Early in the 1900s, one-time oil baron Henry Morrison Flagler took interest in the Southern coast of Florida and began developing an exclusive resort community. Establishing a railroad that would allow easier access to the area, he went on to build two hotels—his hope was that America’s first families would come to populate the area. This modest community would later evolve into an iconic American destination, hosting British royalty, American movie stars, and becoming the home-away-from-home to some of the country’s leading families. As the century continued, Palm Beach established itself as a luxury hideaway synonymous with old-world glamour and new-world sophistication. In this splendid volume, longtime resident and Palm Beach social fixture Aerin Lauder takes us through her Palm Beach. From favorite restaurants like Nandos and Renatos, to favorite houses like La Follia and Villa Artemis, she takes us to the elite shopping of Worth Avenue and the scenic walkways of the Lake Worth trail, all the while relating to us the histories, faces, and places that have become so identified with Palm Beach.

Are you afraid of dying? Are you hesitant to talk with those who you love about your last wishes? Do you avoid the tasks that help you prepare for the future? Or, are you helping someone--a spouse, parent, friend, patient, or client--who is working through the issues of death and the quality of life? When Amy Harwell found out she had rapidly progressing cancer, she began a journey of discovery and faith that led her to a new understanding: Once we are well-prepared to die, we are really freed to live. With a hopefulness that never loses touch with reality, Harwell accompanies her readers through the mundane tasks involving health-care directives, legal documents, and funeral arrangement, and on to the profound opportunities of saying good-bye to those we love. Each step of the journey offers possibilities to grow and discover God anew. And Amy, a seasoned traveler, includes notes from her own passage, useful questions, and a checklist for others on the road.

Veronica is eternally fifty-one years old with a proclivity for problematic drinking. Like most hormonally challenged women negotiating the change of life, she is a hot mess. To retain her sanity, she attends weekly AA meetings and adheres to a strict diet of organic, locally-sourced, (mostly) cruelty-free human blood from the hospice facility where she works. Her life stopped being fun about a hundred years ago, right about the time her teenage daughter stole her soul and took off for California with a hot, older guy. These days, Veronica’s existence is just that – an existence, as flat and empty as her own non-reflection in the bathroom mirror. When her estranged daughter contacts her via Facebook, Veronica learns that she has one chance to escape her eternal personal summer: she must find and apologize to every one of the people she’s turned into vampires in the last century. That is, if they’re still out there. With raging hormones and a ticking clock, Veronica embarks on a last-ditch road trip to regain her mortality, reclaim her humanity, and ultimately, die on her own terms.

Just back from a dinner affair on a winter night in 1976, Rodger Kriger answers the doorbell in his Palm Beach home and is greeted with a fatal shotgun blast. He was a prominent citizen, and police, under pressure to find the killer, accuse tough guy Mitt Hecher, but soon exonerate him. Nonetheless, criminal prosecutor John Scraponia formally charges the karate expert with murder, and gets a jury to convict him. He is sentenced to a minimum 25 years in prison. While at the Wild West-like penitentiary at Raiford, an often-fatal disease attacks his loving wife, who has reformed him. Doubts about Hecher's guilt have persisted, and the doubters pursue a number of scenarios pointing to other possible perpetrators. Attorneys working without fees fail repeatedly in appeals for a new trial despite a lack of evidence pointing to Hecher and an abysmal performance by his attorney. Was Hecher innocent, and if so, who did it? Those are the questions seeking answers in this mystery tale of redemption, one steeped in violence as it explores issues of justice and power. Bob Brink is a freelance writer and blogger who worked at the Palm Beach Post, Associated Press in Chicago, Milwaukee Journal, Tampa Tribune, Joliet Herald-News, and Palm Beach Media Group, the flagship magazine of which was Palm Beach Illustrated. PBI was named Best Written Magazine in Florida after he became copy chief and feature writer. He learned to play the clarinet and tenor saxophone, and performed many years with a 65-piece symphonic band, tossing in a few professional big band gigs along the way. Brink was born in Michigan and grew up mainly in Iowa. He has a bachelor's in English and German, and studied journalism in graduate school at the University of Iowa.

Since 1906, Palm Beach Life has been the premier showcase of island living at its finest — fashion, interiors, landscapes, personality profiles, society news and much more.

Its Finally Available! Dave Mitchell has spoken to over 120,000 people since he founded this corporate training firm, the Leadership Difference, in 1995. Over that time his seminar Live and Learn or Die Stupid! has been among his most popular programs. During his presentation, Dave would share stories of his own struggle to achieve a healthy balance between professional and personal excellence. Is it possible to realize your full potential at work and still be an exemplary spouse, parent and friend? Is it possible to achieve true contentedness? Over time, Dave assembled several critical personal characteristics that seemed essential to this pursuit of contentedness. Culled from his work with other professionals, his conversations with colleagues and from personal introspection; these attributes formed what Dave called, a checklist for maximizing happiness. Thousands of exuberant comments from attendees at his seminars words like life changing, the most important seminar I have ever experienced, and simply, Incredible, indicated that Dave had touched a nerve. There was just one problem. After every seminar, Dave would be asked if he had a book. His answer was always a sheepish, No. Until now. Finally, with the release of the book Live and Learnor Die Stupid!, you can experience the content of Dave Mitchells popular enter-train-ment seminar. We hope you enjoy it and please feel free to contact us at www.theleadershipdifference.com.

A rousing call to rethink the aging process