Maxed Out

Twelve-year-old Max struggles to manage a grieving mother, a special-needs brother, and a desire to play hockey.

Winner of a Foreword IndieFab Book of the Year Award Katrina Alcorn was a 37-year-old mother with a happy marriage and a thriving career when one day, on the way to Target to buy diapers, she had a breakdown. Her carefully built career shuddered to a halt, and her journey through depression, anxiety, and insomnia—followed by medication, meditation, and therapy—began. Alcorn wondered how a woman like herself, with a loving husband, a supportive boss, three healthy kids, and a good income, was unable to manage the demands of having a career and a family. Over time, she realized that she wasn’t alone; many women were struggling to do it all—and feeling as if they were somehow failing as a result. Mothers are the breadwinners in two-thirds of American families, yet the American workplace is uniquely hostile to the needs of parents. Weaving in surprising research about the dysfunction between the careers and home lives of working mothers, as well as the consequences to women’s health, Alcorn tells a deeply personal story about “having it all,” failing miserably, and what comes after. Ultimately, she offers readers a vision for a healthier, happier, and more productive way to live and work.

Foreclosures are hitting record highs; Americans are declaring bankruptcy at rates ten times that during the great Depression; more college students drop out because of debts than due to poor grades; reports of debtor suicides proliferate in the media. In other words, it's a great time to be in the banking business. Maxed Out takes us on a road trip that is sometimes hysterical and often horrifying: from Las Vegas to the Bible Belt, from the backwoods to inner cities, where the world's largest financial giants troll for their next victims. Welcome to a country populated by debt pirates, corporate predators, human credit card billboards, debt evangelists, megamillion-dollar spec homes, and, of course, trillions of dollars of easy credit. Combining startling facts with even more startling examinations of individuals, institutions, the government, and modern religion, James Scurlock separates the myths (there is "good debt" and "bad debt") from the harsh reality (corporations partner with colleges to target today's youth; credit reports are riddled with errors that will never be fixed; and death, for many of those in trouble, is the only way out). At a time when the financial industry posts ever-higher profits even as its clients drown in the flood of easy credit, Scurlock exposes very real, potentially disastrous systems and policies that are consuming millions of Americans. Maxed Out takes readers on a wickedly smart and entertaining tour of what one interviewee calls "the last taboo."

The slime-slaying, max-leveled, immortal witch Azusa's main goal in reincarnation is to live a laid-back life with her new family of four. But trouble comes knocking on her door when the elf Halkara arrives, seeking sanctuary from the demon Beelzebub...Will Azusa ever find peace?!

Tabitha Rhodes understands the price of passion. After all, she sets the costs. As a secret webcam dominatrix, Tabitha caters to the needs of her internet clients. By day, Tabitha slaves away at a tedious, nine-to-five office job. By night, she ministers to the fantasies of submissive men and women begging for her control. Tabitha keeps her professional and private lives separate until a familiar face gazes back from the webcam. Her latest online client is none other than Maxwell Page—a playboy billionaire, gorgeous CEO…and her boss. Unlike her other clients, Maxwell doesn't fantasize about her physically controlling him. The wealthy billionaire desires financial domination. He offers Tabitha complete control over his gold card with no strings attached, and she’s rewarded with a perfect partnership of shopping sprees and extravagant dinners. But free reign of Max’s credit cards isn’t enough. Tabitha is falling for her client, but his heart might be the one thing she can’t expense.

Twelve-year-old Max just wants to play hockey. But ever since his dad died, Max's mom has been struggling. Now Max has to take his brother, Duncan, who is autistic, with him wherever he goes. Max's team is counting on him to help them win the upcoming playoff game against the Red Eagles, but one practice makes it clear that it's not safe to leave his brother unattended on the sidelines. With only a week to figure out how he can play in the big game, Max is feeling the pressure. Will he find a way to be a good teammate, a good brother and a good son, or is it all too much for one kid?

With more than 120 million users, MySpace is the world's largest social networking site. This edition will help readers maximize the site's potential to launch careers, build fan bases, make money, and more. (Computer Books).