From author and speaker Melanie Dale comes a laugh-out-loud hilarious parenting book that teaches you how to dial back the stress of raising children with the simple premise that we all just need to lighten up a little bit. Most of us thought we’d be amazing parents—and then we had kids. Now we spend what little free time we have comparing ourselves to other parents, comparing our kids to other kids, and panicking that everyone else is nailing it except us. Between constant social media postings to conflicting advice found in parenting books, we often have no choice but to freak out. But there is another way. We all just need to calm the h*ck down. Melanie Dale—a special needs parent, adoptive parent, in vitro parent, and reluctant cheer mom—believes we are all putting too much pressure on ourselves and our kids to be perfect. Instead, she argues, we need to take a step back so we can actually enjoy this journey called parenting. Calm the H*ck Down is filled with stories from Melanie’s own life, as well as real-life research for learning how to lighten up about every aspect of parenting—from poopy diapers and germs to family vacations and adolescent angst. She also discusses the pressure to knock it all out of the Pinterest park, the challenge of instilling some kind of faith into your kids, and worrying about their future while still trying to live in the present. Infused with quirky humor, profound insight, and accessible advice, Calm the H*ck Down gives you the permission to finally relax and enjoy this ridiculous thing we do called parenting.

Happenstance The abduction of a young, brilliant mechanical engineer who happened to be a pot-head, in his pursuit of the finest reefer in the world, leads to an adventure with potentially dire consequences. An unlikely crew assembles in an effort to thwart a diabolical, sinister, murderous criminal mastermind in his scheme to take political and financial control over the booming new marijuana legalization. The Triangle Thinkers have other things in mind. Audacity! How dare I? Who am I to think that I could ever actually write a book? Well, whatever, I went for it. I’ve read thousands of fiction novels and have often thought about the challenge. I’ve also been told that I should write a book. So here you have it, which begs another question I must ask myself; why? What is the end-goal? What is the objective I’d like to accomplish as a result of putting forth all of this tremendous effort and expense? I respond to this quandary through introspection. I look and see some of the awful things that I’ve been through and I’d like to be able to contribute toward their ultimate eradication. Most notably, to me, and I’m dreadfully ashamed to say so, as I’m first-hand experienced with it, is homelessness, which, in retrospect, is nothing compared to having had the ultimate tragedy in my life of dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease. As an answer to these questions that I’ve asked myself, while creating an exciting, suspenseful, entertaining and perhaps provocative story, I’ve hoped to bring some attention to their issues within the pages of this novel. The writing touches upon not only the two that I’ve mentioned, but also other socio-economic issues affecting everyday American citizens…every day. It is my sincerest hope that with The Help of God and God Willing, my effort will not be for naught; that somehow, some way, through whatever (if ever) profit this may yield, a percentage of your purchase can go toward contributing to these causes. In my wildest dreams, if this is successful, I hope to establish a dual-purpose foundation; one concentration battling Alzheimer’s Disease, and the other, the blight of homelessness in America. All this being said, please, forgive me for my audacity. …How dare I write a book A New Novel with a Mission Reefenue is a novel with surprising and reasonable conclusions about marijuana in our society through imagining what it would be like to have it as a mainstream, legal commodity instead of a very limited or forbidden product in the hands of the mafia, where its dangers in this book and in real life are not chemical but rather those of distribution in the hands of powerful thugs for whom murder is a mere inconvenience for those who interfere with material profits. The characters are drawn with a realism that makes their values, humor, shortcomings, and even breathing part of the reader’s journey through the book’s 370 pages. Each persona is plausible down to his or her speech patterns, personal idioms and motives right down to the romance between Morty and Hank (Henrietta). The villainous Maestro conveys a picture of evil that makes any bad guys from Ian Fleming look like Mr. Rogers. The conflict at times becomes a wee bit grinding for readers who want simply “to get on with it”, but Mr. Harrington is not what I would call a “terse” writer with a sense of verbal economy. His scenarios paint characters and their predicaments in sensory ways with elaborate detail and plausible, extensive dialogue. The principal message from the book is that marijuana should not be something restricted by government interference. I think of prohibition of alcohol during the 1920’s and early 1930’s and am convinced that many similar horrors of crime from that era could be diminished or eliminated by making pot as legal as cigarettes. Mr. Harrington is a skilled writer with a mission, one that he renders quite convincingly in his novel. John Bolinger April, 2021

Can Cassius and Morgan overcome an elusive enemy and save a young girl’s life? Eden Monroe has spent her entire existence believing she has no magic. Shunned by her mother Brianna and the magical bureau Hexa, she runs away from home when she is forced to embrace a future she never chose, only to fall into the hands of ghastly monsters from the Nine Hells. After being rescued by a mysterious Dryad with secrets of his own, Eden realizes there is more to her past and future than she could ever have imagined. When San Francisco PD asks Argonaut to assist them in solving a series of strange bank robberies, Cassius Black and Morgan King uncover a disturbing plot that points to an unknown artifact hidden somewhere in the city. Their investigation soon has them crossing paths with a desperate Brianna, who seeks their help in finding her missing daughter. When the witch reveals the shocking circumstances surrounding her daughter’s birth as well as the deadly magic sealed inside the young girl’s body, the Argonaut agents realize their case is linked to Eden and the weapon of devastating power the bank robbers are after. Can Cassius and Morgan defeat the malevolent organization behind it all and save Eden from her cursed fate? Or will the young girl suffer a destiny worse than death itself? Spellbound is the second novel in the gay urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. This is an MM paranormal adventure full of action, magic, snark, and a host of steamy angels and demons. Visit Ava's author store at Shop AD Starrling to get digitally signed books and discounted bundles!

