Harshest Dawn

A grim dawn rises in the Pacific Northwest… The progressive “Successor” party has seized control of the West Coast, further isolating the region from the decayed and feckless United States. Imposing their warped utopian vision on the defenseless citizens, the leaders of the new nation of Pacifica swiftly ramp up persecution of all social and religious opposition. In a haven far from the chaos, American cyber defender Owen MacIntyre hears disturbing rumors about conditions in his former home, but there’s little he can do to help. Frustrated and powerless, he wonders if it’s time to abandon politics and focus instead on building a peaceful life elsewhere with his wife, Sofia. But Owen’s ex-supervisor, Pacifica’s Chief Enforcer Hayden Singer, has other ideas. Even a world away, he has MacIntyre dead in his sights and is determined to make him pay for his disloyalty. Thus politics becomes personal when the fugitive couple is caught in a revenge-fueled scheme that rips their family apart. Desperate and driven, Owen and Sofia will need every skill at their disposal—and some top-secret, risky new technology—to overcome the nightmare of Singer’s sadistic plans.

The remote Ad Astra seminary, located on the Mongolian border, trains dedicated recruits to survive in harsh Lunar or Martian environments, becoming men of holiness and purpose. Here, Tomás Chen-Diaz hopes the strict routine of study, prayer and work will mend his broken heart and offer him a meaningful alternative to the world of back-stabbing intrigue he rejected when he left his family's powerful corporation. Yet living within the sacred confines of a seminary is harder than he expected; soon, he's challenged to learn new skills while navigating both minor jealousies and global politics---all while making friends and maturing as a person. But will his virtues of patience and humility help him when he is ultimately put to the test? Because when he finds himself at the very ends of the earth, he must confront his exiled brother Francisco and force him to face the twisted and deadly shadows of their shared past...and he may not survive the encounter. This stand-alone entry in the Beyond Cascadia near-future saga is a unique, intense and intimate journey through tangled human relationships, exploring how---and if---remorse and forgiveness can ever be enough to conquer the darkest heart.

Overnight, Tomás Chen-Diaz has gone from an outcast on the brink of death, to a man whose vast wealth and global connections offer staggering opportunities and responsibility. But his bright future is soon threatened by corporate treachery and intrigue, even as he fights to keep his own family secrets hidden while settling private scores—discreetly. For instance: how should he dispose of his murderous brother, Francisco, who was ruled a clone and stripped of all legal rights? And what of the plight of Selena Vasquez-Medina, the beautiful, genetically-perfected model whom Francisco seduced and betrayed years earlier? Can she be located and ever heal from her past mistreatment enough to trust Tomás? To aid him with these challenges, Tomás enlists the skilled American cyborg law enforcer, Owen MacIntyre. But with plenty of his own personal trauma and responsibilities to deal with, is MacIntyre ready to take on the role of behind-the-scenes player in Vibora Enterprises—and mediator between the rancorous Chen brothers themselves? Because his time and skills are sorely needed to help protect the unstable United States from a gathering storm of civil unrest… Part thriller, part intimate psychological drama, this epic follow-up to Echoes Through Distant Glass tracks a memorable cast of characters as they continue to explore the vivid landscape of the almost-future, while enduring the temptations, successes, loves and loss, without which no one can truly grow.

NATIONAL BEST SELLER • The basis for the HBO documentary now streaming on HBO Max For five years, James and Deborah Fallows have travelled across America in a single-engine prop airplane. Visiting dozens of towns, the America they saw is acutely conscious of its problems—from economic dislocation to the opioid scourge—but it is also crafting solutions, with a practical-minded determination at dramatic odds with the bitter paralysis of national politics. At times of dysfunction on a national level, reform possibilities have often arisen from the local level. The Fallowses describe America in the middle of one of these creative waves. Their view of the country is as complex and contradictory as America itself, but it also reflects the energy, the generosity and compassion, the dreams, and the determination of many who are in the midst of making things better. Our Towns is the story of their journey—and an account of a country busy remaking itself.

