A powerful, heartbreaking, and redemptive account of a boy who endured a childhood of poverty and abuse in an American Southwest trailer park named Cloud 9. Abandoned by his father at age two, Rick Sylvester lived with an abusive mother whose struggles as a member of the working poor led her to drugs, alcohol, theft, and prostitution--and eventually attempted suicide. Rick battled depression, anxiety, and PTSD as the chaos, neglect, and unpredictability of his childhood seemed to doom him to follow in his mother's footsteps. Well into adulthood, Rick stumbled through unemployment and divorce, using drugs and alcohol to numb the pain until he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Miraculously, though, he overcame the odds and today is a happy husband and father. How did this happen? Rick's answer is this: "It was the Lord." A message of hope to those who are drowning from an undeserved childhood, Leaving Cloud 9 speaks to millions who grew up poor, feeling ignored and hopeless, and who need the healing power of God. This indelibly American story conveys the steadfast love of Jesus and his power to deliver us from the most devastating of pasts.

Life's short. Enjoy it. This is the slogan of Leata, the wonder-drug that sixteen-year-old Hope has been taking since she was a child, just like the rest of her family. Well, the rest of the country really. For who would choose not to take it - a perfectly safe little pill that just helps 'take the edge off' life. Because everyone can do with a little help staying happy sometimes . . . Especially Hope, whose life is maybe not as perfect as she likes to make out on her blog. Tom's never taken Leata. Why would he? His family are happy as they are. At least they were, until the sudden death of his journalist father. The police are unequivocal: his dad killed himself. But Tom just can't believe it. Consumed by grief, he obsessively begins to unravel the trail that leads to his dad's final news story. And Hope is there to help. As a Leata-backed blogger, Hope wants to steer Tom into 'positive living'. Instead, her efforts take them down a path she could never have expected - into the murky underworld that lies beneath the surface of the 'happy' drug everyone wants to love . . . and the secrets it will kill to hide.

A two-act play in which preconceptions about gender, romance, and "lifestyle" are scrambled, neutralized, and possibly even rebuilt.

What would you do with a second chance at life? Sarah Talbot thought she’d never see another birthday. But against all odds, she beat the illness that could have killed her, reopened her bedding shop, Cloud Nine, and vowed to make the most of a fresh start that few are given. With Thanksgiving approaching, Sarah charters a small plane to take her to Elk Island, a remote spot off the rugged Maine coast where she spent some of her happiest days and where she hopes to reunite with the two most important people in her life. She arrives on the island with pilot Will Burke, a kindred spirit with whom Sarah forges a bond that will give them the courage to confront the past and have faith in the future…no matter how uncertain. Once Sarah thought happy endings occurred only in books; now she believes they can happen for anyone. And as she and Will grow closer, and something unexpectedly real blossoms between them, she has him believing it, too. But is believing it enough? Is even love enough? Can real life be lived on cloud nine? In this stunning novel, New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice tells a story you will cherish, peopled with indelible characters whose challenges are your own.

Reaching Cloud Nine is the real life chronicle of how a man's soul is linked to a spiritual force that defines our destiny. This is a journal-based account of a young man's life experiences, from love to overcoming adversity when tragedy strikes. The struggle to recapture his body, spirit and soul is heartwarming and inspirational, giving the reader insight into the spiritual connection we all have with the universe, along with the challenges many of us face in our lives.

Reaching Cloud Nine is a real-life chronicle of how a man's soul is linked to a spiritual force that defines our destiny as well as the impact people who enter a person's life have. This a journal-based account of a young man's struggle to share his life with his community, help those in need and then lose it all in the process. The struggle to recapture his body, spirit and soul is heartwarming and motivational, giving the reader insight to the spiritual connection we all have with the universe.