Comical Vacations 1 Three-Book Bundle Contents The Finch Family Short Break (Book 0 Prequel) This British funny fiction is the prequel in the Comical Vacations series that takes place the year of Kitty’s divorce and before the first Finch Family Holiday kicks off. We find Kitty Finch trying to get to grips with life without Mason after seeking a friend on-line to share her time and troubles with but he turns out to be more trouble than he is worth. When things get weird she tries to end their friendship, only he is not having it so she persuades her sister-in-law that she needs a short break. However, it does not remain just the three of them going on an Amsterdam adventure when other Finch family members also wangle a ticket to ride. How will she handle the fact that her ex-husband is coming along too and who is the mystery woman with him? It was not all fun and games for Kitty when she discovers that things are not going her way no matter how hard she tries to deal with stuff that could prevent her enjoyment and talk about unrequited love, for it is catching on. Especially when Kitty ends up gate-crashing a hen party and pretending to be someone else just so she can join in. There is also the Red Light District to contend with, where all her worst fears came true. Overall, it was a memorable stay in the end and to find out more just read this hilarious story of one woman’s quest to keep her sanity and her sanitary towels intact. The Finch Family Holiday 1 WISH YOU WERE HERE would be the words written on a dirty postcard from Blackpool that Kitty Finch would send home to the rest of her family, if only, they were not already there with her. The Finch family are going to a Blackpool campsite for a typically British seaside holiday. Will Kitty be able to enjoy the excursions, when plagued with the arthritis she suffers from? On the other hand, will she want to end it all off the top of The Blackpool Tower through embarrassment before their final day is done? Will everyone else survive the holiday, come to that? There are a couple of surprises joining them for the ride and plenty of comedic complications to overcome. Can Kitty really put her marriage to Mason behind her since the divorce and perhaps, have a holiday romance with someone new? Read this funny, feel good fiction to find out. The Finch Family Holiday 2 Fancy a fun British holiday with the wacky Finch family in The Lake District then you are very welcome to join them for another zany outing. In this laughter-filled story, Kitty has found herself a boyfriend that she met through the internet and she has invited the current man in her life to come along with them. Does her ex-husband approve of this new dude and does Kitty care if Mason cares? Will Kitty’s continuing battle with her health issues interfere somewhat with them having a good time, not to mention the mishaps, misunderstandings and general mayhem all round? Everyone tries their best to bond together on this exciting trip, only to rub each other up the wrong way. While a blast from the past manages to upset an excursion and causes Kitty yet more grief. Kitty wonders if the local myths truly exist and is there a monster lurking at the bottom of the lake. Moreover, can a witch really put a curse on Kitty when she is made of stone? This is the least of her woes when she suspects a real post office robbery has taken place. Is it a crime to want this ten-day stint away from home, not to end up a complete disaster? Go on; I dare you to crack open the cover of this holiday story to find out what they did on their vacation.

When Mia Cox finds out she can’t donate her kidney to save her younger sister’s life, she doesn’t hesitate to jump on a plane to New York, convinced she can talk their estranged birth mother, Carmen, into donating hers instead. She doesn’t know the city or how she’ll find Carmen when she gets there, but she has to try. If she doesn’t, Maddy’s going to die. On the cross-country flight, Mia figures she’ll have more than enough time to make a plan for when she lands—where she’ll go, where she’ll sleep, what she’ll eat. But then she falls into an embarrassing conversation with the cute boy sitting next to her, and only after she insults him does she realize he’s the one and only Jaxton Scott, the troubled lead singer of a famous rock band she hates. While Mia is running toward what she hopes is a cure for her sister, Jax is running away from his rockstar life. As the hours pass, they get to know each other, and she finds herself opening up to him like she never has to anyone. When Jax volunteers to help Mia on the rest of her journey, she’s hesitant to accept his offer. Under different circumstances, she would want to get to know him better, but how can she entertain this random crush on a real-life rockstar while Maddy lies in the hospital, her name one of many on a never-ending transplant list? Though everything seems perfect while they’re in the air, once on the ground again, Mia’s lack of preparation catches up with her, and she receives grave news from home. Clinging to the shred of hope she has left, she accepts Jax’s help but makes it clear that her priority is finding Carmen and saving Maddy’s life. She will not, under any circumstances, stray from her mission no matter how cute, thoughtful, and sweet her new friend may be.

Cowritten by USA Today best-selling author Tara Sivec and award-winning narrator Andi Arndt, a hysterically funny, heartfelt romance about starting over and taking chances. Nothing good ever comes from drinking a box of wine alone. So when I decided to entertain my drunken self by setting up some hand-me-down podcasting equipment and reading the steamy parts from romance novels, I never thought anyone would actually listen. The fact that I admitted my huge crush on my sexy next door neighbor made the whole thing even more mortifying. But sometimes life surprises you, and that’s how my podcast, Heidi’s Discount Erotica, was born. Now I, Heidi Larsen, a sweet former kindergarten teacher in Waconia, Minnesota, lead a scandalous double life reading erotic novels to the listening world. And with each episode, I find myself embracing my new alter ego more and more. Now I’m starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin and do things I never would have dreamed of - like kissing my neighbor. Look out, Waconia, because Heidi’s on the loose! She’s in your ears, in your hearts, and down your pants...wait, that didn’t sound as good as it did in my head. Well, you get the picture, don’tcha know!

Rebel belle: "Seventeen-year-old Harper Price's charmed life is turned upside down when she discovers she's been given magical powers in order to protect her school nemesis David Stark, who's an Oracle"--