Breaking Character


Book Description

Life becomes a farcical mess when icy British A-lister Elizabeth and bright LA star Summer try to persuade an eccentric director they're in love to win Elizabeth her dream role. A lesbian celebrity romance about gaining love, losing masks, and trying to stick to the script.




Breaking Character


Book Description

Actor Paul Wilkinson is in a world of hurt. The cops are sure he murdered his new girlfriend’s abusive ex, and a vicious drug dealer is after him for a batch of stolen narcotics. Paul sees a chance to escape the heat when he’s offered the bizarre role of an eccentric billionaire’s long-lost friend. He accepts the part and takes on a new identity, allowing him to hide in plain sight while he searches for the missing drugs and the real killer. When the trail leads Paul to where he least expects—back to himself—he must risk losing his identity, his freedom, and even his life to end the drama he’s been unwittingly cast in.




Out of Character


Book Description

It's friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers in this LGBTQIA+ Romance for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue and The Pros of Cons who enjoy: Ex-best-friends falling in love Gaming, conventions, fandom & cosplay Nerd culture at its finest Learning how to be true to yourself Jasper Quigley is tired of being everyone's favorite sidekick. He wants to become the hero of his own life, but that's not going to happen if he agrees to help out his former best friend turned king of the jocks, Milo Lionetti. High school was miserable enough, thanks, and Jasper has no interest in dredging up painful memories of his old secret crush. But Milo's got nowhere else to go. His life is spiraling out of control and he's looking to turn things back around. Step one? Replace the rare Odyssey cards he lost in an idiotic bet. Step two? Tell his ex-best-friend exactly how he feels—how he's always felt. Jasper may be reluctant to reopen old wounds, but he never could resist Milo. There's a catch, though: if Milo wants his help, he's going to have to pitch in to make the upcoming children's hospital charity ball the best ever. But as the two don cosplay for the kids and hunt for rare cards, nostalgia for their lost friendship may turn into something even more lasting... Praise for Conventionally Yours: "Fast, funny, and fantastic."—Eoin Colfer, New York Times bestselling author "Uniquely quirky."—Carrie Ryan, New York Times and USA Today bestelling author "You will ship this couple."—Sarina Bowen, USA Today bestselling author




In and Out of Character


Book Description

“Basil Rathbone's book about himself...is better written than most books by or about actors and is more intellectually vigorous...Sherlock Holmes fans will be much interested in his remarks on the character with whom he has been so closely identified.” – Library Journal; “Quite naturally full of memories, full of names, full of glimpses of stars of stage and screen of yesterday and today.” –New York Times Book Review




Fake It Till You Break It


Book Description

Mia and Jake have known each other their whole lives. They’ve endured summer vacations, Sunday brunches, even dentist visits together. Their mothers, who are best friends, are convinced that Mia and Jake would be the perfect couple, even though they can’t stand to be in the same room together. After Mia’s mom turns away yet another cute boy, Mia and Jake decide they’ve had enough. Together, they hatch a plan to get their moms off their backs. Permanently. All they have to do is pretend to date and then stage the worst breakup of all time—and then they’ll be free. It’s the perfect plan - except that it turns out maybe Mia and Jake don’t hate each other as much as they once thought...




