Showing results by narrator "A.R. Thorne" in All Categories

Drawing on fascinating examples from diverse social contexts, Don't Take It Personally introduces a general framework to better understand the deeper connection between seemingly disparate phenomena, from racial profiling and hate crimes to "secret Santa" gifting.

Lyla Winters life is at a crossroads. She's bounced around from job to job since she was 16, but now that she's 25, her lack of a career is a little less cute. Too bad for her, she has no idea what she wants to do with the rest of her life. She’s got an idea, though. She’ll take a year off to travel and find herself. That plan goes off the road though when she gets to Destiny Falls, Michigan, and promptly runs into some fancy SUV. Out climbs Hudson Hayes. Restauranteur, James Beard winner, and the man who always has a plan. Also, maybe, the man of her dreams.

Having spent her life as a captive, Siofra escapes when her power surfaces to save her from an attack, which exposes her as a nonhuman. All she wants to do is find her brother who is also being hunted, then vanish to live free from shifters. That plan would have worked if a golden-eyed jaguar shifter hadn’t stepped between her and a dangerous jackal, throwing a major kink in her escape when she falls for the sexy protector.

In this friends-to-lovers romance, Justin is an elite black ops warrior on a unique shifter team. He turns into a monster grizzly and rushes into danger without hesitation. But he's having second thoughts on playing bodyguard for a Russian bear shifter princess. How'd he get stuck guarding a prima donna who will look down her nose at him like the snobs in the bear clan where he grew up? But Elianna turns out to be nothing like he expected. She's strong, pretty, and feels special, like she could be the one.

Cold Storage, Alaska, is a remote fishing outpost where salmonberries sparkle in the morning frost and where you just might catch a King Salmon if you're Zen enough to wait for it. Settled in 1935 by Norse fishermen who liked to skinny dip in its natural hot springs, the town enjoyed prosperity in the mid-20th century, at the height of the frozen fish boom. But now the cold storage plant is all but abandoned and the population is shrinking every day.

Peter Warlock is a magician with a dark secret. Every night, he amazes audiences at his private theater in New York, where he performs feats that boggle the imagination. But his day job is just a cover for his otherworldly pursuits: Peter is a member of an underground group of psychics who gaze into the future to help prevent crimes. No one, not even his live-in girlfriend, knows the truth about Peter - until the séance when he foresees an unspeakable act of violence that will devastate the city.

Evalle cheated death after Storm and her friends pulled her from a brutal imprisonment in another realm only to now end up unable to shift into her gryphon. Against his better judgment, Storm agrees to hold off on bonding while they travel to Arizona to help his uncle figure out what is behind an unnatural death on the reservation. The more powers Evalle loses, the more she realizes linking to Storm could be lethal. As the investigation takes an unexpected turn, Evalle jumps at a chance to regain her gryphon and powers in an all-or-none gamble, but makes a deadly mistake.

At the age of 53, Tony walks away from a life of journalism and into an unknown future dogged by self-doubt and financial worry. June is 48 years old then, a writer and a teacher, and over the following nine years she watches as her husband gradually changes - in interests, goals, and behavior - until Tony has a sudden fall, ending their life as they have known it.

Atlanta hovers on the edge of chaos and pandemonium as rumors fly about supernatural beings living among humans. Deadly preternatural predators have been held in check for many years by the most formidable pantheons. One angry being has had enough and accesses majik of an ancient grimoire to release abominations capable of taking down the most powerful of humanity’s supernatural protectors.

This inspiring anthology collects enduring and entertaining stories that have enthralled young and old, by the cherished authors whose tales have captivated children for generations. Perfect for the family car trip or at-home listening, these recordings sparkle with the wit and wonder of time-tested storytelling.

Belador Maistir, Vladimir Quinn, has yet to locate his daughter and now his worst fears have come to fruition. A vicious enemy hot on her trail plans to turn his child into an apocalyptic weapon. Quinn doesn't even know what the young girl looks like or where her deceased mother hid her. He knows of only one woman - a remote viewer - who might be able to help, but Reese Ó Rinn has vanished into thin air, literally. A powerful entity is determined to push the Belador dragon king, Daegan, and the entire preternatural world into the open.

