Maddy Carson is a mass of contradictions. She loves her job as Script Supervisor on a hit TV show, but hates "Hollywood." Super-organized and down-to-earth, Maddy is clearly one of the best at her job, and her strict dating rule - "No Actors!" - helps her keep focused on her career. However, a budding relationship with Craig, one of the executives at her company, may even propel her into the big leagues. Could Wolf County, her beloved hometown in the mountains, be saved from a financial crisis by creating a reality show featuring the eccentrics in the small ski village? Maddy is determined to try, even when she learns that Craig's agenda doesn't exactly line up with her altruistic goal. Meanwhile, Maddy still has a full-time job to manage, her family to deal with, and a gorgeous new actor, Adam Devin, determined to wear down her resistance. Eventually Maddy must learn to break all her self-imposed rules and simply follow her heart. Scared Scriptless offers an engagingly relatable heroine, laugh-out-loud humor, and a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how television is made.

Life is funny sometimes. And not always the ha, ha kind. Like that one time where a hot guy tried to kiss me and I fell. Down. Hard. And then found out I had cancer. I’m trying to be strong for my friends and my mom. And I’m trying so hard to be “just friends” with that hot guy, even though he seems to want so much more. But I won’t do that to him. He’s been through this before with his family, and I’m not going to let him watch me die. So, I tell myself: Smile Ellie. Be funny Ellie. Don’t cry Ellie, because once I start, I might not stop.

"Can you blame a publicist for blurring the lines between what's real and what's a dream, when her client is a gorgeous actor?" --Jodi Picoult Sophie is a Hollywood publicist who has a fabulous job, a fabulous boyfriend, and a fabulous life. She even scores her PR firm's most important actor client and every woman's dream--Billy Fox. But will a steamy make-out session in a restaurant alley with her big-name client cost Sophie her job? And does she really want an escape from her life and her loving, if imperfect, relationship with her investment banker boyfriend? The Star Attraction takes us on a wild ride through one woman's daytime soap come to life. "Alison Sweeney's novel is an entertaining, backstage glimpse at those who organize the lives of the Hollywood elite. It's great fun for any reader who secretly sneaks peeks at People magazine in the checkout line at the grocery store, and wonders, What if . . . ?" --Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of Lone Wolf and The Storyteller Publishers Weekly: Actress and reality show host Sweeney (The Mommy Diet) hits it out of the park with her engaging fiction debut about an L.A.-based star publicist who lets her love life get in the way of work Sweeney uses many familiar chick-lit tropes but does it very well and also infuses her story with insider-y Hollywood situations and realistic depictions of relationship woes. It all adds up to a pleasurable read, and a particularly impressive first foray into this genre. Kirkus: A highly entertaining debut from Sweeney, host of The Biggest Loser and star of Days of Our Lives for 20 years. Sweeney's insider knowledge adds authenticity to this laugh-out-loud story of working and romancing in Los Angeles. What makes the book remarkable is not so much the plot but Sophie's reactions to what happens. You just have to love this girl. That sense of humor that can save a person in real life makes this an extremely fun read.

What are the pathways that lead us to God? In this book Helen Cepero leads you through the journey beginning with three ways of love, then three ways of continuing in faith, and then lastly, three ways of living in hope. These nine pathways will lead you into deeper life with Christ.

Summer is the perfect time to settle into your beach or deck chair and discover a new writer. Hachette Book Group proudly presents this free Summer Reading Fiction Sampler, filled with the first chapters of 15 novels being published across all our imprints over the course of summer 2014. Authors Jeff Abbott (Inside Man), Megan Abbott (The Fever), Adam Brookes (Night Heron), M.R. Carey (The Girl With All The Gifts), Stephan Eirik Clark (Sweetness #9), Kimberly Elkins (What Is Visible), Ryan Graudin (The Walled City), Edan Lepucki (California), Jodi Ellen Malpas (One Night Promised), David Shafer (Whiskey Tango Foxtrot), Anne Rivers Siddons (The Girls Of August), Carla Stewart (The Hatmaker's Heart), Alison Sweeney (Scared Scriptless), Carl Weber (The Choir Director 2) And Chris Weitz (The Young World) are united by a common publisher and a desire to share their work with any reader eager for a great story. Hopefully this taste of their work will lead you to discover your new favorite novelist!

