Constance Ramirez has more than her share of problems when it comes to protecting her adopted sister, Andromeda. Especially since Andromeda isn’t fully human, and her strange powers are dangerous and out of control.

But Constance will do anything to keep her safe, which won’t be easy with bounty hunters hired by the drug cartel she betrayed looking to capture her, and savage monsters seeking to take Andromeda for their own dark purposes.

Being a big sister has never been so hard… Or so deadly.

Then Claire’s world is torn apart when her sister Abby is kidnapped by the Hellions, and Claire herself is taken by dangerous sky pirates known as marauders. But Claire will not be intimidated by them while her sister’s life hangs by a thread, and so she strikes a deal with them: If they help rescue Abby, she will fix their ship and give them the chance to take the revenge they desperately seek.

As Claire fights for her sister’s life, she begins to realize that the Hellions are not the only dangers she’ll face. Burdensome secrets and devastating betrayals threaten her at every turn, and if she loses herself to them, it won’t just be her life that is destroyed…

Superheroes! Supervillains! Superpowered antiheroes. Mad scientists. Adventurers into the unknown. Detectives of the dark night. Costumed crimefighters. Steampunk armoured avengers. Brave and bold supergroups. Crusading aliens in a strange land. Secret histories. Pulp action. Tesseracts Nineteen features all of these permutations of the superhero genre and many others besides!

Edited by Claude Lalumière and Mark Shainblum, Superhero Universe (Tesseracts Nineteen) features twenty-four stories (and one poem) by some of Canada’s best fantasy and science fiction writers:

John Bell, P. E. Bolivar, Kevin Cockle, Evelyn Deshane, Marcelle Dubé, Chadwick Ginther, Patrick T. Goddard, Kim Goldberg, Geoff Hart, Sacha Howells, Arun Jiwa, D. K. Latta, Michael Matheson, Bernard E. Mireault, Luke Murphy, Brent Nichols, David Perlmutter, Mary Pletsch & Dylan Blacquiere, Jennifer Rahn, Corey Redekop, Alex C. Renwick, Jason Sharp, Bevan Thomas, Leigh Wallace, and A. C.Wise.

The Tesseracts anthology series is Canada’s longest running anthology. It was first edited by the late Judith Merril in 1985, and has published more than 529 original Canadian speculative fiction (Science fiction, fantasy and horror) stories and poems by 315 Canadian authors, editors, translators and special guests.

Some of Canada’s best known writers have been published within the pages of these volumes – including Margaret Atwood, William Gibson, Robert J. Sawyer, and Spider Robinson (to name a few).

International best selling author Greg Reid from the Napoleon Hill foundation, is a huge fan and supporter who gave “The Guardians of Xegarath,” a four star rating! Why aren’t you? Remember, FOR XEGARATH!

Waiting for an eternity never halted the hatred of the demon god Xemarath from hating his home land of Xargarath.

The Harbinger of all evil’s chains rot and decay! Soon, his rage will consume the land of Xargarath and devour all of its denizens as it did once before. However Xemaraths brother, Xegarath, the god of all that is righteous and just, has sensed the upcoming conflict and is preparing accordingly. Xegarath has secretly chosen beings to uphold of the two brothers father, Xargarath- guardians to safeguard the land and secure the peace! The Guardians of Xegarath will rise to glory and power!

“It is terrifying in its realism and specificity, heartbreaking in its losses and cruelties, and breathtaking in its scope…. This may be the best indie novel I’ve yet read.” – A. M. Manay, author of SHE DIES AT THE END

“This reads like a classic sci-fi, ala Asimov’s Foundation series…. Excellent, excellent, yeah, this is one the best books I’ve read this year.” – Jeffrey Goff, author of Hope 239

“Justin Gustainis’ new collection is devilishly entertaining, infernally infectious and diabolically clever. The devil and his henchmen have been out in the world and walking up and down in it, and Justin has been right there on their heels, taking notes. Some say the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to get the best writers to tell his stories.”
(Simon R. Green, author of the Nightside series)

When her best(and only)friend is selected by the Emperor to be his new bride (a fate that none before have survived), Danay must make a choice of finally having an opportunity to leave the planet, or to stay and try to save her friend from certain death.

