Showing results by author "J.J. Smith" in All Categories

Join the last vestiges of Humanity and their alien allies (the reptilian Thrynn, the insectoid Velox, and the plant-based Elowan) as they attempt to carve out their own territory in a sector of space filled with wondrous opportunity and deadly threats. Brave explorers seek out new worlds to colonize while merchants cruise from starport to starport, their holds laden with exotic goods. Not all in this futuristic setting have noble intent. For every prospector and trader attempting to make a difference, a dozen pirates, smugglers, and mobsters engage in all manner of criminal enterprise.

Since the late 1800s, Robert's Rules of Order has been used in corporate governance and executive boardrooms. Robert's Rules of Order were designed to properly assemble a group of people, of any size. It's a form of organizing assemblies intelligently. Any group, society, or assembly who adopts Robert's rules has the liberty to adopt their own rules - eventually creating their own book of rules.

For more than four decades, between 1969 and 2010, the remote former mining town of Trinidad, Colorado, was the unlikely crossroads for approximately 6,000 medical pilgrims who came looking for relief from the pain of gender dysphoria. The surgical skill and nonjudgmental compassion of surgeons Stanley Biber and his transgender protege Marci Bowers made the phrase "going to Trinidad" a euphemism for gender confirmation surgery in the worldwide transgender community.

After my parents' deaths, I had to learn to forgive in order to move forward in my life. There is no Band-Aid for grief, loss, or offense. We'll have questions about the challenges we face in life, of course. The problem is not having a question. The problem is not that our question remains unanswered. The problem is that we expect, or even demand, resolution and find ourselves offended because of this apparent disconnect between what we thought we were getting and what life gave us.

Joelle Lawton wishes for a simpler life . . . a life where her husband doesn't cheat, her children don't resent her, and her career doesn't pose veiled threats. She wishes she could get past the depression that seeped into her life over a year ago, after the loss of her third child.

Holy & Whole is a daily devotional podcast rooted in Scripture with one call: Get up and walk forward. Inspired by John 5 and the story of the man at the pool of Bethesda, this podcast is for those who feel stuck, discouraged, and unsure. Jesus is asking: “Do YOU want to be made whole?” Each episode offers a scripture, reflection, and prayer to help you answer that question by taking responsibility, releasing what’s holding you back, and moving forward—one step at a time. Not perfectly. But faithfully. Get up. Walk forward. Become Holy & Whole.

Mental manipulation happens every day without most people noticing it. So, sit down next to the fireplace, and let me tell you how the power of persuasion and manipulation works. Through these three books, you will discover how to influence people and learn how to read them as if they were an open book and have them ready to tell you even their most hidden secrets. You will discover how to put thoughts into people's minds by convincing them that they are their own.

Travel agent Gabby LeClair, a divorced big-city transplant trying to find some aloha spirit in her soul, prides herself on working hard to give the Aloha Lagoon Resort guests a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But that turns out to be more than anyone bargained for when the body of a client is found dead during one of Gabby's island tours.

The fourth book in the New York Times bestselling series by L.J. Smith. The Ripper is the fourth book in L.J. Smith’s bestselling Stefan’s Diaries series, which reveals the backstory of brothers Stefan and Damon from The Vampire Diaries series. This paperback features cover artwork from the...

The Cross & The Crib. When Calvary Becomes the Nursery. A Journey of Discovery with Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen In this special collection of writings, Archbishop Sheen presents an array of meditations on Our Blessed Lord’s words spoken from the Cross; "Woman behold your son; behold your Mother (John 19:26-27).” This anthology contains sixteen reflections taken from nine of Sheen’s best-selling books. These meditations offer insightful perspectives regarding the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in salvation history, and the theology behind the term “spiritual adoption”. Woman, ...

Senior editor at L.A. Magazine RJ Smith saw his first book, The Great Black Way, win the coveted California Book Award. With The One, Smith profiles one of the 20th century’s most innovative musical icons, the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown. Drawing on extensive research and captivating interviews, Smith chronicles Brown’s rise from abject poverty to the pinnacle of fame, while also detailing Brown’s work as a civil rights activist and entrepreneur.