A big, authoritative, hilarious illustrated account of New Zealand's funniest comedians.From the Kiwi Concert Party to The Topp Twins, Billy T. James to Rose Matafeo, Fred Dagg to Flight of the Conchords and Taika Waititi, New Zealanders have made each other laugh in ways distinctive to these islands. Funny As tells the story of comedy in this country through more than 300 pictures and an engaging text based on over 100 interviews with our best comedians. Published alongside a major TVNZ documentary series at a time when comedy has never been bigger, the book takes us inside the comedy clubs, cabarets and television studios where comedians work; it charts the rise of cartoons and skits, parody and stand-up; it introduces us to how New Zealand's funniest men and women have made sense (and nonsense) out of this country's changing culture and society. Funny As is the authoritative, hilarious story of New Zealand comedy.

"In Opportunity Knocks, Sweeney captures the insanity of Hollywood in the perfect blend of fun, intrigue, and romance." -- Portia De Rossi, actress and New York Times bestselling author of Unbearable Lightness Alex Cleary has careened from one dead-end position to another. But suddenly the ingenious makeup artist finds her distinct talents are valued by none other than lifestyle-empire mogul Hillary P. -- renowned for her golden touch in broadcast and print media, as well as for her hair-trigger temper. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the daytime television scene that Alex is determined not to screw up. Then a frank word in the wrong ear puts Alex's job on the line. Alex anticipates Hillary's rage, but she can't believe that this multimillionaire is holding her newest staffer to a nondisclosure agreement that demands reparation of 5 million dollars. Alex has only 48 hours to repair the damage. And with a vengeful Hillary P. watching the clock, the devil will have her due...

This Festschrift dedicated to S. Scott Bartchy comes on the occasion of his retirement from the Department of History at the University of California at Los Angeles. This volume contains seventeen essays contributed by Professor Bartchy's esteemed colleagues, associates, friends, and former graduate students. Beginning with his groundbreaking work on Greco-Roman slavery, Bartchy's teaching and research have been marked both by his use of social-scientific methods for studying the New Testament and by an interest in the social history of early Christianity, including the role of women in the early Christian assemblies, the Christian critique of traditional views of male honor, and the practice of table fellowship and its implications for Christian social relations. To honor Bartchy's legacy, the editors thought it appropriate to organize this collection according to the relational categories suggested by Galatians 3:28. Each essay pertains, therefore, to the social dynamics between Jews and Gentiles, slaves and freeborn, or males and females in the early church and beyond. The volume's subtitle reflects Scott's many accomplishments as a jazz musician and sounds a note of unity in diversity that characterizes the diverse perspectives and themes found in the essays of this volume.

What are we doing when we gather around the sacraments— or when we make the same breakfast every morning? Embodying rituals, says Dru Johnson. And until we understand what we’re doing and why, we won’t know how these rituals work, what they mean, or how we might adapt them. In Human Rites Johnson considers the concept of ritual as seen in Scripture and its role in shaping our thinking. He colorfully illustrates both the mundane and the sacred rituals that penetrate all of life, offering not only a helpful introduction to rituals but also a framework for understanding them. As he unpacks how rituals pervade every area of our lives, Johnson suggests biblical ways to focus our use of rituals, habits, and sacraments so that we can see the world more truly through them.

The Frozen Toe Guide to Real Alaskan Livin' both embraces and instructs readers on everything one needs to know to be a true Alaskan, or at least to look the part. Combining both handbook format with anecdotal bits about the author’s own experiences moving to the state, the book advises readers on such topics ranging from winter survival skills to regional fashion to Alaskan dating advice to extreme sports. Learn how to make ice cream from snow, or how to seek out a career in dog mushing. Find out where to travel for weekend trips, and what Alaskans do for entertainment.