The Undead Pool is a humorous and demented origin story of former mercenary Mace Murdock, who after being subjected to an experiment from the evil clown Zarathustra that leaves him with accelerated healing powers and the hunger for human brains, adopts the alter ego The Undead Pool.

And that’s the good news.

In Book 1, Carly & Patti, in between middle-school, bullies and drama queens, carry out Carly’s big plans: Flip the Skip; Adventure Down Under; One True Direction; Greek Sisters; and 1989 Rewind.

Book 2””Youngtimer: Time Flies now available.

This heartwarming tale, teaches us that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. With its quirky illustrations, this humorous rhyming picture book will amuse children and parents alike.

Sam Jones (part Beagle/part Bassett Hound) has a secret in his blood line.

This secret helps him and his 11 yr old human/assistant Bella track down Sasha.
***
If your pet is missing, contact: Sam Jones – Pet Detective, or his assistant Bella.

Sam tracks down pets and reunites them with their humans.
100% Customer Satisfaction Rating.
Very reasonable fees.
References upon request.

LOL with your favorite emojis as they come to life in this fun, new series. Follow Annie with the constant smile; Kevin, her devilish brother; Billy, poop head and BFF; and Dot, the love-struck jock as they make their way through Emoji Elementary.

In Book #1, Annie desperately wants to get invited to the popular kids’ party – will she get an invitation to the horse-themed birthday? And what about her BFF’s?

Brace your self for the next big thing to happen to Minecraft….farts! Thanks to that new bean Mod Steve discovered, he now has nothing to eat but beans. And you know what that means! YIKES!!

See what happens in the wonderful world of Minecraft when Steve can’t stop farting. Are the Creepers and Zombies terrified ”” or attracted ”” to Steve’s toxic smell? Can Steve find a way to overcome his flatulence issues, or will they get him in the end?

Minecraft Steve learns to harness his flatulence problem to help other Steves in their fight against zombies, Creepers, and spider jockeys, turning Stinky Steve into Super Steve! The first Minecraft Superhero! But is there a new arch-villain right around the corner?

So begins my travelogue, more a diary than a guide book, describing my marriage to a Filipina (by the way, we met neither through a dating agency nor ebay!) and my visits to the country. Lest there should be any doubt, I am the virgin in question though only in a figurative sense. In fact I’m 80++ years of age Englishman and I don’t feel a day over 75!

The book is an account of the greenest green of the rice fields; of nightmarish criss-crossing traffic, managed it would seem by some master choreographer; of traditional family reunions; of my being refused entry to a Subic Bay hotel room on moral grounds along with my 65-year-old nephew-by-marriage; of advertising hoardings the size of tennis courts; of the eventual sale, after much peasant dealing, of one of my wife’s rice fields; of my election as life President of the Husbands’ Escape Committee; of life in a country town; of being inveigled into having a tooth extracted; of visits to the family mausoleum; of the most charming and pleasant people you’d ever meet and that’s just for starters. I love the Philippines, the place and the people and I hope it shows though my writing.

I have won writing awards and prizes from several bodies including NAWG for ”˜best novel’, South East Arts, Torfaen Writers and the Society of Sussex Authors. I was a finalist in the Fenner Brockway Peace Prize for Literature Competition and second in the Alpha to Omega Competition which attracted many contestants from beyond Britain.

Hope you enjoy the read!

Men and women warriors stand a watch st sea that will forever change their lives. Not every foe wears a foreign uniform. Not all enemies attack from outside the ship.

