Showing results by author "S.J." in All Categories

Today's organizations face two daunting challenges: how to create new sources of competitive advantage to sustain long-term growth, and how to engage leaders at every level of the organization so that they are more proactive and forward-looking in their area of responsibility. The Art of Strategic Leadership uses a unique approach to examine what it means to be a strategic leader.

For Lori Straford, born into the lowest caste of citizens—the pleasure arts strata of their society—it is an inescapable fate that she can only hope to better by enlisting as a spa attendant and masseuse on one of the luxury world colonies under the purview of Darvel Exploration Corporation. When she is talked into working on one of their mining planets for a year with the promise of a hefty bonus and to be transferred to her choice planet after more non-gratas can be sent over, it is too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Six months ago, the world was plunged into chaos. The ImDED2 virus had been a mere nuisance for a decade. World powers were at a loss for a cure, but managed to keep isolated outbreaks from becoming a global pandemic. Until New Year’s Day of the year 2020. Just after midnight, the immuno-degenerative and epidermal decomposition virus (strain 2) exploded worldwide, subsuming humanity in a tsunami of blood and terror.

Lara Bailey isn't in Rocky Springs for the hot springs, the resort activities, or the fabulous skiing. She has come to Colorado for one reason and one reason only: to find and get close to Marcus Colter, the eldest Colter brother. Unfortunately, trouble finds her in the form of Tate Colter rather than Marcus. The youngest Colter brother is arrogant, cocky, smart, and tenacious in his attempts to find out why she wants to find Marcus even though she's never met him.

I thought I had my life all worked out. My wedding had been meticulously planned. All I had to do was walk down the aisle and get married to the man I'd been engaged to for over a year. Pretty easy and uncomplicated, right? Unfortunately, all of my well laid plans go up in smoke when my fiancé leaves me at the church alone because he found a woman who was better suited for his snobby world of wealth and privilege. After realizing what kind of man my intended groom really was, it was hard not to be more relieved that I'd dodged a bullet than I was heartbroken.

It's 1961 and the Queen is planning her state visit to Italy aboard Britannia. But before she goes, an unreliable witness claims to have seen a brutal murder from the royal train. Did it really happen, and could the victim be a missing friend of Princess Margaret's new husband, Tony Armstrong Jones?

Maybe my two older brothers had lost their minds over a woman, but that was never going to happen to me. I'd never believed in soul mates, romantic love, or happily ever after. The only thing any woman had ever wanted from me was the Montgomery name and all the billions of dollars and luxuries that came with it. Those facts had been proven to me over and over again until I met Victoria "Torie" Durand, my best friend's little sister and the one woman who wasn't impressed by my wealth or my name.

I never expected the man I saw as nothing but a billionaire player to be the only person who could rescue me from near insanity. One moment, everything was perfect, until it...wasn't. I guess I never realized that brief periods of perfection could instantly be followed by a nine-day, horrific hostage situation that would forever change the woman I'd been before that incident. Oddly, after my release, the only person who knew that I was struggling to get my life back was Jaxton Montgomery, my billionaire boss, and the king of one-nighters. Not exactly the perfect confidante, right?

Prague, 1588 The Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II, wants to expand the boundaries of human knowledge and his court is a haven for scientists, astrologers and alchemists. His abiding passion is the elusive hunt for the philosopher’s stone and thus immortality. The Catholic Church fears he has pushed too far – into the forbidden realm of heresy – while the greatest powers in Christendom are concerned about the imperial line of succession.

Do you struggle with completing projects or specific tasks? We'd all like to get things done and become more productive. But what often happens is we put off important tasks and let them slip through the cracks. The end result? We get overwhelmed by the amount of things to do. In other words, "procrastination" causes you to feel stressed when you're not completing tasks in a systematic manner.

Imagine living in a home that's free from clutter. Your closets, cabinets and possessions are all completely organized. Wouldn't you feel relaxed? You can make this happen with the daily decluttering habit. The good news? You can do this even if you're a busy professional or a parent who has little time for a massive organizing project. All you need is 10 minutes a day and you'll be amazed at what can be accomplished with the following "Declutter Challenge" system.

After finishing a hard-won medical residency, Owen Sinclair now lives his dream as a family physician. The windfall that brought him newfound wealth has also made handsome Dr. Sinclair the town’s most eligible bachelor. But Owen’s eyes are on Layla, his onetime best friend, his clinic’s dedicated nurse practitioner, and the one woman in Citrus Beach who has no interest in either his body or his billions.

Like his brothers and sisters, Seth Sinclair went from blue-collar to billionaire overnight, and he’s decided to invest in what he knows best: construction. There’s only one thing in his way - the endangered birds nesting on a piece of prime beachfront real estate. And fighting for the birds is Riley Montgomery, a stubborn, pain-in-the-ass, drop-dead-gorgeous environmental lawyer.

Just when I thought I was destined to die in a foreign country after being kidnapped while doing a geological exploration, a mysterious rescuer shows up just in time to save my life. Unfortunately, my liberator also happens to be the co-CEO of Montgomery Mining, my employer, and a billionaire with an attitude. The arrogant billionaire I could handle, but I wasn't quite so sure how to deal with the amazing guy I discovered once I looked past the superficial exterior. The one who stayed by my side as I recovered mentally and physically from the trauma of being a hostage.

I've always hated Marcus Colter. I have since high school. We antagonize each other every time we meet, and I thought our dislike was mutual, until he ends up saving my life on a suicide mission to rescue me from my captors, men who would have killed me if not for Marcus. Everything that happens after that successful, crazy, and dangerous mission confuses me.

I may have moved from Texas to Colorado, but my reputation followed me - right along with my furniture. Everyone knows...I'm a player. Since I'm one of the billionaire Walker brothers, most of the world knows what I am. It's not like I ever tried to hide it. I never cared about what other people thought about me. I lived to party...or I did until I realized what I really wanted to do with my life.

I was perfectly content with my life. My career was booming. I traveled. I did as much charity work as I possibly could for the homeless, and I was perfectly happy with the choices I'd made. At least...I was - until my sister, Dani, came up missing. As an international correspondent, she traveled to war-torn countries, and she'd stepped a little too far over the line. With my sibling kidnapped and running out of time, I had no option except to approach Marcus Colter for help.

My name is Ellie Winters, and I'm one of those unfortunate women you hear about on the news. I was kidnapped, shackled, beaten, and deprived of the basic necessities, and pretty much left to find a slow, painful demise. I had finally given up, resigned myself to my inevitable death, when the one man who could make me want to live again finds me more dead than alive. After so many months in captivity, I'm lost, hopelessly damaged. Zane Colter challenges me to live again, laugh again, live my life again.

When an EMP strikes, plunging the West Coast into chaos, Alan Hughes must lead a group of boys stranded far from their Alaskan home, while his wife, Zara, prepares their homestead for long-term survival. With communication down and society crumbling, they face impossible choices in this gripping post-EMP survival thriller. Perfect for fans of EMP survival fiction and dystopian novels, this story dives deep into the challenges of off-grid living, prepping for the end of the world, and the fight for survival against overwhelming odds.

After serving two years in a federal prison, Karen Hashimoto is out on parole and eager to put her criminal past behind her. No easy task, since she's also the former supervillain known as Crushette. A chance encounter leads to an unexpected opportunity, and she is recruited as the newest member of the city's premier team of superheroes: The Good Guys.