Simply put, Billy Boy Arnold is one of the last men standing from the Chicago blues scene's raucous heyday. What's more, unlike most artists in this electrifying melting pot, who were Southern transplants, Arnold-a harmonica master who shared stages with Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, and Howlin' Wolf, plus a singer and hitmaker in his own right who first recorded the standards "I Wish You Would" and "I Ain't Got You"-was born right here and has lived nowhere else. This makes his perspective on Chicago blues, its players, and its locales all the rarer and all the more valuable. Arnold has witnessed musical generations come and go, from the decline of prewar country blues to the birth of the electric blues and the worldwide spread of rock and roll. Working here in collaboration with writer and fellow musician Kim Field, he gets it all down. The Blues Dream of Billy Boy Arnold is a remarkably clear-eyed testament to more than eighty years of musical love and creation, from Arnold's adolescent quest to locate the legendary Sonny Boy Williamson, the story of how he named Bo Diddley Bo Diddley, and the ups and downs of his seven-decade recording career. Arnold's tale-candidly told with humor, insight, and grit-is one that no fan of modern American music can afford to miss.

The harmonica is one of the most important, yet overlooked, instruments in music. This definitive volume celebrates the history of the world's most popular musical device, its impact on various forms of music, folk, country, blues, rock, jazz and classical music. The author traces the development of the harmonica from the ancient Chinese sheng to futuristic harmonica sythesizers. Nearly seventy harmonica masters are profiled including Stevie Wonder, Little Walter, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Reed, Charlie McCoy, Sonny Terry, and John Popper. This updated edition includes an extensive new afterword, an expanded discography of the finest harmonica recordings, and a listing of the best harmonica resources on the internet.

Brutus fÜhrt ein einsames Leben in einer Welt, in der Magie nichts UngewÖhnliches ist. Er ist Über zwei Meter groß, hÄsslich, und stammt aus einer Familie von schlechtem Ruf. Niemand, er selbst eingeschlossen, hÄlt ihn fÜr gut genug, mehr als nur Knochenarbeit zu verrichten. Aber Heldentum kommt in allen Formen und GrÖßen. Als er bei der Rettung eines Prinzen schwer verletzt wird, Ändert sich sein Leben schlagartig. Er wird in den Palast von Tellomer gerufen, um als WÄrter fÜr einen Gefangenen zu dienen. Das hÖrt sich recht einfach an, stellt sich aber als die grÖßte BewÄhrungsprobe seines bisherigen Lebens heraus. Wenn man den GerÜchten Glauben schenken darf, ist Gray Leynham ein Hexer und VerrÄter. Sicher ist nur, dass er Jahre im Elend verbracht hat: blind, in Ketten gelegt und nahezu stumm durch sein fÜrchterliches Stottern. Und er trÄumt vom Tod anderer Menschen. TrÄume, die sich bewahrheiten. Brutus gewÖhnt sich an das Leben im Palast und lernt Gray kennen. Er entdeckt dabei seinen eigenen Wert – erst als Freund, dann als Mann, und schließlich als Geliebter. Brutus lernt auch, dass Helden manchmal vor schwierige Entscheidungen gestellt werden und dass es nicht ungefÄhrlich ist, die richtige Entscheidung zu treffen.

Kim Fields has lived most of her life with people thinking they know her, which is understandable. From her first job on a Mrs. Butterworth syrup commercial at age 7, she has spent 40 years in the public eye. There were 9 years as Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey on the classic sitcom The Facts of Life, 5 more in her 20s starring as Regine Hunter on the seminal coming-of-age show Living Single, and most recently appearing as herself on Real Housewives of Atlanta and Dancing with the Stars.

Behind the camera, she has directed episodes of Kenan & Kel, Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns and House of Payne, and BET's Let's Stay Together. Between gigs, the pop culture icon's life has included theater, spoken word, music, speaking engagements, and simply being present to the point that she cannot go a day without someone stopping her to say, "When I was a kid, I wanted to be Tootie" or "You were my role model."

