Chosen For Charlie

If you are the parent (or parent-to-be) of a special-needs child, you may feel lost, scared, hurt, angry, or confused. But know this: You are not alone. In Chosen for Charlie, Jen Forsthoff offers a message of hope and encouragement for living with faith and finding the blessing in the most challenging circumstances.

"A sharp, perceptive novel about family and forgiveness, Whiskey & Charlie will stay with me for a very long time." Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train A captivating debut novel of brothers who have drifted apart and the accident that will determine their future, by an unforgettable new voice in fiction. Whiskey and Charlie might have come from the same family, but they'd tell you two completely different stories about growing up. Whiskey is everything Charlie is not bold, daring, carefree and Charlie blames his twin brother for always stealing the limelight, always getting everything, always pushing Charlie back. By the time the twins reach adulthood, they are barely even speaking to each other. When they were just boys, the secret language they whispered back and forth over their crackly walkie-talkies connected them, in a way. The two-way alphabet (alpha, bravo, charlie, delta) became their code, their lifeline. But as the brothers grew up, they grew apart. When Charlie hears that Whiskey has been in a terrible accident and has slipped into a coma, Charlie can't make sense of it. Who is he without Whiskey? As days and weeks slip by and the chances of Whiskey recovering grow ever more slim, Charlie is forced to consider that he may never get to say all the things he wants to say. A compelling and unforgettable novel about rivalry and redemption, Whiskey & Charlie is perfect for anyone whose family has ever been less than picture-perfect. "A finely crafted novel that keeps us reading because we care about the characters. It's a terrific book."—Graeme Simsion, New York Times bestselling author of The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect

Charlie Engle’s “fascinating account of the high and low points of his life as an ultramarathon runner…is uplifting and inspirational” (Publishers Weekly) as he describes his globe-spanning races, his record-breaking run across the Sahara Desert, and how running helped him overcome drug addiction—and an unjust stint in federal prison. After a decade-long addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol, Charlie Engle hit bottom with a near-fatal six-day binge that ended in a hail of bullets. As Engle got sober, he turned to running, which became his lifeline, his pastime, and his salvation. He began with marathons, and when marathons weren’t far enough, he began to take on ultramarathons, races that went for thirty-five, fifty, and sometimes hundreds of miles, traveling to some of the most unforgiving places on earth to race. The Matt Damon-produced documentary, Running the Sahara, followed Engle as he lead a team on a harrowing, record breaking 4,500-mile run across the Sahara Desert, which helped raise millions of dollars for charity. Charlie’s growing notoriety led to an investigation and a subsequent unjust conviction for mortgage fraud for which he spent sixteen months in federal prison in Beckley, West Virginia. While in jail, Engle pounded the small prison track, running endlessly in circles. Soon his fellow inmates were joining him, struggling to keep their spirits up in dehumanizing circumstances. In Running Man, Charlie Engle tells the surprising, funny, and emotional story of his life, detailing his setbacks and struggles—from coping with addiction to serving time in prison—and how he blazed a path to freedom by putting one foot in front of the other. “A fast-paced, well-written account of a man who accepts pain, pushes beyond imagined limits, and ultimately finds redemption and peace” (Booklist), this is a raw and triumphant account about finding the threshold of human endurance, and transcending it.

Shortly after Charlie is left at the orphanage, he realizes that any boyhood happiness he once had was doomed. Charlie hadn’t been there long before he heard terrifying rumors floating through the orphanage, tales of the old caretaker who cuts up orphans in his bloody dungeon in the orphanage basement. Late at night, said the boys, the caretaker would row out into the lake alongside the orphanage to feed the body parts to the sea monster who dwells in the deep dark waters of the lake. Charlie is warned to never enter the orphanage’s basement, but when his only prized possession is thrown down his dorm room’s trash chute, he must somehow find the courage to enter the caretaker’s abode.

"In the beginning, God created Alabama. . . ". So starts this humorous parodyof the Old Testament from a Southern perspective. Illustrations.

It all started with a prophecy... Human-that's what Lilah Phillips thought she was until her Elemental powers kicked in on her twenty-first birthday. With her powers emerging, Lilah must navigate a world she knew nothing about to prove she's worthy. Because if she can't, her Elements will be stripped from her very soul. Chances of surviving? Well below zero. With two best friends, a Celestial partner, and a whole lot of guy trouble, Lilah's time at the Elemental Academy may be more than she bargained for. Can this half-human, half-Elemental prove she's worthy, or will the Academy's secrets toss her into an early grave? *** This is a NA Paranormal Academy Romance. Non-RH***