Jeffery Mitchell, housed in the North Bay Hospital in a unit for the criminally insane, masterminds a perfect escape after a two-year stint, leaving staff and authorities baffled and outraged. He was the last person the townsfolk would have guessed to be responsible for the murder of his lovely wife and three young children. Jeffery heads westward, landing in the scenic and beautiful city of Calgary, Alberta, injured and requiring medical help. He risks aid at Mercy Hospital, only to have his world thrown into utter chaos by spotting young Dr. Meyers on his way out the door. Could it be her? How? She is dead, his mind screams as he ogles the doctor. Dr. Meyerss organized and ideal life turns upside down by the relentless endeavors of Jeffery stalking and harassing her, and she soon experiences a loss of all that matters to her. Jeffery, astute and able to stay forever a step ahead of the authorities, sends a ripple of fear and uncertainty upon this once-peaceful-and-safe city. The police have their hands full with unsolved crimes as the human carnage mounts around them, most victims being young children. The public screams for justice and answers, but none is forthcoming. The voices in Jeffery Mitchells mind continue to instruct him and encourage him to fulfill his unique mission, beginning with Dr. Meyers. His mind cannot sort through what is real and what is not. Disturbing memories of the long-ago past invade and plague his present, causing confusion and uncertainty. Remaining free is detrimental to him, and he will stop at nothing to be sure this is intact. When Dr. Meyers runs out of options to maintain her peace of mind and physical safety, she transfers to a hospital on the ocean-side city of Vancouver, not realizing her shadow is hot on her trail. The death of Jefferys roommate sets in motion events of revenge as Oliver begins to trail him to avenge his beloved sisters morbid death. D482E Bonie Wiliamson Jeff cannot escape his past any more than he his present, leaving his future uncertain and open for a loss of his most valued treasure, his freedom. After great determination, Oliver locates the murderer of his sweet sister Mariah, with plans of his own. A cabin set in the middle of nowhere awaits Jeffery Mitchell, and new life is breathed into his memories of a brutal and horrific past.

“Anne Lamott is my Oprah.” -Chicago Tribune From the bestselling author of Help, Thanks, Wow comes an inspiring guide to restoring hope and joy in our lives. In Dusk, Night, Dawn, Anne Lamott explores the tough questions that many of us grapple with. How can we recapture the confidence we once had as we stumble through the dark times that seem increasingly bleak? As bad newspiles up—from climate crises to daily assaults on civility—how can we cope? Where, she asks, “do we start to get our world and joy and hope and our faith in life itself back . . . with our sore feet, hearing loss, stiff fingers, poor digestion, stunned minds, broken hearts?” We begin, Lamott says, by accepting our flaws and embracing our humanity. Drawing from her own experiences, Lamott shows us the intimate and human ways we can adopt to move through life’s dark places and toward the light of hope that still burns ahead for all of us. As she does in Help, Thanks, Wow and her other bestselling books, Lamott explores the thorny issues of life and faith by breaking them down into manageable, human-sized questions for readers to ponder, in the process showing us how we can amplify life's small moments of joy by staying open to love and connection. As Lamott notes in Dusk, Night, Dawn, “I got Medicare three days before I got hitched, which sounds like something an old person might do, which does not describe adorably ageless me.” Marrying for the first time with a grown son and a grandson, Lamott explains that finding happiness with a partner isn't a function of age or beauty but of outlook and perspective. Full of the honesty, humor, and humanity that have made Lamott beloved by millions of readers, Dusk, Night, Dawn is classic Anne Lamott—thoughtful and comic, warm and wise—and further proof that Lamott truly speaks to the better angels in all of us.

Time spent in Japan, and everyday life in Berkeley and Oakland, come together as a kaleidoscope of words and consciousness in New Time. Leslie Scalapino pushes at the edges / spatial shape of language and experience in her new collection by writing that is itself events, which are to "punch a hole in reality." Real events, occurring in real time, are transformed in the act of writing them as perceived rather than interpreted. Phrases repeat, conjoin, break apart, and return in this challenging and innovative work, as Scalapino moves toward a "new time" wherein there is no 'inner' — one's illusion that is "the adamant social being / is inner" and "the body is a new form."