Sweet Talk

Sharks are not evil. But they're single-minded and very, very hungry. On land, they take the form of bosses, businesspeople, colleagues, family, and sociopathic neighbors. In the world of former governor of New Mexico and US ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson, they have taken the form of the most powerful people in the world. He's engaged in high-stakes, face-to-face negotiations with Castro, Saddam, the Taliban, two generations of North Korean leadership, and many more of the world's most infamous dictators—and done it so well he was known as the "Undersecretary of Thugs" while with the Clinton administration. Now the 5-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee tells these stories—from Washington, DC, to the Middle East to Pyongyang—in all their intense and sometimes absurd glory. How to Sweet-Talk a Shark is a rare, candid, and entertaining glimpse into an insider's world of high-stakes negotiation—showing Richardson's successes and failures in some of the world's least friendly places. Meanwhile, readers get frank lessons in the art of negotiation: how to prepare, how to size up your opponent, how to understand the nature of power in a standoff, how to give up only what is necessary while getting what you want, and many other strategies Richardson has mastered through at-the-table experience—and from working with other master negotiators like Presidents Obama and Clinton, and Nelson Mandela. These are takeaways that anyone can use to negotiate with the power brokers, dealmakers, and, yes, the hungry sharks in their own lives.

Finally, a cookie book that’s sweet and sassy! Sweet Talk Cookies has gloriously out-of-the-ordinary cookie designs. If you’re sick of the same-old cookies, if you can’t possibly decorate another bland tree or stocking, look no further. Hayley Callaway, founder of Hayley Cakes and Cookies (@thehayleycakes), has just what you need—whether that’s a taco truck and message cookie that says “Feed me and tell me I’m pretty” or a T-rex hanging Christmas lights. When it comes to designs, this is a book filled with cookies that have character, for year-round fun. Chapters span the seasons, including both holiday-related motifs and designs that simply celebrate something like summer fun (helllooo snow cones!). If you’re looking to really make these cookies your own, you’ll love the creative lettering workshop. Once you master the art of writing with icing, you can customize to your heart’s content! Inside, you’ll find all this and more: A complete cookie class: Outlining all the key materials and techniques needed in the rest of the book. Recipes: Hayley’s signature cookie and icing recipes. Writing workshop: The key to making the cookies your own! Holiday cookies: Cookies to pop the bubbly and celebrate the New Year, fa-boo-lous Halloween cookies, ideas for your Valentine, and even a couple birthday party cookies. Animal cookies: A whole farm of mini-animals as well as bears, a rainbow turtle, even unicorns! Christmas cookies: Just try and pick your favorite from the what’s crackin’ nutcracker, Rudolph the sprinkle-nose reindeer, and a cookie that is decorated like a tray of Christmas cookies. Summer cookies: Have some fun in the sun with mermaids, fancy seashells, watermelon, tie-dye shirts, and more. And even more cool designs: Cowboy boots, eggs and bacon, carved woodgrain, a watercolor cactus...the sky’s the limit! If you are the type of person who demands cookies not only taste good, but be in good taste, this is your cookie book soul mate!

A fan favorite from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Sweet Spot and Sweet Trouble: “Smart, sexy romance doesn’t get any better than this.” —Debbie Macomber Is there anything sweeter than first love? Don’t ask Claire Keyes. The twenty-eight-year-old piano prodigy has never had a regular boyfriend, much less a real romance. Her music career has left little room for friends or family—which is just part of the reason she hasn’t seen the family bakery or her two sisters in years. But now Nicole is sick, and Jesse is AWOL. Despite the fact that Claire can’t boil water, she’s determined to play caretaker. Connecting with her sisters tops her to-do list . . . along with falling in love, or at least in lust, for the first time. Ruggedly sexy Wyatt just might fit the bill. Although he keeps saying that he and Claire come from entirely different worlds, he lights up hotter than a bakery oven whenever Claire is near. If this keeps up, she just might sweet-talk him into her bed . . . and her life. “One of those stories you don’t want to end. It has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and just the right amount of lump-in-your-throat moments . . . This is the first of the Bakery Sisters trilogy, and will be a hard act to follow.” —Fresh Fiction “Romantic, daring, and hopeful . . . Sweet Talk is definitely a winner.” —Single Titles “Susan Mallery has whipped up a cast of fun, eccentric characters who will keep readers turning the pages.” —Romance Reviews Today

