WHY I FAILED CHARM SCHOOL


Book Description

In the words of television and movie actress Tisha Sterling, the daughter of renowned Hollywood actress Ann Sothern: "My cards were dealt generously. From my parents and the good Lord, I inherited beauty and was blessed with a sparkling future. On the surface, I had a life most people could only dream of having." However... "Every morning for four years, I had been swallowing 100 milligrams of methadone, mixed with Kool-Aid from a little white paper cup. Like clockwork, I dressed in yesterday's dirty clothes picked up from my tiny apartment I shared with my 16-year-old daughter and headed for the West Los Angeles Methadone Clinic. That morning what I felt inside: anger, fear and shame. I thought about my mother, a one-time important film actress whose career had flourished from the 1920's to the present time and stupidly compared it to my own career that was by now in the toilet, almost nonexistent. Yet I stubbornly hung on to a glimmer of hope (maybe my only salvation) that some successful auditions for me on television and film would be forthcoming and that soon I would be back to work on a Hollywood set doing what I did best acting." And thus Tisha begins her heartfelt memoir chronicling what on the surface appeared to be a dream life as Ann Sothern's daughter, but which at times was precisely the opposite. Along the way, Tisha paints an intimate portrait of Hollywood and its personalities during Hollywood's bygone Golden Age in the 1930s through the 1960s, a portrait that only one who lived and worked inside the Hollywood of that glamorous era could present. "




The Charm School


Book Description

The Charm School' is a delightful little story of a young man who inherits a girls' boarding school and decides to make it into a school where girls are taught charm. It is filled with a refreshing plot and amusing characters that will hold the reader's interest till the end.




Hang Tough


Book Description

In the new Blacktop Cowboys® novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Wrapped and Strapped, one woman learns that when it comes to cowboys, looks can be deceiving... When Tobin Hale stepped in to stop Garnet Evans’s son from railroading her out of her own home, he knew moving in with his favorite Mud Lily could be seen as strange. But nothing prepared him for the arrival of Garnet’s fiery, beautiful granddaughter, Jade—or her assumption that he’s up to no good... While Tobin might be the hottest man Jade Evans has ever seen, his physical attributes won’t distract her from protecting her grandma from his sweet-talking ways. But the stubborn cowboy digs in his boot heels and refuses to leave. Stuck in close quarters together, Jade learns Tobin is the real deal—a hardworking, fiercely loyal man and she’s the one in danger of losing her heart. And just when he was prepared to leave Muddy Gap behind, Tobin may have found the kind of woman worth sticking around for...




Let’s Go If You’Re Going


Book Description

All across America the county fair comes once a year filling the air with the sights and sounds of family fun. Fair goers can enjoy tasty treats, feel the excitement of thrilling rides, as well as enjoy shows and games all along the midway making the fair experience special. At the end of the summer in 1969, Brick Kirby enjoyed the fair from the inside out. His life as well as many lives, changed when Sanford North Carolina welcomed the thirty seventh edition of the Lee County Fair. Stephen Patterson invites you into a world where life may not always be fair, but it’s always full of mystery and intrigue. Get out the cotton candy and enjoy this book of love, laughter, and the things that leave us feeling like life is one big ride on the roller coaster.




Almost Gone


Book Description

ALMOST GONE "I never imagined that I'd ever get divorced. I never imagined that I'd have cancer, or lose a baby, then have a second cancer. Nor did I ever imagine that a hurricane would almost destroy my hometown, worst of all that I'd end up happily married to a Yankee" writes Carol Lander in this marvelous collection of moving and often hysterical stories of life in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and beyond. Having survived a variety of "natural disasters" with her wit, wisdom, charm, and (especially) sense of humor intact, Carol Lander has written a beautiful elegy to her native soil, forever changed by Hurricane Katrina, and a marvelous collection of inspiring and often hysterical stories. The book moves the reader to recall that every Day is a gift and that no disaster is insurmountable for those of intrepid spirit and unfailing sense of humor. Almost Gone reminds us that our we have the power to preserve precious memories and use them to sustain and entertain us in hours of darkness as well as times of joy.




