Everyday Leadership for People-Pleasing Introverts by Melissa Jenner The Introverted Leader’s Guide to People-Pleasing is a powerful playbook for anyone who leads with empathy but struggles with burnout, overcommitment, and self-doubt. Designed especially for...
Lifestyle Lawyer Revolution: Live a Life You Love (Without Leaving the Law) by Laura Cowan Lifestyle Lawyer Revolution is a call to arms for attorneys ready to redefine success, reclaim their time, and build a thriving practice without sacrificing their lives. Burned...
It’s summer, and I’m stretched out on a windowsill in my bedroom with the sunlight warming the fur on my back. It’s quiet except for the drone of traffic on the Henry Hudson Parkway and the occasional whir of a helicopter flying along the river.
I once shared this bedroom with my friend Gato-Hamen, the High Priest of Amun-Ra. He and I had fled ancient Egypt on his magic boat. It was only supposed to carry us to a foreign land, but it took us through time as well as space here to Elena’s house in twenty-first century New York City.
Elena’s late father had been a renowned Egyptologist, and she immediately recognized us as ancient Egyptians. She was surprised we were speaking English. We explained that the prayer which had launched the magic boat also gave us the power to speak the language wherever we arrived.
She was also surprised that I, a cat, could talk and walk like a man. That would be explained later. Overjoyed at the prospect of excitement in her life, she invited us to stay with her.
Now the High Priest shares her bedroom, and I share this one with their child, who’s the reincarnation of the Pharaoh I loved thousands of years ago. He’s on the floor, playing contentedly with his building blocks. It’s hard to believe he’s already a year old.
Elena is reading and keeping an eye on him. “Wrappa-Hamen, are you recharging?” she asks, as she always does when she sees me basking in the sun. “You lazy old cat!”
“Lazy, yes. Old, not yet,” I reply, too drowsy to say more.
When I first met the Pharaoh, he was sixteen, and I was a stray tomcat. I’d wandered into in a looted tomb and was kicked by the Vizier, his uncle. I spat a cat amulet at him, hitting him on the forehead. He accused me of trying to kill him. The High Priest arrived and tried to reason with him.
Then it happened. I suddenly had human powers! I stood upright, walked over to the Vizier, and debated with him. The Pharaoh entered the tomb to hear me wise-cracking and laughed for the first time since his parents’ death. He took me to live with him at court, and we became inseparable.
A year later the Vizier poisoned him and accused me of the murder. He was going to put me to death when the High Priest rescued me. We fled Egypt on the magic boat and ended up in Elena’s living room . . .
About Featured Book: Sexting the Boss by Liz Archer It started with one drunk sext… And ended with my boss’s baby in my belly. I should’ve never sexted him. It was an accident. A mistake. I thought I was sexting a random number. But by the time I realized it was him…...
MY FATAL FIRST DATE by Christopher Smith Fatal First Date is the harrowing yet inspiring true story of Chris Smith, a rural Illinois contractor who was shot in the head on a first date gone tragically wrong. His date was murdered by her stalking ex-boyfriend—Chris...
The cosmic threads, or perhaps a touch of serendipity, wove a
tale that ensured the very first feline I stumbled upon online bore
an uncanny resemblance to the cat of my dreams: a tabby, known
as the European Cat or Soriano in Italian. Her entrancing stares
locked onto mine through the screen, casting an almost hypnotic
spell. In the sole online snapshot, she perched atop a shelf, striking
a pose that would be her signature style.
Ever since the inexplicable vanishing of Sisi, that untamed
marvel of a cat in South Africa, I had yearned for a kindred creature
like her. In this new feline–also female–I glimpsed a rekindling of
my wild Sisi’s soul.
Water is filling my ears. Â
“Useless beast. I should cut . . . tail. Drowning’s too good . . . you . . .”  Â
Egyptians revere cats, but there are exceptions. Â
A week ago the brute snatched me from the streets, put me in a sack, and brought me on board to protect the load of grain he’s taking down the Nile to Waset. Â
Cats hunt rats, but there are exceptions.
Which the brute realized this morning. He picked me up by the scruff of my neck and threw me over the side. Â
If I never see a boat again it will be too soon . . .
I swim toward the river bank. Exhausted, I lie on the shore and let my fur dry in the warmth of the sun. Now that I’m free, I intend to resume roaming from village to village, seeing new things, meeting new cats, tasting new foods. But first I’ll eat the perch I caught during my swim.