Stephanie Vaughn is a writer’s writer, one whose debut collection of stories, Sweet Talk, was published more than two decades ago to critical acclaim. Readers have come to these stories over the years through word of mouth, posting glowing reviews to their Goodreads pages and on their blogs—unanimously agreeing that this collection is a modern classic that deserves to be in print. Crafted in graceful, honest prose, Vaughn’s stories go straight to the heart of how people live, grow and survive.

Developed nations strive to create the impression that their hearts and pockets bleed for the developing world. Yet, the global North continues to offer unfavorable trade terms to the global South. Truly fair trade would make reciprocal concessions to developing countries while allowing them to better their own positions. However, five hundred years of colonial racism and post-colonial paternalism have undermined trade negotiations. While urging developing countries to participate in trade, the North offers empty deals to "partners" that it regards as unequal. Using a mixed-methods approach, J. P. Singh exposes the actual position beneath the North's image of benevolence and empathy: either join in the type of trade that developed countries offer, or be cast aside as obstreperous and unwilling. Through case studies, Singh reveals how the global North ultimately bars developing nations from flourishing. His findings chart a path forward, showing that developing nations can garner favorable concessions by drawing on unique strengths and through collective advocacy. Sweet Talk offers a provocative rethinking of how far our international relations have come and how far we still have to go.

A child can teach us the right words to say… Following her divorce Allison Hartwell leaves Maine for California to become a partner in her college roommate’s art gallery. She’s out to prove she can succeed in business, get along without a man and have fun along the way. But things quickly fall apart; the business is financially insecure, and she’s left with the care of her roommate’s eight-year-old daughter, Daisy. When Blake Whiting, owner of Silver Goose Winery becomes involved with Sweet Talk, a wine and chocolate bar Allison opens, things become more complicated even as Daisy teaches her to open her heart to loving again. A family story with heart… Be sure to read the other books in the series: The Talking Tree, Straight Talk, and Baby Talk. And check out Judith Keim’s other series – the Hartwell Women, The Beach House Hotel series, the Fat Fridays series, the Salty Key Inn series, the Chandler Hill Inn series, the Desert Sage Inn series, and the Seashell Cottage Books that readers are loving.

Developed nations strive to create the impression that their hearts and pockets bleed for the developing world. Yet, the global North continues to offer unfavorable trade terms to the global South. Truly fair trade would make reciprocal concessions to developing countries while allowing them to better their own positions. However, five hundred years of colonial racism and post-colonial paternalism have undermined trade negotiations. While urging developing countries to participate in trade, the North offers empty deals to "partners" that it regards as unequal. Using a mixed-methods approach, J. P. Singh exposes the actual position beneath the North's image of benevolence and empathy: either join in the type of trade that developed countries offer, or be cast aside as obstreperous and unwilling. Singh reveals how the global North ultimately bars developing nations from flourishing. His findings chart a path forward, showing that developing nations can garner favorable concessions by drawing on unique strengths and through collective advocacy. Sweet Talk offers a provocative rethinking of how far our international relations have come and how far we still have to go.

Don't ask Claire Keyes. The twenty-eight-year-old piano prodigy has never had a regular boyfriend, much less a real romance. Her music career has left little room for friends or family—which is just part of the reason she hasn't seen the family bakery or her two sisters in years. But now Nicole is sick, and Jesse is AWOL. Despite the fact that Claire can't boil water, she's determined to play caretaker. Connecting with her sisters tops her to-do list…along with falling in love, or at least in lust, for the first time. Ruggedly sexy Wyatt just might fit the bill. Although he keeps saying that he and Claire come from entirely different worlds, he lights up hotter than a bakery oven whenever Claire is near. If this keeps up, she just might sweet—talk him into her bed…and her life.