Every major city has them, often considered the scourge of society, the homeless derelict. There are many types; drug addicts, alcoholics, thieves, mentally disabled, con artist, criminals, the list is endless. The question is why do some of these individuals elect to live life in this manner? This novel is about one such person, Andrew, an alcoholic, and his attempt to become a productive member of society with the help of his former brother-in-law, Marty. As a one time noted scientist, whom was instrumental in the development of Agent Orange, and realizing the detrimental effects of this chemical if used, he drops out of society leaving behind a wife, who bore him a daughter of which he is not aware. In his journey to get out of the gutter, he is confronted with, hate, lies, deceitfulness, scheming, rejection, pressure, the very things that caused him to become a derelict in the first place. Marty, realizing Andrew does not know about his daughter Andrea, has the daunting task of arranging for the two to meet, but his attempts are thwarted by one who does not want Andrew returning into their lives, his former wife, Claire.

A sultry adult tale of International Espionage, Intrigue and Romance. An erotic thriller. The Power Pack is a story of love, murder, intrigue and passion. It revolves around the lives and loves of the Reid Sisters and the power and influence of their father General Prescott Arthur Reid. The Power Pack has some amazing twists and turns that will keep the readers on edge. The passion among the Calderon men for the Reid women is the primary focus on this International tale of action and adventure. Carlos and Bobby fall in love with the same woman. Bobby takes her heart and Carlos takes her away. The sex is steamy, lusty and passionately real. In the end we will have brother facing brother over the love of one woman.

When Marissa met Ben she thought he was her knight in shining armor. But as time went by she learned that he was a wolf in sheep s clothing. After finding out about another woman name Kim she finds comfort in the arms of other men trying to fill the hole in her heart while still riding an emotional yet sexual roller coaster with him. Wanting to be loved and understood she sets out to tell her side of their relationship to his mother trying to make her understand why she made the choices she did.

Author Melonie D. Forest takes you into a world of sex, lies, betrayal and how easy you can be blinded by love.

It's one of life's most bitter and unavoidable lessons: bad things happen to good people

But it's those choices we make after such catastrophes that really matter. When all else fails, survivors learn to keep their hearts open because in the end, they trust that love always wins. For Kathy Martin and Bryce Peterson, whose young lives were darkened with cruelty, tragedy, and abuse, it's a lesson they learned early on.

Kathy's once-ideal childhood was suddenly shattered by tragedy, and she was cast into the callous waters of the foster care system. Terrified and alone, she embarks on a grueling journey to adulthood. Scarred both physically and emotionally, her heart remains closely guarded as a survival strategy.

For Bryce, a forgotten child from an abusive family, his own path has been littered with sadness and crushing disappointment.

But now, against all odds, these two damaged souls have found each other. Perhaps, for the first time, they both dare to hope that from the twisted wreckage of their lives, a miracle might emerge. Can they discover true love- something they never believed was possible?

With her 30th birthday only weeks away Jordan takes a hard look at her comfortable life. Once the doormat to a myriad of users and manipulators, she enters into a spiritual contract to move forward and not look back. Ridding herself once and for all of the individuals that had done nothing more than use and abuse her. Charting a new course of independence proves to be the greatest challenge of her life, and unwittingly awakens in her, magical skills and talents dormant for several generations. Could this be the liberation of her soul or her undoing? Jordan determines to step out of the box that had confined her and embrace a new reality of living. She finds her summer vacation transforming into an adventure she will experience only once in her lifetime] her souls journey.

Tasha Sheppard had grown up thinking she was lucky. She had a great modeling career and was married to a sexy Pro Hockey Player. She also had the best brothers a girl could ask for. They kept her safe and secure in her own world. They were her Knights and she the Princess. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't love them but the secrets they kept from her would lead to unimaginable sins. Tasha is forced into facing reality after she is found raped, beaten and left for dead in a ditch. The confessions her brothers make leave Tasha scared and confused. She thought they loved her, no, she believed they loved her. They had promised Danny they would always protect her and keep her safe. At 21 years old, Tasha was left with little more than lies. Nothing she had ever been told was true. Her life was a lie created by her brothers to hide the truth, to hide her true identity. Tasha would now have to face the truth of what they had done to her and who she really was. She would have to fight her way through the lies and the web of deception.

Katrina Gowen seeks refuge from her unspeakable dirty deed at the peak of the desolate Appalachian Mountains. When baby number four (Richard) is born, his forecast is deadly. More despicable than "mommy dearest," Katrina derives her greatest pleasure from the systematic diminishment of his soul. His innocence is distorted and replaced by a grisly sort of love. Despite his striking outward appearance, he is an eerie mixture of both good and evil intertwined, who searches for what we all yearn for. Love and acceptance. His charms are subtle and toxic, and his power of persuasion almost godlike. Richard is a wolf in sheep's clothing and nobody in his path is safe. Don't miss this richly suspenseful thriller guaranteed to hold you spellbound to the very last page. If you love ''''King'''' and ''''Koontz'''', you're going to love ''''Hogue''''. Note: The Beast Within is a powerful and provocative work recommended for mature audiences only.

