A spine-tingling YA thriller based on a true story Instagram-famous triplets Cecily, Amber, and Rudy—the children of home renovation superstars—are ready for a perfect summer. They’ve just moved onto the site of their parents’ latest renovation project when they begin to receive spine-tingling messages from someone called The Follower. It soon becomes clear that this anonymous threat is more than a simple Internet troll, and they can't wait to shatter the Cole family's perfect veneer and take back what’s theirs. The Follower examines the implications of what it is to be watched in the era of social-media fame—as well as the lies we tell and the lengths we’ll go to uphold a perfect image, when our lives depend on it.
Twin Peaks meets Welcome to Night Vale in this surreal, supernatural thriller by a Costa-shortlisted author "Gripping, compelling and otherworldly" DAVID QUANTICK When her twin brother goes missing in Northern California, Vivian Owens follows his trail to the town of Mount Hookey, home to the followers of Telos: a mountain-worshipping cult that offers spiritual fulfilment to those who seek it. While trying to navigate the town’s bizarre inhabitants and the seductive preaching of the initiates of Telos, Vivian will have to confront questions about herself, her family, and everything she thinks she knows about the world. She quickly realises that her search is about far more than her missing brother – it is a quest for the secret of happiness itself. To that end, there is only one question she needs to answer: what is really at the top of Mount Hookey?
In the small, midwestern town of Hopeton, drugs run rampant and the youth are set on paths of self-destruction. Enter Dylan Clark, a vagabond with an uncanny wisdom and a complete lack of fear. The estranged widow he befriends, along with a quartet of misguided teens, are intrigued but skeptical about this man's strange power. It seems that everywhere he goes, people are either inspired or terrified by him. Hopeton has its secrets, and Dylan is determined to root them out, no matter what the danger, in order to stop the cycle of corruption that pervades the hearts and minds of those in power and those who grow up in their shadow. But it will take more than just one man to set things right. Those under Dylan's tutelage must decide how much is too much. When is taking a chance for the better of the community worth the risk of ridicule or alienation?
In New York City's work hard, play harder singles scene, a young woman looking for love can find herself the object of a deadly obsession. With each meaningless date and disappointing new boyfriend, Katie Porter is becoming more and more disillusioned. No matter how wide a net she casts she can't seem to find a guy who really understands her. But someone thinks she's special — very special. And he's following her... But it's not her boyfriend, Andy. The frat-boy who never grew up is too busy working out how far Katie will go and if her friends are hot, to stop and think whether Katie's 'the one'. But someone's already decided she is — and he's watching her. Peter sees Katie at the gym. He sees her at the coffee bar she stops at on the way to work. In fact, he sees her almost everywhere, as he quietly follows her. But most of all, he sees her in his plans for the future. He's got the proposal worked out, he's even got the ring and their happy home already bought. After all, he's had enough time to plan things to perfection — he grew up in the same small town. Surely, after all these years, he can't let anything stand in his way.
Twin Peaks meets Welcome to Night Vale in this surreal, supernatural thriller by a Costa-shortlisted author "Gripping, compelling and otherworldly" DAVID QUANTICK When her twin brother goes missing in Northern California, Vivian Owens follows his trail to the town of Mount Hookey, home to the followers of Telos: a mountain-worshipping cult that offers spiritual fulfilment to those who seek it. While trying to navigate the town’s bizarre inhabitants and the seductive preaching of the initiates of Telos, Vivian will have to confront questions about herself, her family, and everything she thinks she knows about the world. She quickly realises that her search is about far more than her missing brother – it is a quest for the secret of happiness itself. To that end, there is only one question she needs to answer: what is really at the top of Mount Hookey?
The Follower is Axel Tressler, an indestructible hero. It tells the tale of how an accident at birth led to his becoming a force to be feared and admired. He is the younger of twin brothers who were born after their mother survives an airplane crash. His brother Adam is born next to the wreckage but Axel is not born until three days later. There appears to be nothing different about them; however as Axel reaches puberty, he and his mother recognize that he has unusual strength. In college, Axel majors in biology, studies to become a doctor and earns his degree. While teaching at the university he develops a computer chip that doesn't require a keyboard or monitor and works by vocal recognition. This is placed in his body and allows him to call up various levels of his internal strength. Eventually the government agency his twin brother works for is able to use his strength and technical capabilities to render him indestructible. His indestructibility is created by providing him a body coating that is transparent; made of spider webbing and titanium nanotubes; it can withstand the impact of bullets. Axel becomes the driving force behind several major operations for the agency involving terrorists, espionage, and the drug cartel in Mexico.
