Showing results by narrator "Krystal Hammond" in All Categories

Queering the Runes is a love letter to the runes, the gods, and the people who follow the Nordic path. The author presents an alternative approach to the runes, one that creates a gentle container for those who want to follow this heathen path. Based on the author's personal gnosis, as well as deep academic research on runes and Nordic culture, this book is an invitation into the root culture of the runes, both in terms of myth and in terms of lived, real folkloric experience.

Outlaw Elle Barstow spends her days robbing stagecoaches with her gang, bedding women and, most importantly, keeping her heart safely locked away. Into her chaotic world slides entrancing Isabella "Izzy" Collins. Banished by her family, the feisty suffragette from Boston is on her way to marry a man more than twice her age. Elle stumbles upon Izzy's stagecoach being robbed, rescues her, and is urged by Izzy to teach her how to survive on the land. Except Elle's far more interested in stringing her along and collecting a reward for her safe return. There's one hitch with that plan.

Fame and money rained down on Dess Hampton like a monsoon. She couldn't imagine needing more—until her golden voice was silenced. Now her quiet days are filled with her guitar and she savors every sunrise. Curious, and as a favor to a friend, she emerges to hear a rumored superstar in the making. Erika Alvarez is awed that the reclusive Dess Hampton wants to hear her sing, and then blown away when Dess agrees to sit in for a few gigs. Can the magic of the music they make together, and the growing love between them, trump Erika's ambition and Dess's fears?

Hollywood teen actor Arden James' messy reputation is interfering with her career when a notoriously picky director won't give her a role based on her party-girl image. So she and her publicist make up a lie – not only is she from a small town (true) but her childhood best friend Caroline, is her long-term girlfriend (false) and she can prove it when she goes home for Christmas.​ Caroline Beckett hasn't thought about her ex-best friend Arden James for years, focusing instead on her dreams about becoming a journalist.

Horror movies hold a complicated space in the queer community: historically misogynist, and often homo- and transphobic, the genre has also been inadvertently feminist and open to subversive readings. It Came from the Closet features twenty-five original essays by writers speaking to this relationship, through connections both empowering and oppressive. From Carmen Maria Machado on Jennifer’s Body, Jude Ellison S. Doyle on In My Skin, Addie Tsai on Dead Ringers, and many more, these conversations convey the rich reciprocity between queerness and horror.

Hazel Davis is drifting: newly unemployed, living in a city she hates, and significantly less successful than her infamous younger sister, Evie. Evie grew up online, having gone viral at age five in a daddy-daughter dance video. Now she’s a megapopular lifestyle influencer. But to Hazel, @evelyn is just Evie, her beloved little sister—and a kid who has been exploited for her entire childhood. So when Evie disappears—in the middle of a live stream, during a brand-sponsored trip to Los Angeles—Hazel knows something is terribly wrong.

Reeling from her brother's death, Gianna Del Vecchio finds comfort in an online forum from a woman who suffered a similar loss. Theirs is a club no one wants to join—survivors of a loved one's suicide. Photos posted to the forum of the woman's cute therapy dog bring cheer when nothing else can, and Gianna is compelled to reach out to say thanks. After two years, Keenan McEvoy is still fighting her way back from despair after losing her partner, Annabel. She's surprised when she connects with Gianna, whose kindness and compassion ignite a spark she wasn't sure she'd ever feel again.

Twelve-year-old Al Schneider is too scared to talk about the two biggest things in her life: 1. Her stomach hurts all the time and she has no idea why. 2. She’s almost definitely 100% sure she likes girls. So she holds it in…until she can’t. After nearly having an accident of the lavatorial variety in gym class, Al finds herself getting a colonoscopy and an answer—she has Crohn’s disease.

Being a manager is no easy task. You must set and meet team goals that match business objectives while also ensuring growth and development opportunities for your people. You have to be the voice of authority and a key decision-maker while simultaneously giving your employees autonomy and flexibility. How do you navigate these tensions?

