“In a time when religious liberty is on trial, This Is How It Begins is an extraordinarily pertinent novel dripping in suspense and powerful scenes of political discourse . . . a must read . . .” —Foreword (starred review) “Beautifully written . . . an ambitious and moving debut novel.” —Lily King, the New York Times best-selling author of Writers & Lovers A woman bearing a thorny secret. A man fighting for religious freedom. A battle neither saw coming. Massachusetts, 2009. Ludka Zeilonka is relishing her emeritus status. With the horrors of World War II willfully buried in her past, the eighty-five year-old art professor doesn’t want to accept that there’s escalating cultural unrest in her adoptive country. But when her gay grandson is fired for allegedly silencing Christian kids in his classroom, she and her influential family are thrust into the center of a political firestorm. Warren Meck is worried about his sons. Leading a statewide effort to protect free speech in public schools for Christian kids, the popular radio host is on the cusp of taking his fight to the State House. But when his carefully orchestrated campaign turns unexpectedly violent, he’s alarmed by suspicions that someone within his inner circle might be responsible. As the increasingly vicious conflict plays out on the public stage, Ludka wrestles with resurfacing memories . . . and the exposure of a well-guarded secret. And when Meck identifies the culprit behind the violence, he faces an unbearable choice that could jeopardize his family's future. Can these two come to grips with unwelcome truths in time to make a stand in the final political showdown? This Is How It Begins is an emotionally gripping literary novel. If you like even-handed stories about hot-button social issues, rich character development, and thought-provoking narratives, then you'll love Joan Dempsey's captivating page-turner.

PREVIOUS BOOK IN SERIES: IT ENDS WITH US, ISBN 9781501110368. Before 'It Ends with Us', it started with Atlas. Colleen Hoover tells fan favourite Atlass side of the story and shares what comes next in this long-anticipated sequel to the glorious and touching (USA TODAY) 'It Ends With Us'.

LaTanya McQueen's essays offer a bold examination of the weight history, both personal and societal, places on our present moment. And it Begins Like This is a book brave enough to challenge our accepted notions of the past to put black women in their rightful place, in the forefront of the ongoing struggle for dignity and equality. It's a book that is both moving and absolutely necessary.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO "PLEASE" AND "THANK YOU"? ​We live in a world where respect, gratitude, and appreciation have been replaced by efficiency, dismissiveness, and even fear of genuine connection. Sometimes, we don't stare up from our screens and devices long enough to realize there is even another person on the other side of the tweet or email. "Is anybody out there?" One thing is for sure: this speed of life has taken a toll on our basic use of good manners and etiquette. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the decline of professional business communications. But manners and etiquette can be a powerful tool for business and sales success. It Begins with Please and Doesn't End with Thank You will show you how to regain those tools and techniques of bygone eras and update them for the digital today. This how-to guide and go-to resource takes the concepts of "please" and "thank you" into every realm where you engage with clients and prospects-from your first hellos and emails, phone and video calls, to conference rooms and restaurants. With his "return to the personal" philosophy, sales veteran Edwin P. Baldry breaks down the practices, principles, and protocols for successful business dealings and relationship-building. Via tips, tools, and humorous tales, Baldry shows how to tap into the often-overlooked power of manners to improve your business relationships, and how to transfer etiquette into sales performance.

“Beauty begins. That’s the point of this book. Our understanding of beauty got started somewhere and somehow, and probably due to someone. Now that may have been a good start, but then again it may not have.” We live in a culture obsessed with beauty. Walk by any magazine stand or turn on a television and you’ll be bombarded with the images and ideals that our culture believes are the definition of beautiful. And if you’re like most women, you’ve probably spent countless hours trying to measure up to this standard whether you realize it or not. But if you don’t make peace with your reflection, you’ll end up declaring war on yourself. That’s where mother-daughter team Chris Shook and Megan Shook Alpha want to help. In Beauty Begins, they challenge each of us to trade the pressure of perfection for God's perfect love. Poignant, relevant, and relatable, Beauty Begins is for every woman who wants to reclaim what it means to be truly beautiful.

Experience the Human Cost of War! The battle rages on in book two of the award-winning Defending the Future series. Witness sixteen accounts of hardcore military science fiction, from planetside combat to fleet actions up among the stars. Featuring the works of David Sherman, Charles E. Gannon, John C. Wright, James Daniel Ross, Jonathan Maberry, James Chambers, Patrick Thomas, Andy Remic, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jeffrey Lyman, Jack Campbell, Mike McPhail, Bud Sparhawk, Tony Ruggiero, and C.J. Henderson. Praise for Breach The Hull, Book One in the Defending the Future series Winner of the 2007 Dream Realm Award "There is more than enough great SF in Breach the Hull for any true fan of the genre, military or not." - Will McDermott, author of Lasgun Wedding "I enjoyed this book and heartily recommend it." -Sam Tomaino, Space and Time Magazine "Pick up Breach the Hull. You're sure to find stories that you like." -David Sherman, author of the DemonTech series and co-author of the Starfist series "[Breach the Hull] kicks down the doors in a way that allows anyone access to the genre[ . . . ]it read like a bunch of soldiers sitting around swapping stories of the wars. Fun, fast-paced, and packed with action. I give it a thumbs up." -Jonathan Maberry, Bram Stoker Award-winning author "[Breach the Hull] is worth the purchase. I normally don't partake of anthologies as a general rule . . . but Mike McPhail has done a great job in making me rethink this position." -Peter Hodges, Reviewer "Breach the Hull is full of excellent stories, no two of which are the same. While similar themes crop up throughout, each writer has managed to take the subgenre and make it his own." -John Ottinger III, Grasping for the Wind Reviews "A collection of military science fiction from a well mixed group of authors, both new and established. Found it a good source for some new authors to investigate." -Tony Finan, Philly Geeks

Winner of the 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Benjamin Alire S enz's stories reveal how all borders--real, imagined, sexual, human, the line between dark and light, addict and straight--entangle those who live on either side. Take, for instance, the Kentucky Club on Avenida Ju rez two blocks south of the Rio Grande. It's a touchstone for each of S enz's stories. His characters walk by, they might go in for a drink or to score, or they might just stay there for a while and let their story be told. S enz knows that the Kentucky Club, like special watering holes in all cities, is the contrary to borders. It welcomes Spanish and English, Mexicans and gringos, poor and rich, gay and straight, drug addicts and drunks, laughter and sadness, and even despair. It's a place of rich history and good drinks and cold beer and a long polished mahogany bar. Some days it smells like piss. "I'm going home to the other side." That's a strange statement, but you hear it all the time at the Kentucky Club. Benjamin Alire S enz is a highly regarded writer of fiction, poetry, and children's literature. Like these stories, his writing crosses borders and lands in our collective psyche. Poets & Writers Magazine named him one of the fifty most inspiring writers in the world. He's been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and PEN Center's prestigious award for young adult fiction. S enz is the chair of the creative writing department of University of Texas at El Paso. Awards: PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Lambda Literary Award Southwest Book Award