Showing results by narrator "Courtney Patterson" in All Categories

While it’s widely known in the US that the first president did not have any biological children, few are aware that he had several stepgrandchildren. In First Family, we see Washington as a father figure, as well as meet the children he helped raise and trace their complicated roles in American history. First Family brings new focus and attention to this surprisingly neglected aspect of George Washington’s life and legacy.

This book presents the latest research on status generalization in a variety of settings, examining new interventions for its negative effects. Drawing from research in sociology, social psychology, education, organizations, mental health, and other fields, the book connects to several bodies of research that include stigma and stereotyping, exchange and power, and organizations. With its balanced, multidisciplinary approach to the challenges of social hierarchies and expectations, Unequals is an essential volume for all interested in status processes and inequalities.

Hope Robinson can’t seem to please anyone lately, especially not her mother, the flamboyant soap star Olivia Grant. Olivia loves Elvis more than Jesus and, convinced she’s dying, insists on a final visit to Graceland. Unfortunately, that’s the one place Hope can’t take her. Hope fled Memphis years ago with a shameful secret and a vow never to return.

Miranda's business—combining Appalachian adventure tours with art and a bit of moonshine—is the perfect place for an outdoor sporting goods company to hold an employee retreat. It'll be a challenge, but the money they're paying will definitely help with building her new distillery. Miranda has lots of teamwork-fostering activities planned, from sketching classes to Southern cooking, but the executive running things prefers a more competitive spirit. In fact, after the workers are split into teams, they're told that only the winners will keep their jobs, and tensions begin to spike.

The sign welcoming travelers to Maggody, Arkansas, reads "Pop. 755," and don't expect Hizzoner Jim Bob to repaint it just because there's someone new in town. The mayor won't go out of his way for anyone, especially someone wicked—and a woman who would open a pawnshop in Maggody must be very wicked indeed. Kayleen Smeltner decided to open the shop after her husband was killed during a burglary. She came to Maggody expecting peace and quiet, but she'll find this quaint little patch of nowhere isn't as peaceful as it seems.

For Tansy Hill, nothing is sweeter than honey from her farm - except maybe revenge on the man who broke her heart and humiliated her all those years ago. Dane "The Viking" Knudson has been Tansy's rival since childhood, and though he's grown into a frustratingly handsome charmer, he's also standing between her and the best honey award at the Honey Bee Festival, which Honey Hill Farms desperately needs to stay afloat.

Some days, police chief Arly Hanks can't help but see Maggody, Arkansas, as little more than a cesspool of poverty, ignorance, and incest—the kind of glorified trailer park that gives the South a bad name. But hey, it's home. So when silver-tongued televangelist Malachi Hope swoops into town, with a revivalist laser light show and plans to build a Christian theme park, Arly worries her beloved, if crazy, neighbors are about to be swindled. But it's Malachi who should be terrified.

After nearly 30 years of being a socialite wife and mother, Ellen is left alone to rattle around a mansion of a house with only the dog for company. It’s time to make a change, but to what? While she ponders what to do, she starts hearing her dog talk. Has she finally lost it? No, according to her mother. It’s an inherited gift that usually manifests at menopause, but, well, Ellen isn’t there, yet. And it’s not just the dog, but most animals. Then there’s the ability to actually see paranormal species, like gnomes, fairies, and yes, vampires. Lucky her.

Life is so boring in Maggody, Arkansas, population 755, the locals have resorted to reading supermarket tabloids, gobbling up every rumor of wolf men, zombies, and creatures from outer space they can get their hands on. And as the only sane woman in town, Chief of Police Arly Hanks just smiles and nods whenever her neighbors rave about the latest conspiracy theories. But to Arly's eternal horror, it looks like Maggody is about to become ground zero for an extraterrestrial invasion. The aliens will never know what hit 'em.

Hyacinth Dawson’s life runs like clockwork - and she likes it that way. Spreadsheets, lists, and plans have never failed her, and now they’re going to help her get her bridal shop on the popular reality TV show All Dressed in White. But it won’t happen unless she can land a celebrity client...maybe one of those new NHL players in town. Enter Robbie McTavish, a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants Scottish defenseman who can’t help but meddle when he spies a bride in Hyacinth’s shop wearing a completely wrong dress for her figure.