I’m licking the smell of fish off my paws and face when I spot a pyramid in the far distance. I’ve heard a lot about them, but I’ve never seen one before.
I can’t take my eyes off it. It seems to be beckoning me.
It’s my destiny to go there!
Tail on high and a heart full of expectation, I begin walking.
Jonathan Robinson’s practical methods have reached over 250 million people worldwide, and his work has been translated into over 46 languages. He’s a multiple New York Times best-selling author and motivational speaker from Northern California and has made numerous appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and other national TV talk shows. Articles about Jonathan and his work have been in USA TODAY, Newsweek, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as dozens of other publications. He’s spent over 35 years studying practical and powerful methods for personal and professional development— to share insights with you!
After what seemed like hours of applause and praise accompanied by waves of light, Jesus quieted the crowd. “For your listening pleasure and enjoyment, here is My beloved son. The one and only Johnny Cashlesslove!”
The former rock star of Age Past walked onto the stage. At the center of the stage, he and the King embraced for a long time.
Jerome noticed how young—and vibrant—the man appeared. He couldn’t place it. Yes, he looked healthy and whole and even somewhat like his old young self. But more than that—What’s the right word? He looked—humble. There, in the embrace of the King, the singer looked content. Like nothing except the King’s embrace matters.
Johnny trembled. “You’re worth every possession, my King. Everything.”
Jesus expressed His love and how much He enjoyed Johnny’s music and lyrics. Most importantly, He loved Johnny for who he was—period.
Johnny again tried to express his gratefulness, but only meaningless babble came out.
Jesus laughed. “I know. I know. I can’t wait, son. You were meant to sing it for Me—not speak it. Grab your guitar and get going.”
Jerome smiled over at his cousin, Sam, and the rest of his friends. “Here we go.”
As applause filled the atmosphere, visible praise and light reverberation reached out and struck the musician. Instead of being absorbed by Johnny’s body, the light ricocheted toward Jesus and the throne of God.
“Hi, I’m Johnny Cashlesslove.” His famous introduction sounded clunky with the longer last name. Everyone still laughed and applauded.
Johnny sang some of the popular songs from Age Past. Many of the lyrics he’d penned were dark and depressing—matching his life at the time. At one point, Cashlesslove peered at God’s throne. “I felt you there with me during those difficult times.”
Near the end of the concert, he dismissed the band and stood alone with his guitar under a single spotlight in the middle of the Articomb stage. With head down and the world watching, he picked his guitar strings. Overcome with emotion, the singer lifted his head and turned toward Jesus.
“I did thousands of concerts in my career in front of millions of screaming fans.” His voice broke. “I’ve been waiting a long time to sing this song to the only audience I care about, the only audience that really matters—You.”
Facing King Jesus, whose throne sat in perfect symmetry with the throne of God, he played and sang a beautiful rendition of You Are So Beautiful to Me. No one familiar with his music in Age Past had heard an emotional performance like this—so elegant and heartfelt.
The Little Woods: An Occult Horror Novel by A.G. Mock This haunting supernatural thriller follows a man to the woods of his childhood when the horrors of his past stalk the family he's left behind. Summer of 1977: It was meant to be a harmless childhood game. But when...
About Featured Book: The Ultimate Frame by Andrew M. Semple Buried Truths and Deadly Secrets A cryptic email, a chilling discovery, and a life crumbling before his eyes—John Roberts never imagined how quickly everything he knew could unravel. He stumbled into the...
About Featured Book: How I Accidentally Turned My Kids Into Financially Entitled Monsters by Andrew Lendnal Transform Your Parenting Tactics for Financially Mindful Kids Are you worried that your child's understanding of money might be shaping into a problematic...
Sheldon D. Newton is a resident of the Bahamas. He is an author, pastor, international speaker, and a Senior Lecturer at Berea Theological University. He has written over forty books, which include three novels; Thrown Away, Genna’s Fight & Genna’s Ghost. He loves writing, reading, and sharing principles which enable people to live lives of purpose and fulfillment.
About Featured Book: Vegas Daddies by Liz Archer What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas… Until you wake up married to three dangerous silver fox bikers. My fiancé dumped me during my bachelorette party. So when three hot bikers offer to make me forget, I did what anyone...