Kate Mahoney, navy captain and single mom, engages military and personal cross-fire. She directs fleet operations to interdict a North Korean assault on the South. A sexist superior, an enigmatic yet alluring colleague, and a rebellious teenage son in the US challenge her resolve. When the risen specter of a past toxic marriage threatens to steal her son, Kate calls upon combat-honed will and personal courage to wage war on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.

RIVEN DAWN is the first of four novels in the FLAGSHIP! Series of military thrillers from the human side. If you like fast-moving action, kick-ass heroines, complex characters, and realistic international intrigue, you’ll love Mike J. Krentz’s tale of one woman’s fight against enemies both foreign and domestic.

“Filled with dishy one liners. A proficient detective story that keeps the plot turning. Should earn the series a bevy of new fans.” ”” Kirkus Reviews

Conventional warriors need not apply.

COMMANDER CRICKET SQUIRE and the men and women of the fleet brainthrust face an unthinkable threat aimed to behead the forward deployed naval force in the western Pacific. Newly promoted and decorated with combat awards after her escape from the oppressive regime’s prison camp, Cricket returns to the flagship for another round of international skirmishes. Too soon after her recent capture and torture? Her doctors and shipmates think so. She determines to prove them wrong, not knowing how the vectors of the enemy’s next attack all point directly at her.

This novella is the first part of VECTORS, the sequel to THE FLAGSHIP! SERIES of military thrillers told from the human side.

However her soul forces her to find her true self in the midst of all that darkness, violence, ignorance and madness.

How is she going to do that? Is she going to ignore her soul? What will be the price for both?

Matt knew that solving the mysteries of the Buffalo Head cluster was a matter of life and death. He just didn’t know that it could be a matter of his life and death.

This book describes the latest developments in Internet marketing and provides detailed and practical knowledge that can help you improve your campaigns to get more visitors, leads, and customers. By using these tools and techniques, you can quickly outperform your competition.

Determined to make a new start, Carrie leaves Texas and heads to Palm Beach to pick up the pieces of her shattered and broken life. The last thing she expects is to find herself attracted to her first client at her new job–Brad Larson, who has proven himself time and time again to be caddish.

But there’s something beneath the surface of Brad’s arrogant exterior that keeps her craving more of him–something almost sweet that Carrie can’t seem to resist.

Is Carrie ready to take another chance on romance? And will this new design of her life prove to be the right one?

When the group of highwaymen, headed by the disgraced Earl Ravensdale hold up the hoydenish Isabella Murray’s coach, she knocks one of them down and lectures them all on following Robin Hood’s example.

The rascally Reynaud Ravensdale ”” otherwise known as the dashing highwayman Mr Fox ”” is fascinated by her spirit.

He escaped abroad three years back when he fell under suspicion of shooting a friend dead after a quarrel. Rumour has it that his far more respectable cousin was involved. Now, having come back during his father’s last illness, the young Earl has largely lost hope of clearing his name of murder, living as an outlaw as he is, and having sworn to protect someone else who was involved in the quarrel.

Isabella’s ambitious parents are eager to marry her off to Ravensdale’s cousin, the next in line to his title. The totally unromantic Isabella is even ready to elope with her outlaw admirer to escape this fate ”” on condition that he teaches her how to be a highwaywoman herself.

This hilarious spoof uses vivid characters and lively comedy to bring new life to a theme traditionally favoured by historical novelists ”” that of the wild young Earl, who, falsely accused of murder by the machinations of a conniving cousin and prejudged by his reputation, takes up life as an outlaw.

”˜Ravensdale’ is a fast paced, funny and light hearted read from the writer of ”˜That Scoundrel Émile Dubois’, and follows the adventures of Émile Dubois’ equally roguish cousin just prior to the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. It can be read as an independent novel.

Her attention has not gone unnoticed. For several nights, Mason has kept watch for the pixie-like female. He plans to seduce her, unaware she’s not just a visitor from another island. But when he discovers she’s one of the tree witches, he knows that no matter how strong the temptation, anything between them would be forbidden.