The author’s personal journey of transformation following her son Blaise’s suicide. The book traces her path from grief to understanding and healing, shown through a collection of 21 fables and poems she wrote to Blaise in the year after his untimely death. This audiobook explores Laura’s message that it is in your power to overcome personal difficulties, no matter what, by creating something beautiful in the wake of whatever has befallen you. The terrible times you suffer are not the end of life, but can become a new beginning.

Matt Montana is the favorite son of sleepy Maggody, Arkansas. With the voice of an angel and a smile as charming as that of the devil, he's made a name for himself under the bright lights of Nashville and become one of the most famous faces in country music. Meanwhile, Maggody has sunk into the worst recession in years. So when Matt announces that he's returning home to play a benefit concert, the locals do everything they can to cash in on Montana fever. The oddballs of Maggody smell a payday, and not even murder can stop them from cashing in.

“All the tales are a variety of detective story,” wrote Bowles of this, his first short story collection, “in which the reader is the detective; the mystery is in the motivation for the charcters’ behavior.” In such stories as “A Distant Episode” and How Many Midnights,” Bowles pushes human character beyond socially defined limits and maps a transformed (often horribly transformed) reality.

Small-town police chief Arly Hanks takes on the New York Police Department to save her mother from a murder rap in this madcap police procedural.

From the Kwik-Stoppe-Shoppe to the Pot O' Gold Mobile Home Park, there isn't much glamour in Maggody...but this flyspeck Arkansas town is about to become famous. When a Hollywood production company chooses Maggody as a backdrop for an X-rated Ozarks Romeo and Juliet, the locals are starstruck. And as Maggody is flooded with washed-up actors, ruthless producers, and a cynical crew, the townsfolk will do anything for a close-up - even if it means resorting to murder.

Foster Boyd wants control of the family business before his brother's escapades ruin their reputation. Since he can't force his brother out, he needs to distract him - or reform him. Where can he find a woman willing to do anything to save his business? Natalie Stolen was at the top of her game as image consultant to the stars. But when one of her client's reveals a juicy secret, the media went on a feeding frenzy, taking down Natalie's career faster than she could say "scandal." Now in dire straits, she's been given an offer she can't refuse....

Wedding preparations are underway, but the aisle to the altar gets rockier by the minute. Though the community's support is humbling, their enthusiasm soon hijacks the wedding. Squeeze in a suspicious death during a Texas Independence Day celebration, the needy new widow Madison befriends, and the unscrupulous politician trying to unseat Brash as chief of police, and the path seems littered with obstacles.

CEO Aiden Kelley's life of billionaire extravagance is flipped upside down when his ex shows up with a 10-year-old she claims is his. Totally out of his element and losing the control so integral to his success, he needs help. To top it all off, the only constant woman in his life, his executive assistant, has given notice just when he needs her help to survive his newfound fatherhood.

In a town as peculiar as Maggody, Arkansas, it doesn't take much to tip the community into chaos. When Mayor Jim Bob Buchanon's SuperSaver Buy 4 Less takes out a full-page ad boasting the new supermarket's authentic tamales, gourmet deli counter, and various other bells and whistles, every restaurateur in town fears that Jim Bob is going to put him out of business. So when it comes time for the Buy 4 Less' gala opening, one citizen decides to play dirty, slipping something into Jim Bob's famous tamale sauce that leaves 23 unsuspecting attendees sick with food poisoning - and one dead.

Madison Reynolds is looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation. Her best friend, Genny, is judging a celebrity bake-off near DC, so it's the perfect opportunity for a girl's getaway. With fun-loving Granny Bert in tow, the trio heads to the very heart of the intel community. A mix-up at the airport leaves Madison with the wrong luggage, and a last-minute change in accommodations lands them at The Columbia Inn at Peralynna. How can they know its ties to the spy world will soon spin them into its web?