Star Crossed

Twelve-year-old Mattie wrestles with her crush on Gemma as they participate in their school production of Romeo and Juliet in what School Library Journal calls “a fine choice for middle school libraries in need of an accessible LGBTQ stories.” Twelve-year-old Mattie is thrilled when she learns the eighth grade play will be Romeo and Juliet. In particular, she can’t wait to share the stage with Gemma Braithwaite, who has been cast as Juliet. Gemma is brilliant, pretty—and British!—and Mattie starts to see her as more than just a friend. But Mattie has also had an on/off crush on her classmate Elijah since, well, forever. Is it possible to have a crush on both boys AND girls? If that wasn’t enough to deal with, things offstage are beginning to resemble their own Shakespearean drama: the cast is fighting, and the boy playing Romeo may not be up to the challenge of the role. And due to a last-minute emergency, Mattie is asked to step up and take over the leading role—opposite Gemma’s Juliet—just as Mattie’s secret crush starts to become not-so-secret in her group of friends. In this funny, sweet, and clever look at the complicated nature of middle school romance, Mattie learns how to become a lead player in her own life.

Sometimes even destiny needs a little bit of help . . . When childhood sweethearts Justine (Sagittarius and serious skeptic) and Nick (Aquarius and true believer) bump into each other as adults, a life-changing love affair seems inevitable—to Justine, anyway. Justine works at the Alexandria Park Star, and Nick—she now learns—relies on the magazine's astrology column to guide him in life. Looking for a way to get Nick's attention, Justine decides to make a few small alterations to the Aquarius copy before it goes to print. But, of course, Nick is not the only Aquarius making important life choices according to what is written in the stars, and the doctored horoscopes end up reverberating throughout the lives of the column's devoted readers as well as those who cross their diverted paths. Spanning a year—as Earth moves through all twelve star signs—and charting the ripple effects of Justine's astrological meddling, Star-Crossed is a delicious, intelligent and affecting love story about fate, chance and how we all navigate the kinds of choices that are hard to face alone.

In this book Ron Austin recounts the "three acts" of his remarkable life. Act I finds him in Hollywood, in love with his young wife -- and with show business. As he becomes a successful screenwriter and TV producer, he works with a galaxy of stars, from Charlie Chaplin to the cast of Charlie's Angels. In Act II Austin grapples with the ups and downs of his career and sets out on a new spiritual path: at the age of fifty, with the support of his Jewish wife, he converts from atheism to the Catholic faith. In Act III he explores his deepest concern -- how Jews and Catholics can find common ground. Star-Crossed offers a candid, compelling look at Austin's wide-ranging life journey, as rich with stories about Hollywood's golden past as it is with ideas about how Christians and Jews can build an enduring relationship in the future.

Donna Archer and Sean McBryde are amazed at how comfortable they feel with each other, even though they are complete strangers when they meet in the Atlanta International Airport. When Donna and Sean touch, the sleeping spirits of Ian and Arianna, ill-fated lovers from 14th century Scotland, are awakened. Just before the couple was killed for their illicit love affair, Arianna wove a Celtic binding spell so that their love would never die... and one day they would be together again. Follow Donna and Sean as they live out the fate of Ian and Arianna, experiencing the dramatic twists and turns of an epic love story. Will Donna and Sean fulfill the Celtic destiny, foretold seven-hundred years ago? Deborah J. Higgins lives in Alliance, Alabama, where she worked for the Jefferson County school system for twenty-nine years. She is writing her next book, the story of a Native American young female Captain in the U.S. Army, Serafina Stillwater. Ms. Higgins is grateful for the support and love of her husband, Jamie; her sister Kim Spain, who helped proofread Star Crossed; her mother Helen Dickey; and her cousin Stephanie Harper. http: //SBPRA.com/DeborahJHiggins

Haunted in her dreams by the mysterious and exotic man she once worshipped, Lady Ariane arranges to visit Rook Galloway, now sentenced to life on the harshest prison planet in the League. But the beautiful Ariane never suspects that she is soon to become her lover's unwitting pawn in his desperate plot for revenge--and a hostage to his searing passion.

She loves what she can’t have. Can she destroy what she loves? During an attempted invasion by an army of reptilian aliens, Grace Rinehart’s father, an alien-human hybrid, sacrificed his life to save Sedona — ultimately destroying the alien base. But something survived… Now, twenty-five years later, Grace uncovers what was left behind: the prototype for version 2.0 of an alien/human super-soldier. As they grow closer and the sexy soldier’s hidden secrets come spilling out, Grace must face the truth of what the Reptilians have been plotting all along. Can Grace trust her heart, or will her distrust of the past destroy the future she wants so badly? Keywords: Psychic, mind reader, mentalist, UFO, X-Files, UFO conspiracy, government cover-up, alien conspiracy, ufologist, first contact, gray aliens, reptilians, alien super-soldier, human alien romance, Sedona, Arizona, Southern California, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, romantic novels

A collection of heart-warming romance shorts, peopled with quirky, endearing characters. Meet Krish. He is enamoured of Niru, who runs a support group for the heartbroken. The only hitch? He’s never had his heart broken ever. Enter Shweta whose ex-boyfriend is tying the knot. And she’s down in the dumps. And then, she runs into his tall dark handsome stranger, and realises attending her ex’s wedding might not be such a bad idea, after all. Meera and Ayaan are madly in love with each other. Alas, Ayaan comes from the wrong side of the tracks. And then, a decade later, they bump into each other on a flight. In a period piece set in Bengal, Naren and Binodini start off as teacher and student, before falling in love. But he comes from a humble background and she’s soon to be the Zamindar’s wife. A historical romance wherein a painter falls in love with his muse. With the help of a crafty astrologer, the lovers hatch a daring plan. Will it succeed or will it end in heartbreak and worse?

Detective-Lieutenant Matt Warners children died in a fire he arrived too late to save them. Shortly afterward, wife committed suicide with his service revolver and took a part of him with her to the grave. Alone and beaten down by the guilt of always being too late, Matt is handed the most difficult case of his career. Women are being attacked. Theyre beaten and raped, then given flowers and a verse of poetry. Hes sure it means something, but has no idea what it could be, so he turns to the local librarian for help. Shes not only able to recognize a link, but also identify the verses as parts of Shakespearean plays. Weaving together the literary history and character motivation, it becomes apparent someone is after a specific woman and using the attacks to terrorize her. Finally able to determine the woman in danger, Matt is willing to mobilize the entire police force to protect her. But she doesnt want his help . . . Will he get to her in time to save her life? Or will her death paralyze him with guilt forever after?