Over a lifetime, author Jennifer Ott wrote about and related to characters who walked different paths of loneliness and solitude. Soon the truth of her life dawned on her. She was living in lonerdom, a condition she describes as a loner's self-built kingdom far away from the stresses of modern life. It is a place where many retreat. Using her own life, and her fictional stories as examples, Jennifer Ott weaves together a holistic perspective of loneliness, including the wisdom of philosophers, scientists, and psychologists, but most importantly the support of family, friends, guides and teachers. Secrets of a Recovering Loner is a book meant to motivate and inspire those who have fallen into the well of loneliness and discover the courage and the path back to the social world.

Countess Katerina Vaduva roams Eastern Europe as a vampire for nearly six hundred years experiencing the horrors of mortal man - wars, plagues, genocide and torture. For centuries, she seeks shelter and security in the castles of counts and sultans. When her husband the Count of Slovakia passes, she pursues a new life with a colonel in the Prussian military. While her husband quests victory at battle, Katerina desires a naturalist scientist who seduces her with knowledge and a greater understanding of herself. It is for immortal love and the pursuit of progress she will risk her own mortality.

During the 1960's, the measure of a woman's success is how well she marries. This is the goal of Tempe, Arizona native Georgina LaVigne, and she believes she made her mark when she wrangles the son of a Nevada rancher, only to be disappointed to learn the life isn't what she expected. Set out onto the Las Vegas streets, Georgina has to fend for herself and quickly, still determined with the goal to find a husband. She tests her luck as a cocktail waitress but finds no worthy bet until her fate is sealed when she meets Willy Sturgess, who offers her more than she anticipated - family, love, opportunity and even hope. As with many people in the late 1960's, Georgina finds herself submerged in heartache once again. When a derelict-looking man wanders into her life a few years later, he gives her what she needs most - a lifelong friend. Often a person's path leads them to unsuspecting places with the most unsuspecting people. It is this journey and strange array of characters that lead us to where we belong.

After leaving an abusive ex, Andy Daniels heads back to Las Vegas to reunite with Earl, the love of her life, only to find him gone. Devastated from losing him, she realizes her life holds for her several choices -return to her burnout hippie days at Berkley, succumb to society expectations with a suitable companion, or hold onto her faith in love and wait for her lost love to return. Andy choses the latter. To her friends, Andy's clinging to love seems futile and even a little pathetic, yet no one seems to be able to deter her. As the years pass, Andy's love grows past her lover. She learns to appreciate the love of friendship, coworkers, neighbors and everyone who crosses her path, but mostly she learns to love herself. Her love grows to such epic levels that she simply cannot help to be a magnet and attract what she desires most of all-the love she lost so many years ago.

From the outside, starlet Olivia Hammond has it all-fame, fortune and a Hollywood hunk boyfriend. No one suspects her rising self-doubts and anxieties. In order to escape the realities of her chaotic world, she dives into an Oscar quality role of a young woman trapped in the horrors of postwar Berlin. It is here that Olivia feels most comfortable. Her real and fictional lives collide when the director casts, Dimitri Malakhov, a Russian porn star, as her costar. She immediately fears her image and reputation will be tainted. Personally and professionally, she must face what frightens her most-exposing herself, her fears, her imperfections and her desires to the world. The experience of filming the movie with Dimitri and being on location in Berlin destroys her prejudices, and judgments. It shatters all her illusions and perceptions. When liberated from her own confines, her life and love truly shine.

This collection of essays examines the impact that the United States entry into WWI had on the people and communities of Central Pennsylvania. The authors in this collection explored how the national events precipitated by American entry into the First World War in April 1917 transformed the institutions and day-to-day life of the men, women, and children living in communities in Central Pennsylvania. Some of the topics explored include WWI's impact on educational institutions (including local universities, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, and private preparatory schools), the National Guard, the Red Cross, Camp Colt in Gettysburg, conservation efforts, and photojournalism. The narratives included connect these topics to life in Adams, Franklin, and Cumberland Counties, as well as more in depth explorations of activities in Harrisburg, Carlisle, and Gettysburg.

Earl Hollsopple lived on the edge of civilization in a deserted shack for nearly forty years. His life was one beautiful night of stargazing after another, until a helicopter flies overhead, and exposing his meager world. It is a sign; it is time for him to return to civilization Unknowingly, Earl's journey parallels another he had deeply repressed, and that is his return from the Vietnam War. The lone survivor of a plane crash, Earl waits for rescue that never comes. He is left to find his way home alone. On his quests, old Earl and young Earl learn lessons of survival, overcoming isolation and handling conflicts; his travels teach him not just about himself, but humankind. Reaching pivotal points in both journeys, Earl meets fateful loves, leading to destinies that are ultimately intertwined. Everything in life circles until we are able to answer the riddles that plaque man and humanity. Only until we take the journey, solve the problems of our own existence, do we find our way home.

The Earth has stopped rotating and no one seems to notice, except for bleeding-heart, supermodel Venetia DeMille. While Mother Earth begins to fade into a silent death, Venetia clings to hope. She solicits the help of a scientist, but no avail. Not to be hindered in her quest to save the Earth, Venetia sets out on a journey around the world to find like-minded people and caring souls - an exuberant youth, a magical healer and a man of God. Although together they are able to rekindle faith, their effort still does not provide results. It is a mysterious meeting of four horsemen that carry them to the east where they experience a connection to the earth and each other. Could the forces that gather with their united efforts prove to be the remedy to save the planet?