Flattered and blessed, after four decades in the business, Kim finally understands the role she has played onscreen and off as a successful, outspoken African-American woman. However, for as much as she's been in the public eye, people have really never known her the way they think they have, and that's because she, herself, spent most of her life figuring herself out. Now, at age 48, she is ready to set the record straight. She says, "It's not that I've been misunderstood. It's that I finally feel like I understand me enough to tell the life story that I've been asked to write for years." It will be a chronicle of living, learning, and keen moments of self-discovery as she's journeyed through the many facets and chapters of life. Fields found faith at age 14 and has found God to be right there every step of the way since then.

Kim Fields has lived most of her life with people thinking they know her, which is understandable. From her first job on a Mrs. Butterworth syrup commercial at age 7, she has spent 40 years in the public eye. There were 9 years as Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey on the classic sitcom The Facts of Life, 5 more in her 20s starring as Regine Hunter on the seminal coming-of-age show Living Single, and most recently appearing as herself on Real Housewives of Atlanta and Dancing with the Stars. Behind the camera, she has directed episodes of Kenan & Kel, Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns and House of Payne, and BET's Let's Stay Together. Between gigs, the pop culture icon's life has included theater, spoken word, music, speaking engagements, and simply being present to the point that she cannot go a day without someone stopping her to say, "When I was a kid, I wanted to be Tootie" or "You were my role model." Flattered and blessed, after four decades in the business, Kim finally understands the role she has played onscreen and off as a successful, outspoken African-American woman. However, for as much as she's been in the public eye, people have really never known her the way they think they have, and that's because she, herself, spent most of her life figuring herself out. Now, at age 48, she is ready to set the record straight. She says, "It's not that I've been misunderstood. It's that I finally feel like I understand me enough to tell the life story that I've been asked to write for years." It will be a chronicle of living, learning, and ah-ha moments of self-discovery as she's journeyed through the many facets and chapters of life. Fields found faith at age 14 and has found God to be right there every step of the way since then.

When interstellar smuggler Haz Taylor loses his ship, his money, and his tattered reputation, drinking himself to death on a backwater planet seems like his only option. Then the Coalition offers him a contract to return a stolen religious artifact. Sounds simple enough, but politics can be deadly—and the artifact’s not enthusiastic about being returned. Haz didn’t sign up to be prisoner transport, but he’s caught between a blaster and hard vacuum. Still, that doesn’t mean he can’t show his captive some kindness. It costs him nothing to give Mot the freedom to move about the ship, to eat when he’s hungry… to believe that he’s a person. It’s only until they reach Mot’s planet. Besides, the Coalition would hate it, which is reason enough. Then he finds out what awaits Mot at home, and suddenly hard vacuum doesn’t look so bad. Haz is no hero, but he can’t consign Mot to his fate. Somewhere under the space grime, Haz has a sliver of principle. It’s probably going to get him killed, but he doesn’t have much to live for anyway….

The Alpha plan is a blueprint for good nutrition and healthy living for college bound students. It offers practical, easy and effective ways to set up a healthy trajectory for life. It describes essential dietary elements and gives practical advice for specific situations, like how to equip student's kitchen or what to eat when there is none. More than 250 simple, tasty and inexpensive recipes are offered to the novice cook.

William Lyon's past forced him to become someone he isn't. Conflicted and unable to maintain the charade, he separates from his wife and takes a job as caretaker at a former mental hospital. Jelley s Valley State Insane Asylum was the largest mental hospital in California for well over a century, but it now stands empty. William thinks the decrepit institution is the perfect place to finish his dissertation and wait for his divorce to become final. In town, William meets Colby Anderson, who minds the local store and post office. Unlike William, Colby is cute, upbeat, and flamboyantly out. Although initially put off by Colby s mannerisms, William comes to value their new friendship, and even accepts Colby's offer to ease him into the world of gay sex.

William s self-image begins to change when he discovers a tin box, hidden in an asylum wall since the 1940s. It contains letters secretly written by Bill, a patient who was sent to the asylum for being homosexual. The letters hit close to home, and William comes to care about Bill and his fate. With Colby s help, he hopes the words written seventy years ago will give him courage to be his true self.

