Acclaimed author Lauren Slater ruminates on what it means to be family. Lauren Slater’s rocky childhood left her cold to the idea of ever creating a family of her own, but a husband, two dogs, two children, and three houses later, she came around to the challenges, trials, and unexpected rewards of playing house. Boldly honest, these biographical pieces reveal Slater at her wittiest and most deeply personal. She describes her journey from fiercely independent young woman to wife and mother, all while coping with mental illness. She tells of a chemical fire that rekindled the flame in her ailing relationship with her husband; she reflects on her decision to have an abortion, and then later to have children despite suffering from severe depression; she examines sex, love, mastectomies, and how nannies can be intrusive while dogs become family. Beautifully written, often humorous, and always revealing, these stories scrutinize the complex questions surrounding family life, offering up sometimes uncomfortable truths.

The Reluctant Mother is a book of rage. Rage at being alone in your pain, having your conflict belittled, and your struggles trivialised. It is the story of a young woman who seeks to find herself in a world that constantly tries to define her and who she should be. It is the memoir of an anti-mother. A woman who doesn’t fall in love with her baby at first sight but discovers love along the way. This book is for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the idea of ‘ideal’ motherhood. Be it a woman or a man, one way of confronting trauma is to know that you are not alone in it. To know that someone shares your story and understands your emotions and guilt that accompanies feeling anything other than ‘perfectly blissful’ about motherhood. It is at once heartbreaking and poignant as it is hopeful and comforting. It is the story of one woman and yet the life of many. It reveals how tradition and modernity, faith and reason, pleasure and pain are all so intimately interwoven for women that their true sense of self is inevitably one of contradictions. The book’s biggest strength lies in its rawness and honesty. Nothing but the truth stands here.

Science teaches evolution. Genesis describes creation. Christianity, Judaism, and Sufism teach resurrection. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism teach reincarnation. The Reluctant Messenger of Science and Religion resolves these paradoxes. Chester and Lydia meet in a debate. One wins. One loses. Neither are ever the same. Lydia discovers a secret from her past that destroyed her family. She tries to ignore it, but her nightmares won't let her. Chester's greed for gold and revenge lead him to ancient knowledge which the powers of darkness fight to suppress. When the information last came to light, thousands died. Somehow, Chester must safely reveal it to the world. "This is the most inspirational story I have ever read! Honest!" Clint Hoadley re: www.reluctant-messenger.com

The Reluctant Earl is the story of Claire and Simon, who desperately want to get married, despite all the obstacles that stand in their way. Their biggest hurdle is the fact that Simon is the son and heir of the Earl of Welbourne, while Claire is the daughter of the earl’s Irish horse trainer. The youngsters are keenly aware that their parents would violently oppose such an unequal union—which is precisely why they never confide in those parents. Then there is Simon’s father, who, for reasons Simon has never understood, clearly hates his son. Then there is the mystery of Simon’s mother’s death, and the fact that he has never met a single member of her family. Then a miracle happens—Simon learns about a trust fund left to him in his mother’s marriage settlement. Once the money is in his pocket, Simon and Claire decide to elope…and the simmering pot that is Welbourne Abbey and its inhabitants explodes.

Roxanne is born into a dysfunction so thick that it creates a havoc of mental illness that controls and manipulates everyone and everything that comes into her orbit.

Learn to start open, productive talks about money with your parents as they age As your parents age, you may find that you want or need to broach the often-difficult subject of finances. In Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations with Your Parents About Their Finances, you’ll learn the best ways to approach this issue, along with a wealth of financial and legal information that will help you help your parents into and through their golden years. Sometimes parents are reluctant to address money matters with their adult children, and topics such as long-term care, retirement savings (or lack thereof), and end-of-life planning can be particularly touchy. In this book, you’ll hear from others in your position who have successfully had “the talk” with their parents, and you’ll read about a variety of conversation strategies that can make talking finances more comfortable and more productive. Learn conversation starters and strategies to open the lines of communication about your parents’ finances Discover the essential financial and legal information you should gather from your parents to be prepared for the future Gain insight from others’ stories of successfully talking money with aging parents Gather the courage, hope, and motivation you need to broach difficult subjects such as care facilities and end-of-life plans For children of Baby Boomers and others looking to assist aging parents with their finances, Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk is a welcome and comforting read. Although talking money with your parents can be hard, you aren’t alone, and this book will guide you through the process of having fruitful financial conversations that lead to meaningful action.

