Showing results by author "Des O'Connor" in All Categories

Authors of Life Unscripted, Jeff Katzman and Dan O'Connor, have created a process they call ensembling that helps us build an ensemble of relationships in our lives and more deeply enjoy the groups we already belong to. This is a process of becoming a little vulnerable with each other, and of embracing the moment in which we find ourselves. Drawing on concepts from narrative improvisational theatre and depth psychology, the authors present us with the skills we need to connect with each other more actively and meaningfully.

In the bitter winter of 1847, from an Ireland torn by injustice and natural disaster, the Star of the Sea sets sail for New York. On board are hundreds of fleeing refugees, some brimming with optimism, many more desperate. Among them are a maidservant with a devastating secret, bankrupt Lord Merridith and his wife and children, an aspiring novelist, and a maker of revolutionary ballads, all braving the Atlantic in search of a new home.

Fancy Nancy is ready for the spotlight! Fancy Nancy and her best friend, Bree, couldn’t be more excited about their upcoming dance show. After all, it’s all about mermaids - and who knows how to be a fancy, glamorous mermaid better than Fancy Nancy herself? But when another ballerina wins the coveted role of the mermaid, Nancy is stuck playing a dreary, dull tree. Can Nancy bring fancy flair to her role, even though it isn’t the one she wanted? And when disaster strikes right before the big ballet, who will step in to steal the spotlight?

It is 1865. The American Civil War is ending. Eighteen years after the famine ship Star of the Sea docked at New York, the daughter of two of her passengers sets out from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on a walk across a devastated America. Eliza Duane Mooney is searching for a youngster she has not seen in four years, one of the 100,000 children drawn into the war. His fate has been mysterious and will prove extraordinary.

Kennedy Davis is not in love with her best friend. That’s what she tells every girl she dates anyway, but it always ends up the same. Sienna Stevens is in love with her best friend, but she’s too afraid to admit it. A hopeless romantic who hopes her best friend might one day see her as more. When Kennedy must return home for her brother’s wedding it only makes sense to bring her best friend along. But Kennedy's fears of returning home give Sienna a chance for Kennedy to see her as more—by being her fake girlfriend.

Feisty enchanted hedgehogs with eye-watering gas, a half-dragon with an attitude, and a headless corpse aren't the best things to start the day with! But that's what we encounter in our first week working for animal control in Crimson Cove. We'd only come here to find a missing person but got more than we bargained for. As an enchanted cat, few things phase me, but even I wince when my wonderful witch, Zandra Crypt, finds a body missing its head.

At college in 1980s, Robbie Goulding, an Irish-born teenager, meets Fran Mulvey, a Vietnamese refugee. Together they form a band. Joined by cellist Sarah-Thérèse Sherlock and her brother Seán on drums, they set out to chase fame. Spanning 25 years, we fast-forward through an evocative soundtrack of struggle and laughter. Infused with blues, New Wave and punk, the tale stretches from the Glastonbury Festival to Long Island, culminating in July 2012, a night that changes everything.

Adultery, alcoholism, drugs and murder on the suburban streets of Bournemouth. The Rattenbury case of 1935 was one of the great tabloid sensations of the interwar period. The glamorous femme fatale at the heart of the story dominated the front pages for months, somewhere between the rise of Hitler and the launch of the Queen Mary.

A podcast delving into the vast world of dance, speaking to artists about their individual journeys. Come along for the ride!

You would always recognise your own child...wouldn't you? Heidi and Jason aren't like other couples. Six years ago, Heidi's daughter was murdered. A year later, Jason's son Barney disappeared. Their shared loss brought them together. By chance, Heidi meets a boy she's certain is her husband's long-missing son - but Jason is equally convinced it's not him. Is Heidi mad? Or is Jason hiding something? And can their fragile marriage survive Heidi's search for the truth?

