Local hero and problem solver for hire, Kira Brightwell finds herself on the run. Again. Her running shoes pound the crowded sidewalk. A trickle of sweat slithers down her back in the California heat. And the damp remains of scrambled egg spatter the front of her favorite Nine Inch Nails T-shirt. The egg stain earns her a few looks from passers-by. That and her breakneck pace. Kira’s quarry remains two blocks ahead of her. She needs to haul ass if she wants to catch him. ...Because when a bad guy messes with her favorite shirt, the case gets personal. A stand-alone misadventure story from the Kira Brightwell Quick Cases mystery series by the author of the Mackenzie Quinn mysteries, Jacquelyn Smith. (This adventure takes place between the Kira Brightwell novels Black and Blue and Low Blow.)

Kira Brightwell would give anything for a nice, straightforward case. Since her fall from grace with the local media, nothing in her life seems simple anymore. (Lowball requests to track down missing dogs and cheating boyfriends hardly count.) But whenever Kira gets involved, even the simple things get complicated—and dangerous. Kira fights back in this third collection of cases from the Kira Brightwell mystery series by award-winning author, Jacquelyn Smith: Low Blow: A Kira Brightwell Novel (Kira Brightwell Book 3) Puncher’s Chance: A Kira Brightwell Short Story Seeing Stars: A Kira Brightwell Short Story Low Blow: A Kira Brightwell Novel (Kira Brightwell Book 3) Kira Brightwell knows how to take a punch. (Actually, she prefers throwing them.) Abduction, theft, murder… She faces all these crimes and more on her own terms as a private detective for hire. She also searches for any clues that might fulfill her quest for vengeance against the man known only as the Procurer. ...But a recent twist in circumstances leaves her rocked. The growing legend of abduction survivor and local hero Kira Brightwell takes an unexpected turn in this third novel in the Kira Brightwell mystery series. (Originally published under the pen name Kat Irwin.) Puncher’s Chance: A Kira Brightwell Short Story Local hero and problem solver for hire, Kira Brightwell finds herself on the run. Again. Her running shoes pound the crowded sidewalk. A trickle of sweat slithers down her back in the California heat. And the damp remains of scrambled egg spatter the front of her favorite Nine Inch Nails T-shirt. The egg stain earns her a few looks from passers-by. That and her breakneck pace. Kira’s quarry remains two blocks ahead of her. She needs to haul ass if she wants to catch him. ...Because when a bad guy messes with her favorite shirt, the case gets personal. A stand-alone misadventure story from the Kira Brightwell mystery series. Seeing Stars: A Kira Brightwell Short Story Kira Brightwell might not wear a badge. But she still enjoys the challenge when she unravels a difficult case. The case of Taylor Christie proves no exception. The social media starlet prepares to shoot a video, when things go wrong. Horribly wrong. With an entire crowd in attendance. And more than Kira knows stands between her and the truth about what happened. A twisting, stand-alone story from the Kira Brightwell mystery series. If you love a clever detective, who plays by her own rules, grab this book.

Kira Brightwell needs to pay. A problem solver for hire and local hero in her own right, Kira never sought any acclaim for her actions. She only wants to track down the man who abducted her three years ago. And maybe celebrate her birthday with some ice cream cake. But even an unintentional path to prominence comes with collateral damage. ...And some people can never forgive and forget. A fast-paced, stand-alone story from the Kira Brightwell Quick Cases mystery series by the author of the Mackenzie Quinn mysteries, Jacquelyn Smith. (This adventure takes place between the Kira Brightwell novels Split Decision and Black and Blue.)

Lovecraftesque is a GMless storytelling game of brooding cosmic horror. Tell the story of a lone Witness at the mercy of strange and terrifying events. The game helps you create a slow-building mystery, culminating in a climactic scene of horror. LOVECRAFTESQUE IS A GAME FOR 2-5 PEOPLE AND TAKES 3-4 HOURS TO PLAY.

"This is a book about generosity and about boundaries. The generosity to build something bigger than yourself, and to do it for other people. And the boundaries that are required to do it without losing yourself and your life in the process." -Seth Godin, Author of Linchpin

Secret Service agent Mike Delaney goes up against a ruthless hidden enemy with the cold-blooded will to assassinate the president of the United States--and frame Delaney for the murder.

Today's moviegoers and critics generally consider some Hollywood products--even some blockbusters--to be legitimate works of art. But during the first half century of motion pictures very few Americans would have thought to call an American movie "art." Up through the 1950s, American movies were regarded as a form of popular, even lower-class, entertainment. By the 1960s and 1970s, however, viewers were regularly judging Hollywood films by artistic criteria previously applied only to high art forms. In Hollywood Highbrow, Shyon Baumann for the first time tells how social and cultural forces radically changed the public's perceptions of American movies just as those forces were radically changing the movies themselves. The development in the United States of an appreciation of film as an art was, Baumann shows, the product of large changes in Hollywood and American society as a whole. With the postwar rise of television, American movie audiences shrank dramatically and Hollywood responded by appealing to richer and more educated viewers. Around the same time, European ideas about the director as artist, an easing of censorship, and the development of art-house cinemas, film festivals, and the academic field of film studies encouraged the idea that some American movies--and not just European ones--deserved to be considered art.

THE STORY: Thomas, a black construction worker, has just been asked to fill in for the injured foreman of his crew. He takes the responsibility seriously because he hopes it will help him earn a rare union job for which he's the only black crewman

The purpose of this fellowship was to develop a nationwide collaborative strategy to improve the economic sustainability and geographic availability of niche social profession courses. The niche courses in social professions examined in this program meet specialist social needs in disability services, social gerontology, and youth work. Specialist courses in social professions have limited availability across the Australian university sector and availability has declined over the last decade. This is despite a continuing need for specialist graduates, as attested by the relevant professional bodies, and by policy implementation reviews in the areas where graduates from these courses might provide stronger leadership. To improve learning opportunities for students and achieve collaboration, the program leader worked with colleagues and professional bodies nationally to analyse trend data and develop a working plan for each field of education. The program has raised awareness about the need for urgent system-wide action to support niche social professions and has developed collaborative network(s) to strengthen cross-institutional relationships between staff offering courses in niche social professions. The program has strengthened relationships with relevant state and federal professional bodies in each field and has established a network of colleagues to help resolve these challenges. In addition, the fellowship has proposed changes to support a nationwide collaborative strategy that will enable institutions to offer viable programs for the niche social professions. Dissemination has occurred to move beyond known interest groups, and staff from 16 universities and nine professional associations have been involved in discussions, consultations and planning for change. The issues and proposed strategies are outlined in this document. The working groups in each discipline will continue to collaborate to build momentum for change and to engage with colleagues at other universities to continue the work commenced by this fellowship. [Executive summary, ed]