Jake is a Zen master and expert bicycle repairman who fixes flats and teaches meditation out of a shop in Bar Harbor, Maine. Hank is his long-time student. The aging Jake hopes that Hank will take over teaching for him. But the commitment-phobic Hank doesn’t feel up to the job, and Jake is beginning to exhibit behavior that looks suspiciously like Alzheimer’s disease. Is a guy with as many “issues” as Hank even capable of being a Zen teacher? And are those paradoxical things Jake keeps doing some kind of koan-like wisdom . . . or just dementia? These and other hard questions confront Hank, Jake, and the colorful cast of characters they meet during a week-long trip to the funky neighborhood of Central Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As they trek back and forth from bar to restaurant to YMCA to Zen Center to doughnut shop, answers arise—in the usual unexpected ways. Click here to listen to the author, David Guy, discuss Jake Fades on North Carolina Public Radio.
W.O. Mitchell's "Jake & The Kid" captivated radio audiences in the days before television and enjoyed ratings that rivalled those for the radio broadcasts of the CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada." These homespun tales about the hired hand, Jake Trumper and his sidekick, The Kid, explored very human stories about life on the often cruel Prairies of Saskatchewan in a humorous vein that made a household name for the series across the breadth of Canada. Although he wrote many novels, most notably " Who Has Seen the Wind," featured during the ceremonies at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Mitchell was as well known for these folksy plays. They enabled him to hone his writing craft in a mass medium, when few other outlets were available; to tackle social issues of the day with a light hand, and to develop many of the themes he would explore in his later novels. This study analyzes these popular radio plays, their Prairie and literary roots, the production process and their contribution and critical reception.
Despite high-minded ideals, temptation always seems to loom around the corner, threatening to derail us into a desperate world of secret behavior and covered-up indiscretions. From families to marriages to businesses, on a scale as global as the credit default swap meltdown or as personal as our last session on the Internet, we are suckers for bad ideas. Why do we so often make poor decisions that can lead to life-shattering results? Why do we promise ourselves to do better only to slide back into our old habits? Why can’t we help ourselves? The time has come for each of us to become accountable. To experience the freedom, peace of mind, and overwhelming self-confidence that come from living a life free of secrets and lies. In every area of our lives, it’s time to go beyond self-help . . . it’s time to get accountable. It’s time to live Open..
Adventure Time and Philosophy is a monster-beating, wild ride of philosophical mayhem. One of the deepest and most thoughtful television shows ever to assault human brain waves, Adventure Time shows us what the world could be like, challenging everything we know about life, meaning, heroism, and even burritos, and it’s time to give the show some serious thought. This book screws open our cranial lids, mucks about in the mess that is our heads, and attempts to come to some answers about the nature of reality. Adventure Time and Philosophy is a chance to put down your broadsword, put your exhausted monster-slaying feet up, and try to figure out why you spend your time rescuing people in distress and fighting for justice. Who better than Finn and Jake to have as companions when taking on Plato, Nietzsche, and Baudrillard or encountering the Slime Princess, the Ice King, and Marceline the Vampire Queen? Filled with chapters written by a colorful cast of characters, Adventure Time and Philosophy enlightens us about the profound and life-affirming spiritual subtext and dark comedic elements of an awesomely fantastic show.
I’m the station’s youngest fire chief, a grown man, and fully in my right mind—which means I’m not going to fall for the One Who Got Away. That’s not the kind of person I am. Second chances are like skipping leg day—I don’t do that. Ever. But I wasn’t counting on Naomi buying me at the firefighter charity auction. Now I’m forced into a month of dates with the one woman who cuts through my defenses like no one else, and I’m starting to think maybe she’s right…maybe we are different people than the teenagers who failed at love. Maybe this isn’t a fire I have to put out. Maybe for the first time in my life I can relax and just…let it burn. Or maybe we’re both about to learn that fire isn’t something you should underestimate—especially the kind that burns between a man and a woman.