Hannah knows the cage intimately. Small, the size of a shopping mall parking space. A bed, a basin, a table and chair. A hatch and metal drawer through which to exchange food and other items. Then there's him. Always there on the edges of her vision, no matter how hard she tries to block him out. Every day, the same thoughts run through Hannah's mind. What if he speaks to me? What if he hurts me? What if he gets out?

Seit sie denken kann, hegt die elfjährige Charlie denselben geheimen Wunsch: eine richtige Familie zu haben. Jeden Tag nutzt sie mindestens eine Chance dazu, sich dies zu wünschen, wie z.B. ein gefundener Penny, eine Sternschnuppe oder ein vierblättriges Kleeblatt. Da ihre Eltern nicht in der Lage sind, sich um sie zu kümmern, muss sie zu ihrer Tante und ihrem Onkel, die sie kaum kennt, ins ländliche North Carolina ziehen. Die beiden nehmen Charlie warmherzig auf.

Against the political stage of 1689 Port Royal, Jamaica, the unswerving Atia Crisp is thrust into the world of bondage, violence, beauty, and love. Shipwrecked and sold into slavery with her sister Livia, the pair are soon separated and Atia is used as a pawn in a card game. Captivated by her beauty, Atia is swiftly liberated by sugar merchant, Capitaine la Roche (also known as the pirate, Gator Gar), whose past is stained with blood and grief.

Shh! Fancy Nancy and her classmates are planning a surprise party - that means it's top secret! Together Nancy and her friends prepare the treats and decorate the classroom for the party. Everything has to be kept super secret. Even the cupcakes have a surprise inside! Will you be able to guess who the party is for? Fans of Fancy Nancy will delight as they join Nancy in planning a fabulous surprise in this Fancy Nancy I Can Read Super Secret Surprise Party.

In an era when numerous modern media outlets rail about the guilt of their political enemies for speaking untruths, Postgate proves that the media can often credibly be viewed as the party actually guilty of deception. Americans today mistrust the major media more than ever. Postgate will prove that this distrust is richly deserved.

Twelve-year-old Sarah Jacob was the most famous of the Victorian fasting girls, who claimed to miraculously survive without food, serving as flash points between struggling religious, scientific, and political factions. In this novel based on Sarah’s life and premature death from what may be the first documented case of anorexia, an American journalist, recovering from her husband’s death in the Civil War, leaves her home and children behind to travel to Wales, where she investigates Sarah’s bizarre case by becoming the young girl’s friend and confidante.

From a junkie addicted to methamphetamines to a federal judge, Mary Beth O'Connor's memoir shares her inspiring journey from rock bottom to resilience as she forged a personal path to recovery from trauma and addiction. Searing, unsettling, and ultimately triumphant, Judge O'Connor's debut memoir takes listeners on a wild ride through the rock-bottom underbelly of intravenous drug addiction to the hallowed halls of justice, where she rose to the pinnacle of success as a federal judge.

Beware of the night, for it shows no mercy. Anxieties run rampant as the last sprinklings of light twinkle out on the inky horizon. The shadows dance their choreography in the damp, dusky air. Night is taking over, and it knows how to keep a dark and deadly secret, for it allows no witnesses. And that screaming you hear nearby? Watch out, because you might be next. The Sinister Supernatural Stories series brings you delicious horror that focuses on elements of the supernatural. Pull up a chair and dig in, but never after dark—everyone knows bad things always happen after dark.

While today's technological, social, and economic changes have helped the business world, they have also increased anxiety for employees, business owners, and especially managers. Experts Ken Blanchard and Michael O'Connor offer practical, proven solutions to help managers and their organizations reduce pressure while enhancing productivity.

Fancy Nancy is back! And when her family decides to get a dog, she's certain she can be fancier than ever. After all, a papillon - a small, delicate, fluffy dog - is the ultimate accessory. But her family wants a large, plain dog. How unglamorous! With Fancy Nancy's trademark humor and warmth, Nancy discovers that real fanciness does not depend simply on appearance but more on a genuine joie de vivre, which is a fancy phrase for having lots of fun.