This ordinary woman’s true account of her far from ordinary life provides a very real, and very personal insight into how resilient the human spirit can be. The untimely death of her mother sees this modest woman, while still a young child, thrown into a cruel world, where she encounters war, torture, sexual abuse, domestic violence and far, far more. Throughout, she longs for her beloved mama and the loving home she once knew. However, that can never be, and she constantly has to face the trauma of a brutal world. Often, she just wants to give up and end it all, and almost succeeds on several occasions. The birth of her son becomes a saving grace, and though she continually has to fight to survive, she becomes determined to do so. This remarkable true tale portrays the ravages of war and torture, and the hardships of constant abuse. From the start, her inherent innocence, incredible naïvety, and loving nature are constantly under attack. That one person alone could survive so much is remarkable. Her courage and strength are an inspiration. Readers will feel they have gained the strength, hope, and resilience to face and overcome their own challenges. And to know they can go on to live fulfilled lives.

For the first time ever, get 10 of Alyson Belle’s classic gender swap short stories in one sexy, exciting package! This anthology of never-before-bundled books will leave you gasping for breath when you’re finished reading the over 25 moan-inducing, super-steamy romantic scenes found within. With boys on girls, girls on girls, and boys becoming girls on boys and girls, it’s the most excitement you’ve ever seen in a single Alyson Belle anthology, and it’s the perfect way for new readers to catch up or long-time fans to enjoy old favorites. With nine shorts and Alyson’s novelette Soul Swapped included, there are nearly 400 pages of body transforming, gender swapping hot, sexy action here. Join Sam as he tries cross-dressing for the first time with his accommodating roommate Jenna in Caught in Panties, or go along with Chase as he tests out some brand new gender-swapping nanobots in Swapped and Popped. In Reluctant Mama, Carson tampers with his wife’s birth control and gets more than he bargains for when he ends up in her body, or try having fun with some naughty collegiate gender swap shenanigans in Sorority Daze and Witch Switch! The action is hot and the scenes don’t stop coming for ten whole stories, so pick this up today and see what all the fuss is about with some of the sexiest gender swap stories around… Alyson Belle Books Included in this Anthology: - Caught in Panties - Swapped and Popped - Witch Switch - Naughty Gamer Swap - Reluctant Mama - Bad Daddy - Sorority Daze - Swapped Behind Bars - Swapped at Burning Man - Soul Swapped: A Gender Swap Romance

"I’ve never met anyone like Jessa before—someone who knows my sexy little secret and not only doesn’t care, but is turned on by it. When she forced me to get dressed up in her sexiest lingerie and dolled me up in her makeup, I’d never felt so much like a real woman… and that’s only the beginning." When Sam puts out an ad for a new roommate, he wasn’t expecting a gorgeous woman like Jessa to answer! But her cash is good and she wants the room, so even though it’s kind of weird he agrees to take on a female housemate. The only problem is going to be keeping a lid on his tendency to wear women’s clothing now and again… especially since Jessa asked him to handle the laundry! Sam can’t resist a hot pair of panties, and soon he finds himself falling back onto old habits. But when Jessa catches him dressed up in her lingerie, rather than being disgusted, she thinks it’s hot. In fact, she makes him go further, doing his hair and make-up and introducing him to an exciting world of sexy fun that he never even imagined existed! Soon they’re going out to clubs together and Jessa is pushing Sam deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. When a hot guy named Aaron starts expressing interest, will Sam go for it and embrace the ultimate experience of being a real woman? In the heat of the night and the darkness of the club, anything is possible…

A story every daughter will recognize, The Reluctant Daughter depicts the struggles of Lydia Pinkowitz to communicate the realities of her life as a lesbian, as a feminist scholar, and as the woman she has become to her mother Doris. After years of hoping to attain her mother's love and acceptance while struggling to live a true and honest life, Lydia eventually acknowledges her mother will never really see her. When Doris develops a life-threatening illness, Lydia is forced to make a life-and-death decision of her own: should she make one final attempt to heal her relationship with her mother or simply let her go?