An award-winning magical romantic comedy in which a bookstore owner must choose between fantasy and reality after realizing the men she's dating are characters she'd created years before... "Locke breaks down tropes--the popular jock and the thoughtful poet--and puts cracks in their shining armor with humor and insight...Blending romance with whimsical fantasy, Locke's story offers up a look at the expectations of youthful fancy vs. the realities of an adult love." - Library Journal _________________________________________________________________________ What would you do if you discovered the men you were dating were fictional characters you'd created long ago? Thirty-five-year-old Catherine Schreiber has shelved love for good. Keeping her ailing bookstore afloat takes all her time, and she's perfectly fine with that. So when several men ask her out in short order, she's not sure what to do ... especially since something about them seems eerily familiar. A startling revelation -- that these men are fictional characters she'd created and forgotten years ago -- forces Cat to reevaluate her world and the people in it. Because these characters are alive. Here. Now. And most definitely in the flesh. Her best friend, Eliza, a romance novel junkie craving her own Happily Ever After, is thrilled by the possibilities. The power to create Mr. Perfect -- who could pass that up? But can a relationship be real if it's fiction? Caught between fantasy and reality, Cat must decide which -- or whom -- she wants more. Blending humor with unusual twists, including a magical manuscript, a computer scientist in shining armor, and even a Regency ball, A Man of Character is a whimsical-yet-thought-provoking romantic comedy that tells a story not only of love, but also of the lengths we'll go for friendship, self-discovery, and second chances. ________________________________________________________________________ 2016 HOLT Medallion Certificate of Merit winner for Best First Book 2015 Lyra Winner for Best General Fiction Genre: Light paranormal chick lit / romantic comedy Magic of Love Book 1: 327 pages

After injuring his hand, a silvermith's apprentice in Boston becomes a messenger for the Sons of Liberty in the days before the American Revolution.

Throughout its 126-year history, Kentucky Military Institute educated more than eleven thousand young men and boys. It was never the intention of the founder of the school, Colonel Robert P. T. Allen, or his successors to train soldiers. Although the daily life was patterned after the life of West Point cadets, the military discipline was intended to teach the young men the value of order and discipline in the conduct of their lives. The goal of educating young men to live useful and productive lives would remain the primary goal of the school, even when it ceased to be a college and became a preparatory school in the twentieth century. Although Character Makes the Man did not become the school motto until the early twentieth century, it would have been applicable throughout the schools history.

Captivate the hearts and minds of young adult readers! Writing for young adult (YA) and middle grade (MG) audiences isn't just "kid's stuff" anymore--it's kidlit! The YA and MG book markets are healthier and more robust than ever, and that means the competition is fiercer, too. In Writing Irresistible Kidlit, literary agent Mary Kole shares her expertise on writing novels for young adult and middle grade readers and teaches you how to: • Recognize the differences between middle grade and young adult audiences and how it impacts your writing. • Tailor your manuscript's tone, length, and content to your readership. • Avoid common mistakes and cliches that are prevalent in YA and MG fiction, in respect to characters, story ideas, plot structure and more. • Develop themes and ideas in your novel that will strike emotional chords. Mary Kole's candid commentary and insightful observations, as well as a collection of book excerpts and personal insights from bestselling authors and editors who specialize in the children's book market, are invaluable tools for your kidlit career. If you want the skills, techniques, and know-how you need to craft memorable stories for teens and tweens, Writing Irresistible Kidlit can give them to you.

The former pastor and Arkansas governor discusses his career and the political scandals he witnessed, and explains how faith can help people to stay on the right path and handle any challenge.

We like to think of ourselves and our friends and families as pretty good people. The more we put our characters to the test, however, the more we see that we are decidedly a mixed bag. Fortunately there are some promising strategies - both secular and religious - for developing better characters.

In a novel set in an indefinite, futuristic, post-apocalyptic world, a father and his young son make their way through the ruins of a devastated American landscape, struggling to survive and preserve the last remnants of their own humanity