Despite everything that should keep them apart, Kayla and Mason can’t resist their dark attraction and plan to meet in secret, but other elements on the isle command their attention. The magical cloak created by the three clans on the island is thinning, leading to repercussions for all. Kayla and Mason are soon caught in the middle of it, and their actions may change the fate of the isle forever.

A STAFF PICK at All Romance!

“Kayla and Mason fall in love despite their differences, despite being different. It is a new way of telling Romeo and Juliet. You cannot be with them because of something their ancestors did, and the kids saying I do not care about that, I want to be with them regardless. A lesson many of us need to learn. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting something a little different from their normal.”
~ 5* from Books and Beyond Fifty Shades

When Jack advertises for a mail-order bride to marry and join him in ministering to the gold miners in California, Ada answers.

Will they learn to marry their passions for medicine and ministry?

Hazel and Jamal have been together for six years and are just now getting married. Just after the wedding Hazel soon starts regretting saying the words I Do. Hazel eventually begins to realize that Jamal isn’t the perfect husband that she thought she married.

Jamal has never really been faithful to Hazel but marries her anyway. He has been cheating on her for over two years. He loves Hazel but Hazel doesn’t know how to sexually satisfy him, which puts Jamal in a complicated situation.

Xavier has been with Jet for four years and they have one daughter together. Jet wants her freedom to drink and party all night without hearing Xavier breathing down her neck. Xavier wants Jet to be responsible and stay out the clubs, but she isn’t hearing any of that. Jet soon starts sleeping with someone else and when Xavier finds out Jets secret all hell breaks loose, he dismisses her and decides to raise their daughter on his own.

Who’s between the sheets tells a story of different couples who just aren’t satisfied with their partners sexually. You will be amazed when you find out WHO IS actually BETWEEN THE SHEETS.

Jake left the Double Ace Ranch with one thing in mind: to put as many miles between himself and his best friend’s wife as possible. Ending up in the Deep South almost broke was not what he had in mind, but when he finds a job and a place to stay almost instantly he doesn’t think it’s such a bad idea. That is until he sees the one woman who makes him crazy: Briar Fields.

When a ghost from her past shows up right on her doorstep, Briar has no clue what to do to get rid of him even as she wants to be in his arms again. Her body craves him even though her mind tells her to do what’s sensible. How is she supposed to take care of her family when he haunts her every thought?

Together, they may just burn each other down or create something that will last forever.

However, there’s more to the faded picture of a soldier in 1940s New York than she realizes, and soon she unexpectedly meets him””but he hasn’t aged a day. As they get to know each other, Sarah’s feelings begin to grow”¦

Neither does she expect to inherit too the legacy of a wrongdoing from half a century before…

For the wicked Lord Venn is rumoured to have inherited a family curse, which, having dispatched the main perpetrators of the old crime, now moves on to their heirs, who are just as wild a set of rakes as their elders. There are rumours of violent deaths preceded by appearances from an inexorable Hooded Spectre, of inexplicable strikes of lightning, and of haunted mirrors.

The light hearted Harley Venn dismisses all these as conjuring tricks. He even hires a drunken charlatan of a professional magician to prove it.

Clarinda is far from sure that there is any rational explanation. Still, it would take more than an enforced marriage to a pugilistic libertine or persecution from malevolent spectres to damage her steely nerves and sense of the ridiculous.

This lively Gothic comedy, written as a good natured satire of the cliches of Gothic romance, gives the reader a warm hearted and courageous heroine, a wicked but beguiling anti-hero and an authentic historical background to the delightfully over-the-top adventures, plus a host of vivid supporting characters and many chills on its way to its tumultuous conclusion.

Desperate and on the verge of financial disaster, Destiny Noir accepts a sexy offer from the mysterious billionaire manager of an adult club. Dark Odyssey is a mansion along the SouthFlorida coast and caters to the rich and powerful, providing a particular service that satisfies their clients’ sinful requests.

