Bøker utgitt av Outskirts Press

The Two Sides of Santa We all know about Santa and his interaction with children. What you don''t know is the commercial side. How Santa is used for marketing. Millions of dollars ride on "debriefing sessions" You will be surprised how Santa''s are chosen more on their ability to remember and retain information than their jolly demeanor. Follow Tom, a normal hard working father who needs to make a few extra dollars for Christmas. He applies for a Santa position at a well known department store and after being accepted to go through the training phase, quickly learns that there is much more involved than just saying Ho Ho Ho. You will laugh and cry as he goes thru the Christmas season and you decide whether it was worth it or not.

The BreastplateA Civil War novel of intrigue, danger and romanceThe Civil War brought them together and it would tear them apart!Beautiful Kitty Claiborne, the pampered daughter of a wealthy Senator, fell deeply in love with Lt. William Benson, attach

Along the Chisholm TrailPoems about the Chisholm Trail, cowboy tall tales, farm life and other reflections and observations.

The book, Educational Rhetoric, provides leadership to the Education profession. The book is about experiences that educators go through throughout their career. It gives perceptions of leadership qualities that will help teachers fulfill their lifelong dreams to change students' lives. The journey of a teacher is much more than just teaching students. The book brings life's experiences into endeavors that are benchmarks to becoming leaders. The experiences written challenge the literal understanding in making a full interpretation of common expressions of logic. The audience will be able to use their own defining knowledge to connect between educational rhetoric and their meaning of perseverance. The expressive language throughout the book figuratively gives the reader a message with every sentence. Each sentence sparks the readers' interest in trying to comprehend the intent. This book brings meaning of life's experiences applicable to the perseverance of furthering their dreams. With every purpose there is inferential meanings, the book alters the premises of strict, systematical collection of how to apply leadership. Its purpose is to open the mind for occurrences that are unforeseen. The book's deliverance of a methodology from the perception of a teacher with knowledge of motivation related to leadership brings in a transactional approach to writing.

Freshman Congressman Max Noble gave up his career as a magazine publisher to pursue a life of public service. A botched assassination attempt may have changed his mind. Having lost his wife in the melee, Max ponders his fate at home while the arrogant President Cole delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress attended by every cabinet member and federal official. But when a terrorist named "Sultan," murders the speech's attendees on national television, Max's time to grieve for his slain wife is over. Sultan announces that he has taken control of the United States' military facilities, including its nuclear arsenal, and that the once democratic United States of America will now be known as the "Islamic States of America," governed by his new caliphate and its military. At the Pentagon, General Daniel Harmon, now the highest ranking American military official, determines that the only way to preserve the peace is for all American military and law enforcement personnel to submit to Sultan's rule. Max is placed in hiding by his top advisors, Bob Dalton and Jack Armstrong, knowing that as the only living elected official of the United States' government, he is a prime target. Despite having no legitimate claim to the presidency under the Constitution, Max is determined to do what he must to restore freedom to the nation. With absolute power to implement his plan, Sultan begins to govern the former United States in a Taliban-like manner, instituting laws that men must wear beards and that women cannot work in the new, male-dominant society, and enforcing them with violence and a complete disregard for human rights. Aided by Dalton and Armstrong, Max raises a militia led by John Sharpe, a renegade military leader who refuses to surrender to Sultan. As Max prepares for the impending war, his college girlfriend, Roxy Fidelis, seeks him out with her son, Zach, to provide Max with a support system and become the family he never had. Max's adventures take him into several battles, encountering many eccentric characters along the way. Max must persevere through numerous challenges, from arena-style duels to a nuclear strike on a major American metropolis to political opposition to his authority. Throughout his ordeal, Max struggles to balance his responsibilities and duties to the American people with those he owes to his newfound family. Ultimately, Max comes to realize that that to truly be free means that each person must choose his or her own destiny, no matter the cost.

Does God allow us to go through difficult times so that we may grow?Following her hospital dismissal, the seventy-nine year old mother accompanies her first-born daughter to her home in the city. She believes her stay will be until she can return to her own home in the country.This story is about a family's struggle of caring for an aging parent suffering from Dementia. Facing many difficult challenges throughout my life, I grew stronger with each experience. Each one prepared me for my biggest challenge being a caregiver for my Dementia Mother.My desire is that in the reading of my caregiver's story you will understand my survival of personal struggles. Perhaps by reading this book you will understand my world, and it will give you encouragement to survive your own.

