Contributions by Lauren R. Carmacci, Keridiana Chez, Kate Glassman, John Granger, Marie Schilling Grogan, Beatrice Groves, Tolonda Henderson, Nusaiba Imady, Cecilia Konchar Farr, Juliana Valadão Lopes, Amy Mars, Christina Phillips-Mattson, Patrick McCauley, Jennifer M. Reeher, Jonathan A. Rose, and Emily Strand Despite their decades-long, phenomenal success, the Harry Potter novels have attracted relatively little attention from literary critics and scholars. While popular books, articles, blogs, and fan sites for general readers proliferate, and while philosophers, historians, theologians, sociologists, psychologists, and even business professors have taken on book-length studies and edited essay collections about Harry Potter, literature scholars, outside of the children’s books community, have paid few serious visits to the Potterverse. Could it be that scholars are still reluctant to recognize popular novels, especially those with genre labels “children’s literature” or “fantasy,” as worthy subjects for academic study? This book challenges that oversight, assembling and foregrounding some of the best literary critical work by scholars trying to move the needle on these novels to reflect their importance to twenty-first-century literary culture. In Open at the Close, contributors consciously address Harry Potter primarily as a literary phenomenon rather than a cultural one. They interrogate the novels on many levels, from multiple perspectives, and with various conclusions, but they come together around the overarching question: What is it about these books? At their heart, what is it that makes the Harry Potter novels so exceptionally compelling, so irresistible to their readers, and so relevant in our time?

Contributions by Lauren R. Carmacci, Keridiana Chez, Kate Glassman, John Granger, Marie Schilling Grogan, Beatrice Groves, Tolonda Henderson, Nusaiba Imady, Cecilia Konchar Farr, Juliana Valadão Lopes, Amy Mars, Christina Phillips-Mattson, Patrick McCauley, Jennifer M. Reeher, Jonathan A. Rose, and Emily Strand Despite their decades-long, phenomenal success, the Harry Potter novels have attracted relatively little attention from literary critics and scholars. While popular books, articles, blogs, and fan sites for general readers proliferate, and while philosophers, historians, theologians, sociologists, psychologists, and even business professors have taken on book-length studies and edited essay collections about Harry Potter, literature scholars, outside of the children’s books community, have paid few serious visits to the Potterverse. Could it be that scholars are still reluctant to recognize popular novels, especially those with genre labels “children’s literature” or “fantasy,” as worthy subjects for academic study? This book challenges that oversight, assembling and foregrounding some of the best literary critical work by scholars trying to move the needle on these novels to reflect their importance to twenty-first-century literary culture. In Open at the Close, contributors consciously address Harry Potter primarily as a literary phenomenon rather than a cultural one. They interrogate the novels on many levels, from multiple perspectives, and with various conclusions, but they come together around the overarching question: What is it about these books? At their heart, what is it that makes the Harry Potter novels so exceptionally compelling, so irresistible to their readers, and so relevant in our time?

This book has been written for anyone who has to sell as part of their life or business. If you want a dramatic increase in your sales conversions - without being pushy, manipulative or 'hard sell' - this book is for you. But be warned, what you are about to learn is likely to challenge everything you thought you knew about selling. You may find that some of what you read in these pages directly contradicts what you've been taught, and that's why this philosophy works! It's completely different to the conventional wisdom around sales. By the end of this book you will be armed with the tools you need to enter any negotiation or sales conversation with clarity and confidence. You'll learn: The twelve-step Open With A Close system to increase conversions by up to 64% How to speak to prospects and potential customers with increased belief and confidence Why the human brain is programmed for fear, and the six questions you can ask your prospects to bypass it quickly and effectively How to overcome objections such as 'I can't afford it' or 'I haven't got the time' with ease and elegance How to use the Golden Question to close more business and generate greater revenue

Raj can’t believe his luck when he gets selected for a summer internship in Switzerland. He had always dreamed of travelling, and this was his chance to explore the world. During this internship, he crosses paths with Sofia, a German student studying in Switzerland. Little did he know that this chance encounter will alter the course of his life forever. Raj finds himself falling in love with Sofia. But as their time together in Switzerland nears an end, Raj finds himself torn between the desire to confess his feelings to Sofia and the fear of losing her. Will Raj be able to tell Sofia how he feels? Will they be able to sustain a love spanning across cultural and geographical boundaries? The Promises We Made recounts the journey of two people falling in love in the most unexpected of circumstances. But destiny had something else in store – a dark twist of events that leaves the reader lamenting the vagaries of fate.