Lindsay Fischer was once a high school English teacher with dreams stretching far outside the classroom. When her boyfriend of a year-and-a-half cheated on her, Lindsay found herself alone, looking online for a replacement. His name was Mike. That’s where the nightmare started. The House on Sunset is a memoir, a collection of reminiscences, scattering the ashes of two broken homes and putting them to rest. Each chapter offers a different glimpse inside the cycle of intimate partner violence, where honeymoon phases and traumas coexist. Everyone could fall victim to abusers. This book bravely displays the reasons a quirky, twenty-something teacher would, and did.

Home Groupies is a ”˜thought for the day’ book in the form of a novella. Rather than being spoken by a disembodied voice, the daily messages arise from the lives of flesh and blood characters. They struggle with their own issues as they deal with their friend Sharon’s struggle with cancer.

“Today I will accept sometimes I am powerless over that which is most precious and painful.”

The first step is to stop taking anything not prescribed for you. This includes alcohol and other drugs, over-the-counter medications, and anything prescribed for your spouse or significant other. Although you may share your love, life, and soul, with this person, do not share his or her medications.
The second step, which should be done at the same time as the first, is finding a doctor familiar with addiction and recovery. Just because your doctor or dentist has been to medical or dental school, does not mean he or she understands addiction.
The third step involves working with your doctor to eliminate all unnecessary medications. Sometimes that means stopping a medication right away, sometimes it means tapering off medication.
The fourth step is treating whatever still needs treatment. Treatments other than medications are considered first. Medications that are not habit-forming are considered next. Anything that might be addictive is considered only as a last resort.
The fifth step is to take stock and reevaluate the need for prescribed medications. We suggest taking stock frequently.

This guide asks agnostics/atheists to stay clean and sober while they sort through what they believe and why they believe or disbelieve as they do. Further, Choosing a Higher Purpose suggests practicing the daily disciplines others in recovery practice. These disciplines include taking stock, writing a gratitude list, and going to Twelve Step meetings.

“Today I will remember I can’t chase an addiction without leaving a loved one in the dust.”

“Today I will be grateful as I remember the old adage: Wasted not, wanted not,” (at least not by law enforcement.)

“Today I will be grateful I’m not stark, craving, mad.”

“Today I will take heart. While evil may be deliberately hidden, a lot of good goes unnoticed.”

“Today I will remember confidence often comes from doing things despite not feeling confident.”

“Today I will try to do the right thing just because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Today I will not feel obligated by social obligations.”

Write and launch your book to best seller status!
WRITE, PUBLISH, PROMOTE is the complete guide to building a successful indie publishing career, whether you write fiction or non-fiction.
In WRITE see how a best seller is written.
In PUBLISH find out how to get published.
In PROMOTE, learn the techniques of effective book marketing.

You will never achieve your highest potential or your dreams if you don’t consistently make a conscious choice to step up and swing confidently at life’s curveballs. Decide today that no matter what problem arises in your life, you are always bigger than that problem. Commit to dealing with all your responsibilities and fears with everything you’ve got. From here on out for the rest of your life, refuse to shrink from anyone or anything. You are never as small or weak or helpless as you may think. You are a force of nature, a being of unlimited power and potential.

Choose to stand up in life. Make your presence known. Declare what you want. Be strong and fight for what you deserve. If you choose to strive for your best, for high performance in all you do and in all you ARE, then EVERYTHING changes. The struggle to the next level will be worth it.

My aim is to introduce you to the change, challenge and work and prepare you for the great adventure you are about to undertake. In this book I will give you some deep-dive motivation and high-performance strategies.
Keep working, keep at it, believe!

Being rich does not just happen. It requires planning and focus, decisions and guiding principles. What can you do to recover from big mistakes or loss, and what should you be focused on when trying to save and reduce debt? The RichLife philosophy is about more than just the money in the bank. It embraces the people, ideas, and values important to you. This book is designed to help you put together not just a sound financial plan, but your own version of a RichLife Plan.

