A groundbreaking new series explores hotly debated issues and offers some intelligent, challenging, and wise ways forward that may be able to break through the current intractable position—the first is coauthored by the author of A Brief History of Everything Each book in this series is coauthored by leading leadership consultant Alan Watkins and a hand-picked expert in the relevant subject field—in this case, one of the most widely read and influential American philosophers of our time. This first entry looks at some of the most pressing and topical issues affecting the world today, from the clash of religions and cultures in a globalized world to the growing dominance of technology. The book sets the scene for debating the key challenges facing current and future generations, and sets possible agendas for how leaders, and potential leaders, can solve challenges through the wise application of multi-tiered multi-channel, multi-organizational intervention lead in a highly developed, enlightened, and selfless way.

Rebecca Podos, Lambda Literary Award–winning author of Like Water, returns with a lush, dark, and unforgettable story of the power of the past to shape our futures—and the courage it takes to change them. Ruby Chernyavsky has been told the stories since she was a child: The women in her family, once possessed of great magical abilities to remake lives and stave off death itself, were forced to flee their Russian home for America in order to escape the fearful men who sought to destroy them. Such has it always been, Ruby’s been told, for powerful women. Today, these stories seem no more real to Ruby than folktales, except for the smallest bit of power left in their blood: when each of them comes of age, she will have a vision of who she will be when she dies—a destiny as inescapable as it is inevitable. Ruby is no exception, and neither is her mother, although she ran from her fate years ago, abandoning Ruby and her sisters. It’s a fool’s errand, because they all know the truth: there is no escaping one’s Time. Until Ruby’s great-aunt Polina passes away, and, for the first time, a Chernyavsky’s death does not match her vision. Suddenly, things Ruby never thought she’d be allowed to hope for—life, love, time—seem possible. But as she and her cousin Cece begin to dig into the family’s history to find out whether they, too, can change their fates, they learn that nothing comes without a cost. Especially not hope.

Whether poet, politician, homemaker, or diplomat, with wise and wicked words, these women take aim and always hit their mark.

Cass Pendleton and Jaime Dalton have been mortal enemies since the first day of kindergarten when Jaime pulled her hair and Cass knocked him flat on his ass. Jaime is on the verge of superstardom in the NFL; all that's missing is a Super Bowl ring and a personal assistant who can handle his business without handling his business. Cass seems to be the best person for the job. She's smart, mouthy, dependable, pig-headed, loyal, and completely not his type. So why can't Jaime think of anything except Cass? He knows one thing for dead certain. If the game doesn't kill him, sex with Cass Pendleton most definitely will.

David Mamet's interest in anti-Semitism is not limited to the modern face of an ancient hatred but encompasses as well the ways in which many Jews have internalized that hatred. Using the metaphor of the Wicked Son at the Passover seder (the child who asks, "What does this story mean to you?") Mamet confronts what he sees as an insidious predilection among some Jews to exclude themselves from the equation and to seek truth and meaning anywhere--in other religions, political movements, mindless entertainment--but in Judaism itself. He also explores the ways in which the Jewish tradition has long been and still remains the Wicked Son in the eyes of the world. Written with the searing honesty and verbal brilliance that is the hallmark of Mamet's work, The Wicked Son is a powerfully thought-provoking look at one of the most destructive and tenacious forces in contemporary life.

Abby Lewis never pictured herself on the survival game show, Endurance Island. She's just not the 'survival' type. But when her boss offers her a spot on the show and the opportunity of a lifetime, she packs her bags and heads to the tropics to be a contestant.

New York Times bestselling author, Sawyer Bennett, is happy to introduce a new Wicked Horse club in Las Vegas and you’re cordially invited to attend the grand opening... As the owner of The Wicked Horse, an elite sex club located along the Vegas Strip, I never spend the night alone. I don’t grant favors and will rarely give you the time of day—unless I want you in my bed. So when the sister of my sworn enemy shows up asking for help, saying “no” should be easy. But all I see is the opportunity to help this beautiful woman while exacting revenge on her brother, and I am not about to pass that up. Beaten and bruised, Trista Barnes is running out of options, and, unfortunately for her, I’m her last chance to get out of the mess she’s in. She doesn’t know why I despise her brother so much, but as long as I can help her, she doesn’t care. And while I am more than happy to keep her safe, I intend to do so while opening her up to a sinful world she never knew existed. As Trista falls into the wicked world of guilt free pleasure with no regrets, my feelings of possessiveness begin to grow. But when she finds out I used her as my pawn for revenge, my wicked favor may cost me everything.

Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans. Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn't your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren't the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun... and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she'd sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart. Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He's six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that's surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants... she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her. But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she's not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There's something he's not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She's no longer sure what is more dangerous to her-the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.