Things aren’t always what they seem . . . From the outside, Victoria Campbell has everything. She is an accomplished, wealthy young professional living in the big city who has reached her career goals and is on track to break the glass ceiling. But under all this seeming success lies a haunted past that has kept her from opening herself up to most people and especially from the men she meets. Will the ghosts of the past continue to haunt her, or can she exorcise them in exchange for real happiness? The answer to this question becomes clearer, as such answers often do, on a trip home to visit family and friends. Things are different in Texas, and Victoria’s long-overdue homecoming with her new boyfriend in tow shines a light on the reality of their relationship and resurrects painful memories of dangers that can be lurking in plain sight. First-time author Rhonda Jolley has created a fast-paced, character-driven novel that will keep you thinking long after you’ve finished the final page.

The magnetic and thrilling sequel to Jessica Lynn Medina's Echo Through the Stars Choose them. When the time comes, you choose your people. It always has to be them. After driving out the corrupt human Federation and halting the devastating war with Earth, Avery now struggles to find solid footing in Echo's newly formed government. When her powers are stripped by the very extremists who helped her master them, conflict reignites between the planets, putting everything she's fought for, and everyone she cares for, at risk. Avery returns to the planet she once called home to look for help among the Reange refugees who dwell beneath Earth's surface. She finds a powerful man who agrees to help her - with certain conditions. Ignoring the protests of Finn and her crew, Avery accepts. If she ever hopes to return to Echo and save its future, she must play his games in his realm, no matter the cost. But Avery may not discover the price until it's too late. When faced with a heart-wrenching choice, where will loyalties lie?

Haunted by silence, a mute teenage girl is mysteriously given back her voice...and it is divine. "Lyrical and enchanting, SILENT ECHO will resonate in your heart long after you turn the last page. I can’t wait for the sequel!” —Lorie Langdon, author of the DOON series. Rendered mute at birth, Portia Griffin has been silent for 16 years. Music is her constant companion, along with Felix, her deaf best friend who couldn’t care less whether or not she can speak. If only he were as nonchalant about her newfound interest in the musically gifted Max Hunter. But Portia’s silence is about to be broken with the abrupt discovery of her voice, unparalleled in its purity and the power it affords to control those around her. Able to persuade, seduce and destroy using only her voice, Portia embarks on a search for answers about who she really is, and what she is destined to do. Inspired by Homer’s ODYSSEY, SILENT ECHO is an epic story filled with fantasy, romance and original music. "SILENT ECHO is a gripping, original read, with a heroine you won't forget. Katniss Everdeen -- watch out for Portia Griffin." —Erica Wagner, author of SEIZURE

WOW! After spending more than fifty years in the world of aviation and aerospace, Satpal Singh picks up a pen to write. Stories and verses flow right out of his heart. This collection brings out his passion for the study of human behaviour in this world of exploitation and deprivation. Rarely do we find writings that are wake up calls. His presentation Echo of Silence brings out a barrage of questions, and all his poems are bound to create ripples in the minds of its readers. All his poems will touch your heart. Will the silent majority ever break its silence? Will women fight back and come out of the evil of objectification and refuse allurements? He proves that women are not gullible as the leading lady of Only 4 mm spurns lucrative offers to stand up against the mighty corporate so that she is not used as a tool for demeaning women. The hero of the story Love Begets Love, Lucas, back after his journalistic assignment in Afghanistan, meets his love Illaria in the romantic ambience of Switzerland, and the past is forgotten. Two young persons meet by chance, all alone in dire circumstances, and fantastic things are likely to happen as portrayed in And It Happened. A must-read for all to enjoy and think. You may not be able to leave after starting.