Paul van den Berg is an accomplished sixty-year-old man. He grew up in a strict reformed family and has been struggling with his homosexuality ever since he can remember. By being hard on himself, never allowing any emotions and always maintaining a firm order throughout his life, true happiness has eluded him thus far.

One day, he receives a phone call from Greece. A friend from his past has passed away and has named Paul as one of the beneficiaries in his will. Chaos strikes in his usually carefully structured life.

Confused and anxious, he decides to travel to Greece. Once he arrives, Paul is subjected to an omnium gatherum of emotions, sadness and regret.

Dive into the Fascinating History and interesting Facts behind each of these Delights, and Learn How to Cook them in a Healthy Way from the Comfort of your Home, Wherever you are.

Sadly, the bell makers, over time, were replaced by noisemakers. They peddled work with little purpose and great distractions to fill what they called the emptiness inside. No one before then knew it was called empty. Folks then, saw it more as the vast endlessness of possibility. But soon, the people were so filled with noise, they could no longer hear themselves. They could no longer hear the voice within. The people became so filled with noise and distraction they had no room left inside for even one more clear, radiant note from a bell. This began The Great Age of Sound. But, before The Great Age of Sound, there were bell makers. And they were magic. This is the story of one such man.

As he unearths objects in the house that had been lost or discarded by time, Somerset remembers his father’s cruelty and the accident that cost him his brother’s life; he revisits the itinerant wandering of his youth, tethered to a troubled mother; he mourns the loss of his wife and ponders the decades-long absence of his son-all of whom are caught in the grip of Luzerne County’s ancient history of violence.

Part elegy, part history, part existential ghost tale, The Stove-Junker is a harrowing, lyrical meditation on loss, heartbreak, and the power of memory.

How will they get together? Will India become one again?

Take an exciting journey with them from their college days in Mumbai to their life in the US and back to India when they find out that India is divided.

The epic begins with the love of a soldier in the New South Wales Corps for a high-spirited convict woman, but tragedy leads him to the arms of a beautiful native woman. From these unions arise generations of proud Australians who play their part in forging the Great Southern Land. The story of these courageous men and women, their dreams, their dynasty, and the heritage they share is as unique as the land from which they sprang. Southern Skyes brings Australia’s history to life with compelling characters, rendering the Australian landscape in all its rugged magnificence.

Nadie is a bright but rebellious teen growing up Manitoba Cree. Living in abject poverty, she tries to help care for the younger children in the band. Devastated by the drowning death of her little cousin and unable to overcome her grief, Nadie leaves the band.

How can she find her own place in a foreign world where she is abused and discriminated against, and for the first time in her life, completely alone?

Zeuhks is originally from Hazedonya, a land that was founded by people with special powers much like his own during the medieval period in England. Only now Hazedonya is a different place, a dark land dominated by the evil Queen Barbenia Voldstrin. Despite her classification, Zeuhks is no fan of his crazy mother.

Soon rumors have it that Andromeda Baranova (the rightful heir to throne) has been hidden in the soul dimension. When Barbenia discovers the rumors to be true, she orders Zeuhks to track down the girl and discover her powers before finally terminating her.

Forced into a prestigious boarding school in England, Zeuhks experiences the soul world of technology and societal difference. Yet, Zeuhks finds himself experiencing something much worse in his perception: a magnetic attraction to his family’s enemy. Andromeda, unaware of Hazedonya’s existence, is intelligent and funny and enables Zeuhks to feel emotions for himself. Fighting to resist the bond that slowly forms between them, Zeuhks is faced with the dilemma of detaching himself from the dark society surrounding his family or choosing to finally alienate himself with it forever.

Similarly, a lot of medicines used to fight cancer are derived from herbs such as parsley, Madagascar periwinkle, and rosemary; but when did herbal medicines become prominent? Well, according to old records from the 1500 BC, the ancient Egyptians used juniper, myrrh, and garlic for medicinal purposes. In 1000 AD, herbs were used by the people of England to protect themselves against infections.

