A Powerful Midlife

Half-witch, half-necromancer, Ava Harper has finally accepted her destiny, her inheritance, and her insane power. Yet, there is still so much more to learn. And it’s time to use it to do some good. Necromancers are being held captive at the vampires’ headquarters in Milan. No big deal for our Ava. She’s the most powerful necromancer in like… possibly ever? She can handle those fanged suckers. Things go a little crazy and Ava gets some help from a very unexpected ally. Together, the group of friends and ghouls have to free the world from the influence of a couple of very corrupted vampires. That’s not to mention the rest of her to-do list: wedding planning, figuring out the souls in the Viking blade, helping Olivia deal with her family’s new magic, and don’t forget the mess Crystal left with the shifters. It’s all going to be okay. Ava is powerful, right? She’s got this.

From Mad Men to MAGA: how nostalgia came to be and why we are so eager to indulge it. From movies to politics, social media posts to the targeted ads between them, nostalgia is one of the most potent forces of our era. On Nostalgia is a panoramic cultural history of nostalgia, exploring how a force that started as a psychological diagnosis of soldiers fighting far from home has come become a quintessentially modern condition. Drawing on everything from the modern science of memory to the romantic ideals of advertising, and traversing cultural movements from futurism to fascism to Facebook, cultural critic David Berry examines how the relentless search for self and overwhelming presence of mass media stokes the fires of nostalgia, making it as inescapable as it is hard to pin down. Holding fast against the pull of the past while trying to understand what makes the fundamental impossibility of return so appealing, On Nostalgia explores what it means to remember, how the universal yearning is used by us and against us, and it considers a future where the past is more readily available and easier to lose track of than ever before. "If nostalgia was a disease in the Good Old Days, then David Berry's cogently argued, intelligent, and witty book should be prescribed reading for anyone wishing to understand what sometimes feels like a peculiarly virulent epidemic of our current times." —Travis Elborough "We're so lucky to have a writer as thoughtful, funny, smart, and cutting as David Berry. Nostalgia dictates so much of our world, and there isn't a better cataloger, critic, and guide through it than Berry." —Scaachi Koul

A Paranormal Women's Fiction murder mystery for anyone who believes you can find your powers at any age.Constance Campbell has made a few questionable decisions in the run-up to her fortieth birthday. So in a way, moving two thousand miles away from everything she's ever known makes perfect sense.Creel Creek, Virginia is the last place either of her ex-husbands would ever think to look for her. What better place to hide from her humiliations than a town too small to warrant a mention on a map?Laid off, and recently divorced from husband number two, this former workaholic moves in with her estranged-and very strange-grandmother.A grandmother who informs Constance that she comes from a long line of powerful witches. And on the day she hits the big 4-0, she'll come into her powers.It turns out that she's not the only paranormal person in town. Under the sleepy surface, the small town is teeming with supernatural beings.When Constance finds the town's resident vampire dead, things go from surreal to scary. The local sheriff is convinced that a killer is lurking in the shadows, hunting anyone with supernatural abilities?including witches like her.He's not wrong.Can Constance learn enough magic to save herself and Creel Creek from this unknown foe?

Midlife is definitely a journey. The road has massive potholes.And the crisis... it's the gift that keeps on giving. Being forty is supposed to be freaking fabulous not fatal. Taking on a daunting new job minus the description isn't the smartest move I've ever made, even if it was to save a friend. Hopefully, it doesn't turn out to be the stupidest... or deadliest. Why can't things stay the way they were? I love my old job. Supergluing ghosts back together and solving their issues is its own reward. Not to mention, I'm seriously good at it. Although, I must say, I'm ridiculously excited for the new Death Counselor's arrival in nine months... Adding to my problems, there are four new angels in town who are riding my butt and judging every move I make. Literally. Who knew destroying one Immortal could cause me so much trouble? If I'm found guilty, I'll be pushing up daisies. Luckily, my nutty friends have my back and the Grim Reaper has my heart. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing is impossible. I am living proof. Let's just hope I live to prove it.

