Ten inspiring stories from the frontline of parenting, including Sara Leonardi-McGrath Stepmothers have a bad rap. Who gave Snow White the poisonous apple? Who enslaved Cinderella? Given that one in four Australian families are ‘blended’, it’s time to throw out the wicked stepmother image and give people a genuine account of what it’s like to walk in her shoes. Stepmother Love tells the stories of ten women who have chosen to take on the challenge of making a positive contribution to the lives of their stepchildren. There are no white picket fences or rose-coloured glasses, but there are many enriching insights into these families’ journeys to find happiness. This groundbreaking book reveals how these women overcame grief, hostility and even disinterest to build loving, long-term, trusting relationships with their stepchildren. There are millions of stepmothers working hard on their family relationships and Stepmother Love is an inspiring collection of stories that will uplift, help and support any woman who is doing the toughest parenting gig of all – as well as acknowledge their tough role and the courage it takes to make it work. Most importantly, Stepmother Love celebrates the commitment they show in the day-to-day care of stepchildren of all ages as an act of love. Sally Collins is the proud stepmother of two wonderful young women and set up her popular website www.stepmotherlove.com to share stories, tips and support. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and their young children.

You found the love of your life, and you vowed to have, to hold and to stepmother. You always thought that in time you'd grow to be the perfect, loving family. So why does it seem that the harder you try, the more unappreciated you feel? As a stepmother, therapist and founder of the popular Web site stepsforstepmothers.com, Dr. Rachelle Katz knows all too well how challenging stepmotherhood can be. Based on thousands of in-depth interviews and the latest research, she's created a powerful program to help you: * Alleviate stress and take care of yourself * Bond with your new family * Set and enforce clear boundaries * Get the respect you deserve * Strengthen your relationship

Written by contributors from around the world, The International Handbook of Stepfamilies: Policy and Practice in Legal, Research, and Clinical Environments is a collection of research, legal, and clinical recommendations that fills a growing need for complex, re-formed families. Using the information in this book, which includes contemporary research and its implications, you will be able to consider stepfamilies in an international context. Understand the issues that clinicians face when they work with stepfamilies, both before and after formation, and gain more knowledge about this topic as the rates of family reformation increase.

The first full reconstruction of and investigation into the vibrant and fascinating legend of King Seleucus, successor to Alexander the Great.

The spiritual godfather of Canadian bikers tells the story of his fascinating life. You could call Bernie Guindon the Sonny Barger of Canadian bikers (but not to his face). The founder of Satan's Choice, Guindon led what was in the 1960s the second-largest biker club in the world (after the Hells Angels, which Bernie would join briefly in the early 2000s) to national prominence and international infamy. His life wasn't all bikes and crime. He was also a medalist in boxing for Canada at the Pan Am Games. That tension between the very rough life he was born into and the possibility for success in the straight world (and how aspirations in each fed his success in the other) layer Guindon's story, one of the great untold stories in biker history. Friends from the biker world and Guindon's family have given extensive interviews for Hard Road, including his son, Harley, a convict and outlaw biker himself.