Showing results by narrator "Vanessa Hart" in All Categories

When hikers Dayna and Eric find a young woman naked, terrified, and speechless, they're sure she's the victim of foul play. But the truth is much more shocking: She isn't human at all. She's Dun Lady's Jess, a horse transformed into this new shape by the spell that brought her and her rider, to whom she is utterly devoted, into this world. Posessed now of human intelligence but still a horse deep inside, Jess desperately searches this world for her master and rider, using her fiery equine spirit to take on human idiosyncracies - and human threats.

Aphrodite's girdle is missing, and the magical artifact will take all of Hale's superpowers to retrieve. The woman who found the belt - one Tracy Tannin - wasn't exactly Ms. Popular before donning it. Now everyone wants her, including some very nasty bad guys. But the golden girdle can only be recovered through honest means, so becoming invisible and snatching it simply won't work. Plus, Hale's job is to protect mortals. No, there's little chance of evading interaction and every chance of falling in love.

A superb collection of short science-fiction tales by this genre's contemporary, and emerging, masters. Alien communications are deciphered as Earth is destroyed in "Last Contact" by Stephen Baxter. A girl auto-asphyxiates to communicate with another world in Elizabeth Bear's "The Something Dreaming Game". And more....

Jason Murphy can talk to creatures of the sea. He can also change into a dolphin and, like all Protectors, has a bunch of other superpowers. None of them really help his situation: the love of his life doesn't trust him anymore. Lane thinks his promises of devotion are... well, fishy. When she needed him most, he was gone. She didn't know he was secretly fighting crime.

When Cara Marshall is transported to Narenta, she is proclaimed champion of its people against the sorcerous daemagos. Amid the grateful welcomes, Cara protests that she has been "world-napped", and wants neither her title nor her mission. "They've got the wrong person and they're going to get me killed because they won't admit it." With no knowledge of weapons or magic, can she save the Narentans and find her way home?

A business' current customer base needs to be considered among the company's most valuable assets. Discover the practical tools to preserve and grow this asset and boost your business by tapping into The Hidden Power of Your Customers. Existing customers are the key to ongoing business growth. They are the people who already know you and buy from you. Yet too many businesses allow their existing customers their least expensive, most easily acquired sales to slip away. Don't let this happen to you!

The Trustworthy Leader reveals the benefits organizations enjoy when trustworthy behavior is practiced consistently by their leaders. Drawing from examples from the best companies to work for, Lyman, cofounder of Great Place to Work Institute, explains that being trustworthy means that leaders' behaviors are rooted in their commitment to the value of trust and not simply in an imitation of the practices of others.

This down-to-earth book shows how to hack through the bewildering jungle of marketing options and miles-long to-do lists to clear a marketing path that's right for your organization, no matter how understaffed or underfunded. You'll see how to shape a marketing program that starts from where you are now and grows with your organization, using smart and savvy communications techniques, both offline and online.

As Darwin famously observed, the beaks of each generation of Galapagos Island finches change to accommodate shifting food resources, allowing the birds to survive by adapting their capabilities to the new environment. Today's business people should take note: In the post-crisis economy, traditional career strategies spell professional extinction, but the fluid new "gig economy" offers tremendous potential for anyone willing to adapt.

Too often discussions of management practice focus exclusively on managing people and organizational issues. Rarely, however, do they incorporate a discussion about technology or address all three dimensions in a balanced way. When they do, the result is game changing. In our hypercompetitive environment, those managers who are outstanding at being plugged into their people, technology, and organizational processes simultaneously excel at coming up with effective business solutions.

People wanting basic advice about stocks, bonds, mutual funds, retirement planning, and tax strategies are often frustrated by information overload. Picking the right book seems as daunting as deciding what to do with their savings and investments. Investing 101: Updated and Expanded removes both roadblocks, putting people on a path that they can understand and stick with. Kristof is renowned for taking the mystery and anxiety out of investing by keeping choices manageable

Although proportionally women continue to lag far behind men as CEOs and board members at major institutions, there has been a marked uptick in the number of female business leaders in recent years. Looking at the changes that have happened at Berkshire Hathaway - Warren Buffett's holding company, The Women of Berkshire Hathaway: Lessons from Warren Buffett's Female CEOs and Directors provides a unique look at the gradual shattering of the glass ceiling at one of America's top firms.

A "one-size fits all" approach to customer service is no longer viable. Businesses competing on service need to understand and cater to customers' racial, ethnic, religious, generational, and geographic differences in order to meet or exceed customers' service expectations. Crafting the Customer Experience for People Not like You explains how companies, brands, and products struggling to differentiate themselves in a sea of sameness can foster long-term loyalty and brand preference with exceptional and customized customer service.

In the quiet confines of her own world, Crystal discovers that a hidden realm of intense desire exists when she crosses paths with John. While John's allure lies partly in his mysterious charm and striking good looks, there's a captivating secret that sets him apart—he's a shape-shifter with an insatiable craving for honey, and for Crystal. As their worlds collide, the temperature soars, awakening the dormant Kodiak within John, a primal force longing for the connection it senses in Crystal.