizarre twists and turns down dark paths which result in macabre dead ends, and unexpected miracles found within the darkest of circumstances. His cases include the stories of people who were willing to give of themselves for someone they often didn’t even know. Finding Bethany is also about two brothers – one a sociopath, the other a good man whose own love for his evil brother had been exploited his entire life.