An Insightful Journey That Will Speak to Anyone Affected by Cancer!In March Forth, author Marci A. Schmitt takes us inside her eye-opening journey with breast cancer. March Forth provides a remarkably detailed portrayal of her experiences following her diagnosis. Schmitt's faith-filled journey details her initial shock and confusion when told she had breast cancer and how she grappled with a bewildering array of treatment options and insurance issues. This is a deeply personal yet universal, spiritual yet practical book that will speak to anyone affected by cancer. In this moving journey, we experience firsthand the physical and mental challenges of being diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer. Although sprinkled with humor, Schmitt's account pulls no punches in describing the long and grueling recovery process a breast cancer survivor experiences. More important, March Forth offers an understanding of how to support a friend or relative dealing with cancer. This powerful, informative, and inspiring journey will make readers laugh one moment and cry the next. "This heartwarming story, told through the eyes of a breast cancer survivor, helped me understand the process and challenges one faces with cancer. It offers great insight into what a person goes through, and most importantly offers an understanding of how to support a friend or relative dealing with cancer. Laugh, cry, and 'march forth' with Marci."-J. Wilhelmus, Educator"As I read this book, I was crying and laughing. All I can say is WOW!!!"

Texans have a special way with stories and John Dean is the exemplar of that gift. When I read John's meditations I can hear his rich southern voice, but more, I catch the heart of this man who is such an example of strength wrapped in kindness. John is a lover of Jesus, and that, more than anything else, shines through these pages. I recommend this book because I know the man, and I'm one of many throughout the nations who is blessed to say so. Dr. Bill Davidson: pastor, Church of The King, Queensbury, New York, & a coordinator of Alliance International Ministries.

Be transformed and be inspired!Magnificently Millennial contains the chronicles of Prince Jay-vareh, a glorified child of the Most High God. After experiencing the Rapture and life in heaven for seven years during the Great Tribulation, Jay-vareh returns to an earth desperately trying to arise from the ashes of planetary war. Seeing a staggering need, Jay-vareh along with his consort (the beautiful princess Sha-hareh) are among the first of their kind to travel the globe spreading their own unique brand of supernatural hope, healing, and love during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ.

A Forbidden heart cries night and day. A Forbidden Heart yearns for truth and justice. A Forbidden Heart longs for the love of a family it has never known, yet has sought relentlessly. A Forbidden Heart seeks freedom.A bitter cold January night, full moon and the towering snowcapped peak of Mt. St. Helens looked like a Norman Rockwell painting. Looks can be deceiving. Spiraling winds surged forth from the apex of the mountain penetrating a fortress of evergreens surrounding the base of the sleeping giant. A young girl's cry splintered the silence. Amid the darkness a black sedan sped down a winding dirt road. Her cry would go unnoticed almost forty years. Unimaginable evil had been unleashed in a small shack nestled deep in the forest. From Woodland, Washington to Jackson, Mississippi foundations would crumble. Shirley Allen was a woman living on death row, convicted of murder. With only 30 days before her execution, she wrote her story with the hope someone would see that she too was a victim. Her crime? Wanting what was hers. Shirley always prayed for God to guide her path. How did it lead to death row? Had God turned his face from her? Would He now grant hope and justice to a convicted murderer? Abbey Newton was the personal assistant to Governor Tyler Chadwick. She became involved with Shirley, when the Governor requested her to hire a private investigator to probe into the life of the woman whose life was now in his hands. After all, he wanted a clear conscious when he denied her stay of execution. Wilma Styles lives in western North Carolina with her husband Ray. They have two daughters, Sandra and Deborah, and three wonderful grandchildren Tina, Jacob and Kaylee. Wilma has been the keynote speaker at women's conferences in Virginia, North and South Carolina. Her teaching, speaking, and singing ministry brings the voice and heart that has brought healing and inspiration to the congregations that she has ministered to. She anxiously awaits her release of the next novel Joy on the Mountain. To God is the glory!

Grace Infusions is a collection of vignettes describing nurse/patient experiences from the crazy to the heart wrenching---and viewing these through the eyes of grace. My theology of love has been enlarged and I''ve been changed for the better as I meditate on God''s goodness, patience, and grace displayed in ordinary relationships with patients which have, in turn, become extraordinary.A picture can paint a thousand words and words can paint wonderfully vivid pictures for us to imagine and ponder. Pictures captured in our hearts and minds can infuse our souls as we relate to one another here on earth. We can be grace givers in a world much in need of a touch from God. He uses our hands, feet and hearts to carry grace and share it. You can offer grace infusions wherever you are even if you''re not a nurse.

