When Brienne Joelle began attending a new mommies group, she was simply an overstressed mother who was trying to keep up with all the other supermoms around her. But when a fellow mommy took her aside one day and made an incredible proposition, Brienne could not believe her ears. We all do it, said the mommy who had just offered Brienne cocaine. In her poignant and honest memoir, Brienne shares the story of her real-life journey through the pressures of parenthood and into the darkness of drug addiction, the shame and guilt of divorce, and eventual rehabilitation. As she accepts the gift of cocaine with the hope she will gain energy to propel her through the hectic days, Brienne narrates how she soon found herself on a painful roller coaster ride that took her from the depths of hell to a new path where she learned to embrace her imperfections, build her self-esteem, and heal her emotional wounds. Cupcakes and Cocaine is the story of a girl who tried too hard and used too much to have too much; but, by losing it all, she found herselfand became the woman she was destined to be.

This pioneering book explores the notion of 'radical decadence' as concept, aesthetic and lived experience, and as an analytical framework for the study of contemporary feminist textile art. Gendered discourses of decadence that perpetuate anxieties about women's power, consumption and pleasure are deconstructed through images of drug use, female sexuality and 'excessive' living, in artworks by several contemporary textile artists including Orly Cogan, Tracey Emin, Allyson Mitchell, and Rozanne Hawksley. Perceptions of decadence are invariably bound to the negative connotations of decay and degradation, particularly with regard to the transgression of social norms related to femininity and the female body. Excessive consumption by women has historically been represented as grotesque, and until now, women's pleasure in relation to drug and alcohol use has largely gone unexamined in feminist art history and craft studies. Here, representations of female consumption, from cupcakes to alcohol and cocaine, are opened up for critical discussion. Drawing on feminist and queer theories, Julia Skelly considers portrayals of 'bad girls' in artworks that explore female sexuality - performative pieces designed to subvert and exceed feminine roles. In this provocative book, decadence is understood not as a destructive force but as a liberating aesthetic.

Cocaine, Cupcake - A satirical crime novel. How far would you go for some attention? Frustrated that he can't get his book published, a young writer crafts a twisted plan to generate some buzz. There's a park across the street from his apartment where a drug dealer frequents. He'll gather some evidence and get him arrested. #Hero. He can even put the whole thing on social media. He'll be an inspiration to all. But what starts out as a simple plan to rat on the guy quickly escalates into a terrible mess. When he finds himself lying blindfolded atop a blood-stained mattress with the cartel standing over him, he realizes he may have made a very big mistake.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The heart-wrenching, uplifting tale about a woman named Cupcake “[Cupcake] Brown’s confessional . . . memoir is one you can’t easily put down. Her life is nothing short of a miracle.”—Chicago Sun-Times There are shelves of memoirs about overcoming the death of a parent, childhood abuse, rape, drug addiction, miscarriage, alcoholism, hustling, gangbanging, near-death injuries, drug dealing, prostitution, and homelessness. Cupcake Brown survived all these things before she’d even turned twenty. And that’s when things got interesting. . . Orphaned by the death of her mother and left in the hands of a sadistic foster parent, young Cupcake Brown learned to survive by turning tricks, downing hard liquor, and ingesting every drug she could find while hitchhiking up and down the California coast. She stumbled into gangbanging, drug dealing, hustling, prostitution, theft, and, eventually, the best scam of all: a series of 9-to-5 jobs. A Piece of Cake is unlike any memoir you’ll ever read. Moving in its frankness, this is the most satisfying, startlingly funny, and genuinely affecting tour through hell you’ll ever take. Praise for A Piece of Cake “[Brown] reflects now with insight and honesty on her experiences. . . . An engaging account . . . of a remarkable life filled with pain and wisdom, hope and redemption.”—San Fracisco Chronicle “Dazzles you with the amazing change that is possible in one lifetime.”—Washington Post

As two neighborhood shop owners battle for business, they prove opposites attract in this "deliciously sweet and savory new romantic comedy" (USA Today bestselling author Abby Jimenez). Blaire Calloway has planned every Instagram-worthy moment of her cupcake and cocktails shop launch down to the tiniest detail. What she didn't plan on? Ronan Knight and his old-school sports bar next door opening on the very same day. He may be super swoony, but Blaire hasn't spent years obsessing over buttercream and bourbon to have him ruin her chance at success. From axe throwing (his place) to frosting contests (hers), Blaire and Ronan are constantly trying to one-up each other in a battle to win new customers. But with every clash, there's also an undeniable chemistry. When an even bigger threat to their business comes to town, they're forced to call a temporary time-out on their own war and work together. And the more time Blaire spends getting to know the real Ronan, the more she wonders if it's possible to have her cupcake and eat it too. "Kiss My Cupcake is a laugh-out-loud romance full of charm, wit and magic. Ronan and Blaire will have you fall in love with their story from their very first encounter. A thoroughly delicious read." --LJ Shen, USA Today bestselling author "With a sweet, sassy heroine and a deliciously sexy hero, Kiss My Cupcake is romantic comedy perfection!" -- Melanie Harlow, USA Today bestselling author Library Journal Best Romances of 2020

This book was written as a result of questions I had concerning the state of the church of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I read of all the miracles God performed in the Bible, and like Gideon (Judges 6:13) I asked the question, ?Where has that God gone? Why am I not seeing that kind of power in my life After much prayer and meditation, God started to show me what was lacking in my life. I realized that walking with God was more than just memorizing Scriptures and learning formulas to get God to work on my behalf. While I was paralyzed from a spinal infection, I realized that some of what I had been taught in church were based on tradition and were not biblically based. During this period of time, God began the healing process. Through faith in the Word of God, I was healed physically, but, more importantly, God gave me the assignment to pass on to others what I have learned. I pray for all those who read this book: may your eyes and hearts be open to receive the message of God's great love for you and His desire to lead you to your Promise Land.