When Patti Smith was plagued with writer’s block — “scattered and stymied, surrounded by unfinished songs and abandoned poems” — playwright Sam Shepard advised her, “When you hit a wall, just kick it in.” In these pages, Abercrombie shows readers how to do just that. Like a workout with a top trainer, her writing exercises warm up, stretch, and build creative muscle. Quotes from famous writers inspire each day’s exercise. Though Abercrombie says readers need only commit five minutes to each exercise, she writes, “I’ve seen novels, memoirs, and many essays get started” in those five minutes, “and a lot ended up being published.” Her playful, powerful method is ideal — maybe even essential — fuel for writers trying to get off the starting block, persevere through challenges, and cross their personal creativity finish lines.

"Barbara Abercrombie, an author and creative writing instructor at UCLA Extension, offers 365 days' worth of guidance for writers seeking to warm up, stretch, and build creative muscle"--Provided by publisher.

YALSA Quick Pick Award Winner Named by Huffington Post Books as a Top 10 Book For Kids Who Hate Reading Ariel's birthday weekend looks to be the event of the season, with a private concert by rock star Hudson Winters on the grounds of her family's east coast estate, and all of Ariel's elite prep school friends in attendance. The only person who's dreading the party is Sera, Ariel's former best friend, whose father is forcing her to go. Sera has been the school pariah since she betrayed Ariel, and she now avoids Ariel and their former friends. Thrown together, Ariel and Sera can agree on one thing: this could be one very long night. They have no idea just how right they are. Only moments after the concert begins and the lights go down, thugs open fire on parents and schoolmates alike, in a plot against Ariel's father that quickly spins out of control. As the entire party is taken hostage, the girls are forced apart. Ariel escapes into the hidden tunnels in the family mansion, where she and Sera played as children. Only Sera, who forges an unlikely alliance with Hudson Winters, knows where her friend could be. As the industrial terrorist plot unravels and the death toll climbs, Ariel and Sera must recall the sisterhood that once sustained them as they try to save themselves and each other on the longest night of their lives.

It's been nearly a decade since the world ended. Since Joss watched her parents die at the hands of a nightmare, a nightmare that stalks her even now, all these years later. That's the problem with the Risen - they refuse to die. But Joss is a survivor. A loner living in the post-apocalyptic streets of Seattle. It's a world dictated by Risen and the looming threat of the Colonists, a group of fellow survivors living comfortably in their compounds and patrolling the wild, looking to "save" the orphans of the end. Orphans like Joss. Like Ryan. As a member of an all male gang, Ryan is a threat as real as the Risen, a threat Joss avoids at all costs. Then one night their paths cross and Joss makes a choice that goes against all of her instincts. A choice that will threaten everything she has. Now a new outbreak is imminent and the Colonists are closing in. Joss' solitary, secret world is blown wide open and the comfortable numbness she's lived in for the last six years will burn away leaving her aching and afraid. And awake.

This is a comprehensive guide to the kicks of Taekwondo from white belt to black belt and beyond. Sang H. Kim shares his expert knowledge of fundamental, jumping, spinning and multiple kicks. You will get in-depth instruction for over 40 kicks, including the purpose of the kick, key points to pay attention to when practising, step-by-step execution of the kick, the best targets for each kick, applications for sport fighting and self-defence, plus the most common kicking mistakes and how to fix them. As you progress, you'll also learn exercises designed to improve your kicking flexibility, power, speed and balance. This book goes beyond the basics and explains the concepts behind awesome kicks including how to generate power using your whole body in every kick, how to generate maximum impact, how to use body mechanics to kick higher, and how to get the most out of every practice session. This is the ultimate reference for martial artists of all styles who want to master the art of kicking. Kicks included: Front Kick; Roundhouse Kick; Side Kick; Knee Kick; Raising Kick; Outside Crescent Kick; Inside Crescent Kick; Axe Kick; Whip Kick; Twist Kick; Pushing Kick; Flying Side Kick; Back Kick; Turn Kick; Spin Whip Kick; Hopping Kicks; Jumping Kicks; Jumping Spin Kicks; Multiple Kicks; Combination Kicks.

For anyone who can't see a ball without wanting to kick it, head it, shoot it, or boot it! 'Not eating an ice-cream Or riding a bike No - kicking a ball Is what I like.' 'What I like best, yes, most of all in my whole life is . . . kicking a ball. A wonderful rhyming story, with narration by Allan Ahlberg himself, Kicking A Ball will not disappoint. First written as a poem, the little boy in the story has been brought to life perfectly by artist Sebastien Braun. Every parent will be able to immediately relate to the simple joy felt by a boy simply kicking a ball, and how there is nothing else quite like it. The incomparable Allan Ahlberg takes us on a journey from childhood to fatherhood full of humour, warmth, friendship . . . and football.

In this collection of anecdotes, lessons, quotes, and prompts, author and writing teacher Barbara Abercrombie provides a delightfully varied cornucopia of inspiration —nuts-and-bolts solutions, hand-holding commiseration, and epiphany-fueling insights from fellow writers, including Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners and Abercrombie’s students who have gone from paralyzed to published.

Door to door census taking has it's ups and downs on any day. There's no way to know what lies behind each front door. On one afternoon, things take a particularly strange and hazardous turn for one census worker. One of the houses on the route holds dark secrets and triggers events that will never be forgotten. A short story from our Fingerprints line.