The Charm School


Book Description

As the ballrooms of 1800s America glitter, romance is afoot… Boston and Rio de Janeiro, 1851 An awkward misfit in an accomplished family, Isadora Peabody yearns to escape her life as a wallflower in Boston society. Fate intervenes when she learns that a ship bound for Rio de Janeiro is in need of an interpreter—a pursuit she very much enjoys. The only problem? The surly and handsome captain is adamantly opposed to a woman taking the role. Sea captain Ryan Calhoun used to have a good family name. But he’d purposely walked away from everything it afforded him, driven by his quest to right an old wrong. When he finds himself falling for the meek young woman who comes aboard his ship, he’s determined to stay away from her—if only to keep her out of his secretive, dangerous plans. As the tides of attraction flow between them, Ryan and Isadora must risk it all for love. For a true lady must learn to speak her mind, and Isadora is ready to put her newfound charms to the test. The Calhoun Chronicles Book 1: The Charm School Book 2: The Horsemaster's Daughter Book 3: HALFWAY TO HEAVEN Book 4: ENCHANTED AFTERNOON Book 5: A SUMMER AFFAIR




Behind the Copper Fence


Book Description

For 26 years I had the best seat in the house - often in the center of the stage, frequently in the spotlight, always in the clear view of conductors and the audience and constantly amid the passions that come with making good music. This is the story of how I got that seat, of many of the highs and a few of the lows that come with sitting there and of some of the wonderful people who shared my journey. Here are the details behind the creation of William Kraft's Timpani Concerto Number One, the mystery of being honored with a titled chair, the fun of playing on the ISO's softball team and the benefits of studying timpani with Freddie, Eddie and Dan. Carnegie Hall became a special place, conductors from Richard Lert to Henry Mancini earned my respect, and I had an insider's view of the major leagues of orchestral music. Away from music, I led another life as a sportscaster, broadcasting games and interviewing many of America's finest athletes. A little of that slips into these pages, too. There was never a dull moment Behind The Copper Fence. keywords: Music, Percussion, Timpani, Memoir, Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Roanoke, CCM, Auditions, William Kraft




The Man who Killed


Book Description

In 1926 Montreal, Mick, down on his luck, accepts a job riding shotgun in a truck running booze across the border, a new line of employment that draws him into a world of trouble where he does bad things for money and for the woman he loves.




The Up Side of Down


Book Description

“Clever, surprisingly fast-paced, and enlightening.” —Forbes Most new products fail. So do most businesses. And most of us, if we are honest, have experienced a major setback in our personal or professional lives. So what determines who will bounce back and follow up with a home run? What separates those who keep treading water from those who harness the lessons from their mistakes? One of our most popular business bloggers, Megan McArdle takes insights from emergency room doctors, kindergarten teachers, bankruptcy judges, and venture capitalists to teach us how to reinvent ourselves in the face of failure. The Up Side of Down is a book that just might change the way you lead your life.




Why I Failed Charm School


Book Description

In the words of television and movie actress Tisha Sterling, the daughter of renowned Hollywood actress Ann Sothern: "My cards were dealt generously. From my parents and the good Lord, I inherited beauty and was blessed with a sparkling future. On the surface, I had a life most people could only dream of having." However... "Every morning for four years, I had been swallowing 100 milligrams of methadone, mixed with Kool-Aid from a little white paper cup. Like clockwork, I dressed in yesterday's dirty clothes picked up from my tiny apartment I shared with my 16-year-old daughter and headed for the West Los Angeles Methadone Clinic. That morning what I felt inside: anger, fear and shame. I thought about my mother, a one-time important film actress whose career had flourished from the 1920's to the present time and stupidly compared it to my own career that was by now in the toilet, almost nonexistent. Yet I stubbornly hung on to a glimmer of hope (maybe my only salvation) that some successful auditions for me on television and film would be forthcoming and that soon I would be back to work on a Hollywood set doing what I did best acting." And thus Tisha begins her heartfelt memoir chronicling what on the surface appeared to be a dream life as Ann Sothern's daughter, but which at times was precisely the opposite. Along the way, Tisha paints an intimate portrait of Hollywood and its personalities during Hollywood's bygone Golden Age in the 1930s through the 1960s, a portrait that only one who lived and worked inside the Hollywood of that glamorous era could present."