Hope and deliverance come from unexpected places when five friends living in future post-Christian America win historys largest lottery. Plans have been made to retire on NASAs fabricated planet, intended for Christians. Solutions for a nation in peril lie in relocating this large segment of population to The New World. Wilma and Ray Smiths windfall changes not only their direction but the course of an entire nation. The Smiths alter plans shortly after winning. Circumstances surrounding their adult adopted sons take them to Navajo Nation, a historic relocation project, where the inequity of past and future is brought to light. Fraternal twins, John and Jake, have taken diverse paths; one guards his secret past with a successful career, living extravagantly, the other descends into the world of alcoholism, living recklessly. Decisions are delayed as they all listen to Gods leading through circumstances, a guardian angel, and a series of dreams. Will they escape and leave a despairing world behind or will they stay and make a difference? Can new money save an old America? Find out how change is launched when lives are transformed.
A lighthearted comedy about the way a spiritual teacher tries to empower his followers, but they invest him with all the power. “…brilliant, wise, moving, and funny. Like, really funny. … Spiritual writing like this is rare. “ Shozen Jack Haubner, author of Zen Confidential Henry “Hank” Wilder, a divorced loner, is unsuccessfully trying to establish a new Zen center when he accidentally cures an ex-girlfriend’s recurring cancer with his touch and discovers—at least this is what people keep telling him—that he has healing powers. Suddenly the empty zendo is overcrowded with Zen students who also want to be touched and healed by Hank. At first he resists, but when he cures a local Mexican boy of a bad limp, his reputation takes off. A TV story on Hank’s healings goes viral. The Latino community shows up, bearing food and icons of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Hank befriends a Catholic priest and falls in love again. When his life gets totally out of hand, he escapes to Mexico on a spiritual odyssey and finds out who he really is.
Vampires have Evolved and They are Here! Kelley Armstrong, Tanya Huff and twenty-two other Canadian dark fantasy and horror writers re-imagine the future of vampires in this new collection of all-original short fiction. One of the most unusual and original vampire anthologies ever compiled. “The intriguing Vampires appearing in Evolve all share a common link to the iconic character Dracula” - Dacre Stoker EVOLVE includes works by: Kelley Armstrong, Tanya Huff, Claude Lalumière. Mary E. Choo, Sandra Kasturi, Bradley Somer, Kevin Cockle, Rebecca Bradley, Heather Clitheroe, Colleen Anderson, Sandra Wickham, Rhea Rose, Ronald Hore, Bev Vincent, Jennifer Greylyn, Steve Vernon, Michael Skeet, Kevin Nunn, Victoria Fisher, Rio Youers, Gemma Files, Natasha Beaulieu, Claude Bolduc, and Jerome Stueart. About the Editor: Award-winning author Nancy Kilpatrick has published eighteen novels, over one hundred and ninety short stories, five collections of stories, and has edited nine other anthologies. Much of her body of work involves vampires. Nancy writes dark fantasy, horror, mysteries and erotic horror, under her own name, her nom de plume Amarantha Knight, and her newest pen name Desirée Knight (Amarantha’s younger sister!) Besides writing novels and short stories, and editing anthologies, she has scripted four issues of VampErotic comics. As well, she’s penned radio scripts, a stage-play, and the non-fiction book The Goth Bible: A Compendium for the Darkly Inclined (St. Martin’s Press — October 2004). Nancy won the Arthur Ellis Award for best mystery story, is a three times Bram Stoker finalist and a five times finalist for the Aurora Award. About the Cover Artist: Ex-gravedigger John Kaiine, self trained professional artist/photographer, is also the author of the critically acclaimed metaphysical thriller Fossil Circus and various short stories, including the short film feature Dolly Sodom. He lives in a house by the sea with his wife, Tanith Lee, and two black and white cats. Praise: “The intriguing Vampires appearing in Evolve all share a common link to the iconic character Dracula” -- Dacre Stoker "Vampire fans-this is a must read" -- Parajunkie, Blog with Bite “With stories from genre veterans Kelley Armstrong and Tanya Huff, as well as a slew of newcomers, EVOLVE: VAMPIRE STORIES OF THE NEW UNDEAD is a worthy anthology for vampire lovers.” — Quill and Quire Books in this series: Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead Evolve Two: Vampire Stories of the Future Undead
