Showing results by narrator "Alex Picard" in All Categories

A renowned business innovation leader teams up with a social-personality psychologist to offer that something else—a collection of ten visionary principles to obliterate barriers to change and ignite a whole new level of creative problem-solving. Drawing upon decades of experience working with the world's best-known organizations and their teams, the authors provide practical advice that goes beyond "business as usual" for successfully tackling intractable challenges. The Breakthrough Manifesto explores why these principles are critical for the current times.

In this intimate story of relationship resilience, marine biologist Beth Mathews’s adventurous life as a professor and mother in Alaska is upended when her healthy husband is slammed by a rare type of stroke. Jim’s radical approach to recovery clashes with Beth’s instinct to keep him safe at home and sets them on a collision course as he insists on ambitious sailing expeditions with Beth and their young son in Alaska’s magnificent yet unforgiving waters.

Staff Sergeant Grace Woods has had enough of pain. Her assignment as a cryptographer at an underground black site lets her focus on her precision work. She’s in control, shielded from past loss of everyone she loved.

On a beautiful island full of magical creatures, one bunny is destined for an impossible quest. The rare Seither water that provides magic to everyone has been stolen. To make matters worse, the loyal Spartans who were guarding the Seither have gone missing. Someone must find the missing force and the Spartan guards.

When Margot learns she is carrying her husband Knox's child, she questions if she can bear another loss after a failed pregnancy divided her and Jason. Knox celebrates the news—despite the sorrow and guilt still lingering after his astrophysicist ex, Tiffany, died one year ago-until an earthquake jostles their Hollywood apartment and strips them of power. Moments later, when a small fissure opens in Venice Beach, Jason discovers an abandoned little girl outside his home.

A small-town campus is rocked by scandal. Suddenly, four women find themselves in the crosshairs of an investigation that threatens to upend their lives.

A Solitary Voice, a collection of epic monologues, is now brought to life by a host of incredible actors. From Odysseus returning home to Ithaca to a Necktie pleading not to be discarded, this fantastic collection encompasses an impressive array of styles, characters, and situations.

Piper Woods can't wait to graduate and leave high school—and all its annoying cliques—behind. But when she finds a mysterious notebook filled with the sins of her fellow students, Piper is suddenly drowning in their secrets. And she's not the only one who knows them. An anonymous text invites Piper to choose to punish the cheater, the bully, or the shoplifter. The popular kids with their dirty little secrets. With one text, Piper can make them pay. But the truth can be dangerous . . .

After the experience with her sister, Rebecca is troubled by the growing sense that she should be using her unique ability to find children who have disappeared. When she learns about a boy who vanished a year ago, she becomes obsessed by his case.

Leo Zimmerman has had a crush on his curvy friend Kylie Jenkins since forever, so when he discovers the girl with a flair for candy making has a newfound plan to rebel against her overbearing parents, he's determined to be the one to help her carry it out. Who better than himself to show her the ropes of letting loose? Sure, taking her to her first high school party, helping her sneak out of the house, or watching a sunset together isn't exactly a hardship, but much harder is masking his feelings the more time they spend together. 

How do you mark a quarter century? While parties are great—and we'll have those—I wanted to distill the time in a tangible way. To hold it in my hands, and share with you, dear listeners, in celebration and appreciation. But how? A collection! I dove into my published short fiction. Some I included because they were challenging to write. Several show my growth as a writer. I love them all. There's science fiction, fantasy, and, yes, horror. Plus an all-new story from Night's Edge.

Luckily for humanity, scientist Marie Curie applied her brilliant mind and indomitable spirit to expanding the frontiers of science, but what if she had instead drifted toward the darkness? At the cusp of between child- and adulthood, at the crossroads between science and superstition, a teen Marie Curie faces the factual and the fantastic in this fabulous collection of stories that inspire, delight, and ask the question: What if she had used her talents for diabolical purposes?

As a board-certified family physician, Dr. Laurie Blanscet soon realized that traditional medical care was not about preventing problems. It was about waiting for problems to happen. She experienced this firsthand in 2006 when she almost died after a "routine" surgery at the age of 38. As she fought her way back from the brink of death, weak and bedridden, she dedicated herself to researching a better way to live—promoting optimal health from within. In Live Long, Live Well, Dr. Blanscet shares what she discovered, revealing the seven components of ultimate wellness.

Peer through the windows of Raven Day McShane’s life as she leaves her army life for the civilian world—not an easy task for any military veteran. With undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, Raven and her son, Aaron, encounter tremendous hardships as they journey through life, not always together, ultimately to learn that life is not how we plan. But together or apart, they realize that they can put life back together with faith in each other and with love.

Across forty years, three continents, and a past incident in 1560 France, Serafina Olegario tests the boundaries of love, power, and corruption as she fights to escape her life of poverty and abuse. Serafina’s quest begins in Brazil when she’s possessed by the warrior goddess Yansã, who emboldens her to fight yet threatens to consume her spirit. Fueled by power and enticed by Exú, an immortal trickster and intermediary to the gods, Serafina turns to the seductive magic of Quimbanda. It’s dangerous to dance in the fire. But when you come from nothing, you have nothing to lose.

Is your team willing to propose game-changing ideas and offer diverse opinions? Will they take personal risks for the sake of your company and its reputation? Most leaders can't answer yes to these questions, especially during critical times of change.

Solana Sina is a scarab, salvaging wrecked and abandoned space habitats among the Billion Worlds of the Tenth Millennium. She and an oddball crew—a raven, a cyborg, and a dinosaur—board the derelict colony Safdaghar hoping to score some loot before the colony gets catapulted into the outer reaches of the Solar System. But Solana and the scarabs come face-to-face with a gang of vicious pirates looking for slaves and treasure, and a mysterious stranger intent on preserving an explosive secret. Solana must overcome her own horrifying past to survive and escape before it's too late.

A dazzling dystopian novel about the fall of a troubled rockstar, her long-lost solo album, and her daughter's epic search for redemption in the ruins of New York City. "Combines the spellbinding worldbuilding of Station Eleven with a rock-and-roll heart . . . A luscious, awe-inspiring, and...

From the "master of suburban scandal" (Samantha M. Bailey) comes a scandalous twisty thriller about obsession, betrayal, and the price of perfection Just outside Washington, DC, sits Eastbrook, Bethesda—a leafy suburb with top schools, pristine landscapes, and perfect neighbors. It’s not the...

Help your child understand that they have the power to make others feel seen, included, and loved—with every kind choice they make. What Does It Mean to Be Kind? isn’t just a story, it’s a spark. With simple, powerful moments and vibrant illustrations, this award-winning picture book helps...