Jaxon Copper awoke one morning with a startling preview of an event that would change his life. He was planning to be a simple potters apprentice and making his way in life with a trade that would have made him safe and comfortable. Instead, through a change he could never have foreseen, he was catapulted into a world of power and intrigue. A world of danger and of learning about things he never thought existed. Jax was about to become something never seen before, even by the powerful group of Benders, a group whose influence and manipulation of the world was mostly uttered as tales to frighten children or an excuse for describing the magic of evil wizards. Jaxon Copper would someday be one of the most influential people everif he survived.
Newspaper reporter Justin Weaver had originally hoped to use his job at the small-town Bloomington Times as a springboard to something bigger. But after a couple years on the job, dreams of moving to New York or Chicago seem as far away as ever, especially when his newest assignment is covering a memorial service in the rural village of Masontown. A heroic war veteran and county sheriff for fifty years, Alvin "Pop" McDaniel, Masontown's legendary local hero, was a friend and benefactor to all. Justin is sure the story will be straightforward, but things get complicated when his girlfriend and fellow reporter, Belinda Fanelli, shows up to rock the boat-and Belinda rocks it well. As he researches the story and the memorial ceremony unfolds, Justin has a funny feeling. He suspects Pop wasn't as perfect as everyone thinks he was. With the help of Belinda and their inside source Andy Kline, a local reporter who proves to be a useful ally, Justin goes on a thorough hunt for the truth. However, digging through the life of a dead man can be dangerous-especially if the dead man had something to hide.
A groundbreaking guide to managing the emotional and behavioral components of your child’s sensory processing challenges Imagine having the flu, while lying in a bed of ants, listening to heavy metal at high volume, and trying to do calculus. Now consider living in that body all the time. It becomes easy to understand how kids with difficulties processing and controlling sensory information can become avoidant, anxious, impatient, irritable, or oppositional. If you have a child who has a sensory regulation issue, you may find yourself confused or frustrated by their behavior. This book will help you understand your child’s behavior, as well as the root cause of their emotional outbursts, and provides an arsenal of tools to help your child self-regulate. This book addresses the often-overlooked connection between sensory sensitivity and emotional and behavioral issues, which can often lead to a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), an anxiety disorder, or a host of other disorders of childhood. You’ll gain a better understanding of how your child’s sensory sensitivity affects how they feel and act, and also learn powerful sensory regulation skills to help your child manage their emotions and improve relationships with family and friends. Whether your child has been diagnosed with sensory processing disorder (SPD), ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), you’ll find proven-effective tips and strategies for dealing with the sensory sensitivity that drives your child’s emotions and behavior, and discover ways to ease tension in your home caused by your child’s disorganization, oppositional behavior, refusal to eat, disruptive behavior, and anxiety. Parenting can be challenging even when behavior is predictable and age-appropriate, and when a child has a nervous system that is dysregulated, it is even more so. With this book, you will not only learn to understand your child’s behaviors, but will also learn sensory regulation skills to help your child—and your family as a whole—find some much-needed balance.
Music, myth, and magic mix—in this two-volume fantasy masterpiece by a New York Times–bestselling author that is a “joy to read” (Publishers Weekly). Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author Greg Bear explores the power of music to open a portal between worlds in this pair of brilliantly imagined fantasy novels. The Infinity Concerto: Following the instructions of a virtuoso composer—whose controversial Concerto Opus 45 is actually a song of power—young poet Michael Perrin passes through a gateway between Earth and the Realm of the Sidhedark, where faeries reign by rule of magic, and Michael’s epic journey begins . . . The Serpent Mage: After five years trapped in the Realm of the Sidhedark, Michael has returned home to Los Angeles. But the song of power has weakened the veil between the human and fairie worlds, and the Sidhe have followed him to the other side . . .