Ennek Trilogy: Book Two Ennek, the son of Praesidium's Chief, has rescued Miner from a terrible fate: suspension in a dreamless frozen state called Stasis, the punishment for traitors. As the two men flee Praesidium by sea, their adventures are only beginning. Although they may be free from the tyranny of their homeland, new difficulties await them as Miner faces the continuing consequences of his slavery and Ennek struggles with controlling his newfound powers as a wizard. Now fugitives, Ennek and Miner encounter challenges both human and magical as they explore new lands and their deepening relationship with each other.

When interstellar smuggler Haz Taylor loses his ship, his money, and his tattered reputation, drinking himself to death on a backwater planet seems like his only option. Then the Coalition offers him a contract to return a stolen religious artifact. Sounds simple enough, but politics can be deadly—and the artifact’s not enthusiastic about being returned. Haz didn’t sign up to be prisoner transport, but he’s caught between a blaster and hard vacuum. Still, that doesn’t mean he can’t show his captive some kindness. It costs him nothing to give Mot the freedom to move about the ship, to eat when he’s hungry… to believe that he’s a person. It’s only until they reach Mot’s planet. Besides, the Coalition would hate it, which is reason enough. Then he finds out what awaits Mot at home, and suddenly hard vacuum doesn’t look so bad. Haz is no hero, but he can’t consign Mot to his fate. Somewhere under the space grime, Haz has a sliver of principle. It’s probably going to get him killed, but he doesn’t have much to live for anyway….

Brute leads a lonely life in a world where magic is commonplace. He is seven and a half feet of ugly, and of disreputable descent. No one, including Brute, expects him to be more than a laborer. But heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and when he is maimed while rescuing a prince, Brute’s life changes abruptly. He is summoned to serve at the palace in Tellomer as a guard for a single prisoner. It sounds easy but turns out to be the challenge of his life. Rumors say the prisoner, Gray Leynham, is a witch and a traitor. What is certain is that he has spent years in misery: blind, chained, and rendered nearly mute by an extreme stutter. And he dreams of people’s deaths—dreams that come true. As Brute becomes accustomed to palace life and gets to know Gray, he discovers his own worth, first as a friend and a man and then as a lover. But Brute also learns heroes sometimes face difficult choices and that doing what is right can bring danger of its own.

Struggling business owner George is stuck in the past. Rootless Zephyr lives only in the present. Can they find the courage to build a future together? At thirty years old, George Harlow is at risk of becoming as fossilized as the prehistoric tourist attraction he inherited—the one that’s headed the way of the dinosaurs. Even if staying afloat didn’t take all his energy, the dating pool in his town is as dry as the desert surrounding it. As for the family trauma from his past? That can stay buried. Then Zephyr Steiber blows into his life. Zephyr lives up to his name, drifting wherever Fate takes him, sometimes renting his body in exchange for a ride. With his high heels and lace and bright personality, Zephyr brings a spark of life to George’s dried-up existence. For a while Zephyr is content to shelter in George’s refuge and to be George’s solace in return. Together they create an oasis. But with Zephyr haunted by the ghosts of bad decisions, and with George’s home and livelihood threatened by a global pandemic, can their tentative dreams for a future together survive reality?

A Stars from Peril Novel Painting themselves a life together will be a royal ordeal. Small-town boy Cal Walters doesn't know whether he owes his phenomenal success as an artist to talent or to his connections to famous people. Doubt leaves him secluded—until a lost bet lands him on yet another blind date. But this one is different. To Teofilo Vabriga-Kastav, playboy prince of the tiny nation of Porvunia and passionate art lover, Cal's paintings are as intriguing as Cal himself. When Teo invites Cal to his country for an art competition, a whirlwind romance sweeps them up. But it can't last—loyalties and obligations bind them to lives that are worlds apart. Cal and Teo might've found their perfect complements in each other, but to hold on to their happiness, they'll have to get creative.