It is the final summer of Collie's innocence when an ill-fated romance forces her into maturity. Fast approaching the age of adulthood under the king's law, Collie, the beautiful, eldest daughter of a Middletown tinker, sets her sights upon a handsome young fisherman named Dugan, the troubled son of an unscrupulous man from the lower-class village of Ganty. A tumultuous love affair soon ensues as they attempt to cross the lines of class segregation, bigotry, and religious differences amid their own internal conflicts.Collie clings to her dreams of grandeur--- a life of unfettered leisure, travel, and excitement, for she fears to end up like her mother, tied to a kitchen and a house full of children. The rebellion against her mother and her way of life is a constant source of contention between them as she doggedly pursues Dugan, shunning the affections of the blacksmith, Arrick, a more proper, acceptable suitor, favored by Collie's parents.Down in Ganty, there are two dangerous men of power---a pub master named Barrtel, and Dugan's father, Harlo, cordial enemies that tolerate one another in an uneasy truce. Dugan spends a great deal of time drinking at Barrtel's pub in an effort to escape some of the unspeakable horrors he has been involved with at the hands of his father. As Collie resists becoming her mother, Dugan resists becoming his father while the two young lovers struggle in their rocky, forbidden relationship, and Collie slowly begins to unravel the mystery of a secret past involving Harlo and her own parents.Set in the mythical realm of Donnel by the sea in the rising spread of Christianity, Hope Flies on Broken Wings delves into two adolescent minds and their individual, personal struggles that draw them together while pushing them apart---two souls seeking redemption, each with a completely different life view of what constitutes hell on earth in this poignant tale of love and loss.

The tough, know-it-all boys who have been kicked out of school, engaged in theft, and generally been incorrigible, aren''t quite so macho when a leech attaches itself to their leg. They also don''t really know how to paddle a canoe, but want everyone to think they do. "Wilderness therapy" works. Joel lookslike he''s very retarded. His ear is on his chin, his eyes are placed in the wrong area of his face, he has a severe cleft lip and palate. Not assuming the degree of his mental deficiencies, Playlady>/b> teaches him to throw soft balls and bean bags across the room, and laugh. Much to the dismay of the nurses. Don, known to the nurses as the femur in 360, will have his leg in traction for 6 weeks, but it doesn''t squelch his need to play. It does challenge the Playladyto find ways of providing activities that he loves. When Little Mary came to pediatrics, Playlady had to decide whether to stay aloof, or throw herself into the team caring for a terminally ill child. It would be acceptable to "hide from the tragedies of life to avoid the pain, but then you miss the joy," You miss the dance. When Ryan''s arm was chopped off in a farm combine, his mother packed it in ice and he was helicoptered to our facility where it was reattached. Finding play for a boy with one arm totally immobilized, was just a day in the life of the Playlady.Marcus also lost an appendage while holding his shotgun and trying to climb a fence. With his thumb gone, it was impossible to have a grip. So, they took his second toe off and sewed it where his thumb had been. It was a job for Playlady to help him use the hand naturally again. As in holding and moving game pieces. Anorexia has vicious tentacles that take a strong hold of bright, ambitious young people who come to the point of life or death. Body perceptions are hard to dispel, and it takes an entire medical team to help them get strong enough to play, and then leave. A deadly car wreck claims the father, sister and leaves three other family members in hospitals. Five year old Claire spends months on Peds, relearning to crawl, walk, and talk with the Playlady.It is a total shock when the hospital eliminates the recreational therapy programs, due to budget cuts. Anger, and sadness finally give way to hope, when Playlady finds herself walking down the hall of the State Psychiatric hospital with a huge ring of keys clipped to her belt. Sometimes that''s the only way to tell who stays and who goes home at night. With a minor in Psychology going along with the BS in Recreational Therapy, it was a great opportunity to actually live, work and play with folk who exhibited all the symptoms written of in the texts. The paranoid schizophrenic, the depressed, the murderers judged insane by a jury, become daily companions. Sandy used to be a bird, and has a picture on the wall to prove it. Joe speaks in word salad, totally unintelligible. Outings can be scary, embarrassing, but are an essential part of judging a patients ability to live on the outside. Many never do. Again, Playladyis out of a job, and again she finds a new one. Back to the same hospital where she worked on Peds, but now in the inpatient, acute, psych ward. Different keys on the belt, some of the same diagnoses. Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) is back in use. Better known as shock treatment, it totally changes the life of an elderly woman who failed at suicide with a shotgun blow. By the end of her stay she was singing with Playlady at the piano. Whatever the diagnosis, there is a need that can be fulfilled by Playlady. Finding that need, and determining how to meet it, is the most exciting part of being a recreational therapist.

