We've all heard about Dementia, and quite possibly, have even been touched personally by this disease. But when I researched content for this endeavor, Dementia's voice foretold of a terrifying and nameless world, one in which identities, relationships, and memories were hollowed from the inside out. It's a world in which every frame of life smoldered until the ashes fell, leaving a land so barren that the final destination was unmistakable. It was only after witnessing 2 relatives succumb to the disease did Dementia have a face and leave me begging: 'what did you hear, see, and feel'? Before the Ashes Fall illustrates this world with uniquely distinct character voices, each struggling to understand the journey. Richard, the young schoolteacher battling the disease, desperately reaches for every thread which once made him whole. Cafferty, a prominent attorney turned Memory Care Advocate, wishes to offer 'unprecedented care with dignity' unlike the experience during his mom's own fight with the disease. Danny, Richard's cantankerous and terminally ill father, hasn't found a single reason to live until fate reunites him with the son he abandoned over a half-century prior. And finally, Dementia, the ultimate puppeteer who orchestrates the modern Danse Macabre with a brutal flair. In its purest form, the 81,000-word journey is a race toward freedom from a despotic disease and ultimate forgiveness of a father before time runs out. The manuscript has been content and line edited by a highly respected industry professional (David Aretha), who offered this impression upon conclusion:

Walking in circles, friendships will abound. With an eye toward heaven, angels around about. Found upon the sands, tinted glasses which help to see. Yesterday comes quickly. Where will we be? A star held dear, it will ring a silent chime. Stand tall in your faith. As a giant, be humble and oh so very kind. Long after death, a path will be seen. Words are most deadly. Listen, don't speak. Temptation will be offered. Let the curtains be sewn shut. A fortune for the sinner. Joints no longer rust. Roses colored black. Others will be blue. Many strings will be pulled. The scent will be true. Hidden in the shadows, paper will unfold. Eyes will be sleepy. A transformation will be bold. The truth in a tear frozen from the sky. Aligned past the suns, it burns very bright. All exits covered. Prayers, each and every heard. Not one but two of each. His is the Word.

After twenty-six years in public safety, David Westbrook was at the top of his game. Married with four children, a former police officer, paramedic, firefighter and Lieutenant for the Baltimore County Fire Department, he was "living the dream". What he didn't know was that after years of repeated exposure to trauma such as children dying in his arms, an entire family being burned to death in a house fire, a police officer suicide and even a line of duty death within his own department, his dream would soon become a nightmare. Left untreated, David's undiagnosed PTSD began to change him, as his life began to spiral out of control. It wasn't until after hitting rock bottom, he realized he had a problem. The silent beast living inside him had stolen his happiness, confidence and his will to live. Lost, lonely and a broken shell of a man, David began to pick up the pieces and put his life back together. All of his self-destruction could have been avoided had he simply admitted there was a problem and not been afraid to ask for help. His pride along with the stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment within the fire service prevented him from asking for the help he so desperately needed, which nearly cost him his life. In this MUST-READ memoir, David gives a firsthand account of the damages that remaining silent caused him, and his family to endure. Intertwined with real life comedic experiences from his time on the job, it is sure to have you laughing as you learn a thing or two about mental health among firefighters and paramedics and the trauma they face from day to day. It's time to erase the stigma.

"A group of new adventurers, traveling through the small community of Plaguestone, must come together to solve the murder of a friend. What starts as simple investigation quickly turns sinister with the discovery of forbidden alchemy, mutant animals, and a nearby forest rotting away due to a mysterious blight. It becomes clear that if these young heroes don't get to the heart of the plot, then the fall of Plaguestone is all but certain! The Fall of Plaguestone is the first Second Edition Pathfinder roleplaying game standalone adventure, taking new players and Game Masters on a daring adventure filled with wilderness exploration, dungeon encounters, and much more! This 64-page softcover adventure is designed for 1st-level characters, built using the rules in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook, facing off against monsters found in the Pathfinder Bestiary. The Fall of Plaguestone is the first Second Edition Pathfinder roleplaying game standalone adventure, taking new players and Game Masters on a daring adventure filled with wilderness exploration, dungeon encounters, and much more! This 64-page softcover adventure is designed for 1st-level characters, built using the rules in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook, facing off against monsters found in the Pathfinder Bestiary. "--Provided by publisher.

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City. To the Green-eyed Lovebird: We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House. You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more. We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other. Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding… I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello. After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half? M

The first time I met Jax Blackwood things went a little sideways. In my defense, I didn’t know he was Jax Blackwood—who expects a legendary rock star to be shopping for groceries? More importantly, a blizzard was coming and he was about to grab the last carton of mint-chocolate chip. Still, I might have walked away, but then he smugly dared me to try and take the coveted ice cream. So I kissed him. And distracted that mint-chip right out of his hands. Okay, it was a dirty move, but desperate times and all that. Besides, I never expected he’d be my new neighbor. An annoying neighbor who takes great pleasure in reminding me that I owe him ice cream but would happily accept more kisses as payment. An irresistible neighbor who keeps me up while playing guitar naked–spectacularly naked–in his living room. Clearly, avoidance is key. Except nothing about Jax is easy to ignore—not the way he makes me laugh, or that his particular brand of darkness matches mine, or how one look from him melts me faster than butter under a hot sun. Neither of us believes in love or forever. Yet we’re quickly becoming each other’s addiction. But we could be more. We could be everything. All we have to do is trust enough to fall

A happy family comes apart when a son is accused of raping a girl in high school. It happens to the Magills of Connecticut, married doctors with three children. Now they face the humiliation of the town's gossip and a police investigation.