Lives West

Born into the minor aristocracy (as Eugenia Peterson), Devi grew up in the midst of one of the most turbulent times in human history. Forced to flee the Russian Revolution as a teenager, she joined a famous Berlin cabaret troupe, dove into the vibrant prewar spiritualist movement, and, at a time when it was nearly unthinkable for a young European woman to travel alone, followed the charismatic theosophical leader Jiddu Krishnamurti to India.

The five children have grown up, and World War I has begun in earnest. The sand fairy has become a creature of stories...until, for the first time in 10 years, he suddenly reappears. Before this last adventure ends, all will be changed; the two younger children will have seen the Great War from every possible viewpoint, and the war's impact will be felt right at the heart of their family.

From humble beginnings in rural Tennessee to his heroic death defending the Alamo, frontiersman, adventurer, and politician David Davy Crockett embodies the spirit and ideals of the national character. Even during his lifetime, tales of the sharpshooting, skilled woodsman were - to his delight - told, retold, and elaborated on. As a US congressman, the former Creek War militiaman steadfastly opposed President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act.

Every family passes down stories from one generation to the next...and sometimes they take on a life of their own. Family secrets are a part of life in both the Ryan and Smith families...and never more so than during an unexpected family reunion in the mountains of Utah. Nate had two goals for the trip...keep an eye on his uncle’s medical condition after the shooting that almost killed him...and keep an even closer eye on his sister. Jenna wanted a life outside of the family business. She didn’t have her brother’s tenacity or streak of independence, but she had a glimmer of hope that ...

Corinne LaMer defeated the wicked jumbie Severine months ago, but things haven't exactly gone back to normal in her Caribbean island home. Everyone knows Corinne is half-jumbie, and many of her neighbors treat her with mistrust. When local children begin to go missing, snatched from the beach and vanishing into wells, suspicious eyes turn to Corinne. To rescue the missing children and clear her own name, Corinne goes deep into the ocean to find Mama D'Leau, the dangerous jumbie who rules the sea.

Good girl Leah’s tidy world pivoted off course when bad-boy Ryan flashed his smile. For the first time, Leah feels needed and has a purpose. Keep Ryan in line. Once the give-and-take of married life became difficult, Ryan turned abusive to his wife and evidently to his young child. Leah made the courageous decision to keep her son safe. She takes a position as a home schoolteacher and nanny in the Sandhills of western Nebraska which she hoped would be the last place her husband would look. Tom Anderson fell in love with Susie in the third grade. They believed that their life was perfect, ...

Have you ever asked “What’s it all for?” or “Is my life enough?” Jack finds himself back at the local pub after another monotonous day at work asking himself these very questions. From an outside perspective, Jack has a good job and a supportive family, but somehow it’s not fulfilling his true desires, which has created a deep sadness. Seeing Jack’s hopelessness, the bartender, Lloyd, suggests a short story for him to read about a cowboy going through similar struggles in wanting better for his family and his life. Jack is not much of a reader, but finds some solace in ...

Prayer is crucial in the exercise of faith. It is the lifeline of believers to God. To please God, believers should pray with the right motivation and understanding of what prayer really is. With a good understanding of the deep meanings of prayer, this spiritual exercise can be a powerful tool. Prayer is an act of connecting with God. God loves fellowshipping with his people, but such cannot take place unless someone falls on his knees and begins communicating with him.

“My father is the kindest, gentlest soul I know. Nothing prepared me for the secret he kept for nearly 40 years.” Poland. There is a six-month gap in Adam Stern’s life. Six months during which he had to vanish from Warsaw, away from his wife and everything he knew, to protect them. To protect himself. To survive. Displaced and alone, Adam kept silent about what transpired over those six months, deep in the forests between Poland and Russia. But a chance meeting with another Holocaust survivor changes everything. Decades later, Adam finally reveals his full story to his son, Samson. A ...

Bestselling author Tony Healey presents Jimbo's Life, a Weird West Novella They beat him, hung him, shot him in the head . . . he should be dead. But when it comes to Jimbo Mitchell, death doesn’t seem to stick. Outlaw, survivor, legend—Jimbo lives on, defying bullets, betrayal, and time itself. With a bounty on his head and a past soaked in blood, he’s hunted by enemies both old and new. As he searches for answers to the mystery that haunts his existence, Jimbo wages a one-man war across a lawless frontier—into a future that refuses to let him go. Blending gritty western noir with ...