Around 250,000 people have had their genomes sequenced, and scientists expect that number to rise to one billion by 2025. Professor Steven J. Heine argues that the first thing we will do on receiving our DNA test results is to misinterpret them completely. Despite breathless (often lightly researched) media coverage about newly discovered "cancer" or "divorce" or "IQ" genes, the prospect of a DNA test forecasting how your life is going to turn out is vanishingly small.

In TÅμr Medb’s library, Casidhe discovers she doesn’t know Daegan at all. While Daegan battles to survive a satyr attack, a preternatural being offers him a chance to live, but at a price only a dying man would take. Reese is blindsided by the one person she thought she could depend upon at her worst moment. Atlanta is overrun by demons being created by an unknown supernatural with a hidden agenda, and Daegan’s time to save three Beladors facing execution by a VIPER Tribunal runs out.

Casidhe followed her conscience. It cost her everything, and Herrick will punish her for deceiving him. After a disastrous mission to the Caucasus Mountains, Daegan is out of mercy for any enemy but discovers important information about his past from an unlikely source. He’s running out of days to locate the second grimoire volume on his own and enters a hostile Tribunal where Loki threatens all the Belador lives if Sen is not found in one day. Reese is given a chance to save everyone, including Quinn, from a demon invasion if she’s willing to do the unthinkable.

While investigating a report of unusual supernatural activity, Belador Alterant Evalle Kincaid suspects a threat stalking her. She unwittingly races into a trap and faces the impossible - she must fight her dragon king to the death, and win, or condemn everyone she loves to die. As a Skinwalker and unmatched preternatural tracker, Storm regrets his patience in waiting to permanently bond with his mate Evalle when she vanishes and even he can't follow her trail.

Trapped waist-deep in a flooded tunnel, Casidhe faces a new threat when Cathbad finds her, forcing her to gamble with her unpredictable sword. After Skarde attacked the gryphon village, a furious Daegan is no longer willing to show mercy to ice dragon shifters. Quinn, Reese, and the Beladors go after the demon-maker flooding Atlanta with predators, which backfires when Reese is faced with an unimaginable choice. Adrianna tries to work with Sen to escape their imprisonment, but he snubs her offer a moment before he shouldn’t have.

Casidhe discovers she doesn’t know Daegan at all. While Daegan battles to survive a satyr attack, a preternatural being offers him a chance to live, but at a price only a dying man would take. Reese is blindsided by the one person she thought she could depend upon at her worst moment. Atlanta is overrun by demons being created by an unknown supernatural with a hidden agenda, and Daegan’s time to save three Beladors facing execution by a VIPER Tribunal runs out.

Daegan is running out of time to find the destructive dragon impersonating him and the woman who claims to be the Treoir family squire, but Casidhe has no intention of being caught. She’s racing to find her best friend, believed captured by a deadly being. With Atlanta reeling from supernaturals being revealed, the Beladors are battling to protect humans while losing their own to Imortiks possessing any warm body, human or nonhuman. Hunting answers in Ireland lands Tristan somewhere he quickly realizes epitomizes a fate worse than death.

While the Imortik venom continues to drain Daegan, his dragon confronts the dragon pretending to be his who wants Daegan dead. Casidhe finds a lead on a grimoire volume without Daegan around to stop her from a decision that turns out nothing like she expects. Tristan pays a heavy price for trying to escape spelled manacles. Atlanta is invaded by an influx of demons being driven by an unknown player while VIPER headquarters is attacked, resulting in a dangerous backlash from Tribunal deities.

You have likely heard stories from friends, family members, and colleagues who quit a job because of a toxic person. You may not have realized that these individuals not only take their tolls on our emotional psyches, but also the financial outcomes of their organizations. Through this book's many case examples, as well as evidence-based practices and templates, each chapter singles out one main issue and how to resolve it with respect and clarity. Dr. Kusy presents concrete practices that will restore civility and respect into your organization.