The information in this book will help you achieve the vision you have always wanted, that of consuming fresh produce, coming straight from your garden rather than the ones you buy in the marketplace.

Just picture yourself living in an environment that is free of air pollution and instead, one that is filled with fresh air and the amazing aroma of fresh vegetables coming from your own garden. You and your family would love to have fresh fruits and veggies, and you can only achieve this by starting your very own garden and then live your dream.

Unlike many gardeners who move out from where they live to start gardening in rural areas (which is not a bad idea), you can always figure out a way to start gardening in your current location where you and your family enjoy living.

A raised bed garden is the way to go if you want to live away from food sold in fast-food places or restaurants that cost you a fortune to dine there. Go live a healthy and lively lifestyle by eating fresh food direct from your own garden.

Now, in this new book on the subject, you can begin to understand the benefits of the Autoimmune Paleo Diet and how it can work for you, fitting seamlessly with your busy lifestyle.

This book will show you:

Why the Paleo Diet is for you
The benefits of an Autoimmune Paleo Diet
Foods to eat and Avoid
Breakfast Recipes
Lunch Recipes
Snack Recipes
Dinner Recipes

With dozens of delicious recipes to try out and taste, you’re certain to find plenty to continually keep your interest going. The Autoimmune Paleo Diet is one which is not only good for you, but is easy to follow and uses food which is readily available and easy to source.

So maybe it’s time you switched to it and find for yourself the difference it can make to you.

Constance Ramirez has more than her share of problems when it comes to protecting her adopted sister, Andromeda. Especially since Andromeda isn’t fully human, and her strange powers are dangerous and out of control.

But Constance will do anything to keep her safe, which won’t be easy with bounty hunters hired by the drug cartel she betrayed looking to capture her, and savage monsters seeking to take Andromeda for their own dark purposes.

Being a big sister has never been so hard… Or so deadly.

Home Groupies is a ”˜thought for the day’ book in the form of a novella. Rather than being spoken by a disembodied voice, the daily messages arise from the lives of flesh and blood characters. They struggle with their own issues as they deal with their friend Sharon’s struggle with cancer.

“Today I will accept sometimes I am powerless over that which is most precious and painful.”

The first step is to stop taking anything not prescribed for you. This includes alcohol and other drugs, over-the-counter medications, and anything prescribed for your spouse or significant other. Although you may share your love, life, and soul, with this person, do not share his or her medications.
The second step, which should be done at the same time as the first, is finding a doctor familiar with addiction and recovery. Just because your doctor or dentist has been to medical or dental school, does not mean he or she understands addiction.
The third step involves working with your doctor to eliminate all unnecessary medications. Sometimes that means stopping a medication right away, sometimes it means tapering off medication.
The fourth step is treating whatever still needs treatment. Treatments other than medications are considered first. Medications that are not habit-forming are considered next. Anything that might be addictive is considered only as a last resort.
The fifth step is to take stock and reevaluate the need for prescribed medications. We suggest taking stock frequently.

This guide asks agnostics/atheists to stay clean and sober while they sort through what they believe and why they believe or disbelieve as they do. Further, Choosing a Higher Purpose suggests practicing the daily disciplines others in recovery practice. These disciplines include taking stock, writing a gratitude list, and going to Twelve Step meetings.

“Today I will remember I can’t chase an addiction without leaving a loved one in the dust.”

“Today I will be grateful as I remember the old adage: Wasted not, wanted not,” (at least not by law enforcement.)

“Today I will be grateful I’m not stark, craving, mad.”

“Today I will take heart. While evil may be deliberately hidden, a lot of good goes unnoticed.”

“Today I will remember confidence often comes from doing things despite not feeling confident.”

“Today I will try to do the right thing just because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Today I will not feel obligated by social obligations.”