The Wild West has made legends out of many men through the embellishment of their stories, such as crediting Billy the Kid and Wild Bill Hickok for killing far more people than they actually did. But it has also made icons out of outlaws like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid based on the mystery and uncertainty surrounding their crimes and deaths, allowing speculation and legend to fill in the gaps.

After being fired from her waitressing job and coming face-to-face with her ex, Rose Baldwin lets a little lie escape. She forgot there is no such thing as a “little” lie. Knowing she has to go and confess that she lied, she allows herself to be talked into playing The Piece Maker’s Dating Game and somehow ends up “fake dating” her partner. Derek Fields is a rancher intent on buying his grandparents' farm. His wife left him, and he’s ready to come home and settle down.

From monsters to witches and ancient libraries to lost islands, The Life Fantastic seeks to trace the origins of ideas, their surprising paths, and unexpected ways in which they interact and manifest throughout history. By digging around the roots of literary genres, popular stories, and ancient myths, Noa propels the listener back and forth through time, from high to popular culture, from art to politics and religion, on a journey to ever-expanding horizons. This is an invitation to explore the collective subconscious of Western culture.

Reality looks different through the eye of a camera. As the youngest daughter of a wealthy rancher, Azalea has it all—good looks, a steady boyfriend, and a scholarship to a prestigious university. It's the perfect gilded cage. Azalea longs to break free and stand on her own, to find the passion that's missing from her life. But nothing in reality resembles her dreams... until she meets Leo. Leonardo Walton is a self-made billionaire, a genius investor with an unfortunate knack for upsetting people. Determined to boost Leo's public image, his PR manager signs him up for the reality show ...

A woman with a broken past, a man with a fragile heart, two people who realize they can be the salve for each other’s wounds. After tragedy destroys Cara McGregor's family, her only choice is to become a mail-order bride to a widower in the Dakota territory. When she arrives, she’s thrust into taking care of three resistant children and a distant man. James Cassidy doesn’t want a new wife, but he needs a mother for his children and helpmate around his farm. Since the jobs go hand-in-hand, he reluctantly takes out a mail-order advertisement to acquire what his family needs. What ...

Into the Gray Zone takes listeners to the edge of a dazzling, humbling frontier in our understanding of the brain: the so-called "gray zone" between full consciousness and brain death. People in this middle place have sustained traumatic brain injuries or are the victims of stroke or degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Many are oblivious to the outside world, and their doctors believe they are incapable of thought.

Retirement is your time to shine. After years of hard work, this is your chance to embrace freedom, discover new passions, and build a life that excites and fulfills you every single day. But figuring out where to start and how to avoid wasting time or money can feel overwhelming. That’s where "Retirement Reinvented" comes in.

Hay Balers & Holy Rollers is a gripping, firsthand account of a boy born in the 1980s who grew up straddling two contrasting worlds: the rugged coalfields of West Virginia and the rolling hayfields of Southwestern Virginia. Written by a preacher, this memoir is raw and unfiltered, with glimpses of rough language and gritty experiences that reflect the realities of a challenging upbringing. At the heart of this story lies the boy’s profound and often complex relationship with his family, particularly his two grandfathers and his great-grandfather, a wealthy, hardened, and godless man known...

In the year 1930, Delia has lost her husband and is on the brink of losing her farm. To make matters worse, she may have to give her only son to her sister for upbringing. Peter, who has been hit hard by the death of his wife, is looking for ways to support his two daughters. Unfortunately, the stock market crash has caused the tire plant where he worked to stop production and he has lost his job due to the layoffs. Peter was the brother of Delia’s husband, Paul. With no benefit in staying in Akron, Peter writes to Delia suggesting that they combine their families in a marriage of ...

In the early evening of June 25, 1980 in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, two middle-class outsiders named Vicki Durian, 26, and Nancy Santomero, 19, were murdered in an isolated clearing. They were hitchhiking to a festival known as the Rainbow Gathering but never arrived. For 13 years, no one was prosecuted for the "Rainbow Murders", though deep suspicion was cast on a succession of local residents in the community, depicted as poor, dangerous, and backward.