The second in the series of Hush McCormick adventures, the boat bum who just can''t seem to stay out of trouble while trying to help others. This time Hush is caught in a devilish plot that brings his own life in jeopardy while he helps a young man escape his demons.

How Can You Strengthen Your Faith?Too many of us have lost our focus and path in life. Living by Faith by David Venable can help restore and strengthen your faith. It combines experience and scripture in a practical way that makes your faith come alive. By meditating on one devotion per week, you can enliven and strengthen your faith steadily for eighteen months. Over a period of five years, David Venable was given the opportunity to give five-minute talks during the regular worship service at his church. The selections you will be reading in this book are edited versions of talks given on the theme of living by faith. This book is not meant to be a thorough study of this topic, but rather to be used as a devotional.

Irises to Ashes is a book for anyone who has dreamed of following a passion in life.A teenage girl walks the beaches of the Outer Banks, determined to break away from family expectations of early marriage and children. An older woman walks a nearby stretch of beach, withdrawn from most people, her past shrouded in secret. Is it fate that brings them together one hot summer afternoon? Or is it simply a coincidence of timing? Whatever the reason, Maggie Stewart and Amelia Hatcher, the village recluse, are drawn into a relationship that spans fifteen years. Amelia''s offer to send Maggie to Paris to become an apprentice to a famous photographer opens the door for young Maggie to enter a life she dreamed of. Even though her decision strains relations with her family, it is a price she is willing to pay to see the world that beckons her. Maggie''s talent flourishes as she wanders the streets of Paris, snaps photographs of the Swiss Alps, and journeys around Europe. When tragedy widens the rift with her family, she plunges deeply into her work, gaining a reputation for preferring inanimate objects as subjects rather than people. Although Amelia continues to be her touchstone, Maggie avoids entangling relationships, especially romantic ones. She is content with limited friends, wary of commitment, intent on maintaining the independence she holds dear. When a second tragedy penetrates her world, she is given the opportunity to learn about Amelia''s mysterious past. Is she ready to hear the truth or should she walk away without learning what caused Amelia to live in virtual isolation? >Irises to Ashes is a poignant story, told with insight into human nature and moments of gentle humor. Anyone who has ever dared to pursue a dream will understand Maggie''s passion, and anyone who has ever been haunted by past wrongs will be touched by Amelia''s ultimate search for redemption.Charlie Hudson, military veteran and author, departs from her frequent theme of scuba-diving, bringing these new characters to life with her easy writing style. She skillfully weaves the intertwined stories of Maggie and Amelia into a memorable novel. All of Charlie''s book can be found on her web site, www.charliehudson.net

Deja, a naive country girl who had put her trust in a cool smooth very manipulating guy who pretended to a prophet and a man of God, but all alone he had hidden motives for Deja by demeaning her, breaking her faith, tearing down her security and making her feel like she was worthless to anyone or anybody, even God. But it wasn't until the raft of God shifted and all his mercy and love and his change of commitments to Deja had to be fulfilled by God because in God's word he said never would he leave you nor forsake you and he would be a very present help in a time of trouble, so please sit back and read while God and Deja unfold their promises and commitments to each other.

Two Women''s Parallel Stories of Grief and HealingWritten in first person through the voices of three main characters, The Longest Journey explores the process of grief and healing from the perspectives of: -Hank, a man who dies at age 59 from mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer usually caused by exposure to asbestos-Jan, his grieving widow who at age 58 struggles with the loss of her husband of 42 years and the simultaneous illness of her elderly father-Cammie, their 37-year-old daughter, a divorced mother of two who is struggling to raise her family, complete graduate school and cope with the loss of her father when her ex-husband and co-parent suddenly diesThe interwoven stories of these three main characters take the reader back and forth in time, revisiting significant moments from their lives as they each explore the universal stages of grief in uniquely personal ways. The Longest Journey is not just about grief; it is also a story of love and growth as two women of different generations struggle to claim their identity. This book shares a message of hope and inspiration for those who are struggling with loss. Grief is not specific to age, gender, culture or geographic location; it is universal. However, processing grief is not. There are as many ways to experience and process grief (or to avoid doing so!) as there are people. Sharing personal recovery stories empowers us all to heal from our own grief experiences and support others.

"A Poet''s Heart" is an interesting compilation of inspirational poetry. The inspirations are fresh and provoking. It can be at the same time heartwarming and poignantly disquieting. It is overall inspirational and captivating with a strong artistic presence, which will indelibly speak to readers through the authors inspirational poems. "A Poet''s Heart has the potential to inspire, empower, motivate, and captivate hearts with faith, hope and a lasting impression of love.