Ex-porn star and cutthroat businesswoman Julia Giovanni is intent on building her adult film company into a financial gold mine. Despite the usual hazards that plague most actors in the porn business, Julia is still fiercely protective of her girls, her projects, and herself. But even she knows she is fighting an uphill battle against the rampant drug abuse that threatens every aspect of their lives.

Behind the scenes at Giovanni Films, Julia's husband, Boyd, enjoys the lavish excesses their lifestyle affords; yet he is growing tired of babysitting his brother, Pete, who longs for the simple existence of years past when all three survived the streets with little more than their wits and a fresh supply of drugs. Meanwhile, Julia is focused on Lillian Cardinal, a beautiful Native American whom she hopes will be her next star-if she can hold together the unraveling threads of her home life and leave the stripper's spotlight behind. Unfortunately, Julia is about to take on a secret project that she has no idea is laced with deception.

In this raw, gritty tale that exposes a dark and realistic glimpse into the porn industry, only time will tell if a headstrong entrepreneur can rescue her company-and all those she loves-before it is too late.

When former merchant marine Robert James first steps inside the Egg Harbor City Historical Society Roundhouse Museum, Marion Morris is intrigued. This handsome man has come to this New Jersey town in search of some local history. He's just inherited his aunt's house in Egg Harbor City, and he has plans to refurbish the home, which has been boarded up for years.

As Marion, a widow, helps Robert find the information he's interested in, the two begin to form a close relationship and fall in love. But the small town of Egg Harbor City has an ugly secret. Living quietly and unknown among the residents is a serial kidnapper and white slave trader who targets young women.

Robert and Marion may want to start a new life together, but this evil man with a fetish for fashion and rattlesnakes has determined that Marion will be perfect as his next victim.

A dark part of Sarah's past finally, and unexpectedly, catches up with her, causing her to have an emotional breakdown. She and Charles are told they are going to have to slow down their pace of living beginning with a vacation away from the children so Sarah can rest. Another threat on her computer prompts another investigation and when Sarah and Charles return from their vacation, Sarah disappears. In the meantime, there is a new development with Glenda's pregnancy which prompts Charles to speed up the building of the new house for her and Jeff. But they are not without their problems, either, as a parishioner tries to break up their marriage.

In Cleveland, Texas, the family of Billy Joe Jackson anxiously awaits the news of the National Football League draft. This Christian family is pleased to hear that Billy Joe, a quarterback from Texas A&M, has been drafted by the Nashville, Tennessee, Sphinx. And in Chicago, Andre Patterson, a wide receiver for the University of Illinois, celebrates when he hears that he, too, has been drafted by the Sphinx.

The two young men, adjusting to the new and demanding world of NFL football, become roommates. But the interest they share in football on the field is drastically different from their lives off the field. Billy Joe prides himself on being a soft-spoken man who thanks the Lord for his blessings and tries to be a role model for his family and others. Andre, however, loves the fast life of partying and women.

The situation becomes tangled when Andre tries to rekindle his relationship with his childhood friend, Arteah McMorris, a schoolteacher in Chicago. A caring and thoughtful woman, Arteah questions the sanity of Andre's lifestyle. But when temptation strikes and Arteah meets another man, she cannot predict the outcome.

Ruth gets a lead on the daughter she gave up at birth. Her worst fears appear to be realized: her daughter is making the same mistakes she made. She has to find her before something terrible happens to her. And without her husband finding out that, because of this daughter, she deprived him of the son he always wanted. But if she does find her, will her daughter reject her? And how can she help Kim, the teenage assistant she has become so fond of, who is in the same trouble as she at nineteen?

The Closeness That Separates Us - when feelings go beyond words 'We are already moving into a game, and I am not sure I like the gaming part. The risk is too high, fun, however it might be. I want real life, in all its aspects, and yes, also the risky ones. Games are just games. It's like fiction, where you can try out things, see if they work, throw possibilities up into the air and see whatever falls down, with a bump, with a crash, with a gentle landing, with a bounce, and what fl oats or flies around up there, in the sky, be it beautiful but out of reach, or controlled from the ground, by the artist. That's fine, but unreal. My half-told stories, my mediocre poems, my indifferent blog scribblings can do that, but I want real life, and real-life risks when it seems worth running them. So show it to me, your purgatory. Describe it. In a mail, or a picture, whatever you find fitting. Or not fitting at all. I want your words, if they are real, and I want to feel the person behind the words. So I am just saying: Keep feeding me mails, keep tickling my mind. If you one day want to tickle my toes, I am sure that can be negotiated too, somehow, somewhere, somewhen. As long as it's real and not just words and thoughts and "what if" speculations and dreams. Those, I have had plenty of, just like you mention. Short-lived, split-second things, roaring by before they became unblurry. This is different. You are different. I like it.'