Out of Character


Book Description

Have you ever wondered why a trumpeter of family values would suddenly turn around and cheat on his wife? Why jealousy would send an otherwise level-headed person into a violent rage? What could drive a person to blow a family fortune at the blackjack tables? Or have you ever pondered what might make Mr. Right leave his beloved at the altar, why hypocrisy seems to be rampant, or even why, every once in awhile, even you are secretly tempted, to lie, cheat, or steal (or, conversely, help someone you never even met)? This book answers these questions and more, and in doing so, turns the prevailing wisdom about who we are upside down. Our character, argue psychologists DeSteno and Valdesolo, isn’t a stable set of traits, but rather a shifting state that is subject to the constant push and pull of hidden mechanisms in our mind. And it's the battle between these dueling psychological forces that determine how we act at any given point in time. Drawing on the surprising results of the clever experiments concocted in their own laboratory, DeSteno and Valdesolo shed new scientific light on so many of the puzzling behaviors that regularly grace the headlines. For example, you’ll learn: • Why Tiger Woods just couldn’t resist the allure of his mistresses even though he had a picture-perfect family at home. And why no one, including those who knew him best, ever saw it coming. • Why even the shrewdest of investors can be tempted to gamble their fortunes away (and why risky financial behavior is driven by the same mechanisms that compel us to root for the underdog in sports). • Why Eliot Spitzer, who made a career of crusading against prostitution, turned out to be one of the most famous johns of all time. • Why Mel Gibson, a noted philanthropist and devout Catholic, has been repeatedly caught spewing racist rants, even though close friends say he doesn’t have a racist bone in his body. • And why any of us is capable of doing the same, whether we believe it or not! A surprising look at the hidden forces driving the saint and sinner lurking in us all, Out of Character reveals why human behavior is so much more unpredictable than we ever realized.




The Brutal Truth


Book Description

Aussie crime reporter Maddie Grey is out of her depth in New York and secretly drawn to her twice-married, powerful media mogul boss, Elena Bartell, who eats failing newspapers for breakfast. As work takes them to Australia, Maddie is goaded into a brief bet-that they will say only the truth to each other. It backfires catastrophically.




DIY MFA


Book Description

Get the Knowledge Without the College! You are a writer. You dream of sharing your words with the world, and you're willing to put in the hard work to achieve success. You may have even considered earning your MFA, but for whatever reason--tuition costs, the time commitment, or other responsibilities--you've never been able to do it. Or maybe you've been looking for a self-guided approach so you don't have to go back to school. This book is for you. DIY MFA is the do-it-yourself alternative to a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. By combining the three main components of a traditional MFA--writing, reading, and community--it teaches you how to craft compelling stories, engage your readers, and publish your work. Inside you'll learn how to: • Set customized goals for writing and learning. • Generate ideas on demand. • Outline your book from beginning to end. • Breathe life into your characters. • Master point of view, voice, dialogue, and more. • Read with a "writer's eye" to emulate the techniques of others. • Network like a pro, get the most out of writing workshops, and submit your work successfully. Writing belongs to everyone--not only those who earn a degree. With DIY MFA, you can take charge of your writing, produce high-quality work, get published, and build a writing career.




Creative Character Design


Book Description

Create compelling, original characters using archetypes and design elements such as shadows and line with the tips and techniques found in this image-packed book. Bryan Tillman bridges the gap between the technique of drawing characters and the theory of good character design by using case studies, examples of professional art, and literary and pop culture references to teach you how to develop a character, not just draw one. The book also features Character Model Sheets that will guide you through the creation of new and unique characters. Finally, Bryan will break down established character archetypes to show you why and how the different aspects of good character design work. The content on the book is based on Bryan's popular 2009 Comic-Con course on 'Character Design'. Learn what makes a character unique and powerful by using shapes, shadows, and form - this title includes 'character model sheets' so you can put it all together yourself, as well as case studies from established artists. It bridges the gap between the technique of drawing characters and the theory of good character design in a practical, hands-on way - learn how to use story and archetypes to develop compelling, new characters. Based on a standing-room only presentation at Comic-Con 2009 in San Diego, it features the artwork of a collection of professional artists as examples to the techniques shown in the book.




Going to a Place Where You Already Are


Book Description

Is there a heaven? Joe says no; it's all a bunch of hokum. His wife, Roberta, has always claimed to agree. But lately she's beginning to wonder, especially when they find themselves in church a lot, having reached the age when funerals are more frequent than weddings. Their granddaughter, Ellie, doesn't have time in her own busy life to ponder the afterlife. But when mortality confronts them, her grandmother's claim to have gone to heaven and back doesn't sound so crazy after all. With thoughtful storytelling and quiet wit, Brunstetter looks at beginnings, endings--and an enigmatic angel.