Witness his descent into madness when writer James Walek, suffering from a failing marriage and a stalled writing career, gets pushed over the edge by one too many of those insulting "Dear Author" rejection letters from publishers.

For their second blogger bundle, Jane of Dear Author went to the experts: readers! Their task: recommend titles that have not been previously available as ebooks and vote on the ones they want in a bundle. Suggestions were made, reasons argued and votes cast. Now, the four winners are gathered here! From a romantic comedy from Harlequin Duets to an unusual younger hero story, they were the books that stayed in readers' hearts and intrigued new readers' minds. Bundle contains: The Sweetest Taboo by Alison Kent, The Older Woman by Cheryl Reavis, Shotgun Nanny by Nancy Warren and Cullen's Bride by Fiona Brand.

Scholars of politics have sought in recent years to make the discipline more hospitable to qualitative methods of research. Lauding the results of this effort and highlighting its potential for the future, Political Ethnography makes a compelling case for one such method in particular. Ethnography, the contributors amply demonstrate in a wide range of original essays, is uniquely suited for illuminating the study of politics. Situating these pieces within the context of developments in political science, Edward Schatz provides an overarching introduction and substantive prefaces to each of the volume’s four sections. The first of these parts addresses the central ontological and epistemological issues raised by ethnographic work, while the second grapples with the reality that all research is conducted from a first-person perspective. The third section goes on to explore how ethnographic research can provide fresh perspectives on such perennial topics as opinion, causality, and power. Concluding that political ethnography can and should play a central role in the field as a whole, the final chapters illuminate the many ways in which ethnographic approaches can enhance, improve, and, in some areas, transform the study of politics.

“Whatever else will be said about her—and you can bet there will be plenty, because Barbara was no stranger to controversy—the one thing that is true above all else is that she was the most important person in lesbian publishing in the world. Without her boldness and her audacity, there might not be the robust lesbian publishing industry there is today.” —Teresa DeCrescenzo Barbara Grier—feminist, activist, publisher, and archivist—was many things to different people. Perhaps most well known as one of the founders of Naiad Press, Barbara’s unapologetic drive to make sure that lesbians everywhere had access to books with stories that reflected their lives in positive ways was legendary. Barbara changed the lives of thousands of women in her lifetime. For the first time, historian Joanne Passet uncovers the controversial and often polarizing life of this firebrand editor and publisher with new and never before published letters, interviews, and other personal material from Grier’s own papers. Passet takes readers behind the scenes of The Ladder, offering a rare window onto the isolated and bereft lives lesbians experienced before the feminist movement and during the earliest days of gay political organizing. Through extensive letters between Grier and her friend novelist Jane Rule, Passet offers a virtual diary of this dramatic and repressive era. Passet also looks at Grier’s infamous “theft” of The Ladder’s mailing list, which in turn allowed her to launch and promote Naiad Press, the groundbreaking women’s publishing company she founded with partner Donna McBride in 1973. Naiad went on to become one of the leaders in gay and lesbian book publishing and for years helped sustain lesbian and feminist bookstores—and readers—across the country.

Introduces readers to fan fiction writing, the creation of original stories based on characters and settings from popular fiction, television programs, films, or video games, and suggests ways that this creative activity might lead to a career in writing.

Therefore, I dedicate my life to You, Your service, and Your dance. I love You, God, Creator of all, my being here isnt by chance. Your life on earth is not by chance, for the hand of the divine crafted your very being. His gentle breath blew life into you, and he directs your steps one at a time. Inspired by her Heavenly Father, author Kori Moore presents a collection of poetic inspiration, Not By Chance, reflecting on the beauty of spirit-filled life. From the beauty of the land to the grace of a forgiving God, Kori Moores poetry will encourage and inspire readers to look more closely and see that their existence as a beautiful child of God is Not By Chance.