'The fireworks were spectacular that Fourth of July 1898, but momentous and strange events were about to commence that would change Zebulon Montgomery's life.' What event could so change this Yale student's life forever? The sight of a petite, strawberry-blond woman with a peach-colored parasol. Zebulon, upon receiving her address, begins writing letters to the mysterious beauty. A letter-based relationship blossoms, captivated by imagery and language transcending words. In the Victorian era bursting with change yet fighting the unfamiliar, their romance will be tested in every way, forced to fight preconceived notions of what is right and proper. And when a shocking truth about his new love comes to light, Zebulon must also confront his own prejudices and opinions. A compelling, lovely story of turn-of-the-century romance, The Echo of Silence begins a journey of love surpassing all odds.

A personal and cultural exploration of silence and its value in our lives—“[an] artful book, mixing autobiography, travel writing, meditation, and essay” (Independent, UK). In her late forties, after a noisy upbringing as one of six children and adulthood as a vocal feminist and mother, Sara Maitland found herself living alone in the country and, to her surprise, falling in love with silence. In this fascinating, intelligent, and beautifully written book, Maitland describes how she began to explore this new love, spending periods of silence in the Sinai desert, the Scottish hills, and a remote cottage on the Isle of Skye. Maitland also delves deep into the rich cultural history of silence, exploring its significance in fairy tale and myth, its importance to the Western and Eastern religious traditions, and its use in psychoanalysis and artistic expression. Her story culminates in her building a hermitage on an isolated moor in Galloway. “Her book is probably unique in its subject, and timely, because good, healing silence is becoming hard to find, and we may not know we need it” (Guardian, UK).

By the author of Planetwalker, The Ragged Edge of Silence takes us to another level of appreciating, through silence, the beauty of the planet and our place in it. John Francis's real and compelling prose forms a tapestry of questions and answers woven from interviews, stories, personal experience, science, and the power of silence through history, including practice by Native American, Hindu, and Buddhist cultures. Through their time-honored traditions and his own experience of communicating silently for 17 years, Francis's practical exercises lay the groundwork for the reader to build constructive silence into everyday life: to learn more about oneself, to set goals and accomplish dreams, to build strong relationships, and to appreciate and be a steward of the Earth. With its amazing human interest element and first-person expertise, this book is energizing and universally instructive.

From Michael Bazzett, poet and translator of The Popol Vuh, a collection that explores the myth of Echo and Narcissus, offering a reboot, a remix, a reimagining. “Narcissus was never one to see himself // in moving water. // He liked his image / still.” In The Echo Chamber, myth is refracted into our current moment. A time traveler teaches a needleworker the pleasures of social media gratification. A man goes looking for his face and is first offered a latex mask. A book reveals eerie transmutations of a simple story. And the myth itself is retold, probing its most provocative qualities—how reflective waters enable self-absorption, the tragic rightness of Echo and Narcissus as a couple. The Echo Chamber examines our endlessly self-referential age of selfies and televised wars and manufactured celebrity, gazing lingeringly into the many kinds of damage it produces, and the truths obscured beneath its polished surface. In the process, Bazzett cements his status as one of our great poetic fools—the comedian who delivers uncomfortable silence, who sheds layers of disguises to reveal light underneath, who smuggles wisdom within “rage-mothered laughter.” Late-stage capitalism, history, death itself: all are subject to his wry, tender gaze. By turns searing, compassionate, and darkly humorous, The Echo Chamber creates an echo through time, holding up the broken mirror of myth to our present-day selves.

When four recent high school graduates return home from a weekend of camping, they expect to go back to life as usual. Instead, the boys discover empty streets, abandoned cars, and utter silence—everyone has disappeared. As the friends attempt to solve the mystery, they stumble upon more questions than answers. Why won’t the electronics work? Where did the wind go? What do the notebooks full of gibberish mean? With each new discovery, they learn that nothing was ever quite what it seemed on Echo Island and that a deep secret is drawing them in—if only they would surrender to it. Join Bradley, Jason, Archer, and Tim on this exploration into myth and mystery. Uncover exactly what happened on Echo Island and what these four friends’ story has to do with God, the meaning of life, and the nature of reality.