Rebecca Hartman is an author and former landscape architect with a BS from Ohio State University. Her debut book, Stepping Stones to Harmony: A Caregiver’s Guide to Home Organization, Downsizing, and Moving (December 2024), draws from her personal experience balancing care for her aging mother while homeschooling her son. The book, along with its companion workbook, applies her design expertise to help overwhelmed caregivers create more manageable home environments. It is available through major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and Kobo.
Robert Ambros was born in Passaic, New Jersey in 1959. His first novel, The Brief Sun, was based on his parents’ WWII experiences in Siberian labor camps and won the 10th annual Writer’s Digest International Book Award for best genre fiction. His second historical novel, When Eagles Die, explored the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder on future generations. This was followed by a murder mystery in a WWII setting, Griffith Stadium. He lives in Central Florida.
Gary Corbin is a writer, editor, and playwright in Camas, WA, a suburb of Portland, OR. Raised in a small town in New England, Gary has also lived in Louisiana (Geaux LSU Tigers!), Indiana (Go Hoosiers!), and Washington, DC before settling down in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Join Gary’s mailing list (http://garycorbinwriting.com/about-gary-corbin/contact/) and be the first to be notified of free preview editions, 99 cent specials, free book promotions, and exclusive content.
Gary’s nine novels comprise three hit series featuring page-turning plots, flawed but lovable protagonists, and bad guys you love to hate.
His most recent works, the Valorie Dawes Thrillers, feature Valorie Dawes, a rookie policewoman with a #metoo past pursuing perpetrators of crimes against women in Clayton, CT. Val’s intuition, courage, and relentless hunger for justice sometimes pushes her close to–if not over–the line. Books in that series include A Woman of Valor (2019), In Search of Valor (2020), A Better Part of Valor (2021) and Mother of Valor (2022) follow Val’s path in pursuit of rapists, kidnappers, torturers, and sex traffckers. The fifth novel in that series, Under the Banner of Valor, is expected to release in Winter 2023/24.
Gary’s Lying Injustice Thrillers, his first series, is also his most decorated. Lying in Judgment, features Peter Robertson, a man serving on the jury of a murder trial–the murder that he committed. An Amazon.com best-selling legal thriller, Lying in Judgment selected as Bookworks.com “Book of the Week” for July 11-18, 2016, and was the feature novel on Literary Lightbox’s “Indie Spotlight” in February 2017. The sequel, Lying in Vengeance, released in September, 2017, explores the aftermath when a fellow juror blackmails him in hopes of forcing him to kill again–or be exposed for his first heinous crime.
Gary’s second novel, The Mountain Man’s Dog, came out in June 2016, kicking off the Mountain Man Mysteries series. Forester Lehigh Carter fears only two things: dogs and women. But when he rescues an injured dog on the highway and brings it into his ex-fiancee’s vet clinic, his fears collide, leading to an unwelcome deep dive into the worlds of romance, politics, pet ownership. The sequel, The Mountain Man’s Bride, was released Feb. 8, 2017. The third book in the series, The Mountain Man’s Badge, was released in June, 2018.
All of these mysteries are available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.
Gary’s plays have enjoyed critical acclaim and have enjoyed several productions in regional and community theaters. His writer’s reference, Write Better Right Now: A Dozen Mistakes Good Writers Make-And How to Fix Them, is available exclusively on Kindle.
Gary is a member of the Willamette Writers Group, Northwest Editors Guild, 9 Bridges Writers Group, PDX Playwrights, the Portland Area Theater Alliance, and the Bar Noir Writers Workshop, and participates in workshops and conferences in the Portland, Oregon area.
A homebrewer and coffee roaster, Gary loves to ski, cook, and watch his beloved Red Sox and Patriots. He hopes to someday train his dogs to obey. And when that doesn’t work, he escapes to the Oregon coast with his sweetheart.
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About Featured Book: Knocked Up by my Best Friend's Brothers by Kai Lesy “You’ve always been ours. And now, we’re done waiting.” One wardrobe malfunction. Four people who shouldn’t be together. One secret that changes everything. It's my best friend's wedding and I'm...
About Featured Book: Mile High Daddy by Liz Archer It started with the mile high club… And ended with a forced marriage and two babies in my belly. I first met Mikhail Ivanov on a plane. He was the stormy-eyed stranger seated next to me, Calming me during a bumpy...