Shirley McDowell, the owner of a Teddy Bear Hospital, meets Michael, a fireman who's planning a surprise marriage proposal to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve. Through a serendipitous mishap, Michael's engagement ring is misplaced inside a stuffed animal being repaired at the shop. Shirley and Michael work together tracking down the missing teddy bear in a quest to find the lost ring, becoming closer in the process.

Ava Fisher is a flamboyant flake. Kenny Summers is a recent high school graduate. Luvon Ramsey is a junk dealer. Marie Elrod is a handicapped sixteen year old. Their mutual error is saying Hello to a very charming psychopath. Each ends up strangled and holding onto a Teddy Bear with a knife in its back. The serial killer is hidden in plain sight and has his focus on Olivia Haines, an English teacher at Fairfield High School in West Los Angeles. She considers herself a stranger to these murders until one day someone leaves her an unusual calling carda strangled cat dangling in her classroom. She is suddenly aware she is being scheduled as murder victim number five. Olivia is rapidly convinced she is in a life and death struggle between the killer and herself and one of them will not survive. Using every teaching skill she possesses, she wages an all out battle for survival against a very lethal psychopath. If you like Agatha Christies Miss Marple, youll certainly relish Olivia Haines in Teddy Bear Murders.

The Llama Who Had A Hole Through His Head heralds an exciting new voice in the world of comic writing. Filled with quirky surrealism and inspired buffoonery, this debut collection of fantastical tales takes lives on the fringe of the familiar and, with an inventive and inimitable brand of humour, pushes them to the brink of the absurdly ridiculous and beyond. A young Peruvian sheep laments his unhappiness. A thespian experiences the highs and lows of Tinseltown. A bullied boy is granted three wishes by a fallen star. A famous detective is called upon to solve a curious and colourful case. A manicurist confronts a biblical colossus. A squirrel receives taxation advice from an unexpected source. And an infamous athlete seeks to have history rewritten. Each of the thirteen stories in this book shows that when the uncanny and the real collide, the world can be a truly weird, wonderful and exceedingly funny place.

This is an intimate portrait of Charlie Russell's philosophy of nature. Accompanied by stunning photography, the book is written in narrative form, the way Charlie spoke and shared his stories and knowledge with others. Each of the chapters describes some facet of Charlie's philosophy and experiences through the stories of individual bears and what they taught him: the meaning of trust, respect, attention, love, and much more.

The incredible story of how one man went from a hired hunter to becoming one of America’s top champions for this iconic animal. In this wonderous and eye-opening exploration, Steve Searles, the reknown and respected "Bear Whisperer" of Mammoth Lakes, takes the reader on a journey into the lives of these remarkable creatures and the world we share. In the late 1990s, the town of Mammoth Lakes, California hired Steve Searles as a hunter to cull half its troublesome bear population. But as he began to prepare for the grim task, the bears soon won him over, and Searles realized there had to be a better way. He soon developed non-lethal tactics to control their behavior and overpopulation that heralded a landmark moment in the care and handling of the American black bear. But change was not without its challenges. To some, his success was dismissed due to his lack of formal academic training. Yet Searles never wavered in his commitment, and eventually became not just local folk hero but a nationally recognized expert. This high school dropout saved not just the bears, but, in many ways, his community. In a tradition that runs from John Muir to Bear Grylls, Searles finds a fellowship with nature and a deeper meaning in the world of bears. Do bears understand things we don’t? Are they dialed in to some greater natural force? Unlike us, bears waste little time on unreasonable fears. Bears are fully in the moment. They have an inner peace that seems to offset their power and strength. That may explain why no other animal on the planet is as revered as the bear. As Searles shares his remarkable knowledge and we become immersed in the ursine world, you’ll never look at bears or nature the same way again. Warm and poignant, and perfect for anyone who has been fascinated by the natural world, What the Bears Know shows that wisdom and fulfillment can come from unexpected places.

Connecting with nature and nature beings to help heal us and the Earth • Provides experiential practices to communicate with nature and access the creative power of the Earth • Shares transformative wisdom teachings from conversations with nature beings, such as Snowy Owl, Snake, Blackberry, Mushroom, and Glacial Silt, exploring the role of each in bringing balance to the planet Nature and the Earth are conscious. They speak to us through our dreams, intuition, and deep longings. By opening our minds, hearts, and senses we can consciously awaken to the magic of the wild, the rhythms of nature, and the profound feminine wisdom of the Earth. We can connect with nature spirits who have deep compassion and love for us, offering their guidance and support as we each make our journey through life. Renowned shamanic teachers Sandra Ingerman and Llyn Roberts explain how anyone can access the spirit of nature whether through animals, plants, trees, or insects, or through other nature beings such as Mist or Sand. They share transformative wisdom teachings from their own conversations with nature spirits, such as Snowy Owl, Snake, Blackberry, Mushroom, and Glacial Silt, revealing powerful lessons about the feminine qualities of nature and about the reader’s role in the healing of the Earth. They provide a wealth of experiential practices that allow each of us to connect with the creative power of nature. Full of rich imagery, these approaches can be used in a backyard, in the wilderness, in a city park, or even purely through imagination, allowing anyone to communicate with and seek guidance from nature beings no matter where you live. By communing and musing with nature, we learn how to speak to the spirit that lives in all things, bringing balance to us and the planet. By tapping into the feminine wisdom of the Earth, we evoke a deep sense of belonging with the natural world and cultivate our inner landscape, planting the seeds for harmony and a natural state of joy.

Every book written on bears has been a lie. People live under the false impression that bears can be avoided, that bear attacks are survivable, and even that bears are not immortal. Suffice it to say, people have a lot to learn about bears, bear safety, bear attacks and the impending war between man and bear. BEARS WANT TO KILL YOU is the first honest book about bears ever written. No lies, no propaganda. It's the hard reality nobody wants to face. Can you survive a bear attack? Yes, but only until it kills you.From Axe Cop and Bearmageddon creator Ethan Nicolle