The head hairdresser at the MGM studios offers an insider's look at Hollywood's Golden Age, and his role in the history of a great studio

Glory Jansen has always been content to be in her beauty queen sister’s shadow. A rebuff by a group of pompous frat boys, however, compels her to enter The Miss Crystal Lake Pageant out of spite. To everyone's surprise, including her own, she wins. Her mother, who was stripped of the Miss Empire State crown in 1948 because of an unwanted pregnancy, is partially vindicated. Two of her daughters are on their way to the Miss American Beauty Pageant. On her road to "nationals," Glory soon finds herself thrust from her sheltered world into that socio-cultural roller coaster that was 1969. It is a world populated by hawks and doves, fraternity brothers and radicals, beauty queens and bra-burning feminists. On this journey she not only discovers true love, but also her own self worth as a woman. In the end, Glory must decide between accepting the conformity of the crown or shunning her victory by escaping into a better, less complicated life with the man she loves—the revolutionary, Joad Colter.

As a nation, we like to think we know everything about our Kings and Queens. William I conquered in 1066, Henry VIII had six wives and Queen Victoria was ‘not amused’... But do these ‘pub-quiz facts’ provide a genuine picture of what our monarchs were really like as living, breathing people? As the reader shall find, there is a treasure-trove of wit, wisdom and wonder waiting to be discovered. Crowning Glory wipes away the cobwebs of fuddy-duddy facts and breathes new life into this surprisingly addictive aspect of history. It challenges our basic understanding of the subject by introducing readers to a colourful cast of characters and revealing little-known insights. This book reminds us that, behind the formality of the crown, are real human beings. Like you and me, they have known success, failure, sorrow, and laughter. The lives of our kings and queens are so much more vivid than boring, old dates, figures, and facts.

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and our new King Charles III coming to the throne, what better time than now to probe into the merits of the monarchy? Charles Neilson Gattey provides the reader with an insight into the concept of the constitutional monarch, whose role, he states, is to look after the long-term interests of the nation above the changing spectrum of party political strife. "While monarchy is mainly a conservative force, helping to maintain stability, this very fundamental stability", Gattey argues, "enables the country to absorb more radical changes in its political and social structure than would otherwise be possible without the risk of disorder". Whilst 12 countries in Europe still continue to retain their monarchs, the death of Queen Elizabeth II has revived the debate about the future of the British Commonwealth and the transitioning to a republic state, with the removal of King Charles III as head of state. Crowning Glory offers the reader a perspective to this ongoing and highly relevant debate.

My demons are not that easy to shake... The Fae Realm was paradise, but compared to the place Gilly finds herself now, anything would be. Kidnapped from her kind, she finds herself in one of the Seventeen Hells, face to face with a creature who's set on selling her to the highest bidder, who just happens to be one of the Princes of Darkness. Escape seems impossible, but that won't stop her from trying. However, the more time she spends with her captor, the more she finds herself begrudgingly liking the man—until he transforms into a nine-foot-tall monster with horns. But Gilly isn't the type of Fae to let a little thing like a monster get in her way… Fae Wilds Series Twist & Turns Curse of the Fae Force the Truth Crown & Glory Enemy & Rivals Light in the Dark USA Today Bestselling Author, W.J. May creates a new paranormal series with a world of Fae and Magic. Escape into a realm of fantasy creatures, love and deception, betrayal and jealousy. Search Terms: Fae, fantasy witches, fantasy new adult, paranormal shifter romance, shifter romance, coming of age, vampires, vampires and witches, shifters, shifter, dark fantasy, superhero fantasy ebooks, witches, superhero, paranormal fantasy, paranormal romance, New Adult & College Romance Paranormal, Fairy, new adult, new adult and college, New Adult & College Romance, w.j. may, chronicles of kerrigan, supernatural, romance, mystery, superpowers, paranormal, boarding school, series, magic, fairytale, fairy tale, sequel series, sequel, Arthurian, dragons

This is the first extensive collection of descants on hymns in Episcopal sources that do not appear in the published hymnals. It contains descants by twenty-two composers on one hundred one hymn texts set to eighty-one hymn tunes. An added bonus is that twenty-seven of the tunes have alternate harmonizations. In addition to dramatic descants on triumphal and celebrative hymns, several hymns are included that require the descant to be reflective and quiet. Many may be played by instruments rather than sung by sopranos and/or tenors. These descants, harvested from working Episcopal church musicians, are examples of the useful day-to-day work in the local church. Even though they are small musical gems and greatly enjoyed by congregations, such practical compositions rarely obtain exposure beyond the local parish or diocese. The theme of the 2005 Annual Conference of the Association of Anglican Musicians in Baltimore, MD was "Come to us, Creative Spirit: The Art and Craft of the Church Musician." The vision embodied in that conference title echoes a hymn text by David Mowbray (Come to us, creative Spirit) which honors the creativity of those who speak their faith artistically and seeks to make such voices available to all. It is in that spirit that this book of descants is published.

Without a test, there can be no testimony, Karyn Wallace reminded herself five minutes after she agreed to a date with Levi Tolliver. She wasn’t Cinderella, and Karyn doubted the widower would be her Prince Charming. Yes, she was affected by the most beautiful dark chocolate eyes she had seen in her lifetime. They were hypnotic, even camouflaged behind designer glasses, which were angled perfectly on his chiseled nose. Levi’s skin was a blend of chocolates: dark, milk, and white, which created a creamy undefined tone. His thick, black wavy hair and thin mustache were nice touches, but it was Levi’s dimples that seemed to be on standby, waiting for his lips’ command to smile. Buffed at—she guessed about—five feet, eleven inches, Karyn wasn’t intimidated by Levi’s height as he towered over her petite stature. “You might as well surrender to what God has stirred between us,” Levi stated as if he had sealed a business deal after his seventh visit and counting in a month to Bookshelves Unlimited where she worked as a specialist in children’s books. Suspicion set in. What did he know about God in her life? At twenty-seven, Karyn was too old to play games. Sometimes the devil injected the word of God into conversations as bait to lure Christians in for the kill, thinking they found a kindred spirit. She didn’t have time to test the waters to see if she could survive another relationship gone awry. The memories of one bad relationship had a way of lasting a lifetime. When he moved intimately closer, his lashes were mesmerizing, catching her off guard. “Deny the attraction, Karyn.” She hated dares. Bluffs got people into trouble, hurt, or sometimes killed. Karyn blinked. Now, she was getting carried away. Anchoring her elbows on the table in the store’s café, Karyn nestled her chin in her hands. She took pleasure in delaying her response. After all, he was interrupting her dinner break. “I’m attracted to flashy cars, white kittens, black-eyed peas, and—” “Me,” he interjected as a fact. Karyn refused to confirm or deny his assumption, but she silently admitted she was enjoying their banter. There was something intoxicating about a person who oozed confidence. Despite her outward boasting, she struggled at times with low self-esteem. Shrugging, she continued as if she didn’t hear him. “Although I don’t own a flashy car or a white kitten, I can put away some black-eyed peas.” “Your preferences are noted.” Levi lifted a brow and held it in place to make sure he had her attention. Only after she became impatient did he soften his features and smile, offering his sidekick dimples for her pleasure. “My Buick LaCrosse is new, but not flashy. My daughter is allergic to cats, and my mother can throw down on any beans, peas, or greens.” A dimple winked as he stretched his lips into a lazy grin. “For the past four years, my spirit has laid dormant, waiting on a word from God. With no warning, I got a message plain enough that even a caveman could read it.” He snickered. “I’ve seen those GEICO commercials, and I’m not impressed.” “I couldn’t resist saying that.”