Are you anticipating midlife with excitement? Are you also wondering “What’s Next?” Midlife is a time for adventures and great, new opportunities, but it can also present uncertainty and challenges. Do you have questions about what lies ahead and about how to make the most of the good things to come and meet the difficult ones head on? You’re not alone. Eileen Caroscio, Sandy Demarest, and Paul Ward—three well-known thought leaders in the field of second half of life navigation and positive living—have answers in Midlife, New Life: Living Consciously in Midlife and Beyond. If we adopt a living consciously approach to the future, decisions about major life and work transitions can be made with confidence. The Midlife, New Life team brings their expertise, experiences, research findings, and wisdom to bear in this engaging, friendly, and comprehensive guide. They share life lessons and insights and provide practical tools and resources to help you plan and prepare for your journey. Their guidance will help you find meaning and purpose, stay engaged and healthy, support your cognitive functioning, enhance your support network, work for a living and for fulfillment, savor the world, and give back. This transformative book will— • encourage you to reflect on what tips and resources (not just financial ones) resonate with you and which ones you want to try • inspire, educate, and encourage you about what to expect and how to optimally approach midlife for a fulfilling life journey • provide strategies and purposeful practices to support life and work transitions • share wisdom from those who have walked the road ahead Midlife, New Life showcases what can happen when we talk to each other and have purposeful conversations that matter. Coming together, sharing conversation, sharing wisdom is part of this valuable book’s process. The authors of Midlife, New Life share their philosophy: “The power of conversation, curiosity, connection, and common goals of helping others navigate the second half of life brought us into collaborative relationship in writing a book and pulling all of our expertise together in a creative, fun project for the common good.” Chapters and Themes 1. Exploring Purposefully (finding meaning and purpose in how you live your life) 2. Living Well (how to support all your key well-being factors) 3. Appreciating Money 4. Working for a Living 5. Working for Fulfillment 6. Savoring the World 7. Living Life Creatively 8. Minding Relationships 9. Helping Humanity (giving back in diverse ways that match your interests and concerns) 10. Living with Technology (how you can use technology to help you live optimally) 11. Bouncing Forward (the art of building up your resilience for bumps in the road) Eileen Caroscio, CSC, RN, MSN Eileen is a multicertified coach and consultant, and a registered nurse. She is passionate about helping individuals achieve their goals and live their best lives. Referred to as the “midlife muse,” she engages people beyond their titles, jobs, and formalities to get to the core of what will enrich their midlives and make them more meaningful and magical. Sandy Demarest Sandy is an executive career, retirement, lifestyle, and leadership coach, trainer, and speaker. She leverages her experience to help organizations and mid–late-stage workers transition to new chapters. She specializes in training and coaching programs focusing on topics such as Engage as You Age, From Fulltime Career to Fulltime Life, and Create Your Next Meaningful Chapter. Sandy is the founder and owner of Demarest Directions, which provides coaching, training, and retreats. Paul Ward, Ph.D. Paul is an international conscious leadership and conscious living coach, author of The Inner Journey to Conscious Leadership, and host of conscious conversation circles. He is sometimes referred to as the “consciousness whisperer.” Paul is the principal owner of the coaching, consulting, and training company 2Young2Retire, LLC, offering impactful transitions coaching and facilitator certification training.

A man crippled by an ancient curse. A determined faerie. A sinister plan threatening their future... Things are good, and Imogen's life has finally calmed-except the curse that still plagues Brendan. After being bitten by a Skinwalker as a child, Brendan transforms into a powerful and dangerous beast at the slightest provocation. Determined to find answers, they head to Utah, to where the incident that turned him into a monster occurred. Once there and connected to someone who offers to assist them, Brendan is told he must travel the rest of the way solo, to confront the King of the Skinwalkers and seek release from the curse. Imogen reluctantly watches her love disappear into the darkness on his quest. Only things are not as they appear, and ulterior motives of others could spell disaster for them. Taken captive by a greedy biotech firm, Brendan is subjected to invasive torture and testing, but Imogen isn't about to give up on the love of her life. Accepting help from an unusual ally, Imogen makes a promise she may not be able to fulfill. With their lives on the line and questioning the motives of everyone around them, Imogen and Brendan must find their way back to each other and forge a path together if they hope to have any future. Midlife Dramatic is a paranormal women's fiction novel and the second book in A New Beginning series. Perfect for fans of everyday heroines over forty and authors like Shannon Mayer, K.F. Breene, Annabel Chase, Robyn Peterman, Victoria Dannan, Christine Zane Thomas, Elizabeth Hunter, Heloise Hull, J.R. Rain, Denise Grover Swank, Jana DeLeon and Darynda Jones.

It's inappropriate to wish for your ex-husband to be run over by a truck. The same goes for dressmakers, flower delivery people, and snotty little hotel concierges who mess up room reservations. But I don't care. I'm not too proud to admit my daughter's wedding has me stressed out. Okay, maybe I'll only wish for a very small truck to hit him. Twice. There are a thousand things that require my attention, but it's impossible to be productive when all I can think about is the boiling rage I feel every time I look at my ex and his bimbo-of-the-week. I'm trying to pull it together, but everything that can go wrong has. I just need a break and a little pick-me-up. An afternoon getting lost in the local market should do the trick. That's when a pirate's loss becomes my gain. My strange and beautiful new trinket is anything but ordinary. And suddenly everything in my life is falling into place. You know what they say about wishes? It's best to be careful when making them. If you don't know the difference between what you want and what you need, the consequences could be deadly. Or hilarious. Grab this humor-filled, page-turning, suspenseful paranormal woman’s fiction now, and escape into a world of wishes fulfilled.

Mae and Lela Cable are identical twins. Mirror twins, to be exact. They've lived a normal life...until now. Their moonshine-swilling, antique-hoarding, geriatric Aunt Bertha insists that they're descendants of Appalachian witches. What in the world are they supposed to do with that? Lela works as a doula and has a knack for medicinal herbs. She's the adventurous sister who enjoys the single life. Timid Mae pampers her house plants and is a recently divorced mom who has spent her entire adult life giving in to the desires of her family and ignoring herself. Can someone say self-care needed, stat? When the twins decide on a whim to travel cross-country to meet a dying, long-lost relative in the Great Smoky Mountains, they quickly realize that their entire lives were filled with curtains that hid the truth. Even their parents’ cause of death was a lie. Now they’re sick with mysterious symptoms, water is attacking Mae as she walks through the airport, and Lela is attracting animals like she’s in the middle of an animated princess movie. Say what? What was that Aunt Bertha had said? Appalachian witches. Trying to understand and harness their powers is the least of the twins’ worries. Just as they decide to stay a while in their ancestral Tennessee home, they discover someone wants them out of town, like yesterday. But why… and who? Can they overcome their fears and hesitations in time to prevent something terrible from happening? Wears Valley Witches is a hilarious Paranormal Cozy Mystery series that will keep you on your toes as you learn about the Appalachian witches and their quirky magic.