Young adults live in a violent culture, so trying to protect them from the world they live in is not only futile but can also be dangerous. No matter their ethnicity, social class, or economic status, teens must know how to survive the perils that may await them. Most teens understand this, and they want books, television shows, and films to reflect the reality of their world—the bad along with the good. In They Hurt, They Scar, They Shoot, They Kill: Toxic Characters in Young Adult Fiction, Joni Richards Bodart examines works of fiction that feature characters who threaten the psychological and physical well-being of teens and their friends and families. In this companion volume to They Suck, They Bite, They Eat, They Kill, the focus is on individuals who prey on the vulnerable: bullies, manipulators, torturers, sexual predators, and sadists. The novels and stories discussed in this volume feature adult criminals or predators who look for young people to ensnare; school personnel who interact with students in harmful ways; teens who bully others in order to hide their own fears and weaknesses; and parents, siblings, and others who mistreat family members. Arranged in five sections that cover such topics as bullies, school shootings, and monsters at home, this volume analyzes the most important and well-written series and titles for teens. They Hurt, They Scar, They Shoot, They Kill will help parents, teachers, and other adults understand the value of these titles and the benefits of reading them, so they will be less likely to forbid them to their teens or challenge library collections for carrying them.

Seraphine Almaia, a werewolf who was deemed as a witchcraft-born was considered filthy and hated due to her dead parents’ history. Thus, she was put on the lowest rank of the pack, the Omega. And when her 18th birthday came, things started to go wrong. She was banished by her mate, thrown out of the pack, and lost her memory on the process. Her mind forgot, but can her heart find the way back to her other half? What life awaits for her now that she has no memory of her past? Can Seraphine Almaia ride the waves of her fate and survive? ~ Love began to flourish along with pain. Revelations began to unveil. The curse marched on land to conquer. The hidden was summoned from millenniums of deep slumber. Come and embark on a journey of love, rejection, mysteries, and revelations with Seraphine Almaia, the Omega.

Nothing is as it seems. No one is safe. Wren is alive, but she’s not happy about it. Not when she’s in the clutches of The Council and soul-linked to Darshan, a man whose misplaced loyalties have gotten far too many killed. From the moment she wakes up in the Council’s fortress in the Mountains, she is desperate to find a way out and back to Misha and the Resistance. But this time there will be no rescue. Not when the Resistance thinks she’s dead. Now a Commander in the Psi Army, Darshan is determined to protect those he cares for and stop the Council. But he can’t do it alone. There are still so many secrets he doesn’t have answers to, and every choice he makes could be a death sentence to someone he loves. He and Wren soon realize that to get what they want they need to work together and play the parts the Council has set out for them. But can they trust each other? Or will one of them end up betraying the other? Misha believes he watched the woman he loves die the death that was meant for him and now he's bent on revenge. But his revenge is put on hold when Psi begin attacking humans and draining them of blood. As he, Greta, and those left with the Resistance begin to investigate, things only get worse and more confusing. And soon the Psi attacks aren't the only ones they have to worry about. Because something worse is coming. Something that might make monsters of us all. Pre-Order now so you don't miss out on the explosive continuation of this supernatural conspiracy!

"From decorated Green Beret sniper, UFC headliner, and all around badass, Tim Kennedy, a rollicking, inspirational memoir offering lessons in how to embrace failure and weather storms, in order to unlock the strongest version of yourself. Tim Kennedy has a problem; he only feels alive right before he's about to die. Kennedy, a Green Beret, decorated Army sniper, and UFC headliner, has tackled a bull with his bare hands, jumped out of airplanes, dove to the depths of the ocean, and traveled the world hunting poachers, human traffickers, and the Taliban. But he's also the same man who got kicked out of the police department, fire department, and as an EMT, before getting two women pregnant four days apart, and finally, been beaten up by his Special Forces colleagues for, quite simply, "being a selfish asshole." In Scars and Stripes, Kennedy describes how these failures shaped him into the successful businessman and devoted husband and father he is today. Through unbelievably vivid, wild anecdotes Kennedy reveals all the dumb, violent, embarrassing, and undeniably heroic things he's done in his life, including multiple combat missions in Afghanistan, building a school in Texas for elementary kids, and creating two-multimillion-dollar businesses. You will learn that failure isn't the end-rather it's the first step towards unearthing the best version of yourself and finding success, no matter how overwhelming the setbacks may feel"--

I am Ren of Atikala. Kobold. Prisoner. Experiment. My father owns me and my days are full of pain. I have many stories to tell. This one is about death. Kobolds die every day. Even hatchlings are familiar with death, taught to understand it from an early age. Death is our nursemaid. By the time a hatchling has reached adulthood it has seen a hundred lives ended. Humans do things differently. Humans avoid talking of death. It is spoken in whispers, avoided in conversation. When they must discuss it they use euphemisms, silly phrases like “passed on” or “sleeping” or “gone away”. They are hoping, perhaps, they can pretend such euphemisms will not one day apply to them. Ultimately, though, they always do. These are some of the hardest times I have ever faced and some of my sweetest joys. I have so many stories to tell but this one should come next. It will take some time. This is the story of how I came to truly understand death, and what it means to take a life. The Kobolds series: #1: Ren of Atikala #2: Ren of Atikala: The Scars of Northaven (Now available for preorder!) Other stories set in Drathari, the World of Shattered Dreams: - The Gods are Silent, a short story (Coming early 2015!).