In this examination of leadership and followership, Sweet proposes an intentional shift from leadership cults to followership cultures. He critiques the issue of leadership obsession but focuses on reigniting a passion for the "follow me" theme found throughout the gospels and the entire New Testament.
“This dark, pitch-perfect novel about our dependence on technology for validation and human connection is as addictive as social media itself.” —People Magazine Orla Cadden is stuck in a dead-end job, writing clickbait about movie-star hookups and influencer yoga moves. Then Orla meets Floss, who has a plan for launching them both into the high-profile lives they dream about. So what if Orla and Floss’s methods are shady—and sometimes people get hurt? Their legions of followers can’t be wrong. Thirty-five years later, in a closed California village where government-appointed celebrities live every moment of the day on camera, a woman named Marlow dreams of fleeing the corporate sponsors who would do anything to keep her on-screen. Despite her massive popularity—twelve million loyal followers—when Marlow discovers that her whole family history is based on a lie, she summons the courage to run in search of the truth. Followers traces the paths of Orla, Floss and Marlow as they wind through time toward a cataclysmic event that sends America into upheaval. This darkly funny story reminds us that even if we obsess over famous people we’ll never meet, what we really crave is genuine human connection. “Terrific writing about terrifying ideas.” —Washington Post “An engaging confection wrapped around a thoughtful critique.” —USA Today “Dazzling.” —Time “Razor-sharp.” —Entertainment Weekly “Big Brother meets Ingrid Goes West.” —theSkimm “[An] intelligent page-turner.” —Wall Street Journal “Dark, witty, astute.” —Slate “Black Mirror fans are going to love Megan Angelo’s Followers.” —PopSugar “Engrossing.” —NPR “Fascinating.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Intricate and brave.” —Booklist (starred review) “Addictive.” —KirkusReviews (starred review)
Over 60 billion online messages are sent on digital platforms every day, and only a select few succeed in the mad scramble for customer attention. This means that the question for anyone who wants to gain mass exposure for their transformative content, business, or brand or connect with audiences around the globe is no longer if they should use social media but how to best take advantage of the numerous different platforms. How can you make a significant impact in the digital world and stand out among all the noise? Digital strategist and "growth hacker" Brendan Kane has the answer and will show you how—in 30 days or less. A wizard of the social media sphere, Kane has built online platforms for A-listers including Taylor Swift and Rihanna. He's advised brands such as MTV, Skechers, Vice and IKEA on how to establish and grow their digital audience and engagement. Kane has spent his career discovering the best tools to turn any no-name into a top influencer simply by speaking into a camera or publishing a popular blog—and now he'll share his secrets with you. In One Million Followers, Kane will teach you how to gain an authentic, dedicated, and diverse online following from scratch; create personal, unique, and valuable content that will engage your core audience; and build a multi-media brand through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. Featuring in-depth interviews with celebrities, influencers, and marketing experts, including: • Chris Barton, cofounder and board director of Shazam and former head of Android business development for Google • Ray Chan, CEO and cofounder of 9GAG • Julius Dein, internet personality and magician with nearly 16 million Facebook followers • Mike Jurkovac, Emmy Award–winner and creative director of will.i.am and the Black Eyed Peas • Phil Ranta, former COO of Studio71 and VP of network at Fullscreen • Eamonn Carey, managing director at Techstars London • Jonathan Skogmo, founder and CEO of Jukin Media, Inc. • Jon Jashni, founder of Raintree Ventures and former president and chief creative officer of Legendary Entertainment One Million Followers is the ultimate guide to building your worldwide brand and unlocking all the benefits social media has to offer. It's time to stop being a follower and start being a leader.
For every leader there are dozens of followers working closely with them. This updated third edition speaks to those followers and gives them the insights and tools for being effective partners with their leaders.