Ruga Karrsdaughter, dutiful orc princess with a heart of gold, has spent the years since her sister was elected queen serving the orc country of Torden. Her duties now include marrying an elf princess for a much-needed alliance against an outside threat. Elketh Ceridwen, rakish elf princess with a penchant for chaos, has never lifted a finger in her life. Now that an engagement is sprung upon her by the stern elvish king, she has to fulfill a fifty-day betrothal period in Torden surrounded by strangers . . . unless she can wreak enough havoc to get sent back home.

After forty years of wreaking havoc across the galaxy, the outlaw Nine Lives—AKA Former General Gabriella Ortiz—has finally run out of lives. Shot down into a backwater at the system’s edge, she is rescued by Deputy Air Marshall Havemercy Grey. Hav is a true soul, trying to uphold what is right in the heedless wastes. Hav is determined to see justice done. And Hav could sure use that twenty-million bounty … But escorting the most dangerous fugitive in the system across the stars is no easy task.

With the Kingdoms united and the stolen spell books retrieved, Lily and Alder face their greatest challenge yet—merging their families. As the sisters' new elemental powers grow, they must learn to control them but quickly find themselves at odds when a strange pull toward the Dark begins to affect Lily and Daisy in unexpected ways.

In Nebula Award-winning author Sam J. Miller’s devastating debut short-fiction collection—featuring an introduction by Amal El-Mohtar—queer infatuation, inevitable heartbreak, and brutal revenge seamlessly intertwine. Whether innocent, guilty, or not even human, the boys, beasts, and men roaming through Miller’s gorgeously crafted worlds can destroy listeners, yet leave them wanting more.

Brotherhood and beer meets single mom and apple pie. We make an odd couple—our differences obvious—but when hatred and danger threaten to destroy everything of value in our lives, we only get stronger.

Investing for the first time can be intimidating. In easy-to-understand language, Stock Market 101 provides the groundwork needed to begin building knowledge on the stock market. It cuts out the boring explanations of basic investing, and instead provides hands-on lessons that keep you engaged as you learn how to build a portfolio and expand your wealth. Full of basic definitions and real life examples, Stock Market 101 will alleviate any uneasy or overwhelmed feelings during your first steps toward your investment goals.

When Rowan and her family move into the 1800s home nestled in the woods on a bluff near Lake Michigan, she's looking forward to a summer reprieve. However, she soon discovers that Helme House harbors dark secrets, including people who have vanished from the house and never been found.

Victoria Cage has one main objective in life: make sure that no one finds out she’s a necromancer. You know, a carrier of that pesky little power that caused zombies to rise back in World War III? Of course, it’s hard to stay hidden when you deal with dead bodies. Like, every freaking day. Maybe, taking over the family funeral home wasn’t the smartest choice in the world, but sometimes, being the local mortician and resident "crazy pants" has its benefits.

A lush and elegant collection of tales—many having appeared in various “Best Of” anthologies—teeming with frightful and tragic events, yet profoundly and intimately human. These chilling tales will engross and enthrall. For listeners of Kelly Link, Carmen Maria Machado, and Angela Carter, this is a must have collection of ghostly tales set to deliver a frisson of terror and glee.

Narcissism For Dummies pulls back the curtain on a growing and misunderstood personality. This book digs into dimensions of narcissism, grandiosity, malignancy, and vulnerability, giving you the knowledge and perspective you need to identify narcissists in your life and set limits on unacceptable behavior. It also takes a look at how society plays a part in fostering narcissism, for example through social media. You'll walk away from Narcissism For Dummies with a clearer sense of the personality trait, as well as necessary coping mechanisms and tools to deal with the narcissists in your life.

High school senior Mindy Murphy has been questioning her small town life forever and, more recently, her sexuality. Maybe it has something to do with her new friend, Lucia West. When they were kids they used to be besties, until Lucia grew a head taller and a cup size bigger. Now she's captain of the cheer team, winner of the Boyfriend Olympics, and voted least likely to remember Mindy at their high school reunion. In short, she's possibly the worst person alive for Mindy to crush on. Especially after Lucia's bitten by a vampire.