Going for a walk should be fun. So should studying biology, after all, without it we wouldn't be alive to experience the rapture, sorrow and mystery of the universe. Biodesign Out For A Walk, is a story of how spirit-sensitive students reprogrammed a left-brained biology teacher and took him on a 24-year odyssey. Following the footsteps of John Muir, they slept on the top of Yosemite's famous Half Dome. They followed Loren Eiseley and John Wesley Powell to the bottom of Grand Canyon. Ed Ricketts and John Steinbeck led them into forests and tide pools of California's beautiful Mendocino coast. Abraham Maslow challenged them to redefine science and religion. Ralph Emerson challenged them to write their own Bibles. They traced the origins of human spirituality back 100,000 years. The class was dedicated to studying biology by exercising the illimitable freedom of the human mind. Plato urged them to actively search for truth, beauty and goodness. They studied the works of scientists, sages, poets and saints to add to their growing concept of Mother Nature. Many synchronicities were discovered that were either playful, mysterious or scary. Socrates', "The unexamined life is not worth living," and Thoreau's, "I went to the woods to live deliberately," became mottos. Although each class lasted one academic year, the teacher was guided by students for 24 years and his adventure ended when a modern-day Moses mysteriously met him on top of Half Dome.

The author, a devout golfing duffer, shares some of the pain (and occasional glory) he has experienced in 40-something years of playing in the rough while seeking the ever-elusive fairway. The book recounts golf-related adventures, describes some often-eccentric friends and recounts experiences with a few celebrities. There also are occasional ruminations on such momentous matters as escalating golf purses and the obscure and controversial origins of golf. The book is a golf-centered memoir that tracks the humorous side of where the author has been and what he's done on the golf course and, once in a while, between rounds.

Taking "self-help" to new heights and learning to cultivate your divine spiritual self in any environment, The Urban Ritualist uncovers the divine purpose of all beings, to strengthen the divine spirit within and use its power to uplift human consciousness. The term "self-help" is indicative of humankind''s desire to elevate themselves - their physical, social, and economic conditions. This desire to change has been linked to the universal changes that are taking place in terms of the earth, and universal energy. Although many believe that our thoughts have the capacity to manifest the changes we desire, and in many ways it does, there is another part to the equation. It''s not all about what you think, it''s also about who you are. To "Know Thyself" is the most recognized edict given to humankind by the ancient Kemetians. It is the foundation of transformation work and the lifeblood of magic. In The Urban Ritualist, the path to know oneself and cultivate spiritual growth and development is laid out. Spirituality and ritual are examined from an ancient African and African American worldview as researched and expressed by African and African American scholars and practitioners over the last 60 years. It examines the importance of culture and the role it plays in one''s practice of ritual. The book brings into question the values a culture holds, and encourages its readers to examine their personal values, attitudes, and beliefs. Finally, the book examines the various energies, inherent in the elements and environment that, when activated en mass, will elevate the magic that will hold this universe together. The Urban Ritualist is for persons of all ages, cultures, religious affiliations and backgrounds to synthesize ritual into their own lives and value systems. Readers are encouraged to uplift their ethnicity with positive conscious intent and to respect the spirit, energy and power in all people. In the book, you will learn to use common tools imbued with your positive conscious intent to manifest success and abundance for yourself, your family and your community. The book also encourages readers to expand their frame of reference to the positive transformation of the world community for the benefit of all. Infuse every day, every occasion and your life with ritual to live in the true power of peace and love with no limitations.Author Bio: Queen Afi Andaiye Najuma Reynolds is a certified Kemetic Yoga instructor and student of internal qi gong for energy cultivation and movement to aid the healing process. She specializes in breathwork, meditation techniques, ritual creation, and spiritual/intuitive ancestral readings. She produces a line of natural body care products under the brand "Queen Afi''s Natural Body Care Products," creates ritual tools under the brand "Ritual Works!," and provides nutritional and healthy lifestyle guidance under the auspices of the Universal Temple of Peace and Love.. Queen Afi holds a Master of Education degree in Instructional Technology and has over 15 years in government, business, and community program/course development experience. She has also worked in supported employment, organizational development and human performance technology. Queen Afi is Senior Consultant for R.A.W. (Ready, Able, and Willing) to Work, Inc.; a work-readiness, new technologies training program. She is leading the effort to identify and develop work opportunities in the community for program participants, to provide services to small businesses, seniors and young families.