Detached and ignored for most of her life, Brayla Sullivan is the awkward, ugly duckling destined for spinsterhood who's never been kissed, never gone anywhere beyond the small town she was born and raised in. When she starts corresponding with a man from a "Meet Exotic Singles" website and he suggests they meet, she drops everything to fly to him in a last-ditch effort to find her happily-ever-after. The only son in a family of daughters, Shaun Levi, Peaceful's Chief of Police, has never looked the part of a dashing hero. Whenever he'd opened his mouth, his sisters had spoken for him or over him, and now any attempts at conversation with the opposite sex lead him to either a loss for words or making a mess that's ensured he'll stay a bachelor for life. Brayla has been nothing more than a buddy he's known all his life. But, when a kiss between them on a particularly lonesome New Year's takes a turn for the what-have-we-done?, he sees a side to his old friend he never anticipated...and the consequences may just leave him without a friend or a prayer of convincing her they could share so much more. Brayla's poorly-conceived plan to meet Mr. Right veers from point A to Z to F and every-sad-where in-between, leaving her hopelessly lost and desperate for someone to rescue her. Everything she expects to happen falls through while the unexpected may turn into everything she's ever dreamed of...or all she's dreaded. On the rocky road to happily-ever-after, who knows what can happen?

Detached and ignored for most of her life, Brayla Sullivan is the awkward, ugly duckling destined for spinsterhood who's never been kissed, never gone anywhere beyond the small town she was born and raised in. When she starts corresponding with a man from a ""Meet Exotic Singles"" website and he suggests they meet, she drops everything to fly to him in a last-ditch effort to find her happily-ever-after. The only son in a family of daughters, Shaun Levi, Peaceful's Chief of Police, has never looked the part of a dashing hero. Brayla has been nothing more than a buddy he's known all his life. But, when a kiss between them on New Year's takes a turn for the what-have-we-done?, he sees a side to his old friend he never anticipated?and the consequences may just leave him without a friend or a prayer of convincing her they could share so much more. What follows is a series of unfortunate events in which everything goes wrong?

What would you wish for? This middle-grade novel exploring what it means to become a blended family is perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead's The List of Things That Will Not Change. 12-year-old Winnie feels stuck. She's alone in a new town with a mom who doesn't seem to notice how miserable Winnie's new stepbrother and stepfather make her. One night, when Winnie makes a hasty wish, she nearly gets sideswiped by an odd bird, leading her to a strange oak tree with even stranger glowing leaves. Investigating the tree, Winnie discovers a nest of golden eggs with wishes inscribed on the shells. After Winnie accidentally breaks two of the eggs, the wishes come true. Winnie sneaks back to the tree to try to grant her own wishes. But when she realizes the wishes are coming true in unexpected and terrible ways, Winnie must find a way to fix everything. . . . .

"What if Cinderella absolutely hated Prince Charming?" Several years and a handful of scandals were enough to make Taliana Avilla forget all about her sworn enemy, Sebastian Phillips. Too bad a one-night stand and a lost diamond ring made her remember all over again.

From well-known Brazilian playwright Francisco Azevedo, a heartwarming debut novel about three generations of a family whose kitchen contains the secret ingredient for happiness—sure to appeal to fans of Like Water for Chocolate. Once upon a time there was some rice. Rice planted in the earth, fallen from the sky, and gathered up from the stone. Rice that doesn’t spoil, it came from far away, by ship with three exuberant young people filled with dreams… Once Upon a Time in Rio is a spellbinding family saga beginning with José Custódio and Maria Romana and their search for a prosperous future. As newlyweds, José and Maria immigrated to Brazil at the beginning of the twentieth century, accompanied by a special gift. During the dinner preparations to celebrate their centenary wedding anniversary, their eldest son Antonio, already a grandfather, looks back at the lives of his parents, his aunt, his brothers, their children and grandchildren, as well as his own. Antonio knows that family is a difficult dish to get right and that happiness must be cooked up day by day; however, what separates his family from any other is its possession of a secret ingredient for happiness: the sack of magical rice given to his parents on their wedding day. With the help of the rice, whose magic is as old as fire and time, Antonio’s family has been guided through the most trying of life’s tribulations. Lyrically written, Once Upon a Time in Rio bares the fragile yet strong nature of the human spirit and with great insight captures the solace provided by loved ones in times of need. Already an international bestseller, this is a beautifully told tale about the wisdom of past generations and the inextricable ties of family.

Fun and innovative exercises and prompts for creative writing students Once Upon a Time in the Twenty-First Century: Unexpected Exercises in Creative Writing is a unique creative writing text that will appeal to a wide range of readers and writers—from grade nine through college and beyond. Successful creative writers from numerous genres constructed these exercises, including poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to one-act plays, song lyrics, genre fiction, travel guides, comics and beyond. The exercises use a broad range of creative approaches, aesthetics, and voices, all with an emphasis on demystifying the writing process and having fun. Editor Robin Behn has divided the book into three writing sections: Genres and Forms, Sources and Methods, and Style and Subject. In each section, Behn offers a brief introduction which explains how to get started and specific ways to develop one’s writing. Each introduction is followed by extensive exercises that draw on literature from classic to contemporary, as well as other art forms and popular culture. Examples range from Flannery O’Connor and Langston Hughes to Allen Ginsberg and Gertrude Stein, from Jamaica Kincaid and James Joyce to Arlo Guthrie and Harryette Mullen. Integrated within the exercises are apt examples of student writings that have emerged from actual use of the exercises in both the classroom and in writing groups. The book concludes with general advice and direction on how to get published. Based on years of hands-on experiences in the teaching of creative writing in high schools, colleges, and after-school writing clubs, this volume of exercises offers inestimable value to students and teachers in the traditional classroom, as well as a growing number of homeschoolers, those who are part of a writing club or group, and independent writers and learners of all ages.

This is the first comprehensive critical analysis of Scottish women's writing from its recoverable beginnings to the present day. Essays cover individual writers - such as Margaret Oliphant, Nan Shepherd, Muriel Spark and Liz Lochhead - as well as groups of writers or kinds of writing - such as women poets and dramatists, or Gaelic writing and the legacy of the Kailyard. In addition to poetry, drama and fiction, a varied body of non-fiction writing is also covered, including diaries, memoirs, biography and autobiography, didactic and polemic writing, and popular and periodical writing for and by women.

An editor of "Roget's Thesaurus" has collected more than 1,500 of the world's favorite cliches, categorizing them according to origin and most common meaning.

In this, Sedgwick's latest book, he aims to help all those involved with children and their learning through poem-writing improve their practice. He argues that through poetry, children can learn about the whole curriculum, including history and science. The book begins with an introduction outlining the importance of poetry, and defining it. It discusses poetry in terms of children's learning and the imagination. Case studies are used to show how children learn about themselves - first, their bodies, and second, their thoughts and emotions - through the writing of poetry. Using many examples of childrens work he considers how children learn about their environment and the relationship between themselves and their environment. Finally, he discusses his techniques for getting children to write and provides recommendations for further reading. Fred Sedgwick is a freelance lecturer and writer specialising in children's writing, art and personal, social and moral education and has been described as 'the nearest thing I've seen to the Pied Piper'. Previously a headteacher in primary schools for 16 years, he has published books of poetry for both children and adults.

"A guide to writing for kids, from journalism to fiction writing, and the different career paths writing can take."