Every year, as the anniversary of 9/11 inches closer, Kit scans the memorials published in the paper. It's a simple thing to look up a name, to reach out to surviving family members who might still be yearning for connection with their lost loved one...to offer assistance. After her husband went down in the north tower, Kit scraped by as an actress. But now her daughter is in the hospital, bills are due, and the acting work has dried up. Becoming a medium is almost too easy for someone used to pretending for a living. But now the seances are starting to feel unsettlingly real....

In another age, the pathways connecting Earth to the Wildworld were sealed, forever separating humans from the shimmering parallel universe where legends still live. A great sorceress, Morgana Shee, guards the solitary gate between the worlds. She alone holds the secret of Fell Andred, her mansion built directly on the Great Coastal Passage, whose mirrors are the last doorways to enchantment.

On a restless ocean, a group of weary survivors contemplate their grim fortune: What had started out as a fun little fishing trip soon turns into a nightmare of damnation, trapped on a floating prison. The continents have been hit by a plague that has turned humanity into living corpses - leaving our castaways at sea to fend for themselves. With provisions low, hope comes in the form of a luxury liner sailing into view on the horizon. All they needed to survive would be onboard, but who among them has what it takes to find out what happened to its crew and passengers?

"Imagine waking up in a hospital, paralyzed and unable to speak, only to learn you've been shot in the head in a horrifying act of domestic violence. This is the story of Chris Smith, a 50-something-year-old contractor from rural Illinois, who was shot in the head while on a first date with a woman he met online. He was the lucky one because his date was murdered, both shot by her ex-boyfriend who was stalking her. Chris’ story is a remarkable tale of resilience and, believe it or not, humor. With a bullet still lodged in his brain, Chris, affectionately nicknames himself 'Bullet Boy,' as...

Early Oklahoma was a haven for violent outlaws and a death trap for deputy U.S. marshals. The infamous Doolin gang's OK Hotel gunfight left five dead. Killers like Bible-quoting choir leader Deacon Jim Miller wreaked havoc. Gunslinger femme fatale Belle Starr specialized in horse theft. Wannabe outlaws like Al Jennings traded train robbing for politics and Hollywood films. And Elmer McCurdy's determination and inept skill earned him a carnival slot and the nickname "the Bandit Who Wouldn't Give Up."

Crucibles: History's Most Formidable Rites of Passage explores fourteen elite organizations, with a special emphasis on the onerous trials designed to cull initiates from aspirants. It analyzes the underlying commonalities of such trials, describing how they work, why people are willing to subject themselves to such rigors, and how such tests benefit or harm the organizations that require them.

In the aftermath of a global catastrophe that has killed billions, old enemies become allies in order to survive. When Ryan Connors and his former recon team, the Nameless, form an alliance with the Yakuza, they learn of a new plot that could lead to countless more deaths. Armed with this knowledge, and driven by revenge, Ryan and his team launch a desperate bid to stop OPIS from executing their plans to destroy the world.

Amelie and Janet are in love with the same man: Janet's husband. One knows it; the other doesn't. Or does she? As best-selling novelist Amelie Ferrar knows, an affair with a married person is like a work of fiction - a kind of spy story with its own rules, customs, and private rituals. But like any spy story, there will inevitably be a betrayal: something will slip; someone else will find out; someone may even die. As Amelie falls deeper into her obsession with the man she loves - and his wife - the twisted ending to this story is one that not even she could have seen coming....

China's strategic capabilities and doctrine have historically differed from the United States' and Russia's. China has continued to modernize and expand its arsenal despite its policy of no first use, while the United States and Russia have decreased deployed weapons stocks. This volume brings together an international group of distinguished scholars to provide a fresh assessment of China's strategic military capabilities, doctrines, and political perceptions in light of rapidly advancing technologies.