Having his heart stolen wasn't part of the plan! Shane Patel has a way with people—a skill that's made him a success in the condo development business. But his charms are proving useless on Miriam Bateman. The Crown Theater is the key to his company's latest project. It also happens to be Miriam's home and her grandfather's legacy. She's made it clear that it's not for sale. Despite the frustration, Shane's enjoying trying to win Miriam over. And the best part of his day becomes watching old movies with her. When Miriam's plans to reopen the theater threaten his project, though, Shane has a tough decision to make: his career or Miriam.

Long before Batman, Flash Gordon, or the Lone Ranger were the stars of their own TV shows, they had dedicated audiences watching their adventures each week. The difference was that this action took place on the big screen, in short adventure serials whose exciting cliffhangers compelled the young audience to return to the theater every seven days. Matinee Melodrama is the first book about the adventure serial as a distinct artform, one that uniquely encouraged audience participation and imaginative play. Media scholar Scott Higgins proposes that the serial’s incoherent plotting and reliance on formula, far from being faults, should be understood as some of its most appealing attributes, helping to spawn an active fan culture. Further, he suggests these serials laid the groundwork not only for modern-day cinematic blockbusters like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, but also for all kinds of interactive media that combine spectacle, storytelling, and play. As it identifies key elements of the serial form—from stock characters to cliffhangers—Matinee Melodrama delves deeply into questions about the nature of suspense, the aesthetics of action, and the potentials of formulaic narrative. Yet it also provides readers with a loving look at everything from Zorro’s Fighting Legion to Daredevils of the Red Circle, conveying exactly why these films continue to thrill and enthrall their fans.

Miriam Hopkins (1902--1972) first captured moviegoers' attention in daring precode films such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), The Story of Temple Drake (1933), and Ernst Lubitsch's Trouble in Paradise (1932). Though she enjoyed popular and critical acclaim in her long career -- receiving an Academy Award nomination for Becky Sharp (1935) and a Golden Globe nomination for The Heiress (1949) -- she is most often remembered for being one of the most difficult actresses of Hollywood's golden age. Whether she was fighting with studio moguls over her roles or feuding with her avowed archrival, Bette Davis, her reputation for temperamental behavior is legendary. In the first comprehensive biography of this colorful performer, Allan R. Ellenberger illuminates Hopkins's fascinating life and legacy. Her freewheeling film career was exceptional in studio-era Hollywood, and she managed to establish herself as a top star at Paramount, RKO, Goldwyn, and Warner Bros. Over the course of five decades, Hopkins appeared in thirty-six films, forty stage plays, and countless radio programs. Later, she emerged as a pioneer of TV drama. Ellenberger also explores Hopkins's private life, including her relationships with such intellectuals as Theodore Dreiser, Dorothy Parker, Gertrude Stein, and Tennessee Williams. Although she was never blacklisted for her suspected Communist leanings, her association with these freethinkers and her involvement with certain political organizations led the FBI to keep a file on her for nearly forty years. This skillful biography treats readers to the intriguing stories and controversies surrounding Hopkins and her career, but also looks beyond her Hollywood persona to explore the star as an uncompromising artist. The result is an entertaining portrait of a brilliant yet underappreciated performer.

THE STORY: A stage manager, headset and prompt book at hand, brings the house lights to half, then dark, and cues the creation of the world. Throughout the play, she's in control of everything. In other words, she's either God, or she thinks she is

Dani Carrigan has always relied on logic when making important life decisions, but when she discovers she’s pregnant – and that there’s a chance her baby may be born “not perfect”– logic lets her down. It would help if the baby’s father would pop the question, but widowed father Adrian seems more interested in protecting his six-year-old daughter than committing to his new relationship with Dani. The last time she felt this alone and scared was when she was 16 and her mother died, leaving Dani to raise her younger sisters with precious little help from her distant and disapproving rancher father. She felt so inadequate then, but is she any more prepared to be a mother now? Support comes from an unlikely source. Dani always saw her next-door neighbour and friend, divorce attorney Elliot Gilmore, as a charming, handsome, playboy-type. But with each challenge she faces, from pregnancy, to delivery and beyond–Elliot reveals himself a better man than she ever guessed. Is it possible that Elliot hasn’t been playing the field–but waiting for her?

Come for a visit to Pennsylvania Amish country and meet the Men of Lancaster County! In this exclusive ebook-only bundle, The Men of Lancaster County 5-in-1 explores the lives of five Amish men in a close-knit community, their beliefs and struggles, and the women who change their futures. Written by Mindy Starns Clark, Susan Meissner, and Virginia Smith, each well-crafted tale tells of a journey taken toward love and truth by a conflicted and earnest young man. Enjoy these four full-length novels plus an additional ebook-only short story: The Amish Groom The Amish Blacksmith Lilies on Daybreak Pond The Amish Clockmaker The Amish Widower These stories of second chances and redeeming love follow the lives of several Lancaster County men, including prior Englisch military brat Tyler Anderson, now a questioning Amish farmer; Jake Miller, the blacksmith with a knack for gentling skittish horses; father Joel Miller, mourning the loss of his daughter to the Englisch world; newlywed Matthew Zook, who uncovers a decades-old mystery surrounding an exiled clockmaker; and Seth Hostetler, a twice-widowed young man whose pottery lessons may lead to a remolding of the heart. Each of these men has experienced loss and heartache. Will they find the love, forgiveness, and truth they are seeking? Come join the community at Lancaster County to see love at work!